The days drag by. It feels like an eternity passes before we reach Labyrinth Castle. Mummy and I climb off our horses and hand the reins to the stableboy. I look back to see the Devourer standing before the gate. She stares up at the castle, her mouth open and her eyes wide. "Is this where you live?"
"One of the places." Mummy glances at me, then walks to the Devourer. "Are you all right?"
She shakes her head. "Is there somewhere I can lie down? It has been a long month."
"Of course." She places an arm around the Devourer's shoulders. "We can get a room set up for you."

The Devourer stares at Mummy. "My own room? But I usually do not even have a body of my own!"
"But what is the point of you existing if you can't have a body?" I ask. "That's not even living a half-life!"
"It is a life." The Devourer walks over and stares at me dead in the eyes. "I protect and help hybrids and Qetesh until they either did or have no more need for me. It is how the universe works. When I leave a hybrid, they get the traits I have, while I reinvent myself for the next person."
"That's awful. There must be something we can do to help."
The Devourer shakes her head. She then looks at Mummy. "Thank you for the room."
"Let us know if there is anything else we can do for you. " Mummy calls over a servant. "Can you please ensure that this young lady gets some rest? She's had a rough time."
"Of course." the maid curtsies and turns to the Devourer. "Please, follow me." The Devourer follows her inside.

I stare at the open doors. We must do something to help the Devourer. But first, we must find a way to confirm her story. I look at Mummy. "We must go to Cardiff."
"Are you sure? "
"Jack could be the only person who knows about the Devourer."
Mummy nods and crosses her arms. "What about the Devourer? Should we ask her to come with us?"

The question stumps me. I barely know the woman. Would she want to come with us? "We should ask her," I say, " but wait until morning. She's already been through enough. "
Mummy nods and pulls me into a hug. "You're taking this well."
"I don't have a choice. Too much will change if I don't accept the Devourer this time." I let Mummy go. "I love you, Mummy."
"I love you too."

While we might still share a room, everything feels different. I toss and turn in bed, the straw picking me. I sit up and allow my eyes to adjust to the darkness. We didn't announce our arrival; we can't stay long. I climb out of bed, and my foot hits my computer bag. I fumble with the zip and pull my computer out. Does any website mention the Devourer? What have they said about her? I type her name into the search engine and hit enter.

The Devourer has her own article on a website about Titanic's officers.

Out of the officers, the only one known to have a confirmed other half is Seventh Officer Emma Murdoch. Her later ego, the Devourer, never appeared on the Titanic. However, the Devourer has been on other White Star Line ships between 1900-1935 and made a historic appearance in the Second World War.

The Devourer is seen in some White Star Line ships and appeared in World War Two. But why is her appearance then considered historic? I continue reading.

The Devourer first made herself known to Emma in October 1537, while her fellow Tudor queen and later Titanic passenger, Jane Seymour, was dying. Little evidence remains of that interaction—

I skip to the next paragraph. I know this information; it already happened. There must be something here about the person she'll become.

"Emma?" Mummy asks. She's sitting up in bed and blinks wearily. "What are you doing?"
"Researching the Devourer. I thought it couldn't hurt."
"But do you want to know? The union between you and the Devourer might start out bumpy."
I groan. Mummy has a good point. But I can't afford for the union to start out bumpy. History must be correct, or everything is lost. I slam my computer shut. "You never stopped me from researching before."
"This is different! You will become one with another person. It is critical you focus on the contract and not on what will happen as a result."
"You're not the one going through it! You have no idea how I feel about this."
Mummy crosses her arms. "No, I don't. No one is forcing you to do this."
"If I don't, I won't save Katheryn! I'll leave Earth forever."
"Then I will come with you. "
Mummy has no idea. If I fail, I won't want reminders of that. "It doesn't work like that! If I fail, I won't want a reminder of what happened." I stand up and put my computer away. " even if Jack can't confirm her story, I will sign my first contract with the Devourer. I will save Katheryn Howard. "

Mummy walks over and sits beside me. "Is that what this is about?" I nod. "Katheryn is safe at Hybrid Palace. The Dowager Duchess—"
"It will happen at Court!"
"What?"
I nod. "Culpeper will try to rape Katheryn in 1540. If the Devourer says she can stop that, I will trust her judgement."
Mummy sighs. "I can see why you think that. I wanted to help the queens too."
"We are helping them."
"We couldn't stop Catalina and Jane from dying. We couldn't save Anne from execution."
"We can't help everyone!" I jump up.
"I know." Mummy stands up. "But you can save Katheryn without physically attaching the Devourer to you."

I sit down and open my computer again. "Are you so sure?"
"That is one website."
I open more tabs, and we read about the Devourer. "She makes a contract every twenty years?" Mummy asks.
I point at the following text. "Or if I request one sooner."

We pour over the sources we find. It seems like my older self is particular about keeping her documents. We read contracts dating back to 1549. "The second contract," Mummy says, "when was the last one?"
Some dates are missing. 1539. 1589. 1649.

There is an odd contract made in 1845 that is also missing. "Look," Mummy says, "from 1845, the contracts go twenty years from there."
"But why does this site say the contract was odd?"
Mummy sighs. "I guess we'll find out when we get there. At least the one from 1649 makes sense."
I blink. "How so?"
"That was when the monarchy was abolished in the UK!"
"What?" I feel my face grow pale. "The people get rid of the monarchy?"
"Have you not learnt about the English Civil War?"
I shrug. I can't remember everything I learnt.

After 1900, the contracts are all over the place. There were two contracts in 1900, one in August and one in November. Another contract was drawn up and signed in April 1912, but has been lost. Then a new contract in September 1914, followed by November 1918. Another was signed in 1938, then one the following year. Then a new one in 1944, which is missing, then 1945. The 1985 contract is all over the place. Another was drawn up in early 1998. It is the last one available.

Mummy sighs. "How many does that make?"
"Thirty one, and six missing. But what was in the missing contracts? Why are they missing?"

We fall asleep in the same bed and rise late. "That will teach me for researching something late at night," I say.
"I must agree." We help each other dress before we head to the hall.

The Devourer is already there, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and ringing her hands. She smiles when she sees us. "Good morning. Thank you for the room."
"You're welcome," Mummy says, "did you sleep well?"
She nods. "I was not sure where to go for breakfast. I am normally part of someone else, and they always know where to go."
"You came to the right place," I tell her.

We walk to the table to see three places already set. Mummy sits at the head of the table, while the Devourer and I sit across from each other. Breakfast passes quietly, and it is not until the staff clear the plates that any of us speak.

"I do not wish to impose on your hospitality," the Devourer says.
"You're not," Mummy says. "It was strange that you appeared now, but why now and not years ago?"
The Devourer laces her fingers together and hums. "I cannot travel through time, so I could not appear while Emma was a young teenager. As for why I am here now, my previous caretaker had just let me go. Most of the hybrids are not old enough to need me, but Emma is."
"How old do hybrids need to me?"
"Usually in their late twenties, but many can push it to their thirties and forties. There is also another factor. If a Qetesh or hybrid has used their soul stealing powers in their youth, they will need someone like me to help them for a few hundred years. If they make it to twenty without using their powers, they won't need me." The Devourer looks at me. "You killed three times in your youth. Had it been over ten, someone would have come far sooner."

I think over the times I used my powers as a teenager. Two of them were a life or death situation. The third was unfortunate. "Is three good?" I quietly ask. "For a hybrid, I mean."
"I do not know." The Devourer stands and walks away.
"What?" Mummy jumps up. I get up and we sprint after the Devourer. "You must have some idea!"
The Devourer laughs. "Most hybrids die in their youth, so our help is mostly unnecessary." She whirls to Mummy. "You have one of your priests to thank for that."
Mummy stops walking. Her face grows pale. Her eyes sparkle with unshed tears. "I do not blame you for that," the Devourer quickly adds, "but you must see the position it puts us in. When there are fewer Qetesh and hybrids, creatures like us fight over those remaining that fit our criteria. If we fail to find a Qetesh or hybrid to sign a contract with after three years, we die." The Devourer turns away.

I don't think she ever mentioned what species she is. If we know that, we can find a way to help her. "What species are you?"
The Devourer shrugs. "That information is long gone." She looks back at me. "But many of my kind wish to make a contract with you. Some left their caretakers prematurely to find you."
"How can we identify them?"
"They will look like you, but their hair and eye colour will be different. Each will have different characteristics that are enhanced versions of yours."
Mummy and I glance at each other. It should make identifying them easier.
"And I overheard what you were talking about last night. While I will want to meet this Jack person, I am still tired."
"We understand," Mummy says. She walks over and puts an arm around her shoulders. "You can stay as long as you wish."