Élise was sharpening her sword on the patio's grindstone when Timothee emerged.
"Élise, the translation of the documents you found is complete, and we've discovered some things most important!"
"And you're willing to tell them to me?"
"Well, some of them, yes." He cleared his throat and adjusted his cravat. "One of the artifacts Ignaz had been researching was called 'The Connector.' It seems to be a means to override another man's influence over the Apple from infinite distance! Things are starting to make more sense: I was initially shocked that the traitor Weishaupt was willing to trust Robespierre with that precious treasure, but now I can see why! He's the one truly in control, or at least could be if he so desired!"
"So does that mean you want to shift focus? Try to find and destroy this 'Connector'?"
"No! We still don't know where the site they found is exactly. We need to stay focused on Paris. I am simply telling you that if you manage to come into possession of the Apple, you must be wary! Weishaupt's will could commandeer it at any time, even when it's in your hands."
"So what does that mean for me, exactly?"
"It means he could turn others in your vicinity against you."
"So what do I do if I recover it?"
"The science behind the device is poorly understood, but to put things in the simplest terms...you may think of it as manipulating the mind through light. Where it cannot shine, it cannot influence."
"I think I understand." Timotheee had put that very succinctly.
She did not expect answers, but decided to ask regardless: "What about the other artifacts?"
It would be a treat to be let in on anything else.
"You don't need to know any of that. Je suis désolé, I'm sure you understand. Secrecy is everything to our-"
"I understand. I did not mean to pry, Monsieur." Though she was disappointed.
"Wonderful! But that's not all I came out here to tell you, Élise. There's some terrible unrest happening at the Champ de Mars right now."
Champ de Mars. That name hit her hard. It is where she had met Arno, run from him in an embarrassing moment of uncertainty. "A crowd of thousands is demanding the king step down, against the Assembly's wishes. Such riotous excitement will surely attract Illuminati rascals, if they don't already have their filthy hands in this. Jean Sylvian Bailly is doing his best to keep order, but he's requested our help."
Jean Sylvian Bailly. That name hit her even harder. He was the pivot on which her entire life had turned.
Timothee added, "I told him to expect you. Denis will be joining you. There's a carriage out front."
The two most significant moments of her life were getting layered on top of each other, the entire assignment was like a one-two punch to the gut.
Then she remembered it was also she who had saved the king, so it was three.