After the ordeal of dismantling the necromancer's staff, Mage Qing is ready for a bit of rest, so doesn't resist when Dr. Pike brings him to her study. She asks him if he's ever studied Envoy's spirit, and when the Mage confirms that he had and that it was 'normal' for one generated by a living being, the Eeee seems very pleased.

She shows Qing something she spent awhile tracking down: a preserved cave lizard that was found in the same cave as Envoy, and had apparently swallowed some of her flesh. The lizard showed patches of transformed flesh that matched the look and feel of the Aeolun, and Qing could not find any signs of hoaxing. Mysteriously, the were no signs of decay or rigor in the lizard, even though it had been inert for over a decade, leading to the possibility that it was in some sort of suspended animation state.

Pike explains her theory that Aeolun cells are like tiny golems, and attempts to revive them using Life and Earth magic on Caroban had both failed. Her idea is to use Spirit magic, since the cells clearly reproduced while in the lizard, which had a spirit.

Curious about the properties of the alien cells, Qing agrees to help with an experiment to try and revive the lizard.