The night passes smoothly. Mummy and I fall asleep quickly and rise with the sun. It's extremely early in our time, but not so early for those living in Tudor England. The smell of cooking fills the air as Mummy and I dress and head downstairs. The Protector is in the kitchen, her back to us as she cooks. "Good morning," she says before either of us can knock on the door. She turns to us and smiles. "I smelt you coming."
"Oh." Mummy looks surprised. "I never realised a Qetesh could smell humans from a distance."
"I am not a Qetesh, remember?"
"Right." Mummy walks into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Do not ask Mummy for help in the kitchen," I say. "She burns scrambled eggs for crying out loud!"
"One time! It was one time."
"It was only once because Mum banned you from the kitchen."

The Protector crosses her arms and laughs. "It sounds like you have a great family."
"They're the best I could ever ask for," I agree. "Do you want me to help?"
"No, I think I have it." She turns back to the fire and continues tending to the food she's cooking. "Can you please set the table? There is only four of us here."
"Okay."

Mummy and I look around the kitchen. It is easy to find the plates, and Mummy puts four of them on the table. I discover the goblets in a drawer and set them out. The Protector looks over at the table every few minutes to ensure we're putting everything in the proper place. "I can't find the knives," Mummy says.
"They should be in that drawer with the spoons." The Protector points it out, and Mummy opens the drawer.
"Ah, thank you." Mummy finishes setting the table, and we sit down.

"Morning everyone!" A man calls as he walks in.

I recognise that voice. What on earth is William Murdoch doing here?

I look up at him. William is beaming at me. "I was not expecting to see you two here."
"You were as much of a surprise to us as we were to you," Mummy says. "What on earth are you doing here?"
"I wanted to have a look around." He sits on the stool beside me. "Tudor England is a fascinating place."
"I don't know where you think you are," the Protector says as she starts handing out the bread, "but this is Wales."
"Wales?"
"We're near Cardiff," I say.
William groans. "Harry is going to laugh at me when I get back!"
Mummy and I start laughing. "I'm sure he won't," Mummy says in between laughter.
William narrows his eyes. "Are you sure? We already know he has a wicked temper. Do you really think he will not use this moment to cause me torture in the coming centuries?"

Coming centuries. He must have arrived from the twenty-first century. But why would he do that? The Protector sits with us once she finishes giving us our food and says the Lord's Prayer. We all bow our heads and eat when the Protector finishes. "I know you two are not religious," the Protector says, looking at Mummy and me, "but it is the done thing here."
I do not want to remember what the done thing is. The last thing I want to remember is how I had to pretend to be religious to survive Tudor times.

Well, it could be worse. I could've ended up during the Wars of the Roses. That would've been far worse.

After breakfast, the four of us set off. "Are you sure it is okay for you to leave the inn?" William asks.
"It is," the Protector says, "when I do not work there, someone from the village takes care of it. I already informed him about my journey."
At least the inn will not be empty should anyone arrive while the Protector is out.
"Are you looking for anyone? I might be able to help."
Should I tell her we are looking for Jack Harkness? Would she know who he is?

Mummy and I look at each other. "Should we tell her?" Mummy asks.
I shrug. "She might know him."
"That may be so, but it's bad enough that she knows we're already in contact with someone like her. The fewer people that know, the better." Mummy glances at William. He sits opposite us in the litter, looking out over the countryside. "Do you think we can tell him?"
"He might already know about Jack."

"Are you talking about Jack Harkness?" He asks.
"We are," I say. "What do you know about him?"
William sighs. "Only what you told me, lass. He likes to flirt with everyone and runs the Torchwood Institute in Cardiff in the twenty-first century. I never particularly felt fond of the idea of him."
"Let's hope meeting him in person will change your mind," Mummy says.

It takes us a few hours to reach Cardiff. So much of it is different compared to the twenty-first century. Almost every building has thatched roofs and black-and-white walls. The pavement is uneven and narrow, so we leave the litter and horses at a massive stable and give our names to the owner so we can collect them when we are ready to leave the city.

We continue walking towards the centre of the town. It seems like Cardiff is a town rather than a city at this point. "Where is Torchwood?" William asks.
"In our time, it is by the bay. As for now..." I let my voice trail off and throw my arms out. "Who knows?"
"How are we going to find Jack here? It is hopeless."

"Did someone say my name?" A familiar voice asks. We turn to find Jack Harkness standing there, but he looks very different compared to the twenty-first century. He is wearing a blue hat with a feather in it, black breeches and a dark blue doublet.
"Are you Jack Harkness?" Mummy asks.
"Yes, and you are?" Jack holds his hand out.
"Sarah Jane Smith." Mummy shakes it.
"I guess you're not from around these parts." He nods to their interlinked hands. "Most people don't know what a handshake is."
"Oh, I forgot!" I said. "Jack is from further in the future than us."
"When are you two from?" William asks.
"The twenty-first century."

A device on Jack's wrist beeps. "What is that?" I ask.
Jack reveals the strap and opens the top to reveal buttons. "My time travelling device, but it's picking up that you aren't fully human."
"And that would be right. I'm half human."
Jack looks at William. "It's also showing that you aren't fully human either."
"I am also half-human."

"What?" I ask.
"All the Titanic officers are either Qetesh or Human-Qetesh hybrids."
"Right." At least that is something I can remember for the future. But that does not help our current situation. I turn back to Jack. "Listen, we need your help."
Jack closes his device. "I'm listening."

We explain the situation we found ourselves in. "King Henry says you would be able to verify the Devourer's story."
"Not the Devourer in particular, but the species she is part of."
"Do you know what she and the Protector are?" I ask.
Jack nods. "But we cannot talk about it here. Too many people. We should head off." He leads the way into a building.

The inside is light and airy. Light-coloured tapestries hang on the walls, and a fire roars in the fireplace. "Is this Torchwood?" William asks.
"For now," Jack agrees. "We're trying to get more funding from the crown, but it's slow-going. Not many people care about Cardiff. We're the back end of beyond."
"Because everything happens in London?"
"Yeah." Jack walks over to a jug. "Mead?"
We accept a goblet and move towards the fire.

"What species is the Devourer?" Mummy asks.
"No one knows," Jack says. "No one has that information, even in the fifty-first century." He takes a sip from his goblet. "The creatures that the Devourer is part of help Qetesh and Human-Qetesh hybrids if they have killed someone using their soul-stealing powers before their twentieth birthday."
"But why do so many want to sign a contract with me?" I ask. "The Devourer said many would be willing to leave the hybrids they're helping now to convince me."
"Because you're special."
"Don't give me that." I shake my head. "I'm not special. I'm just a girl bumbling through time who has next to no clue what she's doing."
"That can't be true. You're from the twenty-first century, you must know something."
"Not about this."

Jack sighs. "The species normally leave a hybrid after three hundred years."
"We have evidence of contracts up until 1998."
Jack looks up at me. "Then something is different about you."
"A bad different?"
"No." I give Jack a look. "It's not! If a helper wants to stay with their hybrid for longer, it means that the hybrid is doing a great job and gives them the freedom they need."
"But that does not add up," William says, "Emma was depressed and suicidal by 1998. How could that be giving the helper what they want?"

"William does have a point," Mummy agrees. She looks at him. "But I highly doubt Emma told you about that herself."
"I'm not telling. The last thing I want is to feel like Emma is restricted more by the future."
Jack sighs and sips from his goblet again. "The hybrid's helper doesn't need to rely on the hybrid's emotions, but the suicides could become a problem."
"Could? What do you mean?"
Jack shakes his head. "I never encountered one of the helpers. It's only been recently that I met a hybrid."

I stand up. Surely Jack knows more! He must know more! I try to run a hand through my hair before I remember I'm wearing a French hood. Have we made this trip for nothing?

Mummy sighs. "Do you know anything else about the helpers?"
Jack shakes his head. "I wish I could be of more use."
"Well, thanks for your help. We should get going."

We leave the building. "What now?" I ask. "Who else can we turn to?"
"I don't know, but I think we discovered all we could here." We head to the stables to wait for the Protector. Mummy and I agree to stay at the inn for one more night before we begin the return journey to London.

We return to the inn in silence. The Protector looks at Mummy and me occasionally, but she doesn't comment. William is also silent. The Protector begins locking up, while Mummy, William, and I head up. William has the room opposite us, so we hover on the landing for a bit. "What do you think about what Jack said?" William asks.
"It's strange." I fold my arms. "From what the king said, I thought he would have answers."
"You are trusting what King Henry said? Are you forgetting that this is the same king that had two of your friends killed and almost had your mother killed?"
"What?" Mummy asks. "What are you talking about?"
"I'd like to know that too." I look at William. "What do you mean?"

William sighs. "You warned me that I would put my foot in it." He shakes his head. "I do not think I should tell you."
"Please," Mummy says, "if it concerns Ruby—"
"I meant you."

King Henry will try and kill Mummy? I will never let him get away with it! I clench my fists. If King Henry ever threatens Mummy, he will wish he'd never been born.

William looks at me. "I guess some of those kills were trying to protect Sarah Jane?"
I nod. "Two of them. Krillitanes."

Maybe I should be worried that I have killed people to protect my family. But it's too late for regrets. I must move forward with my life, and that means signing a contract with one of the "helpers".