As time went on, Lux had been noticing subtle changes in the air.

It started small, with whispers she would catch every now and again from other tieflings in the city. A rumour about rising tensions in the hells here, a murmured conversation about Mephistopheles there.

Lux had never experienced any kind of attempted coup, but what she was noticing the most was how slow it all was. It had been over a year since the man that called himself her father had given Silas the warning about Mezithios, and though she still heard his whispers, no one had come to kill her.

Tieflings who had visitations in The Hells had a small inkling of what was going on, but then she would find herself walking past a group of humans and wonder: how much did they know? Did they have any idea?

She bit at her inner cheek as she walked mindlessly. It could just be what it seemed to be, rumours. But if there was truth to it, it would affect them on the surface whether she liked it or not. If Mephistopheles was looking to rule she doubted he would be satisfied at simply ruling The Hells, if he were to even succeed, that is.

In her musings, Lux found herself on autopilot coming to a stop outside of Dulcie’s storefront. The bell chimed overhead as she let herself in. It was still early morning, and so there was only one other customer in the store. She tried to mind her own business, but she couldn’t help her intrigue when she heard the attempted hush of voices at the counter.

“Boss ain’t gonna be happy when we tell him this, Lady.”

Dulcie’s own voice snapped back, strong despite her age.

“I don’t care how that oaf feels, this is all I’ve got.”

That piqued Lux’s interest even further. She picked up an apple and feigned interest in the quality as she eavesdropped.

“I’m sure you’ll be talkin’ big when he comes here himself.” The man was clearly hostile, though Lux knew better than to intervene where Dulcie was involved. Dulcie was able to handle herself, she preferred it that way.

Though this didn’t stop Lux from taking in the features of the man. He was short, stocky, potentially half-dwarf. He had a mean look in his eye but ultimately didn’t look too threatening.

Dulcie seemed to think so too as she continued, “If Grimshaw wanted to threaten me good, he’d come here and do it himself rather than sending the likes of you.”

Lux paused. Grimshaw?

The man attempted one final threat before leaving in a huff, pushing one of the displays over on his way out. Dulcie let out a few good swears before making her way to the mess of oranges that had spilled over the floor. Lux followed, bending over to pick a few up herself.

“Grimshaw?” She started with a tone of disbelief. “What does he want?”

Dulcie sighed, looking up at her for a moment before shaking her head and going back to collecting oranges from the floor. Lux picked up the wooden display stand, jostling it to make sure it was still stable. Dulcie stood up beside her and deposited her armful of oranges on top before fully acknowledging her.

“He pops his greasy head up every now and then, nothing for you to worry about, love.”

Lux frowned, knowing Dulcie didn’t like to be fussed over but she couldn’t help herself, she mattered to her and Grimshaw was someone who caused her worry simply by hearing his name.

“Is he causing trouble for you?” She persisted.

“Look darl’, it’s nothing new. I’m very much used to it.” Dulcie continued on picking up oranges as if this wasn’t news to Lux.

“Dulcie, if he’s harassing you-” Lux was quickly interrupted.

“What, love? What can you do? Get rid of Grimshaw, someone just as dull and just as ugly will always take his place, it’s just the nature of this world.” The oranges were all sorted back into place, and she trailed behind Dulcie as she made her way back to the front counter.

“Why are you even on his radar to begin with?” Realisation was looming but Lux was holding out hope that she was wrong.The look Dulcie gave her let her know that she was not.

“Because of me? Because of Silas? Is he blackmailing you?”

Dulcie’s silence was answer enough.

“What proof does he even have? You’ve never bought anything from us.”

Dulcie sighed, relenting to her persistence. “I let Silas use some of my storage space, saves him going all the way down to that little hidey-hole you kids have, keeps him from being on the streets longer than he needs to be.”

“Dulcie… a little bit of Silas’ time is not worth you being an accomplice. He can make his way down to our ‘hidey-hole’ like the rest of us.”

Dulcie looked at her with a sad expression, one that made Lux feel like she was missing part of the story.

“What, Dulcie?” She asked.

“He was having… troubles… with some of Grimshaw’s men. They recognised him. Not sure what stories Grimshaw told, but knowing Silas, he wouldn’t have helped his situation none.”

Lux didn’t interrupt, giving Dulcie room to continue.

“I found him on my doorstep one morning, blacker and bluer than I’ve ever seen, well, anyone. Said they followed him, found one of your entrances because of him. There was a big fuss kicked up amongst your folk, I’m surprised you didn’t hear anything.” Dulcie waved a hand as if her words were getting away from her. “Anyway, long story short I gave him a key. He’s safer coming here than he is going down some alleyway at midnight. And if that means Grimshaw charges me some as an accomplice then so be it.”

“He never told me.” Lux shook her head, her brow furrowing.

Dulcie tsked as she began to sort through some paperwork behind the counter. “He might be a bit sweeter than some, but he’s still a man. They all have egos, all have pride. I doubt he wanted you to know.”

“So Grimshaw’s back in town then, he must be making a name for himself if he’s got people doing his dirty work.” More importantly, Lux thought, he must have somewhere he’s staying.

“I reckon. You steer clear of that lot, alright dear?” Dulcie gave her a pointed look, and rolled her eyes when she could see Lux’s plotting on her face. “At least be careful, please.”

Now that she could promise.

----------------------------------------

It wasn’t difficult to locate the half-dwarf. After asking around for the direction he left in, she finally spotted him as he stomped his way into the pub. Typical, she thought.

She moved in a way that allowed her to blend in, by not seeming like she was trying to keep a low profile. It didn’t seem to matter though, as the man moved towards the back of the establishment and ducked through a door.

Would Grimshaw really be holed up in the back of a pub? It only took her a moment to decide that yes, he would, before she moved up to the counter and ordered a pint. She’d never had a drink before, despite now being of age, but she didn’t plan on starting moments before sneaking into Grimshaw’s place. It was simply to blend in, giving her reason to sit near the door the half-dwarf had gone through.

She threw some coins on the counter, not bothering with the change. She kept her head straight as she moved but her eyes took in the patrons around her. It was mostly people who had passed out after drinking late into the night, a day drinker here and there. The bartender had bags under his eyes, looking like he was about to nod off himself.

She placed her drink onto the table next to the door and sat, giving it a minute for those that were more alert to become bored of her presence and continue with their conversations. When she felt the moment was right, she aimed a discreet lock-picking spell at the door handle before slipping through.

The room on the other side was empty, and she realised she hadn’t planned ahead for the chance that it wasn’t. She scolded herself internally, her lack of forethought would surely be her undoing.

It was an unassuming room, a staff room with cleaning supplies and a table with two chairs. There were no lights on, but she, like most tieflings, had adequate night vision. She could see a few meters in front of her well enough, before it became a bit tougher to decipher what was in the dark. A small bookshelf sat on the opposite wall with two sconces holding unlit torches on either side. She frowned, there must be more than meets the eye.

Snapping her fingers, she produced a flame and shot it towards the torches, relieving some of the strain on her eyes. As soon as the flames lit the torches and the room glowed with light, she heard the sound of something shifting. She looked over to see the bookshelf sliding back into the wall and off to the side, revealing a ladder that led down into the dark. She shot a dubious look over her shoulder before shrugging and making her way down into the darkness.

At the bottom of the ladder was a short walkway that led to a large double door. A guard was off to the side, they sat on a stool with their arms crossed and feet kicked up on a small table. Her steps faltered as she waited for them to react to her presence, only to realise with the slump of their shoulders against the wall, that they were asleep. As she stepped closer, she could hear light snores coming through their helmet.

She kept her footsteps light, not wanting to wake the guard as she looked for a way in that wasn’t the large front door. She wasn’t looking to confront Grimshaw, not without something to use against him. There must be something here, surely. If she could just find something incriminating enough to get him off of Dulcie’s back, then she would be out of there.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to this place. The walls were solid stone, no other doors in sight. The only thing of interest was a vent on the wall, though this was right above the guard’s head.

She contemplated her options before casting a spectral disembodied hand, guiding it to the vent where it pulled off the covering and held it in place, ready to put it back on after she was inside.

Next, she whispered a spell to herself as she crouched, one that apparated her from where she was, up into the cramped tunnel of the vent. She looked down from her place above the guard and couldn’t help the feeling of pride that she felt at her own abilities. Her magic had developed greatly in the last few years, partially due to her natural proficiency and partially due to Silas’ training. She loved her magic, it was like a puzzle piece that fit her perfectly.

She twisted in the cramped space, turning to face the narrow tunnel. On all fours, she crawled her way through. She made a few wrong turns, ending up at the vent of the pub’s kitchen at some point before doubling back. Eventually, she made it through to what she thought was the right entrance. It was difficult to tell as the vent was in a corner of the room with low visibility, chests full of junk littering the area along with shelves of liquor.

She could hear a group of people out of sight, eating and drinking rowdily as they conversed. She took the opportunity to push the vent cover out of the way, holding it as she slipped out into the room. She put the vent cover back into place before crouching to the side of one of the shelves. As she took in her surroundings, she realised she was in a small alcove just off from the main room.

Lux peered through the archway and there, in the midst of the chaos, was Grimshaw. He looked even worse for wear than she remembered. His skin was a sickly sort of pale, the bags under his eyes more pronounced, he still wore his usual flannel with a gold chain around his neck. He was ripping into what appeared to be a very rare piece of meat and Lux couldn’t help but scrunch her nose at the sight of the mess he had made on his face and hands.

She needed to focus, surely there was something in one of these chests that would incriminate him in what he was doing. She moved as quietly as she could manage, sifting through the chests. She didn’t really find anything of note, until she noticed a pouch tucked between some bottles on a shelf. It was weathered leather, filled with crumpled old letters addressed to one Alderic Grimshaw.

She peeked around the shelving again, making sure they were all still occupied, before taking one out and starting to read.

Dearest Alderic,

My one and only son, you know I will always love you. But I can’t accept what you’ve become. You make your living preying on those less fortunate. Have you forgotten your roots?

Come home, start fresh. I have extra leftovers with your name on them.

I know things are… different for you, since the attack. I’m sure we can find a way to make it work. I know you would never hurt me, anyways.

Write soon.

Lots of love, Maman.

She assumed the attack was referencing Grimshaw’s scars. It didn’t seem to have stopped him physically, maybe there was mental damage? That would explain a lot.

She pulled another letter out, this one seemed more recent, less weathered.

Alderic,

I have been hearing stories about beast attacks out in the west of the city, do you have anything to do with this?

Please listen to me, it’s not too late to get out of this terrible life you’ve created. Think of the stress you are putting on your poor maman!

Please come home,

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Love, Maman.

Lux tried to piece together what Grimshaw could possibly have to do with the beast attacks that had been happening of late, but aside from looking like a victim of one himself, she was coming up short.

She went to return the letters to their place, tucking them into the pouch and reaching to place them back between the bottles on the shelf. As she tucked it back into place, she turned, and her tail flicked out in reflex, the muscle spasming. It knocked into one of the bottles and time seemed to slow as it shattered onto the stone below.

Her fight or flight kicked in and she dove for the vent grate, tugging at it, but before she could displace it a spell shot towards her that struck her in the back and paralyzed her.

The one that shot the spell pulled her arms into place behind her back, and she could do nothing to stop it. They yanked her out of the alcove and into the open, the once lively room dead silent as they watched her and Grimshaw, waiting to see what he would do.

His eyes settled on her and he dropped what he was eating, licking his fingers as he stood. Their eye contact never broke as he sauntered over. She felt the paralyzing spell wear slowly from her muscles and her hand automatically twitched towards the knife sheathed at her hip. He tracked the action, his stained teeth flashing as he smiled at her, though his eyes remained cold.

“How’d you wander into this place?” He asked, his voice casual but she could sense his annoyance.

“Your friend came straight here after threatening mine.” She said, matching his tone but still feeling tense.

“My friend?”

Lux made pointed eye contact with the half-dwarf at the table. He glared daggers at her in return, until Grimshaw turned and saw him, at which he gave a sheepish smile. Grimshaw grunted as he turned back to her.

“And who’s your friend?” He questioned.

“She owns the local produce store, goes by Dulcie.” Lux watched as understanding dawned in his expression.

“You’re that Silas’ kid, aren’t ya?” Something changed in his expression, he looked like the cat that caught the canary and it made her hairs stand on end.

He turned, gesturing to one of his lackeys at the table, who got up and left without a word. This put Lux even more on edge, she was regretting her impulsiveness. Why on earth had she come down here by herself?

He could read her too easily, she realised, and she tried to school her expression into something neutral. It was too late though, he’d already seen past the mask, seen that she knew she was in over her head. He smiled wide at her, a calloused hand landing on her shoulder.

“Don’t look so scared now. If you want to leave, you can leave.” He gestured towards the door and she gave him a skeptical look before turning to face it.

“That’s it?” Her eyes narrowed, not believing him for a moment.

“That’s it.” He continued to smile that sharp, empty smile and she felt as if she wasn’t being given a choice.

She kept an eye on him as she stepped towards the door, his eyes tracking her movements. It was a surreal moment for her, of all the outcomes, this one made the least sense.

Opening the large wooden door, she slipped through and closed it behind her with a final echoing thud. As she looked to the right, she noticed the guard was gone. Anxiety caused a sinking feeling in her stomach, her breath quickening as she darted towards the ladder. She reached out for one of the rungs, not wanting to linger here any longer.

As she planted a foot on the bottom rung, she looked up into the dark tunnel, noticing the lack of light at the top. It only took her eyes a moment to adjust with her dark vision, before the figure came into focus. They wore all black, a hood covering their head and the lower half of their face covered with a mask. That was all she had time to take in before they pounced, their weight slamming into her.

Her head thudded back onto the stone below and she cried out, her hand moving quickly to her knife, gripping the handle and pulling it out of its sheath. She swung towards the hooded figure but they parried it easily, pinning her arm down and twisting until she was forced to loosen her grip.

She grit her teeth, growling as the person held their own weapon to her throat. She became still as the steel of the dagger dug into her skin. The figure above her lifted their arm slowly, pulling back their hood before tugging down their mask.

“Hello, cousin.” The tiefling bared his sharp teeth back at her in an almost manic smile.

Lux took in the features of the tiefling in disbelief, so many similarities to her own.

“Who are you?” She spat.

“Are you listening, cousin?” The pressure of the dagger on her throat increased as he leaned towards her. “I can’t believe I’m the one who gets to bring you in. I wasn’t sure about working with the beast, but it turns out he does know a thing or two.”

The boy seemed to be talking to himself more so than to her, and she could see it in his eyes that he wasn’t completely sane, the way they darted around, not entirely taking anything in.

“You want me alive, I hope?” She grit out as his blade continued to dig, a sting letting her know that blood had been drawn already.

He seemed to come back to himself somewhat, relieving some pressure but causing more pain as air hit her broken skin.

“Luckily for you.” He continued to smile, seeming to take her in for the first time since he’d attacked her. His blade came up to caress her cheek, the point coming to rest under her discoloured eye, her connection to Mezithios.

A pulsing in her head seemed to grow more agitated, like a migraine coming on quickly and intensely. Her vision began to blur, the boy's face swimming in front of her. She felt it in the back of her mind, the desire. She wanted to see him dead, she wanted to revel in his screams for mercy.

Her vision swam with red, pulse racing. It was like an out of body experience; she was there, but not entirely.

Her hand came up to the boy's wrist, encircling it, her claws digging into his skin. He dropped the knife and it nicked her cheek as it fell beside her head, but she didn’t flinch. Her grip strength increased, until she could feel the bone crunching. He was yelling for her to stop, but it landed on deaf ears as she flipped their positions.

Now above him, her other hand came to encircle his throat. Her claws dug into his jugular and she felt his pulse flying before it was interrupted by the parting of flesh. Her wet fingers pushed in further and further until she couldn’t grip any tighter.

She leaned forward, seeing shapes and shadows but her vision was still heavily obscured by red.

A pupil, constricted as tight as it could be, made its way through the fog in a wide crying eye. He gurgled as he choked on his own blood, but it sounded like she was underwater, the sound barely reaching her.

The pounding in her head became unbearable and she found herself releasing her grip on the flesh of his throat, clenching her eyes shut and holding her head as she moaned in agony.

Her vision began to clear, and she moved her hands from her head, the image of them swam in front of her, covered in blood and viscera. With dread sinking her stomach, her eyes moved from her hands to the body crumpled in front of her.

She stood, stumbling back. Her steps unsteady as her vision slowly came back to her.

Beautiful. A voice whispered to her.

She felt sick. Scrambling back up the ladder, she landed back in the staff room of the pub on all fours. Her mind was reeling, she needed to get out of here.

She found the strength to get back to her feet, and stood behind the staff door, opening it just enough for her body before casting an invisibility spell and slipping through. She did it fast enough that by the time the worker behind the bar went to investigate, she was already out the front door.

----------------------------------------

Lux sat at the edge of the lake late that night, mind running over all that had happened earlier that day.

She had made it back home before her invisibility spell lost its strength. She was just lucky Silas wasn’t there as she closed the door behind her. The blood on her hands had become sticky as it dried, some becoming stuck to the door handle. Her mind whirled as she thought of all she needed to do. She needed to clean herself up first. Heading towards the washroom, she ran the sink, the water was heating too slowly and the soap was simply making the blood wet again as it rolled around on her skin. She could feel the tears welling, and as she looked up into the mirror, the sight of blood on her face overwhelmed her. She began to cry in earnest, tears falling hot and fast. She continued to scrub, movements becoming more frantic. She could barely see as her tears clouded her vision, but the sight of Silas in the doorway, eyes wide as he slowly held his hands up as he came towards her, made her cry even harder.

She ignored him and continued to scrub her hands, running them under the water as it heated. Her skin began to burn as the water became too hot but she could barely feel it.

Silas’ hands came to rest on her shoulders, but nothing could stop her as she cried in gasps and sobs. He said nothing, pulling her into his chest, not caring as she got tears, snot and blood on his shirt.

She gripped him like a lifeline, her sun. She found herself calming as she slowly came back into his orbit.

He stroked her hair, shushing her like she was a child again before he lifted her with little effort, sitting her by the sink.

“Stay there.” He murmured, before moving to draw a bath.

He put her favourite soaps in, the water filling with bubbles like he would do when she was little. The scent of lavender soothed her, bringing her sobs down to sniffles.

He gave her privacy to undress and she settled in the warm water beneath the bubbles. Her eyes gazed absently at the wall, closing as he lifted some water to wet her hair. He scrubbed the blood from her face with a washcloth, before lifting her hands and scrubbing them for her too.

Once the blood was gone, they sat in silence. Lux was curled into herself, cheek against her knee watching him. Silas was staring ahead, his eyes looked pained.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered.

His grey eyes snapped to her, as if he had forgotten where he was for a moment.

“We’ll be alright. I’ll take care of it.” He stated, before insisting on details. She recounted what had happened as best as she could, despite the gaps in her memory. As soon as she was done, he gave her a comforting kiss to her forehead before stating he would be back soon.

Then she was alone. Terrifyingly alone.

She was brought back to the present by a sweet voice singsonging as it reached her ears.

“Guess who!” Liss said cheekily as she covered her eyes from behind.

Lux wanted to match her lighthearted spirit, but she didn’t have it in her tonight. She turned to face her, Liss’ arms hovering around her neck. Liss immediately knew something was amiss.

“What’s wrong?” Her smile dropped, and Lux hated herself for being the cause of it.

“Rough day.” She answered.

Something in Liss’ eyes looked almost relieved.

“Me too.” She replied, her mood seeming to shift to match Lux’s, as if her cheery front was eager to drop.

Liss moved to sit next to her, leaning her shoulder into Lux’s.

“Tell me about it?” Liss asked, turning to her with soft, questioning eyes.

Lux shook her head. “You first, please.” She couldn’t bear the thought of unloading everything that had happened onto her.

Liss observed her for a moment, taking in her almost distraught expression, before turning to face the lake.

“I’ll be eighteen next month. My parents have been bringing Travis by more often, they’re so pushy.” She dug a stick into the dirt at her feet angrily.

“I don’t really want to marry him, but what choice do I have? His family has been helping us for such a long time. It was always going to be this way. If I don’t do it…” She trailed off, her expression crumpling as she looked up to the stars through the dark canopy.

Lux felt her heart constrict in her chest. A month? A month, and Liss would be married. No more late night rendezvous, there wouldn’t be a space for her in her bed when she’d sneak through her window, it would be taken. When Lux pictured herself when she was older, Liss was by her side. She was always by her side. Every touch, every late night whisper, every secret shared look, it meant everything to her.

Lux felt almost panicked as she turned to her.

“Liss, please don’t get married.” She pleaded.

Liss turned to her, eyes shining with unshed tears.

“What do you mean?” Lux took her hand, moving to kneel next to her.

“Run away with me.” Lux’s heart was in her throat, watching Liss’ wide green eyes as she processed her words.

She intertwined their fingers and Lux watched her eyes flit to the motion and then back to her face.

“Lux…” She stuttered. “I- I-, run away?” Her eyes scrunched shut as she shook her head.

Lux used her other hand to reach for her jaw, lifting her head to face her. Liss’ bright eyes found her once more, the stars reflecting in them. Lux couldn’t help but think that the moon was created just to shine on her, it did so perfectly.

She noticed the slight rosy tint that had taken over her cheeks, and Lux felt like her heart was on fire, eyes fluttering to Liss’ lips for a moment. She leaned in slowly, giving her the opportunity to refuse.

Their lips met slowly, softly.

If her heart was on fire before, it was her entire being now. She would endure it for her, though.

Lux pulled away, not wanting to overdo things, to scare her away. But she barely made it back a touch before Liss was reclaiming the space, deepening their kiss. She felt Liss’ hands entwine into her hair and a shiver ran down her spine. Her scent of vanilla surrounded her and Lux felt like she was in a dream, eyes fluttering closed as she lost herself in the moment.

She felt her tail move of its own accord, winding itself around her thigh, and that was when Liss broke away, breathing heavily.

“Lux, wait-”

Before she could get any more words out, she was interrupted by a distant scream. They both jumped, heads jerking towards the direction of the sound.

They stood, wasting no time in heading towards the source of the scream. As they stepped carefully, Lux muttered an invisibility spell that encased them both. Lux was slightly ahead of Liss, her dark-vision leading the way, and she felt Liss’ hand slip into her own. Her step faltered only for a moment, she tried not to overthink it. She couldn’t see very well amongst the trees, that was all.

They came upon a break in the trees that lead to a dirt track. Hanging back in the tree line, they watched as a beast reared back onto its hind legs, letting out a howl.

A werewolf? Lux was in disbelief, she’d never seen one before, and now there was one in town?

It was then that she noticed a body lying at the werewolf’s clawed feet. That was all she needed to see before she let go of Liss’ hand, emerging from the bushes. She was still invisible, and she watched as the beast hunched back onto all fours, teeth baring as it went back to its meal.

She wasted no time in hurling a fireball at it. It leapt back, a whine coming from its maw, before it turned back to Lux and pounced.

She was knocked back for the second time that day, and she couldn’t help but think that this couldn’t be good for her head. Her brow furrowed as she noticed the gold chain hanging from the beast’s neck, it rang a bell in her mind. She didn’t have time to follow that thought, as bared fangs coated in blood and drool brought her back to the present. Before she could figure out how to get out of this situation, an enraged cry rang out and she watched Liss burst from the trees, wielding a large branch that she brought down with all her might onto the werewolf’s head.

There was a moment of pause, before the beast raised itself back onto its hind legs and turned to face Liss.

It stalked forward, and Lux ran through her spells mentally, having no idea what worked on a werewolf but knowing she only had moments to decide.

Before she could, the figure that had been lying dormant rolled onto their feet in a flash, knife glinting in the moonlight before it sliced into the werewolf’s back.

It howled in pain, the knife being yanked back out, and before they could plunge it back in a second time it turned tail and ran into the darkness.

The stranger, a young woman, held her hand out in offering. Lux took it, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.

“Thank you for intervening.” The woman offered a small smile. It was hard to make out her features, as her dark vision didn’t allow much in the way of colour. The woman’s dark hair tumbled to her waist in a loose braid, a few curls coming loose around her face. Her eyes were warm and bright, despite how exhausted she looked.

“Thank you for scaring that thing off.” Lux replied.

The woman huffed a laugh. “I guess we're even then.”

Lux returned her smile before introducing herself and Liss stepped forward, making her own introduction.

“Lovely to meet you both. I’m Violet.” She moved to pick up her things and as she did, she hissed in pain, her hand moving to her shoulder. She pushed the fabric of her shirt aside and revealed the deep and unmistakable bite of a werewolf.