Quicksilver

Alchemy, or the efforts to transmute one substance into another, is a historical proto-scientific discipline. How does the inclusion of this field of study (one that did not ultimately result in its desired goals) affect the worldbuilding of Quicksilver?

Are Saeris and Fisher fated mates because they are similar or different? Does that matter to their choice to enter into a romance? Why or why not?

Is the quicksilver a character in the novel? Is it an object? Use details from the text to argue the extent to which the substance is personified. How does this influence its role in the novel?