The graveyard was completely abandoned. That wasn't so surprising, given the hour of the night, which must have been somewhat past one. During the daytime, the cemetery was a peaceful place, often visited by church-goers carrying flowers and tending to the graves of their deceased loved ones. But with the new moon nowhere to be found, the churchyard was covered in darkness, bringing it a sinister atmosphere. 

Yet, the dead had a visitor tonight. 

In the light of a dirty street lantern, a silhouette, all dressed in black robes, stood among the gravestones, holding an unlit candle and a seashell necklace, which looked crafted by hand. 

A cold autumn wind took back the visitor's hood, revealing the small, round face of a young woman. She was short for her age, but slim, and her dark, wispy hair reached just above shoulder length. The girl - she looked like she was about sixteen years old - knelt before one of the graves, with a stone that bore an inscription reading "Natonia Fenris".

Lilith Fenris carefully placed the candle in the moss that grew over her grandmother's grave, and, with just a blink of her eyes, the wick ignited. Lilith closed her eyes and whispered a few words that faded in the wind. Then, with a louder voice, the witch spoke, "Grandmother Natonia, I have come to see you again." 

She then opened her eyes, expecting to meet those of her grandmother's spirit, like she would every new moon. But instead of the familiar ghost of an old lady, the image of a beautiful young woman, with a tail and ears like the ones of a fox, stared back at the witch. The woman was dressed in green and purple robes, held together by a belt made of leather, and seemed to illuminate the cemetery with her presence. 

"S-Sylene?" Lilith stuttered. She had only seen the goddess of the forests and the wild once before. It was right after her grandmother had passed away. Natonia Fenris had been the priestess of Sylene. It was usual that witches would spend their life serving a deity. An important task that was often passed on in the family.

Sylene had come in her usual form, the one of a fox, to meet her new priestess. They had, however, never exchanged a word. The fox had only lifted her head, had swiftly blinked at Lilith, and had then disappeared into the dark night. And even after that night, Sylene had never spoken directly to Lilith. She did however sent her the spirit of the old priestess as a messenger every new moon. 

But now, the goddess looked at her with diamond blue eyes, of which the pupils seemed to be missing.

"Hello, Lilith," Sylene spoke with a warm and clear voice, "I see that you've brought another offer. Thank you girl." 

Lilith had forgotten about the shell necklace, and almost let it slip out of her hands. She caught it in time, and began to sink to her knees so she could bury the item in the earth of the graveyard, like she would always do when she would make her offerings. However, the god signed her to stop, raising a slim hand, decorated with bracelets made of shells, stones and crystals. 

"No, my dear," The goddess' voice was serious. "I need you to give it to me. I mean directly."

 Lilith, feeling a bit helpless, rose somewhat awkwardly to her feet and handed the goddess the necklace, for the second time this night almost dropping it in the process. Sylene received the offering with a reassuring smile at her priestess. Then, she closed her luminous eyes, and the charm, a nautilus shell, began to glow with a warm yellow light that kept increasing, until Lilith felt like she was hypnotized by its beauty. Then, as quick as the light had come, it disappeared, and the goddess opened her blue diamonds again. She held out the necklace. "Take it." 

Lilith shook her head. "Sylene, goddess, I can't- I mean, I'm not supposed to, it's an offering." 

"Take it," the goddess insisted, "Put it on, I need to show you something."

With shaking hands, Lilith reached for the piece of jewelry, and put it over her head. As soon as the charm touched the space between her collarbones, Lilith's vision was taken up by a bright, green light. It grew stronger and stronger, brighter and brighter, until Lilith's head started aching so badly she thought it would scatter into pieces. 

Then, the light suddenly stopped, and Lilith no longer found herself on the ground of the cemetery, but instead she was standing on the cold marble floor of a beautiful spacious sleeping area. The room was covered in darkness, but Lilith could make out a neatly made four-poster bed, kingsized, with four soft looking pillows and linen bed sheets that made the whole space smell like blossoms. The two large windows reached from the ceiling all the way to the floor, and were covered by navy blue curtains. In the corner of the room stood a sofa and an armchair. The furniture was lined with a soft blue velvet. From the ceiling hung a small chandelier that shimmered in the small rays of moonlight that peeked behind the curtains.

Lilith had never seen a room quite this exquisite. It was nothing like the simple forest cabin she lived in, and for a moment, she was captivated by its gracefulness.

Suddenly, a sinister feeling crept upon her, the feeling that she wasn't alone in this bedroom. Lilith's eyes started to get used to the darkness, and she could make out a figure, lying in the four poster-bed. The person seemed to be asleep, and Lilith suddenly felt like she shouldn't be in the room. Why was she in this room?

Then, the witch heard footsteps approaching. She immediately turned around to the door, ready to leave. She could not be seen here, she could not get caught. Her hand reached for the golden doorknob, but it already turned itself. The door opened and Lilith stood face to face with a new figure, all dressed in black, including its face, that was covered by a dark mask. Lilith winced, thinking that she was definitely in big trouble now, but the person in the doorway did not acknowledge her presence. Instead, they made their way to the bed, where the other figure was still asleep, with carefull, quiet footsteps to not wake the sleeper. 

Slowly, it dawned Lilith that this must be a vision. Sylene wanted her to see this, and therefore she had to watch really closely. This setting, and what was about to happen, could be very important.

As soon as she realized this, she noticed the dagger, a long dagger with the handle of a carved snake, in one of the silhouette's gloved hands. And then her own hand shot up, covering her mouth. She recognized the sleepers' faces.

No.

It was Zachary of Miraelyn. Crown prince Zachary of Miraelyn. And it was clear what the dark one's intentions were, what was about to happen.

And then it did happen. The silhouette bowed over the prince, who suddenly awoke and opened his mouth in confusion. But before he could make a sound, let alone get away, the dark figure rose his hand and-

Lilith could not look at this terrible scene, so she turned around, closed her eyes firmly shut and let out a squeak in her hand, that was still covering her mouth. A tear rolled down her cheek. This was too much, too much. Only when she heard the creaking of a door getting opened and shut, she dared to open her eyes again. Trembling, she turned around, and what she saw was the lifeless body of the royal son, laying in the sheets, red from his blood, the dagger still sticking out of his throat. Lilith let out another squeak, and closed her eyes again. 'Please, Sylene,' The girl begged, 'Make it stop, please...'

Then, as if her prayers were listened to, the blue light appeared again. Yet, Lilith kept her eyes shut until she was certain that she felt the soft moss of the graveyard under her feet again. Only when she knew that, she dared to look again, and found that the goddess had disappeared. She was alone again, with just her racing thoughts and the image of the crown prince, lying lifeless in his blood soaked sheets burning in her brain.

And with a sob, Lilith let herself fall her knees.
© Cassup


more chapters coming soon :)