Ekron

Crepuscular Lullaby - 6

Vlad advanced through the dark passages impaling and beheading rats, until he reached the iron door described by the vulture. He knocked on it three times and heard some movement inside.

"This access is forbidden."

"I come to see Maria; I have business for her."

"Maria needs no business, go away."

"Tell her I want to kill the Queen."

A silence and then some rampage from the other side indicated Vlad that he would have to wait but was heading in the right direction. Minutes later, he heard more movement and the door opened. An apparently young blonde girl with blue cat-eyes stared at him. Behind her, a short person, in dark clothes that covered all his body except for his eyes was in an attentive posture. His skin seemed to be slightly blue.

"Come inside," said Maria, and together they advanced through a corridor.

They got to a room with various undefined smells that Vlad could not identify but remembered him the scent of a hospital. There was a table and some chairs, sat in one of them was a light-blue skinned girl in a white dress, her hair was blue and long to her hips; her eyes were black with stars in them. They all sat by the table and Vlad explained them his situation.

Maria replied, "When do you want to do it?"

"I only have until midnight."

"Right, they love their traditions. And that will be their only moment of vulnerability. What do you think?" asked Maria to Astarte, the blue girl.

"The biggest problem are the goats, assuming that is possible to catch the witches by surprise. Qatrian goats can project themselves at nearly half the speed of sound and pulverize concrete with their horns. They may be manageable if you cut their wings and rear legs. We could also take advantage of their own strength to set a trap."

"I'll be clear with you," said Maria to Vlad, "we will provide you with a plan and the basic means to make it happen, but we will not participate, and once it starts, you'll be on your own. We won't get anywhere near her; she knows us and knows our intentions."

"I understand. But what will you ask me in return for your help?"

"My child, we are not helping you, you are helping us. Now I want you to listen to me, as carefully as you can. Kill her in any way you find fit, but don't damage her eyes, is our only condition, but is absolute. You can cut her head, pierce her chest, even destroy her brain, but her eyes must remain intact, understood?"

"Yes, I understand."

"And we keep her corpse, all of it, no excuses, no exceptions... don't burn it either, got it?"

"Of course," he made a pause and asked, "why do you hate her so much? Are you some sort of revolutionaries?"

And the three of them laughed for a couple seconds.

Then Maria answered, "My child, we don't hate her, on the contrary, we want her..."

"For dinner," added Astarte.