Amicia and Hugo succeeded in escaping the fire and hordes of rats from Laurentius’s farm. Alongside them is Lucas, Laurentius’s apprentice alchemist who volunteered to use his knowledge of alchemy to facilitate Amicia’s and Hugo’s journey to the Chateau. As they get across the lake, Amicia asks Lucas what Hugo has in his blood. Lucas says that Hugo might be affected by the Prima Macula, a rare condition running in the blood of certain families that seems to have awoken in Hugo’s blood when the Great Break, the plague, burst. As we continue our journey, the Prima Macula will play a major role in Hugo’s life.