Night was falling.
The soldiers searched every house. One after another. Doors flung open. Frightened faces peering out. Blankets lifted. Cabinets emptied. They found nothing.
Meanwhile, Lilith rested on a thatched roof.
She slept in a fetal position, her body curled among the beams.
The sergeant's shouts woke her.
"Last house! Search well or I swear I'll put you on guard duty for a month!"
She opened her eyes.
They were about to leave.
She slowly sat up, bracing her hands on the tiles. Looked down. The soldiers were mounting. The torches moved like fireflies in the darkness.
She watched them ride off.
In the middle of the formation, a prisoner cart. Inside, a chained silhouette.
Rosmel.
When they were far enough away, she spread her wings.
She flew.
---
Taking advantage of the night, she stayed close from the sky. She glided over them like a bird of prey, her wings cutting through the air silently. The treetops passed below. The road snaked between hills.
Below, Rosmel was chained.
His jaw hung open, showing the putrid flesh inside. What should have been a tongue was just a black stump. What should have been teeth were splinters. His gaze was lost, fixed on some point on the cart's floor.
Outside, a soldier rode alongside the sergeant.
"Sir," the soldier said, lowering his voice. "What do you think that man is?"
The sergeant didn't look back.
"I don't care. It's something for the cleric to deal with."
"I wonder how he got here. The borders are supposed to be impenetrable for this kind of monster."
"The real risk is that Edyth. Or whatever she appears to be. I don't think the nobility are literally monsters," the sergeant chuckled. "Though sometimes they do act like them."
The soldier smiled.
"Yeah, like the Count of..."
"Shh!" The sergeant brought a finger to his lips. Looked around. Corrected his attitude. "Silence."
Both fell quiet.
"Anyway," the sergeant continued, more quietly. "We just need to get there fast. Hand over the creature and done."
Above, Lilith was already ready to act.
---
They rode in a straight cavalry column. Hooves struck the earth in unison. Torches flamed.
She positioned herself behind them.
In her hands, a sphere began to form.
Black. Purple. Brilliant.
It grew. Larger and larger. The size of a head. The size of a torso. The size of the very cart where Rosmel was.
Then she launched it.
Straight at the rear riders.
Its sound was hissing, like wind through branches. A whisper that promised death.
No one noticed.
Until it was upon them.
The soldiers only felt a terrifying force at their backs. At the same moment, they turned.
The enormous sphere of energy struck them all.
Their flesh vanished.
The bones of men and horses rolled across the ground. Empty skulls. Loose ribs. The sphere ended in an explosion that shook the earth.
The shockwave hit the trees. Leaves fell like rain.
The horses up front neighed. They bolted in terror, some throwing their riders.
"Control those animals!" the sergeant shouted.
Soldiers pulled at the reins. Spun in circles. Searched for the source.
"Up there!" one pointed.
Everyone looked.
Lilith floated in a faint light. Her wings spread. Her silhouette outlined against the darkness. The wind moved her hair.
The sergeant frowned.
Though he trembled.
All fell silent. Only the wind. Only the leaves stirring.
"So..." the sergeant's voice cracked. "You are Lady Edyth?"
"No," Lilith replied from above. "I only resemble her."
"I thought so," the sergeant said, without conviction.
"Why have you come?" another soldier asked, his voice shaky.
"The man you carry is mine. So return him."
"That cannot be," the sergeant straightened his back, feigning courage. "But... where do you come from? Why are you here in the kingdom?"
Lilith stretched out her hand.
The sphere was now launched like a bolt of lightning.
Straight at the sergeant.
He tried to dodge. Turned his horse. Too late.
The sphere struck his leg.
It vanished.
The horse was pierced as well. The beast fell, its entrails spilling onto the ground.
The sergeant hit the ground. He screamed. His stump smoked. Blood gushed out.
"Quickly!" a soldier shouted. "Archers, cover the retreat!"
They went to rescue the sergeant. Dragged him. Hoisted him onto another horse.
The archers fired.
Arrows whistled through the air.
Lilith moved. A little to one side. A little to the other. The arrows passed by, disappearing into the darkness.
She didn't even blink.
She just watched them flee.
Hooves faded. Torches grew small. Screams vanished.
Once more, all was silence.
---
Lilith descended.
The cart stood alone, but intact. The door secured with a thick chain. An iron lock hung mockingly.
She held the lock in her hand.
It reddened. The heat increased. The metal glowed red-hot, then orange, then white.
It broke.
The links fell to the ground with a clink.
She opened the door.
Rosmel was there. His back to her.
"Rosmel," she said. "You are free now."
He didn't move.
Lilith entered. The wood creaked under her feet. She approached.
She saw his wound. The hanging jaw. The putrid interior exposed to the air.
She reached out her hand. Placed it on his cheek. The dangling ligaments danced, seeking their place, and recomposed themselves.
It healed.
The jaw snapped back into place with a dry click.
"You should be able to speak now, right?" she said.
He nodded. Slowly.
"Good. Then let's go."
"No."
She was surprised. Her eyes widened.
"No?"
"I need to know why."
"What?"
"Why now. And not before. Why I had to go through this."
Lilith looked at him. Her expression changed. Something hardened in her.
"Because it was more terrifying that those fleeing were soldiers of the royal guard," she said. "Not guards from some two-bit prison."
He kept silent for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"I beg you to leave me alone."
Lilith looked at him in disbelief.
Her eyes scanned his face. Searched for something. A sign. A crack. A possibility.
They found nothing.
She looked away. At the darkness outside the cart. At the scattered bones on the road.
She turned and left.
She walked a few steps. Then spread her wings. One stroke. Another.
She vanished into the forest.
Rosmel stayed alone in the cart, staring at the place where she had been.