Inkedblood

Deep Wizardry (1985)
By: Diane Duane

Who he is: Ed is the Master Shark. His role since early in time is to sing the part of the Pale One, the one who is to devour the sacrificed, in the Song to defeat Death and the Lone Power who seeks the destruction of the world.

Strength: He is the leader of the sharks. He has lived for a very long time. And well, he’s a shark. Doesn’t get much stronger than that. Though he is a shark, and his role in the Song is to eat the sacrifice, he does so in the belief and knowledge that by doing so, he is slowing down the destruction of the world.

Weakness: For a being as old as he is, he has seen his comrades die. He has this inner pain, but he handles it quite well. As Duane put it, “The wound in his voice had healed without a scar.”

What I like about him: The twist in his story. When one hears that this shark’s role is to devour a sacrificial whale, one can’t help think he is the villain in the story. But he believes in something. Again, here’s the contrast. Have you ever heard of a villain with a Faith? Yes, I’m sure you have. And in many stories, the character, usually a vigilante, misinterprets his belief. For Ed, however, there is no misinterpretation. He believes his devouring the sacrifice will slow down the death of the universe, and everyone else involved in the sacrifice also thinks so. And because he believes in what he does, it doesn’t stop him from willingly taking the place of the sacrifice in the end to make sure the Song is completed.

An excerpt from the book:
He stared at her as he arrowed toward her – the old indecipherable look. “Sprat,” he said, “when did I ever leave distress uncured?” And to her complete amazement, before Nita could move, he rammed her again, close to the head – leaving her too stunned to sing, tumbling and helpless in pain.
Through the ache, she heard Ed lift his voice in song. Nita’s song – the lines that, with the offered sacrifice, bind Death anew and put the Lone Power in Its place.