In which the Road Boss comes home.
I spent the entire epilogue waiting for Theo to show up, or Daav and Aelliana, or all of them together, but it didn’t happen. Perhaps Daav’s homecoming, like the downfall of the Department, is a large enough thing to require the length of an entire book to tell it.
Maybe Daav and Aelliana are even home already and the narrator’s just not mentioning it, to avoid being distracting. Or they may be just about to arrive; the hint of the seed pods could go either way. Theo’s definitely not back yet, judging by Miri’s reaction to the vision of her with the seedling from Spiral Dancer; Miri doesn’t know it’s a thing that’s actually happened. (It has to be a thing that’s happened, because the business with Admiral Bunter shows that this is after Dragon Ship – so it’s interesting that it’s in among a bunch of visions of things that haven’t happened yet. I wonder if the young woman in Scout leathers is who Lizzie will grow up to be.)
Another thing that’s happened is “The Rifle’s First Wife”, since there she is among Korval’s other guests. I suppose that means the events of that story have been happening alongside the events of this one (or perhaps in the gap between the last chapter and this epilogue, if it’s large enough, although I seem to recall “The Rifle’s First Wife” begins when Hazenthull is still on Surebleak and Kareen is still guesting at Jelaza Kazone).
And that’s it. Nothing left to read. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow: A few retrospective posts.
Hmmm. There is a possible anomaly related to the vision of the once-seedling Tree that meets Theo. When Theo (or rather Win Ton) first sees it, in DS Ch 41, the Tree is in the copilot’s seat. In the DE vision, it is in the Jump seat.
I’m realizing now that the “possible anomaly” most likely is not. Theo would have had no reason to leave her Tree isolated in the hold with Spiral Dance. Since she has crew, the jump seat, is probably the best place on Bechimo for it to travel, just as its progenitor did with Jela. Presumably the former seedling enjoys travel also.
Oh, well spotted — I’d missed that detail. I think you’re right that the implication is that the vision is showing the seedling on the bridge of Bechimo, not of Spiral Dance (off the top of my head, I don’t think Spiral Dance’s bridge even has a jump seat).
So it could be a future vision after all. (And re-reading it, I notice it says Theo is “somewhat older” in the vision, which before I assumed just meant somewhat older than when Miri saw her last, but it might not.) Perhaps it’s an indication that the seedling is going to join Theo’s crew as well, and put off the time when it has to settle down in one place.
So…looks like the Tree had more than one purpose in dropping that branch!
Meanwhile, looking ahead to when Daav and Aelliana do appear at Jelaza Kazone: I don’t recall Val Con giving them these pods that the Tree provided here—did I miss something? Interesting that the Tree has provided a hint to Val Con that there will be two elders restored to them, not just one.
On my third read-through I had a jolt of understanding regarding the vision of future Lizzi. At the end of the description we read there was wind blowing and seed pods to be planted . . .
Seed pods? Are the seed pods from the Elder Tree, Jelaza Kazone? Or are we to connect Theo with Lizzie and assume they travel together and the seed pods come from the little tree on the bridge? And finally, is the vision telling us that Lizzie is going to be the Johnny Appleseed of the ssussdriads?
Ed8r: “ is the vision telling us that Lizzie is going to be the Johnny Appleseed of the ssussdriads?”
I can visualize that!