Weeks went by without word of Osiris, and out of fear that Ikora would keep her from going to him she asked Ghost to monitor the network, and when the time finally came she met Crow at his ship with her bow strapped around her, and her arrows haltered at her hip.

"I'm coming with you. Whether you like it or not."

Crow didn't try to talk her out of it. She still walked with a limp, sometimes requiring a cane, but today she was going to go without it. They followed the Gray Pigeon all the way to the Dreaming City. Maria didn't bother putting on her rebreather mask when she stepped out and followed Crow inside.

The Dreaming City was beautiful! Everything glowed in a fantastical light! There were statues, like that pulled out of a fantasy novel. She and Crow marveled at everything. Maria marveled in the beauty. The air here was thin enough that breathing hardly felt like any effort at all.

In front of them there was an Awoken woman with untamable lion's hair, Maria remembered once Ikora calling Queen Mara Sov, and Osiris was talking quietly to her. They ceased their conversation as she and Crow approached. Mara broke away from the conversation, her face a mask of emotion.

"I had hoped you'd find your way back." She looked at Crow.

"I'm…a bit lost actually." He peered at her face. "Do I know you?"

Mara carefully studied his face. Maria wasn't sure if she was taken aback that he didn't remember her, or if she already knew…

"Osiris!" Saint yelled as he approached behind them. "You must come home. Answer for what you have done. The Vanguard will show mercy-"

"Yes, Ikora and Commander Zavala are nothing if not generous." He mocked him.

Maria stepped forward, but as soon as weight came on her injured leg she fell forward, barely catching her head from hitting the floor. She looked up pleadingly, mouth open to say something but, as she looked into Osiris's eyes she realized that they were dark. They didn't belong to the warlock she knew.

"Queen Mara, do you see how they've welcomed the Crow into their flock." He took several steps back.

Crow came forward and helped her up. She put her arm around his neck and leaned on him. "Osiris," he said, "you can still be forgiven."

"Be careful what you say. I'll hold you to it." Osiris's voice became distorted, and slowly his body also began to distort into something. Something Maria had only seen in Grimoires of the Hive. She covered her hand with her mouth. Saint screamed "no" in disbelief.

"What is that?" She whispered to Ghost.

"That…" he was in disbelief, nearly unable to talk, "that is Savathun."

The air above Savathun glowed brighter and brighter until it blinded them all. Maria tried shielding her eyes with her hand but was soon forced to turn her head away from the glow. It sounded like Crystals rained down on them. When the light and the sound finally passd, Maria saw Saint just beneath the crystal, pointing his rifle at it. "What have you done to Osiris?" He demanded.

"Lower your weapons," Mara Sov demanded, almost looking down at Saint, "Osiris still lives."

"You trust this thing?"

Mara swept her hand toward Savathun, "This thing and I have come to an agreement. You only need to cooperate."

"What is it?" Crow asked, walking to stand by Saint. Maria moved to stand by Crow, careful not to put as much weight on her leg.

"I am Savathun," Savathun's voice almost seemed to echo through the chamber, "the Witch Queen, Sister of Shapes, Deepest in the Hive Coven, etcetera, etcetera. My sister Xivu Arath hunts me on behalf of another. I wish to only be free and Mara Sov has graciously agreed to help."

"And Osiris?" Crow asked flatly.

"Sweet that you should care, little bird. I have been Osiris for as long as you have known him. But rest assured, I will return him safely to you…"

"Why keep Osiris? Whatever purpose he once served is obviously over with." Maria demanded.

Savathun chuckled. "Call it…insurance. I will return him to you in exchange for your assistance…little angel."

Maria's stomach churned painfully. It was a nickname only Saint used, and hearing it come out of Savathun's mouth made her sick. It felt like the Witch Queen mocked them.

"So he's a hostage then." Ghost concluded.

"Queen of lies," Saint spat, "pray this is the one time you are telling truths." He turned to Maria, "The Vanguard must know what has happened here. You should go."

Maria shook her head and put a hand on Saint's arm, "You and Crow, I think, have hung around her long enough. You should go. Report to Ikora, and I will stay here."

Saint didn't argue, she suspected he wanted to be out of the Witch Queen's sight as soon as possible. He stepped away, and soon was transmatted in a silvery light.

Ghost stayed as close to Maria as he could get. Nobody needed Savathun's lies to get into their head, but especially not Maria while she was in such a vulnerable and emotional state. Then again, as Ghost thought back to when Osiris first came back, she wanted to immediately investigate the possibility. "I've gone insane, haven't I?"

"Yep, it's official, you have no brain cells left."

He thought to the day she shared with Saint and Osiris as well, and how they all talked and laughed, as if she wasn't mad at Osiris weeks prior. They all watched the Crucible games with such excitement and then went out drinking afterwards, talking of the past. Perhaps he should try to convince Maria to go back too. She was intuitive and they would need that now more than ever, but he was sure Savathun would undermine it as much as possible.

"You should go back to the Tower, Crow." Maria was saying softly to him.

"Why would I do that?"

"You've been around Savathun's lies the longest."

Crow scoffed and snapped, "And what about you?"

Maria stared at him. "What about me? I fought with Osiris-no-I fought with Savathun the most, and kept away from her. It was just a suggestion…no need to bite my head off for it." She folded her arms and leaned her weight back against her heels. She was trying to keep a distance away.

"And now I suppose you aren't going to talk to me now just because I snapped."

"What are you talking about?"

"When Osiris yelled at you-"

"It wasn't Osiris, Crow, that was Savathun! Osiris never snapped at me…not like she did…and it wasn't like I wanted to stay away, but I was hurting too Crow!" She took a deep breath. Ghost moved to be by her side. Slowly, she put a gentle hand on his body, and his panels whirred around in response. "Crow, if you're going to be emotional, then you should go back to the Tower." She glared at him, no, she looked down on him, or tried to. She turned her back to him and walked to the other side of the room.

"So that's it then? Not even gonna listen to me?"

"Are you going to say how Savathun hurt you? Lied to you?" She sat against the wall, crossing her legs. "She lied to all of us, Crow, not just you."

Crow shook his head. Finally, he walked away into the next room where Mara Sov waited.

Maria took her hands off Ghost. "Sorry, I know you hate that." She muttered. She'd never apologized for that before. Where did it come from so suddenly? In her eyes he could tell as she took a better look around the room, something bothered her.

Finally, she said, "Witch Queen, can Osiris hear everything? Has he been able to hear everything?"

The crystalline structure was quiet for a long time. "Perhaps…why don't you give it a try?"

Maria bit her lip, her eyes moving about, trying to find the lie in Savathun's words. "Osiris, I hope that you can hear me…hold on just a little longer. We-Saint and I-we'll get you out of there soon, I promise."

Savathun laughed darkly. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"You don't know a thing about me, Savathun."

"I know everything about you, like how you are a lightless from the ancient past. You knew life before the Traveler and before the Witness ever arrived. And Osiris abandoned you with Ikora. Ikora and Zavala doubted your skills time and again, keeping you close to the Tower while you were trained by many people…you stole books about the Hive from Ikora, and the first time they gave you an important task you were injured. That's why your leg fails you."

Maria's brows knitted together, but before she could ask any more questions Ikora and Zavala arrived. Ikora encouraged her to wait for her at the Tower. "There's a portal in the next room that'll take you to the H.E.L.M." She explained.

Maria obeyed the command without question, much to Ghost's relief. Once they were in the H.E.L.M however, Maria looked at Ghost, "Ghost, who's the Witness?"

Ghost stared at her, "I…I don't know."