Abbie wakes up and finds herself alone in a stone temple. The Eye of Provides is lying on the floor in a pattern. She follows the outside light to the nearest exit, and finds herself looking out of a vast castle onto an alien landscape. Abbie walks across the landscape and comes to a deep well. Nearby is a cutlass stuck in a tree trump, and Abbie pulls it free. She returns to the Catacombs and draws a map of the area as she explores.
Pandora and the Hidden One look out on the landscape, and he says that they shall bring a reign of blood of terror until the mortals swear their fealty. When she suggests that they return to their abode, the Hidden One gestures and creates a cave. It weakens him but he tells Pandora that it was worth it to bring her joy, and soon he will be restored to his powers. She says that soon all the evils of the earth will arrive.
At a stone manor, three restoration workers are leaving for the day. One forgets his phone and goes back up the bell tower for it, and a gargoyle behind him comes to life. The worker hears something and looks around... and the gargoyle throws him off the catwalk to his death.
The next day, Daniel and Sophie hear about the murder. As they arrive, they discuss Nevin’s disappearance and Daniel admits that they still don’t know what happened to him. He explains that the church is on the government registry, and a worker fell to his death. Sophie examines the coroner’s report, which confirms that the worker was beat with a blunt instrument before he fell.
Joe goes to the home of Ezra Mills posing as an EMT and asks for a minute of his time. While he claims that he’s with the Good Neighbor next Door Program, Jenny slips in the back and searches her father’s desk. She finds his war mementoes, including a lighter with his name on it. Joe excuses himself and asks for his name, and Ezra gives his name.
Back at the archive, Joe wonders why Jenny didn’t tell him that it was her father’s place. He complains that she doesn’t trust him, and Jenny admits that knowing and doing are two different things. Ichabod is constructing a spirit cabinet to Jenny’s specifications, and she says that they need to take advantage of the planetary syzygy. The cabinet will enable astral projection, freeing the user’s spirit to travel across the layers of reality and find Abbie. They need three family tokens: Grace Dixon’s journal, a necklace from Abbie to Jenny, and Ezra’s lighter. Jenny insists that she should be the one to go, but Ichabod believes that his shared connection with Abbie as Witnesses gives him the best chance. Ichabod sits down and tells Jenny to close the curtains once he falls into a trance. She casts the spell and Ichabod passes out. They close the curtains and wait.
As Joe and Jenny wait, Jenny repeats her explanation that the burning candle is a tether. Once it burns down, it will draw Ichabod back. Sophie arrives and asks for Ichabod, and they offer to take a message. When the agent suggests that the worker’s murder was done by a creature, jenny suggests that she and Joe investigate. Sophie takes them to the church and points out that one of the four stone gargoyles in the promotional photos is no longer there. Jenny isn’t aware of Ichabod and Jenny dealing with a gargoyle, and suggests that they head back to the archive and check the books. Sophie suggests that they profile the creature, and they check the cornerstone for the date of construction. It was part of the original cathedral, and Sophie recognizes that the stonework was carved by French craftsmen. The tower was relocated from Europe stone by stone, and Jenny suggests that they check the cathedral library.
Abbie plays chess against herself, pretending to be Ichabod, and realizes that the sun never sets. Ichabod calls to her, and then he flickers in and out of existence briefly. Abbie figures that it’s a hallucination and returns to the chessboard, and Ichabod announces the next move. He materializes in the hallway and says that he needs her help to complete his journey. Ichabod tells her to focus on their partnership. Abbie concentrates and Ichabod fully appears. She is unable to touch him, and Ichabod explains that he’s an astral projection. Abbie says that she’s been there ten months, although it’s only been weeks for them.
Pandora asks the Hidden One if everything is all right, and he admits that the effort earlier has weakened him. She assures him that his omnipotence will soon return, but the Hidden One is furious that he can’t retrieve the Eye from the Witnesses. Pandora scryes and discovers that Ichabod has projected his astral self, giving her a way to retrieve the Eye. Satisfied, the Hidden One promises that they will make the Witnesses pay for what they did.
Abbie explains that the sun hasn’t moved since she arrived. She hasn’t needed to eat , drink, or sleep, and she’s spent her time relieving the monotony by mapping the realm. Ichabod notices some Sumerian glyphs on the wall and recognizes them from the tablet. Abbie thanks him for never giving up on her, and he says that he only did what she would have done if their roles were reversed.
On earth, the trio checks the cathedral library and discovers that Marquis DeLafayette stipulated that his papers remain there under the Sign of the Cross. There’s no mention of gargoyles, but Jenny determines that there are some odd word choices. Sophie examines the papers looking for a pattern, and Jenny irritably hands it over. The agent confirms that it’s a cipher, and jenny spots another narrative hidden within the correspondence. She reads the second narrative, where Lafayette met with his contact in the Colonial forces near the ruined bell tower: Betsy Ross. However, the English unleashed a Gargoyle on them and the two of them were forced to fight the creature. The entry ends there, and Jenny figures that they must have found a way to turn the creature back to stone. She says that usually Ichabod and Abbie find a clue in the past, and snaps at Sophie when she complains. The agent walks off and Joe tries to reassure Jenny, who doesn’t want to talk about it.
Ichabod translates the symbols and discovers that they refer to The Hidden One. His power flows from the Eye on his staff, opening a gate between world. Abbie points out that if she uses it to return then the Hidden One can recover it. Ichabod notices the cutlass and says that he’s seen it before, and insists that it belonged to Betsy.
Pandora appears in the temple in her astral form, and says that the Eye is the key to escaping. She offers to show Abbie how to use it... if she brings them the Eye when she returns. Ichabod and Abbie refuses, and Abbie realizes that Pandora is powerless against her in her astral form. Pandora admits that she’s right, but she can hurt Ichabod. She severs his tether to the candle, leaving him left to float for all eternity. Ichabod disappears and Pandora tells Abbie that she will restore him... if she gives him the Eye.
As night falls, a restoration worker spots the Gargoyle and mistakes it for a wild animal. Sophie sends him away and fires at the Gargoyle, and then grab tools as improvised weapons. The Gargoyle leaps down at Jenny and Sophie and Joe try to lure it away. Jenny realizes that Lafayette knew that the Sign of the Cross could keep it away, and runs for it while Sophie provides cover fire. The Gargoyle attacks Joe, but Jenny comes back and knocks it away.
The trio runs inside and barricades the door, and they realize the Gargoyle can’t come on hallowed ground. She plans to demolish the church’s contents to use weapons, but Sophie suggests that they use the mixer to entomb the Gargoyle. Jenny objects, saying that they already have a plan, and Joe suggests that they hear Sophie out. He says that they need to throw everything that they have at the Gargoyle.
Pandora repeats her offer and warns that there are fates worse than death. She wonders how long Abbie can withstand the solitude, Abbie admits that she may go mad in the future... and destroys the Eye. Furious, Pandora severs her tether and returns to her body.
On earth, the trio go out and Sophie heads for the mixer. Joe assures Jenny that it’s the right plan, and she apologizes for not telling him that Ezra was her father. She kisses him and Joe promises that he’ll stick with her. Armed with holy relics, Joe and Jenny slip out and find the Gargoyle.
Sophie gets to the cement mixer and starts it. Jenny and Joe lure the Gargoyle toward the mixer, leaping into the framework. Jenny blinds it with holy water and Sophie helps her out of the frame. Joe sprays concrete at the creature, filling the frame and immobilizing the Gargoyle. Jenny admits that they all did good, including Sophie.
Time passes for Abbie, and she soon knocks away the improvised chess pieces in frustration. Ichabod faintly calls to her, and Abbie insists that he’s always with her. Concentrating, she works out that since Betsy was there and left her weapon, she must somehow have escaped. She realizes that the cutlass was driven into the stump to act as a stay for a rope... and Betsy used the rope to descend into the well. Abbie calls to Ichabod and tells him to use her as a totem so that he can follow her back to the real world. Using a vine, Abbie lowers herself into the well using a vine.
Visions of her time in Purgatory flash through Abbie’s mind, and Ichabod calls to Abbie. After a moment, she surfaces in a river. Abbie walks to shore and realizes that she’s back home.
At the archive, the trio discovers that the candle is out but Ichabod isn’t awake. They realize that his spirit isn’t there, and Abbie comes in to tell them that the tether was cut. She explains what happened, and calls to Ichabod assuming that he followed her back. Abbie takes Ichabod’s hand and reminds him that they’re always together. After a moment, the candle lights and Ichabod wakes up. He says that he was floating in darkness but followed Abbie’s voice.
Pandora awakens form her trance and tells the Hidden One that Abbie destroyed the Eye. He bemoans the fact that the beacon is has weakened the creatures but isn’t powerful enough to summon them. Pandora finally offers him the power that he gave her millennia ago, as punishment for her failure. The Hidden One accepts her sacrifice, kisses her gently on the forehead, and then extracts his borrowed power. Pandora collapses, sobbing, and the Hidden One goes to the shard of Pandora’s Box and fills it with his power.
Written by Gadfly on Feb 13, 2016