Chapter 23: Baz

Driven ashore by the rising tide, Baz and Kai argue about returning to the cave but abandon the idea when Baz panics over his unstable time magic. They confirm they are two centuries in the past—the Bicentennial—where hostility toward Eclipse-born is open and enforced.

Refused entry at a tavern for lacking chaperones and damper cuffs, they’re rescued by Cordie, an Aldryn student, who challenges the barkeep and escorts them to campus. Cordie forges their event badges under Luaguan identities and outfits them in her brother’s clothes, urging them to attend the opening celebration.

At the River Helene festivities, Cordie introduces Polina, one of Aldryn’s two Eclipse students. A bully, Wulfrid, provokes Polina and insults Eclipse-born, but Kai’s cold threat drives him off. Polina, shaken, chooses to return to Obscura Hall; Baz and Kai accompany her, using the chance to wait for low tide.

In Obscura Hall’s earlier, lusher illusion—Thames’s garden and cottage—they settle by the fire. The familiar layout contrasts with its pristine state, reinforcing the time shift. Baz and Kai reflect on their friends’ fates and the reanimated Keiran’s threat, their shared fear easing into mutual resolve.

They plan to slip back to Dovermere at low tide, maintain their cover if needed, and avoid further entanglement in the past. The chapter closes on their strengthened bond and a wary hope they can undo the temporal snarl without making it worse.