On the forest path, a carriage lay still. Thuds came from inside, as if someone struggled with all their might to escape. The noise ceased and the door flew open.
From within, a man with a torn throat was hurled to the ground. His head twisting, nearly decapitated.
Lilith looked at him with a smile, wiping the blood from her mouth.
"Let's go," she ordered.
The coachman nodded. A putrid man, skin sunken to the bone. He signaled the horses and they left the corpse behind.
The carriage wheels crackled over the fallen leaves. Lilith rested her head against the backrest and closed her eyes, the warmth of the blood still fresh on her lips.
Elionor Castle emerged through the mist like a sleeping beast. Its towers rose black against the gray sky. As the carriage crossed the gate, the servants were already waiting.
All draconic. Men and women with lizard skin, elongated eyes, and small horns ringing their heads. They knelt, joyful at her arrival.
Lilith descended from the carriage. She walked down the aisle they formed, her heels clicking on the cobblestones. The servants rose and began to follow her.
"How was your conversation, my lady?" one asked.
"A fiasco. He wanted me to help defend his land."
A harsh laugh ran through the group.
"How foolish. If he can't defend himself against a wave of bandits, he's of no use to us," said another draconic.
"But they'll come looking for him. What shall we tell them?"
Lilith stopped. The entire group froze with her.
"I don't think we need to worry," she said, turning. "A few gold pieces and they'll leave happy."
"Oh, my lady, you're stained. Please, allow me."
A servant girl rushed toward her with a damp cloth. Lilith tilted her head slightly as the woman cleaned her face with gentle movements.
"If they dare to come, I'll handle it," another servant interjected. "You need not concern yourself."
Lilith smiled as the servant girl passed the cloth over her lips.
"Very well. Then I'll prepare to go to the Tonal Kingdom."
A murmur of excitement ran through the group.
"Can we go? Us?"
"I'll choose a few. For now, I'll retire."
The servants bowed their heads in unison.
"Have a good night, my lady."
She ascended to her chambers without looking back. The footsteps of the draconics scattered through the castle like drops of water on hot stone.
In the antechamber of her room, Amelia waited. The woman with the face and skin of a sheep held a white robe in her trembling hands.
"The bath is ready, my lady."
"I know. I felt you waiting since I crossed the main door."
Amelia lowered her gaze, her long ears flattening against her skull.
The bath chamber was round, with walls covered in mirrors all pointing to the center where the tub stood. Hundreds of reflections of Lilith watched her from every angle. The water steamed, heavy with lyra oil and lyra flowers. Petals floated like tiny boats adrift.
Lilith undressed. Her reflections did the same. She stepped into the tub and the warm water received her like a familiar embrace. The scent of lyra enveloped every corner, mingling with the faint metallic odor that still emanated from her skin.
Amelia knelt beside the tub. She passed the wool sponge over her shoulders, then down her arms. Lilith closed her eyes.
When she finished, the water had already lost its warmth and the petals were beginning to sink. Lilith rose, the dripping of water echoing in the chamber of mirrors.
Eliot entered without being called. The creature with long, silky hair covering his entire body lifted her with his enormous yet delicate arms. He held her against his chest as he walked toward the bedroom. There he placed her robe over her shoulders with the gentleness of one handling something fragile.
Then they sat together beside her bed.
Lilith reclined, feeling the gazes of her watchers on the back of her neck.