Days went by.

Grismal came to me one evening as I was staring out the windows in the abyss. It was hard to keep track of time here as there was no night or day. Waking and sleep seemed to merge into one. I was lucky that I had spent years trapped inside a demonic dragon otherwise this might have truly driven me mad.

There were moments when I wondered if I was already dead like the shades here. Then I would think back to those who knew me back in Manna City who would pity me if they could see me now. Poor, mad Melody. She was already halfway gone, long before she was kidnapped by the God of Death.

Even so, there were times when I gave in to the hallucinations. I would laugh to myself and speak to the monsters inside my mind. They were better conversationalists than the boring shades Grismal sent to serve me.

The hours trudged by, and there seemed to be no purpose in my being here. Where was my host? Did Grismal think that loneliness would make me more open to his advances? That I would barter my secrets at a chance for freedom, food, or even more precious yet — sunshine?

It did not.

I was no stranger to the prison of my mind and the silence of the deserted hallways. Allison hadn't spoken anymore since the first night. My only company now was the lone candle or two that were lit in the dining room for my meals. The flickering flames were my only entertainment, and for a moment, I believed I could see my memories play out in the shadows against the walls.

One day, my host finally reappeared. I recalled that I had just sat down to my morning (or was it nighttime?) meal of stale bread and a gooey peanut butter. Ah, yes, Grismal's servants had dragged down something edible for me to eat that day. It wasn't that they were particularly bad at following directions. The city above us was in ruins. I didn't imagine the rest of Manna City was faring much better than I was down here.

My thoughts turned back what my husband had said to me about taking Orion and fleeing the city ages ago. There were places in the world where the priviledged could still live in peace and comfort.

I chuckled bitterly as I thought about it now.

I was never very good at running away.

"Have you not been treated well, Melody?" Grismal asked.

It sounded more like an accusation than a question.

I was only vaguely aware of how I looked. I had long since stopped caring. After all, who would see me here? It was true. The shoulder strap of my dress had ripped and come undone. My hair hadn't been brushed for longer than I could remember. My attempts to run my fingers through my hair now and then proved to be a losing battle.

I might have been an honored guest of a god, but to any outside observer, I looked more miserable than a mad woman squatting in a cardboard shelter beside a train station.

"Would you like to walk with me today?" Grismal asked as he watched on in disgust. What? I was only scooping peanut butter into my mouth with my fingers. "I could show you such treasures."

I nodded. What choice did I have? I couldn't leave the palace grounds without my powers. The demons that resided outside would drag me into their watery pits. Without my fire, I was little more than a helpless mortal woman, without a single weapon, not even a dagger to protect myself.

He wasn't even looking at me for a response. It was as though he could hardly care if I breathed or not. No, he wasn't talking to me as Melody Balan. He was talking to me as Blake's wife. I was only a stand in, and a poor one at all.

I chewed with my mouth open. Wiped my mouth with the back of my dirty left hand.

Grismal cleared his throat again.

"Melody, is there anything my servants could bring you to make your stay more comfortable? Some company, perhaps?"

"No!" I snarled at him. I glared at him and kept my lips from spewing hatred at his ugly, demonic continence.

"You have two sons," Grismal said. A bemused smile danced on his thick, devious lips. His skin was even more gray than usual in the low light. As the minutes dragged on, I didn't know if I had truly lost my mind and I was arguing with a statue. No, he was here. Finally, he moved and waved away my confused, vacant stare. I bet he wished I wasn't completely mad. He wanted to push my buttons now and relish in my pain. Too bad I was barely with it enough to register his attempts to torture me. "Orion and Sebastian. I know their names, and I've seen their faces. Two lost boys in need of a mother . . . and a father."

"No," I whispered, more softly this time. Would he mistake it for deference?

"Then should show some enthusiasm in front of me," Grismal pounded his fist on the stone table to wake me up. "Now, get up and walk."

I could almost Julian's nagging words if he were still here. Undoubtably Julian would tell me to stop feeling sorry for myself and go seduce that God of Death. What good was it wallow in a defeated mess just because he took my claws away?

"You'll find a way to get him to return your fire to you," Julian would tell me if he were still here. "You're still alive, aren't you? You haven't lost everything."

I slowly and shakily stood up. Allison helped the golems clean up my leftovers. Wish me luck, Allison, I thought despite myself.

Perhaps Vivienne Menthe wasn't dead, only sleeping. Did she have a place here? I knew one thing both Allison and I could agree on at this moment, the answer to that was a resounding no.