Malta *spoilers all Hobb books*

['thul]

what browser do you use?

[Nuytsia]

Amber had been speaking to Malta: " '...Your time will come to fly. And when it does, you must be strong, not bloodied and weary.' Amber's eyes went suddenly wider. 'Beware of one who would claim your wings for her own. Beware of one who would make you doubt your own strength..."
So, who was it who tried/would try to claim Malta's wings for her own? I haven't thought much on it but I can't think of anyone off the top of my head, in the LST or RWC, who tried to do this. Wings makes me think someone may take her Elderling status from her...it also makes me think of Thymara and her Elderling status but I'm doubting there'd be an issue there?

Hmmm Robin must have had some mysterious thing in mind for future events!
It did immediately make me think of Thymara.... that would be some future development in a fairly new direction....
Otherwise, Tintaglia, as 'thul said.... that would make sense with events as we have seen them (in a way)

It also makes me wonder afresh about the whole white prophet thing .... why a prophecy totally unrelated to the catalyst and apparently relating to events happening after the WP is either dead or not a WP any longer.....

[Chrischa]

I suppose it would depend on whether Malta still has a major role to play in any of the events, and I suppose that if the story from Dragon Haven/Keeper continues, she might.

If she hadn't, then this being that Amber warns about must be in the Liveship books... funny, I always thought the Satrap came quite close to that discription, the way he tries to leech of Malta, but it's supposed to be a "she".
Malta's "time to fly" in the Liveship books would certainly have been when she sat at the negotiating table with the Satrap, Kennit, and those nobles from Jamailla, reaping the rewards of her survival through her trails. But at that point there is nobody who tries to claim her accomplishments as her own.

So yeah, I agree with your conclusions; this event must still be due. I'm very curious! It could even be Sintara and Tintaglia fighting over being her dragon.

OT: 'thul, I'm having to use Opera 9.64 because I've not been able to upgrade my Mac for four years now. It's high time for a new one!

['thul]

These beings agree that the events with Malta are unlikely to be finished, but only Robin Hobb knows how much remains.

@Chrischa: That part about mac explains it probably. These beings use both firefox and opera. The latter installed on a memory stick.

[Nuytsia]

Hmm you know, thinking about it more, it seems more like the warning could relate to events IN the LST books ..... otherwise why does Amber say :
'Your time will come to fly. And when it does, you must be strong, not bloodied and weary.' I mean, I'm not sure what event/s she is referring to that could make Malta bloodied and weary, but for some reason it sounds like she is going to find 'her time to fly' in the relatively short term?

Now I can't recall any events in the LST that would really fit perfectly, but then again I have forgotten a lot of details of LST......

['thul]

These beings cannot recall any event where malta literally flew in LST, but there are many occasions where she had a very important role, which to some degree can be construed as "flying"... like her power over the others through the threat of the dragon and the ambassadorial role for the dragon in the capital. Later, in dragon keeper, she is not so important, having apparently been discarded by Tintaglia...

[Farseer]

I do have a spoiler tag in the thread name but, just in case you are drawn in by 'Malta', herein lies some major spoilers for the Liveship Traders books, not to mention Farseer and Tawny Man...!

Amber had been speaking to Malta: " '...Your time will come to fly. And when it does, you must be strong, not bloodied and weary.' Amber's eyes went suddenly wider. 'Beware of one who would claim your wings for her own. Beware of one who would make you doubt your own strength..."

I get the feeling, from Robin's comments regarding Malta's dramas within 'the Next Book', that more light will be shed on this soon!

In such a rush so no time to expand on this thought but we know that Fool and Fitz shared a Skill-link until Fool 'took back' the Skill-imbued fingerprints in FF, right? Ah, but what of Amber and Malta?

During The Mad Ship, after Malta had 'fainted' aboard Paragon, we are told of a mark on the back of Malta's neck that was the size of a fingerprint (I don't have the book at present but will quote and reference this passage when my husband returns). This mark is obviously left over from Amber's Skill touch, after she'd helped Malta with ungloved hands. I knew this at the time of reading but it wasn't until my husband pointed out that I hadn't even underlined the quote in the book (unusual given the notes and underlines throughout my RotE books! ) that the possible consequences of this mark and Skill touch finally occured to me...amazing what a quick re-read of something can do!

Does this mean that Amber and Malta shared a tiny Skill-link from that point and, as it was never removed, they share it still? While Malta may not have been strong in the Skill before, she is no doubt increasing her ability given her linking with Reyn in the latter stages of Ship of Destiny?

Fitz and Fool did share a Skill-link before Fool touched Fitz with (three?) of his silvered fingers though, so possibly the one touch is not enough to link Amber and Malta? That begs another question that I've never thought of before....doesn't really belong here but it carries on from the question so?...

Why did Fool's removal of the fingerprints totally delete the Skill-link he'd had with Fitz for so long, if they'd shared a Skill-link prior to the fingerprints being placed there? Wasn't it the event at the plaza that had first joined them in the Skill? Interesting...

[Farseer]

During The Mad Ship, after Malta had 'fainted' aboard Paragon, we are told of a mark on the back of Malta's neck that was the size of a fingerprint (I don't have the book at present but will quote and reference this passage when my husband returns).

I forgot to come back and reference the passage regarding the mark on Malta's neck. It's from Chapter Thirty-One, 'The Calm' and Keffria is speaking:

'You need to wash the back of your neck. Or is that a bruise?' She bent closer to look at the pale blue spot...'It's just a greyish-blue spot, about the size of a fingertip. It looks like a bruise...'

['thul]

These beings have a strong suspicion that this spot was the beginnings of scales... one of the places scales tend to start growing is along the spine... There's nothing saying that her scales are all red.

[redchild]

Hmm I believe the Fool's Skill-link with Fitz occurred only after he touched the spot on Fitz's wrist when he went into Nighteyes' body to revive him and found he couldn't find his way back.

Though I don't understand why a second contact with the print would have established that link rather than first contact.