Hollow Immortal

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Lillith raised an eyebrow as the girl hit the ground. She was a pretty little thing. Fair skin with a healthy pink tint, unlike her own pallid facade, red-black hair and, for the brief moment she'd seen her eyes, she saw dark amber coloured pools around her dilated pupils. She studied her facial structure for a moment then glanced to Alastair, then back at the girl, then back to Alastair. It took a little while but it finally clicked. She was the granddaughter of Caine, good looks ran in the family.

She saw Mercedes standing a short distance away with an expression of disdain carved into her face, her green eyes squinted into a vicious glare when Lillith made eye contact.

There were two others with Caine's little family, two men who couldn't seem to figure out where to look. Well the one seemed more uneasy than the other one but, on the whole, they both looked rather uncomfortable. The one, who was more at ease, was a vampire of the Maragi discipline. Big and strong and covered in ink. The other one was more or less human. He was alive but she could sense his connection with death and the dead. A necromancer, perhaps. Alastair had told her of a necromancer once; a boy named Samuel. She assumed that this young gentleman was him.

"Alastair," she said the name she never thought she'd say again, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need your help," he said, his wine-coloured eyes growing like those of a child when asking a parent for something it wants.

"I gathered that," she replied, "but I thought we had a deal. My silence for my deliverance."

"And I gave it to you," his voice was filled with pleading, "but I need you."

She casually glanced at her nails, "For what?"

"For the plan," he replied, "I think it's time."

Lillith sighed. She'd seen Alastair when she'd looked for a traitor but she decided to keep what she saw to herself because, as well as she knew Caine, she knew Alastair. They operated similarly, both had very good reasons for doing what they did. All it took to understand their reasoning was changing her perspective a little bit. That, she'd heard, was something most found difficult but she'd never been one to take sides. Not until she understood exactly why she should, and even then she usually didn't. She was on her own side. Now, however, she was inclined to agree with Alastair. Caine sought to plunge the entire world into suffering for who knew how long, kind of turn it into his own personally run Hell. Alastair sought to avoid that at all costs, which seemed to better serve her interests. Though, in the end, she did land up giving her life for his cause. Something she was, oddly, all too glad to do. She didn't want to see Caine turning into the monster she knew deep down he really was. She wanted to always believe that he was the heroic stranger who'd rescued her all those years before. But had he really rescued her? She didn't want to stay to find out so she'd left and she'd been brought back to face exactly what she was trying to avoid.

"Pity," she mumbled, "he was the one thing I was actually looking forward to seeing."

Part of her had hoped his would be the first face she saw. She'd hoped that he'd have been the one to bring her back. But it was obvious that he didn't need her anymore.

"Yeah, I'll bet," she heard Mercedes scoff.

She turned her head to face the woman whom she'd regarded as little more than an obstacle for several years but quickly became the bane of her existence. The dagger in her heart, so to speak.

"Is there a problem, Mercedes?" she asked, remaining calm.

"Not at all, dear," Mercedes replied, "but I would really appreciate it if you'd stop making obvious advances on my husband."

Lillith smiled, "Last I checked he wasn't here to advance on and he stopped being your husband the day you faked your own death. Till death do us part, remember?"

"I'm not dead," deep lines formed around Mercedes mouth as her scowl intensified.

"No," Lillith said, meeting her eyes, "but he is."

Mercedes was about to shoot something back but a very uncomfortable Alastair cut in.

"Okay," he said stepping between her and Mercedes, "ladies, can you two please do this later?"

Lillith gave a slow nod, "Indeed, Alastair?"

"Lillith?"

"I would be much obliged if you could find me something to wear."

Alastair's eyes widened and she knew he'd forgotten that little detail. She sighed, thinking she'd sooner or later end up making one hell of an entrance, but he undid the clasp of the dramatic, black formal cape he was wearing and offered it to her. Mercedes hadn't taken her glaring eyes off of her. She raised an eyebrow.

"Why, Lillith," she said, her voice full of taunting malice, "one would think someone of your profession would be used to going without clothes."

She flung the cloak round her shoulders then began fiddling with the clasp, "And what profession might that be, dear?"

"Don't be so coy, whore!" Mercedes spat.

Lillith fastened the clasp and released another sigh before facetiously stating, "It's good to be back."

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Hello Lillith, I've missed you.

Oh, hello there. I hope you're having a lovely day/evening. Thanks very much for reading this latest addition to the Hollow Immortal, I really do appreciate your support and of you liked it (or didn't like it) you know what to do ;-).

Yours,

Raine.