Lilith Visits
Eda wasn't surprised by her sister's outburst; Lilith had a habit of outacting. What did surprise her was when Lilith began pacing after the said outburst.
"You have a child, Edalyn, A CHILD!" Lilith exclaimed, stopping in front of her sister and glaring at her. "You have been a criminal for years. YEARS And you never thought once about your child's well-being!"
Eda cocked an eyebrow as her sister started pacing again. She looked at Camila and sighed when she saw how Lilith's behavior affected the squirt. Camila, while not shaken, was still scared of the unknown woman.
So, she walked up to her sister with the intent to stop her. She reached out to grab her sister, only for Lilith's sudden stop to cause Eda to ram her hand into her sister's shoulder. The wild witch hissed as she pulled her arm back.
"Another thing," She said sharply, pointing a finger at her sister, "Why wasn't I informed that I have a niece?"
Eda growled as she felt her frustrations peak. She lunged forward before Lilith could act and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders.
"Lily," Eda said sternly, "two things. You need to chill, and the kid's not mine."
Lilith blinked as she looked at the child still behind Eda. She looked back at her sister, confused. Her confusion didn't last more than a second, and the Liuetenant's face twisted in disgust and anger.
"That's no good, two-timer ratworm!" She screamed.
This latest outburst caused Camila to flinch and press herself close to Eda. The wild witch noticed this and scowled at her sister. Lilith didn't see the look; she was too busy trying to break free of her sister's hold. She was also swearing her vengeance on a certain bard.
"Once I got my hand on that poor excuse of a witch, I'm going to wring their neck until their head pops off. Having a child and pawning her off on their girlfriend. Oh, if it's possible, I would throw Whispers into the deepest, darkest-"
"LILITH!" Eda screamed, hoping it was loud enough that she didn't scare Camila. "The kid's not mine, and she's not Raine's! Titan, just look at her! How old do you think she is?"
Lilith blinked three times and looked at the child. She frowned as she took in the child's appearance and realized something; the girl was around 10 through 12. That would have meant that Eda would have had the child around the time she left school, and Lilith doesn't remember seeing her sister showing any signs of pregnancy.
And if she was honest with herself, Lilith remembered that Raine Whispers didn't hang out with a large crowd. The only people the bard ever hung out with were Eda and, by extension, Lilith.
Lilith looked at Eda with an awkward smile. "So, Edayln, when did you get a house demon?" she asked awkwardly.
Eda glared at her sister for a second, sighed, and looked at Camila.
"Squirt, do me a favor and go woke Raine," Eda said tiredly.
Camila looked at one of her caregivers, then slowly turned a fearful eye to the unknown person. Sensing the child's fear and uncertainty, Lilith took a few steps into the kitchen and moved from the archway.
Camila looked at Eda again, and the wild witch gave the human a quick nod. The human looked back at Lilith and cautiously walked by her. The child's eyes never leave her as she walked by Lilith.
The coven lieutenant saw the child's ears as they walked by her.
Lilith gasped as the child headed into the living room and up the stairs. She looked at her sister, the fury in her eyes returning.
"Edalyn, why did you bring a human child to the Demon Realm?" Lilith asked accusatively.
Eda sighed, her shoulders slumping as she hoped Raine was ready for her sister.
(SC)
Raine wasn't ready to deal with their girlfriend's sister. They didn't want to deal with much at the time. They hadn't been getting enough sleep in the last couple of nights because of everything that happened lately.
And dealing with their girlfriend's sister was at the bottom of their list. Thankfully, Eda had stocked up on their morning pick-me-up, not that it was doing much.
"So, can someone explain why a human child is in this demon realm, let alone in this run-down excuse of a house?" Lilith asked sharply, glaring at her sister.
Eda ignored the glare and looked at Raine. The two had a conversation nonverbally. After a second of tense silence, Eda groaned slightly, and she and Raine looked back at the lieutenant.
"Before we begin, what do you know about the cult rumors?" Raine asked.
Lilith's disdain would be showing if she didn't know how to keep a good poker face as she replied, "I know a little, and I also know that you had a run-in with them recently."
Well, sis," Eda said, "The jerks are after the squirt, and we don't know why."
Lilith frowned as he looked at the human child. Camila kept her eyes away from the new witch as she ate slowly. She looked at Raine and then at Eda, her frowns deepening slightly.
"I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Join the club, sister," Eda snarked.
"No," Lilith clarified, shaking her head. "I don't get why you would even bring a human child here and make her the target of a cult."
Eda growled and resisted the urge to hit her head on the table. She loved her sister, but for all Lilith's intelligence, she sometimes misses the finer points of things. Thankfully, Raine was there to help put them in order.
"Lilith, I found Camila while walking around Bonesbourough nearly a week again," the bard explained.
"If that was the case, why didn't you send her back when you found her?" Lilith inquired. "That seems like the right course of action."
Eda could feel her blood and something else stirring; she figured her sister would have been intelligent enough to come to that answer herself.
Thankfully, Raine saw their girlfriend's stress and stepped in on Eda's behalf.
"We tried that when we first found her. But she has an Everlasting Oath that prevents her from stepping through Eda's door. Or any portal door, for that matter."
Lilith blinked as she slowly looked at the child sitting between the two witches. Raine and Eda saw the gear turning in their old classmate's head.
"Wait…Are you suggesting the cultist might have a portal to the human realm?" Lilith suggested.
Eda let out a tired sigh and looked at her sister wary. That's one thing she hated about her sister. Lilith was intelligent but could slow when it came to certain things. Still, when she got going, the lieutenant quickly pieced things together.
"Edalyn," Lilith said calmly, looking her sister in the eyes. "The report did mention you carrying this child while fleeing. But I still don't understand why this human child is the target of a cult?"
Eda and Raine exchanged looks, and the wild witch looked back at her sister. From the look alone, Lilith knew her sister didn't have an answer, and this caused her to frown.
The Coven Lieutenant looked at the child in question, and her frown deepened. She didn't know much about humans, but she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary about the child.
"Looks like the Head Witch was right about this cult," Lilith muttered to herself, then turned her attention to her sister and her partner. "Edalyn, I need you to tell me about these cultists."
"Not much to tell," Eda replied flatly, "These jerks put up a better fight than those in Emperor Hornhead's corner. And this is my second time running into them."
Raine nodded and was about to add his input. They suddenly frowned as they realized what Eda said and looked in her direction. Eda sheepishly smiled when she realized the slip-up she just made.
"And when did you run into some of the cultists?" Raine asked sharply. "And don't lie to me."
Eda sighed and looked away as she replied quietly, "When I went to ask for that favor."
Raine gawked at their girlfriend for about a second. Their jaw then closed, and their brow narrowed as they glared at Eda.
"And you didn't think to tell me this because?" Raine asked, a hint of hurt mixing with their anger.
The wild witch growled and turned her head sharply, eyes narrowing into an intense glare.
"This-" Eda retorted, waving at Raine, "-is why I didn't tell you. I don't need you constantly looking after me! I have been doing fine on my own for 15 years. Thank you!"
It was Raine's turn to growl, jumping to their feet. Eda wasn't too far behind, standing at her full height.
"It's not about looking after you, Edayln," Raine angrily said, "It's about looking after each other!"
Eda growled, grabbed Raine by the shirt collar, and lay into them.
Lilith saw the child move and watched Camila cover her ears and shut her eyes tight. She also saw the human begin to shake, and she couldn't help but frown.
Lilith looked at her sister and Raine, ready to speak on the child's behalf, when she saw Camila's eyes snapped open. The coven lieutenant noticed a faint color in the child's eyes as she looked at her guardians with tears building.
"No fighting! I will be good, I promise!" Camila pleaded desperately.
Raine and Eda immediately stopped fighting and stared down at their charge. They immediately stopped fighting when they noticed what it was doing to the child.
"No, no, Camila," Raine said, sitting beside the distraught child. "Eda and I were just…having a heated disagreement. It's nothing you did."
Eda noticed the bard's words weren't getting through to Camila, and she did something that surprised her sister. She sat beside the child and awkwardly put her arm around her.
"Rainestorm's right," she said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "We're not… disagreeing because of you. We just got caught up in grown-up's stuff, that's all."
Camila looked between Raine and Eda and asked, "Really?"
The bard gave the human a sincere smile, and Eda did something that surprised her sister; she gave Camila a quick hug!
Lilith was surprised by all she watched; she never knew Eda to be gentle with many. It was such a heartwarming sight that it nearly brought a smile to the lieutenant's face.
Still, she was on a mission, and it was time to get to business.
"I hate breaking up this scene," the coven lieutenant said coldly. "But I am here to get your account of the incident at the Bonesborough market. And I believe we have wasted enough time."
Raine and Eda looked at Lilith, and while the wild witch was giving her sister a dull look, Raine nodded. They then looked at Camila and offered her a small smile.
"Camila, if you're done with breakfast, why do you go and tend to your spidog egg," The bard suggested softly. "Remember, you have to turn your egg three times, or your spidog might end up deformed."
Camila looked at the bard uncertainty, then nodded. She gathered her plate, threw away the remains of her breakfast, and dumped the plate in the sink. She gave Lilith a wary look before hurrying off to her room.
"Why did you send the squirt away?" Ed asked once Camila left the room.
Raine sighed and replied, "I don't want to risk triggering Camila while we talk about the cult that held her prisoner for who knows how long."
Lilith nodded, agreeing with the bard. "A sound decision, Raine. Now-" the lieutenant looked at the two witches seriously, "-Tell me everything."
(SC)
It had taken Raine and Eda about twenty minutes to explain their encounters with the cultists, and what Lilith learned made her stomach queasy.
"It does sound like there is more to this cult than we first believe," the lieutenant mumbled uneasily.
"You think?" Eda retorted sarcastically.
Lilith didn't like her sister's tone and glared at her. Eda responded with a glare of her own, and this caused Raine to sigh.
"Eda, don't provoke your sister," the bard said in a light scolding voice and looked at Lilith. "What do you think about this symbol Eda found?"
Lilith frowned and looked down; on the table was the cult's symbol Eda had found when she ran into some of the cult members. She picked up for a closer look, and her worries deepened. Except for the color and the line down the middle, the cult's symbol was nearly identical to the Emperor's sigil.
"I honestly can't say," Lilith replied, placing the item back on the table. "But the intent behind it is quite clear."
Raine nodded and looked at the emblem. Whatever these cultists were planning couldn't be anything good.
Lilith's voice brought the bard's attention back to her.
"Is there anything else you noticed about the cult? Any more detail will be helpful in this investigation."
"Nope," Eda replied, "We told you pretty much everything."
Lilith looked at the emblem and couldn't help but feel like they were still missing something. However, she felt like she had reached an impasse on this end of the investigation. So, with a sigh, she pocketed the emblem and looked at her sister and her partner.
"Can I ask if I may make an echo on the spell on the human child?" she asked calmly.
Eda gave her sister a suspicious glare. Even Raine was giving the lieutenant a measured look.
"Why?" the wild witch asked suspiciously. "I told you I did that already."
"Yes," Lilith replied, standing. "But, I would rather have a second opinion than rely on some backstreet oracle."
Eda glared at her older sister and got to her feet. Raine looked between the two Clawthorne sisters and decided to play the middle ground.
"Actually, I think that's not a bad idea," they added, standing and looking at Eda. "It's been nearly five days since you went to see your contact, and it looks like no progress has been made yet."
Eda growled as she looked between her sister and her partner. She sighed in exhaustion when she realized she had no choice.
"Fine!" she shouted in defeat, throwing her hands up. "But we're doing this outside. The last time I made an echo, it blew me half away across the room."
Raine frowned at this but decided not to voice their concerns. Instead, they decided to go and get Camila.
The bard turned to leave the kitchen and saw the human run excitedly into the area. In Camila's arms was a creature about the size of a full-grown rabbit. It looked like a black lab but with six legs, two tails, and four eyes. Also, there were red streaks on its side.
Raine couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Likes looks you spidog hatched?" the bard said warmly, and Camila nodded happily. "What do you plan to name it?"
The excitement faded from Camila's eyes as she looked at her new pet. Raine chuckled as they had an idea why the human was suddenly hesitating.
"If I may?" Raine said kindly, walking up to the human and holding out their hands. "I know of a way to tell it's gender."
Camila was slightly hesitant to hand over her new pet. One look in the bard's warms eyes and her hesitation went away. She nodded and gently handed the spidog over. Rain offered the human a reassuring smile as they gently cuddled the creature in their left arm.
The bard gently used a finger to peel back the creature' upper mouth. Raine frowned as they looked into the creature's mouth and poked around with their finger.
"It's a boy," Raine announced, smiling as they gently handed the creature back to Camila.
Camila stared down at her new pet and then looked at Raine confusingly. Raine just chuckled at the child's confusion.
"I had a spidog growing up, so I know a few things about the critter," Rain explained kindly. "Male spidogs are born with teeth. That way, they could protect their unhatched siblings."
Eda and Lilith looked at the bard with slight frowns. While what Raine had said was true, they had left out the part the reason males are born with teeth is so they could eat their fellow males after hatching.
Both silently decided against telling Camila that and focused on the human.
"So, squirt," Eda said, looking at the human. "What do you want to name him?"
Camila looked at her new put and began to think. The adults waited for the human patiently. Camila's face lit up as the perfect name came to her.
"Perro," Camila exclaimed proudly.
The human frowned as her eye glowed. Camila's eyes suddenly became distant, and she seemed lost in a memory.
The witches noticed Camila's sudden shift in demeanor and got worried. Eda got close to the human and kneeled beside her. Camila didn't react, not even when Eda put an arm on her shoulder.
"You doing okay, Camila?" Eda asked in concern.
Camila still didn't respond, and this caused the adults' worry to grow more.
"I think we shouldn't wait any longer on creating the echo," Lilith informed the others.
Raine looked at Lilith and nodded. The bard got close to the human and looked at their girlfriend. Eda got the message and stood up. She kept her hand on the girl's shoulder as Raine grabbed Camila's other shoulder, and two led her outside.
(G Corner)
And with this, Camila remembers she speaks more than one language, but such knowledge could always turn against someone. Also, since my health issues are no longer a problem, I'm back to work, and my posting will be slowing. So, I will be back to posting a chapter a week.
