On the beach, Heidhin is on the verge of asking Maring/Everard to accompany him and Veleda. This would have been an opportunity for Everard to learn more about their origins but it doesn't happen. But what would have happened if Everard had accompanied Veleda and Heidhin and had gained their confidence?
Everard learns that Veleda was attacked by Romans but rescued by the goddess? From their description, he recognizes the goddess as a woman on a timecycle? He investigates in the past? From a distance, he observes Everard and Floris surveillancing the island of Oland, then Floris attacking the Romans? This would mean that he had duplicated himself.
Might a Time Patrol-type timeline become hopelessly complicated and chaotic?
"...curious possibilities of anachronism and of utter confusion..."
-HG Wells, The Time Machine (London, 1973), 3, p. 17.
Manse Everard on a timecycle and the Time Traveller on the Time Machine deserve to meet somewhen. Since we are never told what eventually becomes of either character, there are narrative possibilities here but they should be approached either with subtlety or not at all.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul! Maybe Everard eventually retired from being a field agent of the Patrol, and was promoted to a post in the Middle Hierarchy. Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment