Chapter 27: A blood bond
Elena and Lilith stopped in the middle of the narrow river stream bridge, nestled within the royal
garden, far from the palace's bustling activities and, most importantly, away from Apollyon's
presence. It was the perfect spot for them to have a private conversation.
"Apollyon gave you the turquoise pendant," Elena said as her eyes landed on Lilith's neck. "Do
you know what it signifies?" she inquired.
Lilith shook her head and politely refused.
"It is of his mother," Elena revealed to her. Lilith's eyes grew wide to know the truth. "I am
surprised you never bothered to know about this," Elena asserted and turned around to look into
the river.
The water surface was visible because of the soft glow of elegant lanterns, casting a peaceful
ambiance around the river stream.
"Do you know how Apollyon's mother died?" Elena inquired.
"No," Lilith refused. "I never asked him since I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable," she
added.
Elena posed a thought-provoking question, "Have you ever considered whether his love for you
is genuine or simply a result of the blood bond between you?"
Lilith was taken aback by the question and fell silent, contemplating the possibility.
"Find out if he truly loves you or is that affection formed because you woke him up mistakenly
from your blood," Elena advised her.
"What will happen if he is attracted to me because of the blood bond?" Lilith inquired.
"Then, Apollyon may not love you. Once the blood bond breaks, he will not see you the same
way as he does today. Perhaps, he even throws you out of his life," Elena affirmed.
Lilith was slightly scared to know that. Till now, she thought Apollyon loved her. However,
Elena's revelation created a sense of doubt and uncertainty in Lilith about Apollyon's feelings for
her.
"I am not intimidating you. I am telling you the possibility the humans may find through you to
weaken Apollyon. Do you know who sealed him?" Elena posed another question and once
again Lilith had no idea about that.
"Powerful human sorcerers," Elena replied. "Jareth asked me not to tell you, but I saw
something strange in you. You carry a soft spot for Apollyon too and I want to trust you. You
won't betray my brother," she showed her faith in Lilith, passing a smile to her.
"Are those sorcerers still alive?" Lilith asked.
"No. Humans are mortals," Elena answered. "However, they pass the skills to their offspring. It's
in their lineage and they will surely approach you to seal Apollyon once again. Till a few days
ago, no one knew about your existence, but now everyone knows, at least, in the capital. Soon,
the words would spread in the entire kingdom," she explained to Lilith.
Lilith furrowed her brows together. "I live in the palace now, so no one will find me," she
proclaimed.
"From Jareth, I found out how you were after Apollyon's life. You were blaming him for
everything that happened to you," Elena enunciated.
"I am apologetic for that," Lilith said, lowering her eyes.
"You should not apologize to me," Elena stated. "I want to know something from you. If in the
future you encounter the sorcerers, will you choose them or will you choose my brother?" she
asked.
Lilith recalled it was the same question about which Jareth had made her aware.
"I will choose Apollyon," Lilith replied.
"Why? Because Jareth asked you to?" Elena's prompt question left her nervous for a moment.
"No. Because Apollyon doesn't despise humans. Also, my betrayal will hurt him the most and I
don't want that to happen. Nevertheless, he protected me for a long time," Lilith asserted,
counting all the good favors he did on till this date.
"I hope your answer remains the same always," Elena asserted. "Love him with all your heart
because he has lost a lot," she advised Lilith.
"Is there a way to break the blood bond?" Lilith inquired from her.
"There must definitely be a way. Nature always has the remedy of everything," Elena answered.
Lilith hummed in response. "Thank you, Sister Elena, for speaking with me and making me
aware of a lot of things. I was unsure about our meeting and conversation," Lilith expressed her
gratitude.
"Same goes for me, Lilith. Also, you don't need to call me Sister," Elena said, asking her to treat
as the others.
Lilith nodded her head in agreement.
"Jareth doesn't like humans. I was worried if he would anger Apollyon by harming you.
Fortunately, he didn't do anything. Perhaps the reason was the confident personality you have,"
Elena opined.
"Jareth said I needed to impress you. I thought you were stricter than him," Lilith muttered.
"Well, you spoke only what I wanted to hear. The truth and your feelings about everything
around you," Elena stated with a smile on her lips.
"I will implement the advice that you gave me. I will find out about the blood bond and also if
Apollyon's love for me is real or not," Lilith proclaimed.
"Let me escort you back," Elena asserted.
"Oh, I will go back. You don't need to disturb yourself," Lilith asserted and asked her if she would
not head to the palace.
"I will roam here till dinnertime," Elana affirmed.
Lilith understood and took her leave. She found Karin had been waiting for her outside the royal
garden. "His Majesty wanted me to stay here. I will escort the Queen to His Majesty's chamber,"
Karin politely said.
"I would have gone by myself," Lilith said.
"His Majesty cannot compromise with Her Majesty's safety. She should appreciate his effort for
her," Apollyon asserted.
"I do. But I don't wish to trouble others," Lilith replied. She was curious to know how Apollyon
and Karin met, so she asked him.
"His Majesty saved me from the battleground. I was a human, Your Majesty," Karin replied.
Lilith was stunned to hear his response as it was hard for her to believe. "He changed you into a
devil?" she inquired.
"I requested His Majesty," Karin replied. "The King never cared for us low-ranked soldiers. I
wanted to live longer for my family," he explained to her.
Lilith found Apollyon was kind to the humans around him. She thought of him wrongly, but he
turned out to be the hidden diamond.