White Devil

by Janina Franck

  Lilith looked over the ocean.

  “Do you think that labyrinth exists?” she asked, hoping it would not be a step too far.

  “Who knows? My uncle thinks it does.” Khaleb lowered his voice. “He says his cousin was down there. Of a group of thirty-four, he was the only one who came back to tell the tale. That’s what my uncle says, at least. Tarleep, that’s his cousin, well, he constantly tells stories about what happened down there, but none of it is true, if you ask me. I think some kind of accident happened, which killed all the others, and it made him go crazy. But I’d find it difficult to believe any story about a weapon that’s alive.”

  Lilith gulped. Suddenly, she vividly remembered the conversation she had overheard between Khaleb and his uncle in Velsalia. Out of everyone in the entire town she could have met, she had somehow found the one person who could actually help her in her quest.

  Excitement rose in her veins. She tried desperately to ignore it, but it didn’t work.

  “A weapon that is alive?” she asked innocently, trying to hide her anticipation. Khaleb nodded.

  “My uncle’s cousin claims he saw it, but he was just hallucinating. There is no such thing. There can’t be.”

  He almost sounded as though he were trying to convince himself. Lilith watched him thoughtfully.

  “What about the labyrinth? Do you believe it is real?”

  He shrugged.

  “My uncle says-”

  “No, no. What do you believe?” she interrupted.

  For a moment it looked as if he wasn’t going to answer. His gaze was stoically directed out toward the sea. Then he said quietly, “Yes.”

  There was no room for doubt in either his expression or tone. That was enough for Lilith.

  “I am sorry for preventing you from going out with your uncle,” she said, gesturing at the ocean.

  Khaleb smiled and shook his head.

  “Oh, no, it’s great! I mean, I like talking to you. Because there aren’t many people our age in this town. So it’s nice, you see?”

  He had begun babbling and became visibly more and more uncertain of his words as he went on. Lilith giggled.

  “It was my pleasure,” she promised.

  Suddenly, Lilith noticed where the sun was. It was already past noon. Hurriedly, she got up.

  “I have to go, my friends will be worried sick about me! I am sorry, can I meet you here again? Perhaps this evening?” she asked quickly.

  Khaleb nodded with a confused smile.

  “Sure, but do you want me to walk you home? I could carry you.”

  Lilith shook her head.

  “Thank you, but I think I will be faster flying. I shall see you tonight! Thank you again for everything this morning!”

  With those words, Lilith lifted off and using only a few strong wing beats, she got back to the inn, where her friends were indeed already waiting. They sat in the common room, maps on the table. Selene was leaning back in her chair and had her arms crossed. When she saw Lilith enter, she asked straight to the point, “Find anything?”

  Lilith joined them around the table.

  “Well, I think so.”

  Instantly she had gained the full attention of everyone.

  “You did?” There was real surprise in Selene’s voice. “The rest of us weren’t quite so lucky. Tell us, then.”

  “I met those centaurs from Nenbalon. I think that symbol they were talking about then might be what we need to look for after all. And it seems like they have a personal connection to that minotaur from the story, so I told him I would meet him again tonight and I intend to ask him more. He does think the labyrinth exists, in any case,” Lilith explained

  “The centaur from Nenbalon? How did you find him?”

  “Well, I suppose actually he found me,” Lilith said, a little embarrassed. “He recognized me from the tour.”

  “Well,” Selene said hesitantly, “Good work.”

  “All we managed to do was get this one map of the city,” Zero admitted.

  “I don’t like this minotaur guy,” Amethyst announced. “I’ll come with you tonight and make sure he doesn’t try anything funny! He had a funny look about him in the desert. Can’t trust those non-wingers.”

  “He is a centaur, Amethyst, and you really do not need to worry,” Lilith tried to soothe him, but the raven would have none of it. He was set on accompanying Lilith, so eventually she gave in. Their friends decided to use the time to attempt to find a map of the immediate area around the city as well, as difficult a task it seemed to be. Only Ayalon, Amethyst and Lilith were left behind in the inn. Ayalon was laying around lazily, dejectedly.

  “Are you alright?” Lilith asked him concerned.

  He huffed weakly. She sat on the ground next to him and put a hand on his hide.

  “What is the matter? Are you not feeling well?”

  “I feel useless,” the dragon grumbled quietly. He didn’t need to say more; Lilith understood. So far, he hadn’t been able to help with any of their research and the most he had been able to do was carry them from place to place.

  “Ayalon, would you like to go on an excursion with me?”

  “What kind of excursion?”

  He didn’t move, but his eyes looked up at her with interest.

  “I thought we could fly over the perimeter of Port Kalhes, to see if anything sticks out. Your eyes are better than mine, after all,” Lilith explained, smiling warmly.

  “Alright,” Ayalon agreed readily.

  “I’ll just stay here and sleep then,” Amethyst mumbled, already closing his eyes.

  Together, the dragon and the girl left and leapt into the sky, spiraling upward, it was almost like a contest: Which of them could get higher?

  It was Ayalon. Lilith had to stop. The air was getting too thin, too cold and most of all, the pressure was too much, or too little, she couldn’t quite tell, so she slowly drifted back to a comfortable height, while Ayalon looped and whirled around her. She could tell that he was having fun and she was glad for it. She pointed toward the north-facing shoreline. That’s where they would start. Ayalon darted for a head start, but Lilith followed swiftly. The wind ripped at her clothing and her hair, forcing her to squint. Ayalon would have been able to outfly her with ease, but he kept by her side, only flying as fast as she could.

  “If it gets too much, you can always get on my back,” he offered.

  “I shall keep that in mind.”

  Once they reached the outskirts of the city, they slowed down to be able to look on the ground for whatever might be noteworthy. Occasionally they darted down, to see something up close, but nothing was worth deeper investigation.

  Eventually, they reached the ocean. Here, Ayalon decided to dive down into the water from high altitudes. Watching from a safe distance, Lilith imagined that it was something the dragon had liked to do back in his homeland, although her own bad experience with boats hadn’t exactly instilled trust in water.

  Every time Ayalon finished his arc and jumped back into the sky, pearly water drops sprayed into the air, getting Lilith wet as well. She didn’t mind. It was a nice day and they weren’t disturbing anyone. She checked whether she could see Khaleb on the shore somewhere, but she couldn’t make him out. She would see him in the evening anyway.

  Once Ayalon had finished his little game in the sea, he rejoined Lilith, and they proceeded to the remaining side of the town. The shore got higher on that side, forming cliffs that stretched up from the water. There, they landed and let themselves dry off in the sunlight.

  “There is nothing that can help us,” Lilith sighed.

  “No,” agreed Ayalon. “But your new friend might know more. There could be an entrance in the city somewhere.”

  Lilith leaned against Ayalon’s hide, looking at the sky.

  “I hardly know anything about you,” she said. She could feel the vibration of his laughter beneath her. It was a bitter laugh.


  “There isn’t much to know,” he revealed. “I’m just some dragon with a story like everyone else.”

  Lilith sat up to look him in the eyes. They were a similar color to her own. Golden brown.

  “Nobody is ever ‘just some dragon.’” She put a hand on his muzzle. “Tell me your story.”

  For a moment he simply looked back at her, not making the tiniest movement. Then he blinked slowly, tiredly.

  “There was a little boy who found my egg,” he admitted. “Fished it out of the water. It must have fallen from a ship or something, I don’t know. When I hatched, he hid me in a shed behind his house, fed me, raised me. His parents didn’t know about me. They were farmers, and dragons belong to the military. Any feral dragons that are found are shot on sight, and any dragon not trained to be dull, stupid, and follow orders would count as feral. Sin knew that, so he kept me a secret. He had to relocate me to an abandoned beach eventually, so I wouldn’t be found. Every day he came to visit me, and as we grew older, he was starting to show more and more bruises everywhere. His father was hurting him, because Sin wasn’t acting like a girl, because he wasn’t a girl. But his father couldn’t accept that. So one day, I asked Sin to stay.”

  Ayalon paused. Tears welled up in his big, golden eyes. Lilith didn’t speak, but she began to stroke the dragon’s hide gently, comfortingly.

  “We spent a few wonderful days together, just him and me. But his father was looking for him and when he and the other villagers found him between my talons, they went crazy. They attacked me and took Sin away from me. I couldn’t protect him. I went to hide somewhere else, planning to return to Sin and get him away from that life once and for all. But when the time came, and he stood in front of me he…”

  He choked up. Lilith hugged him. She didn’t know what else to do. The dragon’s entire body was shaking. After a moment he calmed down again and continued.

  “He sent me away. He told me he didn’t want me anymore. That I was only causing him trouble. And that if I didn’t go of my own free will, he would send people to chase me. So I left. Without direction I flew for days and then tried to drown myself, but Selene’s father found me. He took me on board shortly before Selene was born. Gave me something new to live for.”

  Ayalon’s voice died away, but Lilith didn’t let go. She kept hugging him, hoping he would feel the support, the comfort. She knew why Sin had sent Ayalon away and she also knew that the dragon knew just as well. It had to have been to protect him, to give him a new chance at life. She didn’t need to say it. It wouldn’t help.

  They stayed at that spot for a little while longer before returning to the inn for a quick supper and to discuss the next step of their journey with the others. Neither of them brought up their little talk again. Lilith didn’t know if any of the crew knew his story, but whether they did or not was of little importance. She just wanted the dragon to know that she was here for him and that he could trust her.

  True to his word, Amethyst came along to Lilith’s meeting. Stubbornly, he flew right behind her as she returned to the quay to meet Khaleb. When they landed, he sat on Lilith’s shoulder, eyeing every passing hybrid suspiciously until they were gone.

  “You really were serious, huh,” someone said behind her.

  Lilith turned around, smiling, but before she could say anything, Amethyst flew into the centaur’s face.

  “You listen to me, you unworthy wormling! I am Amethyst, Lilith’s protector and if you even dare so much as touch her you will be in big trouble, mister! You understand?”

  Amethyst had spoken in Pbec, which was causing Khaleb to stare at him without any real comprehension. Looking for help he glanced at Lilith who shrugged.

  “I apologize; he does not mean any harm. I think. I do not think I should translate his words though,” she added.

  “You’re quite aggressive,” he noted uncertainly.

  “I’m going to be even more aggressive if you make a wrong move,” grumbled Amethyst viciously. He clacked his beak a few times and flapped wildly with his wings, before Lilith could get him to calm down.

  “I apologize for my friend,” Lilith said. “He tends to cross the line.”

  She punished the raven with a stern look, and he hopped a few meters away, but kept watching them closely. For a moment they were silent, awkwardly looking around. Finally, Khaleb took the first step.

  “So, why did you want to meet again?” he asked, not daring to look Lilith in the eyes.

  “I wanted to ask you more about what we spoke about this morning. It is of great interest to me,” Lilith answered truthfully.

  “The labyrinth story?” he asked, surprised.

  Lilith nodded. She decided to take a leap.

  “Do you happen to know where the entrance lies?”

  Khaleb laughed.

  “I don’t think they’ll let anyone get close to that place after what happened with Tarleep! There’s just no way! It’s something like a state secret, you know. They keep secret where it is and tell everyone it’s just a story and that it doesn’t exist, in the hope that people won’t remember. But the city doesn’t forget. It’s no use though, nobody knows where the entrance is.”

  “He knows,” Lilith said quietly, watching Khaleb’s reaction closely. She had half expected him to flinch, but really, he just suddenly stared into the air.

  “Let’s go for a walk,” he said abruptly. Together, they walked along the quay, following the shoreline. Amethyst hopped after them, a short distance away. Khaleb seemed serious about something. He walked in long strides with his four legs and Lilith had to hurry to keep up with him.

  They walked further and further, almost to the north-east end of the city. The sun had gone down in the meantime. Darkness engulfed them and the only noises breaking the silence were Khaleb’s hooves on the stone, Amethyst ‘s flapping and hopping noises behind them, the quiet burbling of the water and Lilith’s quick but light footsteps. She wondered if it would perhaps be easier to fly, but just as she finished that thought, they stopped in front of a house.

  It was simple, and crooked from the wind, but the large door gave it a quaint feeling. Khaleb opened the door and ushered Lilith and Amethyst inside. The raven took his usual place on Lilith’s shoulder as the centaur lit a lamp to light the room.

  It was an odd place. There was barely any furniture, a kitchen part, something that almost looked like a stable box, laid out with pillows instead of straw, and a blanket thrown over the side. In the middle of the room, there was a small table also with pillows all around it, and a tall table without pillows. Other than that, there was only a small bookshelf and otherwise next to no furniture or décor.

  Khaleb moved to the kitchen.

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Tea, if you happen to have any,” Lilith replied.

  “Water,” grumbled Amethyst and Lilith passed it on.

  Khaleb gestured toward the pillows by the low table.

  “Please, take a seat.”

  Lilith sat down carefully, trying to find a position that was comfortable. It wasn’t difficult. The pillows were so soft, they might as well have been made of clouds. After a moment, Khaleb joined them, putting down the drinks on the table, as he himself also sat, or laid, down on all fours.

  “I’m sorry about this.” Khaleb grinned embarrassed. “I don’t tend to have visitors, but I figured it would be a better place to talk than out on the street, especially considering the subject you’re asking about. I could get in trouble for even knowing the things I do. Not officially, of course, but they have their ways of enforcing unofficial laws. I don’t want to bring you any unnecessary trouble if it can be avoided, so this might just be better.”

  “He’s trying a little bit too hard to explain himself,” Amethyst muttered grimly.

  Lilith chose to ignore his comment.

  “You do know where the entrance is,” she stated.

  Khaleb didn’t meet h
er gaze. She was correct. As she had suspected, the centaur knew a lot more about the subject than he had previously let on.

  “Look, down there it’s probably really dangerous, considering what probably happened back then, the structure is probably really frail and I wouldn’t want you to go down there and get hurt. There might even be traps,” he babbled. Lilith smiled at him reassuringly.

  “Do not worry. Please show me where it is, it is very important to me.”

  Khaleb frowned uncertainly, and his gaze shifted from Lilith’s innocent expression to the grim one of Amethyst and back. Then he sighed.

  “I don’t actually know where exactly it is. I’ve never been, because I promised uncle I wouldn’t even try. But there is a cave by the cliffs that is only accessible at low tide that leads into a tunnel which is supposed to go all the way to the labyrinth. The tunnel didn’t used to be flooded, but I don’t know what it’s like now. There have also been a few earthquakes and floods since back then, so it might be blocked or not even exist anymore.”

  He had spoken quietly and quickly, still not returning Lilith’s gaze. Now he looked at her and his eyes spoke of pain and desperation.

  “Please don’t go there.”

  Lilith smiled at her new friend.

  “I have to,” she replied.

  *****

  They decided to wait until morning to search for the opening. It was no use looking for it in darkness and even a half day of rest would do them well. According to Khaleb, low tide was happening early.

  Everything would work out, Lilith kept telling herself. Selene noted that it would be wise to take advantage of time and have everything ready so, should they find the cave, they could proceed immediately, and Lilith agreed heartily.

  Lilith didn’t sleep that night. In the morning, she was the first one outside, getting ready for hopefully the last and most vital part of their adventure. Before the others awoke, she went to the quays on the off chance that Khaleb was there, so she could say good-bye, but neither he nor his uncle were in sight. When she returned to the inn, her friends were finishing their breakfast.