Lilith left the infirmary with a new question taking the top spot on a list that was already becoming far too long. Until then, she had assumed the roars belonged to the creatures chasing Evelyn, but now it turned out those monsters were also running from something.
She remained in front of the closed door for a few seconds, trying to decide whether she should go back and demand a more complete explanation. In the end, she dismissed the idea. Evelyn had spent who knew how long injured inside the ruins, had lost enough blood to pass out, and had only just accepted that Lilith could stay in the same room without trying to drink from her neck. Pressuring her would probably only make her shut down again. Besides, if the threat was as serious as she claimed, the people in charge of the Eternal Bastion needed to know about it before deciding how long they would remain near the city.
The next morning, Lilith found Claire waiting for her in front of the dining hall with two small cups in her hands. One contained a brown drink that smelled faintly like coffee; the other, to absolutely no one's surprise, was filled with blood.
Claire handed her the second one without saying anything and started walking. "I'm starting to worry about how quickly everyone has gotten used to this," Lilith commented after taking a sip. Claire drank from her own cup and glanced at her. "You're a vampire. It would be stranger to give you milk." Lilith admitted she had a good point and continued walking beside her.
Claire had been summoned early to present the final report from the expedition and already knew part of what Evelyn had revealed during the night. The news that inhabited settlements existed within the Demon Continent seemed to have caused far more interest than the appearance of new monsters.
"The officers want to speak with her," Claire explained as they descended toward the lower levels. "Explorers have been finding signs of small communities for decades, but they almost never manage to make contact with them. Most disappear before the Bastion arrives." Lilith frowned. "So they did know people were living here?" Claire shook her head slightly. "They suspected it. That's not the same as finding someone willing to confirm it."
When they reached the infirmary, they found Evelyn standing beside the bed trying to put on her boots. The healer had clearly told her not to walk for at least a day, but apparently Evelyn had interpreted that as an optional recommendation. She was wearing clean clothes and the bandages were still visible beneath her shirt, although she looked much better than the previous afternoon.
When she noticed them, she stopped struggling with one of the boots and looked up. "I want my weapons." Claire leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. "Good morning to you too." Evelyn ignored the comment and looked directly at Lilith. "You said I wasn't a prisoner." Lilith grabbed a nearby chair and sat on it backward, resting her arms on the backrest. "And you're not. But handing a sword to someone who tried to cut my throat yesterday doesn't exactly sound like a brilliant decision." Evelyn pressed her lips together, although this time she did not argue. There had been enough progress for Lilith to feel proud.
Claire entered and closed the door behind her before explaining that several officers wanted to ask her questions. Evelyn rejected the idea immediately, but Lilith raised a hand before the conversation could turn into an argument. "You don't have to reveal where your people are," she clarified. "But yesterday you said the monsters were running from something. If there's a threat near the Eternal Bastion, we need to know what it is."
Evelyn lowered her gaze toward the boot she was still holding and remained silent for a few seconds. "I don't know what it is." Claire uncrossed her arms. "Then tell us what you do know." Evelyn placed the boot on the floor and slowly returned to the bed.
The movement seemed to bother her more than she wanted to show. "About three weeks ago, we started finding dead animals around our territory. At first, we thought a large predator had appeared. Then creatures started arriving from the north. They weren't attacking each other or hunting. They were just running." Lilith remembered the marks they had found during her first expedition and felt a slight sense of unease. "Were they all coming from the same direction?" Evelyn nodded. "From the deeper lands."
That was enough to wipe away any trace of amusement from Claire's face. She moved closer to the bed and rested one hand on the wooden frame. "How far is your settlement from the ruins?" Evelyn immediately looked up. "I'm not answering that." Claire let out a small sigh but did not insist. Lilith decided to try another approach.
"Do the creatures we heard yesterday attack your people?" Evelyn hesitated before nodding. "They started five nights ago. They come after sunset, test our defenses, and leave before dawn. Every night, more of them appear." Lilith was beginning to understand how an injured young woman had ended up alone inside an abandoned city.
"You went to the ruins looking for something." Evelyn froze. It was not a question, and both of them knew it. Eventually, she brought one hand to the bandages around her abdomen. "Our people know stories about that city. Before it was abandoned, it had defenses capable of keeping away creatures far worse than the ones attacking us. I thought there might still be something useful left."
Claire looked at her wounds. "I'm guessing it didn't go according to plan." Evelyn answered with a look hostile enough to make words unnecessary.
Lilith stood and walked toward the window. From there, she could see part of the Eternal Bastion's inner walls and, far beyond them, the tops of the trees. The idea of entire communities living hidden across that continent fascinated her.
She had imagined those lands as a wild expanse filled with ruins and monsters, but apparently there were people who had called them home for generations. "How many settlements are there?" she asked without looking away from the outside. Evelyn took a while to answer. "I don't know. More than one."
Lilith turned her head slightly. "Do you trade with each other?" Evelyn played with the edge of one of her bandages before answering. "Sometimes. The distances are huge and traveling is dangerous. Some communities move. Others disappear." Claire used the answer to move a little closer. "Humans?" Evelyn shook her head. "Not only humans. There are elves, beastmen, and other races. Most of them don't trust the kingdoms beyond the mountains." Her gaze inevitably settled on Lilith. "And vampires even less."
Lilith walked back toward the bed and stopped in front of her. "I still don't understand that part." Evelyn held her gaze for several seconds. For the first time, the hostility did not appear immediately. "The Bloodrose name is known even here." That answer surprised Lilith far more than she wanted to show.
Evelyn continued before she could ask anything. "There are stories about vampire armies crossing the border generations ago. Villages disappearing, people being taken north, and royal-blooded nobles treating humans like livestock. I don't know how much of it is true. I had never seen a vampire before I found you." Claire looked at Lilith, perhaps expecting some kind of reaction.
Lilith simply exhaled through her nose. Fantastic. She had inherited a famous family name and apparently several centuries of bad reputation along with it. "For the record, I have no plans to eat anyone." Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "That's not as reassuring as you think." Claire failed to hold back a laugh.
A knock at the door interrupted the conversation. One of the explorers who had remained at the ruins entered with a soldier and handed Claire a short report. The last group had returned during the early morning. They had found no more survivors or recent signs of other people, but they had discovered something strange inside the intact tower: ancient mechanisms that still contained energy after an impossible amount of time.
The researchers wanted to remain another day to study them. Evelyn stood up so quickly that she immediately had to brace herself against the bed. "No." Claire looked up from the document. "What's wrong?" Evelyn ignored the pain and took a step toward her. "They must not activate anything inside that tower." Lilith watched her hands tremble slightly. This time, it was not distrust. She was afraid.
"Why?" Lilith asked.
Evelyn took a deep breath before answering. "Because I already tried."
The room fell silent. Claire slowly lowered the report while Lilith waited for her to continue. Evelyn looked toward her belongings, where the pendant with the mountain and three trees rested beside the wall.
"I found a chamber beneath the tower. There was a mechanism still working, and I thought it controlled the ancient defenses. When I activated it, something answered from the north." Claire stepped closer. "What do you mean, something answered?" Evelyn closed her eyes for a moment, as if she could still hear the sound.
"A signal."
A chill ran down Lilith's spine.
"And then?"
Evelyn opened her eyes.
"Then the roars began."