Chapter 12: Baz

Baz reels after seeing Emory with Keiran’s group and recognizing her spiral mark, linking her to Travers, the Gate’s Guardian, and likely Romie. Feeling alienated, he resolves to act rather than withdraw and follows Romie’s Clover notes to the Veiled Atlas in Cadence.

There, Alya Kazan and her niece Vera Ingers entertain his questions about Cornus Clover. They claim Song of the Drowned Gods is a veiled atlas and that the missing epilogue may be a literal key or portal enabling travel between worlds. They suggest Clover was murdered for it and that gatekeeping forces hid the epilogue to prevent awakening the Shadow of Ruin.

Vera reveals a prior seeker—Adriana Kazan—vanished in Elegy while hunting the epilogue. Baz learns Romie visited them earlier and hoped to find Adriana through dreams. Alya, a Shadowguide, performs a rite but cannot find Romie’s spirit beyond the veil, implying Romie has moved on or is unreachable, crushing Baz’s fragile hope.

Outside, Vera mentions another Eclipse-born—Kai—left in a rush after hearing Romie’s dream plan. Remembering a tense “Dreamling” exchange between Kai and Romie, Baz decides he must see Kai at the Institute. Vera offers covert entry using her Unraveler-adjacent skills and building knowledge. Baz, for once not overthinking, accepts and departs with her by motorbike to infiltrate the Institute that night.