Shortly after the group gets to the new camp site after leaving the time-vault in Nodden-Torr. Alexis finds a quiet moment with Ethelred.
“The vault of the Dragon was hard on you, my friend. Your armor, your silks, your spyglass. I know what a loss each of those things was, and I want to do what I can to help you recover what you can. Or work around it.”
“I’m glad I’ve still got you here with us.” Alexis pats Ethelred on the shoulder and walks away.
As Alexis walks away Red’s mind swirls. Awash with so many emotions, so many paths of possibilities before him. The recent adventure has brought clarity to an aspect of magic Red had not given much thought, chronomancy. The ability to weave time, possibilities, outcomes, lives.. twist, turn, redwind, mix, swirl.
Where ever we are, the path we got here was not ‘normal’. We passed through, in and out of time itself.
The loss of his protection, of a sword, or spying aloft.. so many paths back, so many ways it could be better yet. Materials come and materials go.
There is only one of his losses that really bothers him. And it is not the loss itself. But how it happened. By what mechanism did we sacrifice? to who? to what? Things that are done can almost always be undone. What is a sacrifice truly?
“Alexis, one second if you do not mind. There is one way you could help me. I want to really focus in on the moment when we each made our ‘sacrificed’ on our way to the Tear.
What happened there? Surely you must be interested in what happened?
I mean is it possible we were simply asked to forgo, but we didn’t truly lose anything?
Curious.. very curious.”
Alexis comes back and stands next to Ethelred.
“Only one of us should have gone in for the Tear. Me or Carm.”
“We planned it badly, and that’s on me. I’m sorry, Red.”
He waits until Red looks at him.
“Chronomancy might get you there. Tell me what you need and I’ll get it.”
“So might the Tear. It ran that whole vault. I’m feeling more and more confident about that.”
“You might manage it on the materialist path you’re on. You’d probably get further if you opened yourself to the warren of Raiden’s Inner Watch.” Alexis looks off at the trees. “Or to the warren of Avv.”
“If you take the Avv road, promise me one thing. Stay off the path of Utiog.”