It was been mentioned in /Orca/ that Zerika had the odd habit of
disappearing now and again, a few days at a time. It's possible,
of course, that nothing is going on more unusual than the Empress
taking a bit of a breather, probably with her lover.
However, I was thinking about Devera, and I found myself wondering
if perhaps Devera was taking Zerika with her on jaunts through time
to find young Phoenixes to be persuaded to be relocated into the
future, thus rebuilding the House.
Just a bit of pararectal ideation. We may learn more in
_ Tiassa _ / _ Dzur _ / _ {whatever} _. Or we may not.