Dawn knew nothing could be done for her mistress. The former Trustee (and former Leviathan for that matter) was dying, consumed by the Nothing that now filled her stomach. Dawn felt rage – how come she, who had served her Mistress so faithfully for all these millennia, fail her now, when Wednesday needed her the most? She was tempted to make the Heir undo the Nothing, and heal her mistress in the same way that she knew Monday had been healed. But deep down, she knew that there would be no point – by the time she would be able to convince the young mortal (and more importantly his handler in the Will), Wednesday would be long destroyed. So Dawn hovered there, looking on in impotent rage at the death throws of her dying mistress.

At least the dying denizen would finally be free of that all consuming craving for food.

Dawn of course knew when it had all started. Back before the Duchess had even been a Trustee, when she had been the Grand Admiral of the Architect's Merchant Marine, they had discovered a rare resource in the depths of the Border Sea. It was a well known fact that Denizens were fond of purchasing mortal ailments, such as colds and hoarse throats. However, they mainly had to be purchased from the Secondary Realms, or sometimes the Grim would attempt to create them in the Far Reaches (although it was rumoured that Sunday and Saturday had found ways of manufacturing them). It was to the great surprise of all then that one day when the Duchess and her entourage discovered that the Border Sea could produce something of its own.

Hunger.

Lost Appetites were found in abundance at the very depths of the furthest reaches of the Border Sea. When the Flying Mantis had sailed over the top of a supply, Wednesday herself had been on the side of the boat, stunned as the rest of the crew to feel the sudden burning need to consume food. It was alien, and painful – yet oddly fulfilling. Dawn remembered how all three of the Times had thrilled at their mistresses excitement – suddenly the Border Sea would become an even greater trading post for the House, with a new ailment to tantalise for the Denizens. However, she first had to show her friends this delicious new sickness – Monday, the Grim and Saturday would all be thrilled at the discovery.

Dawn grimly remembered how the other Days (not yet Trustees) had all been equally excited at the new sickness – although Monday had recommended not giving too much away at once, and the Grim advised against consuming too much at once. Saturday had been particularly interested in purchasing some – "just in case we need to for a rainy day," the blue haired denizen had purred. So she had bought up some of the best quality stuff, although only on the condition that she would share it with them when she was to use it.

That day was the Breaking of the Will.

Wednesday had known how furious Saturday had been at receiving the Upper House. The Duchess too thought that the first creation deserved the Incomparable Gardens, not that spoiled brat of a creature Sunday (he wasn't really a denizen, any more than the Piper or the Mariner were). So Wednesday had decided to visit her old friend, with her faithful Times alongside her, in the Upper House. Dawn remembered the conversation clearly – neither she nor her counterpart Pravuil were interested in speaking to each other, so they both eavesdropped on their superiors.

"My dear Saturday, you know I am here for you. If you need anything at all, let me know, and the Merchant Marine will be there to assist!" Wednesday had declared, kneeling before the superior denizen.

Saturday, who had been obviously seething with rage and indignation, had managed to calm herself to thank Wednesday for her support. Before Wednesday could speak again however, the blue haired sorceress had decided that now the time had come to split the finest of the Lost Appetite that Wednesday had found in the Border Sea. Naturally, although eager to try it, Wednesday had tried to encourage Saturday to share it with at least the Grim and Monday.

"They will find out you know, and they will be very angry when we have consumed it all," Wednesday valiantly declared, although she was already looking around anxiously for the ailment.

Saturday (and Dawn too) had known that the Duchess' had a particular weakness for Lost Appetites, and had guessed correctly that if it was offered to her then she would be unable to resist for long.

"Wait here. We won't tell the others – they'll have problems of their own I imagine. It will be just something between two friends – I know they're friends too – but sometimes female denizens need to do things separately from the males," Saturday had calmed Wednesday before walking over to a little room near the office. Dawn had sworn that she had seen a miniscule flash of blue light before Saturday had come back with two small, green pellets.

"Bon appetite," the oldest denizen had smirked, and the two Trustees had knocked back the Lost Appetites.

Dawn had known immediately that something was wrong, as had her sisters Noon and Dusk. Wednesday had convulsed slightly (something which had never happened before), and begun to look around with a new hunger in her eyes. Saturday also had a hungry look, but within the expected range that usually came with consuming a Lost Appetite. The Duchess however…

All Wednesday's Times had never touched any mortal ailments from that point onwards.

Dawn was brought temporarily back to reality by a small wail from her dying mistress. her movements almost mirrored those she had made when she had first been infected with the ravenous hunger. Although now she was starting to wither away; vanishing into an ever increasing puddle of Nothing which clung to the surface of the Border Sea like oil would in the Secondary Realms.

Wednesday threw her head back and screamed into the unnaturally blue ceiling.

"Dusk! Noon! I'm sorry!"

Dawn flinched at the mention of her sister's names, bringing back unbidden and unwanted memories.

Wednesday had tried to release the Will. She made the mistake of telling Saturday though. Dawn had been absent during that meeting – there had been other duties to attend to – so she had no idea what had happened, but when the Duchess had returned she had been exceptionally happy. She had related to her excited times, between mouthfuls of a delicious smelling exotic meats, some made by the Grim, who had been surprisingly generous with this latest batch of gifts, about how Saturday too had decided that they needed to surrender their Keys and release the Will to find a Rightful Heir. Her Times couldn't believe it – Superior Saturday, wanting to give up her Key? How would she reach the Gardens without it? However, they were excited for their mistress – more importantly, they were excited for the opportunity to relieve this inescapable hunger that plagued Wednesday.

So, after her brief meeting with the slothful Monday (who - Dawn had remembered with distaste – had had the audacity to yawn when his friend and superior had been telling him her plans), Wednesday had taken her Times and gone to the Council of Days with a hope in her heart. She had seen Sunday sitting at the head of the table (he had not graced them with his presence for millennium), although noted with a faint pang of sadness that Monday wasn't there to support her. Dawn had felt her Mistress' distress, and had signalled for her older sister Noon to stand beside the hungry Trustee.

After the Days and their Times had gathered (it was evident that no-one from the Lower House was coming), Sunday had begun to give a long winded and pompous speech about their duties to the House, and how that the Breaking of the Will was the best course of action to take. He also began to speak at length about the how any deviance from their roles as Trustees would be met with the severest punishment from the rest. At that point, Dawn had started to feel uncomfortable, as had the rest of the entourage from the Border Sea.

Sunday knew…

Wednesday, midway through a slice of pork, had glanced over to Saturday in alarm. Surely now would be the time to strike, though Dawn, but Saturday did nothing but stare contemptuously at Sunday and the rest of the Council.

Something is very wrong…

"And so it is, fellow Trustees, that I must regret to announce there is a traitor in our midst! We must stop her at once, this gluttonous creature will destroy us all!" Sunday ended on a yell, and clutched the little Key that he held around his neck. All at once, the other Trustees produced their Keys and turned on the hapless Wednesday, who had managed to grab her trident out.

"Saturday, you promised!" screamed the angry Trustee, managing to temporarily hold off the immediate assault of the five other Keys, although they all knew it wouldn't last. So the Duchess quickly grabbed her Times and created a transfer plate, which took them to the edge of Port Wednesday.

"Dawn, you take this message to the Raised Rats, make sure they pass it on to the Piper!" Wednesday breathlessly commanded, and produced a small sheet of paper from nowhere. Dawn remembered she had felt insulted – she wanted to be with her Mistress in this hour of need.

"GO!" screamed the increasingly distressed Trustee, who had was starting to show signs of her hunger as well as fear. Dawn took a quick glance at her sisters Dusk and Noon, before taking the paper and flying off to the Port. She had just managed to become airborne, when she heard an enormous crash behind her. Although she was safe from danger, Dawn quickly flew a little higher to observe what was happening below.

The other Trustees had emerged from the Improbable Stair, very close to where Wednesday and her Times were standing. Dawn noticed that at least the Grim, whom had been a close friend of the Duchess, was looking guilty. The others were all staring angrily at the slightly convulsing Wednesday.

I suspect he was bribed to come here. And Monday had the decency not to be involved with this betrayal. I wonder why Saturday involved herself though? Dawn had wondered briefly, but then she saw Sunday clutch the Seventh Key, and Wednesday and her remaining Times were picked up and thrown into the sea far below, hitting the water with a particularly loud splash.

At first there was silence. The Grim had vanished as soon as the Wednesday had gone over the edge, but the other Trustees watched the water (which was churning in a sinister fashion) with interest. Dawn had hovered above, watching with bated breath.

Then everything had exploded.

Noon and Dusk flew out of the water, desperately trying to escape something below. Something that was causing a massive, churning whirlpool to open up. Neither of the Times were fast enough – they both were sucked into the vortex, their high pitched screams being drowned out by the roaring of the waves that were exploding around the entire of Port Wednesday.

Denizens had come out of their offices to see where all the water was coming from, and to locate the terrifying roaring that had suddenly started. They had been met with a massive wall of water, which had swept aside most of the offices (and a good number of denizens with it). The water had been followed by a gigantic set of jaws, hungrily swallowing everything in its path – including several hundred hapless denizens, who disappeared screaming into the dark depths of the leviathan's stomach.

Dawn hadn't noticed when the other Trustees had departed, smug looks on their faces. She had barely noticed the fact it had started to rain heavily, water pouring from the ceiling.

The only thing she had noticed had been the sudden changing of her former mistress into a gigantic, all consuming monster, and the fact that that monster had just eaten her two sisters.

Dawn looked over to where Wednesday had been. The former Trustee had all but disappeared now – the ugly stain of black Nothing contrasting against the bright blue of the Border Sea. The Heir waved his new Key, and the inky stain vanished, leaving no trace of her former mistress.

Later that day, after the Heir had gone away to who knows where and the new Dusk and Noon had taken over their roles, Dawn found herself patrolling somewhere on the outskirts of the Border Sea, near the Void of Nothing. In the murky blackness beyond, she thought she saw something moving – a beautiful woman, wearing a stunning blue admiral's uniform, in her hands, a delicious red apple. The ghost looked out at Dawn, dropped the apple and smiled, then turned and vanished into the blackness.

Dawn looked again, desperately searching for her, but Duchess Wednesday was gone.