“So… how much longer do you think we’ll be in here?”

Aidan looked up at his twin and shrugged. "I don't know."

“You’re sure that your Flame Song will come for you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I hope she gets here soon.”

“Me too.”

It had been seven days now since Aidan had last fed. Four since his twin had. Aidan was feeling very weak, but he was clearer-headed than he had feared he would be. They’d done a lot of talking over the last few days. There wasn’t anything else to do. The only interruptions to their complete isolation were the regular visits of the gnoll, who had started bringing Celia meals, and the not quite so regular visits of Flame Song, who looked in on them once or twice a day. Lately her habitual expression of sardonic amusement had been banished by something that was almost certainly frustration. Aidan's twin had grinned at that. "You've managed to get to her more in a week than I've done in all the years I've known her. I don't think she expected this much self-restraint from you."

He was surprised at his own self-restraint. After all, four days was still twice as long as he usually went, but he found he wasn’t tempted as badly as he had feared. Still… there were times when it was only the knowledge that his twin had already gone three days more than he that kept him firm in his promise.

Some hours after her last visit they heard Flame approaching again, with the gnoll at her side. The door swung open and the gnoll stepped in. He took Aidan by the arm. Aidan didn't resist, but he wasn't getting to his feet either. He wasn't going to use any more energy than he had to. When he didn't stand, the gnoll simply picked him up and carried him out of the room. They repeated the path that they had taken the last time Aidan had been led from his cell. The gnoll set him on his feet in Flame Song's bedroom. He managed to stay standing, but only just. This time the gnoll didn't leave, but stepped back to stand by the door.

"You are being far more stubborn that I had anticipated," said Flame. He could tell that she was trying to sound as though it didn't particularly bother her, but she couldn't quite hide her anger.

He said nothing in response.

"Well, if you won't take that child's blood," she said, "Perhaps you would like a little more of mine? You seemed to enjoy it well enough last time."

She probably expected him to look guilty, or hurt, or angry, but he simply stood there, looking at her. His calm was still with him. His hunger was incredible, he could acutely smell her blood, hear her heartbeat, but that didn't matter. Only his confusion and lack of pure resolve last time had made him give in. Now he was not confused at all, and his resolve was as pure and strong as it could possibly be. He might very well die right here, but that didn't matter. Nothing else mattered but keeping his word and honoring his love for his wife.

"Nothing to say to that? It must be true then. Here, I'll remind you." And once again she dug her nails into her skin, hard enough to draw the merest drop of blood. The scent of it filled the room. Even though he wasn't breathing, Aidan could smell it anyway. He looked away from her, turning his gaze past her to the mirror on the wall behind, where he could see the back of her head, and the gnoll by the door, but no one else. He was not there. I guess I really am not here, he thought to himself with a small smile. My body is here, but my spirit is with my Flame Song, and always will be.

"What are you smiling at?" The anger was starting to show now. "You're going to die here, you know. If you don't take what I offer, then you'll get no other options. Are you going to just stand there and die?"

He smiled a little more at that, and looked back at her. "Yes," he said softly.

Her eyes flashed with anger and she raised her hand and hit him. It was not a feminine slap, she hit him hard enough that, weak as he was, he stumbled to the side and fell. He didn't particularly feel like getting up, so he just lay there.

"Pick him up," she snapped to the gnoll. It stepped forward and pulled him upright. He didn't resist. The gnoll stepped back again, though only a single step this time, looming behind him.

"I could torture you. Weak as you are you probably couldn't even heal, you'd just have to be in pain."

"I'm sure you could."

Her eyes flashed again. "And do you like pain, that the idea doesn't bother you?"

He said nothing.

"Answer me!" she snapped. He looked beyond her again. She clenched her teeth, completely enraged. "Fine! I don't have time to take care of you properly right now, so you can just sit and starve to death. And when you do finally come to your senses and realize that living is better than dying slowly in pain, you will end up killing the girl that you seem so fond of. Think on that, why don't you? If you'd done as I intended right away, she wouldn't have been permanently damaged, but now she's going to die because of you, and if you don't kill her I'm quite certain my Aidan will! Go throw him back in his cell," she snapped to the gnoll.

It picked him up again and carried him back the way they'd come. It didn't pitch him into the cell as it had his twin, it simply set him down just inside and shut the door.

"What was that all about?" asked his twin.

Aidan shrugged and sat down wearily next to him. They were both keeping a good distance from Celia now, it was easier and safer that way. "Apparently she's bored with waiting for us," he said with a chuckle. "She seemed very upset that I didn't care about her one way or another. I suspect she's not used to that."

"Heh. No, she's not. She's the center of everyone's attention, that's what she's used to."

"This must be quite a shock then."

"Oh yes. I wish you'd come along long ago. I wish I'd had an ounce of sense. I tried for so many years to get the upper hand by winning her games. And here the real way to do it was by refusing to play at all."