Chapter Thirty-Six
Lilith
Sunlight pulsed through Lilith’s slumber, rousing her.
She stretched, letting the dormant quiet of her muscles flex awake against the cool glide of her sheets. Dragon was nestled
in the crook of her neck. A purr rumbled from his warm body as he snuggled closer.
Opening her eyes, she looked up at the ceiling and felt… rested.
She absently pet Dragon and tried to recall what she’d dreamed the night before. There hadn’t been a single nightmare. No
mirrors or fires or Jacinda begging for help.
Last night was blank, an empty canvas upon which her body could paint a restful night of restorative sleep. The bag of dried
hops under her pillow was a miracle.
Or…magic?
Lilith sat up abruptly.
The manor and the pouch of herbs called to her with an urgency that sent her leaping out of bed.
Asher was already up with a cup of coffee when she and Dragon made their way to the kitchen. A smile hovered on his lips when
he saw her and Lilith ducked her head shyly to hide her blush.
He’d almost kissed her.
She’d wanted him to kiss her.
“No need to make breakfast today,” she said. “I was thinking I’d head to the manor this morning, if that’s all right.”
His silence made her look up to find his brow furrowed before he nodded slowly. “Yeah—right, that’s fine.”
It was an awkward acquiescence, but she’d take it.
“And don’t forget your tea,” Aunt Jacqueline called from the table. “I trust you slept well?”
“And I trust you already knew that.” Lilith grinned at her.
Aunt Jacqueline laughed. “The cheek on this one!”
Before Lilith could return to her room, Dragon pawed at her ankles with the pouch of herbs dangling from his sharp teeth.
The clever little guy.
She took it in her palm and the soft hum that had started after Mama’s death intensified.
“What’s that?” Asher nodded toward.
“Nothing you need to worry over,” Aunt Jacqueline said before Lilith could stammer out a nonsensical reply.
But Lilith scarcely heard them. The manor. She had to get to the manor immediately.
The urgency returned with intensity, tightening the muscles along the back of her neck, tugging her onward with purpose.
Was it the herbs in the pouch? Was this actually working?
Dragon cooed and pawed at her shoes.
“I think he’s impatient to go,” Aunt Jacqueline said with a smile.
Lilith hastily poured hot water into a Kindred Creatures tumbler with a couple pouches of peppermint tea to steep and waved a hasty goodbye as she followed Dragon out the door.
Outside, Lilith had to squint against the sun’s brilliance. Insects hummed around her, louder and louder, a crescendo that
drowned out her footsteps. The lush fragrance of foliage mingled in an exquisite aroma of rich earth, making her almost heady
with the perfume of nature.
Her senses were alive, her heart full with a sense of being exactly where she was supposed to be.
She had to walk very fast, because that skinny little cat navigated the terrain as if he’d been to the old building before.
As if he, too, were pulled toward Brackenmere Manor.
The manor seemed larger somehow, the structure more imposing, the rot and decay less pernicious.
Lilith withdrew the iron key from her pocket, its weight suddenly more substantial than before, the touch of the metal sending
the world into flat silence.
This visit was so much more important than previous ones. Before, she’d been curious, uncertain of what everything meant.
While she still didn’t know exactly, she now understood the price of her failure.
And just how little time remained.
Hands trembling, she unlocked the door and gave a nervous laugh. “How did you know the way here, Dragon?”
He squinted up at her like a sage old man.
She opened the door and set the key aside as if it burned her. The hum rushed back to her like a siren song, alluring and
impossible to ignore.
The past was more vivid than before, though still blurred against the stark clarity of the present.
The muted veil of tapestries on the wall was now bolder with vibrant blues and reds and golds.
She breathed in, drawing in the yeasty, homey scent of baking bread.
Underfoot, the rushes were fresh and sweet, but also slippery against the soles of her shoes.
A fire flickered in the hearth between the two Grecian figures, its warmth evident on Lilith’s skin.
As if the house was awakening from a long hibernation.
Dragon stepped into the room and sniffed around. Lilith glanced at the pouch clutched in her palm.
Rosemary to draw the potency of the earth to your senses.
The world had been extraordinarily alive on the walk over. Was that from the rosemary?
Heads of a snakeroot plant to amplify your need.
Laurel leaves to increase success.
Was this why the room appeared so much crisper?
Were the partial ingredients for the charm already taking effect?
Had they actually worked?
A woman entered the room, more visible than ever before, her shape crisper. Her fingers twisted at the maid’s apron over a
plain brown dress. Lilith approached her. “Can you hear me?”
The woman continued on, oblivious, nearly walking through Lilith.
So far, only Jacinda had been able to hear and speak to her.
Which meant Lilith had to find her again.
A quick search indicated she was not anywhere Lilith had been before. She approached a set of stairs leading up to the third
floor. Where she was not supposed to go.
Before she could back away, Dragon darted up the stairs in a streak of black.
Well, now, she truly had no choice but to follow.
“Sorry, Asher,” she muttered as she made her way toward the forbidden area.
The rooms were smaller on the third floor, possibly servant’s quarters given the echo of the past reflecting simple beds and nightstands. One room was painted pale blue with a wobbly painting of a giant blue dog on one wall.
Was that Blue’s Clues?
Toys were neatly tucked into a shelf against the wall with Lego castles and Transformers arranged artfully. From the top of
the shelf, the tongue of a Hot Wheels ramp drooped downward, ending at a mini garage full of metal cars.
This was a child’s room from only a couple decades ago.
Was it…Asher’s?
Had he lived in the house?
From somewhere downstairs, a pan clattered to the floor. Lilith strained to listen, ready for the shatter of glass that followed.
The shatter came at the same time she glanced at her watch and confirmed it was 12:03.
Lilith finished her search of the third floor without finding Jacinda, though the remainder of the rooms were filled with
moldering pieces of furniture, a rabbit-eared TV with a crack in the corner, and boxes laden with dust.
The attic stairs loomed before her.
“Go big or go home,” she said softly to herself and put her foot on the first step.
Whispers of the past revealed a place where herbs had dried, the bunches swaying like specters overhead. But she scarcely
noticed them for all the canvases. A series of them were braced against the right wall, as if to dry thoroughly.
Each one looked exactly the same, an image of Brackenmere Manor.
Lilith clicked on her flashlight and leaned closer to inspect the first canvas. A figure showed in the second-floor window
in every canvas. The corner-most library window. Leaning forward, she studied the image, making out a woman with honey-colored
hair, wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans. Was that…her?
The next painting showed the woman, this time as a shadow. On and on, the paintings were lined up to show the woman growing less visible in the window.
A final painting remained on the easel. Lilith approached, her throat gripping her heart.
In the last painting, the window was empty.
As if the woman had ceased to exist.