The Drowned Gods, #1
Curious Tides
by Pascale Lacelle
Contents
Chapter 10: Baz
Overview
Baz meets Jae Ahn, revisiting his family’s Collapsing trauma and sharing new doubts about Romie’s fate and Dovermere’s anomalies. Jae confirms Kai contacted them, urges caution, and suggests a Shadowguide. Jae then points Baz to the Veiled Atlas and Alya Kazan, deepening Baz’s pursuit of Clover’s missing epilogue and its implications.
Summary
Baz frames his life around his father’s Collapsing, recalling happier Peace Years and the Aftermath defined by loss. He remembers how Jae Ahn fostered his love of books, especially Song of the Drowned Gods. Seeking answers, Baz meets Jae in a Cadence tearoom known for rare waters.
They trade updates: Baz is now the only Eclipse student at Aldryn; Jae reveals Kai Salonga had written to them about Collapsing research before Collapsing himself. Jae plans to visit the Institute where both Kai and Theodore Brysden reside, while Baz admits he avoids visiting, burdened by trauma and guilt.
Talk shifts to Clover’s missing epilogue. Jae, an expert on the book, outlines theories that could transform its cautionary end, while Baz confesses his new interest stems from finding Romie’s note in a Vault manuscript and from Dovermere’s irregularities, including Travers reviving before dying.
Jae asks if Baz has considered hiring a Shadowguide to seek Romie’s soul; Baz hesitates, fearing false hope. Acknowledging Baz’s resolve, Jae warns against obsessive pursuit yet provides a lead: the Veiled Atlas, a fervent group devoted to Clover, and their contact Alya Kazan, a skilled Shadowguide.
Baz accepts the address, emotionally struck as Jae affirms their familial bond. He leaves with a concrete path forward—pursue the Veiled Atlas and Alya—to probe whether Romie’s fate and Dovermere’s mysteries intersect with Clover’s lost epilogue.
Who Appears
- Basil (Baz) BrysdenEclipse-born student haunted by his father’s Collapsing; seeks truth about Romie, Dovermere, and Clover’s missing epilogue.
- Jae AhnFamily friend and former printing partner; Clover scholar who advises Baz and provides Veiled Atlas contact.
- Rosemarie (Romie) BrysdenBaz’s sister presumed drowned; her note on Clover triggers Baz’s investigation and hope for answers.
- Kai SalongaCollapsed friend who had sought Jae’s research; now at the Institute, intensifying Baz’s guilt and avoidance.
- Theodore BrysdenBaz’s father; his fatal Collapsing shattered their lives. Now in the Institute; Baz avoids visiting.
- Anise BrysdenBaz’s mother; depressed and reclusive since the Collapsing, amplifying Baz’s guilt for being away.
- Professor SelandynMentor figure; skeptic of water-bloodletting myths, indirectly linked to the tearoom and Baz’s thinking.
- TraversStudent who briefly revived before dying at Dovermere; evidence fueling Baz’s doubts about the drownings.
- Alya KazanShadowguide contact within the Veiled Atlas; potential resource to seek truths beyond the veil.
- Cornus CloverAuthor of Song of the Drowned Gods; missing epilogue may connect to Dovermere and Romie.
- The RegulatorsInstitute authorities; obstruct visitor access, symbolizing control and Baz’s dread of the place.