A short story (1900 words) set in Aquan, a prequel to The Trident of Merrow. Massimo and his best friend, Gisele, dream of escaping Merspire and their destinies as witchbreed the day Gisele is due to undergo the ritual that will initiate her into the sisterhood of the Strega.Somewhere deep in her mind Christine Marsden is witnessing the murder of young girls.And now she has urges to hurt her own children.After a head injury which left her having nightmares and visions, Christine is convinced that something inside her brain has broken, and that she is slowly sinking into insanity.She is terrified of what she might be capable of. She fears that in losing her mind she will also lose her children and husband.Christine embarks on a desperate fight to try to halt the fracture of her mind before it’s too late, and in doing so, discovers the hidden truth behind the dark horrors she is experiencing.