Merope pushed up to kiss her husband deeply, before pushing away from him, confusion in her eyes.
“You still haven’t explained anything! Surely you could have found me sooner!”

Kur looked down at his feet. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, releasing stress in red bursts of dust. “The Sentinels rebelled. Even after Nemesis was defeated, they still were uncontent. The music ceased to exist and without the music, our search was like a human child searching for its toy beneath a chair. Your image changed the first time you… And we couldn’t find you again.”

“Do you know how many times I died?” Merope was angering now, nostrils flared as she shouted. “Poisoned, stabbed, shot, illness; over and over. Over and…” The memory overwhelmed her. Suddenly every second of her past was clear as day.

Kur took two steps and slid her face between his hands, looking straight into her spirit. “Don’t remember it. You never have to go through that again.”