Water splashed against Samaal’s face, waking him up.

He had been captured and caged in a brightly lit room. The walls, ceiling, and floor all shined somehow. His shadow constructs would be brittle and powerless here.

Sam was on the floor. Without his shadows, he couldn’t summon legs to stand on, so he lifted himself into a sitting position; trying to retain whatever dignity was left to him, stripped naked as he was, his bloody wounds and burn scars on display.

Standing over Sam and holding an empty bucket was one of the bizarre alien creatures that captured him.

They resembled a flower with sticks for legs, three sets of arms, a vine-like tail, and wings like autumn leaves, delicately folded behind the creature’s back. Crowning its head were periwinkle blue flower petals. Sam guessed a few stamens functioned as eyes, but he couldn’t make out a mouth beneath the petals that covered the creature’s face. The flower petals seemed to vibrate, and the creature spoke in a vaguely masculine voice.

“You can make waste in this,” the flower-man said as he tossed the bucket unceremoniously toward Sam, who caught it casually and placed it beside him.

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The flower-man began to circle Sam, silently studying him.

Sam said nothing and stared forward, eyes level, chin high.

Finally, the flower-man stopped in front of Sam and leaned down, to threaten or inspect, Sam couldn’t know. He had never seen these bizarre plant creatures before they attacked his home this morning. Was it still today? How long had Sam been out?

“Do you know why you are here?” the flower-man asked politely.

Sam blinked. He could guess, but instead, he answered, “No.”

The flower-man stood to look down at Sam again. “Do you know who sent us?”

Sam frowned. “Lilith, I suspect.”

The flower-man hummed a satisfied note and said, “Then you do know why you are here.”

Damn, Sam thought.

The flower-man continued, “You have two options: you can tell me what I want to know now, or I can pry it from you slowly. I know which one I’d prefer.”

“Hm,” Sam suppressed a shudder, trying to act amused. “Do your worst.”

The petals and stamens rearranged into something resembling a smile.

“I was so hoping you’d say that.”