When Seryphia was granted permission the next day to practice her weaving with her cousin she was indeed pleased to see Silhaume- despite her pale complexion and somewhat absent spirit.

The hours trailed their miserable feet. Seryphia chattered on with amiable pleasure, but her cheerfulness faltered when she but looked at Silhaume.

Each time Seryphia looked away Silhaume stabbed a sharp needle into her arm, and smiled gently in her agony when Seryphia expected her to.

Finally she was able to fully embed the metal shard into the flesh of her outer arm. Of this conquest she grinned gloriously, Seryphia noted her sudden glee with delight,

"See- Silhaume, all is never too bad!"

"I know."

In this dead silence of the night Silhaume stirred from her stillness in the locked, empty room. Pinching the end of the needle, and gritting her teeth, she pulled it out. A large purple bruise swelled in its absence.

With some effort she managed to pick the inner hinderings of the lock, holding he r breath- she exited, free.

But she had not gotten as far as the downstairs foyer when she spun round- to face Odysseus.

His white teeth glinted in the darkness, "If I loved you less I would threaten to betray you attempt to run away, like a thief, in the night."

His words struck a fragile chord within her, "You speak of love for me... Why didn't you love me back then? You were not married, so that is not the reason.

What did I lack?"

He said nothing.

"Your words mean more than you intend- you are threatening to tell Alchenon, and I am fearful of that because I know that now I am trapped and beyond true escape."

"Silhaume..." he had tried to reach for her, to draw her close to him and to comfort her. But she wanted none of his comfort and pushed him away as she fled to the violated security of her chamber. After, retrieving a simple object of hers from Alchenon's study.

Why didn't he love her? Her claims raged in his mind.

He did. Or, he does- for the answer now, after his confrontation with her, is marred beyond recognition.