abandoned battlefields - valeriaverse book 2

chapter 11

''Oh, sorry. i must have the wrong house. i'm looking for Rayne?'' Lilith stumbled on her words, caught by surprise. Aaron turned arund and yelled into the hallway.
''RAYNE? THERE'S SOMEONE HERE FOR YOU!'' smiling, he turned back to Lilith. ''You had the right house, just the wrong time. she's cooking. would you like to come in?'' ''uh, no, no thanks. i'll uh, i'll wait out here for her.''
Aaron nodded and left the door open, walking into the house. Lilith could hear him talk inside, telling Rayne not to keep the person outside waiting. and then Rayne's voice, laughing and telling him to watch the damn food himself if he needed her gone so badly. it was cheery, and sweet, and so different from how Lilith usually saw rayne. but then again, it had been months since she last talked to her.

the person that appeared in the door was starstruck at the sight of Lilith. but Lilith too, was frozen as she saw Rayne. her hair tied back in a ribbon, wearing a dress. a light one, too. the first thought that flashed through her mind, was how she had looked in the village back home. how Rayne had always kept up the facade. but it wasn't quite like that. the glimmer in her eyes, the smile that slowly found it's place, those were real. so real. Rayne basically threw herself around Lilith's neck, joy washing over them both as they all but melted together. ''You're here.''
''of course. i can't go long without you.''

                                                                                              ---

Aaron had felt it. her presence. she was a creature of the night. a wielder of magic even darker than his, with far more potential. if his poison could kill her, he'd be able to consume her strength and power as a whole. with that, he'd be unstoppable. 
Neither of them even remembered meeting each other before, at the field. after the battle at the portal, Aaron had been among those who brought together the fallen. his friends, people he fought with. their faces were beaten to a pulp, many of them charred or missing limbs. not once had he shed a tear, but that anger inside him, it had just kept on building and building. the magic inside him was fueled by pure anger and hatred.
Aaron was centuries old, but never seemed to age. perks of his kind, mostly. he had been through years and years of being hunted, chased and seeing his friends get killed. and every time there was one of two factors responsible; dark magic, or humans. they couldn't understand the powers the fae wielded, let alone appreciate it. so i stead, the had decided to try and conquer it, banish it, or kill it. time and time again. 
it was enough. he had lured in rayne with the promise of a good life, but in truth he wanted her powers. he needed them to brew the poison , the beautiful black magic that had made him become of of the things he hated. but it was worth it. it only attacked those without lighted magic, human or dark magic wielding. 

Aaron was pulled out of his thoughts when Rayne dragged Lilith along into the kitchen, showing her the small but beautiful house. ''Aaron, this is Lilith. you've met once before i think. she's been my best friend for all of my life, and she's my family. she saved me in times i was drowning.'' she smiled softly, recalling the many times they were together before the war.life was easier, but still complicated for them.
''Nice to officially meet you, Lilith.'' Aaron saw his chance. ''do you know where you're staying yet for tonight? because you're welcome to stay with us, if you want.'' he slipped his arm around Rayne and smiled. Lilith looked at the two, seeing how the situation was strung together. they were a couple. ''we'll be camping at the outer part of the town. i wouldn't want to... intrude.''
''you're not, i promise. we can't have you sleeping outside when there's a perfectly fine and warm room here, right Ray?'' Rayne nodded, but Lilith winced. not physically, but the feeling was there. Rayne didn't let anyone call her nicknames but her. and now Aaron, she supposed. him calling her by the name she used to have for Rayne stung like salt in a wound. still, she couldn't refuse if they insisted. she smiled through the pain and thanked them, accepting the offer. 

to her relief, they had separate rooms. Rayne and Lilith laid together in the same one, but as Rayne sank into her world of dreams, Lilith laid awake. she was hurt, and confused. so little had changed yet so many things were different now, and it left her pondering. 
the creaking of the wooden floor in the room next to them sounded loud in the dead silent night, even though it wasn't enough to wake up Rayne. maybe she wasn't as on edge, as lightly sleeping anymore, but she seemed to be in an unusually deep sleep. Lilith listened to the sounds as they drew closer. she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep as she heard the door of the room open, leaving him standing in the doorway. he listened closely as Lilith tried to steady her heartbeat, making it seem like she was far away in her dreams. she heard him close the door and rummage somewhere in the house. not long after, she heard the front door open and close.
Lilith had no idea what he was up to, but checking if they were asleep and then sneaking out in the middle of the night, that wasn't good. he was up to something.

she got up and snuck out of the room, then out of the house. she didn't have the level of stealth her friend had, but she did have a decent amount. with as little sound as possible, she followed the cloaked person headed to the forest. 
when they arrived, all she had thought about was how relieved she was there was no sign of the black poison yet. now that she saw him pour that same dark liquid into the river under the full moon, it dawned on her why they weren't affected. the stream had taken it further, away from them, because it was added here. and the person she was least suspicious of was the very one who was hurting her people. she thought if Rayne trusted him, he should be a good man. they were both proven wrong.
Aaron took off the hood of the cloak, lifting his face up to the moon as her light poured onto his face. it washed away the blue colour of his hair and the tanned skin tone as they made place for pitch black hair and a pale shade on his face. on the inside, Lilith cursed herself for not noticing him and his powers. and alongside that, she cursed Rayne for not seeing it too. 

as he turned to leave, he waved his hand before his face, the skin tone and blue hair reappearing as soon as his hand passed. she didn't know what type of spell he was using, but he seemed to be good at it. too good. years of practice good, even. and he didn't seem that old. whatever fishy shit he had going on, she'd get to the bottom of it. and she'd alert Rayne to the danger living in her own house. but first she had to find a way to get back to the house before he did.

she slipped away through the bushes, evading all branches and slippery mud around her feet. one tiny, tiny little stone she had overlooked punctured the bottom of her boot, sharply stabbing into her heel. Lilith slammed her hand in front of her mouth as she held in the cry of pain. he couldn't see her. steadying her breathing, she picked it out of the sole of her booth with her nails. with all her energy focused on keeping silent, she shifted her weight to pick at the rock. the mud slid away under her feet as she crashed to the ground, failing in the task of keeping silent. her head met the tree trunk behind her, leaving the tree creaking under her weight as she sank against it, losing consciousness.

when she opened her eyes again, the sky was light. it was filled with dainty little clouds and a sun so bright it hurt her eyes. it was distant, but Lilith could've sworn she heard Aaron speak to her while she was out. a hazy row of words strung through her mind as she tried to figure out what they had said. 
a new voice pushed away the thoughts as it called out her name. Rayne came running her way as she finally spotted her friend. Lilith didn't know what had happened after she hit her head, but Aaron most definitely wouldn't have told her the truth. Lilith crawled up and accepted the hug Rayne jumped into, nearly crying with relief. ''Don't you ever go wandering off like that, Lil. i swear to god.'' Lilith blinked a few times in confusion. ''wandering off?'' Rayne nodded. ''it's fine if you can't sleep and you guys go for a walk but man, you can't just run off and disappear on me. Aaron couldn't find you anymore and honestly, he thought you went home without him. it wasn't until morning that we saw you weren't there! you could've died.''

Lilith played along with whatever scene Aaron had sketched for her as she was guided back to their house. she seemed to be confused, but really, she was watching. watching Aaron and Rayne. and the conclusion sounded loud and clearly; she believed he was a good man. he'd bewitched her, manipulated her, lid to her, and gradually, she'd started to believe it. Lilith wished she never let Rayne leave. it was her fault.