They had a few hours to kill before they headed out for the cave, so Paul decided to explore the city... and maybe find a few answers while he was at it, if he could.

Joqqal was the sprawling capital of Qojja. It was an odd place. A disparate mixture of cultures and architectures from various worlds. Even the layout of the streets was strange... you would have long, straight, flat roads for miles; and then all of a sudden, short sloping and winding paths; and then you’d reach circular trails that made little sense to the logical mind.

As he walked through the crowds, he thought back to the conversation with his friends and wondered if Xian himself had had anything to do with the mask. Or was it really just an elaborate art piece, intended to baffle and confuse? And if Jack was right, and it was a device, then what had been its purpose?

That it would sometimes light up and change aspect was also intriguing. Was it still somehow being powered? How and why?

He asked for directions a few times and eventually arrived in front of an antiquity shop.

The establishment was old—perhaps as old as some of the items it carries, he thought with some amusement—, well furnished but devoid of customers.

As he made his way through an assortment of jars, statuettes, clocks, and miscellaneous trinkets, a door opened in the back of the store and a young, dark-skinned woman appeared.

“Good day, wassab. May I be of assistance?”

“I hope so,” he responded with a smile. “I am looking for someone.”

“We only sell items, here,” she said with a twinkle of mischief, “not people.”

He laughed. “Indeed. But I have been told you might know of this particular someone. Whom I do not wish to buy,” he added with a wink, “but merely to speak with.”

“Ah. And what would be this person’s name?”

“I do not know,” he admitted. “And therein lies my predicament. However, she has a distinctive tattoo on her shoulder—which is what prompted some to point me in your direction...”

The woman’s eyes widened. “A serpent within a flame?”

“You do know her!”

She nodded, her expression now more serious. “Her name is Alyssya. But you should not seek her.”

“Why would you say that?” he asked in surprise. “I have come a long way for her...”

“She has embraced the Flame. She will not speak.”

“I... I don’t understand?”

“You are not of Qojja?” she asked after considering him for a moment.

“No, I am not.”

“You should go.” When he stared at her, she shook her head and chuckled. “I’m not throwing you out of the shop. I meant you should leave the planet.”

“I’m not sure that’s much better...”

“There are many religions here,” she explained, “not all of them kind or understanding of strangers. The Flame is one of the more vicious ones. Not only will she not speak to you, but she is likely to become violent. So if your sole purpose in coming here was to see her, you would be better off leaving.”

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He sighed. “That is not an option. She may be the only person with the answers I have sought for most of my life, so I’ll take my chances... I really need to meet her. Could you help me? Please?”

“I will give you the information you ask, though I am not sure I am doing you any favor.”

She walked to the back of the store and went behind the counter. Leaning down, she disappeared for a moment, then stood and wrote something down on a piece of paper.

“When you go to her,” she said as she returned and handed him the note, “make sure she is alone. Whatever you do, do not approach her if there are others with her. Your life would be in great peril then. You might be able to handle her alone, but I doubt you would a group of them. Please do not take my words lightly.”

“I will follow your advice,” he assured her as he took the paper and glanced at it. It had Alyssya’s name and an address. “Thank you.”

***

He sat in the waiting room, wondering how much longer he would have to wait. He had been sitting there for twenty minutes and he was growing restless.

Adrian was also anxious about how Susan would react if he got back home later than what he’d told her.

It had been a last-minute decision.

He had spent the whole day thinking about her, and it had made him distracted at work. It was difficult to focus when his mind kept wandering and wondering about what could have turned the strong woman he had known into this messy wreck that had suddenly shown up at his doorstep.

So he had decided to do something about it.

“Mr. Harris? Dr. Birkin will see you now.”

He sprung to his feet and followed the woman.

It was a rather large and popular hospital. He had come here because he knew this doctor had treated many high-profile cases involving acute paranoia... if anyone could help Susan, he figured it would be him.

He spent an hour there, describing the previous night’s incident, and how his friend had behaved. Birkin was very attentive, showing interest, assuring him he could help.

“I will need to see her, of course.”

“That might be challenging,” said Adrian. “I’m not sure how she’ll react when I tell her about this.”

Birkin smiled. “There are always ways. I could drop by at your place, and act as if I were a friend. That would give me a chance to meet her and better assess the situation.”

“You would do this?”

“I’ve done it before.”

“That would be great!”

The doctor took Susan’s name and created a file for her.

“She was always a lovely person,” said Adrian sadly as he stood to leave and shook Birkin’s hand. “I don’t know what happened to her...”

“We will figure it out.”

Adrian thanked the doctor again.

As he left the hospital, he smiled.

He already felt so much better.

***

It had been so long since she’d last walked among men that Thyria had forgotten how they smelled... It was something she would have preferred not to remember.

She considered the one standing before her with disgust—not just because of his odor. This particular specimen wore a beard, his long hair was disheveled, and he strode around as if he owned the place... Which, in fact, he did. But that was no excuse to act so righteously—not in her presence!

“So, what do you think?” the man asked with a wide grin.

She wanted to just wipe it off his face, but she knew her people would frown upon such behavior. So she kept her temper in check.

“It will do. You will receive payment before the day is over. But for now, I would like to be alone.”

The man shrugged—how impudent! “As you wish. I left the keycard on the desk.”

He turned and walked out.

She waited for the sound of his footsteps to fade before she walked to the window, opened it, stepped onto the balcony, and stared down at the streets.

Why put herself through this agony? she asked herself. There were other places she could have gone, more quiet ones... where humans did not swarm.

But she knew why.

The memories had drawn her back.

She had left to forget... but being alone had only made the past more vivid, more haunting. She knew now that if she was to find peace, she’d have to confront her ghosts.

What she needed was closure.

She snorted.

How could she get anything done with so many humans around? This was not the city she had once known. It only looked and felt the same. The stench, though, was telling.

“Well,” she muttered, “at least I will not grow hungry here.”

Holding on to the railing with one hand, she took off her shoes with the other, then unfastened her robe, and slipped out of her dress.

As naked as on the day she was born—over a thousand years prior—, she left her clothes on the balcony, walked proudly across the living room, and into the bathroom.

She needed a shower.

Though she had no illusion water could cleanse the filth of this city off her skin.