The Drowned Gods, #1
Curious Tides
by Pascale Lacelle
Contents
Chapter 20: Baz
Overview
Baz, restless and haunted by Kai’s absence, encounters Emory, who claims a Dreamer-forged vision showed Romie alive in Dovermere. Though a Shadowguide once found no trace beyond the veil, Baz chooses to defy warnings. Together they resolve to return to Dovermere, shifting the search for Romie from mourning to action.
Summary
Unable to sleep and missing Kai, Baz wanders the Decrescens, seeking solace in the library. He steps from the elevator to find Emory distraught, pacing in pajamas and near tears. Emory says she saw Romie in a dream that felt unmistakably like Dreamer magic, insisting the vision was real.
Baz initially rejects the claim, citing a Shadowguide’s earlier search that found nothing beyond the veil for Romie. Emory argues that Travers once seemed dead and returned, and that the sensation of Romie’s presence in Dovermere felt alive and true. She believes her magic—or Dovermere itself—enabled the connection.
Conflicted, Baz recalls the Shadowguide’s explanation that some spirits move beyond reach. Emory pleads to go back to Dovermere in case Romie reemerges as Travers did. Baz weighs warnings against the possibility that Emory is right and thinks of the secret passage leading there.
Choosing action over doubt, Baz decides to accompany Emory. Together, they resolve to return to Dovermere immediately to test the vision, shifting their stance from acceptance of loss to a renewed search for Romie.
Who Appears
- BazRestless and grieving Kai; hears Emory’s vision of Romie and decides to return to Dovermere with her despite warnings.
- EmoryArrives shaken, claims a Dreamer-forged vision of Romie alive in Dovermere, and convinces Baz to go back.
- RomieMissing friend seen in Emory’s vivid dream; possible survival becomes the chapter’s urgent pursuit.
- KaiBaz’s absent partner; his absence intensifies Baz’s unrest at the chapter’s start.
- Alya (Shadowguide)Previously told Baz no trace of Romie lay beyond the veil; her assessment is now questioned.