That afternoon, Marianne went through the ritual, meshing her blood and flesh with that of Elena's, and then drinking the elixir.Charles and Elena waited until Marianne awoke from a deep slumber where she dreamed of past lives in Egypt, Athens, Persia and Rome.

"I never felt so free," she revealed to her brother with a bright smile."It's as if a whole new world has opened to me, allowed me to experience all the wonders of the universe, while never having to leave my ...