Lilia held her Lady who lied there on the floor before her. Dead eyes peered back at her immersed by brown strands. A curtain to display the abuse of the harrower.  She raked her trembling fingers through the hair to remove the the damp curtain from her face. The eyes, their essence cold and the eulogy of fear. The terrified expression forever chained to Lady Mayia's face now melting into the depths of Lilia's own mind. Tears surged from the gravestone eyes. Hot streams traveling down her cheeks, exploding droplets as they took a freefall to her Lady's face. She pulled her Lady close to her for one last embrace.
 The blood willfully escaping from the back of Lady Mayia's mutilated skull raced down the tiny white limbs. It tickled as it slithered down to Lilia's sharp elbows. Red tears from the protruding bones stained the white dress she was wearing.
 "What did he do to you?" She quietly mumbled. Praying she would somehow get some kind of response.
 But of course there was none and Lady Mayia's lips remained stiff and still. The silence deafening as the moments passed just staring deep into the dead face. It looked so much like the woman she knew and grew to love and now grew to almost hate, but it was just a shell. One that cocooned the odd soul she had known from childhood. Lilia relinquished the embrace, and let Lady Mayia slip from her arms to the floor gracefully back into the pool of blood.
 The quivering fingertips danced hesitantly until they touched the lids of the inanimate woman. She tenderly was able to maneuver them to gently slide across the delicate skin to close the eyes forever. The eternal sleep laid down by the only witness.
 But that was indeed the key point, besides the mysterious murderer she was the only person to know what had happened. Death had already came in on another black shadow and scooped up Lady Mayia's soul. There was no reason why the others in life had to know of her unkind and shadowy demise.
 The proof had to be buried, the revered existence of the Lady known had to be kept. Even if it meant she would be severely punished. She owed her that much for what Lady Mayia had given her.
 She dashed up as the pain in her legs continued but she chose to ignore the numbing twinges that surfaced every now and then. Her arms slid through the woven baskets as the handles clung snugly to the skin of the still trembling arms. The jars still there, as tiny pillars collected and put back in the basket where they had just previously escaped.
 Each candle and choppy black stone was collected from the circle and placed inside with the mysterious herbs. Then, was the manmade God. Staring at her with decaying eyes, the entrance from which the monster came, the black shadow, the murderer, the beautiful blue eyed man.
 Lilia quickly scooped up the being without too much thought behind it. The stiff creature clung to her hands as she stared at it, eyes to hideous eyes mesmerized. Time became nonexistent as it took her from this world. To his world. Everything stood still, no breath could emerge.
 Then she blinked. Back to this reality. Air willed gliding off the fingertips of sylphs to go through her flesh piping. Hardly a memory of his world stayed with her. His strange world entered through the strange deity could hold her no longer, or kill her. The rotting corpse was quickly put inside the empty basket hanging from her other arm. She was afraid if it were out any longer he would come back himself to claim her knowing now she had the way to enter his world.
 She stared at the statue of the Goddess coldly. How could she let this happen? There could be no divine fate behind it. There was no reason that her Lady had to be taken away from her.
 "I hate you." She said grimly at the white statue.
 Lilia placed the baskets back on the table before the altar. She went back to the side of Lady Mayia and took her dress in her hands. The fabric soft as she held it to her face. Memories traced along her mind as Lady Mayia scent filled her nostrils. The reveries lingering felt so powerful inside the young girl's mind. Almost powerful enough to bring life back to the dead.
 Another warm tear emerged from her stony eyes. She wiped it away with the dress and went back to the task at hand. The blood from the little beast had to be removed from the chambers. She scrubbed it away with the dress of her fallen foster mother. When she was done with the deviant project she put that along with the items inside the basket.
 She staggered to the corner were there stood a broom and sweft away all the proof of the truth so the lies had somewhere to take their home.
 
 The woods were dark, shadows did not tread here as there was no light to cast them. It was deathly dark. Death seemed to still hover in this place. Lilia could feel it. The invisible rider brushed by her many times as she walked through brooding trees. The small hairs on her arms and neck rose with fear at Death's presence. It was almost inevitable that the being lingered here to claim some soul waiting for its time to take the ride.
 She kneeled on the marshy ground, soft from previous rain. So merciful the ground was as it cushioned the pain in her knees. Her hands exposed themselves to the shivering dark brown earth behind the curious colour of green. Which all looked colourless in this world of death she now existed in. The earth as she dug deeper pierce down into the fingers used as tiny drills. Grey blood rolled from the bite marks on the unveiled digits and knuckles left by the ground.
 Spirits spoke in whispers as she continued with this horrid deed. Threatening words, terrible sighs in her ears. They did not frighten her at the moment. She was well aware for now they were just echoes of the dead and could not hurt her. Soon, she was quite conscious she would become one of them. For indeed she would be harshly punished for taking the fall for her Lady's grace.

 "My Goddess! What have you done?!" Exclaimed the priest who stood in the doorway of his wife's chambers.
 "See! See my priest! I told you I saw her go in here!" The young blonde announced pointing in the entrance.
 The round brown eyes grew large as she saw the spectacle the Priest just witnessed in front of them. Her mouth remained open as no other sound could come out. There was Lady Mayia sprawled naked on the floor with a pool of deep maroon pillowing her head.
 The Priest went immediately to his Lady's side, cradling her head in his large hands. Tears rolled in between torturious sobs for the loss of the beautiful woman.
 He looked up at Lilia with a cold expression stained into his green eyes. One that captured the waves of her soul. Tormenting her almost to the point of death.
 "What have you done?!" His tone roared through the temple.
 "She fell, it was an accident. There was nothing I could do." She replied.
 The Priest gave Lilia a look of disbelief as he covered Lady Mayia with his black robe.
 "Tell me then... what happened here?" He said behind a tone with false belief.
 Lilia put her head down, staring at her feet covered in mud. She gasped as she had forgot to clean them. "I came in here concerned about our lady, I heard weird sounds and I came in and she had fallen."
 The lies were hard to spit from her mouth. They tasted bitter. She had never lied like this before. Her words staggered as the look of disbelief grew into a face of anger. Fire blazed behind the Priest's eyes. The sure twisted corruption of one of the temple girls to destroy his lovely wife.
 "You did it didn't you Lilia? In our Lady's chambers again like earlier?" The young blonde Marea said walking towards her.
 She stared into Lilia's eyes as the Priest had, but more vicious and spiteful. The dark liquid fire that swarmed in the chocolate eyes hammered her through the wall. She had everlastingly held hatred for Lilia. Even when they were children.
 "You always hated our Lady. Questioned the things she did. You wanted to take her place and she would have let you one day. For some reason she loved you. Probably because she pitied you."
 Lilia slapped Marea across the face. The sting entwining the skin of both the sides. Lilia didn't care. She uninvitedly entered the situation adding lies on top of lies.
 "How dare you Marea! She was like a mother to me! I would not in a day in my life hurt her." She said behind her clenched white teeth.
 "Then why didn't you get anyone for help?"
 Lilia knew that wouldn't be possible. The time that this 'accident' occurred she was tightly wrapped within the safety of the trunk. "I told you, it was too late."
 Marea bent down and embraced her grieving Priest. He pushed away her shallow  effort to comfort him.
 "Lord please!" Lilia exclaimed. "I did not hurt our Lady!"
 Death licked its skeleton teeth with an invisible tongue. The Priest got to his feet, his tan tunic drenched in his wife's blood. He walked up to Lilia, towering over her like a predator. His shadow consuming her frame. He grabbed her harshly by the arm and drew her intimately close to him.
 His short blonde hair decorated by the light behind him made his head look like it was surrounded by a halo. His entrenched green eyes fixed upon hers as if examining her in and out. She shivered as the tower of a man stood there before for moments just staring. The stinging pain had subsided from the time the pressure he placed on the wan extremity. The pain from his eyes seemed to strike down on her harder than any blow she had ever received.
 Without warning his mouth quickly opened. Lilia wanted to cringe but tried to physically showed no fear. Her true frightened emotions had no choice to expose themselves to the voice of the colosal man.
 "If you are indeed innocent," He said just above a whisper in her ear. "Then we will consult the Goddess. But the chance of your guilt is far to great."
 His gracefully breath sent shivers down her as it maliciously attacked the skin of her ear, face, and neck.
 Heavy doubt consumed her. Her deficiency of faith and heavy words to her creator being drown her. Her empty words slurred out from grief would not be forgotten she was sure. If they indeed consult the heavenly woman who they believed created the stars, the moon, the sun, and life would she describe her innocence in detail? Or feed the black rider waiting in the winds of the dark murky night with Lady Mayia at its side.

 The darkness surrounded Lilia. A pitch dark paralyzing and gruesome, but somehow her eyes were beginning to adjust. She vaguely recalled being dragged down to the dank cellar by Marea and one of the other girls of the temple. The forms of boxes and barrels surround her. She wondered if anyone remembered and if they were going to come for her.
 Two days had now passed and her stomach ached with hunger and thirst. She was beginning to hear the whispers of the spirits again through the walls. Her breaths came out as tortured sighs. She was beginning to see the voices taking form.
 She knew she was becoming delirious from the lack of food, drink, and sleep. The barrels and boxes that had finally formed had nothing satisfying inside. He, the beautiful blue eyed man came to see her in these delusions. He touched her face, played with her dirty hair, and told her everything was going to be just fine.
 Her tongue bled from licking the walls and the floors where moister perspired. The jagged bumps sore and the tiny muscle began to swell. No screams or tattered words could emerge, only tortured muffles.
 If only she had that manmade God with her now. Even in that terrifying world, unable to breath her existence would be canceled swiftly. But it was buried deep like she was and they both were decaying slowly.

 A slow creaking sound woke her up from her frayed slumber. Her brows narrowed at the sight of creeping light coming from a doorway. Soft and gentle but it was hardly seducing to her eyes that were now pools for the darkness. But it meant she was now not forgotten.
 Lilia turned her face away from the doorway. The door closed but soft light remained. The light from a lit torch. Heavy footsteps she heard as the light got closer to her.
 Curiosity sank its fangs into her spine and she was compelled to look at who was coming towards her. A titanic figure stood before her and she cowered as he bent down to her level where she lurked in a mess on the floor.
 "Please don't hurt me." She cried.