“Anise,” Miina said, then she paused. Her eyes shifted around the cell while her lips tried for words. She had considered many things, except how to start this conversation. “How-how are you faring?” A stupid question, of course. One worthy of the silence it got. Miina had only to look around this wretched cell.

Tight-lipped, Miina spared a glance at Faolán, whose willingness to participate was not forthcoming. Miina skipped the part she should’ve prepared for the most. It had somewhat been like that, when she was alive, leading the Kumani. Runaway girls mostly needed someone they could trust; someone who had a genuine interest, and that would help them become stronger. The rest just fell into place. Here, what could she do for a soul whose mind was splitting apart as she was becoming a demon?

Miina thought of Mara’s warm smile, and the ease with which Mara settled her racing thoughts when they spoke. Perhaps it was as simple as that. Just showing up and offer to help. It was how Miina had met Mara, too. Being down here had to be the start, and if Anise wasn't ready to talk now, maybe she would later, or tomorrow, or the day after that. Something would shift, eventually. “Anise, I’m here to help… if you’ll let me.”

Anise didn’t lift her head, but Miina thought she spotted a slight twitch. “You have no reason to trust me, but I’m going to have to ask that you try. When I touched you at the arena, I… I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry. You’re going to find this hard to believe, but I am a soul; just like you.”

There was still nothing from Anise.

“I know; it’s the uniform, right? It can be deceiving.” Miina gave a jittery chuckle and looked down at her boots, balancing herself on the small boulder. “But we’re not too different, you and I. I can tell you’ve been in Hell for quite a while. You must’ve heard about the Grey servants. Before the new king took over, that’s what I was. A mindless slave. Okay, maybe not so mindless... but I had to behave like one. To survive among demons. I had no recollection of who I was or where I came from. My only memories were of Hell, and how I survived it before I came to Court.

“What I never told anyone was about the countless attacks, at the hands of the same demons I ended up serving. After tearing me apart, they'd put me back together so I could go through it again. Each time I almost died, but never quite. What it did, was chip away bits of my soul I would never get back. But there you have it; the repetition in Hell. Isn’t that what it's all about? Now I'm told I'm luckier than most. I only have the nightmares to deal with. And this uniform.

“Before all this though, I found a village of souls who took me in. They gave me a name, because I couldn't remember if I had one. They treated me as one of their own, with no judgements. We were all the same down here, after all. Places like those don’t last long in Hell, but this place was supposed to be safe. It was under the protection of one of Satan's sons, you see; the prince of Hell who would soon be king himself. Until one day, a mindless monster broke through and took everything away. Again, I was lucky. The souls hid me inside a well where the monster would never stop to look. They did it all while they were being killed and eaten by the same demon prince who swore to protect them. What kind of sins do you think those souls committed to deserve such an ending? Do you suppose penitence counts for something in Hell?”

Miina stopped there, realising she had lost herself in her own memories. She hadn’t shared this much with anyone, not even with Mara when they talked about Beelzebub and his attack on her village. She spared a glance at Faolán, and while the wolf hadn't shifted from his position, this time, his stare at her did not waver. A rustle by the door brought Miina’s eyes to the cell's opening. One eye met her back. Under the matted hair, Anise's emerald green eye seemed to sparkle. 

Miina’s awe was cut short by Faolán's approach. She halted him by raising one hand in the air.

Up close, too close, Anise looked like a cave woman, her face smudged with dirt and dark blood. Her green eye, inexpressive as it was, somehow was full of life. Through the wisps of her black hair,  the bulging lumps that had taken root announced themselves on the soul's face.

“Your… new… name?” Anise’s deep voice was low; yet fearful, almost. The pauses in between her words seemed forced; repressed. Miina couldn’t see the woman’s lips, but that wide eye delved in on her. Anise looked like a giant trapped behind a wall with a small opening.

“It’s Miina.” Miina aimed for some confidence, but caution was all she managed.

It’s alright. No matter how strong Anise was, the thick doors were of solid iron. Beings much larger and stronger than Anise were being kept here, and so far as Miina knew, none of them had ever broken out. Miina clenched her fists, pushing back Leviathan’s warnings in her mind.

Calm down. She had only just got the woman’s attention. To lose it with the wrong tone would not be acceptable. She tried again. “Anise, I’m here to help. Is there anything you can tell me about—”

“Nimae*… I came…” 

Miina’s eyes widened, realising she hadn’t heard the name of the village that had once given her refuge since she’d left it. To hear it from this aimless soul now was... impossible. Nimae was destroyed. The monster Beelzebub hadn’t left a single hut standing.

“A demon wizard found me. Healed me. There was another… white wizard. …Fo-four… wings. G-gold eyes. Did not hurt… me. Took… me…”

Miina tried, but failed to ignore the difficulty with which Anise spoke. Some of her words came slowly, others too fast, as though she spat them out. Her tone oscillated between low and whispers. “This demon wizard… what did he look like?” Miina asked.

“Fa-ce… c-covered.” Anise twitched her head and Miina flinched when she lost sight of the eye. She reached for the iron bars to prop herself higher, closer, to look inside the cell.

“Miina,” Faolán cautioned, but Miina ignored him.

“Anise, here. With me; stay with me.”

Sharp, gnarly sounds came, followed by rasps and quick footsteps. With the torch away, all Miina could see was darkness. Soft whimpers approached and a thud on the cell’s gate made it tremble. Miina and Faolán exchanged nervous glances, but the green eye came back to the opening. “Nimae. Ni-mae…”

“That’s right. It is Nimae,” Miina nodded, somewhat relieved that Anise still looked and sounded the same. “H-how do you know of Nimae?”

“…Marian. Spoke….”

Marian. Marian survived?! Miina stared at Anise as though she was an apparition. Marian was the soul, the same soul who had found Miina. Had Marian rescued Anise, too?

“Marian gave… n-name.” Anise said, her green eyes never wavering from Miina’s.

Miina gazed at this woman in front of her, disbelieving her eyes. “Marian gave me my name, too.” Miina’s soft smile failed to hold back her tears.

Anise’s eye lowered, searching Miina’s. “Hand… I’m sorry. White… a-an—caught me... fed me... souls...”

Miina dismissed it with a wave, widening her smile. “It’s already healing, don’t worry.” She slumped from a tension she did not realise had been holding her.

There was so much she wanted to ask Anise. About Nimae, and who else had survived; or how long she had stayed with them; and why did she leave. At the same time, she didn’t want to overwhelm the large soul. From the way she spoke, it was clear her speech had become affected. From the lumps on her face, Anise's transformation was in full force. Marian was the oldest soul Miina knew in Hell. She knew many secrets. Maybe she would know a way to help Anise. At the very least, slow down this change long enough so Miina can convince the elders to help.

First however, she'd need to get Anise out of this stinking cell. Miina clutched a bar as though she held one of Anise’s hands. “Anise, I’m going to get you out of here. I promise.”

Anise cocked her head, her stolid expression tucking any emotion. Miina smiled, flustered with excitement. If Nimae had survived; if it was rebuilt, then maybe, just maybe…

 “Anise, just sit tight. I’ll come back for you.”

***