Chapter 44

“I am glad to see you so well,” Silus said.

Lilitha certainly didn’t ~feel~ well. She felt sick. Sick with guilt. Sick with regret. She bit her trembling lip. How could he not notice? It had been two days since her betrayal and nobody had yet discovered what she had done. She looked up to watch Mateus and Carmella. They were sitting together, chatting and laughing.

“I’m glad too,” Lilitha said.

“Having you here is a dream I never thought possible, and I have to keep reminding myself you’re real. Few Diablons these days get to enjoy what I have. I am truly blessed.”

Lilitha gave a smile that hurt her cheeks.

“I have something for you.” He reached into his cloak.

It was a necklace, just like Carmella’s—polished white and adorned with several pendants.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “So that was what you were hiding.”

Lilitha bent her head as he draped it around her neck. She touched it gingerly, smooth and slippery against her fingers.

“What is it made of?”

“Bone—washed and sculpted, sanded and polished. It took me many months to make.”

“Oh.”

“Though it has never been worn, it is quite old,” he said. “It was meant to be your mother’s. Now it’s yours, with an addition. I thought you might like it.”

Lilitha studied the pendants. There was the moon and the stars, just like Carmella’s. There were animals: the stag, the boar, a rabbit, and fish. They were small but exquisitely detailed. She had never owned something so fine. As she twisted the necklace around, admiring each pendant in turn, she came across one which stood out among the rest. It sat at the bottom of its own chain, designed to hang low against her back.

“Do you know what it is?” he asked.

“It’s a flame.”

“It reminds me of you.” He sniffed her hair. “When you first arrived, you smelled of almost nothing at all. But with every passing day, your scent has grown stronger. You are becoming like fire, like smoke on the wind. Soon, you will become so much more. I sense you are destined to be a great Diablon one day.”

Lilitha gave him a wry smile. “All fathers are supposed to say that of their children.”

“No. It’s the truth.”

She looked over when Carmella laughed loudly. It was warm so they hadn’t bothered with the fire. Carmella had crawled into Mateus’s lap, naked, cloak flung to the side, laughing and snorting as he nibbled her ear. It was a strange concept, this sharing business, but one to which Lilitha seemed to instinctively accept. She felt nothing bad as she watched them. No anger, jealousy, or bitterness. Only sorrow and fear for what she’d done.

Mateus noticed her watching and grinned. Her heart sank.

“Do we still not know where Damon is?” Lilitha said, rubbing at her chest. The urge to hear his voice, to touch him, to hold him close, struck her hard in her heart. “I miss him so much.”

“We all miss him. And he misses you too. But he will be back.”

“All right.” Mateus clapped his hands and stood, Carmella sliding out of his lap. Taking her hand, he pulled her to her feet. “Time to go.”

“Where?” Lilitha asked with a stab of fear.

“Harvest another prisoner.” Scratching his hairy chest, he yawned. “We’re running low.”

Carmella shook back her hair and, hand in hand, they vanished into the trees together.

“What’s wrong?” Silus asked Lilitha. “You’re shaking.”

“Oh! Oh…no. I’m okay. I’m just… I think I’m just tired.”

Silus clasped her knee and squeezed. “I am sorry our discussions are so somber. I hate that our reunion should be so fraught with misgivings. I wish it could be another way, but that is the way of things. All we can do is confront our fate head-on.”

Gritting her teeth as she fought back her tears, Lilitha pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

They both jerked apart as a roar echoed through the trees. Bats screeched. Night birds squawked. There came squeaks and rustlings as all manner of life hid themselves away.

Lilitha’s heart leapt into her throat as something came crashing through the trees. Was he coming to kill her? But it was only Carmella, hair wild, eyes wide, as she skidded to a halt.

“They’re gone!” she cried.

“Who?” Silus said.

“The humans! They’re gone! ~She~ must have freed them.” She pointed at Lilitha, finger shaking. Her tail whipped, then cracked.

Her father looked at Lilitha, wide-eyed. “Is this true?”

“I’m sorry,” she croaked.

He shot to his feet. “Where’s Mateus?”

“After them, of course!” Carmella said.

“Then let’s not waste any time.” He looked again at Lilitha, face dark with dismay.

It broke her.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m ~so~ sorry.”

He spun away with a growl. Carmella was shaking her head at her. Then they were gone, vanishing through the trees, boots pounding into the distance, leaving Lilitha alone. Unbearably, terribly, sickeningly alone.

Wiping a trembling arm across her wet face, she staggered to her feet. If she were lucky, it would take them days to seize and return all their captives. Time enough to get Clara safely away.

Her first destination was the cave. Upon entering, she saw Mateus had been right. Their stock ~was~ thin. The last body left was almost stripped to the bone. There were only two baskets. She went over to the hook—but the key was gone. Lilitha froze, dumbstruck.

She gripped at her ears, suddenly realizing how stupid she was. Of course, Mateus would have taken the key with him! Why would he bother putting it back?

It had been her plan to free her father but it didn’t look like it was going to happen now. She supposed she could go look amid the cuffs of the now escaped prisoners—there was a slim chance Mateus might have dropped it—but it wasn’t worth it. There was no time. Clara was more important.

She should have freed him when she’d freed the others. Lilitha dragged her fingers down her face. “Sorry, Father.”

Lilitha ran as fast as she could, the leaves slapping against her face as she ducked and weaved between the branches. When she reached her destination, she was dizzy and shaking and soaked in sweat.

“Clara!” she cried.

Clara scrambled out from the tree, eyes thick with sleep.

“It’s time,” Lilitha said.

Clara paled. Then her jaw set. Reaching into her pocket, she took out her compass. “South-east, you said.”

“That’s right. Do not stop. Do not linger. Rest as little as you can. I can’t guarantee more than a few days. And they are fast.”

“Lilitha, I …”

Lilitha waved her aside. “Stop wasting time. Go.” When she didn’t move, Lilitha shoved her. “Go!”

Clara staggered, blue at the lips with fear. She nodded and turned. Then Lilitha seized her wrist. “Wait.” Lilitha glanced over her shoulder. “I think—I think I’ll come with you.” The words were like sand in her mouth and sounded strangely muffled, as though she were listening from a distance.

Clara’s face brightened. Then she was hugging Lilitha. “I knew you would see sense. I’m so glad. I’m so ~glad~.”

Then they were running together, though Lilitha would call it more a stumbling lurch than a run. She was tripping almost as much as Clara who could barely see, drained of all energy and will, her heart and mind left behind with the others. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. She kept looking over her shoulder, hopeful that someone would stop her, but the trees were empty.

They soon slowed their pace to a stumbling walk, Clara trying to focus on the compass as she gripped tightly onto Lilitha’s hand.

“Here, give that to me,” Lilitha said.

They tried their best to keep going but the night was getting darker and darker by the moment. Clara kept falling over and Lilitha felt so sick vomit kept surging up her throat. Finally, they decided to stop, conceding it best to save their energy for daylight.

“We have time,” Lilitha panted, squeezing Clara’s knee as they sat together. “We have time.” Though her skin wouldn’t cease prickling and she couldn’t stop herself from repeatedly looking behind her.

They lay down to rest. Lilitha stayed awake, waiting until her friend’s breathing turned long and even. When she was sure she was asleep, Lilitha eased away. Once safely out of hearing, she dropped to her knees and burst into tears.

End of Book 2