Dutiful Passage
Liad Orbit
In which Priscilla seeks that which is lost.
The obvious implication of having this chapter here is that it happens not long after Miri and Val Con go to sleep, but I’m not sure I believe that. Priscilla reports that Val Con is “protected within deep meditation”, when we’ve just finished hearing that Val Con no longer believes himself to have access to the protection offered by the deepest level of the Rainbow, and that he is perhaps engrossed in playing music, which he hasn’t been doing any of lately either. So I think perhaps this scene takes place somewhat in advance of the main plot strand, and foreshadows an event we’ve yet to see from Val Con’s side.
Wait…you’re saying that his mental space while playing music is *not* “deep meditation”? I think it might qualify.
Sorry, I think that sentence may have been overcomplicated. Here’s another attempt at it, which will hopefully be clearer:
Priscilla reports that Val Con is “protected within deep meditation”, and that he is perhaps engrossed in playing music, when we’ve just finished hearing that Val Con no longer believes himself to have access to the protection offered by the deepest level of the Rainbow, and he hasn’t been playing music lately either.