Enid stood at the foot of a fifteen-foot-tall marble statue of herself holding a baby in one hand and a Bloodseeker in the other. She looked up at it and smirked.

Bust is a bit big.

Her eyes followed the marble down to a bronze plaque, it was a simple affair. On this site in the year of our lord one-thousand-thirteen-twenty-two Saint Sarah of Savia defeated the demon of Narfordshire forever making the land safe. Further down was a bunch of historical information. How she was a noblewoman but also a warrior of great renown. Who won her husband in a sword duel. She was mother of twins, and her entire domain. Enid laughed in spite of herself. Getting a few strange looks from around her.

She glanced down at herself. It was a warm summer day so she had chosen a simple white t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. She had runners and her ever present pack. Which the statue also had; The likeness was fairly good. She had her hands in her pockets. She refused to buy pants without them.

She looked over the well-tended graveyard that was surrounded by an iron fence. Further up the hill was the Cathedral. It had scaffolding at the side, and they were shoring up the stone. She followed the stone wall, most of which was still remaining from the one she’d paid to have rebuilt and reinforced in the fourteenth century. She smirked again and continued to stroll along the walk. She walked through the front gates, now instead of a parkland, there was a parking lot. She remembered the well-worn path of the workers and then the parishioners that would walk right across the middle of it.

Wonder if my secret passages are still there.

She walked up the paved roadway past the gates, past another large statue of her. She shook her head. And walked up the steps of the Cathedral. On the grass were several plaques with photographs showing the different phases of the Cathedral. Describing how during the second world war it had remained untouched, but though the construction was sturdy, time had taken its toll. During the schism with Rome the church had fallen to the Church of England, through negotiations in the eighteenth centuries Rome had taken control of the church again. Since that time, it has remained a Roman Catholic Cathedral, the name did not change: Saint Sarah’s Cathedral. More casually referred to as Narford Cathedral. She pushed her hair which she had used some recently developed abilities to turn a shade of brunette to avoid being found, just one of many changes to add to her disguise. There was a bronze plaque that had been restored. A list of the major donators after the church’s destruction in the fourteenth century. Her alter ego’s name was at the top of list, followed by Lord Henry Stuart. Enid smiled and traced his name with her finger. She felt a droplet fall from her eye and strike her finger. She lifted her finger up and looked at the moist spot.

A real tear, this amulet never ceases to amaze me. Eyre was right, I’ll never tell her that, but getting to feel alive for half my existence is a gift, not a curse.

“Does generosity always drive you to tears young lady?”

Enid spun, being caught unaware. Even after a couple decades of daywalking, she’d never gotten used to not having the supernatural senses she’d possessed for two thousand years before. It was a priest; No, it was the bishop.

“No, your grace, it’s just I am related to them, and have a feeling it would have been nice to meet them in person.”

“Following the footsteps of your ancestors is a worthy goal. I’m quite the historian. And based on my knowledge that would make you in line for the throne at some very large number of people passing on.”

“Oh no your grace, I have enough responsibility on my own. But I do share a very special relationship with Saint Sarah, you might say we are friends?”

“How interesting. Did you come on pilgrimage then? There is quite the crowd today.”

“Oh no, I’m very familiar with the spring and coffin. Actually, I’m just here to meet my d…mother.”

“I am sorry for interrupting you.”

“Oh, it’s no interruption your grace. Actually, if it’s okay, I was wondering if I could ask you a question.”

“Of course, lets walk, I just came out for a breath of fresh air before preparations for midday mass.”

Enid nodded and hurried to keep stride with the much taller man.

“Has the blood in the coffin ever been tested?”

“Yes, in two-thousand-twelve, against several people who said they were related to Saint Sarah through her daughter. The sample was still good, and it was confirmed, the blood does belong to her, in one case we were able verify the linage with baptismal records.”

“That is amazing your grace.”

“Yes, we have refused scientific testing of the spring, beyond to confirm it’s free of waterborne illnesses and contaminants and it is strangely pure water. Surely a sign of a miracle.”

The pair walked into the Cathedral and into the church proper passing a line of people on pilgrimage. Enid stopped dead, out of the sunlight her powers and hungers came back in full force, even after so long she still a shock to her system but this was worse she felt a dark presence one she hadn’t sensed in two millennia. She spoke without thinking the word sounding like venom.

“Lilith.”

The bishop who had gotten ahead of Enid stopped and turned.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that, old ears.”

Enid glued a smile back on her face.

“I’m sorry your grace, I just saw an old teacher who disliked me, and I wasn’t expecting to see her here at all, a continent away. But I see my mother, so I’ll let you get to mass.”

“Well thank you for the talk young lady, what is your name?”

“Sarah, named after the Saint.”

The bishop smiled and gave a small wave before moving off into the inner chambers of the church. Enid’s face turned to glare, and she walked directly towards Lilith reaching into her pack.

Don’t care who sees it I’m going to put that bitch down.

Lilith who was dressed in a black skirt and off-white blouse, her pitch-black hair was straight and to the middle of her back. She appeared to be twenty or twenty-one, watched her approach.

“Now, now Enid, violence in a church? Your church at that?”

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t end your existence right now, I’m pretty sure Bloodseeker could do the job.”

Enid had her hand wrapped around the pommel of Bloodseeker the tip of the hilt was poking out of the top of her bag. She heard a few gasps and whispers, but she didn’t care at this point.

“Hear me out, and if you decide you must end my life, so be it. Just give me a chance to talk. Let’s go on a tour of the crypt. I have a feeling someone might get mad if I try to partake in a mass. As fun as that would be.”

Enid nodded and released Bloodseeker’s hilt letting it slide back into the bag. The pair walked silently down the stairs into the preserved undercroft of the church.

“I assume you still have the key.”

“Yes.”

Enid opened her pack and reached in pulling out an old-style iron key ring with a bunch of keys. She unlocked the secret passage and pushed inside. The entered the sealed crypt and stood among the dead.

“Excellent isn’t that a bit more private?”

“I didn’t think you could enter holy ground.”

“I’m afraid that is as much a myth as you fleeing from crosses.”

“Too bad. Why are you here and where is my daughter?”

“Oh that, she did set up the meeting, it took some convincing, she is not here, in fact she is in Edmonton right now.”

“That shithole.”

“Well, there are worse places to be.”

“On that we agree dark mother.”

“Oh, you know how make a lady feel special.”

“Why are we here?”

“It’s time I tell you the truth, who you are, who I am, how I’ve adjusted things.”

“I’m wishing father had just killed you in Rome. After what you did to mother.”

“Now we both know Aurelia wasn’t your real mother, your biological mother wasn’t even your real mother, your real mother was Morag, Morrigan as the fairy tales tell it.”

“How do you know that?”

“I know a great deal about you my little cuachag”

Enid’s eyes went wide as her child-self’s memory came crashing down on her at the sound of her nickname.

“You were… are Morag.”

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“You do remember your mother. I was midwife to your mother, you suckled at my breast and I showed you all the love I could.”

“You showed me love? You let me father sexually abuse me, beat me until near death, treat me like garbage.”

“And every time he left you bruised and beaten, I was there to comfort you and bind your wounds and hold you.”

“That’s not love!”

“Oh, my dear cuachag. What if I were not there to pick up the pieces and show you the love I could? What then would have become of you?”

“I don’t know but you can’t call yourself a mother and let that happen to your child! I know what love is! I have a daughter and I would have gutted any man who dared think it.”

“I taught you those things child. It was I who said that had I the strength and power I would have stopped it all. I would have gutted him. And I promise you once his part was done, I had such things planned for him. Such delightful dark pleasures, at least for me. Then Sextus went and one-upped me.”

“But you had the strength and power, yet you did nothing!”

“I had rules I could not break, sure I set them on myself but I put safeguards in place so I couldn’t violate them. Once I grew attached I had more and more trouble resisting helping you. It was as if you were my own flesh and blood by the end. When I saw you there in the snowbank bleeding to death I wanted to heal you, hold you, warm you on my breast but the magic I had cast prevented it. Oh, how I cursed myself so many times for that choice, but it was for the greater good.”

“Why would you do that, love me so deeply then put magic in place so you couldn’t help me when I was suffering?”

Tears of blood were running down Enid’s cheeks, this was a deeper betrayal then even Lucius’s she wasn’t even angry she was devastated a wound had been cut deeply into her soul.

“I am so sorry child.”

Lilith reached out to embrace Enid who slapped her hands away.

“Do not touch me mother.”

Lilith stepped back at the touch her own tears began to form. The raw devastation in Enid’s soul was apparent to her at the slightest touch.

“I am so sorry daughter you must understand if I did not do this you would have died in the end like the last time.”

“What do you me the last time?”

Lilith wiped her tears and composed herself.

“I have manipulated time. I used Limbo to go back and make changes.”

“You had no right!”

“I had every right Enid, you were going to fail to defeat the Black Sun, you were going to alienate Mariana and then he was going to crush you one at time, and even when I made it so you wouldn’t alienate Mariana entirely you still failed because the two of you were not strong enough. You needed another.”

“Why didn’t you just help?”

“I am nothing compared to that thing.”

“You can manipulate time and you’re nothing compared to the Black Sun, how we are supposed to win?”

“I used Limbo to move back and forth in time, I just used my ability to travel to different dimensions and left at the right moments in time.”

“So, the reason you let me suffer was so I could beat the Black Sun?”

“I tried to help last time and at the last second before he won, I went to Limbo. It is outside of this reality so was unaffected, I researched in Atlantis how it worked in theory and how the time magic Sextus used made it possible to freeze time. Then I visited your life at various parts, in every single one you were a lone psychopath and not even your seers would back you up. When Lucius sent them to assassinate you not a one said no. You killed them all of course, which was good for him either way. Your father never recovered from losing Aurelia and burying Mariana. All of his children were complete failures. He realized in the end that Lucius was completely lost and sent you the amulet anyway. When you went to find Mariana, whom Lucius sent you after it went terribly, she attacked you thinking you were evil to the core. You hadn’t enough of what was left of your humanity, so you cut her down. Then when the Black Sun rose again you stood no chance, anyone with the power to help you was dead. So, the first change I made was to put Violet in your way. She was a teenager, she had your gift, she gave you a smidgen of humanity back. But you were still too quick to anger, too quick to kill, Mariana joined you begrudgingly but even the two of you weren’t strong enough. I needed you to be human again, I needed you to have a third. So, I went to the beginning I saw how you were raised it was terrible.”

Enid sat on one of the tombs with her knees to her chest peering out over them under her dark brunette bangs watching Lilith intently, she sensed no deception whatsoever and was starting to realize why her gift of foretelling had been so flaky in the long game. Destiny was being fucked with. She couldn’t remember a time with Morag wasn’t her mother, the mother of her heart. She was seven again after a brutal beating and Morag would sing that song to her and tend to her wounds and lay next to her seven-year-old self that one day no one would dare hurt her because she was going to be stronger than the strongest man, faster than a cheetah and angels and demons would cower before her. She remembered the sweet kisses on her hair. The braids the games she’d play, the runes she taught her. Enid pulled her knees closer with her arms. It was Lilith who had taught her how to be a good mother, how to be a human.

Lilith looked at the silent Enid for a long moment before continuing.

“At first, I was just there to make sure you had a little love, but you were so small, and the goats milk it wasn’t making you strong, so I gave you my own, and then he broke your rib, I mended it with what power I had. As the months passed, I realized If I didn’t stop myself, I would likely make it, so you never became Sextus’s daughter. Oh, how I wanted to help you. But I did what I had to for the greater good. And bound me to only human methods of helping you and hexed myself so that I could take no action against your father unless the plan was in danger. I didn’t realize how strong those barriers were. Sextus came and he rescued you from that snowbank. I wanted to tell him that he needed to love you like I did but we have our differences, so I stepped out. Then he summoned me begging me for the fruit of life to save you. I had already taken one when I was first in Limbo after hexing that self-righteous Ezekiel so I extracted a cost from him to save your life. That he must turn you. He agreed but only under the circumstances that you also agree. I knew you would.”

“So, Aurelia’s death had nothing to do with me?”

“No, no she died in the same exact manner in the last timeline. Which also needed to happen, Sextus had to lose his true love, his soulbonded lover. Because he would never sleep otherwise and he would never give you his amulet. But that was a powerful Roman’s doing not mine. Your father refused to help him so he took his vengeance on who he could and blamed the Pugmentia. I just didn’t interfere either time. But this time, he had you, and he had Mariana, but he especially had you, empathetic you, caring you, human you to help him see his life wasn’t empty.”

“What else have you done to me?”

Enid’s voice was muffled by her legs, but Lilith easily understood her.

“The next time I interfered was in Narfordshire.”

“The strix.”

Lilith nodded.

“You let a family be butchered and you turned one of them into a demonic spawn that went on a killing spree and ended with the deaths of several hundred humans to complete the cover up?”

“They would have died anyway.”

“What do you mean? Everyone dies eventually but you shortened their lives.”

“Not by long Enid. In the scale of things, the plague was only twenty-six years away, I knew this. Anything I did here with have immense repercussions. But the reason I had to have you eat the fruit is what happened next.”

“You put Henry in my path.”

“I did. And you were human enough to trust just a little bit and fall in love and have children.”

“You had no right.”

“I had every right Enid! This isn’t about you, or me, it’s about existence itself for everything!”

Lilith had raised her voice but took a deep breath and calmed herself.

“Enid, I did what I had to do, and I hope at the end you will see I love you as much as I did in Scotland, for me it’s only been three years at most. Losing you, losing my child still hurts very deeply. I wanted so many times to hug you, to pick you up, to tell you that you are safe, and you are loved. But I couldn’t because if I did, I would ruin everything. You are still that twelve-year-old girl I watched Sextus pick up from the snow bank the one who just the night before I had held tightly and told that after tomorrow everything would be alright.”

“Mother get to the point please; I need time to process the rest.”

“I understand. Before I interfered Narfordshire was wiped out in the plague. Only the bare remainder of a wall poked out of the ground in farmlands. I was stymied when the assassins came in the last timeline Lucius hadn’t seen you as a threat so quickly. I hadn’t planned on that. I woke you up as soon as I could your wounds were grievous, and you needed decades to heal. I waited as long as I dare, I still have little understanding of your metabolism and your biology as a godling. But the plague was already here, and I needed to make sure your daughter survived it. And you did what I thought you would do, you saved her, but you also saved the whole village. And now a city of two million sits where farmland used to stretch as far as the eye could see. And a Cathedral sits at its center with a statue of you in front of it. Little things make big waves. So, no Enid, I didn’t take lives I helped you create millions.”

“You want to make an omelet you have to break a few eggs? I see.”

“Enid you’re old enough now to see the big picture. Your old self would think the math was pretty good, only because there was more food.”

“Well, you made me into this person, and I have feelings and empathy and humanity. And it’s a shitty choice to have to make either way.”

“Funny, I think I gave us both our humanity back. Before I only cared about surviving, now I care about you and your daughter, and I care about causing unnecessary casualties.”

“Go on with your story mother if we finish quickly, I can go to the pub for lunch and get shit-faced before dark.”

“After Narfordshire you left and returned like you promised and your daughter resisting being turned. That wasn’t what I needed her to do. She was too hesitant.”

Enid’s eyes narrowed.

“What did you do to her?”

“Nothing besides have a conversation over a nice Italian meal and wine. I told her that she didn’t have to be a hunter of the night, I told her she could be a historian for humanity, be able to live life the fullest after dark, meet people, explore, drink, eat, dance. Experience history in the making so that one day she could pass it on to the humans. And along the way she might be able to help a few by killing monsters.”

“Oh, that was you.”

“She was ecstatic at the idea. And I guess she did what we both needed her to do.”

“What was the point of keeping her alive as a vampire?”

“Godling, not a vampire, my creations, those are vampires.”

“Semantics mother, why did you need her to exist at all?”

“Two reasons, you still weren’t embracing your humanity. She on the other hand is probably the most human, human that has ever lived. Even as a godling. So, I needed her to soften your heart more. That was a bonus by the way, I had no idea she’d be such a good person. Second reason which really the reason Narfordshire happened at all, is because you and Mariana needed a third. Even with your Seers loyal to you as they are now, you need magic, the three of you are proficient now.”

“So, she’s the third pillar of the triad you built to defeat the Black Sun. Was I Empress the first time around, or only because I was married to Lucius?”

“Only by marriage, oh Sextus surprised me when he did that, never did I think he would choose you over his own son.”

“So, was that part of the plan?”

“No, I had hoped it would happen, it would limit the Black Sun’s power over the Godlings and Children of Lilith. And it has, though he has been dogged in his attempts in trying to kill you. Or conjure some semblance of you so that he can control the Seers.”

“What do you mean him?”

“Oh, that’s right you haven’t figured it out in this timeline yet. Lucius’s soul was removed when you fought the Black Sun the first time and the Black Sun possessed him.”

Enid’s eyes went wide again.

“So, Lucius never betrayed Mariana, he never betrayed me, it was the Black Sun?”

Lilith nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Simply? Because you weren’t ready to face him, you still aren’t, but you’re getting close.”

“I see.”

“Enid, we’re in the end game now, of a chess game I started two thousand years ago. You need to take a step back, breathe and listen to me, I recognize that look in your eye, you get it when you’re about to do something stupid.”

“Fine.”

“Thank you.”

“If Lucius is gone, why do I still feel whole but alone?”

“He’s not dead, just displaced. My first second attempt to keep you from failing was to make him the third pillar, I put his soul in the body of baby with no soul, a still born. As much as he loves you, he has no talent for magic and just got himself killed, foolishly I might add. You want him back this time I’ll help but we don’t have time right now. I promise once we kill the Black Sun I will take you to where he is trapped.”

“Can’t we just put him back in his own body?”

“No, that won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“In many ways possessing Lucius has limited his power. It also has trapped him someplace where he can’t squirm away from. Well, it will, we need to get Mariana to bind his energy there. In the body so when you kill it with Bloodseeker, the Black Sun is destroyed too.”

“But that means he can move out of it now.”

“There is too much risk involved Enid. The smallest error in our planning and he will escape and succeed. What use will Lucius’s body be to him if everything is destroyed?”

“But I can see him sooner.”

“You are two thousand years old my little cuachag. You have patience. Your true love still exists and in twenty years you can be re-united. But right now, you need to focus on destroying the Black Sun for his sake and ours.”

“Okay, so Eyre is ready, I’m ready, mostly, but Mariana’s dead.”

“No, she’s not. Your father couldn’t kill her, but he couldn’t make it seem like he let her live either. So, he had Amara seal her in a tomb. Problem is, even in this timeline a child of Lilith who is obsessed with Necromancy absconded with her. I’ve taken steps to eliminate him and free Mariana, but he managed to erase her memories. He figured she’d be easier to manipulate that way. He was right. We need her to remember being herself. Right now, she thinks her name is Maria, and she is fifteen years old, and she is attending a Catholic school in Edmonton, which is why Eyre is there, she’s keeping an eye on her.”

“Why did we not just meet there? Grab her, slap her until she remembers, or you know make her remember with my mental domination?”

“That’s exactly why the first version of you failed. The second version of you tried to go to school and befriend her, but let’s face it, before you knew Eyre, you were kind of a bitch, I still loved you though.”

“Okay so how am I supposed to help her remember?”

“Well, luckily you bear a striking resemblance to a Saint, and she’s a devout and by devout I mean she has drank all the kool aid, then asked for second and third helpings.”

Enid had a confused look on her face for a brief second then she nodded.

“I get it.”

“The other versions of you would have had no clue what I’m talking about. I’m so glad you’re you now.”

“I guess I am too?”

“You basically lived like a homeless woman running around killing people with a sword. Now you have what ten homes scattered across the world? You drive, can use computers, even went to university twice. Dr Melanie Stuart. Surgeon. You were a fighter pilot in your next life. You made me proud, I know you don’t care but to see you actually treating humans like humans and healing them it made me cry. What are you doing now?”

“Police detective.”

“Still helping people. You see my point, before we met, you would have been living alone, in a cave unless someone called you to be their attack dog.”

“Alright, mother, you helped me, I understand that. Now how do I help Mariana?”

“Simple, you put your old face back on and go to school and befriend her. Use your real name. Go to church with her, talk to her about Saint Sarah. Protect her, because it will not be long until The Black Sun realizes she is not dead. Protect yourself. Eyre will be there to provide protection. You should probably stop in Toronto first though, save Violet from herself. I feel a bit guilty about her getting left out and she’s a good soul. A little extra back up won’t hurt. When Maria, or Mariana is ready to discuss being a vampire with you, you can talk to her about your past, ease her into it, if you rush it she won’t be ready, and you need her to use her Necromancy to trap the Black Sun. If you do all of that right, you will win.”

“And what about you, mother? Lucifer isn’t exactly happy about you escaping and leaving him trapped. I happen to know of at least one demon that was really mad about it.”

“Yes, and you killed him.”

“Was that your doing?”

Lilith put up her finger about to dismiss the accusation then her shoulders hunched a bit and she let her hand fall to her side.

“Technically, yes, if you weren’t Empress then the Black Sun wouldn’t have been trying to assassinate you with such vigor.”

“So, you inadvertently caused it, but you didn’t intend it.”

“Exactly.”

“You know, what you told father the night Aurelia died, that there is a cost to everything, I believe you were right. And I am afraid of what the cost of the manipulations of the timeline you have done are.”

“I already know the cost. And I would do it again.”

“What was the cost mother?”

“That is on me Enid, it will always be on me. We all survive. It’s better than the last time.”

“But there is a price, and someone has to pay it.”

“Yes, but the adage the humans have, the good of the many of the good of the one is a singular truth in the universe.”

“Mother.”

“It is already done. But the end this time comes with ice, not fire, and humanity survives as do we. I will not discuss it further.”

“Fine. What will you be doing while we save the world?”

“I will be doing my best to interfere with The Black Sun’s plans and gathering your Seers for you.”

“Why would they listen to you?”

“Because you’re going to give me a letter to each of them, signed and sealed with those wonderful curse-warded scrolls your adoptive father was so fond of.”

Enid nodded.

“I will start working on those tonight. In the meantime, before I give up my life as a hard-drinking detective, I’m going to go get shit-faced and enjoy a meal.”

“Can I join you?”

“Fine but no more emotional torture, I’ve had enough this millennia.”

“I promise, I’ll just ask you about your life since I last looked in on you.”

“Works for me.”