- 24 -

The corrosive specter of doubt had eroded Lilith's mind these past two days. Her time spent helping Pandora with her hunt hadn't taught her anything. At least not regarding Pandora's knowledge of her secret. Those two days had taught her plenty about the intricacies of several winged youkai. Danger ratings, blood effects, weaknesses, and appropriate tactics. Interesting on its own, but she just wanted know if she was safe. She seemed to flip back and forth between certainty and uncertainty every few hours. All she knew was that two nights prior Pandora had taken her father's notebook from her bag.

Or had she?

In truth, Lilith didn't know anything. Questions bombarded her as she shuffled along the deck. Her goal was to find a quiet area and curl up for a nap. Any of the identical deck chairs would have worked, but fatigue ripped away her ability to focus. At this point, she hardly knew where she was, let alone how many suitable spots she had already passed in a daze.

Lilith's thoughts looped back around. Had Pandora seen the book? She had been sleep deprived and afraid when she first checked the bag. Even now, she still was. Maybe she missed something. Overlooked the book the first time. Maybe it was never missing. But what if it was?

That was the question that had stolen two nights of sleep from Lilith. It was tearing her body and mind apart. Her lack of dependence on food wasn't kind enough to extend to rest, but how could she feel safe next to Pandora? Instead of sleeping, she spent each night waiting for the hunter to attack her. Which hadn't happened.

Nothing happened.

Pandora had been peaceful both nights. Forget waking up, she hadn't so much as tossed or turned in her sleep. Not even a snore. But was that even unexpected? If Pandora wanted to kill her, at night while she slept was the best time. But what if Pandora didn't want her dead? That story she had told. She claimed that witches had once been considered youkai.

Lilith had started with doubts, but now her doubts had doubts. The cycle brought Lilith to her breaking point. Was it paranoia? Were her fears justified? Could a hunter knowingly sleep next to her prey? Did she even consider Lilith prey? The questions piled up until their weight was too much to bear. She collapsed into one of the chairs lining the deck. A spot indistinguishable from the dozens lining the length of the ship; it would have to be good enough. She curled up and closed her eyes, ready for sleep to take her.

But it didn't. Her mind wouldn't let it.

Lilith couldn't stop thinking back to that damn book. If Pandora had seen it was that enough to doom her? Knowing Gregor was her father would probably be enough for Pandora to figure out the rest. But did the journal prove that? It proved her father was a hunter, but without reading it she couldn't know if there was anything linking it directly to Gregor. Had he signed it? Did he mention Lilith's name in an entry? Had he shown Pandora the book on their hunt together?

Lilith lifted herself onto her elbows, then rolled to lay on her other side. Part of her hoped that a new position would reset the process and she could fall asleep. Yet, her thoughts continued to spiral in on themselves.

Was simply being a youkai enough to condemn her in Pandora's eyes? Would she hunt her down even without payment? Was the story about witches being youkai true, or a lie meant to trick her into lowering her guard?

"This isn't working."

Lilith pushed herself up and sat. She gazed out over the water; an endless field of rippling blue spread out to the horizon in every direction. She already knew there was nowhere for her to run, but the weight of that truth felt heavier now. She couldn't go on like this. She needed to know for sure, one way or the other, if Pandora knew what she really was.

But I have no chance like this.

Lilith fell back down into the chair. It was easy enough to proclaim she needed to outwit Pandora, but figuring out how to do that was a different matter altogether. It would be a miracle if any plan she hatched in this state of mind even made sense. Lilith closed her eyes and started to count each breath. The technique had failed her before, but this time sleep was her goal. Her consciousness drifted further away with each number, and by ten she was asleep.

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When her eyes opened again the sun had faded to the water's edge. She greeted it with a slow blink and a yawn. If she didn't think Pandora would ask questions, she would have rolled over and gone right back to sleep. That little nap couldn't be expected to cancel out two days awake, she still felt tired. Though the feeling quickly faded once the screaming started.

Lilith's mind raced as she shot to her feet. She could feel the light rumble of the ground even past the shaking of her own body. Then the passengers rounded the corner. The wood squeaked as they slid to change direction and move further down the deck. At least a dozen men and women sprinted past. Desperation marked each face.

Lilith swallowed.

After the attack in the first-class smoking room, the crew was forced to acknowledge the situation. The captain himself had spoken to the passengers when they were gathered for their meal times. Starting with first class at breakfast, second class at lunch, then third class during dinner. The one thing he kept reiterating as he spoke was that the creature had flown out to sea. He even had several witnesses, both crew and passenger, give their accounts of how the youkai had flown away after the attack. Far from enough to ease everyone's fears, but it had kept them at a manageable level.

Well, it came back. What will you tell people this time?

Without reason, Lilith found herself moving forward. Her legs nearly gave out at the first step, but once she was sure of her footing she took another. Fighting against common sense as much as fear she pushed herself toward the corner. It was foolish. There was nothing she needed to prove, but she felt compelled. Her father, Fennel, Victoria, and now Pandora. She had been surrounded by hunters her whole life and yet she had never seen a youkai.

Except my reflection.

A violent beating of wings carried air around the corner. Lilith gripped the wall tight and pulled herself around to look. The deck at the ship's rear strayed further from the ship's walls than along the side, creating a large open space. It was the only place where the second-class observation deck stretched out from beyond the shadow of the first-class deck above. Being the only spot on the level open to the sky made it a popular meeting spot, but it also made it an ideal place for the youkai to land.

The ship was bathed in the red of both the setting sun and the blood of innocent men. Nausea struck Lilith as the memory of her father on his last night pushed into her mind uninvited. A crow rivaling the size of a man sat at the edge of the deck picking at a corpse. It pulled at flesh until a strip ripped free, then leaned its head back to swallow it whole.

Lilith retched. There was a wet slap as her last meal splashed to the ground below. She wiped her mouth and looked up to find the creature staring at her. Its head whipped about inquisitively, then it let out a guttural caw.

Lilith was already dead. The only question left in her mind was whether it would be quick or drawn out. She begged her body to move; to turn and run as fast as she could. But nothing happened. When faced with the choice between fight and flight her body and mind had disagreed and now she was locked in place.

The bird dropped a strip of flesh hanging from its beak and stood. Its true size only convinced Lilith further of her stupidity. If only she had learned to give her mind full control of her body maybe she would have a chance. She needed to enter the heightened calm again. But she had no idea how.

The beast stepped forward.

"Remember Me?"

Was that the monster? No. This thing didn't seem capable of speaking. The voice was clear and authoritative, but also familiar. Lilith looked around for its source, finding no one. Then something fell from above, landing between her and the youkai with a loud crash. A man? He crouched on the deck shirtless. Was it a drunk that fell from the first-class deck above? No, he had landed on his feet. He had jumped.

The muscles on his back bristled as he rose. Their definition would be impressive on almost any man, yet they seemed ill-proportioned next to his unnaturally large arms. The uncanny feeling was only strengthened by the short brown fur that ran their length. Lilith was surprised just how much bigger he appeared without a shirt, but the deep scars across his face confirmed his identity. Her stomach dropped away. From the beginning, Gamal had made her skin crawl, but now she couldn't help but think he was more dangerous than the youkai.

He burst forward and threw a hard right jab, connecting with the creature's midsection. Spittle shot from the bird's beak as Gamal followed through with his strike. He reared back with his other hand and readied another blow but the youkai stepped back narrowly avoiding the attack. Gamal pressed on, lining up another heavy swing of his fist. After the first blow, the creature was determined not to take another. In seconds, with just a few attacks, Gamal pushed the creature back until its wings beat against the metal railing. With nowhere for the creature to run, he pulled back his fist and swung.

Metal screeched as Gamal's fist drove into the railing, distorting its shape. The youkai had burst up into the air avoiding the blow. Gamal lifted his free arm to block an attack from above that never came. The bird seemed to have decided that its meal wasn't worth the sudden increase in effort and flew off. It traveled the length of the ship before disappearing behind one of the smoke stacks.

This time the creature hadn't flown out to sea; it was still aboard the ship. There would be another attack, probably soon. But for now, Lilith was safe. The tension that had locked her body in place melted away and she could move again. Then, the sound of footsteps crept up behind her.

Lilith turned to find Gamal brushing dust from the fur on his arms. "You really should be more careful, little girl." He brought his hand up to her chin, soft fur brushing against her skin. His touch made her feel sick. He forced her head up until her eyes met his.

"Just imagine how poor old Pandora would feel if you were to die here?" He broke out into a rolling laugh. "You're much too valuable for that."