Chapter Summaries

Lorne and the crew discovered an ancient key in a fishing net, and Edwina kept it for study after Lorne traded his claim for a share of any sale and a favor. By the end of the chapter, Lorne wondered whether Edwina secretly served the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, hoping his suspicion was only a coincidence.

• A sailor found an ancient-looking key in the fishing net, and Lorne stopped him from touching it before Edwina examined it.
• Edwina judged the key old but not dangerous and suggested the crew might have hauled up wreckage from a sunken ship.
• Lorne let Edwina keep the key, asking her to share any sale proceeds and tell him what she learned; she agreed without drawing up a contract.
• Edwina ordered the sailors not to dive for treasure and had the location recorded for a properly prepared expedition.
• At dinner, Danitz chased away crew members questioning Lorne about the key, while Lorne asked about Edwina's worship of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
• Lorne suspected Edwina might be a covert agent of that god and hoped his theory was only a coincidence.

Fors and Xio visited Lorne Dysenk's former landlady in Backlund after Fors grew worried that he had stopped replying to her letters. Mrs. Griffin said Lorne had left in a hurry after offending someone, but she did not know where he had gone, so Xio offered to ask the guild for help finding him.

• Fors told Xio she wanted to visit the Backlund address where Lorne had once received letters, and Xio agreed to accompany her.
• Xio knocked at 69 Rose Street, where Mrs. Griffin opened the door and recognized her as a Beyonder.
• Fors rushed out from hiding and anxiously asked what had happened to Lorne.
• Mrs. Griffin told Fors and Xio that Lorne had left in a hurry after offending someone and that she did not know where he had gone.
• After they left, Xio offered to post a request at the guild so its detectives could help find Lorne.

Lorne struggled with ritual magic during a lesson with Captain Edwina, then watched the Trade Merchants arrive to exchange supplies, treasures, and information with the Golden Dream. He reassured Danitz that he would leave after his lessons were finished.

• Lorne told Edwina that he had never believed in gods, and she suggested he consider worshipping the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
• Jodson informed Edwina that the Trade Merchants had arrived, and Edwina told the crew to prepare and keep quiet about a salvaged key.
• Edwina welcomed Mr. Victor aboard the Golden Dream, and the crews exchanged supplies for a box of artifacts.
• Lorne asked Danitz about Victor's merchant ship and learned it had traded with the Golden Dream for over a decade.
• Lorne teased Danitz, then promised he would leave once his lessons were over.

During a lavish dinner aboard the Golden Dream, Lorne read Danitz’s palm and teased him about an uncertain future. Their talk about Lorne’s supposed discovery of houses in Bayam ended with Danitz realizing Lorne had found his properties and demanding repayment.

• Lorne offered to read Danitz’s palm, then told him his fate promised great success but might involve work he disliked.
• Danitz worried that Lorne’s prediction meant he would leave the Golden Dream, but Lorne told him not to dwell on it.
• Lorne bragged that he had found ownership documents for several houses on Fragrant Tree Avenue in Bayam.
• Danitz recognized the address and asked whether Lorne had found the documents inside a basement wall.
• Lorne claimed he had pledged the documents to Roy King for a few hundred pounds, and Danitz angrily demanded repayment because the houses were worth far more.

Lorne calmed Danitz after a misunderstanding over his houses led Danitz to threaten him with a fireball, then reflected on the Black Emperor while studying the Antigonus Notebook. In Backlund, Klein completed Ian’s commission but refused Meursault’s lucrative offer to find Ian, leaving the gang’s interest in him unresolved.

• Danitz confronted Lorne over his supposedly sold houses and formed a fireball until Edwina stopped him for using Beyonder abilities in a public area.
• Lorne told Danitz that his houses were safe and explained to the sailors that the fight had been a misunderstanding.
• Lorne studied the Antigonus Notebook and considered the Black Emperor’s power, the Seven Gods’ role in the Antigonus family’s disappearance, and the notebook’s value.
• Klein found Zreal dead, showed the body to Ian, and collected payment for completing the commission.
• Meursault offered Klein up to fifty pounds to find Ian, but Klein refused, then wondered how the Zimang Party had learned Ian visited him.

Klein survived Meursault’s ambush and killed him, then prepared to use Spirit Channeling on the corpse. At the Truth Society, Charles agreed to help a member whose Apothecary friend had been arrested by the Church of Storms.

• Klein dodged a bone-tipped arrow and recognized his attacker as Meursault, a gang executioner and hunting Beyonder.
• Klein killed Meursault with a paper contract that pierced his neck, then checked with Spirit Vision that he was dead and no other spiritual presences were nearby.
• Klein surveyed the damage to his home and began preparing for Spirit Channeling.
• Charles reviewed the Truth Society’s accounts and considered the costs of supporting the Sanguine and other members.
• Witt told Charles that the Church of Storms had arrested his Apothecary friend after a dispute with the Mandated Punishers.
• Charles promised to speak with the Church’s bishop, warned Witt about drawing attention, and told the gathered members that the Society needed processing fees to help Rogue Beyonders.

Klein discovered that Meursault had been searching for Ian Wright on an ambassador’s orders, reported the corpse to the police, and worried about the trouble that might follow. At the Truth Society, Charles considered recruiting Klein, while Klein arrived seeking information and was offered a missing-person commission.

• Klein used Dream Divination on Meursault’s corpse and saw the dead man receive orders from an ambassador to find Ian Wright alive if possible.
• After divining his options, Klein reported the corpse to the police and paid ten pounds in bail after hours of questioning.
• Charles and Bart discussed whether Sherlock Moriarty was an unaffiliated Seer and considered recruiting him through the Society.
• Klein worried that the ambassador might retaliate and went to the Truth Society to seek useful information.
• A receptionist offered Klein a commission to find someone, and he asked who needed to be found.

Klein considered accepting a lucrative commission to find a missing friend, but Bart summoned him to meet Truth Society Director Charles. Charles offered the society’s help with Klein’s recent trouble, leaving Klein suspicious while Charles confidently underestimated the danger.

• Klein hesitated over a missing-person commission worth more than ten pounds and learned the client was a Truth Society member seeking a friend.
• Bart told Klein that Charles wanted to see him.
• Charles asked Klein about his recent trouble after hearing that he had left the police station.
• Charles offered the society’s assistance, warning that it could raise service fees and incur additional costs.
• Klein doubted the society could solve his problem, while Charles assumed that trouble faced by someone of Klein’s level would be manageable.

Charles invited Klein to join the secret organization behind the Guild, offering to resolve his trouble in return. After Klein revealed that he had angered an Intis ambassador over a five-pound job, Charles reconsidered, but a young man interrupted and promised the organization could still help if Klein joined.

• Charles recognized Klein as a Beyonder and invited him to become a senior member of the organization behind the Guild.
• Klein asked whether he could refuse, and Charles offered to resolve his trouble for free if he joined.
• Klein told Charles that he had killed Meursault for five pounds and angered the Intis ambassador, while keeping Ian's identity secret.
• Charles backed away from his offer, and Klein agreed to keep the conversation confidential while asking the Guild to do the same.
• A young man in a black trench coat entered, addressed Klein as Sherlock Moriarty, and said the organization could resolve his trouble if he joined.

Klein was forced to join the Society after meeting Five of Clubs and its powerful leader, whom the chapter identified as “Boss.” He took a commission from Xio to find Lorne Dysenk and realized the person she sought had come from Tingen to find him.

• Five of Clubs introduced himself to Charles and said he had finished cleaning up a mess in Tingen, alarming Klein with the possibility that the Society was linked to the city’s supernatural incidents.
• Boss arrived, detected a deathly aura around Klein, and offered to resolve his troubles in exchange for joining the Society.
• Klein signed a supernatural agreement under the name Sherlock Moriarty, gave Boss some of his blood and hair, and became an unnamed member of a logistics team.
• Klein returned to take an available commission, and Xio asked him to find Lorne Dysenk.
• Klein recognized Lorne Dysenk’s name and realized Lorne had come from Tingen to find him.

Lorne woke from a vivid card-game dream aboard the Golden Dream and was left with a bad feeling. In Backlund, Klein learned that Xio was searching for Lorne and accepted a commission to investigate whether he was safe.

• Lorne woke in the Golden Dream’s storage room after dreaming of playing cards with a schemer, a narcissist, an old woman, and two children.
• Xio asked Klein to find Lorne Dysenk, explaining that he was Fors’s pen pal and had been missing for several months.
• Klein recognized Lorne from Xio’s description and recalled his resentment over the Tingen Incident.
• Xio told Klein that Lorne had reportedly left after offending certain people and asked him to confirm whether Lorne was still in Backlund.
• Klein accepted the commission and took five pounds in advance, while deciding to avoid divining about Lorne and consider asking Miss Justice for help.

Lorne’s mysticism lessons aboard the Golden Dream were nearing their end, and Edwina suggested he test his firearm design by building it from spare parts. After assembling a working feeding mechanism, Lorne told Danitz he would soon leave the ship, but Danitz reacted without much enthusiasm.

• Edwina found Lorne copying Roselle’s notes and examining a firearm blueprint, then suggested he build a prototype and said his lessons were nearly over.
• Lorne used parts in the Golden Dream’s Firearms Repair Room to assemble a working M1887 feeding mechanism.
• Lorne considered improving the world’s gunpowder and machinery, then joked with Danitz about patenting his firearm design and seeking an investment.
• Lorne told Danitz he would probably leave the ship soon, but Danitz did not seem happy about it.

Lorne completed the Ripper Type 1 shotgun and tested its handling, accidentally injuring Danitz with a close-range blank shot. Edwina agreed to invest five thousand pounds in Lorne’s plan to mass-produce the gun and told him his lessons were ending, though she invited him to stay aboard the Golden Dream.

• Lorne finished building the Ripper Type 1 and let Danitz examine it.
• Danitz attempted a one-handed spin reload, accidentally fired a blank, and fell in pain before Lorne explained he was not seriously hurt.
• Lorne discussed safety modifications for the shotgun after Danitz complained about its danger.
• Edwina inspected the gun, and Lorne proposed mass-producing it with her as an anonymous investor.
• Edwina agreed to invest five thousand pounds and told Lorne his lessons were ending, then offered him the option to remain aboard the Golden Dream.

Lorne left the Golden Dream and went to Bayam with Danitz, then visited Roy King to ask about the Lucky One potion. Roy declined to take Lorne as a student but presented him with a bottle of the potion, leaving its price and what Lorne would do next unresolved.

• Lorne told Danitz he was leaving the Golden Dream, and Danitz escorted him to Bayam on the captain’s orders.
• Lorne and Danitz checked Danitz’s house at 13 Fragrant Tree Avenue, then went together to Roy King’s residence.
• Lorne asked Roy King about becoming his student, but Roy said he had changed his mind and withdrew the offer.
• Lorne asked to buy the Lucky One potion formula, and Roy returned with a bottle of green-shimmering potion and identified it as the one Lorne wanted.

Lorne bought and drank the Sequence 7 Lucky One potion from Roy King, then unexpectedly digested it almost immediately. The chapter left him wondering how he could qualify as a Lucky One despite his history of bad luck and discovering that the potion seemed to grant no practical Beyonder abilities.

• Roy King offered Lorne the Lucky One potion for 1,800 pounds and required him to drink it in front of him to protect the formula and satisfy his curiosity.
• Lorne considered Roy King's motives, dismissed Danitz's warning, and paid for the potion.
• Lorne drank the potion and slumped in his seat as he felt the potion being digested almost at once.
• Danitz feared Roy King's potion had harmed Lorne, but Lorne regained his composure and assured them he was fine.
• Lorne calmed himself and discovered that the Lucky One potion had been completely digested, while its knowledge revealed no practical Beyonder abilities.

After drinking the Lucky One potion, Lorne learned that he had digested it through acting in advance and left Roy King without securing the Sequence 6 formula. He later went to a Bayam Beyonder gathering, where Alger asked whether he had more of Emperor Roselle’s notes.

• Lorne told Roy King he had already digested most of the Lucky One potion, and Roy King attributed it to acting in advance.
• Roy King neither accepted nor refused Lorne’s request to buy the Sequence 6 potion formula, so Lorne left with Danitz.
• Lorne revealed that Lucky had carried a Short-Range Communication Charm to alert the captain if their visit ran too long.
• Lorne bet Danitz one pound on a coin toss, lost, and parted ways with him.
• Lorne went to a Bayam Beyonder gathering, where Alger asked if he had more of Emperor Roselle’s notes.

Lorne sold Roselle’s notes to Alger and made money selling forged diary pages at Beyonder gatherings. Elsewhere, a woman recognized a newly acquired page as genuine and realized someone had recently written it.

• Lorne and Alger agreed on a private sale of Roselle’s notes, avoiding the gathering’s commission.
• At the gathering, Lorne sold a Seer formula and bought Sailor pathway charms and mysticism shotgun shells.
• Lorne wrote and sold forged Roselle diary pages to earn money for his travels.
• Lorne planned to explore Bayam for Beyonder items and wondered about Roy King’s distant attitude.
• A woman examined a new page of Roselle’s Diary, sensed it was genuine, and concluded someone had deciphered it recently.

Boss assigned Charles to arrange the assassination of Intis ambassador Beckland Jean Madan, while Lorne rescued a young woman in Bayam and found himself caught in a strange, fragrant darkness. The chapter left Lorne with the woman before she could tell him where she lived.

• Five of Clubs reported on the True Creator's divine descent in Tingen, and Boss assigned him to provoke chaos in Backlund by targeting the Intis ambassador.
• Five of Clubs requisitioned Charles for the assignment and gave him a five-thousand-pound check.
• Charles offered a Desire Apostle three thousand pounds and access to materials to kill Beckland Jean Madan, promising to arrange the cleanup and blame the Aurora Order.
• Lorne rescued a young woman from suspected cultists in Bayam after getting lost on his way to a Beyonder gathering.
• Lorne asked the woman where she lived as an unusual sweet fragrance spread through the darkness.

Lorne fought off a woman who tried to seduce him and discovered she was a monstrous vessel, then suspected the Rose School had targeted him. After he angrily said the world could be destroyed, he sensed something lurking in the corner of his inn room.

• A strange fragrance and the crimson moon nearly left Lorne under the woman’s control, but he shoved her away and aimed Phantom at her.
• The woman advanced despite Lorne’s warning, so he shot her; fleshy sprouts then grew from her neck and she continued to attack.
• Lorne used Black Flame, spider silk, black ice, and repeated shotgun blasts to kill the monster, then found no Beyonder characteristic in her body.
• Back at the inn, Lorne concluded the woman had been a vessel and suspected Steel or the Rose School had arranged the attack.
• Lorne vented that the world could be destroyed, then felt a chill and asked Lucky whether something had been in the corner.

After sensing danger and divining that he should leave, Lorne tried to secure a Sequence 6 potion formula from Roy King, then became caught in a strange loop on Jetman Street. He escaped a grocery store that seemed to draw him toward something important, while an anonymous observer noted that the convergence was happening faster than expected.

• Lorne considered leaving the colonies after suspecting that dangerous groups might target him again, but he weighed that against his planned smuggling deals and patent application.
• Lorne divined that he should not linger and decided against using the Wish-Granting Box because it seemed suspicious and he felt watched.
• Lorne visited Roy King's home to seek a Sequence 6 potion formula, but Roy did not answer the door, so Lorne left after waiting nearly an hour.
• Lorne got lost on Jetman Street and realized he had passed the same stretch several times as Lucky complained from his shoulder bag.
• The owner of Maple Grocery Store noticed that the Dice-Containing Ring Box had moved as Lorne approached her shop.
• Lorne resisted an unexplained urge to enter the grocery store and hurried away with Lucky, while an anonymous observer watched and reflected on the accelerating convergence.