Just as Bryn thought she had figured out something to say to break the deathly silence, someone else did the job for her. The big iron door that kept the two locked in the room creaked loudly in protest as a hooded figure entered the room, whip in hand.
"Akman," Maeve whispered lowly, but still just barely loud enough for Bryn to hear.
Bryn thought she remembered Maeve mentioning that name earlier, and the whip reminded her of what the red-haired woman had said.
The figure moved forward toward Bryn with his whip raised. A low monotone voice emanated from beneath the hood, "Turn your back."
"What?" Bryn asked. This was nothing like anything she could ever remember experiencing. From what she could remember, that is.
Maeve surprised both of the other people in the room when she stood and marched menacingly toward the hooded figure. "Leave her alone, Eyolf" she growled.
"Maeve, you know I don't enjoy this. But if someone comes to check on her and her back is clean, our advantage is gone."
Bryn's head was reeling with all this new information. What was going on here? Maeve's apparent tormentor was speaking to her like a friend, and why in the world had she called this man 'Akman' one minute and 'Eyolf' the next? Speaking of which, hadn't she heard that name somewhere before? The tale of one of Sinbad's adventures before Bryn came along - one told to her by Doubar - hung on the edges of her mind, waiting to be remembered and revealed for what it was…
Meanwhile, Maeve and Ak - Eyo - whoever he was were in deep conversation.
"Look, Maeve," the man was saying, "We've gone over this a million times. We can't have someone checking on my work and finding that I didn't do the job! If that happens, we lose our edge and the whole thing goes down the tubes."
"I know that, Eyolf, but look at her! She can't handle but so much, especially after having just fallen overboard!"
"You handled it well enough, and you were worse off when you got here than she is."
"She's not like me. She's strong, but she can't remember where that strength comes from so it's of no use to her. She thinks it nothing more than a fantasy, so she'd rather play the damsel in distress than take care of herself, physically and emotionally."
At this point another female voice entered the conversation. "Excuse me, but how is it exactly that you think you know me so well!?" Bryn demanded.
"There's no time for-"
"The hell there isn't! Answer me!"
Maeve sighed in frustration. This was obviously going nowhere unless she answered Bryn's question. "I know this because I know you. Or at least I did before you lost your memory. Bryn, I'm your mortal enemy."
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Sinbad's Apology - Part 4