Chapter 25 The council
The portal opened in the main hall.
The brothers stepped through at once.
Lilith and Sera were descending the library stairs when it happened. They stopped, watching as the brothers materialised, covered in ash, faces grim but unmarked. Just serious in a way Lilith had not seen before.
Azrael spotted them first. His golden eyes met hers for half a second before he looked away.
“Council room. Now.” His voice cut through the silence. “All of us.”
The brothers moved as one toward the west wing. No arguing. No posturing. Just immediate compliance.
Something was very wrong.
“What happened?” Sera whispered.
“I don’t know.” Lilith watched them disappear down the corridor. “But it’s bad.”
They finished descending the stairs. The palace felt different, heavier somehow. Servants rushed past carrying supplies. Guards stood at attention in corridors that were usually empty.
“Should we?” Sera started.
“No.” Lilith headed toward her chambers. “They’ll tell us when they’re ready. Or they won’t.”
But the not knowing gnawed at her.
Two hours later, Lilith sat in her room trying to read the prophecy text for the fourth time. The words kept blurring. Her mind kept drifting to the brothers in that council room. To whatever they had seen that made even Azrael look serious.
A knock at the door made her jump.
“Come in.”
Cain entered. She had cleaned up, no more ash, fresh clothes, but exhaustion lined her face. Her volcanic glass eyes were darker than usual.
“Hey.” Her voice was rough.
“Hey.” Lilith set the book aside. “You okay?”
“No.” Cain closed the door behind her. Leaned against it. “The Crossing was destroyed. Everyone was stationed there. Gone.”
The words hit like physical blows.
“The Crossing.” Lilith’s voice came out small. “The neutral territory.”
“The neutral territory. The one place where all seven kingdoms could meet without starting a war.” Cain pushed off the door. Moved to the window. “Someone attacked it. Killed everyone. Commander Theron and his family included.”
“Who?”
“We don’t know. Constructs. Grey things that should not exist using weapons that should not exist.” Cain’s hands clenched. “They drained some people dry. Burned others. Tore through stone with bare hands.”
Lilith’s stomach turned.
“The council, what did you decide?”
“We’re going back to our kingdoms. All of us except Lucian.” Cain turned to face her. “We need to secure borders. Check defences. Make sure our people are safe. Lucian stays because his mirrors can monitor everything, he doesn’t need to be physically present.”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know. Days. Maybe weeks.” Cain’s jaw tightened. “However long it takes.”
Silence settled between them.
“I’m scared,” Lilith admitted quietly.
“You should be.” Cain crossed to her. Sat on the edge of the bed. “Whoever did this is not playing games anymore. This was a declaration of war.”
“And you’re leaving.”
“I have to.” Cain’s voice was gentle. “My people need me. They need to see me. Need to know I’m still here.”
Lilith understood. She did. But the thought of the brothers scattering, of being left here with only Lucian, the brother she trusted least, made her chest tight.
“When do you leave?”
“Morning. Dawn.” Cain was quiet for a moment. “That is actually why I’m here.”
Lilith looked at her.
“Stay with me tonight,” Cain said. Direct. “No, I just don’t want to be alone. And I don’t think you do either.”
The offer hung in the air between them.
Lilith thought about sleeping in her own chambers. Alone. Thinking about the Crossing. About constructs. About the brothers leaving in the morning.
“Okay,” she said.
Relief flickered across Cain’s face. “Okay.”
“Let me grab some things.”
Lilith gathered clothes for tomorrow, the prophecy book she had been reading, and her hairbrush. Sera appeared in the doorway, took one look at the situation, and smiled.
“I’ll be fine,” she said before Lilith could ask. “Go.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, I’ll probably end up in the library anyway.” Sera’s smile turned knowing. “Go.”
Cain’s chambers were different from what Lilith expected.
Practical. A large bed. Weapons mounted on walls, swords, axes, things Lilith did not have names for. A desk covered in maps and reports. A fireplace already lit, casting warm light across everything.
“It’s not much,” Cain said.
“It’s you.” Lilith set her things down. “I like it.”
Cain smiled, genuine and warm. “Want to change. I can turn around.”
“I don’t care.” Lilith pulled off her dress and put on sleep clothes. Cain did the same, stripping down to simple pants and a loose shirt.
They climbed into bed. The mattress was firm. The blankets were heavy and warm. Cain lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Lilith lay on her side, facing her.
“Tell me about the Crossing,” Lilith said quietly. “Not the attack. Before. What it was like.”
Cain was quiet for a moment. Then, “It was beautiful. Neutral ground was carved out when Father first divided the realms. A place where all seven kingdoms could meet without war.” Her voice was soft. “Commander Theron ruled it for two hundred years. Fair to everyone. His family lived there. It was supposed to be safe.”
“And now it’s gone.”
“Now it’s gone.” Cain closed her eyes. “My people used that territory. Traded there and met there. Now I have to tell them it's no longer safe. That nowhere is safe.”
Lilith reached out. Took Cain’s hand.
Cain’s fingers tightened around hers immediately, as if she had been waiting for the contact. Needing it.
They lay in silence for a while. The fire crackled. Outside, the three moons cast a purple-red light through the windows.
“I don’t want you to go,” Lilith admitted.
“I don’t want to go either.” Cain rolled onto her side, facing Lilith. They were close now. Close enough that Lilith could see the amber fire in Cain’s volcanic glass eyes. “But I have to.”
“I know.”
“Doesn’t make it easier.” Cain reached up, tucked a strand of hair behind Lilith’s ear. Her hand lingered there. “You’re going to make leaving really hard, sunshine.”
The nickname made Lilith’s chest warm. “Sunshine.”
“Look at you. All that golden hair. Those green eyes. You light up every room you walk into.” Cain’s smile was soft. “Sunshine.”
“I like it.”
“Good. Because I’m not stopping.” Cain’s hand moved to cup Lilith’s face. Gentle. Careful. “You’re under my skin. In a way I didn’t expect.”
Lilith’s breath caught. “Is that bad?”
“Terrifying.” Cain’s thumb brushed across Lilith’s cheekbone. “Because I don’t know what happens when you choose. When this is all over, and you have to pick one of us.”
“Cain.”
“I know. I know we are not supposed to talk about it. Not supposed to pressure you.” Cain’s voice dropped. “But if it’s not me, if you choose someone else, I need you to know that right now, in this moment, I’m completely yours.”
The confession hung between them, raw and honest.
Lilith’s heart was racing. She could feel Cain’s breath on her face. Could see the vulnerability in those volcanic glass eyes.
“Maybe we don’t think about choosing,” Lilith whispered. “Not tonight. Tonight we just,”
“Be here.” Cain finished. “Together.”
“Together.”
Cain moved closer. Eliminated the last inch of space between them. Her forehead pressed against Lilith’s. Her hand still cupping Lilith’s face.
“Can I?” Cain started.
Lilith closed the distance.
The kiss was soft. Gentle. Nothing like their first kiss in Cain’s quarters weeks ago. This was different. Slower. Like they had all the time in the world, even though dawn would take Cain away.
Cain’s lips were warm. Her hand slid from Lilith’s face to the back of her neck, fingers tangling in golden hair. Lilith’s hand found Cain’s waist and pulled her closer.
The kiss deepened. Not desperate. Not rushed. Just present. Real. Two people stealing a moment before the world pulled them apart again.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing harder, Cain pressed her forehead back against Lilith’s.
“I’m falling,” she whispered. “And I don’t want to stop.”
Lilith’s hand tightened on Cain’s waist. “Then don’t.”
They kissed again. And again.
Eventually, exhaustion pulled at them both. The kisses grew softer. Slower. Until they were just lying there, wrapped in each other’s arms, breathing in sync.
“Sleep,” Cain murmured against Lilith’s hair. “I’ve got you.”
And Lilith did. Her head tucked under Cain’s chin. Cain’s arms wrapped around her like safety itself and protected her for one more night before everything changed again.
Just before sleep claimed her, she felt Cain press a kiss to the top of her head.
“My sunshine,” Cain whispered.
And Lilith smiled in the dark.