Together, Marc and Liliana had made their slow and painful way to Malchanceux Harris Apartments, all the way up to the sixth floor (although now Liliana had discovered elevators and that she loved them) and then to apartment 18. Part of Liliana wanted nothing more than vanish into her home, where she could be weak and vulnerable without fear, but her manor was so far and she knew she needed more help than what her steward could provide. And so she'd made the terrifying decision to trust, to believe, and let Marc bring her somewhere she could be taken care of.

A man's voice in her head, darkly amused. *Will you, Lili-flower? Are you sure? They don't have to harm you, they can just choose not to help...*

"Shut up," she mumbled. "Not listening."

His voice was replaced by dozens more, hundreds maybe. *...You carry the seed of destruction...shall rain...root of evil...annihilation...* Liliana couldn't muster up the necessary strength to tell all those voices to hush, so she just moaned, putting her hands over her ears as if that might help.

This was not the victory celebration she had planned.