Forbidden knowledge

Lilith turned to see Ava's mother watching her with a curious expression, then Lilith sighed. She wished she could be alone, away from the prying eyes of the woman who had raised her enemy. She felt a surge of anger and resentment, but she tried to hide it behind a polite smile.

"You look like you've had a complicated day," added Ava's mother before taking the bow from Lilith's hands. She examined the weapon with interest, as if she had never seen one before. "This is a fine piece of craftsmanship. Where did you get it?"

Lilith shrugged. "It was a gift from my father. He said it was made by the best archers in our kingdom."

Ava's mother nodded, then handed the bow back to Lilith. She walked towards the target, which was set up at the far end of the garden. Lilith followed her reluctantly, wondering what she wanted from her.

Ava's mother drew an arrow from the quiver that hung on her waist and placed it on the bowstring. She pulled back the string with ease and aimed at the center of the target. She released the arrow and watched it fly through the air, hitting the bullseye with a loud thud.

She let out a joyful laugh and clapped her hands. "For once I succeeded!" she exclaimed, turning to Lilith with a proud smile. "Did you see that? I hit the mark!"

Lilith forced herself to smile back, but she felt no admiration for Ava's mother. She had seen her shoot many times before, and she knew that she was not a skilled archer. She only hit the target by chance, or by some magic that Lilith did not understand.

Ava's mother walked over to the target and pulled out the arrow. She held it up in front of Lilith and winked. "Maybe this is a lucky arrow. Do you want to try it?"

Lilith shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm not in the mood for shooting."

Ava's mother frowned, then tossed the arrow back into the quiver. She walked back to where Lilith was standing and sat down on a wooden bench. She patted the seat next to her and gestured for Lilith to join her.

"What's bothering you, Lilith? I can feel you're upset today," said Ava's mother, looking at Lilith with concern.

Lilith hesitated, then sat down next to Ava's mother. She did not want to talk to her about anything, especially not about her feelings. But she also did not want to be rude or disrespectful, since Ava's mother had been kind to her since she arrived at the palace.

"Well…" began Lilith without finishing her sentence.

She searched for something to say, something that would not reveal too much about herself or her relationship with Ava.

"You had a row with Ava, didn't you?" asked Ava's mother, guessing Lilith's dilemma.

Lilith felt a pang of guilt and sadness. She wished she could deny it, but she knew that Ava's mother would not believe her. She nodded slowly, then looked away.

"I don't really know if you could call it a row, but I don't really want to talk about it," said Lilith, who didn't trust Ava's mother at all and was even less inclined to talk to her about her problems.

She hoped that Ava's mother would respect her wish and drop the subject, but she was disappointed.

"I can understand you, but I can see that you're keeping your pain to yourself and that's absolutely not the right solution," said Ava's mother before lying down on the grass.

She looked up at the sky, which was turning from blue to pink as the sun began to set. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Love can be complicated, but if it's sincere, believe me, there won't be any obstacles," Ava's mother said softly.

Lilith felt a surge of anger and disbelief.How could she pretend to know anything about sincerity, when she had lied and manipulated everyone around her? How could she dare to give advice to Lilith, when she had caused so much pain and suffering to Lilith?

Lilith clenched her fists and bit her lip. She wanted to scream at Ava's mother, to tell her how much she hated her and how much she wished she would leave her alone. But she knew that would only make things worse. She knew that Ava's mother had a way of twisting words and emotions, of making people feel guilty and ashamed.

So Lilith remained silent, hoping that Ava's mother would stop talking soon.

Ava's mother opened her eyes and looked at Lilith again. She smiled gently and reached out to touch Lilith's cheek.

"Well, in theory it's supposed to be like that, love is quite complicated to find but easy to lose, so don't ruin your chances," said Ava's mother as she stood up and helped Lilith to her feet.

Lilith flinched at the contact, but did not pull away. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine, as if Ava's mother had cast a spell on her. She wondered what Ava's mother was trying to do, what she wanted from her.

Ava's mother led Lilith to the door of Lilith's room, which was in a separate wing of the palace. She opened the door and gestured for Lilith to enter.

"I'm going to leave you now, good night Lilith," said Ava's mother, giving Lilith a brief hug.

"Good night," replied Lilith before going back to her room.

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She felt exhausted and confused. She did not know what to think of Ava's mother, or of herself. She did not know what to do about Ava, or about her feelings.

She wished she could talk to someone who understood her, someone who cared for her.

She walked over to her bed and threw herself on it. She buried her face in the pillow and tried to forget everything that had happened that day.

She was about to fall asleep when she heard a rustle from under the covers. She lifted the blanket and saw a familiar face staring back at her.

"So you're getting very close to the enemy," began Lila, then Lilith sighed in an exaggerated way.

She was not surprised to see her sister in her room. Lila had a habit of sneaking around the palace and invading Lilith's privacy. She was always curious and nosy, always looking for trouble.

"She just took me back to my room, nothing more, Lila," said Lilith as she lay down beside Lila.

She did not feel like arguing with her sister, or explaining what had happened with Ava's mother. She knew that Lila would not understand, or that she would make fun of her.

"And what are you doing in my room?" said Lilith, throwing a cushion at Lila.

Lila dodged the cushion and grinned. "Well, I came to see you, you're still my sister, and it seems Dad's punishing you," said Lila.

Lilith groaned. She had almost forgotten about her father's punishment. He had been furious after their argument and punish Lilith.

"Yes, he's forbidden me to leave the palace without guards and that's really annoying." said Lilith, sighing once again.

She hated being stuck in the palace, especially when she could be outside living her best life and being with her wolfs.

But she knew that it was impossible, at least for now. She knew that she had to obey her father's orders, or risk making things worse. She knew that she had to be patient and wait for the right moment.

"Well, now that you've got some free time, you'll probably have to go to the palace library," said Lila, smiling broadly.

Lilith rolled her eyes. "I've already read the books in the library, and I can't find anything more about demons apart from their way of life."

Lila leaned closer, her expression conspiratorial. "Yes, but you've never had the chance to go to the forbidden side of the library, have you?" She handed Lilith a key, glinting mysteriously.

Lilith's curiosity was piqued. "It's a forbidden place, Lila. Where did you get those keys?" she asked, intrigued by the situation.

"I don't have access to the library, but you do. So, do as you please until you've recovered," Lila replied cryptically. "And as for the key, well, let's just say I've got my sources."