Chapter 14

Summary

• In this chapter of "Secrets of the Deep," Evar contemplates his missing brother, Mayland, who disappeared with a book he was deeply interested in. This book contained a mythology that described the origin of existence, which Mayland believed was echoed in the library they were inside.
• Evar reflects on his rocky relationship with Clovis, a fiercely independent woman he had been involved with. After Clovis rejected him, Evar felt a deep loneliness, but also admitted to himself that he was still searching for something outside his relationships.
• Evar has a book with an unfinished sentence and a command not to turn the page. This book appears to hold a deep connection to a woman from his past. The unfinished sentence instructs him to find the author at the bottom, but doesn’t specify what or where this bottom is. As he tries to figure out the meaning, his siblings scour the library and the Mechanism.
• Determined to make some noise in the silent library, Evar marches into the stacks. He ends up at the char wall, a wall of burned books that Evar contemplates digging through to find the woman he cares about, who he believes might be on the other side.
• Evar is confronted by the Soldier, a figure he believes is there to protect him. However, the Soldier warns him not to dig through the wall and it could be deadly. When Evar reveals the book and explains his desire to find the woman, the Soldier goes from static and lifeless to animated and emotional.
• It’s revealed that the Soldier is also seeking the woman, hinting at dimensional or time-travel intrigue. The Soldier initially seems to express support, but then abruptly returns to his original, lifeless state and advises Evar to abandon his quest.