There were theories enough of the dangers of time magic in the many tomes that laid in the Circle tower, though most were careful to mention the blasphemous idea of multiple states of a world in only a passing and joking manner so as to avoid being burned by Templars before their publication. The longer that Cullen carries on with his explanation, the more it seems to be much more than a joke.

She thinks back to the day that Carver died. A split-second sooner, a split second later -- and it could have been any of them that had died at the hand of that creature, and not her brother. How many nights had she laid awake wondering whether Carver's death could have been prevented by her? The idea that it could have been -- whether it would've been by her hand, or by someone else's -- guts her in a way that's almost visible. She sucks in a sharp breath, thinking, and then says very quietly, "And how did they fare? Were they both well, when last you saw them?"

When she had been a child, and even just before finally being taken to the Circle, she'd wondered if her removal from their family might not be a small blessing. No longer hiding an apostate so much earlier in their lives would've relieved some of the stress from her mother, and from Garrett.