The crumpled scrap of paper Hannington had left on the bar contained only a few words which Robert was able to piece together as an address somewhere on the east end of the city.  He and Gerald puzzled over this for a few minutes but they were certainly in no shape to go investigating anytime soon.  They asked the bartender if they could have a place to stay on the premises.  He responded that The Mitre generally didn't have rooms to let but that Hannington had been staying upstairs and his room was now obviously unoccupied.  A little annoyed at the man's sudden departure, he told them that they could stay the night there given the circumstances.

Molly and Katherine stood still as the woman who had appeared glided down the stairway toward them.  Ignoring her chastising, Lance began shouting at her: "Sophia!  Have you lost your mind!?"

Sophia's response was elusive. "An interesting turn of phrase, Lancelot..." she began, but Lance cut across her again "I have no time for games, Sophia.  Where is your consort?  Where are your puppets?  Don't you know what their actions have done to your city?".

"This city rejected me long ago, Lancelot." Sophia responded, her tone icy, then she added something to Lance that was too quiet for Katherine and Molly to hear clearly - but it seemed to have some effect on him.  Raising her voice, she continued, "You seem to be laboring under the delusion that I appeared her upon your request..."  Sophia turned toward the doorway where Katherine and Molly were standing and began floating idly in their direction, adding quietly, "I am much more interested in these....newly awakened..."

Lance stood stunned for only a moment as the woman passed him, but he seemed to recover his composure rather quickly.  Reaching into his large coat, he produced a pistol which he pointed at her back.  "No, I'm sorry Sophie, I'm quiet serious."

Sophia froze, a slight fear shot across her face for just a moment.  "You are powerless against me, Lancelot..."  She trailed off.  Her words may have been strong, but her voice quivered with a slight uncertainty.

"Quite sure of that?"  Lance said, a sly smile crossing his face as he pulled the flintlock back, letting it's click echo in empty room.

Sophia turned around to face him again.  After a brief moment of deliberation, she spoke.  "Proteus is dead, Lancelot." she stated firmly, as if this commonly-known fact would answer any questions he may have.  

Lance's posture shifted slightly.  He hesitated for a moment before suddenly striding swiftly toward the door.  Upon reaching the threshold he stopped.  Still holding his weapon, he spoke over his shoulder.  "And where is your consort, Sophia?"

"Speaking with some old friends, Lancelot."

Lance then strode out into the pouring rain once more.  After his departure, Sophia turned back to the two girls, seeming to examine them carefully.  She had been about to speak to them directly when they decided further encounters with this ghostly woman would be unwise.  They turned and hurried out through the rain after Lance.

Katherine and Molly caught up with him near St. Paul's square as he was watching for signs of Runners enforcing the curfew.  When all was clear, he hurried across the square to the main entrance of the Cathedral but found it locked.  He then hurried around the north side of the building toward a lower back entrance which was also locked.  Producing something form his pocket which he uses to open the lock and proceeds inside, telling the two to remain silent.

Proceeding just inside, the three were stopped by the sound of voices echoing from somewhere above them.  Three voices; two male, one female, discussing something.  Something that had gone awry or contrary to some plan or expectation.  The two male voices seemed to believe that the deviation was well within acceptable bounds, but the female voice was agitated and insistent that actions must be taken less all be lost.  After the voices faded into the darkness, Lance ventured further inside, Molly and Katherine following him.  He searched any room that was unlocked and also spent some time carefully examining several of the statues and carvings in the main hall.  About an hour later, he told the girls that he was going home - there were some things he needed to see to.  When Katherine and Molly demanded further explanation, he told them that he would return to their Bathhouse the next day.  Molly and Katherine made their way back through the rain.

The following day, Robert and Gerald return to meed them at the bathhouse and George returns as well - bearing the swordcane Gerald had wanted.  Apparently he won it in a game of chance from a strange peddler he'd not seen before.  He also mentioned he'd been working a bit over the last couple of days and that a new ship had just arrived in port - a ship called the Great Maw.  This was a legendary pirate ship, but strangely, no one around the docks seemed bothered.  Perhaps they didn't buy into the legend.  Apparently it checked out with the harbor master as George had seen him speaking rather sociably with the captain as a large number of crewmen disembarked.

It was now friday morning.  The Bishop's funeral was to be held at noon in St. Paul's square.  After discussing recent events and waiting a few hours to see if Lance would show up at the bathhouse that morning, they had the carriage brought around and they made their way to the square.  The rain still poured down.

St. Paul's square was completely packed.  Their carriage was only able to make it to a street about 3 blocks away before passage was impossible.  Across the sea of people, they could see a raised platform in front of the Cathedral entrance on which stood the Archbishop of Canterbury and a few other officials.  The clattering rain would make hearing difficult even at close range, so katherine and Molly decided to try to get as close as they could.  After they'd left, George decided he would follow them.  Robert and Gerald (both still quite injured) lingered near the back.

The service began in a usual and expected way.  John Moore spoke at length about Beilby Proteus' service to the Anglican Church in London and how his tragic and sudden death would surely be a blow to the local congregations.  He then of course proceeded to admonish his listeners to live up to the legacy the Bishop had left behind by keeping the faith, etc.

While this eulogy was being delivered, a new sound began to surface above the crowd - a high-pitched whistling sound which began very quiet, but grew in intensity.  Katherine and Molly exchanged looks.  The area around the square seemed to be getting  darker.  The clouds above were thick and dark - and something seemed to be moving within them.

A loud and sudden crash of thunder silenced the square.  Even the Archbishop stopped and looked around for a moment.  Katherine looked around in the Twilight.  There seemed to be some discord or inconsistency between the spiritual aspects of the people around them and their physical forms.  She could also see dozens of ghost-like shapes swirling in the air above the crowd. Molly began to sense a growing agitation in the emotional collective of those gathered.  

They had little time to reflect on these impressions as another crash shook the ground around them.  dozens of people around them lost their balance and began toppling into one another.  Molly and Katherine managed to keep their feet, but the ground beneath them split open and created a widening gap between the rest of the square and the area around the stage and cathedral.

George had managed to push his way up to where the girls were standing.  Katherine didn't completely realize it, but she needed to make a split-second decision.  She could see the ground on the other side of the crack shifting - and she decided that the cathedral side was where she wanted to be.  George tried to grab her to hold her back, but she managed to slip away from him, falling to the ground on the other side of the emerging chasm just before the cathedral and the ground around its base suddenly dropped perhaps 75 or more feet into the earth.  Molly looked across what was now a massive pit.  Near its center, the copper cross which crowned the Cathedral was now at ground level.