Chapter Two
Awakening in a Cruel World
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August 18th, 1711
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A trail of blood followed the girl as she dragged herself out of the dark hole she had fallen into. Her skin ripped apart with each small movement and a new shot of agony seemed to erupt over her upper body. Her face was hollow and white as the blood dripped over her forehead like a dark red rose on a winters snow. The tattered rags of her once beautiful dress lay in shreds around her body, revealing the burnt flesh of her torso.
The body she was in felt foreign and unknown but it was the feeling of pain that stuck with her, unlike anything she could have imagined it to be. She tried to pull her self up on her legs but fell back down hard onto the cobbled road, her eyes tried to scan the darkness for a glimmer of light but all she saw was a black mist. Placing her arms on the ground she prepared herself for the pain that would surly follow, pushing her arms up she brought her legs under her and stood, unbalanced. Before she could register the pain her body gave way and she was once again confined to crawl.
The further away from the canal she crawled the clearer the night became. The city began to emerge from the mist and objects that had at first appeared as part of one black mesh, turned into streets, houses and people. She tried to make a noise but nothing escaped her mouth but a rough animal like sound, that simply made people avoid coming in her direction. A street name blurred above her but the letters and words were foreign, and her mind too puzzled to understand the language, in fact, she could not remember her own name.
Forcing herself to crawl, her body scraped along the hot ground and her arms shook with the strain that her weight caused her. Though she felt as if she was drawing ever so closer to death she continued to move at an agonisingly slow pace. Something drew her towards the building that could just be seen many yards from were she lay, a stone masterpiece that's wooden roof had a tower perturbing up into the night sky, the doors rested slightly ajar, revealing a window containing a multiplicity of colours. She pulled herself up to the gate and grabbed a hold of the cold metal.
"Help me," she said, her voice a gravely whisper, not even a dog would have heard the pitiful noise she made.
Tears pricked at her soar, bloodshot eyes but she had not the energy to cry. The grip she had faltered as the muscles in her arms gave way and again left her flat on the ground. There she lay her lungs heaving as they tried to take in as much oxygen as they could but it was becoming too hard. The beautiful light from the open doors began to close and she felt the life drain from her in a wash of despair.
"No," her voice wheezed.
The pastor who had closed the door turned his head towards the animal like sound and his eyes widened as he noticed the dying girl laying on the ground. He rushed over and placed a hand on the child's forehead feeling the fever-like-temperature.
"Het is okay kind , het is okay," she could not understand him but his words were soft and to her ears were a heavenly presence. He stroked her hair away form her face and carefully opening the gate came down to her side. Her body was frail and light but the man still strained as he placed his arm under her legs and picked her up from the ground.
The man stumbled along the canals of Amsterdam, gathering a small crowd as he headed towards his house. The girl's eyes had rolled back to reveal the whites of her eyes and her skin was scarlet and hot. Many of the spectators looked on in intrigue, none offered to help the man who was beginning to weaken with the girl's weight.
His eyes caught the wounds that covered her body and he concern for the girl worsened. "Dear God child what have they done to you."
The priest continued through the maze of houses, his feet stepping in the sewage that ran over the streets. The ground was covered in old timber, broken stone and sticky mud that slowed him down as he staggered onwards. A few times the man had to stop and rest, his breath becoming as staggered as the injured girl.
By the time he had reached his home a crowd of onlookers had gathered and mumbled their concerns to the state of the girl and the madness of the pastor. Knocking on the door a flourish was heard from the other side and a plump women appeared her face opening in horror as she saw her husband hunched over the dying girl. But it did not take long for his wife to help pick up the girl and taking her into their house, closing the door to the public.
The pastor and his wife carried the girl into their kitchen, shouting for their housemaid, they placed her down on their wooden table and the women began to inspect the girls wounds, burns covered her torso and two large gashes ran down her back, there were also a few, less sever burns over her legs and arms. The housemaid appeared her hands dropping the metal mixing bowl she had been carrying.
"You silly girl," the women spat, "get me some boiled water and some white clean cloth."
The girl stood dumfounded at the scene in front of her, her mistress tending to an almost naked girl who's body was scared beyond recognition, blood poured from her wounds and their was already a red stain on the dinning room table but the handmaid swallowed done her vomit and ran off to get the water.
"Abe, who is this girl," the woman asked as she removed the girl's clothing, which had begun to stick in her wounds.
"The poor child lay outside the church, I couldn't leave her there, not in the state she was in." Abe moved around the table and throwing open cupboards found his army surgery kit that was slipped in the back of a draw covered in dust, untouched in many years.
"Has she spoken yet? Told you who she is? Where she came about these...injuries?" Abe's wife asked, her hand removing the hair that had plastered to the girl's face.
"No, I'm afraid not." He opened up his medical case and scanned the many ideas that lined its interior.
"Please," the girl whispered as she tried to move. In unison the two stared at the girl. "Please, please don't," the girl repeated again, over and over, raising her voice every time.
"Calm child," she spoke in a soft tone but the girl continued to struggle and moan as tears began to stream down her face.
"Careful with her, I fear she may be hysteric."
"Don't be ridiculous Abe, the only thing she is, is in pain." The women kneeled at her side and whispered into her ear, she turned to her husband and said. "Do we have any Laudanum...or at least some strong rum?"
Before he could reply the housemaid returned carrying a large basin of hot water that moved up the sides making it difficult for her to keep balance. Abe rushed to her side and the two carried the water towards the kitchen table.
Unknown to all, one man observed on, unfazed by the cries that came from within the pastor's modest house, if they had know what he was many of the spectators who passed would have run in fear, but they did not and so he merged into the background of Amsterdam's immoral scene.
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The mist of the coal had settled onto the buildings leaving the moon vibrate in the sky, it lit Lilith as she sauntered along alone. She wore a silk silver dress and her jewels sparkled in the moonlight, walking unaccompanied was dangerous at night for a women, but Lilith had no fear of mortal men. She meandered towards the small house that's front went up four stories, its eight windows showed little sign of life but Lilith could sense the pumping hearts of the people that lived within. Waling over the bridge she reached the door and stood outside scanning the building with her cold gaze, the facade leaded over precariously, Lilith always wondered why almost all the houses in this city had this strange feature. Lilith scrummed up her nose, holding up her dress, so the bottom didn't scrap along the floor, she knocked on the door.
It took three knocks before someone answered the door. A small, timid looking girl appeared at the door, her warn out hands showing signs of overwork and her white dress speckled with human blood.
"Hello." Lilith smiled, her white teeth an unusual sight. "I am here to pick up Adelaide."
"I'm sorry, ms - miss - madam?" The housemaid seemed to hang on for an answer.
"Lilith Van Hemel, Adelaide is my ward I am here to take her home," there was no hesitation in Lilith's words as she lied to the girl.
"Oh I...I don't know any Miss Adelaide Van Hemel, sorry you must have the wrong house." She tried to close the door but Lilith placed her hand and stopped it closing with an unnatural strength and letting it go appeared inside the house before the door clicked shut.
"Thank you for inviting me in," her cruel smile once again graced her face and removing her gloves handed them to the servant. "Adelaide would have been badly injured I must see her."
"I um, how, um." The girl looked down at the gloves in her hands, confusion covering her face. "I think the girl you are looking for is upstairs."
Lilith left the girl in the kitchen and ascended the stairs, she could smell the blood as she passed the living room and continued up to the sleeping quarters. She reached the landing, her silhouette illuminated by the lights of the living room, Abe and his wife jumped away from one another shocked at the presence of an unwelcomed visitor.
"Who are you!?" Abe exclaimed, trusting his candle at Lilith's face.
"I am here to take my ward home, Adelaide." Lilith pushed the candle away from her face and stepped forward towards the couple.
"Who?" Abe's wife said but her voice was drowned out by her husbands shout.
"Who let you in?"
"Your housemaid, sweat child, seems overworked - I'd give her the rest of the night off." Lilith tapped the man on the shoulder and tried to pass him.s
"Adelheid?" Abe asked, the touch had relaxed him but his wife's glare was still trailed on the beautiful women that stood in her house.
"However you wish to say it but yes, my ward." Lilith was beginning to become impatient as she tried tried to brush them aside.
"I ask again madam, who are you?" Abe's wife asked her voice sharp.
"Elise!" The man exclaimed, appalled by his wife's harsh tone. "I must apologise to my wife's tone," Abe turned to Lilith, her charming enchantment twisting around the man's heart.
"No worries, I am Lilith Van Hemel, as I told you housemaid I simply wish to pick up Adelaide." She smiled flashing her teeth, but it began to strain.
Elise's face was untrusting as she glared at Lilith, her hand not leaving the door handle to Adelaide's room, she thought her body a shield for the wounded child within. The scars that covered her body would never go and whoever had inflicted that kind of torture deserved no less than the hangman's noose.
"Your Dutch is very good Madam Van Hemel but your accent betrays you."
"You picked up on that?" Lilith sounded some what impressed by the women's observation.
"Yes."
"Shame," Lilith said as she leapt forwards and ripped out the woman's throat before she had time to scream. Lilith did hate it when humans got in her way.
Abe stood in utter shock as he started at his wife, who's face was open in pain and terror as her neck gurgled and she poured blood from her open wound. Lilith did not allow him to regain his wits and dropping her teeth imbedding them in his shoulder and twisting his neck, let him drop to the floor. Lilith's ebony eye's flicked and her vision like a snake saw the heat of every living things that surrounded her. Realising the housemaid would still be downstairs, Lilith turned and with her mouth open and her fangs dropped surveyed the air, finding the exact place the girl sat, it took one swift second and the girl lay dead on the kitchen floor, her neck snapped.
Using the gloves she had taken from the servant, she wiped her mouth to remove the blood and dropped the soiled clothing onto the bodies of the couple she had just killed. Unfortunately she had a few drops of blood on the bodice of her dress, it would have to be thrown, she thought, she did hate it when a good dress had to be burnt, the stain never came out. Stepping over the bodies she headed for the room Adelaide lay, asleep. The poor child held such delicate features and an air of naivety as she slept, yet her face was still tense in obvious pain. She knelt by Adelaide, her eyes studying the child's face. Hagenti had been right, she was beautiful but, like he had said, unlike any of his kin. Fallen angels were normally the harder of the angels, they shared an her almost daemon like beauty but not Adelaide she had the appearance of innocent splendour.
Strange, thought Lilith, I thought she would be more impressive.
The angels eye's fluttered open to reveal the pink veins of her sclera that seemed to lead into the blue pupils.
"Hallo, Adelaide," Lilith spoke her voice like a light in the darkness, "how are you feeling?"
"Is that my name?" Her silvery voice wheezed as her chest strained.
"Yes my dear."
"Where am I?" Adelaide tried to sit up but was gripped by agony as her stitches pulled and ripped and flashes of the earlier events came flooding back to her.
"You are safe. I am here to take you home." Something about her words didn't resonate truth but Adelaide was too tired to fight against the darkness.
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Adelaide lay on a four-poster bed - although she couldn't remember how she had gotten there. Her body was covered in new clean bandages and there was a smell of vanilla and cinnamon incense drifting in the air. The window had a view over the city that lay in the distance, light flooded into the room from the morning sun.
A man stood over Adelaide, he held his tricorn hat under his arm and his pristine knee length coat lay over the end of the bed. The doctor was left wearing his waist coat that showed signs of wear (unlike his coat). He did not look at Adelaide directly as he positioned his hands on her body. He had his briefcase open on the side table; it was full of medical tools and jars of unknown liquids. He placed his hand on her head and gave her a few pills; which she swallowed without asking what they were.
Once the doctor had finished examining Adelaide, he packed up his things and quietly left the room as soon as the door locked shut and the light was extinguished Lilith appeared from her hideaway.
"How is she?"
"She will be fine." The doctor didn't smile as he started blankly at Lilith. "She needs rest and her bandages will need to be changed but I think she will be back on her feet soon enough. Some of her skin will never heal completely I have never healed an angel so I do not know the scope of her healing capabilities, if there are any at all. Though whoever treated her before I did a very good job." Lilith nodded, taking in the news he had given.
"Thank you Dr Branson." He nodded his head in a army like fashion and placed his hat back atop his head. He moved quickly down the stairs, grabbing his walking stick that was located by the front door and headed out into the day.
Lilith stayed standing in the hallway delaying for a second, listening out for the sound of the doctor's footsteps to vanish. Kelsi appeared out of the servants door her eyes trailed on mistress, waiting for a signal.
"It is so strange," Lilith said as she looked at the bedroom door, "how someone so small can bring the warnings of God." She turned her head slowly back to Kelsi. "Don't you think?"
"She isn't exactly how I imagined a fallen angel, she seems so - lost," Kelsi answered.
Lilith nodded and slowly backed into her dark, blacked out room.
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Chapter two is complete, I hope you enjoyed it!! What do you think of Lilith's actions?? I haven't hinted too much to the plot, is that ok, so far I have just shown that Adelaide is very important asset for Lilith and Kesli...but why? Vote and Comment if you liked it please !! I know it's silly but it really gives me motivation :))
~Jen