Lilac (1) Sons of the Deveaux

Chapter Eleven - Lillith

Lillith.

Lennox had been moving already when the yell shook through the training centre. The redhead crashed into Maddox when he tried to reign the attack back from the distraction, the pair of them clattering to the floor in a sprawl of limbs as they stared at the doorway.

Orian had swung the door open, the huge male covered in black oily substance from head to toe. He was breathing harshly, green eyes wide. Several cuts and wounds were on his body, even through his armour she could see red blood, bright and drawing the eye.

Lilly's mouth dropped open at the state of him, her heart jumping to her throat.

"What the flying fuck happened to you? Fall into something gross? Jesus, you nearly made me set Maddox on fire, Orian."

"Lilly. I need to talk to the fairy we–" His green gaze shot up to where she was watching at the balcony. "Lilith. I need you to come with me for a moment. Nox, where's father?"

Lennox was pulling himself up, approaching his twin carefully. "Are you okay big man? Did you hit your head? On several things maybe?"

Lilith made her way down the stairs at the side quickly, "What happened?"

"Father. We have to talk to father. Now. Right now."

Taking her hand, Orian hauled her with him so quickly the fairy was all but running to keep pace. One of his steps was two of hers, almost three.

"Orian, father's going back home today, you know that. He's probably already left."

"Mother then! Somebody who can explain."

Lilly said nothing. She couldn't. This was it, wasn't it. He was going to throw her away now. He knew she couldn't do anything and was furious. Tears bubbled up, her lip trembling hard enough the fairy sank her teeth into the delicate skin to stop it.

"Man, stop. You're making no sense. You're all fucked up and you're scaring her. Orian, stop."  Lennox had been keeping as step behind them, trying to find out just what was so urgent, reaching out to grab Orian's wrist that held Lillith's and yank to a stop.

The fairy almost slammed into Orian's back. Her face twisted as the wind brought the scent of rotten cabbage her way. Was that coming form the black stuff he was covered in?

Horrible.

Orian's wide gaze dropped down to hers, the expression on his scarred face softening a little. He lifted his hand, to strangle her or wipe the tears that had slipped free, the fairy didn't know, but soon dropped it. Disappointment twisted in her either way.

"Something happening. At the grove where the Tree sits. There were so many fucking ghouls there Len. It's not normal. They were grouping together. I stepped on one and it didn't even make a noise until I came too close. As if I was intruding on them when I got closer to the tree."

He was leaving out something. Lilly could tell. She had listened to a liar for enough years to know there was more to the story than what he was saying.

"I need to talk to father. He has books about this. The tree falling, the history of it all. Anything that comes before that."

Again, they were walking, through the back doors and hallways.

"You need to shower first, man, you reek." Lennox was attempting to stay downwind of his brother clearly, taking sipping breaths through his mouth.

"You'd reek too if you just had to fight through a hundred fucking ghouls. We just about made it back to the portal and closed it without any coming through.