The light of day filtered into her darkness. It had been a restful night. No dreams. No visits. No bruises. No pain. No Lilith. Nor Mary torturing her.

She had slept like the dead.

Her eyes came slowly, blearily open and she found the sun to be abnormally bright for morning. Perhaps it was no longer morning at all. She could hear birds chirping. The world kept revolving, moving forward with each passing second. The Dark Lord had returned, had threatened to put an end to this world, this life as she knew it...yet, here they all were. Still stuck in this world without laws, without rule or religion.

And the birds were still chirping.

And she had kissed Mary Wardwell last night.

The doorknob jiggled and Zelda stirred to find Hilda sneaking into their room, a tray of fresh smelling fruits, toast, jam, and steaming coffee balanced in her hands. She smiled awkwardly at Zelda, waiting for the elder sister to acknowledge her before moving forward timidly. "I sensed you were awake."

"What time is it?" Zelda rubbed at her eyes, pulled herself up so that Hilda could settle the tray atop her lap.

Hilda sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to press Zelda's hair behind her ears. "It's well past noon, lovey."

Zelda lifted the coffee cup to her lips and drank. Her hand shook.

Hilda looked on at her, worried. Why must everyone be so worried for her?

"You haven't been sleeping well so when you didn't move last night I decided not to wake you." Hilda explained.

Zelda dripped jam onto a slice of toast and ate it. Her sister's jam was divine. "Hilda," she sat the half-bitten toast onto the plate and sat back. "I want to tell you everything...I want to but it hardly makes sense to me. I..."

Hilda took her hand and held it encouragingly. "You know you can tell me anything, sister."

The house was deadly silent around them. Ambrose was still absent, Sabrina presumably at school. It was only the two of them. And the clicking of the clock. It struck one. Zelda clasped at Hilda's hand.

"We're in limbo, Hilda." Zelda looked at her sister. "There is no god or goddess to worship. Lilith hasn't defeated Lucifer nor has Sabrina been successful."

"Dear me, she's tried?" Hilda interjected.

"I'm afraid so." Zelda lifted the coffee to her lips again. "I don't know what to tell the church. For it appears I am being tested, but in the most brutal of ways."

Hilda nodded. "The dreams have been violent."

Zelda sighed, staring into the dark liquid before her. "It's always her."

"Lilith?"

"Mary. Mary Wardwell. It seems Lilith wants me to get closer to Mary Wardwell." Zelda looked at Hilda and laughed. "Can you believe it? A mortal."

"Who was possessed by Lilith, mind you." Hilda offered.

"That may be so, but it makes no sense." Zelda sipped her coffee and then settled it down, reaching for her cigarettes. "Mary's apparition has appeared to me night after night, torturing me mercilessly. Until she...she...I think, Hilda, that I have been given something very powerful. And when I'm with...when I am near her it only grows stronger."

"When you're with Mary Wardwell?" Hilda was trying to follow Zelda's words but it made no more sense to her than it did to Zelda.

"Yes, I've...I've been meeting with her...seeing her...here and there." Zelda waved a hand through her smoke as if to some levity about what it was she was doing with Mary.

"You've been...seeing her? Romantically?"

"Yes…no...well in a way, I suppose." Zelda conceded.

"Since when..."

"Since after the attack, since after she returned to hell as Lilith and came back Mary."

Hilda digested this news for a while, watching Zelda smoke and think. "Do you...love her, Zelds?"

Zelda laughed. "I've never believed in love before."

"It's a scary thing, Zelda. And you've never been one to open yourself up to another."

"I beg your pardon but I've opened myself to plenty of people. You...Sabrina..."

"This may be true, but we're family. We've always been together. Sabrina was a part of our brother and so we love her. But in all my years with you, I've never seen you give yourself over to another."

"I-I..." Zelda puffed furiously at her cigarette. Why should she have to defend herself anyway...what did it matter if she loved another or kept her love to herself? She was strong alone. She'd already made a fool of herself marrying Faustus, calculated as it had been. The fact that she had been made to act like a damn Stepford wife under his spell was enough to assure herself that love was not the answer.

"Maybe this is a good thing, Zelds." Hilda ran her hand over Zelda's warm cheek. "Having someone to love. It sounds like Lilith wants it."

"But who cares what Lilith wants for me? Who cares what anyone wants for me?" Zelda turned wide eyes on her sister. "I've spent my entire life, all of these long, long years learning about and worshipping and dedicating my life to the Church of Night, to Satan. And look at where it has gotten us. It's pointless, Hilda. Utterly pointless. I'm through doing everything so perfectly to please someone else." She felt her stomach twist, as if some power was giving her a warning.

Hilda gave her a concerned look. "Zelda, even if there is no higher being to trust anymore, I still think this little...dalliance with Mary might be good for you."

Zelda searched for a sharp comeback but found she had no fight left in her. Mary was like a safe haven in this uncertain time. They had kissed, they had shared an intimacy so tense and delicate, unlike any Zelda had ever shared before.

"Perhaps you should sleep more. You look exhausted." Hilda removed the tray from Zelda's lap, held out the ashtray for her to crush out her cigarette.

A strong need to sleep overcame her then. Hilda had undoubtedly hexed the coffee. For she was soon out like a light again.

When she awoke again Sabrina was sitting on the edge of the bed, Salem on the other side, curled into Zelda's side.

"Auntie Zee?"

Zelda yawned, squinting, finding that the sun was on its way to setting, the room washed in warm orange. "Sabrina, whatever are you doing in here?"

"Hilda told me you'd wake soon. She wanted me to check on you. You're okay, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes. I am." Zelda took Sabrina's hand in her own, wanting to reassure her. Hating further that now Sabrina was concerned for her. "Just a little momentary illness. I'll be as good as new in no time."

Sabrina smiled encouragingly down at her aunt.

"Sabrina," Zelda clasped onto her arm. "Can you bring me your father's manifesto? Did you make a copy of it?"

"I…I did."

"I must read it. I need to…I need to understand what it was that my brother wanted for the Church."

"Is this a request from Lilith?"

Lilith, Lilith. That young, lithe creature. She was on a quest to overtake Lucifer, a lover's quarrel. No, it had not been that child's idea. Zelda had come to this herself, certainly. She needed to know, to understand the connection that was intended for mortals and witches. "No, it's merely to help me better understand."

"Has Lilith come to you?" Sabrina inquired.

Zelda's stomach twisted. "Yes. She has. And she has told me that you attempted to save Nicholas. It's a dangerous mission, Sabrina. One that we cannot take lightly. It will take more power than you have to defeat Lucifer."

"But I have Roz and Harvey and Theo on my side. They can help…they have powers to see and know things…"

Zelda sat up in the bed. "Your mortal friendshave powers?"

"Yes, they…they can help us."

What had Zelda been missing all these years? Normal humans might have superpowers? They were now working with witches to overtake the Underworld? What was this world?

Zelda felt her head reeling. She reached for a cigarette, plucked from her beautifully crafted cigarette box. She placed the cigarette in its rightful holder and lit the thing, inhaling raggedly for everything was changing right before her eyes. "It's not enough yet." Zelda picked a piece of ash off her tongue, lost in thought.

"But, you think it can be?" Sabrina looked hopeful.

"I'm not sure…but I think…" Zelda looked to her niece. "I think it might be enough soon. Bring me the manifesto."

Sabrina nodded, leaping from the bed to retrieve it.

Zelda had no idea what it was she might find, but the connections were slowly coming together, the cogs falling into place, revealing the path forward piece by piece.