How did Linden get out of the fire?

[Akasri]

Just finished the re-read of all 6 first books - Runes, here I come

I noticed something that I hadn't noticed before though.

Spoiler

At the end of TOT, Linden was heading back to the real world. In order to get Covenant to bring her back to the Land, she threw herself in the bonfire that the people doing the ritual had built.

At the end of WGW when she returns to the real world for good, she is not in the fire and is not burned.

How did she get out?

[wayfriend]

Excellent question.

Several possible answers.

1) Only her Land-self was in the fire; her Real-self still lay on the stone.

2) When Covenant called her back, her real-self was pulled from the fire before it could be harmed. She fell back onto the stone.

3) When Covenant called her back, in protecting her from the fire, he put the fire out.

4) Author mistake.

I favor possibility #2 personally.

[dlbpharmd]

Here's another possibility: Just as Covenant was protected by the flame of the caamora, Linden was protected also by wild magic.

The wild magic continued to flow through her, linking her to Covenant, to the cavern of the One Tree.

[wayfriend]

Just as Covenant was protected by the flame of the caamora, Linden was protected also by wild magic.

Of that there is little doubt.

However:

Madly, she hurled herself into the dying bonfire as if it were her personal caamora.

The question is, after the link was broken, why wasn't her 'real' body still in the bonfire, and thereby injuring Linden. And why did she not wake up in the ashes of the bonfire?

We also have:

He was stretched on the rock nearby, within the painted triangle of blood.

Which perhaps indicates that she was indeed not on the rock when she awoke at the end. And also

For a while, she stared sightlessly at the dead ash of the bonfire.

Was she sitting in this ash, or was she next to it?

I would say she was pulled out of the bonfire and landed on the ground nearby when Covenant 'pulled' her back.

[Akasri]

The only thing I can figure is that she threw herself at the fire and like someone else suggested, TC's wild magic grabbed her before she actually landed in it, and she actually fell back to the ground beside the fire rather than in it.

I know it's a minor thing, but for some reason that stuck in my head on this read

[CovenantJr]

Her essenceless body went for a sleepwalk.

[dlbpharmd]

The question is, after the link was broken, why wasn't her 'real' body still in the bonfire, and thereby injuring Linden.

I'm confused - at what point was the link broken?

[CovenantJr]

After she went back to the Land.

[dlbpharmd]

Ahhh - thank you.

[Grimmand Honninscrave]

I think her she went thru the fire and landed next to it. When she went back to the "real" world Covenant was near her not next to her.

[danlo]

Too cool! Grimmand has my old avatar (before I shaved) couldn't suit a better character! <grin>

[Grimmand Honninscrave]

Thanks, I like it. <grinning>