The Stonekeeper

“‘Hey Dad, I get to play a game when we get there, right?’

‘Mm-hmm.’

‘Okay, cool.’”

The novel opens with this kind of everyday, mundane conversation—that is also good-natured, lighthearted, and fun—which establishes how comfortable and happy Emily is in her family life. It creates a stark contrast to the tragedy that is about to occur. Emily’s family has no idea about the traumatic events around the corner, and the Prologue illustrates how quickly life can be completely upended and irrevocably changed.

“‘DAVID!!!’

‘You need to look after Emily. Let go.’”

This scene is important because David’s death impacts the family in obvious and untold ways. It also introduces an idea that recurs throughout the rest of the novel: Characters are often forced to make difficult decisions in order to take care of other people in need. Both Karen and David make a sacrifice here, and it becomes a formative moment for Emily. She later has responsibility thrust upon her and must learn about Power and Responsibility.

“Do I have to go to school? I can learn everything I need on my own.”

Like her great-grandfather Silas, Emily is something of a loner. Since the death of her father, she has pulled away from other people, including her mom and brother. This is evident in her apathetic expression in these early pages and the fact that she immediately goes off to explore the house on her own rather than helping them clean. This quote also demonstrates the great belief she has in herself. While she truly believes that she can do things alone, she is going to have to learn about The Importance of Family and Teamwork.

“It’s just that I don’t see the use of learning algebra when I know I’ll never use it in the real world.”

As soon as Emily takes the amulet and sets foot in Alledia, she acts quickly and deliberately. In every situation, she takes whatever action she can and worries about the consequences later. This, along with the fact that she feels detached from other people since the death of her dad, explains why she is bored with school and a lot of the “useless” things she has to learn there.

“‘My grandfather was Eccentric. And he’s not someone you should look up to.’

‘Why not?’

‘Just trust me, Emily. It’s better to lead a normal life, like everyone else.’”

Karen’s concern comes from a place of care—she wants Emily to live an easy life, and normal is usually easy. However, even before discovering the amulet and Alledia, Emily has not lived a normal life since she has experienced a traumatic event that constantly haunts her. So, she feels like something of an outsider and is drawn to the eccentricities of her great-grandfather.

“The power should come back on in couple of days. Until then, it’ll be like we’re camping out.”

After the Prologue but before she is captured, Karen is always working to make things positive and fun for Emily and Navin, like their clean-up game. This is a contrast to how she is depicted in the Prologue, where she appears to be the rule enforcer while David just wants to have fun. This shows that her good humor is a kind of survival strategy—in terms of her own mental health and her children’s—and something she’s had to learn to do since David died.

“‘It’s not something dad would have done.’

‘Gulp.’

‘Why do you say things like that, Emily?’”

There is a lot of tension evident between Emily and her mom in these early pages, and the “gulp” that Navin lets out suggests that he knows how this is about to play out because it’s happened before. The scene also demonstrates Emily’s immaturity and self-centeredness at this point in the novel—while she has every right to be upset, she isn’t thinking beyond her own feelings or considering how the entire ordeal has been for her mom.

“I miss your father as much as you do. I wish he was here. I wish I could talk to him. But more than that, I wish I knew what to do. I wish I wasn’t alone.”

Despite the positive attitude Karen projects, life is hard for her, too. Rather than showing weakness, the cracks she reveals in this conversation show how strong she normally is to maintain that positive facade for Emily and Navin’s sake. She feels the same loss that they do but also has the added responsibility of not only caring for them by herself but also helping them navigate the tragedy of David’s death.

“Now remember to use this power wisely. Being a Stonekeeper is a responsibility you mustn’t take lightly.”

The theme of Power and Responsibility is one of the central ideas of The Stonekeeper. However, what exactly constitutes that responsibility remains open to interpretation at this point—it could mean the responsibility to use the power to help others or to be cautious with that power since it comes with the capacity to do great harm.

“‘How do you know we can trust [the amulet]? That voice sounds pretty shifty.’

‘That shifty voice saved your life. And it’s not like we’ve got a lot of options, Navin. So unless you come up with a better plan, the amulet will be our guide.’”

Emily and Navin’s disagreement about the amulet is indicative of their respective personalities: Navin is inherently cautious, hesitant, and nervous, while Emily is impulsive, quick to act, and confident. She recognizes that in some situations, there isn’t time to think, and this frequently saves them; however, Navin’s more careful approach is a good counterbalance to Emily’s propensity to take risks.

“You must be the one. I can see it in your eyes.”

The motif of eyes comes up a lot during Emily’s conversation with Silas. His comment here indicates his belief that the eyes are a gateway to some essential truth about a person. Throughout the scene, there are numerous close-ups of both Emily’s and Silas’s eyes, suggesting that readers should also be trying to ascertain some truth about them. Adding an additional layer of complication is the fact that Emily’s eyes glow red when she is speaking to the amulet, and one of Silas’s eyes glows as if it is mechanical or powered by some amulet-like force.

“‘If you can master [the amulet], you will not only save your mother’s life, but you will gain a great and glorious power beyond anything you ever imagined.’

‘But I’m not interested in power. I just want to get my mom back and go home.’”

The conversation Emily has with Silas hints at the idea that Emily is destined to rule Alledia. Yet, for Emily, this isn’t something she has ever wanted or even considered, especially while her mom’s life is in peril. The fact that she is disinterested in power—at this point—ties into the theme of Power and Responsibility and demonstrates one of the reasons she is an ideal candidate to wield it.

“But what if I told you this power would allow you to turn back time? To make things go back to the way they once were? […] There must have been a time in your life when you were happier. It’s difficult for me to imagine that you were always such a serious and determined young lady.”

While Emily’s father’s death unquestionably changed her, she demonstrates little interest in turning back time since she is so focused on saving her mom. However, the question lingers at the end of the novel and remains a loose thread going into the next novel in the series. If Emily succeeds in saving her mother, she will have more leisure to think about what to do with the enormous power she holds, and she never forgets Silas’s words.

“Emily, when I am gone, you will be left with a choice. You may choose to accept the stone’s power or to turn it away. Just remember that either choice comes with great consequences and sacrifice.”

This quote relates to the themes of Power and Responsibility and Growing Up. Since her dad’s death, Emily has wanted more control over her life, and this choice finally presents that option. However, by accepting it, she also accepts the responsibilities that come with power.

“‘But sir, I can’t do this on my own.’

‘But you’re not alone.’”

Silas’s response echoes what Emily said to her mom earlier in the novel, and it reiterates The Importance of Family and Teamwork. The prospect of life without Silas—and the responsibility of guiding Emily on her path to becoming a stonekeeper—makes Miskit feel alone and inadequate. However, in reality, he has a team of robots and Emily and Navin with him, and the latter half of the novel demonstrates how effective they are as a team.

“It’s time to choose. Take Silas’s place as keeper of this stone...and you will awaken a family that can help you recover your own.”

Emily realizes The Importance of Family and Teamwork by recognizing that family can be more than just blood relations. Miskit and the other robots quickly become an extended family for Emily and Navin, and their bonds are formed through the difficult experiences of losing Silas and rescuing Karen.

“‘I don’t trust it.’

‘Without power you cannot attain what you desire.’

‘Em, don’t do it.’

‘Without the stone, all that surrounds you will turn to dust. Embrace the power…and use it to save your family.’ […]

‘There must be another way! We can do this on our own.’”

The amulet pushes to persuade Emily to accept it. This makes Navin’s skepticism seem more justified. The sinister red glow in Emily’s eyes as the amulet talks to her also makes its intentions feel cynical and self-motivated; the visuals suggest that it will have power over her if she accepts the role of stonekeeper.

“‘Em, I get the feeling you’re getting us in deeper and deeper trouble.’

‘Listen, without Mom here, I’m the one in charge, okay?’”

Moments like this—when Emily essentially seizes power and control—can be read in multiple ways. On the one hand, she is taking on the responsibility in front of her, knowing that Navin isn’t ready to make difficult decisions, but on the other hand, it could be a sign that the power of the amulet is already beginning to corrupt her and wear away at her convictions.

“‘Navin’s too young [to pilot the Albatross]. I’ll do it.’

‘What?! If I’m too young, then so are you! Besides, you know I’m better than you at stuff like this.’

‘But you’re talking about video games. This is real life!’

‘Em, please let me fly the plane. PLEASE.’”

This is a huge moment of growth for the usually cautious and scared Navin. He recognizes that he has skills and abilities that could be useful in this situation and steps up to help the team. It is also a moment of growth for Emily, who has to step back and let Navin take some responsibility and control into his own hands, despite the fact that it will also put him in danger. She is usually overly protective of him—especially after their father died and their mom was taken—so she has to let go of her fear to allow this.

“‘Why isn’t it working?!’

‘I messed up!!!’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I brought the wrong darts!!’”

Miskit’s mistake provides a rare instance of comedy in an otherwise dark and serious novel. It provides a brief moment of levity as The Stonekeeper builds toward its climax. It also breaks up what are otherwise three very tense and successive action sequences.

“‘Emily, go help your brother!!’

‘But you’re almost out!’

‘I—I can’t move. Emily, please—please go.’

‘I’ll come back for you.’”

This scene mirrors the scene at the beginning of the book, when Karen is unable to pull David out of the car because he is pinned in and he instructs her to let go so that she can take care of Emily. The difference is that with the amulet and her new friends, Emily now has the power and control to know that she can leave her mom in this instance and still come back to save her later.

“You’re the one who will kill my father, the Elf King. […] If we join forces, we can free this land from his iron grip. And you will finish what your great grandfather started.”

Throughout the novel, it is generally assumed—and explicitly stated by Miskit—that the elf (Trellis) is after Emily because he wants her amulet. The reveal that he wants her help and that her great-grandfather was involved in something much bigger is a plot twist that raises a lot of questions for the sequels in the series to answer.

“‘He took your mother from you. Make him pay!!!’

‘No.’”

This is a very significant moment in the novel as it relates to Power and Responsibility. There are questions throughout the novel about the amulet’s power over Emily and whether it is using or corrupting her, but her ability to resist it in this highly emotional state demonstrates that she is in control. It also reveals that the amulet does have clear ideas and intentions of its own that might not align with Emily’s.