Mari rubbed at her eyes, trying to clear her vision because what she saw before her simply could not be true.

"Finally, she wakes up after all that screaming. Did she always sleep that much?"

Mari wanted to pull the covers over her head. Her stomach churned. Apep's eyes pierced Mari's soul. Could she tell what Mari was thinking? Did she know Mari had been leaving the room? Could Apep see right through her?

Apep sighed, shaking her head. Her hood fell back slightly. Mari did not recoil at the ritualistic patterns on her face. Even though Mari seldom saw Apep's face, she was not entirely unaccustomed. "You have no patience, which, normally, is fine, great even, but we're dealing with Mari here. You're going to have to have a little patience, Balak, or else we won't get anywhere."

Mari shrunk into the bed as much as she could. Her mind froze. It didn't make sense. Why were they there? All Mari could do was stare at them.

Balak huffed and eyed Mari, but did not respond. Apep cleared her throat, and Mari's mind started to turn again. Her heart contorted, and something deep within Mari, deeper still than the Seven's grip on her ever had been, pleaded. She did not know to who, but she pleaded anyway. Please, don't let them be here for Dainan. Mari didn't care whatever other kind of pain it may cause her. Just don't let them hurt him.

"Mari, get up. Rekema sent us to start preparing you," Apep said. For a moment, Mari's heart loosened. A freeing sensation flooded her. They weren't there for Dainan. She had been answered.

Mari sat up; Apep's words hit her. She clenched the sheets in her hands. Something was about to happen. Something bad. Something terrifying. Something painful. Mari would gladly bear it in place of losing Dainan. "Prepare for what?"

Apep scowled, and Mari recalled how she used to follow along silently, asking few questions. If she was not careful, it wouldn't be long before they figured out how much she had truly changed. "You don't need to know yet. Now, get up."

Mari forced herself to let go of the sheets and stand up. Her heart started to beat faster. She brushed her skirt off, waiting for one of them to take control, like always.

Balak grunted, "Let's go."

The two turned towards the door. Mari stared at them. They had not taken control. They wanted her to follow them willingly.

Apep glanced over her shoulder and shook her head. "I need you focused and in your best condition for what we're about to do."

Mari stumbled forward. This sounded awful. She didn't want to go with them. The way Balak's tattoos moved sent shivers through her heart. His anticipation filled the air, and Mari had learned by now that anything that filled Balak with excitement filled her with dread.

She followed them anyway, comforting herself with the fact Dainan would be safe. No matter what was about to happen, she could make it through. Dainan would be on the other side. Any suffering in between, Mari could take it. Was that selfless of her?

* * *

The second Mari stepped out of the castle, she noticed how the air changed. For a moment, just a moment, right before anyone had seen her, the world seemed bright, lighter, and warmer. Mari wanted to throw her arms open and her head back and bask in the light. It was an atmosphere unlike any she had ever felt before, but it was gone in an instant. Apep and Balak were not far behind her. The moment they joined Mari, the air turned dark, heavy, and cold. Mari froze.

People in the streets slowed. Their kind, loud chatter slowly faded away to rough whispers. People glanced over their shoulders, going still at the sight of Mari in front of the castle. She was not wearing the crown, but that did not matter. No one seemed to look at her any differently than when she did wear it. Apep nudged Mari. "Come on. Don't mind them. We're going somewhere else."

Mari sucked in a deep breath, resisting the urge to wrap her arms around herself in an attempt to hold in any remaining scrap of warmth left from before. She forced herself to give Apep a nod, trying to be as submissive and passive as the Seven believed her to be. "Where to?"

Apep opened her mouth, but before Mari could hear, Balak grabbed Mari by her hair. He dragged her behind him, muttering under his breath. Mari grit her teeth, not surprised or unused to Balak's treatment of her. For as long as she could remember, he had liked pulling on her hair even though he could just as easily control her the other way. Mari thought he did it because he wanted to watch her wince and stumbled over her feet. Mari's teeth dug into her lip, struggling to keep up with him. She would not let him get the better of her. She pushed forward, getting her balance back and keeping up with his pace. He grunted, giving her hair another harsh pull. Mari's response was to bite down harder.

Before Mari even realized it, all the people and complete buildings around the castle had faded into the distance. She was now surrounded by no one and broken, ruined buildings. Apep was huffing as Balak came to a stop, shoving Mari downward. Mari thrust her hands out, barely catching herself. Sharp, burning pangs hit her hands, and the taste of metal seeped into her mouth.

Apep grabbed Balak's shoulder. "How could you already forget what I said about patience?"

"I didn't forget," Balak said. Mari glanced up to see him staring at the blood dripping from her lip and onto her chin. Mari wiped it off, trying to keep her face blank. He turned to Apep. "I just don't care."

Apep pushed him back a step. "You'll care when Rekema comes down on you about not following orders. Now shut up, we have work to do."

Mari looked around. She did not recognize where they were. A breeze lifted her hair. Maybe it wasn't so unknown... a voice whispered in her head, but she didn't quite make out the words.

Every building nearby was either a broken shell or nothing more than debris. Anyone who had been in the area before was long gone. When had this happened? During one of the gaps in her memories? During her black out? Nothing was left. Why had they come there?

"Sit up, Mari," Apep commanded. She hesitated for only a moment, but Apep's sharp eyes narrowed. Mari obeyed, and Apep said nothing. Her hands still stung, but Mari ignored it as she sat up. Apep took a seat across from her, dragging Balak down as well. He huffed, but copied her crossed legged position. At Apep's forceful look, Mari mimicked the position as well.

"What are we doing?" Mari asked. The moment the words left her mouth, she snapped it shut and stared at her lap. She hadn't meant to speak. The Seven never seemed to enjoy it when she asked questions, so Mari had grown used to keeping most of them to herself. Back in the cottage, Mari hadn't minded because she didn't have many questions. Recently, however, Mari had grown used to being able to ask Dainan any question she liked.

"Hm," Apep pursed her lips. "Relax, close your eyes."

Mari glanced at Balak; her heart started to beat faster. She didn't want to close her eyes while he was there. Not being able to see him left her afraid he would take control. It wasn't rational; he could take control and force her to do all kinds of awful things regardless of whether or not her eyes were open. Why did it have to be him? What would happen when she shut her eyes?

Apep cleared her throat. Mari had to; she had to get through this. It took every shred of courage she had for Mari to force her eyes closed.

Her hands shook, so she buried them in the fabric of her skirt. The wind swirled about. Her hand brushed her face. Apep and Balak's presence thrummed in her mind. That was odd. Mari knew exactly where they were even though she couldn't see them. The inhuman energy seemed to be etched into her beyond just her physical senses.

"I told you to relax. You'll only hurt yourself if you don't," Apep said.

Mari took a deep breath. As she let it out, her shoulders slumped forward. Her fists loosened. However much Mari hated it, every interaction with the Seven told her to follow instructions. Bad things happened if she didn't. Bad things happened if she did, but at least following them lessened some of the damage to herself.

"Better, now clear your mind, continue to breathe deeply. Ignore everything." Apep's voice was lofty as if she was amidst the clouds, completely detached from anything solid.

Mari focused on her breathing. How monotonous. The constant in and out. But Mari did it anyway, in and out, trying to ignore everything else.

Balak stood up. Mari couldn't help but notice his large, suffocating power move. She continued to breathe to the same slow beat as before, but her focus was on him. His presence came towards her. Mari fought to keep her heart from beating out of her chest and to keep her breathing steady. Her hands clenched in her lap; she couldn't help it. He kept coming closer. Why was he coming closer? What was he about to do?