The surname spread among the inhabitants with surprising speed. Lilith heard it pass from one person to another behind the gates while the expressions of those who could see her changed from simple distrust to something much deeper.
Some looked frightened. Others were openly furious. The man on the wall kept his bow aimed at her. "Bloodrose?" he asked in disbelief. Evelyn raised both hands. "Listen to me first." An older woman appeared behind the partially opened gates and pushed two inhabitants aside so she could get a better look.
Her eyes immediately settled on Lilith. "Silver hair. Red eyes." Then she looked at her fangs. "Royal blood." Lilith felt that any chance of going unnoticed had just disappeared completely.
Claire moved close enough to speak without raising her voice too much. "We can go back." Lilith shook her head. If they left now, Evelyn would still have exactly the same problem, and those people would probably interpret their retreat as confirmation that she had tried something. "Not yet." Claire looked at the bows. "Lilith." This time, there was a clear warning in her tone.
Lilith kept her hands away from her sword. "If they wanted to shoot, they would've done it already." Evelyn heard that and immediately turned around. "Don't provoke them." Lilith raised her hands slightly. "I wasn't provoking anyone." Claire exhaled through her nose. "Your definition of provoking needs some work," the knight muttered.
The older woman finally stepped through the gates accompanied by two armed men. She had to be over sixty, although she walked firmly enough that no one needed to help her. Evelyn took a step toward her. "Mara." The woman did not return the greeting.
"You disappeared for four days and come back accompanied by a Bloodrose." Her voice was calm, but that somehow made it more intimidating than shouting. Evelyn pointed toward the bandages still visible beneath part of her clothing. "I was injured near the ruins. Lilith found me and took me to the Eternal Bastion." Mara turned her eyes toward Lilith.
"And what does she want now?" Evelyn opened her mouth, but Lilith answered first. "To help." Evelyn gave her a look that clearly reminded her of the condition about letting her speak first. Lilith made a small apologetic expression.
Mara continued watching her. "The Bloodrose also claimed they came to help the last time they crossed these lands." The atmosphere became even heavier. Lilith knew far too little about the history of her new family to defend herself, and she had no intention of inventing a convenient version.
"I don't know what my family did here," she admitted. The answer caused several murmurs. Mara frowned. "You expect me to believe that a Bloodrose princess doesn't know her own history?" Lilith could feel Claire's gaze on her. This was exactly the kind of question that was dangerous.
She could not explain that a few weeks ago her name had been Ethan Carter and that she probably would not have been able to find this continent on a map. "I expect you to judge what I do," she finally replied, "not what people who lived before me did."
One of the men beside Mara stepped forward. "That's easy to say when it wasn't your grandparents who disappeared." Lilith felt an immediate urge to defend herself, but forced herself to remain silent for a moment.
There was no threat she could make and no display of strength that would solve this. She could defeat that man, perhaps every guard at the entrance, and all she would accomplish was proving exactly what they feared. "You're right," she finally said.
The man looked surprised. "What?" Lilith held his gaze. "It's easy for me to say that. I didn't lose anyone because of the Bloodrose." The murmurs quieted slightly. "And I'm not going to ask you to forget what happened just because I showed up claiming I'm different. You don't know me."
Evelyn watched her in silence. Lilith continued before she lost the courage to improvise.
"But you have a problem right now. The creatures crossing this region are increasing in number, and something is forcing them to flee the north. We've seen it too. I didn't come here to rule you, take anyone away, or claim this place. I came because Evelyn asked for help."
Evelyn quickly turned toward her. "I didn't exactly say..." Lilith raised an eyebrow. Evelyn fell silent for a moment and then sighed. "Fine. Technically, yes." That caused a few less tense expressions among the inhabitants, although no one lowered their weapons yet.
Mara looked at Evelyn. "Do you trust her?"
The question made Evelyn freeze.
Lilith looked at her too. Until that moment, Evelyn had accepted her help and traveled with her, but trust was a very different word. Claire suddenly seemed much more interested in the answer as well.
Evelyn crossed her arms and studied Lilith for several seconds. "Not completely."
Lilith felt a strange mixture of disappointment and amusement. "Thanks."
Evelyn ignored the comment. "But when I was injured, she could've done whatever she wanted to me and she didn't. She took me to a doctor. She returned my things. And when I told her all of you were in danger, she decided to come even though she had no obligation to."
Mara continued watching her.
Evelyn lowered her arms.
"I trust her enough."
It was not a particularly dramatic declaration, but Lilith felt that it meant quite a lot coming from her.
Mara finally raised one hand. The archers on the walls slowly began lowering their weapons. Claire removed her hand from the hilt of her sword. Lilith allowed her shoulders to relax for the first time since they had arrived.
"You will enter with your weapons kept in their sheaths," Mara stated. "You will remain near Evelyn, and you will not enter any home without permission."
Lilith nodded. "That seems reasonable."
Mara pointed directly at her. "And if you drink anyone's blood..."
Lilith immediately raised both hands. "I brought my own."
The silence was absolute.
Claire closed her eyes.
Evelyn partially covered her face with one hand.
Lilith realized too late that perhaps that was not the most reassuring sentence she could have chosen.
Mara stared at her for several seconds and, to Lilith's surprise, let out a small laugh. "You're definitely not what I expected."
The gates finished opening.
Lilith entered alongside Evelyn and Claire. The inside was much larger than it had appeared from outside. Stone and wooden houses surrounded enormous trees connected by elevated bridges. There were small crops protected by barriers, workshops, animal pens, and channels carrying water from some nearby source.
Children watched Lilith from behind the adults while several inhabitants moved aside as she passed. Some continued looking at her with fear. Others with contempt.
No one welcomed her as a friend.
But no one tried to throw her out either.
For now, that was enough.
Evelyn walked beside her and lowered her voice. "You did better than I expected."
Lilith looked at her. "What were you expecting?"
Evelyn moved one hand as if searching for the right description. "I don't know. A threat. A princess speech. Maybe glowing eyes while you told everyone they had to obey you."
Claire appeared on the other side. "Give her time."
Lilith looked at both of them. "I'm starting to feel like neither of you has a very good opinion of me."
Evelyn smiled slightly.
Before she could answer, a deep sound tore through the forest.
The conversations stopped.
Lilith watched every inhabitant of the settlement change expression at the same time.
A second roar came from the distance.
Then another answered from a different direction.
Mara turned toward the walls.
"Everyone to your positions."
The inhabitants began to move.
Evelyn drew her sword and looked at Lilith.
"They're already here."
Lilith looked at the gates that had just allowed her inside.
It had taken less than ten minutes to convince those people to stop aiming at her.
Now she would have to fight beside them.