Chapter 39
Walking into the Ducal Castle at around half past three, Celeste and Lilith could see that the festivities were still in full swing. Many people were drinking and a new band had taken over from the last. Lilith couldn’t jump any more now that they were surrounded by people. So she moved forward at a slow and deliberate pace trying to keep her tail in check.
As they crossed the banquet hall, more revelers approached wishing them well and thanking them for saving “their Duchess”. Not wanting to be rude, Lilith had difficulty making progress until a couple guards came over to once again usher them through the room and into the rear hall.
Once clear of the people Lilith jumped again leaving Celeste behind with the guards.
“Hey” she called out.
“Oh sorry I just wanted to get away from all that.” She paused as if to clear her head waiting for Celeste to catch up. “Where do you think Tany is?”
“Lets try the Court room again.” Celeste suggested after jogging a few paces to get closer.
Two of the guards nodded at Lilith as she approached. One of them cracking the door open for her without saying a word.
Slowly Lilith entered the court room, it was nearly empty except for two guards and a pair of figures standing near the throne. Looking closer she could see it was Lady Morwen and her son, Kevin. Lilith immediately stopped in her tracks seeing the two of them in an embrace her tail propping the door open. It seemed like Lady Morwen was crying, her head resting on Kevin’s chest with her silver hair covering half her face. Celeste stepped over part of Lilith to enter the room fully stopping as she saw them only to let out an involuntary sound. “Ohhh.” before her hand slapped over her mouth.
The two quickly stood up straight looking around the court room their eyes settling on the entrance in stark unison. Seeing who was there Lady Morwen seemed to relax slightly not bothering to hide her tears. Instead she smiled for a second seemingly not sure whether she wanted to shout words of thanks or begin to cry again. Much to Lilith’s relief she retrieved a white cloth from her person and began wiping her face as she parted with Kevin to greet Lilith and Celeste.
“I’m sorry to interrupt I had no idea… We were looking for Sir Tanel, it is a bit of important news.”
“Something was going on at Cromm’s Hold wasn’t there? What did you find Celeste?”
“Yes ma’am. A spellcaster dressed in black adorned with bones was leaving the hold. But I must speak with Master Wendel and Sir Tanel where are they?” Celeste said still a bit confused on how to act around Lady Morwen. Lilith could understand her confusion. Lady Morwen was stoic some times and friendly at others and while she wasn’t the current ruler of Daggerford, she would be the ruler again in only 20 days time.
“They’re in the master study, using the scrying orb to look for you actually.” the Duchess replied pointing her open hand at Celeste as she approached the two of them.
“Thanks.” Lilith said before she gave a low nod in deference to the Duchess. She then stepped over her own tail to exit the room. Celeste gave her best curtsy to the Duchess before following her fiend out.
Going across the back hall to the Master Study, Lilith knocked and looked in. There she found a very concerned Master Wendel and Sir Tanel looking at the scrying orb that showed a giant eagle flying over the mountains that were north of Daggerford.
“May we come in?” Lilith asked.
“Is Celeste with you…. Thank the gods. We lost track of her an hour ago and couldn’t pick her up again.”
“Yes I’m doing better now Master Wendel. I…. I was in a lot of pain for a while but it seems the injuries from a shape-shifted form do not carry over to ones body.”
“So you were attacked? What happened?” Sir Tanel asked with some urgency.
“After Wendel used polymorph to turn me into a Giant Eagle, I went to fly over the Baroness’s territory as we discussed.”
Lady Morwen entered the room as well standing next to Celeste, listening intently.
“On my third circle I spotted a group of men, marching in formation, moving down the path away from Cromm’s Hold towards the main road. But as I looked closer I saw they weren't men at all. In fact they were orcs and they were escorting another orc dressed in black robes adorned with skulls and bones with a staff made of the same.”
“A necromancer.” Wendel said out loud in a hushed tone.
“Yes, so I decided to try and pick them off and maybe capture the necromancer. I’m actually a bit embarrassed. It was a bit fool hardy of me in hind sight. I did manage to kill one orc and was about to kill another when I was struck by some spell from the necromancer. I could still fly but I was in immense pain so I tried to return to you landing in the grass outside of the tower. Instead I found Lilith there so she dispelled the shape from me so that the pain would stop.”
“So the orcs have a necromancer, that is very grave news indeed if you will pardon the phrase.” Sir Tanel added as he tapped his chin with one finger.
“I told all this to Lilith and we decided to try and stop them while they were exposed on the road. You should have seen it Master Wendel she struck them all down with one bolt that split in all directions.”
“Then the necromancer is dead?”
“We think he is injured. It seems he teleported away into the forest where I couldn’t see him. He brought the orcs back to life as zombies as a form of distraction while he made his escape. We did kill the zombies and burned them to ash so that's taken care of. But the necromancer could be anywhere. They were heading south along the road before we intercepted them.” Lilith said with a bit of regret in her voice
“We will need to double our patrols and send out more scouts. If there is an undead army being raised we must know about it sooner rather than later.” Sir Tanel said.
“Is there anything we can we do to help?” Celeste asked.
“For the moment nothing more. You both have done us a great service already. Get some rest. We will be gathering for a formal party tonight. I will see to the transportation and the reservations. Should we meet in the court room at 6 o’clock?” He asked getting a nod from Lady Morwen.
“But I can try to find….” Celeste started saying.
“Its fine Celeste, that's what we have scouts for. Besides, I need the two of you rested so Lilith can finish the rest of the spears tomorrow and you can show us those new spells you have learned.” Sir Tanel said in a reassuring voice.
“Yes sir.” Celeste managed with a smile.
Lilith looked in Celeste’s direction wondering what that grin was about.
Seeing her friend’s curious look Celeste straightend up moving closer to clasp one of her hands. “We need to get you another dress.”
“Ahhh. Do we have to?” Lilith pretended to pout while pulling at the edges of her navy blue commoners clothes.
“Yes come on, something with a long train.” she said as they turned to leave the room.
“No, no trains or fake hips or corsets.” Lilith insisted extending a different finger at her friend with each item. “How about a knee length sun dress? Something light. And how the heck am I going to fit into that fitting room?”
“Carefully?” Celeste wagered in a sing song voice.
“Fine, lets go.” Lilith said as they re-entered the banquet hall. This time they flagged down a couple guards who cleared the way for them. The entryway was busy both with citizens leaving after having their fill while yet more came in to replace them. Once they reached the dirt path Lilith decided to experiment with a few different ways of moving across the open ground.
After some experimentation and falling down a few times she finally figured out that her tail outweighed her body by at least 2 to 1 so she began initiating the movements with her tail rather than with her legs. Experimenting more She discovered that if she scrunched her tail into a set of coils only 3’ wide and then pushed forward, she could move in short bursts of about 10’ at a time. This seemed to work a lot better then the undulating slug walk she had been using thus far. In fact she was now keeping up with Celeste as they set out for the Bin and Bobbin.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Once inside, a new sales person greeted them at the front. She introduced her self knowing full well who she was speaking to but that didn’t stop Lilith from seizing the opportunity. “Lilith of Devine, Deliverer of Duchess’.” she said, even as her tail still held the door open, the entry bell swinging in the breeze.
“A pleasure and you ma’am?”
“Celeste Baker, eagle for hire.” she said with a smirk.
The new saleslady began to chuckle as did Lilith who was glad that Celeste was finally getting the hang of her little game.
With the introductions managed they both began to look around, Celeste looking for a formal dress while Lilith looked for something light. Celeste settled on a red dress with frills at the bottom that were bound to shake as she walked. Lilith, on the other hand, found a Navy blue floral embroidered dress with a split that started at the knees going down to her ankles. That is if she were able to put it on. Here rear end needed a lot more space now. It was one of the only ones there that was large enough to fit her but it was full length. So she took the dress off the rack going to the back where she found Anabel working diligently as usual.
“Lilith, what brings you here today?” Anabel asked as she stopped sewing on a half complete bra.
“I need another dress and I need it cut short to Just above the knees.” Lilith said holding the dress in front of her.
“Heavens what is that?” Anabel asked pointing down at Lilith’s feet.
“That’s a long story.” She said while dropping her head slightly.
“Well its a long tail. So I suppose that's only fitting. Ha!.” Anabel exclaimed.
“We don’t have much time do you think you can do this in the next hour?”
“For you I would make a dress for scratch… But I won’t have to, that one actually has a decent chance to fit you…. Most of you. In any case. Lets go to the fitting room. Come. Come.”
Lilith followed her back along with Celeste who was ready to try on the red dress so that the bottom edges could be trimmed. Lilith used Fabricate on Celeste's dress while she was being fitted by Anabel. She merely folded up the inside edges at the bottom of the dress and welded them to the fabric on the inside by magically weaving the fibers together.
“Well if you could do that what am I wasting my time doing this for?”
“I don’t really know how to make the dress work around the tail. I need you to perform your own type of magic.” Lilith said as she tried to track Anabel who was placing pins making a new hem line just above Lilith’s knees.
“Well your tail is lifting the back of the skirt about 8” higher than it should be. So we can either make a hole for the tail or sow an extra drape of fabric underneath.”
“Ooooh like a train!” Celeste exclaimed with joy.
“Or like mud flaps” Lilith said with disdain.
“Mud flaps?” they both asked at the same time.
“No lets make a hole in the back just hem the edges so it looks nice.”
“How about Silver trim along the bottom hem line and on the border of the tail opening.”
“Sounds good.” Lilith said with a smile. She was starting to feel better about coming here. Anabel really did work magic with fabric and thread.
With that, Anabel went to work while Celeste twirled in her new dress. After 45 minutes and several sessions of fitting and unfitting the dress, it was finally done. Anabel had made an elegant drape of cloth that covered the tail opening allowing for movement without revealing more than desired. There were several buttons in the back attaching it all together that had been added. Lilith tried moving her tail while walking slowly in the room. After a few slight tearing noises it became clear that more space was needed at the bottom of the tail opening. A single cut and a few stitches later, the dress was done and Lilith wore it out of the store after paying.
Celeste was also paying for her dress when she noticed Anabel pulling up her bra strap to show it off to her. They gave each other a knowing look followed by a laugh that got Lilith’s attention as she exited the back room. After saying their goodbyes, Celeste and Lilith headed back to the tower to take a break They still had an hour before they were needed back at the castle. So they went to sit in the Library where Celeste began to pull out all the books on Demons looking for more illustrations in them.
Lilith sat on an ottoman and began looking through some of the books as well. This book was focused on the most dangerous and powerful ones, the Demon Lords. Many of the entries had names but Lilith only recognized a few. Just as she suspected Orcus was in there and the descriptions of his followers matched. The followers of Orcus wore black robes adorned with white bones that gave them some type of unholy protection. Disturbingly their staves were topped with a human skull that was always taken from a pure soul.
So, they had fought a necromancer of Orcus and it had ended in a draw. The thought of that damned evil wizard walking around somewhere plotting god knows what made her grit her teeth while her tail accidentally moved a desk out of place wrinkling the carpet.
In general these demon lords ruled over their own layers of the Abyss. They would raise armies and either invade the mortal realm if they could find an open portal, or they would attack Avernus to continue the Blood Wars. One book said that the demon lords created demons from their own nightmarish dreams. In depictions most of the demon lords were surrounded by chaotic murdering hulks while others were seen with strangely beautiful female forms made for their own lust and desire.
“Hey I found you.. Look!” Celeste shouted as she turned a book around to face her friend.
“Really what is it?” Lilith stood, leaning over the table while Celeste pointed at a section of the page. There she saw a colored drawing of a demon with six arms and no legs. It had the head, arms, and torso of a beautiful woman but the lower body was that of a green serpent. The body was huge, stretching back at least 25’ from the torso. In each hand the demon held a curved sword with a single edge. Lilith was speechless. This explained her giant tail and how it seemed to want to propel her as she walked. The description also told her why she was so strong. These Mariliths were commanders of the Abyssal army. They were tacticians and strategists that would often attack and teleport around the battlefield dismembering their victims wile taking bloody limbs as trophies.
Other than that there was very little information on them. It seemed that not may people that saw one survived. The one thing that the book was sure of was its warning, it said multiple times not to try and hide from these using invisibility or illusions as they could see through all things.
“So Lilith the Marilith ruler of the third room its nice to meet you.” Celeste said in a purposefully cheerful voice.
“Oh shut up. I’m I’m not that, that…. thing. That's not me!” Faced with the horror of her own inhuman body and the further horrors yet to come, Lilith turned away from the book tears beginning to well in her eyes. She had been trying so hard for that whole day. Trying not to drool. Trying not to bite anyone that smelled particularly tasty. Trying not to crush anyone with her tail. Trying not to lose her temper every time someone asks ‘what is that thing?’ She just wanted to be normal and accepted.
As she held her face in her hands and sobbed she thought ‘Maybe that is why I’ve been trying to do all these good deeds. I’m overcompensating’ She wasn’t a holy or perfect person she had her own sins and selfish desires. She wanted to make out with her best friend and probably would have done so, if she wasn’t so afraid of losing her. She wanted to use her magic to make piles of gold. She wanted to experience sex and pleasure. She wanted to eat as much food as she could. So why was she playing nice playing the protector in this town that she could easily rule over.
Why hadn’t she given in to her base desires. Why should she be the only one to act so noble? But then something occurred to her. She started thinking about her friends. Weren’t they feeling conflicted as well? Sir Tanel had entered her room uninvited and laid his heart bare. He had confided in her and she returned that trust by rescuing his lost love. Celeste was sent to spy on her but had willingly become her best friend and then confessed the act of spying while they shared a bed together after a night of drinking and dancing. Lilith looked down at her tail thinking about its size and how there was no way she was going to be able to dance with it trailing behind her. ‘Well at least I can still drink tonight’.
Sharl had tried to hit on her from the very start, but had proven to be a good man. He helped cheer up Celeste when she was feeling inadequate and unloved. He had also been helping her train while asking for nothing in return. Wendel too was helping her learn about the magic and spellcasting all the while he was trying to think ahead, preventing both her and Celeste from hurting themselves or blowing up part of the town.
Then she thought back to her first night in Faerun. Her first visit from Lathander. He told her that she wasn’t alone. Did he know she would have such friends? Or was he walking along with her as well? Lilith still thought herself unworthy but was remembering the warm light of dawn that had been with her going back to her childhood in each memory from her dream. This God was always with her. He had been there the whole time from the start even on Earth. There it was just his kind warmth but here he could speak and help more directly. She had spoken to him just last night. Of course she wasn’t alone. And she had friends because she had been dependable and kind and because she rejected evil, especially the evil within herself. Maybe that was why she was angry. Normally she could suppress or hide her selfish desires. But this outward form couldn’t be hidden. It couldn’t be wished away even with her most powerful of magics.
Celeste had come around the table trying to comfort her friend, rubbing one hand on Lilith’s back as she balled her eyes out. The demon screamed “Why” periodically as the arguments and rationalizations played out in her head.
Then Lilith decided. If her outward appearance wouldn’t secure her a position in this world it would have to be her deeds that defined her. Deeds worthy of the faith Lathander had placed in her. For he had given her every talent and every strength she had from the moment she was born.
Wiping her face and her eyes, Lilith began to stand up straight again. She turned to her right to face Celeste gently taking the hand she had been rubbing on her back. It felt warm probably from all the extra friction. “I’m sorry, I bit you this morning.” She said with a sniffle.
“I know you didn’t mean it. I’m fine now. Look not even a scratch.” She said, turning her forearm over to show the lighter colored skin that was completely unblemished.
“And I’m sorry I didn’t ask Lathander to give you wings.” Lilith said with a chuckle “they would have looked bad on you anyways.”
“Ya I would have had to sell half my dresses and I wouldn’t be able to wear my bras.” Celeste admitted with a delayed laugh.
“Thanks.” Lilith said looking Celeste directly intently with a kind smile.
“For what?” Celeste asked as she looked up at her friend.
“For not treating me like a demon.” Lilith said wiping the last tear away from her eyes.
“Hey.” She waited till she had Lilith’s attention. “Thanks for not treating me like a useless apprentice.”
“Yes instead I treat you like a pack animal. Celeste my faithful steed.”
“Shut up!” she said as she slapped Lilith's side playfully.
“Oh I just had the best idea ever. Have you ever heard of this spell called Dragon’s Breath?” Lilith asked.
“No but Wendel might know it.’
“Know what?” Wendel asked as he walked past the library entrance to the next set of stairs that led up to his room.
“A spell called Dragon’s Breath”
“Yes I know it” He said as he stopped to face the two ladies. He saw the two of them still holding hands obviously sharing a moment. So he didn’t approach instead he kept his distance, leaning against the doorway.
“My teacher insisted I learn it. He said it was handy in case I ever got surrounded by Kobolds. He said that you fry a few of them with Dragons fire and the rest start worshiping you as a god. But I have never really used it except in practice.”
“Can you teach it to us?” Lilith asked with the same enthusiasm Celeste normally had.
“One second.” Wendel walked in going to a book shelf where he pulled out the copy of his spell book and flipped to the page with Dragon’s Breath. “Now if you will excuse me I need to change.” Wendel left the book on the desk before he headed up the stairs to the third level of the tower where his quarters lie across from Celeste's.
Lilith memorized the spell first as it only took her about 30 seconds. Then Celeste began copying it into her spellbook using her enchanted quill.
She then began reading the spell sequence as Celeste was still scribbled away.
[Dragon’s Breath] The caster is able to produce a large gout of flame, acid, lightning, poison, or cold just as a breath from a dragon by inhaling deeply and blowing suddenly. This spell has greater range and effect if cast using larger amounts of spell power than is strictly necessary. The effect lasts for 5 breaths.
“So whats this great idea you had Lilith?” Celeste asked with questioning look.
“Oh, just imagine, a Giant Eagle swooping down on that group of orcs but instead of picking one up you drench them all in red hot dragon’s breath.”
Her friend’s eyes went wide he quill stopping its movements “Or lightning breath!” Celeste said with wicked smile while pointing the blunt end of her quill like a wand.
“Imagine the surprise on those dumb orc’s faces. You open your mouth and they expect to hear an eagle scream and then Zap!!!” Lilith said followed by lots of electrocution noises.
The two girls found themselves bent over laughing in hysterics.
“Wait with a pact there is no limit, it could just be a normal thing for my eagle form. I could come fight with you.” Celeste said after regaining her composure and scribbling in the last part of the spell into her book.
“Yep.” Lilith said with a twist and a nod of her head.
Lilith looked longingly at Celeste glad she had a friend that could help her overcome her own internal demons. She also clenched her Holy Symbol saying a quick prayer of thanks in her head before she spoke aloud. “I’m not alone.” in a gentle whisper
Celeste began to collect the rest of the books into a pile keeping the one with the Marilith open to that page so she could show it to Wendel when he came back down.
Lilith and Celeste were both ready for the nights festivities each in completely new dresses that couldn’t be more different. Celeste's was a thick dark red fabric that went down to her feet and made her look more adult and more regal. While Lilith’s dress was lighter, more form fitting and looked like something you would wear to a picnic outdoors.
Once Wendel came down in a silver and red formal robe they showed him the book entry and he suddenly got a headache that lasted for a minute before it cleared up.
“Yes that definitely looks like you Lilith with not so many arms.”
“Wendel, are you ok?” Lilith asked as he sat down on a lounge chair. She thought for a brief second she could see something swirl around his head but looking again she saw nothing.
“Ya, I’m fine I think I spent too much time scrying on you two today. Now lets get going we don’t want to be late to a party that is mostly in your honor.” Wendel said, looking at both the well dressed ladies standing above him.
Lilith gave him another look but couldn’t see anything wrong. So she just offered a hand helping him to his feet.
Wendel stood, fixed his hair and started to leave the Tower leading their group down to the first floor. They each said a new curse at Pencheska’s general direction as they left before walking across the grass to the entrance of The Ducal Castle.