A bloody Notre Dame

1

Lilith exhales and watches her breath rise in a white cloud and get lost in the grey sky, she pulls her hood lower over her face and knocks on the doors of Notre Dame. Archdeacon opens the doors wearily and steps back, alarmed, seeing Lilith there.

"Devil woman" he whispers and makes the cross over his chest

"I'm not here for you old man" Lilith says in a voice barely louder than a whisper "how is the boy?"

"What boy?" He asks nervously, Lilith smiles making him shiver and cross himself once more

"Head my warning old man" Lilith grins "if any harm comes to that boy it will befall on your town with twice the force. Is that understood?"

"I don't care for the child" archdeacon trembles "the judge Claude Frollo does, I have no say in what he does," Lilith holds her hand silencing him immediately.

"With twice the force old man" she repeats, turns around and disappears into the emerging fog. Archdeacon stands under the doorway for what feels like hours to him until he is able to relax and move back inside, he hurries upstairs to check on the baby boy who is turning two years old that very day. On his way up he swears he can hear voices, raspy and rough voices, cooing at the child but once he enters the boy is sitting quietly in the middle of an empty room. Before him lay three gargoyles, frozen in the poses they were sculpted in, but several feet from their original positions

"God help us all" archdeacon whispers and the deformed baby boy turns his blue eyes towards the noise, he smiles at the old man who smiles, worried, back at him "God help us"

Lilith wanders the streets of France staying clear of the main roads and keeping her hood down, hiding the face that could have her burned at the stake accused of being a devil child, which she is, but it still would be unpleasant. Lilith keeps pace with her goat Djali, making sure her steps match his, she rounds a corner and appears at the cemetery, she climbs the tallest hill, where a gnarled tree stands, half rotted and half dead. She strokes the bark, the tree has split down the middle due to decay, but has somehow still survived for years. Lilith walks right between the split and never emerges on the other side.

Lilith re-emerges in her tent in the Court of Miracles, the babble of voices outside immediately invade her ears and she smiles, her people are happy and so is she.

"Lilith" a voice says outside the tent

"Come in Clopan" Lilith says taking off her cloak and hanging it, Clopan enters with his hat in his hands "sit Clopan" she says warmly

"Lilith there have been some rumors about Judge Frollo" Clopan starts "they say he's found the Court of Miracles, everyone is on edge"

"Frollo prays he knew where it is" Lilith chuckles "our people have nothing to worry about. The only way he could ever find us would be treason and no gipsy betrays another"

"I will tell our people" Clopan smiles and stands to leave

"No, I will tell them" Lilith says standing with him "they'll be more at ease this way"

"Thank you" Clopan smiles and kisses her palm

"My people will always come first" Lilith smiles and they emerge from the tent, a crowd of people has already gathered

"My family" Lilith smiles, her voice quiet as ever, but ringing through the crowd "there is nothing to fear from Frollo, he will never find this place as long as there is breath in my chest. So be at ease and frolic without care for I am here to protect you, always." Lilith smiles and looks around the cave, her eyes rest on every gipsy's face "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, I suggest you all go to bed early, you'll need all your energy" there's a murmur among the crowd as they disperse but it's no longer a worried murmur.

"Get some rest Clopan" Lilith says resting her arm on his bicep "our people will need you tomorrow. The festival cannot function without you"

"Of course Lilith" he smiles, puts his hat back on and dances into the crowd until he's disappeared. Lilith smiles and rubs her swollen belly. She goes back into her tent and rests for the remainder of the night.