“You teach me now how cruel you’ve been—cruel and false–” Erato mumbled and groaned, rolling her head back, her mind still somehow searching for some chink of light, a glow to give her hope instead of this eternal, cold, miserable, painful darkness. She had no concept of the passing of time in this hell, no idea what the outside world was like. Was it Spring out there? Were the blossoms coming out? The delicate pink petals blowing on the wind? The scent of opening flowers and new leaves and rich, soft earth? Or was it a frozen winter, frozen like her numb toes, numb hands, cold breath in that mildewed cell? There were sparks of pain on her skin where Hybris had branded her.
There was only one escape for her now, and that was the vast landscape of her mind. Every word she had inspired was still in there, and only had to be reached for to give her words when she had none of her own. “Why did you despise me?” she breathed. “Why did you betray your own heart, Cathy? I have not one word of comfort.”