Lilith’s last words were practically screamed, her throat raw and tears of light spilling down her face, as grief tore at her heart once again. Lilith fell to a knee as the pain overwhelmed her… and the light within her erupted, pulsing in time with her heartbeat.
Dirt rose around Lilith like a tornado as light erupted from her body in a spiraling torrent, while the ground below her feet turned to glass with a single beat of her heart. The surging energy felt like it was ripping Lilith’s body apart as it illuminated every bone and muscle that made up her body, every vein and tendon alight with the power that could tear her asunder so easily, yet she refused to let it. This was her body, and Lilith would not allow it to destroy her. Circe had given everything to let Lilith live, and that was all the motivation she needed.
The light shuddered when Lilith reached out and grasped it, not entirely sure what she was doing until she did it. The light writhed in her hand like a snake, trying to free itself, but Lilith didn’t let go, her mind clamping down on the light mercilessly, and she began to channel it through herself, focusing the power to her will… but all things had their price.
The first thing Lilith felt go was her captivation field. An ever-present drain that she’d only truly felt when she focused it on Morgan almost a year before vanished, going up in smoke as she felt her thoughts begin racing even faster, as the nerves Amber had created improved still further, giving her thoughts a speed and clarity that would have shocked her under any other circumstances.
Then she felt it reach the core of her power, and the light shuddered, almost as if hesitating. For the first time Lilith felt the full extent of her power that was slumbering beneath the surface as the light illuminated it fully. She felt a vast strength that she’d only barely touched on in the time she’d been alive, a power which could strengthen countless other people as easily as it could strengthen the handful of her friends, which could make even the strongest heroes even more powerful… and for just an instant she hesitated, wondering if she should truly give it up. But that moment passed almost as quickly as it occurred. No matter how powerful it could make others, the power didn’t suit who Lilith was, or who she wanted to be.
The core of Lilith’s power shivered, then melted away, leaving Lilith with a sense of loss that she didn’t have time to grapple with. Not as that power flooded through her body, infusing every cell with glittering sunlight, light that began to shift and change, adapting itself to her body, her will. It churned in a fiery inferno, that she compressed more and more, controlling it, balancing it so it wouldn’t overwhelm her. The light all around her was dying down slowly, the swirling dirt falling to the ground as a shower of prism-like shards of glass.
Heat pulsed through Lilith… and then the light of the ankh all but died out, leaving Lilith kneeling there in the middle of the cavern on a disc of glass, panting loudly as dust swirled through the cavern, accompanied by echoes of what sounded like thunder.
Lilith looked down at her hand after a moment, almost startled that she could still see it, and that she was in one piece. That it was still recognizably her, as opposed to her having become someone else entirely.
“I made it,” Lilith murmured, closing her eyes as she sought out the heat within her body, and found that it wasn’t just heat. It wasn’t just the power of the sun that pulsed within her, but also the absence, the void. It reminded her of what she’d lost when Circe had sacrificed herself for Lilith, and it was just a little too much.
Lilith didn’t try to resist the tears that came this time, as she settled fully onto the glass circle and began to sob once more for the person who had been her mother in every way that mattered.
Black Emerald sighed, glowering at the cameras. The heat, the magic, all of that she’d accounted for … but in the end the undoing of her analysis of Lilith had been something far simpler. The blast of dust in the air had finished off her cameras as it blocked their vision, and most of the other spectrums had been well and truly overwhelmed by the ankh. She suspected it was deliberate on the part of the gods.
“Annoying… but fascinating at the same time,” Black Emerald murmured, standing up after a couple of seconds, looking at the way the light subsided around Lilith. The dirt in the air had mostly cleared, and she made a note to have samples collected. While the crystals she’d seen likely wouldn’t have anything useful to tell her, it was always possible that she’d be wrong.
Lilith was kneeling and crying, which left Black Emerald a little bemused, and uncertain of what to do. She didn’t fully understand why Lilith was crying so often, but she suspected that was due to the part of her mind that was just… broken. Wren commented about it on occasion, and Black Emerald wasn’t going to claim that she was wrong. She knew she was deficient in some ways… it was why she had Wren to talk to. Well, part of the reason.
“Alright, then. Time to go get her, run some tests, and then I can have dinner. Maybe I’ll even invite her to join me,” Black Emerald said, smiling widely as she stretched, then started back for the tram. She certainly wasn’t going to walk all the way to get Lilith.
Poenari Castle, Wallachia
Vlad let out a faint sigh of relief as everything settled down again. Fortunately, the chessboard hadn’t exploded, but he’d wondered for a moment.
The door opened a crack, and Ivanova peered in, asking. “Is it alright to enter? You seemed… concerned. And I heard rattling.”
“It should be safe, unless something decides to act up again,” Vlad told her, smiling coldly as he looked at the board. “I wasn’t certain if the board was going to survive for a minute. Something with extreme power was acting, and it could have exceeded the board’s tolerances. Fortunately, it didn’t.”
Ivanova took a step inside, and she followed his gaze to the board, which prompted her eyebrows to rise. It took her a moment, then she said, “One of the pieces is glowing. I don’t recall that occurring before.”
“You have a good memory. I’ve never seen one do so either,” Vlad said, nodding slowly as he stared at the piece in question. “I just have to wonder, what has Lilith done?”
Resting on the board, Lilith’s piece hadn’t appreciably changed, save that now the gilded scarlet piece was glowing softly. Considering the golden radiance, Vlad suspected he knew who was responsible.
Guardian Compound, Paragon City
“Um, does anyone else feel a little… off?” Rachel asked, leaning against the door frame for a moment, her stomach churning slowly.
Gina looked up from the card game, and the moment she did, Spark swiped a card off the top of the deck with a grin, only for the grin to vanish the next instant. Archon seemed to be studiously ignoring her actions, while Decarin shook his head slowly.
“Yup, though you and I likely caught the worst of it,” Gina said, and nodded toward the mini-fridge in the corner. “There’s a lemon-lime seltzer in there, and some crackers in the cabinet. That should help settle your stomach.”
Rachel blinked, then smiled slightly, mostly because Gina remembered her preferred remedy for an upset stomach. She carefully crossed the room, her thoughts churning, then asked. “So… what happened, if you said that we got the worst of it? Weather front, some chemical agent from that last batch of villains, or something weirder?”
“You must not have read your email,” Spark said, slapping down a card, and Archon followed up at a more sedate pace, placing a card on top of it. “While you were napping, we got an email from Lilith, and I’m… I’m nervous. I hope she’s alright.”
Dread hit Rachel like a truck, and she stopped, swaying. Her stomach’s churning grew stronger, and she mentally reached for the link to Lilith in her mind. It was tenuous, far more tenuous than it’d been before she’d gone to Vegas with Gina and Lilith, but it’d formed again after the encounter with Omega Code… except when she reached, this time there was nothing there. She found nothing, and Rachel’s nausea grew a little stronger.
“What happened?” Rachel asked, her voice trembling as worry rushed
through her. “What did she say?”
“She chose to take advantage of Ra’s gift to her,” Archon said softly. “Under the circumstances, Lilith felt that she had to make her powers grow. She did not leave room for argument, which means that our responses may have been ignored. Especially as about half an hour ago, we all felt the… link, was it? It vanished.”
“That’s not good,” Rachel muttered, her anxiety growing… then she paused, thinking back, and she frowned. Looking at Gina, she asked. “Did you feel any pain or distress? I seem to remember us feeling pain when she was attacked by Sky.”
Gina didn’t reply immediately, absently putting down a card, and Decarin followed hers with one of his own. Gina looked thoughtful, and her anxiety seemed to ease.
“I didn’t feel anything like that, no. Which means she’s probably alright… I hope so, anyway,” Gina said, smiling nervously. “She really does like to make us anxious, doesn’t she?”
“She does,” Rachel said, exhaling slowly as she let out a breath of relief. Then she chuckled softly, pulling out the bottle she found in the fridge. “Not that she’d ever admit it, of course.”
“Why should she?” Decarin asked at last, looking between all of them in amusement. “I’d say she’s a lucky lady, after all. How many people would give an arm for the affection of one of you?”
“Shush!” Spark said, an arc of lightning lancing out from one of her fingers to his shoulder, causing him to yelp.
“Hey! What’d I say?” he demanded, reaching up to rub his shoulder.
Rachel laughed softly, but she couldn’t help her anxiety. There might have been a lull in the chaos, but she was certain that this wasn’t the end of it. Not with Shadowmind on the move, or with all the damage that had been done to her network.
The villain wasn’t the type to let that sort of thing go unanswered, and she’d been far, far too quiet so far.
Chapter 35
Friday, December 5th, 2031
Black Emerald Lair, Utah
“You look different, somehow.” Wren said, looking Lilith over slowly, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Would you mind standing up and turning around slowly?”
Lilith looked at her for a moment, a little amused by the request, and Black Emerald giggled, which sounded particularly strange coming from the villain… especially since she’d just taken a sip of wine and ended up coughing. It took a few seconds for the woman to clear her throat so she could speak.
“I thought I was the one who insisted on examining everyone, not you,” Black Emerald said at last, giving Wren a level look.
“Yes, but you’re examining her out of scientific curiosity. I’m wondering what’s changed, since I can’t quite place it,” Wren retorted, and Lilith couldn’t help a slight smile, though sadness dimmed her mood slightly. The two interacting reminded her of herself and Circe, which was painful, like a knife being twisted in her heart.
“It’s still an examination,” Black Emerald replied, setting down her wine glass as she leaned forward, her tone shifting to be more analytical as she continued. “Lilith’s appearance has shifted slightly, yes, but that’s not what you’re noticing. Stop and look around the room, Wren. What do you see?”
Lilith blinked and looked around as well, taking in the dining room.
She wasn’t entirely sure why there was what amounted to a restaurant in the villain’s lair, but there was. It was decorated in shimmering metallic green and deeper maroon for the most part, with cozy wooden tables that could each seat about five people, or six if they squeezed, while soft music played in the background.
Not all of the tables were full, in fact only about half of them were occupied, and Lilith saw a few faces she vaguely recognized from earlier. Men and women were sitting, talking, and eating food that was brought out to them. She’d asked quietly, and it seemed that the restaurant had a menu that changed from day to day, but unless someone had an allergy they were simply served whatever was being made that day. It took her several seconds, then she realized what Black Emerald had been referring to.
“I’m not sure,” Wren said, her hands on her hips as she looked at the room, then back at Lilith and Black Emerald. “Could I get a hint?”
“Most people aren’t looking at me,” Lilith said softly, sitting back in her chair, a hint of wonder washing over her. “Some of them are, but almost as many are looking at you, or Black Emerald… but most of them are looking at each other. Or even their food.”
“Oh! That’s… well, that’s an interesting development,” Wren said, her gaze turning back to Lilith quickly, and she slowly smiled. “I had wondered, though that certainly isn’t everything that’s different.”
“Indeed. We know that her powers have changed dramatically. I could have told you that much just based on our walk back to the main lair,” Black Emerald said, examining Wren for a few seconds, then looked at Lilith. “I’d just stand up and turn for her if I were you. She’s not going to give up when she’s in this sort of mood.”
“If you say so,” Lilith replied, still a little shocked by her realization that the captivation field was gone. She’d felt it vanish, certainly, but she hadn’t really processed what that meant. A sense of freedom she’d never felt before washed over her, and as it did Lilith stood up slowly, thinking about all the things she could do now that she wouldn’t be attracting an unnatural amount of attention.
“Hm…” Wren murmured, watching Lilith turn in place. She didn’t say anything until Lilith had fully turned around, tapping her upper arm with a finger restlessly. She sounded slightly cross when she did speak. “Well, that’s annoying. I can still tell that changes occurred, but I couldn’t say what they are.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, since I don’t feel much different than before,” Lilith replied, sitting down again and scooting into place. “My thoughts seem a little… smoother, if that makes any sense at all, and I seem to be able to manipulate light to some extent.”
“You can glow with a thought or create orbs of light,” Black Emerald corrected, then explained for Wren. “She figured that out on the tram. I suspect it is a lot more than that, but we haven’t exactly had time to run tests. She needs dinner, and while I suspect she’s stronger, faster, and tougher than before, we all know what happens when people skip meals. You remember that better than I do.”
Wren glowered at Black Emerald, speaking tartly. “I’ll thank you not to remind me of how stick-thin I was when we first met. It wasn’t like I had much of a choice in the matter.”
Lilith looked between them in amusement, then asked, “Have the two of you been together long?”
Wren looked startled for a moment, hesitating as she thought, then spoke slowly. “It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, but when I think about it, I know it’s been a while. What, five years?”
“Closer to seven,” Black Emerald corrected, shaking her head firmly. “It took you about three years to get the training to take over as CEO, and you’ve been running the business ever since. Better than I ever did, for that matter.”
“Fair, but you never put in the effort it would take to do it properly,” Wren conceded, smiling slightly more as she studied Lilith. “Is it strange to listen to? People talking about things that happened longer ago than you’ve been alive, I mean.”
“Not really?” Lilith said, frowning as she mulled the question over. After a few seconds she admitted. “Oh, it’s a little strange, but it’s simply part of who I’ve been from the beginning. I woke fully formed, at least physically and where basic background knowledge is concerned. I didn’t ever have to worry about puberty, and the thought of the changes mystifies me. I have no idea what it’d be like.”
Wren giggled, and Black Emerald rolled her eyes, muttering. “I don’t think you’re missing anything where that’s concerned.”
“I didn’t think I was,” Lilith assured her, and paused as a man approached with a glass and bottle of wine in a wine cooler. He placed the wine cooler
in the center of the table, then the wine glass in front of Wren before leaving. Lilith was happy that he’d taken her refusal of wine in good grace, as she instead sipped from her glass of water. She watched Wren pour a glass of wine, smiling slightly.
“So, what do you think your powers are like?” Wren asked Lilith, tilting her head curiously, then paused, murmuring. “Ah, that’s it! Your eyes are glowing slightly. Not much, but just a hint of luminescence.”
Lilith blinked, opening her mouth to ask if Wren was sure, then decided against it. She didn’t want to sidetrack the conversation too much. Instead, she focused on the question as she wondered if it was really safe to tell them what she thought had changed. It only took her a few seconds to realize that she was likely overthinking things. It wasn’t like they’d be hidden when she used them, after all.
“I’m not entirely sure I know all of my powers, like I said… but I know what it is I wanted when I was going through the awakening,” Lilith said, frowning. “I have an… instinctive grasp, I think? I’m pretty sure I can fly, and that I’m a sun-based energy projector of some type. I’m not sure if it’s more of a laser type power or if it’s plasma-based, though. I felt my body strengthening, like Black Emerald suspected, but beyond that… I’m not entirely sure. I think there may be more to it, but it feels… slippery, somehow. Like it’ll come when it’s needed, and not before.”
“That’s the effect of a deity for you,” Black Emerald murmured, a smile flickering across her face. “They tend to be sneaky. I’m not surprised that you ended up with sun-based powers, not with Ra involved in things. An energy projector, though? Very intriguing… I expected more of, oh, you to gain psychic abilities like Amber, or maybe turn into a flying juggernaut, like Destiny is. No matter how simple those powers are, simple powers tend to have the advantage of being harder to counter in some ways. Magic leaves holes people can take advantage of, but when you can just shrug off a building falling on you…”
Queen's Gambit (Lilith's Shadow Book 6) Page 22
