Chapter 9

"Sometimes, you just have to drink some water and sit outside like a wilted plant" - these were the words of my sister when she sent me back to my room after I insisted on helping her in the kitchen.

She had decided she was going to make something for lunch today. Although I knew all too well who exactly she was cooking for, I decided to let her do it.

When we still lived with our parents, I was always the cook. Alcina had always had a talent with drinks but meals were my job.

I thought I could make something for everyone to distract myself from the fear that was slowly eating away at my heart but when I came into the kitchen, Alcina was already there preparing something and she wouldn't listen to me.

"Go drink some sun water." She said.

So here I was, sitting near the window of my room, with a jar filled with water and a rose quartz, trying to drink some sun water.

Snow water would have made more sense. I thought, looking at all the snow outside.

But then again, snow water is for weak spells and no matter how good I was feeling now, I could always need more strength.

I kicked a shawl away when it got tangled in my feet and resumed staring at the water.

At this rate, I will drink this water after a week. The sun was barely peeking over the clouds today so there wasn't enough sunlight for me to make sun water.

"Stop grumbling about water." I rolled my eyes at the voice in my ears.

"Stop listening to me." I shot back at the nosy spymaster.

"I can't when you are cursing something every five minutes." His voice again caressed my ears as his shadows curled around in their beautifully carved cages.

"I wasn't the one who asked you to give me this gift." I retorted.

There was silence for a while, the shadows halted. Then, a muffled sound travelled over to me. A sharp screech followed it, like someone was dragging metal over metal.

I waited, too used to hearing hell to be bothered by the screams of those left to the mercy of the shadowsinger.

"I don't regret that." He returned. " I would have regretted not giving it to you."

I had no answer to that so I let the words dissolve between us.

"Why are you complaining about water?" He continued.

I sighed at the mention of my tideous task. "Alcina said I should drink sun water."

"What is that?" Azriel asked.

"Water charges with the energy of the sun. Except, there is no sun." I explained.

"What does it do?"

"Lots of things. It can heal almost anything, it can fasten strong spells." I gave a few examples.

"Does it taste good?" His amused voice traveled over the dark tendrils.

"It tastes like water. Which is good......I think?" I frowned at his question.

"Shame." He replied.

" Are you coming back for lunch?" I asked.

"If things keep going the way they are-" he paused, something cracked on the other side "- not till midnight. "

"Oh." I was surprised to hear disappointment in my voice.

"It's good."

"Why?" I raised my eyebrows.

"I can keep disturbing you." I could picture the smirk on his face as he said those words.

"I-" My jab was held back by terror.

"Azriel." I whispered.

"Yes?" He picked up on my tone.

"They are here." I stared with wide eyes at the cloaked figure in the garden.

I didn't even breath, every muscle in my body screamed at me to run. Run as far away as I could but I didn't dare move.

"Who are?" I barely heard his voice over the rush of blood in my ears. "Lillith, who is there?" He asked again.

With a start, I realised my sister was here and I jumped out of my seat. My heart leaped out my chest as I ran down the stairs.

No. No.No. No. No.

I had to reach Alcina before they did. I vaguely heard Azriel shouting my name but everytime was a blur and the only thing I knew was that I had to be with my sister.

I couldn't yell. If they hadn't found her, i couldn't risk letting them know she was in the house.

I gasped when I reached the kitchen.

Branches and Veins were rapidly growing from outside the window and flooding the kitchen. Alcina was backed up in a corner and her magic worked swiftly to create a barrier between her and the tall figures.

One blast of my power and they backed away several feet.

"Do not touch my sister." I stood between Alcina and the men.

Shadows thickened around me. Alcina worked at spreading and twisting the branches towards them.

To my surprise, this time, they did not try to catch me.

Instead, one of them slowly stepped forward.

I raised my hand, ready to hex him, but he kneeled in front of me.

"It is time, goddessborn." Four words. That is all it took for me to hex all of them.

Three stumbled down to the ground and coughed out blood.

"No." I growled. Every since I was little I knew I would here these words one day. Now that I was hearing them, I felt like I might never breath again. My lungs felt like they were collapsing on themselves.

"No, it is not." The sound that escaped my lips was nothing less than an animalistic snarl. " I refuse. I do not accept-"

Before I could finish one of them cut me off. "Don't you? We will hunt you till the end of the world if we have to. They asked us to bring you peacefully, otherwise we will have taken you by force."

His words envoked a rage in me that I never knew existed. "Taken me by force?" I growled while he screamed as his life force twisted inside his body. "You would have taken me by force? You filthy vermin would have dared to touch me or my sister?" The skin on his knee peeled apart as his blood oozed out of the flesh and bones crunched under his skin.

"Lillith." Alcina's voice was a choked gasped but it pulled me out of my bloodlust.

"I can't-" she leaned heavily on the wall. He magic weaved leaves to create a trap but her face had lost it colour. It took me too long to realise what was happening.

"No." I whispered. "Stop this." I looked at one of the men, my eyes half wild with desperation. "Don't hurt her."

"I'm coming with you." I breathed. "I'm coming but you will not hurt anyone."

If it kept my sister alive , I could go through this for eternity.

"You know we don't want to hurt anybody. We only want you."

"Yes. Yes. I am -I am coming. Stop this. Please!" Alcina doubled over in pain. "What are you doing to her?" Tears filled my eyes.

"Nothing but a little poison. If you come with us, we can cure her." The man said.

"I will! Just stop this. She's in pain." I had never been so helpless in my life.

The man produced a small vial. "She will be in perfectly good health if she drinks it." I almost lunged for it. "But-" he put his hand up. "- first you must accept this."

Another man came forward with a neatly folded black dress.

"Of course." I took it from him.

"While you put this on, we will give this to your sister." I nodded. " And then, you can leave with us."

"Don't let her die." I slowly backed away from Alcina who was covered in sweat and shaking on the ground. Even through the pain, she managed to give me an encouraging smile.

My forever brave sister.

Then there was me- The coward.

But this coward would sacrifice herself a thousand times over for her.

"You will be fine. I promise." I rushed into a room and quickly slid on the clothes.

I did not have the time or the interest in knowing what I was wearing when my sister could be taking her last breaths.

"Give me that."I snatched the vial out the the man's hand as soon as I came back to the kitchen.

I had to force Alcina to open her mouth to drink it. Her usually pink cheeks were pale and her eyes held no shine. She lifted a shaky hand to touch my shoulder.

"Lillith." She breathed.

"It's going to be okay. Everything will turn out fine. I promise." I held her hand and pressed my mouth to the back of it. A single tear cought itself between my lips.

"You will have a beautiful garden." I said, my entire body shaking. "And you and Morrigan can grow all the flowers you want."

She chuckled weakly at that.

"Hurry." The man snapped.

"Just a moment. She will be fine." I said.

Alcina lowered her voice to the point when even the wind couldn't carry it but I heard it. "The shadows will always weave together. Even light couldn't keep them apart, what's a little trickster? They are eternal. Inevitable. "

When I took my leave, my eyes were on my sister who was slowly returning to life and my hands around my neck, on the beautiful dark stones that were listening.