Lilith hurried down the corridors of Talon House until she reached the banquet hall. Her father had returned and was standing with her mother at the head. Marcus Blackward was ready to give a speech.
Where are you old me? We need to get out of here, fast. Lilith scanned the room for the impostor her. She found her older ghost talking to Morris Augustine, a really slimy character.
“Over here,” OLG waved her hand in the air.
“Who are you waving at?” asked Morris with one suspicious eyebrow up.
“Nothing, no one. Excuse me,” said OLG with a polite smile. Then she made her way around the table to the other side to her younger still actually alive self.
Lilith hurried to reunite with her ghost. In fact she was in such a hurry she ignored the fact that her father’s speech started. That actually worked in her favor, no one was paying attention to her. Except, unbeknownst to her, her mother.
“Lla ot elbisiv, esuom noelemahc a regnol on,” Lilith quietly cast her spell. Her magic induced camouflage dissipated and she was back to normal.
OLG met with Lilith. They positioned themselves in a corner, the latter’s back to everyone. The spell was cast and they were rejoined together. Now all they needed was a way out of the banquet hall.
“I’m humbled by this great honor being invited to coven’s high table. I’m humbled that you, the coven, trust me enough to weigh in on decisions that shape the present and future of our people and this town...” Marcus Blackward rambled on as Lilith weighed her options. That’s when she felt a heavy hand of living stone on her shoulder.
“We need to go Lilith.” Lilith turned to see Sir Kain. Only his voice and speech were different, more confident. And he referred to her as “Lilith” instead of “Ms. Blackwater”.
“I know I’m just looking for a-”
“Don’t worry about that. We just need to leave. Now. This place, these people.” Sir Kain looked up at and made eye contact with Alizia Blackward. “We aren’t safe here. Please,” he grabbed Lilith by the hand. “Let’s go.”
What’s gotten into you Sir Kain?
“Yeah...of course,” Lilith let Sir Kain drag her out of the banquet room gently by the hand. They made haste towards the Talon House exit.
“We assure you that I will do my very best to-,” Marcus noticed his wife leaving his side. He nervously laughed to cover the awkwardness. “I assure you that I will do my very best to protect this coven and provide a prosperous future for not only all of you, but all our people, all magic folk.”
Alarmed, Alizia quietly left her husband’s side at the head of the table and tried to catch up with her daughter and man servant. Hampered by her tight dress and high heels, it was hard to pick up speed and catch up. But she was determined.
“I’ll explain everything once we are gone from this place,” said Sir Kain as they went out the Talon House front doors.
A young goblin sauntered over, chewing gum, dressed in his valet uniform. “How may I help you sir?” His voice broke mid sentence, the trails of puberty.
“Our car please, for Blackward.”
“The guests of honor? Absolutely sir. Rac sdrawkcalb nommus,” not a split second after casting the spell, the Blackward’s car appeared in front of them. “The keys are in the ignition, have a good night.”
Sir Kain threw the goblin a couple gold coins and quickly got in. Lilith followed. He floored it towards the hypnotizing beauty of the wall of water created by the little pocket the Talon House resided in.
“What’s going on buddy?” asked Lilith a second before the Blackward’s car slammed into and through the wall of water. It was, a rather unique sound. She was pinned back in her seat holding on for dear life.
“I remember.”
“Remember what?”
“Hold on.” Sir Kain turned on the brights and navigated his way across the pond floor. In such a hurry he narrowly missed patches of fresh water vegetation and large rocks. Along the way they passed the resident krakens who waved at them.
“Everything.” the car started the incline up out of the pond. Sir Kain looked in the rear view mirror. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
“You’re making no sense right now Sir Kain,” Lilith wasn’t wrong, he wasn’t making too much sense but then again she didn’t realize what just happened to him. She didn’t know was what was given back to him.
“Your mother Lilith.” The car emerged from the pond, dripping water and bits of fresh water vegetation. “She took it all from me, my memories, my personality, my everything. She took it and I just got it back.”
She wouldn’t...no she would. And she could considering her past. Let’s put aside how much this is blowing my mind at the moment and...
“We’ll go into that a bit later. How’d you get them back, your memories, your, you? ” asked Lilith as she sat up in her seat.
“My old friend, Basil Augustine.”
“The dude who’s chair my dad took at the high table?”
“The very same. He reversed your mother’s spell. I do not know how he did it.”
“Do you think the spell would work on ghosts?” asked Lilith. I’m pretty sure she did the same thing to me, I mean the future ghost version of me. I’m pretty sure she wiped her memory too.”
“Not buying the murdered ghosts do not remember anything excuse?”
“No, not at all.”
“We can’t go home.” Sir Kain pointed out the obvious then stomped on the brakes bringing the car to a screeching halt. It was so dramatic the tires left smoke in their wake. There they stayed for a second in the darkness of the Briarbirch woods. “Where do you want to go?”
“San Francisco.”
Chapter 9
“WHO?” ASKED MARCUS Blackward just before taking another bite from his fancy chicken dish. He didn’t know what it was just that it involved some kind of white garlic flavored sauce.
“Basil Augustine, he needs to be detained.” Alizia had just returned to her husband after failing to catch her daughter and man servant before they left Talon House.
“Don’t think I can pull that off yet hon. I just got sworn in to not just a chair at the table, his chair. It’d look horrible. And even if I could,” Marcus swallowed his chicken. “Why would I?”
“I...do you trust me?”
Marcus put down his fork. “I want to say yes.” He wiped his mouth off then looked at his very clearly worried wife. “But the fact that you don’t want to tell me what’s going on makes it hard. Wife.”
“Have you ever wondered why Sir Kain changed from the man we once knew?”
“Dunno, kind of figured it was old age.”
“I did it to him,” Alizia made sure to whisper so no one else in the banquet hall could hear. “I took his mind and memory from him.”
“Are, you, jeez Alizia. He’s been serving my family since the dark ages. I’m hesitant to ask why.” Marcus whispered back talking out of the side of his mouth.
“Right now that’s not important. What is important is finding him and our daughter. Lives might literally depend on it.”
Marcus’s head hung low. He sighed while getting a close up look at the broccoli next to his fancy chicken dish. Once he gathered his thoughts he turned to his wife.
“I do trust you. I do, but on this one, to have a member of one of the oldest families in this town arrested, I need something, even the hint of a reason.”
Suddenly gargoyles roared and started blocking the exists of the banquet hall. Their every step made the table shake. Two of them parted near the entrance, Moira Talon walked past them and addressed the guests.
“Witches and warlocks, I’m sorry for the interruption. But there’s been an incident. Someone has broken into the archives, accessed files without the high table or the coven’s permission. We’ll be on lockdown for a little while as we ask you all a few questions,” explained Moira Talon.
“Lilith,” said Marcus and Alizia in unison as they knew deep down that it was their daughte
r who was the culprit. Ever since she was a kid she was driven by curiosity, which often led to her doing or being places she wasn’t supposed to be.
“Now, if you could all just relax.” The lights of the banquet room dimmed. Through the gargoyles slipped through a dozen or so horrific spirits of the damned. They were all dressed in wispy black robes with skulls made of raging black fires. Intense glowing red eyes darted around the banquet hall. “These interrogators will ask and you will have no choice but to answer. Please, do not attempt to resist. This should only take a few minutes.”
Moira Talon supervised as the interrogators got to work. They went up to each guest and reached out with ghostly ghastly hands. Placing both on the sides of people’s heads they psychically asked questions and forced the truth out.
One interrogator made eye contact with Alizia. It floated over, hands outstretched. She had to think fast. Sure she had nothing to do with the archives. But there were secrets buried in her head she was very protective of and could not risk having be exposed, even by the damned.
There weren’t many options. Even though there were a variety of spells that could defend against spirits and specters, she had to be able to cast it silently and bring no attention to herself. She could temporarily wipe her own memory but that was very risky. If she messed up at all, there were very few witches or warlocks that knew how to undo such an alteration.
Marcus stood up. He held out his hand which was newly adorned with the sigil ring all members of the high table received, as protection and a sign of authority. It glowed as if superheated, turned into borderline molten gold.
Immediately the interrogator that was heading straight towards Alizia and by proxy, Marcus, let out a blood curdling screech and quickly fled out of the room. Too angry to notice his wife’s relief, Marcus addressed Moira Talon and the banquet hall.
“Enough! This is outrageous Ms. Talon! Such respected members of this coven’s oldest, most influential families should not be subjected to this disrespect! To make it worse, on such a joyous occasion!” Marcus, when he wanted to could exude such authority through a calm, deep, stern voice.
“I’m afraid it’s common protocol Lord Blackward. When security is breached at the house-”
“Tell me, how could someone get past your guards, gargoyles, enter the halls of this house, access the coven records and then return, all unseen, all undetected?”
Moira Talon stared back at Marcus, silent.
“Why not look for those not present, more likely to be the offenders,” suggested Marcus. He was so worked up he forgot that his words made his daughter a prime suspect. Yeah she did it, but it was still his job as a father to protect her.
“You mean like your daughter?” Morris Augustine stood up and spoke. “I saw her leave with your man servant, Sir Kain is it?”
In that moment Alizia wanted nothing more than to cast the most horrible of spells on the slimy Morris Augustine. She imagined casting an annihilation spell that would paint the banquet hall with his remains. Perhaps she’d make him into the unsavory lizard he was, or worse, a frog. If she could she’d turn him into some abominable mixture of the two.
“No Mr. Augustine. I was thinking more along the lines of your brother. Tell me, where is Basil?” Marcus managed to swiftly shift the spotlight from Lilith to Basil Augustine. Alizia grateful, gently grabbed her husband’s hand. Not one for public affection that was a big deal for the matriarch of the Blackwards.
Morris looked surprised by the allegation. As he looked around the room he hoped to spot the older brother he secretly despised just to throw it back at Marcus Blackward. But Basil was nowhere to be seen.
Alizia was impressed with her husband. Not only did he potentially save their daughter, he managed to throw the cloak of suspicion on the man who gave Sir Kain back the memories she painstakingly erased.
“You heard Lord Blackward.” Moira Talon gathered the interrogators. The gargoyles stood at attention ready for their orders. “Go, find Basil Augustine and bring him to me. This violation will not go unpunished.”
Chapter 10
CALIFORNIA IS A VERY large, or more accurately long state. Lilith had never been that far north before. As she and Sir Kain rolled down the streets of early morning San Francisco, she admired the beauty of the former gold rush city.
As much as Lilith loved the aesthetic of San Francisco, her mind was too full and chaotic to appreciate it. During their long road trip north, Sir Kain had told Lilith what happened at Talon House.
Drunk Basil Augustine had practically dragged Sir Kain out of the banquet hall. Along the way he went on about how happy he was that he’ll have his friend back. To his friend his words were interpreted as complete nonsense.
“Over here Thomas,” Basil opened one of Talon House’s countless doors. On the other side were sunny woods that didn’t look like anything found in Southern California. They both entered.
“Where have you taken me Basil Augustine?” asked Sir Kain as he looked up and saw three suns in the sky. Each was a little bigger than the previous one in a diagonal line high in the perfect sky.
Cool winds blew through the forest. Mist came up off the glass and thick vegetation. All around them, Sir Kain and Basil could hear exotic chirping birds and animals. Every breath he took in relaxed him in a medicinal way, akin to laughing gas from a dentist.
“Elveria Sir Kain. This is the realm of the Elveri.” Basil Augustine answered as he searched around in the various ferns, flowers and bushes surrounding them.
“Why have you brought me here? I’m supposed to be at the dinner, looking after Ms. Blackward.”
“Did you know there are many ways to reverse a spell old friend? Most witches and warlocks...they are so spell-minded that they don’t realize that there are places in the realms where such things don’t exist. Take the Elveri for example.” Basil Augustine knelt down and conducted a closer search of the forest floor.
Sir Kain felt like he was being watched. That was for good reason, he, they, were. Yellow eyes peeked and peered through leaves and tops of trees. Unseen by the both of them were the bows and arrows pointed straight at them ready to shoot down the intruders.
“I don’t think we are alone Mr. Augustine.” Sir Kain tensed up .
“Of course not. The Elveri knew we were here the second we opened that door. Anyway. As I was saying, some races think of a curse or magic spell as an affliction. Like any other affliction they choose to treat them via natural means found here in their Infinite Forest.” Basil picked a single red and neon green flower, stood up and delicately held it in his hand.
“I do not understand. I’m not sick nor cursed.”
“Your memory Thomas. It’s been taken from you. That is your affliction.” Basil Augustine offered the flower to Sir Kain. “Here is your cure. Eat it.”
Sir Kain took the flower from Basil and examined it. “Is it safe?”
Basil Augustine smiled. “Eat it old friend. Please. For me.”
Mistrust was not a part of Sir Kain’s personality, altered as it might’ve been. So, with no reason to think it was a trick, he ate the red and neon green flower. At first nothing happened and then...
“TELL ME AGAIN WHAT happened,” asked Lilith with her head against the backseat passenger side window. Rain started to bead on the glass as a drizzle steadily increased.
“Are you sure you really want me to?”
“Certain. Please, from the beginning.”
“The first memory that came back to me was back at Blackward Manor. As you know I do not sleep, ever. As you might imagine I got bored, a lot.So one night, it was winter if I remember correctly, I heard talking coming from the study. Curious and bored, I investigated to see if I could find the source.
“Closer I got though, I heard your mother talking in hushed tones. But I did not recognize the voice of whom she was talking to.
“Not wanting to be seen or heard I took a peek around the corner of the study. There was your mother, arms on and
around the shoulders of Deacon Thorne. His hands were on her waist. They kissed and then kept talking, I did not know what about.” Sir Kain was happy to have his memories back but not all of them.
“Then what?” asked Lilith knowing what Sir Kain was going to tell her but she had to hear it again, for herself.
“I really thin-”
Lilith turned from the window and looked at Sir Kain through the rear view mirror. “Please,” tears formed in her eyes. “Tell me again.”
“Very well. Deacon Thorne left. Luckily he took the exit that led to the dining room instead of out into the foyer where I hid. Still curious I waited for a few moments then decided to follow your mother when she left the study.
“She went outside and headed to the storm cellar out by the hedges. Again I followed. Both of the doors were left open. Standing outside of them I could hear your mother talking.
“So, I went downstairs into the cellar, as silent as I could be. I stopped halfway down just so I could see what was happening. Your mother, Alizia Blackward...she was talking with several people. I couldn't see them, but I could hear what they were discussing. It was about the Cold Dawn and how they must do whatever it took to succeed with their plan.
Unfortunately I made a noise and your mother detected me.” Sir Kain turned on the windshield wipers.
“And what did she do?”
“Again no warlock myself, I do not know for sure but she spoke words and I found myself flying over to her like a magnet. I was paralyzed, helpless. Then she grabbed me by my head and spoke more words. Just like that I became a blank slate, a shadow of myself, the walking dead.
“She was hiding something, something wicked. I can feel it in my bones Lilith. I think this is connected to the cult of The Cold Dawn.”
The Blackward’s car reached the San Francisco Docks. Sir Kain pulled up to a warehouse with a label written in big red letters: “Thorne & Chevenko Holdings”. He put the car in park.
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