Embers in the Dark

The Cleansing

"Yeah, about that..." Brigid said.

She aimed the mirror down a little and Arthur bit back a scream when he saw that his body from the chest down was barely held together.  The only thing that looked intact was the porcelain bowl that was placed over his genitals.

"Jesus!" he growled out in shock.  "How am I not dead?!"  Lugh cleared his throat then Arthur blinked.  "Oh yeah," he said with a sigh.

"What?" Brigid asked in confusion.

"Um..." Lugh said.  "Here's the thing, Yer Majesty.  Something was done tah Arthur's body during the EODM the tree performed on him, and-"

"EODM?" Abraham asked.

"It's an acronym for "Extraction of Dark Magic"," Lugh explained.  "I just started using it."

"I see," Abraham chuckled.  "Very clever, but what happened for Mr. Morgan here to not perish from the physical trauma he just endured?"

"Uh...the tree granted him...immortality," Lugh answered with hesitation.

"...How?!" Brigid screeched.

"I dunna know!" Lugh shouted back.  "That thing's got a mind of its own!  You know that!"

A loud squeak was heard, followed by what sounded like someone falling down some stairs.  Someone groaned deeply and someone else hissed before something slammed shut, so Brigid took the mirror away.

"I wish I knew how tah kill this fuckin' gluttonous, evil bitch!" Lilly belted out.  "She keeps eatin' people that I care about!"  Something fell over and Lilly screamed angrily.  "Why the fuck did this happen tah me?!  What the fuck did I do tah have me whole life be nothin' but Hell?!" 

More things fell over and Arthur listened helplessly as his wife went between screaming in mental agony and sobbing loudly.  He looked at Brigid questioningly.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"In Rose's stomach," Brigid answered with a frustrated sigh.  "We're currently in a trunk in Lilly's study of your house."

"Miss Lilly..." a child said in a sad voice.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry," Lilly said.  "Did I wake you?"

"Uh huh."

"Who is that?" Arthur asked.

"That is Ilyana," Abraham answered.  "One of Rose's victims that Lilly rescued from certain death.  She is from Belgium."

"Abraham?" Vlad said in surprise.  "What...how...you live!"

Van Helsing laughed lightly.  "I do.  What are you doing here?"

"I came to help aid Mr. Morgan in the fight against the villainous Rose.  That, and to inquire on your whereabouts.  Rose was quite forthcoming with that information.  She even regaled her tale about the Samhain party."

"I see," Abraham said.  "Speaking of, I have a theory on why Lilly's blood was so lethal to Fane."

"Why's that?"

"Lilly is a product of divinity."

"Come again?"

"I'm a demigod, Vlad," Lilly said.  "And a royal one, at that."

"If you're a demigod, then you can get us out of here!" someone shouted in a Russian accent.

"I'm workin' on it!" Lilly barked out. 

"Then work faster!"

"Who was that?" Arthur asked.

"That's Mikhail," Brigid said.  "Some unfortunate man who tried to rob Lilly."