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under his hand licked his palm. Curling his lip in disgust, he jerked his hand
    away to find eyes watching him instead of the tongue he'd felt an instant before.
    Yeah… if this was true insanity, he suddenly felt normal.
    "Lyssa, Lyssa," Leta called. "Light and fair, 'tis Leta come to you with words to share."
    Well, this was a new side to Leta. That being said, she did have a beautiful voice when she sang out the
    words. "What are you doing?"
    Her smile dazzled him. "Lyssa likes rhymes. She will only speak in them."
    "You've got to be kidding me?"
    Before she could answer, a swirling blue ball appeared in front of them. The ball moved in a jagged path
    until it touched the top of the stairs behind him. There it grew until it formed a young, beautiful woman.
    Her long, curly blond hair shone as if it were made of pure spun gold and she stood with the regal
    demeanor of a queen. More than that, each feature of her face was so carefully sculpted that she didn't
    appear real.
    Until one looked at her eyes. They were jet black and cold. Soulless. There was no white, or color of
    any kind. And when she turned them on him, he could feel the chill of madness all the way to his soul.
    When she spoke, Lyssa's voice was as light and delicate as the goddess herself. " Leta , Leta, born of
    dreams,
    " Through the centuries you have screamed.
    "Now you come to my fair land,
    "Only to ask for my helping hand ."
    Aidan leaned forward to whisper in Leta's ear. "Nice stanza."
    She elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Can you help me, dear cousin?"
    A whimsical smile curved Lyssa's red lips.
    " Help is all they ever say,
    "Even though it seldom stays.
    "It'll leave you too you'll see
    "And then alone you will bleed ."
    Infuriated with her cryptic words, Aidan stepped around Leta. "Look, we don't have time for this. We
    need—" His words stopped instantly as his lips were sealed shut.
    Lyssa shook her head in reproach. " Men will ever speak their way,
    "Regardless of those who hold sway.
    " 'Tis time you pause to listen instead of hear,
    " Only that will save what you hold dear ."
    Leta placed a tender hand on his arm, before she looked back at Lyssa. "Are you telling me that we can
    defeat Dolor?"
    "Pain is here,
    "Sharp and clear.
    "Even so, it must fade,
    "And a new way should be made."
    He saw the relief on Leta's face even though he was having a hard time following the nonsense. And not
    being able to open his mouth was seriously starting to piss him off.
    "How do I defeat him?" Leta asked.
    Lyssa lifted her hand so that a bird that was flying backward could rest on her extended finger. Picasso
    would have been proud of the bizarre image the two of them made. " True pain is born ,
    "When the heart is worn,
    "On the sleeve
    "For all to see."
    By the aggravated look on her face, he could tell Leta wasn't any more satisfied with that answer than he
    was. "But how does it end?"
    "An ending is a beginning in disguise.
    "But it is seen only by those who are wise.
    "For pain to be returned to its place,
    "You must confront it to its face.
    Leta shook her head. "I don't understand, Lyssa."
    She gave Leta the same look a kindergarten teacher would give an aggravating child. " In time there is
    clarity to be found .
    "But not now on this most hallowed ground.
    "You have the answers you have sought.
    " Now it is time for battles to be fought ."
    And with those words, the bird let out the croak of a frog, then dissolved into dust. Lyssa raised her arms
    skyward before she sank into the ground.
    Yeah…
    Aidan sucked his breath in sharply as he was finally able to open his mouth again. He gave Leta a deadly
    stare. "Interesting woman. Must get tiring though trying to always rhyme everything you want to say."
    "Not after as much experience as she's had."
    He didn't want to argue that point. He was just glad Lyssa was gone. "Did you learn anything from this?"
    "Yes. I learned that we can defeat him before he kills you. That's at least a start."
    She was