Whispers at Witching Hour

Chapter 46

Musical inspiration: LA PAURA DE BUIO – Måneskin

"So... Why again did her Majesty say to Zelda Spellman, she would see her at witching hour?", the minion asked for clarity.

Lilith had put her feet up in the throne while laying back to relax, eyes closed. "Honestly, I don't even know!", she admitted.

They had been doing that for a while now: She would make herself comfortable somewhere, the minion would sit down with a notebook and a pen, listening to her venting and occasionally scribbling things down.

And as much as she hated to admit it, it kind of helped her process everything. She had someone to talk to when her mind was driving her insane again, so she could see things for how they were, clearly. It was way too easy to lose oneself in obsessions and spiraling thoughts.

The minion paid attention, sometimes commented, or asked something and she would just tell him. He knew many things about her now, so she had decided to drop the pluralis majestatis.

"So, it was more of an impulse to say it, wasn't it?", he concluded.

"I guess", she shrugged.

"Does her majesty experience sudden urges of the sort frequently?"

Lilith thought about it for a while, fiddling with the applications on her dress. "I'd say so, but that's not a bad thing, is it? I mean, it saved me back then in the tree!"

"Does her Wickedness want to elaborate on that?"

Lilith sighed and moved to find a more comfortable position in the throne. She did not enjoy digging up old memories much, but she had liked the tree a lot, it had been her first own home after all.

"Fine", she groaned, crossing her arms behind her head.

"So, I had been kicked out the Garden, you know the story. Next thing, I found myself wandering through the wilderness – everyone insists on emphasising this part of the story – and found a tree. The tree. The tree of life, tree of Eridu, or whatever you want to call it. It stretches from hell up into heaven. Roots in the ninth circle, tribe and some branches on earth and crown up in heaven."

"And what did her Viciousness do?", he inquired.

"Built a tree house of course! Or at least something in that manner. Needed some place to stay and give me shelter obviously", she closed her eyes again, "However, I made myself at home, decorated everything nicely and just when I found peace there, some dumb-ass king came along to chop it down. And just before the pack arrived, I had the impulse not to fight them but to flee. And I did just that. Considering the sheer mass of people there, it saved my life."

"And since then, her Majesty follows every sudden urge without thinking twice about it?"

Lilith shot him a threatening stare that made the minion sink into his seating, hunching his shoulders. The demoness was pleased by the fear in his demeanor and let it go.

"Yup."

He cleared his throat, intimidated to the point he struggled to continue. "Have you been back to the tree anytime? What happened to it?"

"Well, they did chop it down, but it's the tree of life, so of course it regrew. And no, I haven't been back, not until... Never mind."

"Why haven't you been back?"

"Guess I didn't want to see my home destroyed..."

"Perfectly understandable. But you have been back, haven't you?",

"Fine. Yes. Yes, I have. With Zelda. On our first date. It went terrible. Don't want to talk about it..."

"I see...", he scanned his notes, "Mistress, if I understood correctly, the tree was a source of calmness for her Majesty, wasn't it? Then may I suggest, as her Viciousness has mentioned feeling uneasy, that she may return to the place due to its calming effect?"

Lilith let the idea sink in; he had a point there, she missed the tree, but the memories... Would it be worth a try?

~

Sabrina had come to pay her a visit, or rather to get Nicholas, but she could do with some company and invited Zelda's niece and her friends to dine with her. How exciting to be the hostess of a nice meal in hell, her kingdom!

"I have a question. Why do you still look like Ms. Wardwell?", asked the teenager cheekily.

"Well, I grew comfortable wearing her skin, and a face like this, it's hard to beat", Lilith answered, only telling half of the truth.

Yes, Mary's body was impeccable, but it also carried memories of her sister and their time together... And Zelda... Zelda's touch.

"Do you wanna see my real one? I mean my... green one?"

Lilith got excited about that one, interested to see how Sabrina would react to it... If Sabrina would accept it, maybe her aunt would too?

But she was disappointed. Of, course, Sabrina only cared about herself and Nick for that matter. Anyway, she could do with her help considering the stress the kings were causing her these days. The girl always came up with crazy ideas and she was all in for that.

Yet, she certainly did not expect her to claim the throne and push her aside like that.

~

"I can't believe this girl! The audacity!", Lilith groaned, pacing in the throne room.

"I can see, her Majesty – mistress? – is upset", the minion commented, scribbling hastily in his notes.

"Oh, can you now?", she stomped towards him, "You truly are an expert, aren't you?!"

The minion ducked as he could practically hear the demoness grinding her teeth.

"M-M-My mistress, if I may-"

She grabbed his collar and pulled him up on it, taking in every fear-filled pore of his face. "Speak!", she hissed.

The minion cleared his throat, shaking terribly. "Um... I... I've got some suggestions concerning your... um... betterment..."

"I'm all ears."

"Depending on what's your priority right now, I've got two approaches. One for the issue of Zelda Spellman, the other to... calm your mind..."

Lilith loosened her grip on his collar slightly, appreciating the minion's initiative. Considering her options, she was torn because taking control of her ever-swirling emotions was more urgent, but Zelda... Was Zelda... She haunted her, despite her efforts to keep her mind from going there.

"Zelda. Tell me about Zelda", she demanded.

"Right. I had the idea that, as Sabrina's regent, you could spend some time with the girl. Get close to her, some bonding time... This way you could stay informed about your... interest and gain an advantage for when you actually try to win her back."

"Using her niece as an ace up my sleeve? My, my minion, that's a bit invasive. What kind of therapist are you?", she joked, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Well, I never claimed to be a good one", he shrugged, "Actually, most of my patients have killed themselves. That's probably why I'm here."

Lilith chuckled and realised she liked the guy more by the minute. And his suggestion was not even that bad after all.