Hello all, and thank you for your patience with me. It's taken a bit long for me to get this out, I know, but I promise you, it will all be worth it in the end! I have two songs for this chapter. Tempus Vernum/Deora Ar Mo Chroi by Enya at the start of the chapter. After that, just keep the song on rolling into Our Farewell by Within Temptation. And just so you all appreciate this, I'll have you know I cried during this chapter at select parts. I'll leave it to your judgement to figure out which part that was. Anyway, hope you all had a Happy Holiday season. I plan on getting back on the horse for this story, even though it seems I might be losing my wonderful editor, The Diamond Sorceress, at least temporarily. This might hold up updates in the future, but I'm not certain of that yet. Thanks for sticking around guys!

~Kerie

~Chapter 10~

1/Delleva

Adele laughed breathlessly as she ran through the snowy streets of Delleva, her home away from home. She was bundled from head to foot, carrying a large number of packages in her arms as she ran, her cheeks and nose red from the cold. She laughed again as she looked behind her, then yelled in disappointment as a green streak flew past her towards the townhouse.

"No fair, Christine!" she whined as she huffed up the steps into the cozy townhouse. Christine and Marius were already stripping out of their snow gear, their packages set down neatly.

Christine laughed, turning around as she unwrapped a scarf from her neck and shook her hair out gracefully. "It's not my fault you had so many presents."

The three had been out Winsol shopping: the most sacred of holidays was less than a month away, and Adele had to admit, she did have more people to shop for now that she had to get everyone presents from home and from Delleva.

"For my part, I think it's your freakishly long legs," the second place loser put in.

Christine whirled around, scowling at him. "I'll have you know, it's not my fault that I-" Christine stopped suddenly. "Grandmama?" The concerned tone in her voice made Adele's stomach ball up in fear. She and Marius both looked up at Christine's Grandmother.

The elderly woman looked at her granddaughter, then at Marius, and finally those ancient eyes settled on Adele. Adele felt her heart beating faster, felt like her whole body was pulsing with it it was so strong. She wanted with everything in her to speak, to ask Lady Amoria what was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

"It's Roxana, dear…she's…she's been murdered. She's…dead."

The room felt heavy instantly. A moment ago, Adele had felt like her heart was so loud, everyone in the room could feel it. Now it felt like it had stopped completely. The breath left her body; she felt hot, her body stiff and limp at the same time as a great gap opened inside her, a hole left by the sudden absence of her childhood friend, her Roxana. Adele gasped in pain, clutching her chest, starting to bend over, pulling deep within herself, trying to hide from the pain as it gathered, gathered. Everything started to go grey, except the pain got stronger, a stinging, horrible pain that needed to be let out, released.

"Roxanaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Christine hadn't even realized that Adele had descended to the Opal, to her inner web, until it was almost too late. Suddenly she felt this awful sort of psychic hole coming from within her friend, as if she had opened a deep chasm in herself and would draw in everything around her. She shivered in fear, staring, even as the chasm began widening, pushing its terrible presence outwards.

The witch storm began to howl, its power fed by Adele's terrible pain. Christine looked around as the curtains began to shred in the growing wind, tears starting to form in the furniture. Then a horrible, anguished cry snapped Christine's eyes back to Adele as she wailed in pain, unleashing the full force of the witch storm into the room.

The three of them only had a moment to snap shields around themselves as Adele unleashed a belt of power outwards from her. She shattered their shields easily and it took everything in Christine to follow behind Marius, fighting the storm to get to the eye of it. They both tackled Adele to the ground.

"Adele, stop!" she screamed, not sure if Adele could hear her over the howling of the storm. She looked down to see Adele's eyes blank and staring, and her stomach dropped in panic. "ADELE!" She shook her friend. *Adele!* She wasn't even sure Adele knew where she was anymore, or that she was among friends. *Adele, please stop.* she sobbed.

Adele blinked and looked at Christine as a teardrop fell onto her cheek.

"Christine?" Never had she heard her friend sound more vulnerable.

"I'm here, honey."

Adele crumbled and fell into hysterics like Christine had never seen before. Sobs racked her body so violently Christine was afraid she'd break. They curled up together, Christine holding her tightly, letting her unleash the pain rather than the violence.

There would be time for that later.

2/Delacova

Christine Amoria looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a long, formal black dress for this most solemn of occasions. Before now, she hadn't even owned anything black. She hated how it looked.

She thought back on the last week, on her friend who had been affected by this tragedy. Christine watched her own eyes narrow in pain, remembering how Adele had spent the time since she'd heard the news—the days of crying, sobbing, praying to the Darkness to give Roxana back while cursing it the next. It was so painful to watch and listen to. She'd looked away, unable to bear the sight of such pain, tried selfishly to block out the sound of Adele's terrible throes while she knew her friend needed her.

She felt horrible, worse than horrible for trying to ignore Adele, but it was staggering to her, to see someone so innocent and full of life have to go through something like this. Christine studied her own face in the mirror again, then turned away in disgust.

It was time.

3/Delacova

It was snowing when they buried her friend. Adele just stared blankly as they walked at the front of the procession to the cemetery. The skirt of her dress was ringed in white as she walked beside Chris, who looked about the same as she. He looked over at her every so often, but for the most part he remained closed off, locked within his own thoughts. Delphine walked on the her other side, and for once she had absolutely nothing to say. The weather seemed to know Adele's mood exactly, a soft, but sharp, cold pain from deep within that she could not fight off no matter how many layers she wore.

The snow fell gently, with no wind to impede its descent to the ground or disturb it from whence it fell. It didn't even matter that she felt numb on the outside—now she was simply the same on the outside and the inside.

The sight of the little cemetery was absolutely breathtaking as they came up to it. The place was blanketed with a layer of snow, each gravestone covered with a soft layer, like the hand of a friend comforting another. Understanding and warm. Except the hand was cold and unfeeling.

Feeling a burst of sadness, Adele looked down at her feet padding slowly over the snow. The procession of people she loved most in the world passed through the gate of the cemetery to the place where her friend would remain forever.

She swallowed suddenly and felt Chris immediately grab her hand. She squeezed it back and fought the empty pain in her chest as the people started to fan out around them and gather around. Adele watched as they set Roxana's coffin down and began to cover it in beautiful white flowers.

Adele knew what her face, what her eyes must look like; blank orbs, empty of anything at all. She just watched as the Priestess came forward and began to speak. Adele couldn't even hear the words; the woman's voice was just a muffled, low murmur. It didn't matter that she couldn't understand it; nothing she could say would help her.

All too soon, the Priestess stopped speaking, and the gatherers fell into a hush. It was time to say goodbye. The word haunted Adele as they all began to gather about the grave and watch her beloved lowered into the ground forever.

Fear suddenly filled her, gripped her in its ugly claws and refused to let go. The horrible mortality of it all suddenly dawned on her. This was it, the time when she was supposed to let go forever. She wouldn't be allowed to hold on to Roxana any longer. Tears filled her eyes, and her throat closed tightly as she watched them begin to lower the coffin—no, Roxana, into the earth.

"Roxana!" Her voice was anguished as she reached out. I don't want to let you go! I don't want to see you buried! I want you to stay, don't you see?

But all she could do was watch as her friend disappeared into the hole and they covered her forever.

4/Delacova

Khevin Tannsley walked up the snowy path to the cemetery. He didn't know why he was going—he hadn't even known Roxana very well, he simply felt compelled to do so, as if he were being guided. His only memories of the girl were from the party where he had met Adele and all her friends, and the Fall Festival. The two had danced a few times, and Khevin had even been interested in her for a while, but he'd known he would be leaving again for Tawnar soon, and hadn't wanted to get too invested. That had been the horrible irony of it.

He rounded the corner and came upon the beautiful little cemetery, blanketed in snow on this chilly winter's morning. It was simply breathtaking. He carefully opened the gate and went in, instantly spotting the group where Adele would be. Khevin approached as they finished and began to disperse. A small crowd of young people remained—and he knew who was at the center of it.

While they mourned, Khevin waited patiently, feeling soft pity for their pain. They were so young. He felt oddly out of place among such innocent mourning.

Finally they broke away, still forming a loose circle around the young Queen. Khevin caught his breath as he saw her; she was still beautiful, just in a…different sort of way, like the lingering, bittersweet beauty of a dead rose. She was deathly pale, eyes hollow and expression almost dead but for the sharp, lingering pain in her eyes. He wanted more than anything to comfort her.

Khevin stepped forward and spoke softly. "Adele." It was almost a question.

She looked up slowly and met his eyes, puzzled at first. "Khevin?"

He paused. What now? Could he really tell Adele about Adam now, at her weakest moment?

He cocked his head to the side just a bit and gave her a soft, sad smile. "I'm so sorry."

He reached out on instinct and wrapped his arms around her, and was shocked to feel how cold she was against him. Someone cleared their throat, and Khevin looked up to see the other Warlord Prince, Christopher, giving him a stern look. As Khevin stared at him, though, his expression softened; if anyone understood the need to comfort a devastated Queen, it was he. As the rest of Adele's friends surrounded them, Khevin knew she would be well taken care of.

5/Delacova

Delphine stood outside Adele's room, staring at the door. She was very familiar with this particular door: she'd knocked, banged, almost broken down, and even opened it without knocking in the years the girls had lived here. This door held so many memories; be they good or bad, they were bonding memories. This time, Delphine wasn't so sure even those could save her.

She'd wanted to talk to Adele ever since the funeral, to tell her the part she'd played in this whole mess, but since then she'd found ten thousand reasons to avoid it. Adele was too distraught, too emotional, too peaceful-looking, surrounded by too many people trying to comfort her. Now Delphine had no excuses—Adele was alone in the room, and no one was coming to bother her for awhile.

Delphine swallowed and knocked on the door. She thought she could almost hear the resigned sigh from her sister, and fought back a smirk.

"Come." Her sister's voice was laced with annoyance—she'd been right. Well, that was a good start, anyway.

She opened the door, entering silently, and Adele put aside the book she'd been reading. Lately, Delphine had seen her sister escaping into a disturbing number of books. Her heart ached for her sister.

"You'd better have a good excuse for disturbing my limited alone time," Adele said, leaning back on her pillows. "I'm already swarmed with company, between Christine and the boys."

Delphine couldn't swallow back a merciless smile. "I heard you picked up another one—Adam's friend, Khevin."

Adele rolled her eyes. "Don't forget Blaise."

"Of course not." She gave her sister a soft smile, and Adele leaned forward, studying her face with a hint of worry.

"What is it, Delphine?"

She shifted uncomfortably and sat at the foot of the bed, not looking at Adele. "I have to tell you something about Roxana."

Stunned silence and dread met the statement.

"What about her?"

Delphine shifted again. "The last time I saw Roxana, she told me what she was doing." She paused as she felt the temperature in the room drop. Breathless, Delphine didn't dare look up at Adele. To see the cold fury in her beloved, gentle sister would be too painful. Then it all began to rush out.

"She said she'd been poking around, trying to figure out what's behind this taint and all. She didn't tell me what she'd found, only that she'd been to the Lathan Estate-"

"What?" The small whisper broke Delphine's heart. To have Adele's fury was one thing, but to hear this pain in her was another. Still, Delphine did not look at Adele.

"She was snooping around to find something on Aveline, not Adam." She paused to let Adele absorb this. "Roxana told me she'd found a letter from Dorothea SaDiablo, but it was just a simple letter, nothing big. Roxana also told me she'd…" Again, she paused, unsure of whether to continue.

"What?"

"She went to Tawnar to try to find Adam," Delphine said in a small voice. Absolute silence greeted the statement. "But Aveline stopped her, for some reason." Finally, Delphine turned to her sister. "Adele, I swear I didn't know this was going to happen. I mean, I knew it was dangerous, but if-"

Adele silenced her with a finger. "I don't know why Roxana went snooping around trying to find Adam, or why she'd be so interested in his sister, but it's probably the reason she's dead." Delphine winced, but Adele continued. "And you didn't tell anyone about this because she asked you not to?"

Delphine just shrank miserably.

"I don't know what she was looking into, but it was obviously something over her head. We shouldn't-"

Delphine snapped, all her self-consciousness melting away in an instant. How could she be like this? How could she just write off Roxana's death as "an accident," just like everyone else?

"That's a lie and you know it!" Delphine shouted as she burst from the bed, turning on Adele. "You know what she was doing was important, but you want to look the other way because it's too hard for you to think about your precious Adam, or to look at the facts when they are staring you in the face! Wake up! It's not all about him, and it's not all about you!"

Adele silenced her with a resounding slap. Delphine turned to look at her sister, who was breathing hard and furious. She breathed out slowly, trying to calm herself.

"I'm sorry, Adele. I didn't mean to reopen any old wounds, but you are a Queen, and it's your respon-"

"I'm not anyone's Queen," she said softly, so small and uncertain.

"You are my Queen!" Delphine said fiercely, coming up and grabbing her sister's hand. "You're our Queen," she amended softly. Adele wouldn't look her in the eyes. "And it's your responsibility. You know I'm right. You've always known, Adele. That's why you are who you are."

She let go and stepped away from her sister. Adele stared at the ground, her eyes swimming with warring emotions; she looked so lost. "Adele, can you forgive me?" she asked softly.

"Roxana is dead, Delphine." Adele looked up at her finally, but she found no salvation in those blue eyes. "I can't. Not right now," she whispered.

Delphine nodded and turned to leave, but she paused at the door. "I'm heading back to Trisor tomorrow, then. I'll see you around, Adele." She shut the door behind her with a soft click and paused outside of it, taking a deep breath as she heard Adele collapse into sobs on the other side.

She hurried away from the family wing as quickly as she could, trying to escape to the safety of the gardens, when she caught sight of Khevin up ahead. His eyes lit up with pleasure at the sight of her. "Delphine! Going for a late-night stroll?" He glanced past her towards Adele's door. "I was going to check on Adele, see if she's-"

"I wouldn't recommend that." He faltered, staring at her; Delphine returned it with an uneasy grin. "We've sort of had a little falling out. I'd steer clear for a bit."

"I see."

She was extremely grateful that he didn't pursue the subject. A sort of awkward silence followed, and Khevin shifted uncomfortably, obviously too polite to simply excuse himself, but unsure of what to do with himself in the meantime. Delphine squinted her violet eyes at him, studying him closely. His eyes shifted from the floor, only to see her staring, and went right back down again.

Delphine giggled, amused at his boyish uncertainty and impeccable manners. "You know, Roxana would have liked you." The thought was hard to speak aloud, but for some reason, Delphine thought she should say it.

Khevin looked up, taken aback. "You think so?" His eyes shifted to the side this time. "She was a handsome woman…I even had the pleasure of a few dances with her during our few brief encounters."

He seemed to be drifting, perhaps thinking of what could have been, something that was gone now. She'd have none of that. It was time to snap him back to reality and the task at hand.

"Khevin, what were you planning on doing now that you've delivered your message to my sister?"

He raised his eyebrows as he focused on her again, obviously a bit surprised at her blunt, informal way of getting to the point. Well, if she was right about this particular male, he'd have a lot of time to get used to that.

When she didn't get an answer, she raised an eyebrow. Apparently he hadn't even thought about his next plan. She smirked slyly; perhaps Adele had worked her magic on him already.

She cleared her throat and made a stab for formal speech. "Perhaps you should attend to the needs of the Lady for awhile longer. I think she would welcome your company, and…" This was where formality failed her; Delphine tsked in annoyance.

Apparently she had given something away, because Lord Khevin studied her carefully now. "What are you saying, and why?"

Stewing, Delphine chewed on her lip, but in the end decided in favor of just throwing it all out there as per usual. "I know Adele has a lot of protection around her already, and this might be hard for you because you are new, but…well…you are Adam's friend. And if what you said was true, I think you know as well as I where he's going to eventually end up."

He just stared at her for a few seconds. He wasn't stupid, just considering the implications, and slowly coming to a conclusion. "You want me to stay here with Adele because I know Adam better than anyone and might be able to talk to him."

Delphine just nodded.

He smiled warmly. "All right. And where will you be?" He faltered, alarmed at the sudden pained expression on her face.

"I have to go back to Trisor for my training." His eyes narrowed, studying her face. Damn him, he saw too much, but thankfully had the sense not to ask her about it. He nodded, accepting the truth that wasn't the whole story and she sighed with relief. "Thank you."

6/Delacova

Khevin Tannsley sat at his windowsill, reading a book by the morning light. He was content here, although it was strange being back in Delacova and not staying at his father's house…or with Adam. But there was nothing to tie him back to those places right now, and he liked the people who lived at the Ashlyn Manor. They don't all live here, he corrected himself again. Though sometimes it was hard to differentiate between the people who lived in the manor with the frequent visitors. It seemed there was always something going on about the place. He silently pitied Adele's parents, kind, strong people who loved their family (and extended family) very much.

Taylor, as the Warlord of Delacova, Khevin was already somewhat familiar with, though not on a personal level. Everyone respected the Sapphire-Jeweled male who ruled their small village fairly. At home, Taylor was a dedicated father, a strong male figure but one who loved his girls very much; and Josephine was the sweetest woman he had ever met. It was a wonder how she had given birth to someone as icily-tempered as Delphine. From the moment he'd arrived, Josephine had gone out of her way to make him feel comfortable, even cooked most of their meals herself! Such a thing was normally unheard of among aristo witches, but no one in the household seemed to bat an eye at it.

In truth, it made him feel more at ease in such a gorgeous house. He was used to his father's modest house and the more wild temperament of Tawnar, but the way the people here seemed to flow…well, it felt very similar to his home Village.

Khevin was interrupted in his reverie by someone walloping his door and, a moment later, throwing it wide open. A youth he'd seen with Prince Christopher, who had a shock of blonde hair and spiky eyebrows, strutted in, followed closely by another whom Khevin recognized as the Prince's younger brother. Both wore identical maniacal grins as they stared at him.

Swallowing his heart, which had jumped out of his chest at their entry, Khevin watched as the Prince himself shoved the boys aside and made his way towards him. Another blonde around the Prince's age hovered uncertainly near the door.

Well, this is certainly an interesting gathering. Wondering what on earth this was all about, Khevin gave his attention to Prince Christopher, who stood at the head of the group looking acutely uncomfortable. Khevin couldn't keep his eyes from wandering to the two youths who stood at his elbow, grinning like fools. It was obvious who was orchestrating this event.

Prince Christopher coughed, then spoke. "We were going to go down to get a drink in the village. You wanna come?"

Khevin stared at him for a moment before smiling. "Sure."

"The Mischievous Pixie?" Khevin had stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the telltale sign with the vexing little vixen artfully carved into the wood next to the words. It was poised over a little tavern at the edge of town he'd never been in himself, but had heard about.

"Yeah, what of it?" Jeremy asked as he whisked past Khevin towards the front door, sounding almost offended.

Khevin chuckled to himself. It wasn't that he was disgusted at these aristo's choice in tavern, merely surprised. From what he'd heard, the Mischievous Pixie boasted some of the more…colorful crowds in the village. These people were certainly not like most aristos he'd met.

Before he could finish the thought, Khevin felt an arm go around his shoulders and clasp him tightly. He turned to see Christopher smiling broadly at him. "Come on, we'll show you what we males go do when we drive the females up the wall and they want us out of their hair for a while.

Khevin laughed as he was led into the tavern, settled into their "usual corner," and was handed his first of many drinks that night.

"So I figured since our females have started to all become friends, we should really get out and have a little 'male time' together." The younger of the brothers spoke up first. "Chris, Blaise, Marius, Khevin, and of course myself, Jeremy," he identified each of them, pointing in turn before raising his own glass. "Drink up—it's high time we had a little fun around here!"

That smile of his was infectious, and Khevin found himself returning it as he took a swig.

A few hours and drinks later, Chris turned to Marius, clapping him on the back. "So, how are things with that Christine girl, mmm? I hope our green-haired beauty hasn't caused you too many sleepless nights?"

Marius just rolled his eyes, looking a bit harried. "You'd be surprised how much trouble two teenage girls could do in the capital." Chris' smile broadened as he spoke. "But I'm sure since they are both back here to stay for a while, you can help me entertain our fair ladies." Just as quickly as it had appeared, the smile was slapped from the youth's face and replaced with a dry, blanched look.

"St-staying? I didn't know they were all staying in Delacova."

All the males wore similar looks of horror.

"Yeah, Adele and Christine just accepted a short-term contract to serve Lord Ashlyn in Delacova so they can stay here."

"Delphine isn't," Khevin offered tentatively. They all rounded on him, so he looked around and spoke a little louder. "She just told me she was heading back to Trisor for her training soon."

They all let out a collective sigh of relief, including those who'd just met her. Even Khevin found the witch a handful, even though he'd just gotten to know her a bit.

"It's not that I don't love her," Chris began, "it's just…Delphine is…"

"Prickly?" he offered.

Chris gave Khevin a grin and took a swig of his ale. They sat in silence for a few minutes, mutely taking drinks and looking around at each other. Even though he couldn't be sure, Khevin would just bet they were all thinking the same thing: that this was permanent, they were all realizing that they would all see a lot more of each other as the years went by. They would be an instrumental part in each other's lives and in running the Territory. He hid his smile behind his mug as he took another swig. Even though he was just a little older than they, he had realized this some time ago. It seemed like it was just settling on them. Whether they would accept it and the responsibility or not would be up to them.

"To Tirrador," he said solemnly, lifting his mug.

"To Tirrador," they all echoed, lifting their glasses as well and drinking. This seemed to break the silence that had endured, because as soon as they had all drunk, the little group erupted into laughter and warm conversation.

One thing, however, was clear to Khevin as he looked around at the group of young males gathered: he felt comfortable and accepted among them. It certainly felt like the right thing, like this was what he should do…but was it? His thoughts strayed back to Tawnar and all the people there, but most of all to Adam. He should be here, too: this was his place as well. It felt sort of wrong to be here without his best friend, with these people Adam knew better than he did.

Did he really belong here? Didn't Lady Jesiah and all the people back at his village need him? Then Delphine's words came back to him: I know Adele has a lot of protection around her already, and this might be hard for you because you are new, but…well…you are Adam's friend. And if what you said was true, I think you know as well as I where he's going to eventually end up.

Adele, the young Queen who was so innocent despite all her strength, so empathetic with those around her. Ah, how he loved her. He thought on this. Was this really his place, to be between Adele and Adam? Did he have the strength for it?

7/Delacova

He was back in his room after countless hours of male bonding over drinks and a casual but disturbingly competitive card game. The winnings? Hours spent with the females. Khevin had found this aspect of the gambling particularly hilarious. For all their complaints and groans, the males in their little group treasured time spent with their favorite ladies. Chuckling to himself, Khevin mentally pushed aside that thought and picked up a freshly written letter to Tawnar. The ink was still wet as his eyes combed the letter again, contemplating it.

My Lady Jesiah,

I write to you from the Ashlyn residence in Delacova. I have been staying here for the past few weeks and have become quite fond of its inhabitants. I am writing because I would like to request to remain here for the time being. It has come to my attention that because of his fixation with the Lady Adele Ashlyn, there is a good chance that when Adam chooses to resurface, he will do so here. Please allow me to stay here so that I might relocate Adam and help him.

Wishing you all the best. Send my love to our people.

Khevin Tannsley

It sounded, granted, a bit formal, but then again he did serve Jesiah, and this was, for all intents and purposes, a formal request. He didn't know what she would do, as this was a big thing he was asking of her.

He did know that he wanted to remain here, though. His little outing with the other males had simply galvanized that fact. He wanted to be beside Adele, no matter what happened; he'd come to realize that. He wanted to shield her and be there for her, but the strength of those feelings also scared him deeply. This wasn't how it was supposed to work, was it? He shouldn't be feeling these sort of things for a woman with whom his best friend was madly in love. But then again, the word "was" was the key here. What exactly did Khevin feel for Adele?

He tore his eyes away from the letter to look out the window.

Adam, where are you?

8/Trisor

The moment she had gotten back to the Black Widow training house in Trisor, Delphine had stormed into her room, ripped off the cloth covering her most puzzling web yet, and scowled at it. Regret and embitterment between her and her sister wasn't the only thing pulling her back to Trisor. Not only was there no better place for her to train before she came of age, but for days now she had felt an annoying tug from this damned web. Now that she was standing in front of it, the tugging suddenly stopped; it was an ordinary web again, with nothing new to show her except, "it's almost time."

Suddenly it was all too much. Delphine exploded and began to pace the room, glaring over at the web every so often. Her Purple-dusk Jewel sizzled with restrained anger as it hung around her neck. "It is almost time, almost, almost, almost!" she screamed at it, picking up one of her many projects and throwing it with a Craft-enhanced arm. It smashed against a wall, and she turned on the web, panting. "How many more of my friends have to die before I can do anything?"

Her anger crested into pain as she looked at it. Her eyes became clouded with tears as she stared at the thin strands that refused to yield no matter how much she begged. It would just give her empty hope that she could only cling to, but why?

As she looked at the web through her tears, it began to draw her in as it had before, to comfort her and reassure her. Delphine knelt before it and slipped thankfully into the trance like slipping under blessedly cool water with burned skin.

She stood in a dark forest with thick vines that choked the life from the trees and unknown creatures that watched her from the shadows. One of them came running out of the darkness, intent on the kill. But the kill wasn't her; rather, it seemed like she was in the way of what it wanted. It stopped right in front of her, a bestial creature with a somewhat humanoid form. Sharp fangs gleamed in the moonlight and dripped with saliva as it stared at her, hating her for being in its way.

Widow. It glared at her with startlingly green eyes, daring her to move, but she wasn't afraid. It pled silently with her to help it, at a deep level that only she could understand, even as it threatened to crush her in its powerful jaws. She reached out to it, only to have it growl menacingly and skirt away from her, wild-shy but craving her help at the same time. Unafraid, Delphine stepped forward and placed her hands on its temples, ignoring its snarling protests. She used her knowledge to help it, though the effects were not immediately seen. It retreated from her, gazing uncertainly back at her, then snarled wildly as something interrupted them. Panic flared in her, fear for the unknown being that had stumbled upon them. Before she could do anything, however, it turned its back on them and returned to the alien, barbaric forest. It needed time to heal and return to humanity on its own.

Delphine was thrust from the vision abruptly, and she fell to the floor with a gasp. Soon, you will know, it said to her, and then faded completely. She lay there for a long time, thinking about what she had seen. She didn't understand it, but it didn't matter: finally, after all this time, she knew what her role was!

Chapter 11 Preview:

Delphine's eyes merely flickered up as she felt him approaching, the male driven so far beyond himself that he was nothing more than a hateful creature that acted on instincts.

She'd woken up today and known. Today was the day, and she needed to be alone to do this.

Now it was midday. Delphine had been walking alone since that morning in the forest behind the manor, wearing her widow's weaves and waiting in a calm state for Adam to show himself. He would come to her, she'd done her part. She had faith in that, at least. But what she wasn't sure of was what she was supposed to do when that happened. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. It would be alright, she'd prepared as much as she could, now it would all simply fall into place like it was meant to.

And then he was standing right in front of her.

At this point in time, I've realized I'm so bad at keeping deadlines that I don't even think I should give myself one to get Chapter 11 up. Just keep your eyes peeled, people.