Whispers at Witching Hour

Chapter 66

Musical inspiration: Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye ft. Kimbra

"Right, now that's sorted, we don't have to worry about getting killed by the witches we called upon to help us and can focus on the next death threat...", Zelda ranted to Ambrose, smoking furiously.

Her nephew was as calm as ever; she wondered how he kept his cool. Weed, she supposed.

"Auntie, don't freak out, with our numbers increased, we still stand a chance...", he tried to calm his aunt who was starting to irritate him with her aggregation.

"Ha, as if!", she exclaimed, shaking her auburn tresses in the process, "As far as we can tell, our all lives depend on a handful of hedge witches now, not one of them remotely sane!"

Ambrose ran his hand through his hair and leaned against the table. "That's not true. Mambo Marie is very powerful and most of all: wise."

Zelda thought about it for a moment. Yes, the voodoo priestess had taken her side and had impressed her with her reflectiveness and mediation skills. Though, she seemed too intelligent to trust her blindly. Who knew what her motives were in all of this?

"Yeah, well that'll help. One. One capable witch."

"The others aren't that bad, auntie. Maybe a little... erratic, but we'll manage. And they still've got useful powers..."

They were interrupted by one of the students rushing into the library. She approached Zelda with shy gestures that had a certain urgency to them.

"Directrix Spellman?"

Zelda chirruped at the unpleasant disturbance. "What is it?"

"There's someone at the door who wants to speak with you."

"Pagans?"
"No, I don't think so. A woman."

Zelda sighed; more women were really not what she needed in her life right now... Well, she was not craving male presence either, but they were just less complicated than women... but also less lovable.

"Thank you, I'll see to it."

She left, walking quickly just to get this over with. This day had taken its toll on her and all she wanted was to rest for a while. In silence, in the dark, on her own.

But today it seemed, the universe had no mercy for her: The unexpected visitor was Lilith, who she had explicitly told to stay away just this morning.

"Lilith, what in the heaven are you doing here? What's wrong?", she queried harshly, taking the conversation to the bottom of the staircase, practically running away from her lover. And what in heaven's name was the woman wearing?

"You know very well", Lilith said, taking off her glasses, making eye-contact, "Lucifer walks free."

Oh, right. Between her worries about the Academy and the troublesome encounter with the hedge witches, she had not thought about what Lucifer walking free meant for Lilith. She could feel her anger at the demoness return, the remains of her repeated deceptions and betrayals.

Well, if she isn't afraid of dying and willingly dances with death himself, she'll be just fine to deal with the Dark Lord on her own.

"Don't you think he'll take vengeance upon us? The Dark Lord is not known to forgive and forget. I've already received a threat. I need asylum."

Asylum, sure. She just wants to get into my bed – and my pants for that matter. No, I told her to stay away, and I can't handle facing our issues now.

"I am sorry for that, but we're rather more focused on not being annihilated by a group of unhinged pagans.

Lilith was determined to convince Zelda, not only because she needed a hideout but also because she craved being close to her ginger now because... She was scared. "I could help you."

"Oh, you, the ultimate wild card", Zelda mocked and hit Lilith hard with her words.

The woman she loved was not willing to protect her. The witch she had held in her arms, comforted in the middle of the night, and stayed awake for just to make her feel safe turned her down in her hour of need.

"But you must give me sanctuary", Lilith looked her witch up and down in disbelief, praying she was just playing a sinister joke on her.

They were in the middle of the Academy, so Lilith could not speak openly about what she felt, but she knew one way to remind Zelda of their feelings for each other only the two of them would understand:

"You worship me."

And just for the fraction of a second, Lilith could see the effect the very words they had practiced in her mother tongue just a few hours ago had on Zelda. The glint of guilt being reminded of their love showing in her eyes. But then, it was gone. Its place taken by coldness, Zelda's number one defense mechanism – a very hurtful one.

The witch stepped closer towards the demoness until their faces were awfully close, so close the spark of their love for each other would have been evident for anyone walking in on them. Lilith looked into Zelda's eyes, deeply, devotedly, and felt herself being consumed by an agonising longing for her touch, her kiss, her warmth. Eyes magnetically drawn to her witch's lips she was so viciously denied kissing.

"And what good has that done us?"

Lilith ignored the stinging pain in her chest, playing along with Zelda's game, knowing full well she was referring to the prophecy and her reckless decision. The only thing that was giving her true feelings away were her eyes; she could not control them, could not keep them away from Zelda's inviting lips.

She just wished Zelda would listen to her if she told her sending her away was the wrong thing to do, was exactly what they and specifically she did not want them to do. Patience. They would be patient. Fatally patient.

"No, find someplace else to hide." The hostility in Zelda's voice felt like crashing into a wall face-on. Cold, hard, and violent – Despite knowing it was only the witch's hurt speaking, but she could play this game too.

"You... You're a pathetic lot, hanging your onions to keep the Dark Lord at bay", she was pushing the right buttons, she could tell from the little red veins appearing in Zelda's eyes, "No. No, I think I won't stay here. What good are witches against his wrath?"

As soon as Lilith had turned around, Zelda's masked slipped and the effects of their conversation flashed on her features, looking after her demoness. Was she doing her wrong? She had been there when she had hit rock-bottom, had carefully picked up the pieces and put them back together.

In the same moment, Lilith had another idea where she could find shelter. Someone she had known for way longer than the witch.

"No, what I need is a good Christian woman."

Zelda could not move for a while after her love had left, her smoke burning down without her having a single more drag on it. She kept telling herself it was for the better if they were apart, so they could not fulfill another part of the prophecy, right?

How wrong she was...