A Good Evil

A Wonderful Man/chapter 4

"Lily, WAKE-UP!"

Lily's eyes fluttered open, met by Sam's concerned face. She latched onto him, her body shaking with terror.

"Sam! She's trying to kill me!"

"Lily, nobody is trying to kill you." He quickly embraced her, rubbing her back soothingly. "Everything is okay, sweetheart. I've been searching for hours. How in god's name did you get out here?" 

In the old cemetery, umber soil clung heavily to Lily's clothes and skin, twigs hopelessly ensnarled within her hair.

"My head hurts like a bitch," She whimpered groggily, "I got grabbed by this thing---and it pulled me underground."

Sam raised a confused eyebrow. "What kind of thing?"

"Oh, never mind." She groaned. "I think all of these pills are makin' me high." 

Lily's eyes widened as she studied Sam in confusion. "Ugh...god, It's still happening." Turning her head away, she drifted back into unconsciousness.

"Lily?" Sam shook her lightly with his hand.

No response.

He laid his fingers along her throat and felt for a pulse; its rhythm was slow and steady. Sam sighed in relief; she would be fine. Nothing that a bit of rest wouldn't cure.

Strangely his magical barriers hadn't prevented Lily from escaping. Yet, she'd only gotten as far as the abandoned seaside town hidden within the escarpment. Surprisingly, she wandered past the edge of safety, almost to the border of the human world. Cyndra had been right to worry; this version of Lily was different. It was wrong to underestimate her; she was evolving to overpower his tricks. The last Lily had somehow learned to block the connection they shared. Could this new Lily do the same?

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

The town was an ancient place Sam and his followers protected for hundreds of years. It was once a medieval fishing village filled with woebegone settlers, controlled by an overzealous clergy of monks. When Sam took up residence in the 1100s, he freed the villagers, and Lily proceeded to execute the evil men in power. Of course, she got carried away and burnt herself to a crisp. Sam bit his lip ruefully; that happened about 30 Lilys ago, give or take.

Sam sighed, picking a twig out of her coppery hair.

He'd have to tell her the truth, which had to be tonight. Her power would fully awaken within the next 48 hours. 

He wasn't looking forward to the task. It would be confusing and terrifying for Lily. Like adolescence hormones combined with sharp teeth, super strength and angst.

Lily's powerful medication and unfortunate concussion had been conveniently helpful, the perfect explanation for her visions and memories. Sam was far more comfortable deceiving her than providing the terrifying truth all at once. 

 He hoped Lily hadn't noticed the long feathered wings burgeoning from his shoulders like a black iridescent shroud. His human form was nothing more than an illusion he could barely maintain in her presence.

 It had been more efficient during his search to fly rather than travel by human methods. It enabled him to cover a large search area quickly and methodically. It was perilous to leave Lily unattended in this place; he didn't have the luxury to dawdle. But now, he'd need to make up a clever story about his wings. But what lie would she believe? That he'd been to Comicon and forgot to change his costume? He larped in his spare time, or was he a dramatic DnD player? Fuck.