"What's wrong?" Larry asked, obviously perturbed at my sudden outburst, but nonetheless stopping the heating. 

"That heat. It's what's causing this. You are creating..." I stopped, failing to find the word. 

Radiation. There is no word for radiation in their language. 

"What do you mean?" Lucie asked when I paused. "How can heat cause this?"

"Oh god, how do I explain this." I was struggling with finding words that existed and could use. "It is the way the heat travels. It can pass through you, and when it does, it damages your body. I recognize these symptoms, and they are caused by this kind of heat."

"Larry, are you alright?" Lucie asked, her voice gentle as she climbed off his back. 

I quickly caught her as she stumbled and lowered her back into a chair. Larry's breathing was getting hard, and he seemed to be staring blankly at the floor. 

"Larry?" I probed.

"I'm so sorry." He croaked, his voice barely audible. "I didn't mean to. No. No, no, no!"

"It's not your fault." Lucie tried to console him, doing her best to appear fine. "You didn't know."

"Why? Why!" He suddenly lashed out, punching the wall next to him and letting out a scream of pain as it impacted. 

He clutched his hand as he sucked in a pained breath. He closed his eyes for a moment as he seemed to be trying to calm himself down. When he opened them again, they were moist, on the verge of tears, and looking at me. 

"Is there a cure? A remedy?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "Washing might help. I'm not sure, though. Sorry."

"Anything that might help is worth trying." He turned to Lucie. "I swear I will do everything I can to fix this. I'm not going to let..."

Larry choked up, unable to finish his sentence.

"I'm sure this will pass." Lucie reached out, grabbing his hand. "I don't blame you either, so please, don't blame yourself."

"Valerie, can ya find Casper for me?" Larry asked as he lifted Lucie once more onto his back, sounding tired. "And please, tell Andre when ya see him that Lucie is not feeling well and can't help tonight. Ya should also start training as soon as possible, just in case."

"Yeah, sure." I agreed and turned to Lucie before heading off. "I really do hope you get better. If I remember anything, I'll come straight to you."

As they left the hall one way and I another to search for Casper, I turned to Qubit. 

Do you have a cure?

"No. I cannot provide assistance with technology beyond that of this world."

 

~~~

 

I eventually found Casper writing in the study, but the moment I relayed the news, he rushed out. Out of curiosity, I took a look at what he was working on, and it turned out he was copying the book he had been reading. I lifted the cover to see that it was titled Hidden and Historic Eternals. While I was curious to see the literature of this world, I did not want to disturb Casper's progress, nor did I have the time to read it right at this moment. Since I did not need sleep anymore, however, reading could be a good way to make use of that extra time. 

"Well, I guess it's time to see Andre and hope for the best," I told Qubit with a sigh. "It's a bridge I'll need to cross eventually if I want to stay, and better now than later."

"Miss Valerie?" May's voice suddenly came from the door, making me jump. "Sorry. Is Sir Casper alright? I just saw him run out of here, and he left the door open."

Great, now I look like I talk to myself. 

"He's fine, but Lucie is feeling sick."

"She is?" She asked, worry in her voice. "Does she need soup?"

"I think she is going to wash herself right now," I informed her, unsure how long that might take in this era. "I'm sure Casper or Larry will come if she gets hungry."

As I lowered the book back down on the desk and left the room, closing the door behind me, May stood waiting in the hallway, seemingly wanting to say something. 

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I... heard you talking. Andre. That is the priest's name, right? My father mentioned him when he got his altering gem."

"Yes, what about him?" I asked, curious.

"Can I come with you? Please?"

"To see him? What about your-" I quickly caught myself. "What about lunch? Are you done cooking?"

"Alice and Lila told me to take a break. They are watching the pot and fire. Please?" She begged. "They won't let me outside on my own." 

"Alright," I agreed. "How can I say no."

"Thank you!" She beamed.

This might just work in my favor.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Yes!" She replied immediately. 

"Then let's go."

 

~~~

 

As we walked to the church, May kept close to me, constantly looking around at one thing or another that caught her curiosity, but always being very careful to not get too close to anyone. She did not seem too used to crowds, although it was not what I would call crowded. Out of everything, however, it was the church that impressed her the most. She had told me she had seen it before but never gone inside. She was hesitant when we got to the front stairs, arching her neck to look up at the high rooftops. 

Once we got past the vestibule and could behold the inside, she was stunned by the interior. I could hear her sucking in her breath as she witnessed the lit chandeliers illuminating the gold-speckled ceiling. 

There were a handful of people inside, although neither Andre nor the two sailors were among them. Some of them were mingling and talking amongst themselves while others were sitting on the floor on mats at the tables, praying. 

I headed straight for Andre's office, stopping at the door and giving it a knock. 

"Come inside." Came the immediate reply, so I took off my veil and pushed it open. 

Much like last night, Andre was leaning back in his chair behind his desk, but this time accompanied by an aged woman sitting opposite him. She had black, matted, and visibly dry hair with tan skin and Asian features. Her outfit was loose-fitting and probably once vibrantly colorful but was now mostly faded. She had turned around in her seat to face us. 

"You're a pretty lass. I'm guessing you the one my men accosted?" I nodded as a response while she looked me over with a scrutinizing gaze, which quickly passed on over to May. "Oh, hello sweetie. What's your name?"

Her demeanor, which had been laid-back, quickly changed to almost motherly as she leaned forward with a smile the moment she saw May. 

"Me? I, uh, I'm May." The young girl was visibly overwhelmed to have suddenly become the center of attention. 

"May. That is a lovely name. You can call me Han." She looked back over to me. "And you are?"

"My name is Valerie." I introduced myself. 

"Valerie." Han nodded as she repeated my name. "Well, I stuck around this stuffy office to personally apologize for what my men did. Or what they seemed like they tried to do. I suppose I am partially to blame, but I believe they had good intentions. If I suspected otherwise, I would not hesitate to kick them off the side of my ship."

"No harm done. I was basically asking for something like that to happen."

Han let out a sigh at my words with a pained expression crossing her face. 

"I hate to admit you are right, but I suppose that is what the world is like. At the very least, you understand and are even making use of it for the sake of this town. I respect that. If you ever need something, don't hesitate to ask me, and I'll see what I can do as a token of my apology." Han pointed back over her shoulder at Andre. "This guy can find me if you can't."

"Really, Han?" Andre chimed in. "'This guy'?"

"What did I tell you? It's captain for you. Either respect that or say goodbye to your booze shipments, you alcoholic." Han turned back, holding up a finger to him. "Or, if you really want to, double your payment, and I might just consider letting you call me just by my name." 

"So would it be fine if I made my next order be a single bottle and double the payment of that?"

Han snorted in derision. 

"As if you'd be able to last with just one bottle till my next round trip. You order just as much as the inn I supply here."

"Now you are just trying to paint me in a negative light." Andre raised his hands in a show of innocence. "You know I'm merely a collector, and Valerie here has even seen some of my collection."

"Some?" I voiced out of surprise, and Andre simply smiled. 

"I've hung around here long enough," Han proclaimed while getting to her feet. "So I'll leave you all to whatever it is you are scheming. Also, I know my way out, so no need to escort me."

While her last line was directed at Andre, there was no sign of him making a move or even acknowledging her leaving, but the moment the door closed behind Han, he let his chair drop and sat up normally. 

"So, Valerie, while I know why you are here, I am curious as to why the little miss has come along." 

"Well, she said she wanted to meet you, and here we are now." I turned to the visibly nervous girl. "May?"

Despite appearances, she took a breath, looked Andre in the eye, and boldly expressed herself. 

"I need an altering gem. To defend my home. If there is even a chance, I'll do anything to get one to fill in my father's shoes. It is my family's legacy to protect everyone in the village, so it is my responsibility to get one." She let out a shaky breath. "That is why I came. To plead for an opportunity. Please. We don't have much money, but I'm willing to do any kind of work. I can learn. I promise."

There was a tense, brief silence that followed her plea, but for the first time, Andre's nonchalant facade had broken down to reveal annoyance directed at me.  

"I need to speak with you for a moment. Alone." His tone was commanding, making me nervous now.

May gave me a worried glance but quickly and wordlessly retreated out of the room. 

"You really have complicated my job and somewhat forced my hand," He sighed and motioned to one of the chairs. "So I suppose we should go through this now."

My anxiety was rising, and I felt my breath stuck in my throat as I sat down. 

"I just have a few questions I need to go through with you. Harmless questions, I assure you, but I do have a job to fulfill, so I hope you understand. First off, do you know what my job is? I'm sure you must have heard from Larry what my position is if my robes did not give it away."

I racked my brain, trying to remember, but with how much had been happening, it is a detail that slipped my memory until Qubit's voice threw me a lifeline. 

"Inquisitor."

"You're an inquisitor," I repeated. 

"I'm glad you remembered." He gave me the slightest of smiles. "But do you know what an inquisitor does?"

As Qubit remained quiet, I gave a brief and honest shake of the head. 

"You see, my job is to find spirits, but not in the way Larry and the others do. Rather I find the ones hiding in the towns and cities. It can be a hard task, you know, as the line separating them and ascended can be really thin." He gave a short pause, no doubt gauging my expression, which I tried to keep as neutral as possible. "Now, I am not accusing you of anything, and I would have preferred to delay this further so I could better prepare, but you must understand that for everyone's safety, including that young girl's, I have to determine what you are. And the best method of doing that, save for killing you and seeing whether your body disintegrates or not, is by gauging your knowledge and examining your history. So until I make my verdict, I can not have you leaving this room." 

His subtle threat was like an icy blade pointed right at my throat, and I could not help but swallow.