Letters 38-40: Manjushri, Be Cool, Dear John
Letter Summaries
Letter 38 is from Bax to Millie. He describes his longest visit to Faerie in the company of Winker. They encounter a number of samurai, who they bypass. They arrive at a shrine, and Bax encounters Manjushri, who advises him to seek out Kate Finn to help find George.
Kate and Bax have lunch, and he hires her to help him. They go back to the Black House, and she sees Goldwurm’s spire from a window. They then learn that George has been arrested for violating the terms of his bail.
Letter 39 is from Shell to Bax. Shell advises Bax on the coming duel.
In Letter 40, Doris writes to Bax. She says she is moving away, and breaking up with him.
Warlock – Bax says that this is a “criminal sorcerer,” someone whose word cannot be trusted. We learned earlier that Goldwurm was a warlock, and therefore GW is saying that Goldwurm/Zwart is not to be trusted.
Manjushri – This is a bodhisattva associated with wisdom. I have no idea if GW intends this to be the actual entity, or perhaps an impersonation by Zwart.
Musashi – Miyamato Musashi was a real samurai, and author of The Book of Five Rings. He was perhaps the greatest samurai who ever lived.
Dear John – The title of Doris’ letter. A “Dear John” letter is slang for a letter a woman sends to a man she is breaking off a relationship with.
I found Doris’ departure a bit odd. Even if she didn’t want to continue the relationship, it seems strange that she would leave town, and her job. She stood to make a fair amount off money of the Skotos strip deal. The letter is kind of nasty, even bringing up Bax’s criminal record and sexual prowess, which hadn’t bothered her before. Bax held onto the letter for years, perhaps showing that he harbored some affection for her after all.
Her prior conversation with Bax referenced her pressing Hardaway for the details of Skotos’ funeral. Did Hardaway scare her off? Or did the magic of the Triannulus wear off?
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The Duchy of Cumberbatch 