Leonidas had walked her to the main entrance of the building before returning to the servants' quarters. As Lilith ascended the stairs, fiddling with her fingers, she couldn't help but wonder what the future held for her and Leonidas. Was this the gods' way of granting her respite after all the suffering she had endured? Or was she merely being led toward an even worse fate?
Lilith walked down the eerily quiet hallways, deliberately avoiding looking at the paintings that lined the walls. When she reached her door, she grasped the knob and twisted it open, revealing a chamber slightly larger than her previous one. The bed was positioned at the center of the room, a medium-sized chandelier hanging from the ceiling above it. Two large windows, draped with brown curtains. A modest table and chair sat in the corner, with a small shelf mounted above them, and a separate bath chamber lay to the side. The room was simple yet elegant.
Letting out a sigh, Lilith closed the door behind her and collapsed onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She had only intended to rest her eyes for a few moments, but before she knew it, her quiet nap had drifted into a deep slumber.
Hearing a sharp, cracking sound, like claws dragging against a hard wooden floor, Lilith initially planned to ignore it. But as it grew louder and more persistent, the eerie noise became impossible to disregard. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes.
She was no longer lying on the soft bed. Instead, she found herself sprawled on the cold ground, covered in dried leaves and brittle sticks. Alarm shot through her as she scrambled to her feet, turning in every direction, desperately trying to understand where she was.
A dense forest surrounded her, the towering trees stretching so high they disappeared into the misty clouds. The only source of light was the full moon, which loomed unnaturally close.
A shiver ran down her spine, and when she instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, she gasped, she was completely naked. Heart pounding, she hastily crossed her arms over her chest, glancing around in frantic embarrassment, hoping no one was watching.
Suddenly, the air was filled with agonized screams, thick voices of pain echoing from all directions. The sound sent a chilling wave through her, making it impossible to determine where the cries were coming from.
Then, out of the darkness, a flickering glow caught her eye. A fire. And it was moving.
As the flames drew closer, she could finally make out shadowy figures, people running at an inhuman speed. Panic surged through her veins, and without hesitation, Lilith spun on her heel and bolted in the opposite direction.
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her breath ragged, her heart slamming against her ribs. But despite her speed, the figures behind her closed the distance effortlessly. It was only then that she noticed, the ones running were not her pursuers.
They were wounded men and women.
Lilith slowed, watching them pass by, their faces twisted in agony. Yet, none of them seemed to acknowledge her presence. They ran straight through the forest as if she were invisible.
Dozens of people ran past Lilith, but she couldn't see what they were fleeing from. Then, out of nowhere, a woman ran toward her, grabbing her arm with a grip so tight it felt like iron.
"Help us!! You must help us! He is going to kill us all!" the woman begged, her voice trembling with desperation. Tears rolled down her face, but one of her eyes was swollen shut, blood covered the bruised skin.
Lilith gasped, trying to wrench her arm free, but the woman's grip was unyielding. Her desperate cries turned into a frantic chant, the same words repeated over and over again. A shudder crawled up Lilith's spine, her pulse hammering in fear.
Then, suddenly, everything stopped.
The world around her froze in eerie stillness. The running figures stood in place, their bodies unnaturally rigid, as if time itself had halted. Even the air felt heavy, thick with something sinister.
Lilith's breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned her gaze back to the woman still clutching her arm.
The woman's mouth hung open in a silent scream, her bloodshot eye staring blankly ahead. And then, blood.
It poured from her mouth, her nose, her ears. It leaked from her unseeing eye, spilling in thick, dark streams down her face.
Panic clawed at Lilith's chest. She yanked at the woman's grip, desperate to get away. Then, without warning, the woman's fingers released.
Lilith staggered backward, but instead of hitting solid ground, she fell Into water.
The freezing sensation swallowed her whole, and as she struggled to surface, a horrifying realization hit her, she wasn't alone. Beneath the water, surrounding her, were bodies. Hundreds of them.
Their lifeless eyes stared up at her, mouths open in silent screams. The water was thick with darkness, suffocation and endless. Lilith's own scream tore from her throat, piercing the stillness...
She jolted awake with sweat running down her face and neck, her heart almost ripping out of her chest. Lilith buried her face into her shaky hands, almost crying at the horrid experience she had just gone through. What the hell was that? This was the second time in a very long time that she had had a vivid dream like that, and a dream filled with dead people. Lilith shivered as she could still remember the terrifying look of that woman that had gripped her. Subconsciously, she touched her arm lightly.
She slowly threw her legs off the door, still shaking from fear. A knock on the door almost made her scream in shock.
"Come down for dinner, Lilith." She heard madam Thalia's voice call out from the other side of the door.
Lilith felt a wave of relief wash over her as she rushed to the door and pulled it open, only to find no one standing there.
She frowned. She had heard the voice just seconds ago. There was no way the woman could have disappeared so quickly. A chill crept down her spine, and her stomach twisted with unease.
She swallowed hard, her pulse pounding in her ears. I'm going to lose my mind if I stay in this palace much longer.
Lilith knew she needed to leave, soon. Shaking off the lingering fear, she quickly changed into a fresh dress before hurrying out the door, making her way to the kitchen where the rest of the servants were gathered.
She looked around, only to find that madam Thalia was no where in sight, Lilith leaned closer to Fiona who was crocheting while eating, "Where is madam Thalia?" She inquired.
"She went into town a few hours ago, her nephew came down with a fever. So, she decided to pay him a visit." Fiona explained, shoving a spoon of mashed potatoes into her mouth.
Lilith's skin turned pale. She knew she had not misheard, madam Thalia had a very distinctive voice, that one could not mistake even in a crowd. There was no way she had imagined hearing the woman's voice.
Fiona noticed her silence and turned to look at her, "what's going on with you? You look like you have just seen a ghost." She chuckled.
Lilith's lips stretched in a small smile, "I was only thinking." She whispered.
"Alright, you should eat before your food gets cold." Fiona said, pointing to the inviting food in front of Lilith.
"Thank you," she whispered, grabbing the spoon. There was no way she was going to stay here any longer. I have to leave, Lilith told herself.