"Before dawn," Elissa repeated more than a little irritably. The Voice had been a constant droning in the background, but now it seemed to be getting louder by the hour, making it harder to think straight or even hear real conversations.

Pausing in her work, she leaned over to grasp a little vial of dark liquid with a cork in it. "Here. This is one of the last I have from home. Do not get it on your skin. It has to be ingested or enter the blood to work, but it is best to use all precautions. Legend has it that a betrayed husband once put some on his lips and kissed his wife to death. They both perished from it."