Let It Slip

Part XXV

"Wait..." Lilith reached past the gobsmacked sisters to drag a finger across the bottom of the vault, producing a clear and viscous stain on her skin, "...what is this?"

Zelda's blood ran cold, goosebumps rushed up her arms and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She couldn't bring herself to respond, she only looked at her sister who mimicked Lilith's actions, bringing the substance up to her face to study it. She watched as the younger Spellman began to realize exactly what it was and her heart ached.

Oblivious to the emotions rumbling within the Spellmans, Lilith rolled the goo between her fingers and sniffed it, "It's Incubus plasma. How in Satan's name.....?" Her mouth snapped shut as she connected the dots - there were only two people who had access to the Archives - and her arm fell to her side.

Hilda's eyes filled with confused tears and she looked desperately at her sister, "How? I buried him."

Zelda felt a tear roll slowly down her cheek, the guilt over her role in Cerberus' death and the compassion she felt for her sister's plight was too much to contain. The elder sister shook her head silently, unable to answer Hilda's question so she turned to Lilith with an almost accusatory tone; "HOW?!"

Lilith put her hands up, as if to surrender, "You said that Cerberus was killed by the Incubus whom he invited back into his body in order to access the entrance to Hell. It's possible that Cerberus' human form died but that his spirit is still trapped in the body of the Incubus - in which case, the Incubus would have full access to Cerberus' knowledge."

Hilda reached forward and gripped Lilith's wrists, pulling her closer, "Tell me Cerberus is alive."

Lilith reached out and tenderly stroked Hilda's cheek, wiping tears away, "I'm sorry Hilda, I can't. You saw him die, didn't you?"

When Hilda hesitated, Zelda finally spoke up, "Did you see Cerberus die Hilda?"

"I don't know what I saw! Dr. Cee agreed to have the demon repossess him in order to get into Hell and it was assumed that once the incubus was within him the human side of him would not have much longer to live. His life had already been extended for over a hundred years longer than most humans - the energy it took to accept the demon drained him. I woke up one morning and he wasn't breathing. I assumed he died overnight and Ambrose helped me bury him within a couple hours of waking up." Hilda looked at Zelda in horror, "Sister, what if I buried him alive?!"

Zelda grabbed her sister's hands, holding them tightly, words failing her. The Spellmans turned to the Mother of Demons, their water-filled eyes begging her for answers. Lilith grimaced, the emotions making her uncomfortable enough to fill the silence with the first tidbit of information that came to mind:

"Incubi are non-human vampires, they are as close to a vampire's ancestor as it is possible to get. If the Seven Seals can somehow help us conquer the vampires, it would be feasible to think that Incubus-Cerberus stole the seals in order to give them to the vampires or at very least hide them from us." As she finished her sentence and Hilda began to sob in earnest, Lilith realized that may not have been the answer they were looking for.

"He....would....never..." Hilda wailed in between gulps of air.

"Sister, if the Incubus has survived, you have to understand that it isn't Cereberus." Zelda gently reached between them and closed the vault, pushing the buttons that would take them back to the beginning of the Archives.

"And an Incubus absolutely would!" Lilith cut in. "Our saving grace could be that Incubi are loyal only to themselves so if my suspicions are true, the demon would be delivering the seals in return for some sort of payment."