In makes perfect sense to Clyne that he suddenly appeared in the transported, rebuilt bathroom of my mom’s old hotel room, and the first thing he does, after greeting me, is insist we look for Thea. “Find Thea? Clyne — they have alarms going off, everything’s locked down. How did you get in here? How did you get in here in…handcuffs? Clawcuffs. And yeah, we can’t go looking for anybody until we get you…what did you just call it? ‘Unfettered’? Which I guess means getting you out of those things.” “You are right, amigo Eli. But though I made it through Dimension Five with these snkkk! impediments, I will only hinder your own escape thwkkk! It is better if I stay here and perhaps try and find another small fold in time-space.” “‘Amigo?’” “It is a word I picked up watching a pantomime about Gwangis — Saurians, lost in Mexico.” “We’ve got to get you out of those irons, Clyne.” “No. I am afraid I am stuck, and would only slow you down.” “Sit down and let’s get those shackles off.”
