Chapter 18

Summary

• Evar is lead by a Soldier, an individual whose passion has recently been revealed, back to the wall of books around a pool.
• The Soldier maintains that he was charged with keeping Evar and all his kind safe, though Evar is resistant and insists the Soldier has no authority over them.
• Evar, frustrated, considers joining his brothers in their hunt, but finds himself being drawn towards a character known as the Assistant by the pool.
• Evar asks the Assistant about the depth of the pool and what lies at the bottom, but she dismisses his questions as not meaningful.
• Facing his longstanding fear of the pool's depths, Evar takes a plunge into the water. Overwhelmed by the terror of sinking, he reemerges immediately.
• Determined to figure out the pool's depth, Evar gathers a load of iron objects, presumably to help weigh him down during his next descent.
• Evar notes a growing sense of change and fragility in their timeless library environment. He also feels a strong sense of needing a woman whose memory haunts him, despite not remembering anything about her.
• Evar decides it's not a time for waiting, takes a step forward with the iron load, and sinks into the pool again, attempting to reach the mysterious "bottom."