Page 6 of Sin of the Saints

Hope for redemption.

“From dust you came, but you will never return to dust,”her voice whispers inside me.

My back tingles, at first like an ember come to life, then the burning grows so strong that I think I’ll catch fire any second now. A sharp, splitting pain tears my skin, and I let out a deep-throated shriek.

“Now!” I hear Libretto’s command. Evan crumbles to ash at my touch and I feel something bursting behind my back, sending out powerful gusts of wind. “Damn it, I said now!” Libretto screams.

The ashes blow away beneath my hands, and I move my mouth away before I inhale any of it. A shockwave, and another. The ash circles in the cyclones raging through the hall. I open my eyes and they’re burning, as though stung by the heat of Hell itself. An indescribable power flows through my veins and I make fists, plunging my long talons into the palms of my hands, but my skin won’t break. It glows with a red aura, as though containing within it all the blood I drank to the point of intoxication.

Suddenly cold metal closes around my neck.Click.The locking sound interrupts the ecstasy I was drawn into. I reach for my neck and feel a metal collar. I tug at it, but it won’t open.

“Fight!”I hear Lilith command me from within. She guides me to raise my hand towards Libretto, but nothing happens. I rock my head wildly and hear the chimes of a bell. Every chime hits me in the guts with shocking force, and I fall to my knees.

“What’s this? What have you done to me?” I grind my teeth, trying to overcome the pain.

“Doesn’t that bring back old memories?” A dark laugh rolls out from the direction of Libretto.

The nightmare. Recurring flashes strike me and my stomach turns. I want to throw up, but nothing comes out whenI open my mouth, even though my gag reflex hits my throat again and again.

“Although I must say, the wings are a nice touch.”Wings?“Lilith,” he caresses my neck, moves on to my jaw and then forces me to look at him.

I maniacally burst into laughter, like the madwoman I’ve become. Fucking crazy Fermi in all her glory.

His brow wrinkles angrily.

I smile at him, which further incites his rage. “Guess again, old man.” His pupils are so narrow, and his irises are almost completely white.

“No!” He slaps my cheek so powerfully that it feels like my brain’s been jostled out of its position in my skull.

Fuck.

“That’s enough!” my father intervenes, but Libretto strikes him and he’s shoved back.

“Where are you, Lilith?” he makes a fist and approaches me until his face is close to mine.

“She’s right here,” I answer with a smile. She’s inside me. I feel her like a terrible flame filling my veins, my entire being. “But I’m here too, unfortunately for you.” Laughter bursts from within me. “And I’m not going anywhere. You see, Libretto, I am Lilith!”

“No!” He slaps me again, and my body hits the marble floor. I hear the bell chime again, and I curl up in paralyzing pain.

And still I can’t stop the laughter. All this time I thought that as soon as Lilith awakened I’d evaporate from this world. But no, Lilith isn’t some foreign entity seeking to make me vanish, she exists within me. She’s the real me.

Libretto swings his hand, his long and razor-sharp talons tearing my faded black dress. My skin, glowing red, remains unharmed. Impervious, impenetrable.

“This can’t be,” he gasps. “The sacred bell should strip you of your powers.”

“It only stripped her of her demonic powers.” My father approaches again, an ugly bruise on his face where Libretto struck him. “Not her divine powers.”

“No!” Libretto roars up to the skies, to the one who’s bestowed his powers unto me. But why? The question remains a mystery. “Take her away from here before I burn the whole place down!” he commands, tearing at his hair and screaming as though he’s lost his mind.

Hands pull me back. I try to fight, but my strength isn’t enough to repel them.

“This isn’t over! I’ve sworn revenge, and I intend to keep my oath! Remember my words, Ashmedai!”

Libretto’s gaze flashes to me and he goes stone-still.

Yes, I know who you are.I narrow my eyes, and I think I see him smile before I’m dragged out of the hall.

Chapter Four

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