LILITH (DEMONOLOGY I)

XVI

I didn't speak for days. I couldn't, after what I had witnessed. We spent those days in a remote cabin that Eva surrounded with sigils. Eva would bring me food and water every now and then, and the only acknowledgement I would give her was a small nod.

"You can't stay like this forever, Finn," she sat down next to me and put a hand on my leg. "Thalia did what she did so we could execute the rest of the plan. We also need to get back at Clay for damning us." I looked at her. Her cardinal red hair and pale skin were vibrant under the cabin's light, and her blue eyes stood out against it all. She smiled a little when she notice me staring. "It's nice to see that I'm getting through to you. Has anyone ever told you that you stare a lot?" Yes, someone had told me. And they had been ripped away from me just days before.

"Finn, please just say something." Eva said. "I feel horrible. I know you must hate me for what I did, but know that I did it for your sake. If we stayed, we wouldn't have been able to help her, so the outcome wouldn't have been different for her."

"I know, I'm not mad at you." Eva jumped when I spoke, as if she had never heard my voice before. "I'm not mad, just still in shock. She did what she wanted to do, I understand that. I just wish she hadn't. I've watched so many people fade away. First my father, then Luna, then Dale, and now her. I've seen too much. And to be honest, I just want to forget it all."

"Forgetting it isn't healthy," Eva put a hand on my back. My spine had healed, but there was a nasty scar. It was still sensitive to touch, so Eva's hand sent a shiver up my spine. "What you should do is move on. Keep them in mind, but don't think about the hardships. Instead of focusing on how your father died, think about how he protected you for his whole life. Instead of thinking about Luna and Dale's deaths, think about how they took you in and allowed you to be where you are now. Instead of thinking about Thalia's sacrifice, think about why she sacrificed herself."

I took her advice, and it made me feel a little bit better. She was right. I wasn't doing anything for anyone if I just sat around being sad.

"Well, we made it out of hell, so that's a positive thing. But where do we go from here?" I genuinely wasn't sure about what I needed to do.

"We've been out here healing up for a few days," she said. "And I think we should get in contact with the other Holy Shield members as soon as possible. Then we can deal with Clay and continue-"

"Eva, I have to be honest with you," I cut in. "Thalia and I have been conspiring against the Shield this whole time."

I expected her to lash out, or to be taken aback. But instead, she said: "That's a relief. I'm glad there's someone else in this group with common sense. These humans have no clue what the supernatural are capable of."

"Wait, what?" I was not expecting that.

"Well, I was born and raised in Hell. To see these people try to deal with paranormal activity makes me fear for this world's future. So, how exactly did you intend to end the corruption up there without the aid of the Shield?"

I explained the plan that Thalia and I had devised. How we would get the Holy Shield to hold off its attack, buying us time to expose Wynne and the Council. After that, we would rally Heaven's troops against the Shield and force them to surrender. It wasn't the most well thought out plan, but it was the best we could do.

"Interesting approach," Eva said. "I'm surprised you're showing so much mercy. If I recall correctly, Wynne ruined your life and used you. I thought you'd want to kill her as soon as possible."

"That was what I wanted to do at first," I admitted. "But Thalia helped me think clearly. If I killed her, someone else would take her spot. We need to dethrone them, and then get revenge."