His touch against her skin left her veins feeling as if they were carrying icy water, complete with shards of ice. She looked away, trying to get away from his fingers but they followed. They were inescapable, they were like magnets.

"Hans Grey can't protect everyone," he laughed. "Oh, look at you. Helpless and so exquisite." His eyes were gentle, and longing.

"You're a monster," she spat, the projectile landing near his shoes. "You are a monster!"

Rolland and Lucien look at each other, trading amusement between them. And then Lucien changed his gaze back to Ellen. His eyes were menacing and haunting however, his voice was sweet and sing-song; what you would expect of two long-time lovers.

"Tell me, dear Ellen. Why am I a monster?" He folded his arms and displaced his weight to one leg. He waited, his robe blowing in a small breeze. She cursed within herself that such a lovely day seemed to be mocking the dire event unfolding in front of them.

She tried to fight the hold Rolland had over her again but still no luck. He didn't even flinch or acknowledge that she was trying.

"My dearest, fighting against Ranger is pointless and your effort is best saved. He's one of the best Necromancers we have. He's our equivalent to your Hans. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, that's right. Why am I a monster?"

She swallowed, not wanting to answer someone as despicable as him. But she did so anyway. "You kill innocent people, you rip apart families, and you thrive on death. Need I go on?"

They both laughed again, the laughter infuriating Ellen. He was a cold hearted murderer. How could he find humour in such a thing?

"You are so naïve. We are trying to advance our kind and everyone who we deal with seems bent on stopping our progress. Is it that wrong to want to progress from something that we remained at for as long as records have been kept? Is it?" He reached his arms out, like he was welcoming guests to a house party, a house party that had figures of death as guests and torture as a main meal.

"Look at the mortals – look at them. We are no different to them! They rape; they pillage, they kill their own kind in the name of progress. They even damage their environment on which they rely on; they damage the hand that feeds. Now, tell me that we are worse."

Ellen knew that he had her cornered with a solid argument. Everything that he had said rung true.

"See," he told her, the one word cutting and carving wounds inside her. "We aren't so different."

There was movement behind Lucien as Ranger – the man masked as Rolland – starting shifting on his feet nervously. "My Lord, can I have a private word?"

Lucien cast a glance over to him. "Yes?"

"I really think this should be kept amongst us two without the privy ears of Miss over there." He jabbed his finger in Ellen's direction. Sighing, Lucien walked over to the waiting Ranger who appeared to be getting more and more alert as time drifted by. He bent down so his ear was level with Ranger's lips.

Still within the hold of the man, Ellen couldn't listen in to the conversation. All she could hear was quit whispering, not enough to establish words. The whispering concluded a minute later, Lucien standing back to his full height.

"Ranger, keep tracking. We can make preparations when the time is right. For now, there are people I would like Ellen to meet."

He turned back to face her; his facial emotions, all too sweet. He cleared his throat. "Ellen, I know how much you miss your parents so thought I may be as kind to let you have a moment with them. It may be your last."

The two figures of her mother and father materialised beside Lucien. He then stepped away, backwards so they were in front of him. Ellen was aware that this was a mind game – nothing more than an example of the powers that Necromancers manifested and to make her vulnerable – but she was too weak and let the threatening emotions take a hold. She let the tears roll down her cheek.

They appeared exactly how she had burned them into her mind. Ellen had her father's eyes, and her mother's hair and smile. Her father had his hand around her mother's waist, both of them beaming down at her.

"We are proud of you," her father spoke, filled with pride. Her mother nodded in agreeance, never being the lady of many words. Ellen could feel herself caving in to the emotions, lead sinking in her heart. She blinked to keep herself from breaking down into a crying wreck.

"Did it hurt?" she asked. She wanted to feel comforted; she wanted to know that they didn't suffer.

They shook their heads. "No. It was quick and we didn't feel a thing, not even a bristle."

Their outlines began to shimmer. With each shimmer, they became increasingly transparent. She could see through them and see Lucien and Ranger waiting.

They opened their mouths for their final words: "Do what you need to do. Do what is right."

And then they disappeared, leaving the trio standing in the empty street.

Lucien clapped his hands again. "Do what is right," he quoted.

Venom filled Ellen, her blood pumping fire and boiling lava as she listened to the man recite her parents' words. How dare he use them against her!

But then, she considered the depth of the words, deducing the sentence to what her parents really wanted. It wouldn't have been to support Lucien in his power-hungry quest. It wouldn't have been to give in because that wasn't right by any standards. She found strength and excitement as she came to terms with the meaning. They wanted her to fight for the Tempusmancers; to make a stand. They saw in her what Hans did, what Claudia did, and what her fellow clan members did.

She smirked to herself and let the new found power and the already existing hate flow through her body. There was no denying that the hate was strong – fiercely strong – but the courage and tenacity that bloomed inside her was enough to overpower it. She wasn't going to give in to the dark side if she could help it; that wasn't like her.

Ellen mustered the hate, controlling it on Ranger. She imagined creeping into his mind, taking over his body and controlling him. The connection weakened and she felt the vibration become more and more prominent. All of a sudden, she saw her split vision come up, one of them staring at Ranger and the other staring at her. She started combing through his mind, combing through for painful memories. One stood out most particular and she lingered on this one hoping that it was one that would work to her advantage.

She watched, replaying the moment that his father died at Lucien's hand and her mother gets taken away for the entertainment of other Necromancers. When he had recounted this story to her all those days ago, it seemed to have moved him. Keeping this link going, she hoped and imagined that Ranger would break down; that he would become weak. If she could keep the parallel abilities strong, maybe she had a chance.

Ellen watched the Ranger in front of her cringe and writher in discomfort.

"Stop!" he shrieked in obvious pain. "Stop."

He stared at her and felt him shunting her out of his mind. Lucien, realising what was happening, stormed up and grabbed her by the hair, kicking her knees to force her to kneel. The linkage was immediately lost. Her knees hit against the rocky bitumen, the sharp little surfaces cutting into her skin.

"That was a bad idea," he whispered in her ear, amused but threatening at the same time.

He shot a quick glance at Ranger. "Are you okay? Do you want me to help you up? Do you want time to have a cry?" he asked mockingly. His tone then changed; he was fierce and impatient. "She's just a little girl. Compose yourself!"

Lucien shifted his grip from tugging at Ellen's hair to her upper arm.

"What's the latest?" he demanded.

A recomposed Ranger held his fingers to his forehead, closing his eyes. A minute had passed before he reopened them. He was calm but there was a sense of urgency in his voice. "They're close by. Incoming in approximately two minutes."

His lord emitted a bitter laugh, Ellen able to feel his body shake. After all the lies and treachery since her rebirth, she wasn't sure of what to expect. She deeply hoped that it a clan of Tempusmancers but she wasn't positive; especially with the betrayal of Ranger and his bluffs all along.

"You know what to do," instructed Lucien.

Ranger closed his eyes once more, his mouth moving quickly and quietly. He was incanting an unknown incantation. The light breeze ruffled his hair and his clothes.

"I'm so sorry," Lucien whispered to her again. There was movement and his hand trembled that held onto her; her being blind as he was standing behind her. Suddenly, she something cold and hard was pressed against her throat – something sharp.

She didn't need to see it to know that it was a blade of some sort.

Ellen closed her eyes, her memory going back to the day which Hans told her to wish for him through thoughts. She hoped that the communication lines were still open; she hoped that Ranger didn't have the ability to tap into it and stop communication.

Hans, if you can hear me and you are coming, please be careful. I just hope I come out of this. They have Rolland monitoring your whereabouts I think.

There was the usual silence; the usual silence which she dreaded each and every time. The darkness that filled her vision was oddly calming and brought her to greater ease. That was, until she heard something which almost made her jump. She had to beat the sudden surprise.

I can see everything. Take care, and I will see you soon.

Hans' voice, his sweet, calming and musical voice! She smirked to herself, feeling slightly more hopeful.

And hoping that it was nothing but pure coincidence and Lucien couldn't hear her, she swallowed as her captor whispered: "And now we wait."