Outlander Book Club: Voyager Chapter 62 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

The chapter starts in Jamaica. Jamie has gone to Lord John Grey for help, but he doesn’t want everyone else knowing that John has helped him. It’s not a matter of pride but more about protecting Lord John should Jamie get caught.

And so, Jamie “steals” the Governor’s boat and heads to Hispaniola with his smugglers and Claire. Fergus isn’t allowed to come as a married man, although Fergus certainly wants to.

While on the boat, Claire and Lawrence Stern talk while everyone else sleeps. They talk about ghost stories, science, and superstition. A lot of this part of the chapter reminds me of when Claire talked to the monk at the abbey during the first book. Claire learns a little more about herself, a bit about the world, and more about another person.

Once they get to the island, only Claire, Jamie, and Stern head to the cave. On the way, they find a stone circle nearby. Stern just watches in amazement as Claire walks toward the rock holding onto Jamie so he can pull her back. In the stone, she sees Geillis. However, Geillis isn’t there but in the cave, and now Geillis knows that Claire is coming.

As they get to the cave, Claire hears a humming sound, one that she describes as a bell that has gone off. It’s not the buzz she’s used to. I don’t think she ever considers why this is, but I wonder whether it’s something to do with the different type of magic for the stones. The stones in Scotland had a Druid magic surrounding them, while the stones and the Abandawe cave have a magic native to Hispaniola.

There’s no need to really think too much about it, though. The Frasers get to Geillis, who makes it clear that she is going through time after Brianna. I still don’t quite fully understand the prophecy in the book. It’s not as clearly explained as on the TV show, no matter how many times I read the remarks about it or even look at what others have to say.

I guess it doesn’t really matter. Claire stops Brianna, grabbing for the ax Geillis had and swinging with it. She kills Geillis, saving Young Ian and Brianna.

Outside the cave, Claire tends to a wound on Jamie’s head. Geillis had shot him with a pistol but she hadn’t loaded the pistol properly so it only grazed Jamie’s head. Claire is able to take out the bullet without any problem.

As Claire pretends to sleep, Young Ian and Jamie talk. Young Ian explains what Geillis did to him and other young boys. He also wonders whether Jamie has ever been forced to lay with someone he doesn’t want to, but physically, he can’t stop it from happening. There’s a beautiful moment between nephew and uncle which is as close to father and son as Jamie will be able to get.

When Young Ian goes to sleep, Claire “wakes.” She finds the last bit of penicillin she has left. Young Ian may need it. She’s sure that Geillis had syphilis based on her dementia (I’m not sure where the dementia comes in unless I missed something in every reading I’ve done), so she wants to make sure Young Ian is protected just in case.

Now it’s time to get Young Ian back to Scotland.