Even with careful and slow movements, simply sitting up cost Katherine several minutes and she almost passed out more than once. Finally, with sweat on her forehead and gritted teeth, her back reached a vertical position. For a short moment, she halted and only gasped for breath. Was it her imagination or did breathing turn more torturous by the second? The white sparks in her vision multiplied as well, but neither was her biggest worry.Anxiously, her hand wandered down her belly and when she reached the wet blood between her thighs, she pressed her eyes close and swallowed against the lump forming in her throat. Her baby... her little baby... if only she could save it by remaining still, she would.Instead, she forcefully subdued her emotions and turned sideways onto all fours. Without sight, she deduced that crawling was better than walking. The new position strained her belly which was pulled on by gravity, yet she could still handle the pain. Much better at least than

In the middle of Nathaniel's negotiations, his counterpart suddenly grew quiet. Although they never spoke before, it had become clear that they both harbored similar feelings for each other: hatred mixed with reluctance to the point of a deep grudge. Blacky, it seemed, hated Nathaniel for holding him on a tight leash like a dog. Since they were somewhat accustomed to 'working' together, they could communicate naturally despite their antipathy. However, Blacky had been unwilling to leave any way out for Nathaniel and his soldiers. They were already in his grasp, suffocating, while he was finally free. What else could he want? When the silence lasted, Nathaniel reached out with his thoughts again. He already felt weakened, and hearing the rapid breaths of his comrades, their gasps for air, didn't help. "You know that you cannot have me die or you will cease to exist as well." There was no answer. For a second, Nathaniel wondered if Blacky had left, yet the darkness still encasing them

However, whatever the magic said, Katherine was distracted. The issue of her son was one thing, but she now also got an idea in what kind of space she was. Last time she was only here with her mind, but now it seemed to be her everything."I still have so many questions. Is this... the place where magic comes from? Are these" she gestured to the gauze birds in the distance "all magics? But why are you and that darkness so different?""We are mutations." When Katherine opened her mouth to retort, the magic interrupted her. "Yes, I am also a mutation and not the kind that develops by itself.""Did my cousin...?""No, he was still a child himself. Your father was the one dapping into things he shouldn't have. He had dealings with Loki way before your cousin was recruited. Then your mother found out, and it was because of her that he promised to cut all ties with them. I could perceive the gist of it, from inside here. Yet the methods used on you as a baby - and thus on me - were way

Meanwhile, the Duke of Sleipnir got comfortable on the edge of the cave. Shortly after he'd disposed of the corpses by sending them into the rolling dark river below, some of Loki's staff came over. They were shocked to see only one person left in the cave. "Um, your Excellency, where... where is the leader?""Hm?" Ethan turned and blinked. "Oh... he... how should I put this? He was too enthusiasistic when he saw his experiment finally succeed. Look, the brilliant result of all his hard work is below this cliff. He didn't want to wait anymore and took everyone to follow him down. Which might have been the wrong decision, so to say."The staff carefully crept closer to the cliff, and when he saw the darkness below, though it was more a creek than a mighty river now, his eyes widened. "Do you mean to say the leader is...?""Dead." Ethan nodded unemphathetically. "Most likely."Unexpectedly swiftly, the staff got over his shock. For a moment, he pondered, then asked: "But the experiment

Deep satisfaction brought some power to Katherine's exhausted body, yet she did not like the feeling at all. The guilt over hitting an innocent civilian clouded her mind, together with the question if it was the right thing to do. Trapping Ethan in the other dimension was too easy. It didn't feel right.Days and nights she'd dreamed of how to take her revenge, how she would torture him and finally look into his eyes when he died. Now, she'd acted impulsively, and the results were anything but what she imagined. Yet, should she have let the chance slip by?When she'd heard him giving orders, she'd finally stopped in her path because she felt like a coward who ran from the only real battle she'd sworn herself to fight. At first, she only wanted to observe and hid where the canyon's wall stood out a bit, just in earshot of Ethan. But the opportunity was too good. She didn't know how her smart and cunning cousin could act so dumb. It didn't match his usual approach, yet maybe