Whispers at Witching Hour

Chapter 56

Musical inspiration: Here Comes Revenge – Metallica

Hilda was pleased to find Zelda was in a better mood today, especially after their fight the other day. She felt something had changed about her older sister – for the better. She was even eating the chocolate for the pancakes out of the saucepan with the wooden spoon. Just like the old days... Zelda had always had a sweet tooth.

With Sabrina at the breakfast table and a little chatting, it felt like the many peaceful days they had spent as a family when Sabrina was younger and all the chaos, they had to deal with today was far away.

But shortly after Sabrina left, Hilda felt the energies shift. Zelda continued to stir the pot with her spoon, occasionally licking some chocolate off it, as she spoke to Hilda: "Sister, I think I need to have a word with you. About the book you tried to hide from me so amateurishly."

Oh-oh. That was not good at all. Hilda's heartrate increased and her cheeks took on a light shade of red. She swallowed the lump in her throat and dared to look up at her sister.

"Um... Sure...", she stuttered, "Zelda... It's just a book, I wanted to help you and you wouldn't talk to me and-"

"Save it", Zelda hissed, "You've told your little boyfriend, haven't you? Honestly, and you call yourself a sister!"

A knife cut right through her chest. All she had wanted to do was take care of her sister. Her sister who failed miserably at that task. Her sister who needed her support but was too blind to see. And here she was, being yelled at again for caring! She had promised herself to practice self-care and, in this moment, she had to draw the line.

"Yes, Zelda. I call myself a sister!", she raised her voice with determination, "Because all I ever did was take care of you, make sure you wouldn't be sucked into a downward spiral of self-destruction, make sure you were alright without threatening your pride. Because, Zelda, as much as I know you want to, you cannot do this on your own!"

Tears were threatening to spill, but these words needed to be said. Zelda looked at her in surprise, but at the same time as if she was about to break. Hilda waited for a response but got none.

"Zelda, you are my sister and I love you, and I just want you to be okay. So, sorry for the harsh words, but you seriously need to get over yourself and accept help, dear. We're here for you. Me and Dr Cee."

Zelda's expression was still mostly stone-cold apart from the sparkle in her eyes and, upon her last words, her trembling bottom lip. It had always been her tell; the one sign signalling there was something going on behind the chiselled façade.

"And no, I haven't told him. He found out by accident", Hilda added, trying to straighten her posture to give herself some confidence.

"Hil-"

Zelda could not finish her sentence due to the mark on her chest sending out tingles, which distracted her to the point she could not remember what she wanted to say or how she felt about their conversation.

She just turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Hilda behind, who rolled her eyes in frustration.

~

If her way too long life had taught Lilith anything, then, that men are the universe's most loathsome disease. Today had proved it to her again: Caliban that bigot, who was not even a real man. Cheating in retrieving the Unholy Regalia? Seriously? Sure, no fair play in hell but that was pathetic.

Though, the demoness did not complain as it only fuelled her rage more that she was about to unleash at the one miserable excuse of a man who deserved it the most: Faustus Blackwood. Hellfire was burning in her palms and eyes as she teleported to the Academy's dungeons, appearing in the cell in a cloud of black smoke.

"Ah! Her Majesty has decided to honour me with her visit!", Lucifer announced in a pseudo-dramatic tone, "Oh! Wait! You aren't Queen of Hell anymore, are you? For how long did you manage to keep the throne? A month?", he mocked, and Lilith was about to burst from sheer hatred.

She stepped into the circle, working hard to maintain her countenance. She let a blade shoot out of her sleeve into her hand that hung loosely at her side but was gripping the weapon firmly now.

"I can smell your bloodthirst." He had to look up at her, and she liked it.

Circling the chained body, she made it short: "I'm not here for you. I want him."

"But you are aware if you kill him, I'll be free?"

"Why kill when there are worse things I could do to him."

Lucifer chuckled deviously with a note of amusement. "Does your little toy know you're here?"

Lilith shot around and pointed the tip of the blade right under his chin, lifting it up a little. "She's. Not. A. Toy", Lilith rumbled through gritted teeth, "Now step aside and let me deal with that warlock-trash."

With a last smile, anticipating the show that was promised to follow, he retracted and Faustus' defining filthy grin emerged.

"Long time no see, demoness", he greeted in a singsong without a care in the world despite the blade grazing his skin.

"Spare us the niceties, scumbag. You know why I'm here and what I'm going to do with you."

She made sure to leave a red line behind when she dragged the thin metal along his jawline, down to his throat.

He pouted in amusement; eyebrows raised. "Not kill me, that's for sure."

Lilith could not take his mockery any longer and jumped in front of him, resting on one knee, blade horizontally against his throat, pressing down with just enough pressure to hurt him but not slice him.

"What did you do to her?" She knew, but she wanted to hear it from his mouth, own up to it, expose what a freak he was. Anger was written all over her face; how her eyes and brows narrowed, her lips pressed together tightly, hellfire in her eyes raging up.

"Nothing you haven't done", he said with a half-sided self-satisfied smirk.

That's it, I'll kill him. Her blade-holding hand started to shake from the infinite contempt that was pumping through her veins at picturing what he did to her girl.

"You know what, scumbag? Fuck the no-kill policy, you don't deserve to breathe the same air as she does. Because she is million times worthier, mightier and scarier than you are!"

At this point, she was yelling and spitting in his face, ready to cut his throat open. But just when she put the blade on, the door was blown open and a pair of heels stormed to her side. With a glance over her shoulder, she could make Zelda out, who came to stand right next to her, looked her sternly in the eyes and took the knife out of her hand without any emotion flashing on her face.

Lilith sent her a confused look, but Zelda stated dryly "He's not worth it" and left as if she had not just stopped a demoness from killing someone.

The demoness was still panting from the hateful emotions but rushed after Zelda without thinking twice about it. She grabbed her lover's wrist and stopped her effectively, spinning her around to face her.

But her attempt to say something was interrupted harshly "I don't need anyone to fight my battles!".