Lilith's spectral wails and ghostly hand-waving ceased as she rounded the corner, narrowly avoiding a collision with Grace. The tension in the air was heavy. Grace was intensely absorbed in a dispute with a dozen guards over their position on a detailed floor map that kept shifting, as was common once the castle went under lockdown.
"Need something, Lilith?" Grace questioned, her sharpest tongue reserved for Lilith alone while her gaze barely lifted from the map.
"Right here, you three. Here, you...six. And here, the rest," Lilith instructed as she motioned to points on the map. "These are the critical positions that require our attention. In the event of...well, a breach, we must maintain these positions, driving him down this side corridor to minimize the damage away from the rooms in use."
With a quick nod, Grace wasted no time accepting Lilith's plan; they all had an unspoken faith in Lilith's tactical mind. It was no secret that Lilith possessed a genuinely brilliant mind when it came to devising battle strategies. It was far above any other—a mind that even allowed her to achieve the honorable rank of Captain of the Sins of Blakemore.
"Well, what's the holdup? Waiting for a cookie? Move!" Grace's command spurred the group to disperse to their assigned posts. She turned to Lilith and saw she was still there. "And why are you still here? You should be the first one who left."
"Waiting for my cookie, of course!" Lilith met Grace's icy glare. If looks could kill, Lilith thought, with an inner laugh that partway spilled out. "I'm going! I'm going!" she added, cheekily sticking out her tongue before leaving.
Returning to the castle's basement, Lilith found that the spell had already been activated during her brief absence. The air crackled with residual magic and carried a faint scent of apples. Before her stood the aftermath of the spell, a semi-transparent barrier, shimmering with a subtle golden glow, separating her from the Duke, who lay at the center of the magical barrier.
"All appears to be in order, my Lord," Alistair reported, pacing alongside the barely imperceivable barrier. "The repair done on the leak was completed faultlessly. There should be no further cause for concern so long as—"
A deafening crack, reminiscent of collapsing stone, tore through the room, cutting Alistair off mid-sentence. Alistair's gaze snapped to Lilith, disbelief coloring his expression as she recoiled, her spear clutched tightly in hand, moving back after she attempted to breach the magic barrier.
"Now that's what I call a sturdy defense spell. Not even a scratch!" Lilith remarked, a self-satisfied grin playing on her lips as she returned the spear to its place in her heart.
"You! Have you lost your mind?" Alistair's voice thundered, surpassing even the sound of Lilith's attack. "We wouldn't have time to erect another barrier if you broke this one! Have you finally gone mad, y-y-you—"
"Alistair..." The Duke's barely audible voice cut through his fury, causing him to stop. "If Lilith could shatter the barrier with her spear alone...it wouldn't have mattered whether it stayed up...or do you think I am that feeble?"
"No, my Lord! I would never even dare think—" Alistair began, interrupted by Lilith's loud laughter filling the room.
"He's just teasing you, Alistair!" Lilith laughed, almost bent over.
"I-I knew that. Of course..." Alistair stuttered, a faint blush coloring his cheeks as he chuckled.
"Of course you did. Anyway, I'll take first watch. The Duke and I have matters to discuss privately about proper etiquette befitting a Duke," Lilith declared with a smile that left no room for debate as it sent a shiver down Alistair's spine.
YOU ARE READING
The Duke's Secrets
FantasíaFor a decade, the Northern Dukedom of Blakemore has endured the iron-fisted rule of Duke Dominic Samael Blakemore, a ruthless ruler who conceals his face behind a menacing horned mask. Those who have seen him described him as a towering and slender...
