Lith has a terrible nightmare in which Eilac is tortured, Graeae croaks, “Thanks to the time traveller, I will have them now.”
Lith is awakened by three Imperial Marines who have some sort of tracking token that points directly to her location. She transforms into a squirrel and leads them on a chase through
Welmet Station.
Kip pulls a book off the shelf about magic personality transfer. A note falls out of it that reads, “This is it, stupid me. Chances are that this is where I leave you. Don’t be like me. Make your sacrifices count.”
Caiel learns from his father Chaddrus that
Chads-R-Us will soon begin selling high elven model voidships. He asks that Caiel come up with a new advertising campaign. After the meeting Damien chides Caiel that he should “Set the table for the Dark Messiah.” Chaddrus returns just as Damien poops on Caiel's floor.
Gutboy reveals that he and his family was treated poorly at the hands of the Imperial Marines.
Celica calls on Yuna to tell her that somehow that she doesn't understand she can tell that “Graeae has returned.”
Yuna and Dane return to the orphanage, following the tracking token taken from the marines. There, they find that Kairon has returned to the orphanage to recover a weapon from Omay that was left with him when he was originally dropped off at the orphanage decades ago.
Kairion has had the same nightmare that Lith did.
The Homeshard Heroes realize that these tracking tokens have been given to many throughout the Aetherverse. It is just a matter of time before one of those with one of these tokens finds Lith and/or Kairon for some sort of foul purpose.
The Homeshard Heroes travel away from
Welmet Station only to be attacked by an Imperial Boarding Ram intent on taking Lith and killing anyone who stands in their way. Kip's fireball, Lith's summoned tit swarm, and Gutboy's mighty leap from one ship to the other through the tip of the boarding ram, turned the tables on the murderous Eladrin Marines.
The party arrives on the Hospice of Eilac. They land as clandestinely as possible, but soon realize that they are expected. Graeae's disembodied voice invites them down into the Chamber of Spirals deep within Eilac's temple.
There, they see a young elven woman who can only be Graeae. She is lovely and fresh, and Kip immediatley identifies her as an illusion. Nearby, an old human who looks very much like a septuagenarian Kip is chained to a carved plinth that Yuna recognizes as the source of power for the tokens used to track Lith and Kairon. Nearby, Captain Jellicle of the Emprie of Blossoms stands with two body guards. Across the way, Agatha, Bryinx, and Cerephina the hags of Three Sisters Voidspace Station lurk.
Graeae begins with a negotiation. Leave one of the orphans and there will be no bloodshed. Jellicle offers to cut the heroes' throats. Agatha quips that the hags still haven't gotten what they want from the deal.
The Homeshard Heroes attack. They knock out “Boomer Kip” first to disable the tokens from bringing more forces to bear. Gutboy and Dane face off against Captain Jellicle and his goons. Caiel and Yuna do their best to fight off the three hags. Lith and Kip engage in a magic duel with Graeae.
Unfortunately, Graeae ends up being much more powerful than anyone thought. Kairon is slain, and his body is animated as a shambling zombie. Despite a bold maneuver to free “boomer Kip” by Gutboy, Kip's future form is vaporized by Graeae. The arch-hag taunts and chides younger Kip.
As the battle turns against the Homeshard Heroes, Lith disappears for a moment. Kip realizes that once Lith comes back that there is a very good chance that the soul in control of Lith's body is not the same.
The Homeshard Heroes escape the temple. Graeae shouts in mock sincerity “Woe is me! I have been defeated!” Yuna and Kip knock Lith unconscious and chain her up before returning to Welmet Station.
Lith seems upset and angry at the apparent betrayal of her fellow adventurers.
After several attempts, Klast is able to prove that the being who controls Lith's body is in fact Graeae herself using Glyphs of Warding in a clever way.
Lith looks up at Steve, drops the squirrel form and her expression and posture shift, from fearful and pathetic to sneering and proud. She steps back from Steve, brushing away his hand and takes one bold step onto the glyph. Which baths the room on red light.
She sneers at Lith's assembled friends. The ones she thinks of as family. “This child is mine now. Don't come looking for her lest you wish for a quick death! Fine. You can have her husk!”
Lith slumps, breathing shallowly and stares blankly into space, an unconscious living body in a coma.
Lith's body is stored at The Nut House, protected by automaton defenders and glyphs of warding.
Kip looks into ways to track Magic Jars. He posits “We need to find the jar holding her soul, and break it near her body.”