Keeper of the Lost Cities: Why Prentice Called Swan Song

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

In this post, I focus on piecing together what I can about Prentice and what happened before his memory break.

I am confident that the books have sufficient clues for us to draw the conclusion that Kenric is Forkle (see post).  When Kenric asks Prentice to be his Keeper in Forgotten Secret #5 in Stellarlune, his true intent is for Prentice to be the Keeper of the Black Swan.  Since Prentice does become the Black Swan's Keeper, we know that he must have accepted.

In Exile, Sophie enters Prentice's mind for the first time and speaks to Jolie (page 242).  Eventually we learn that Prentice uses Jolie to picture himself, because his mind is so broken that he doesn't know what he looks like.

In later books, Prentice uses Cyrah to represent himself in his mind (Nightfall, page 584).  Since Cyrah is important to Prentice, I assume Jolie is also important for some reason.  According to Forkle, Jolie was working "deep undercover" for the Black Swan (Everblaze, page 460).  We also know that Prentice was investigating something during the time just before he was arrested (Nightfall, page 43).  Prentice and Jolie might have been working together.

Forkle believes that Prentice's mind contains something crucial (Neverseen, page 107).

The Lodestar symbol is retrieved from Prentice's mind (Lodestar, page 95).  Sophie obtains pieces of the symbol after transmitting "swan song" to Prentice.  Prentice uses Jolie to tell Sophie that the phrase has "a pull, like an anchor."  This implies that the Lodestar symbol has something to do with the reason why Prentice called swan song.

Livvy discovers that Prentice was drugged with soporodine before he was handed over to the Black Swan (Nightfall, page 493).  The characters believe that the Neverseen probably drugged Prentice due to fear that Prentice would reveal something.  It is assumed that a dwarf loyal to the Neverseen is responsible, but no one knows for sure.

Lodestar, page 349:  She explained about the disk in his cloak, and how Prentice's memory of the symbol seemed to be connected to him calling swan song, and how they found the shadowprint of the symbol on the floor of the abandoned hideout in Paris.

I assume that Prentice discovered the Lodestar symbol during his investigation. 

Nightfall, page 43:  "We didn't know you'd caught on to Prentice until it was too late," Livvy said quietly.  "Even when he called swan song, I thought it had something to do with what he was investigating, not that he was about to be arrested.  "What was he investigating?" Sophie asked.  "Honestly?  I have no idea," Livvy admitted.

I suspect that Prentice had no idea he was about to be arrested and that he called swan song for some other reason.  If Prentice was investigating the Lodestar symbol and the Neverseen, he could have found out about Nightfall.  

The first chapter of #10 Elysian was published in the paperback edition of Unraveled.  I noticed some familiar descriptions.  From Chapter 1 of Elysian:

Gisela flashed a smile..., "I thought I was hunting down a place—not a person.  Following clues scribbled on the tatters of a long-forgotten map to 'whispering rapids' and 'butterflies kissed with red'..."

Kenric uses the same phrases in Forgotten Secret #6 in Stellarlune:

Stellarlune, page 261:  "By following a convoluted trail of evidence that I've slowly pieced together over the last several months."

Stellarlune, page 262:  "Something had mentioned 'whispering rapids,' so when I found this river, I followed it here."

Stellarlune, page 263:  "But see how they have red on their faces?  I found a mention about that, too—'butterflies kissed with red.' "

Clearly, Kenric and Lady Gisela had the same information source.  But how could that be?

Kenric likely learned the clues about Elysian sometime prior to Prentice becoming his Keeper (butterflies kissed with red, etc.).  It is apparent that Kenric's clues about Elysian were saved to Prentice's mind.

In Exile, Sophie enters Prentice's mind.

Exile, page 240:  There was a fountain in the center of it all, two golden figures standing in a round pool, holding hands as colored streams of water showered them from every direction.

The description is of the Unity Fountain in Atlantis, featured in Nightfall.  The Unity Fountain is the entrance to Nightfall.

Sophie also sees this when she enters Prentice's mind.

Exile, page 239:  Glowing eyes peeked through bushes covered in blue ears, and butterflies with bright red lips whispered sounds like mush. 

That part describes the place, Elysian.  If Kenric stored that information in Prentice's mind, then surely he stored everything he knew about Elysian in Prentice's mind, including the phrases "whispering rapids" and "butterflies kissed with red."

What if Gethen got to Prentice?  Gethen might have probed Prentice's mind and retrieved the information about Elysian.  An event like that would have caused Prentice to call swan song.  I believe Shannon hints at something like this in Forgotten Secret #5.

Stellarlune, page 254:  "Even if your plan works," Prentice said, noticeably not agreeing, "the Keeper would be a target for anyone seeking privileged information."

Kenric insists that only he and Prentice would know.

Stellarlune, page 254:  Prentice shook his head.  "We all know how easily information can leak."  "Not if you and I are the only ones who know we're working together."  

Stellarlune, page 257:  Instead he stepped closer and told Kenric, "No amount of talent will ever make me infallible."

Prentice was probably investigating something that had to do with the Lodestar symbol and the Neverseen.  Perhaps he came to the attention of the Neverseen in some fashion, so Gethen probed his mind.  In fact, Gethen might have tried different trigger words that would have then revealed important secrets, like the information about Elysian.

Gethen might then have washed Prentice's memory so that the Black Swan and Prentice would have no way of knowing that he had probed Prentice's mind.  

Stellarlune, page 249:   Everyone assumed he'd used the Black Swan's code for imminent danger because he'd somehow uncovered the Lodestar symbol and feared the Neverseen would be coming after him.  But the explanation didn't totally make sense, as Prentice could've told someone what he'd learned—both to help prove his innocence and to make sure the information didn't get buried if he ended up in Exile.  Instead, he had kept everything to himself.  Almost as if he hadn't known who he could trust.

Gethen might have washed enough of Prentice's memory that it caused him not to know who he could trust.  In fact, Gethen might have wiped out almost everything in Prentice's mind that pertained to the Black Swan.  I suspect that Prentice's mind was already broken to a significant degree before his mind was completely broken by Quinlin and Alden.

While I'm sure that I don't have it quite right, I feel that I'm on the right track.  If Gethen retrieved Kenric's clues about Elysian from Prentice's mind, he might have shared that information with Lady Gisela.  Lady Gisela followed the clues to Elysian sometime after Prentice was exiled.  She didn't find anything, and then her starstone was lost.

Kenric didn't know what Elysian is, and Lady Gisela is quite surprised to learn the truth in the released first chapter of #10 Elysian.  This makes sense.  If Kenric didn't know the truth, then the truth was not placed in Prentice's mind.

I have had several theories about why Kenric searches Fintan's mind.  In my post about Forgotten Secret #4, I wrote that Kenric learned about Elysian from Fintan's mind.  I now think differently.

Kenric learned about Elysian from some other source, possibly Fallon Vacker.  That information was saved in Prentice's mind, and I believe that it was retrieved by Gethen.  Lady Gisela then used that information.

We know that Gisela was in contact with Ethan Benedict Wright, who I believe is a Forkle identity.  Forkle/Ethan could have heard information about Elysian from Gisela and then realized that a leak had occurred.  

I believe the leak is Prentice via his mind being probed by the Neverseen.  But Kenric didn't know that had happened.

Kenric might have entered Fintan's mind to see if Fintan was connected to why Prentice called swan song.  Kenric was checking to see how much of the information stored in Prentice's mind had leaked.  He was checking to see if Fintan had the information.  Kenric shattered the portion of the memory from while he was in Fintan's mind to avoid anything about Elysian from spreading further.  

Alvar showing up in San Diego searching for Sophie has always bothered me.  He was ostensibly searching at Alden's request, yet the Neverseen chided him for making the mistake.  Even though Alvar was searching for Sophie at Alden's request, he was actually helping the Neverseen find Sophie.  

I believe Alvar knew to search in San Diego because Gethen probed Prentice's mind and learned Sophie's location.  That is why the fires were set in Keeper.  Alvar had failed years before, and then the Neverseen set fires around San Diego to try to flush Sophie out.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

I appreciate those who have commented on my posts.  If you ever want to comment, you can do so at the end of every post using a screen name.  First, click in the text box but don't type anything.  Look right above where you clicked to see a drop-down menu where one option is "Name/URL."  Enter a name (no URL needed), and that name will display on the comment.