The Princess and the Blood of Eternity

Chapter 10: The Ritual of Life

Lilith waited as the attack on the cabin's exterior continued without end. The walls and thatch roofing had held thus far, but how long would the luck keep?

Already, moonlight bled through the pincushion wall, and rain drizzled through the mangled roofing. It would be one thing if they were wild animals in search of food, but these red-eyed creatures appeared to be equipped with intelligence, or at least some sort of goal.

Boulder monitored the front door while Cassandra and Lilith huddled near the center of the cabin against the rain and cold. They should've evacuated long ago. They based their choice to remain on the false assumption the creatures would eventually become bored and leave. With so many covering the exterior of the cabin, an evacuation now might as well be suicide—at least not without some sort of distraction.

Regardless of how things had turned out, Lilith berated herself for being so useless. She'd never taken an active role in much of anything. Back home, the princess had servants to do everything and anything. This trip was the first time she'd ever dressed herself. The "perks" of being a princess had always felt like a thorn in her foot. Being pushed and prodded like a doll lacked appeal for anyone with half a brain. And her mother knew this. If it weren't for her lineage, and the fact she was an only child, the Matriarch might've replaced her long ago.

From the moment she woke until she laid down on her bed, every moment of her day was meticulously planned. The only thing left to her discretion were bathroom breaks. Except if she took too long, someone would come check on her. Work of any kind was strictly forbidden—chore or otherwise.

It made sense, logically. The public were not to see a member of the royal family lowering themselves with actual work, else the city could lose face. As if it was an indication, the city was failing economically for being unable to fund a proper host of servants.

As a figurehead, living in extreme opulence and comfort was her civic duty to the peoples whose lives she would one day control. At least that's how she'd been raised.

More and more, through the interactions with Cleo, his crew, and her overhearing the conversations of the common sailor, she was beginning to understand things a little differently. Their music, dance, and jokes. The nuance of people and culture could not be understated. The voyage had opened her eyes in a variety of ways, not the least was her exposure to all the pain and suffering had by the people who died with the fall of her mother's ship.

Lilith hoped the cabin could hold out until sunrise. She couldn't explain why, but she felt the creatures might give up once the sun cracked the horizon. The feeling ran parallel to the assumption that these things would kill them once they gained entry.

Over time, the roof sagged, drooping near the middle from the weight of the rain and the damage inflicted by those creatures. It confirmed her fears that they were running out of time. With so much damage, the cabin would collapse like the structure had been exposed to a decade of termite damage.

One of two things would happen. The creatures would find a way inside, or the cabin would collapse beneath its own weight, crushing them in the process. One way or another, the charade of survival would be over soon.

Boulder's suggestion of leaving him behind so he could serve as a distraction made her physically sick. A decoy or sacrifice for the princess—Lilith refused to accept it. She didn't doubt his battle prowess, quite the opposite, but left alone to face so many unknown threats, his survival seemed unlikely. What could she do? She wracked her mind for the correct answer.

Her life didn't belong to her. As princess and only heir to the Matriarch, her life belonged to the people of Mont Qerath. Without her, the succession of the monarchy could be called into question. And a war for succession would only lead to thousands of needless deaths.