The castle was impressive, as most such structures were. Hartheim was not as nearly large as some such constructions were, nor nearly as fairytale-like, but it was lovely to look upon, despite them knowing a little of the atrocities performed there in the not so distant past.

But Leonardo was taken aback.

“This is nothing like I remember it!"

“Remember it? There has been five hundred years since you went to sleep. A lot has changed. Why should this be any different?"

“Yes, I suppose so. I did not think that this place would be so magnificent. In my time it was more of a tower than a full castle."

They knocked at the front door and waited. It took some time before anyone came to answer their summons. When the door finally opened, it was a wary face that peered through the crack.

“We are not having any visitors today. You will have to see the gas chambers at another time."

Maggie felt immediately insulted. “The only gas chamber I see is the one hiding behind the door. Open up you moron. We have been summoned by the Lady Lily!"

The door creaked open a little wider. “Is that so? Proof?"

Edward held up the key he had been given. He pointed to Leo. He then gave the man his best daunting stare.

“I see. This is most irregular. The lady seeks out those whom she wishes to see. Having them come here is quite out of the ordinary. She has not been from her rooms in many decades."

“Nonetheless, we are here because she bid us to seek her out. At this point in this little excursion I'm a trifle tired of trekking across Europe looking for her, considering I was planning on coming here anyways."

“Here? Why?"

“Listen, whoever you are. I will answer the lady's questions, but I will not answer yours. Either let us in, or we will leave and never return. Then you'll be left explaining yourself to this lady."

The man's countenance turned even sourer. “As you wish. But this has never happened in all of the many years I have been caretaker here."

Maggie smiled. “First time for everything!"

They entered though the doors, careful to remain as a group so as to not be separated. The man turned to face them, frowning as he did, and waved for them to follow him. They traveled down a corridor, up a stairs to the second floor and then to the third. Edward and Maggie were in the lead, followed by Leo and Corrine. Leo seemed more and more hesitant as he went. Corrine was quiet, making little effort to be more than the caboose of the group.

They arrived at a door only recently opened, at least from the appearance of the hinges. Oil gleamed on the metal, showing that someone had put effort into its present maintenance. The hallway was clean and bright, having none of the cobwebs and dust it had only a few weeks ago. The carpets were clean; the walls scrubbed.

 And the solid wooden door that sat upon those ancient hinges?

It was closed, locked and unmoving.

“If your key is genuine, then it will open this door. If it is not, then you all must leave."

“And if it works, then what?"

The man frowned. “She whom you seek will be on the other side. If she summoned you, then she will speak with you. Otherwise you have wasted your time, and even worse, you have wasted mine."

Edward found the man's attitude to be annoying at the very least. All along everyone kept telling them that this lady found the people she sought, and not the other way around. And yet, here they were, at a place he had intended to check out anyways, and still they were being told that their search was foolish. He angrily rammed the key towards the hole. Initially it didn't go in, but turning it in a slow circle he managed to get it lined up and into the hole. The lock clicked and the door creaked open.

Edward looked up surprised. He was actually under the impression it wouldn't work.

The man stepped back as well. “Then you are truly here to see the lady. Enter, but from here on out, anything that happens is beyond my control."

Edward peered at him. “Your words make this meeting sound ominous."

“If the lady has called you here, it can be to no good for you."

“Is that so? What's she going to do, kill us?"

“What is in the lady's mind is known only to the lady. I am not privy to her thoughts." He turned, walked a few steps down the hallway before standing at attention with his back against the wall.

“Well, we didn't travel all this way for nothing. Let's see what this is all about, shall we?"

Leo coughed into his hand. “The man may be right. I haven't been entirely forthcoming. The lady; if it is truly who I think it is; she once warned that if we met again, it might spell my doom."

“Is that so? So you had more than one reason to hide yourself away?"

“Perhaps."

“I don't care. We came this far, so we might as well see it through. I really don't think she would have bothered saving us on the open sea just to lead us to our doom somewhere else. If nothing else, it would be a fantastic waste of time."

Leo was hardly mollified. “To her, time means nothing."

“Time means something to everyone, even if that something is different from the rest of us. Onward!" Taking charge where just hours ago he had lacked the backbone to continue, he led the way into the room.

It was filled with bric-a-brac of an eclectic nature. To Edward's untrained eye, most of the stuff looked like it belonged in a museum; though there was a chance it was mostly fakes and reproductions. He knew enough to be wary of assuming anything about anything.

In a corner by one of the windows was an old woman. Seated upon a dais, and petting a moderately sized dog of unknown breed, she was staring them down with a look of distaste. He found that odd, considering that she had driven them to find her. Then again, maybe it was because they had brought along the two stragglers. If Leo had managed to upset this lady so many years ago, perhaps she had an equally long memory.

“Lady Lily?"

“Who else would I be?"

“Uh, I don't know that I can answer that."

“Then you show more intelligence than I have given you credit for!"

He felt a little anger build up inside. He understood that he was largely ignorant of many things, but being called here just to be berated was an indignity he didn't need. Still, he had learned enough to be patient. If there was a reason, she would tell them sooner or later. Since he didn't want his anger to show, he stared hard at the dog. It was a rather ugly looking mongrel, though he would hardly have ever said that to her face. He was sure it was dear to her heart in one way or another.

Maggie was not so calm.

“You know, for someone who went out of her way to save us, you seem like an unlikely candidate for a savior. Your voice sounds the same, but your attitude stinks!"

Edward felt the hairs on the back of his neck lift up as he grew alarmed at Maggie's words. There was no point in antagonizing this woman. If she was being snide and rude, then she had a right to be.

“Maggie!"

“What? Listen to her! I didn't come here to be put down."

“But my dear, I haven't put you down. As a female, you hold a higher place in my eyes than a mere male."

“You put him down, you put me down. We are one in the same. We're a package deal. So whatever you say to him, you're saying to me!"

The woman seemed flustered. She turned to Leo. “So the errant master returns. What do you have to say for yourself?"

“Nothing. What I did those long years ago are in the past. I have a new life and I intend to make the best of it."

“Do you recall our time together?"

“Madam, by your face I do not. If it is you, then you know I knew you by another."

“Yes, I suppose you did."

Maggie grew intrigued. “Another face? Are you telling me that you can look like someone else?"

The woman shifted in her chair. “I can look like anyone dear girl. You judge your powers by what you know of them, but you know very little. You think that transforming into a beast is the highlight of your day. There is so much more that you could do, if you had the brains to do it. Turning into whatever pleases this man is hardly a wise use of your power!"

Maggie lunged forward, but a restraining hand from Edward stopped her. “Leave it Mags. I think she's just baiting you."

The old woman grew a wicked smile. “Then if you know I'm baiting you, why bother falling for it?"

Maggie was still feeling prickly. “Because we didn't come all this way to be insulted by an ancient hag like you. You might be someone special, but after seeing you, I think that you're only special in your own mind.'

She turned to the others.

“I say we leave this bitch to her solitude and tell her to fuck off."

“Maggie! The woman deserves more respect than that. Even if she doesn't act kindly, it doesn't mean we have to stoop to acting impolite as well."

He turned to the lady.

“I think that this meeting is done. I have no idea why you sent us on a wild goose chase, but here at the end of it, it seems that we would be better off heading home. I thank you for saving us in our moment of need and for the help we have received since then, but now it appears that we are just treading water when we could be doing something important."

“Important? Such as what? Know that I am aware of your actions, both public and private. You are nothing more than a philandering male. Shall we discuss Russia?"

Maggie tore loose from his grasp and stood threateningly over the old woman. Her dog growled, the hairs on its hackles raised in anticipation of some potential battle. Maggie got her nose right down to the old lady's and growled out her words.

“That's my husband you're talking about. And I know very well the things he has done. But like him, I'm not perfect. And for that matter, neither are you!"

“How dare you child! I'll have you know that I was your age so long ago it would make your head spin just trying to grasp the concept!"

“You're a liar. And worse of all, you're a fake!"

The woman trembled with rage. “How dare you call me a fake!"

Maggie was already transforming into her nastiest form. Edward sighed and lunged forward to drag her back, but was halted by a loud, booming voice.

“ENOUGH!"

Everyone froze and looked to where the voice had emanated.

They were looking at Corrine.

“Madam Restalia, you did well, but the girl has seen through your disguise."

Edward's jaw was slack. “What?"

The old woman shooed the dog off of her lap and stood. “As you say milady. Will there be anything else?"

“No, I think I have it from here. You may return to your duties."

Edward's mind was racing. It came to multiple conclusions at once, some of them not as heartwarming as others. Maggie was frozen in place, her rage twisted in upon itself as she tried to come to grips with what had just happened. Only Leo smiled shyly.

“You did it again. I never know when you are about."

Corrine smiled at him as she took the spot recently vacated. “Yes dear Leo, I do seem to get the drop on you. Did you think I would finally be gone? I told you then and I will tell you now that as far as I can see, I will always be here."

“Yes, you did tell me that. It is not a concept that comes easily to the mind."

Maggie found her tongue. “Wait. What? Who are you?"

The girl made a bow from her seated position. “I am Corrine, twin sister to Emile."

“No you're not!"

“Correct. Emile is an only child. But I made him think he had a twin. The mind is often easily deceived.  The more innocuous the idea, the easier it is to plant. “

“But why?"

“Why? Because I can. Because I wanted to keep close tabs on you. Because you were in need of having someone close by to keep a watch over you. You are but children, and as such, you are prone to making foolish mistakes."

Then she turned to Leo.

“And you let him out of his confinement. If there is anyone who needs a close eye kept on them, it is he."

The color had drained from Edward's face. She was quick to notice.

 “What's the matter, oh great one?"

“You. Me. At the hotel…"

“Oh yes. That. Why should it bother you now when it didn't bother you then?"

Maggie caught on and was embarrassed for him.  Her words came out measured and slow.

“Uh, I guess it doesn't, not exactly. But I thought you were just some girl."

“I see. So hooking up with random girls is alright, but hooking up with your ancestor is taboo?"

“Ancestor?"

She giggled and sighed. In one fluid motion she went from the girl they knew to a creature of such exquisite beauty that it made his eyes hurt.  She was still in her original clothing, but otherwise seemed to have become a totally different person.

“Yes ancestor. Have you not yet figured that out?"

Maggie's eyes narrowed. “Who are you really?"

Leonardo stepped forward. “I am sorry milady. You know I never meant any harm."

She turned to him with the slightest of frowns. “You were always so impetuous. It seemed inevitable that you would lead these two into mischief. It follows you like a shadow."

Maggie growled out. “Who the hell are you?"

“My child, do relax. Food will be up shortly. Leo knows, even if the silly boy failed to recognize me yet again. We were lovers you know."

Maggie's voice turned to a growl. “I asked you a question!"

“Yes you did. But you haven't asked nicely. One thing you learn over the course of a lifetime such as mine is that it costs you nothing to be polite. You haven't said please yet."

Edward felt his hearty racing. He wasn't sure why, but it had to do with this lady. “Please ma'am, what is your real name?"

“Ahhhhh; a gentlemanly question. As far as you know, I am the Lady Lily. But Lily is only a shortened form of my full name. I am Lilith."

He gulped. “Not the Lilith?"

“Is there more than one? If so, I must investigate!" Her tone was filled with humor.

Maggie was confused. “Who is Lilith?"

The woman only smiled. “That is a very simple question to a very complex answer. I am Lilith, and Lilith is me."

“Yeah I get that. But who are you?"

Edward cleared his throat. “There is a biblical legend that has been suppressed concerning Adam. Are you this of whom the legend speaks?"

Maggie looked at him. “What are you talking about?"

“I know you don't get into the Bible and all, but you do like the present pope, so let me tell you a little story. The modern book tells of the creation of Adam, and later of Eve from one of his ribs. But there are older stories that tell of Adam's first wife. Lilith."

The woman sitting there looked pleased. “Yes, few know that story any more. I for one care not a whim who believes what. Belief in something doesn't make it so, just as ignorance never changes the facts."

Maggie was catching on. “So you're Adam's first wife? I didn't think he was a real person!"

“He wasn't child. You see, the problem with the story is that it has been rewritten countless times over.  The fact is, there was no Adam. Think of how foolish a god would be to make a man without making a woman. We give birth to the next generation. Men are useful, but not required for very much when it comes to that."

“So then who was Eve?"

“That's where the story writing gets creative. I am Lilith. I am also Eve. We are one in the same."

“I don't get it. Are you saying that you gave birth to all of The Kind? How old are you?!"

The woman glowered at her words.

 “The Kind? What a silly notion and one I wish would go away. I gave birth to the entire human race. It just so happens that some of them have talents and abilities not dissimilar to mine. If they wish to group themselves outside of the rest of humanity, who am I to stop them?"

Leo raised his hand, just like a schoolboy. “Ma'am?"

“Oh, amator; please don't call me ma'am. We were quite comfortable in each other's arms at one time."

He cleared his throat. “I remember all too well. Do you still have the portrait I did for you?"

“I do. Though I see that you did others. Two more remain? How many were lost?"

“I did a few sketches but painted only the two others. You were my favorite subject you know."

Maggie's face brightened. “I get it now! You were Lisa Gherardini Del Giocondo!"

Lilith stood and bowed. “Among the many people I have been, she was one I favored. And Leonardo here favored her as well."

The old master blushed. So did Edward. He and the Renaissance painter had shared in the same female. He didn't know if that made him proud or repulsed.  He should have known something as up with the gusto she had shown in their tryst, but he was so stupidly besotted that he had failed to grasp that there was more to her than met the eye.

                She seemed to read his thoughts.

“Young man, never look back on things you have done with regret. It will change nothing. Learn and move on. Do better the next time. You have made a commitment to this woman and you should stick to it. Until death do you part is a very real statement, especially when applied to the likes of you. Time will have less meaning for you than it will for the greater portion of the world's population."

Edward was feeling twitchy and uneasy.  Part of it was the death part. He had seen death and it remained all too vivid in his memory. “Are you trying to tell me that you mothered the entire population of humans?"

“Not single-handedly. You must understand some things about me before you can grasp such a concept."

“Such as?"

“Such as; we will eat before I will continue. There is no immediacy. You are welcome to stay here as long as you wish."

Edward was about to speak, but she held up a restraining hand. “No, it will have to wait. I understand where your mind is taking you, but an hour or so in quiet meditation over good food will do you no harm. Patience really is a virtue. Take that from someone as old as I am."

“But how old are you?"

The woman's smile faded. “Even among us ancient females, it is considered impolite to ask such a question. But it is hardly an unexpected one. For now, let me just say this. I am far older than you can believe to be possible. I have seen more history than there is written down in texts. And when I say that I am Eve, I mean that I am Eve. Every person in the world today is descended from my loins." Then she got a devilish smile on her face. “And in some cases, I am still busy keeping up with making my descendants. But as I said, that is a conversation for later."

Edward remembered all too vividly their wild sexual exploits not that long ago and shook his head. He was going to have to keep his cock in his pants from now on!

The meal was as good as any they had had, and better than most. That Lily knew how to live was evident, though she seemed to hardly dwell on formalities. A table was set up in the room attached to the one they started in, and on it were place settings for six. Edward noted this, and yet refrained from pointing it out. If there was a sixth person, he would know it soon enough.

Everyone was still a little ill at ease, other than their hostess, who was quite happy to dig into the food. Maggie kept stealing glances at her, trying to sum her up. At no point had Corrine seemed anything other than a normal girl, even for a werewolf. That this woman could carry out such deception meant that she hid a lot more behind her façade than just a lot of years. She had perfected a camouflage so complete that she could blend in with any crowd at any time. The possibilities of that dawned in her mind. Why bother transforming into something noticeable when you could just be part of the background?

The possibilities were nearly endless in what you could do. Fighting was fun, but pain and injury could be avoided under the proper circumstances. Her mind was racing at all of the possibilities, and had her engrossed to such a point she was missing the conversation going on around her. Edward kicked her under the table.

“What?"

“Lilith asked you a question!"

The lady smiled. “It's alright. Her mind has been opened to the many possibilities available to her, and she will find no rest from her thoughts for a very long time."

Maggie blushed. “What did you ask?"

“I asked if you intended to have children."

“Uh, I guess so. I hope so. I just don't when I'll be able to. Why?"

“Because intentions and realty can be two different things. Between the two of you, you have a fine mix of traits, even if some of them aren't natural."

“Natural? I would hardly call any of what we are natural! And what of children? Aren't I a little young for that?"

“Yes, I suppose you are. Your friend Verona is a fine specimen, and the child she carries will grow into quite the strapping young man."

Edward paled."You can always see the future that clearly?"

“Of course not. The future is as malleable as putty. But some things are fixed, such as his gender. These are the points which you must base your predictions upon. Events can be changed by the dropping of a word, or the placement of a stone in someone's path. It takes a great deal of skill to manipulate it, and often you may still find it doesn't work out in the way you had planned."

Edward thought of some of the things that some people had said about him, and then to the silver coin in his hip. “Was I never supposed to be what I am today?"

Lilith smiled. “If you're asking if I had anything to do with your accident, the answer is no. Your parents were warned not to have a child by a certain seer, who was very wise but not so wise as to be able to see past his own prejudices. That you will be the destroyer of all is a rather large claim, even when reduced to more paltry conditions. You have the capability, but then, to be honest, so does nearly every governmental power existing in the world today."

“But I don't want to destroy the world!"

“And so we have nothing to worry about, correct?"

“I don't know. You sound like you know something that I should know."

“I know many things that you should know. But if you want a few pointers, I will give you some. Using the term The Kind is very egotistical. Everyone is a descendant of mine, regardless of what they look like or where they live. That is a very old story and one to engage in for a night of pleasant conversation and good drink. The term I use for those of us who have greater gifts than the rest is Indeprensus."

Leo made a sign of the cross.

“Oh quit that! I may speak it out loud. You may not." She turned to Edward. “Above all, those who have special abilities must use them wisely, and failing in that, they must use them inconspicuously. Your little foray in your great eastern city was less than tolerable in my eyes. Fish had been living a quiet life without drawing attention to himself and you flushed him out and made a scene."

“But he was an evil man!"

“Evil?" Her voice rose a little and her fingers drummed a beat on the table. “Good and evil have no definition. You may say they are two sides to a coin," and here she made appear a silver dime that looked awfully familiar; “but the fact remains that they are tied together by their very nature. What is good to one may be seen as evil to another. I have been unable to get many to see that this is so."

“But…"

“Have you killed?"

“Uh. Yes…"

“And isn't that considered an evil act?"

“Well…"

“Then you see my point. I have killed thousands upon thousands in my existence, and I will kill again. I do so without remorse, even as I consider them to be my children. So do many others who should consider them to be kin. You need not be an Indeprensus to have a need to kill, but I do find it to be a more tolerable act when it is done for the common good."

“I don't understand the term."

 “That is because you are young and have been denied exposure to much of what you need to know. Reveling in the ability to transform is all well and good, but it is only the act of a child playing with a new toy. You fail to see where your lack of schooling has impaired you."

“I am not a child!"

She smiled knowingly. “Yes you are. Your years are a blink of an eye for me. You will see later that I am right. But it will take the tempering that time brings before you come to this conclusion for yourself."

Maggie butted in. “Why did you bring us here? If you knew he intended to look for the stone, you had to know we would be here eventually."

“The stone? Oh, that will do you no good. It is here, but so far beneath the earth it would take a very long time to extricate it. As for your arrival here, I could have made it more expedient, but sometimes you have to see the scenery on your trip to gain some measure of worth from your journey."

Edward stared across the table. “You set us up! You made sure we stopped where we did on purpose!"

“Of course. There are some fine teachers out there; those who have learned from experience, and those whose physical limitations have not limited them at all. They are some of the finest there is in all of Europe, but they do not rule, nor do they flout what they are in the public's eye. They live their lives quietly, hiding in plain sight, and they only do what is necessary to protect themselves from the influences that may undo them."

When neither spoke, she continued.

“And then there was your extended family. I interfered in no way with those doings, and yet I felt a change was needed. By having you arrive when you did, I offered the problem a possible solution. All this time and no one had figured out what was going on outside of Dole. I'm rather glad you didn't break that record."

Maggie was quiet. When she spoke, she was very subdued. “So what you're saying is that the only way of keeping regular people from knowing about us is to keep it hidden?"

“Yes dear. In the beginning it didn't matter. But as time has marched forward, the population has grown and while I love all of my progeny, there are those who are better prepared for what may lie ahead than others. This isn't just a matter of sprouting wings or fur, but a matter of their intelligence -their ability to survive and thrive. The balloon will eventually burst as it always does, and everything will fall back in on itself to start anew."

“You're talking about the Apocalypse?"

“No dear. There is no such thing, nor will there ever be. It is too much to try and relate to you in one sitting. Let's just say that one of my many names still lives on in tales no longer connected to who I am, or even who I was."

“I don't understand."

“Correct. Knowing your ignorance is the first step to eliminating it."

“Then might I ask what name you are referring to?"

“Yes dear, you may and I will take it that you just did. I am she who opened the box."

“What box?"

Lilith sighed. “Pandora's box. The story of Pandora's box is about me, not a real box. With awareness comes many things. A simple animal is aware of its existence, but not necessarily how its existence affects the world. We do. Before the dawning on my arrival here, what passed for humans were aware, but only so much as they needed to be. How to hunt and gather; how to get out of the rain; basic concepts necessary to survive. Then I came along and bred those things into them that has brought us where we are today."

Edward coughed into his hand. “That's a lot to believe!"

“Believe? Belief is only as good as the information upon which it rests. That is one of the drawbacks that I see now, but something I could never have hoped to comprehend way back then."

Maggie's face twitched. “If what you're saying is true, then you must be many thousands of years old!"

“More so than I can even remember my dear. I told you I have great patience."

Edward was patently skeptical. “Living that long would drive a person insane!"

Lilith nodded. “I have spent a great deal of time out of my head young man. It can be quite a relaxing state to be in when matters get to be too much to bear. But then, I have been everything there is to be over the course of my life, and I have seen every part of the world a thousand times over every thousand years."

There was silence. In the lull, Lilith spoke to the dog, which up to this point had been sitting patiently on the floor. “Sebastian? You may join us whenever you wish you know. “

The dog looked up, ears perking to her voice. He got up, climbed into the chair and apparently waited to be served. Edward thought it a little odd, but people and their pets had some weird relationships.

In the next instant there was a little man sitting there, hair a bit unkempt and his face covered with grizzled hair. “Thank you my lady. I was just listening in to what you all had to say. I had a good breakfast this morning and I was all ready to wait until I was called for."

Maggie jerked to the side, momentarily startled. “You're a midget!"

The little man frowned. “Name calling. You Americans think you know so much. I am, as you so poignantly pointed out, afflicted with a condition that has limited my stature. But I assure you, it is no disadvantage to me. I learned long ago to turn people's prejudices against them. As a mongrel, I may walk the streets and back alleys without gaining notice, and I will have you know that I have slipped into places so heavily guarded that barely a mouse could gain entry."

“I-I-I-I'm sorry. Your appearance was unexpected."

His frown disappeared. "I know. Do you think my presence here is accidental?" He stopped talking for a moment as he loaded up his plate. “You think you know things, but you really don't. Information is the most valuable asset you can have. Even your abilities are fair close to being useless unless you know how to use them."

“I'm seeing that more and more."

“Good. Because from my understanding, you make a pretty handsome dog yourself."

“How could you know that?"

“Information. That is why the lady asked me to be here."

Maggie struggled with her thoughts for a moment. “But if you all know so much, why does Brother Carcaroth struggle to document things from the past? Couldn't you just tell him what he wants to know?"

Lilith smiled. “Yes I could, but then what occupation would he have? He isn't my secretary young lady, but a man who values his skills. True, I do give him hints from time to time, because my presence within the various lineages can be rather confusing, but overall he wishes to work under his own power, and I let him. Everyone wishes to feel useful and important."

“But what about your servants?"

Lilith laughed. “Servants? I have no servants. Those who live here and those with whom I work all do so to have a use for the things that they are good at. You must surely realize that if the world in general knew of people living to be two, three, four hundred years old - and more in some cases; the world would be tipped on its axis."

Edward was listening intently. “So does that mean that some of the ages listed in the bible were really true?"

“Perhaps. I have no reason to enlighten you on too many subjects right now. The past is a great teacher, but your needs are more pressing. For you we must look more to the future."

But Edward was stuck on something; something he found both alarming and exciting. “What do you mean your presence within the various lineages?"

“You are quick on some things my boy, but you already know that answer. I will not discuss it here at the table. While I do not dwell on rules, I do think that a well mannered person can have good taste and a little decorum in a formal setting. Discussing breeding while engaged in eating is a little uncouth, don't you think?"

Maggie gulped a little, but Leo and Sebastian grinned. They knew the lady quite well, in their own ways, and while time might have changed her a little, her mannerisms remain fairly fixed. She was very free in her words, but she held onto a few archaic mannerisms such as keeping polite conversation around the dinner table.

Maggie drank some wine and held her tongue. She had so many questions she was nearly bursting at the seams. So instead of asking loaded questions, she opted to offer a few, more innocuous ones.

“Lady Lily, why did you not tell us who you were sooner?"

“Such as when my dear?"

“When we met you in France. I could have sworn you were just a kid like me."

“You're not a “kid" dear. You just seem to prefer masquerading as one. I'm sure your husband will grow to get used to having an older looking spouse in due time. You need to free your mind of this delusion that he only loves you for your appearance. Then again, the relative ease in which he will engage with others is something you might wish to work on. In that aspect he is far too much a typical male. But to answer your question, I can look like anyone, if I put my best into the effort. But that is only partially a matter of transforming my body. Even I have limitations. So what I cannot do physically, I make up for in presence."

“Presence?"

“Yes. Projecting the look I desire to have into the minds of those around me. Unless you are looking for the deception, it is often impossible to detect."

The room was silent for a moment as they all reflected on that. She could make them think she looked like someone she wasn't. Forming her body into different proportions and casting the illusion that she looked like whoever it was she wished to look like was a remarkable talent. But Maggie saw a flaw.

“What if people are too far away? I don't suppose your power goes worldwide."

“No dear, it doesn't. It works when people are close, but you'd be surprised what tricks the mind will play on you. Once you think I am what I show myself as being, a person will believe it for a very long time. But if people are far away, the illusion is weaker until they grow closer."

Edward looked like a light had just come on in his head. “Are you saying that when you think you see someone at a distance, but when they get closer and you see they aren't who you thought they were, they're using a power such as this?"

Lily nodded. “There are many who have varying degrees of this ability. In some cases, they aren't aware that they have it. Its use is then almost instinctive."

Leo nodded. “The lady here was very; I guess I should say; is very good at it. She snagged me more than once when I wasn't expecting her to be around."

“Yes I did. I believe you still owe me for that little incident when…how old were you then?"

“I was twenty four. I still believe everyone overreacted."

“People often do."

“Your foresight has done the world a great amount of good. Look at all it did for me!"

“Yes Leo, it did. But you still must learn to behave. If I hear of even a mention of you in the news, you can rest assured that I will find you."

“Embarrassment?" Maggie had her head cocked like a puppy.

“Yes child. I am proud of the way my children have grown over the many millennia I have watched over them. But I made a few mistakes that were unintentional, and now I must live with them."

“Such as?"

“I do not discuss it lightly child. Allow me to say this; I am the wellspring of all. Every bit of variety, every fiber of everyone's being can be traced back to me. So with all of the good, I must accept responsibility for all that is not so good."

Edward sniffed. “If you're the first of us, then I have two questions. First, who was Adam really? There had to be a male involved unless you're going to tell us that God simply created you first. And I find that concept hard to swallow. Secondly, if we are descended from you, then why doesn't everyone have powers like you?"

“And therein lies some of the problems. As far as males go, you must understand that there were males already here. I believe you know them best as Neanderthals, though that is a modern name, not the name by which they referred to themselves. I was unlike them, in looks especially but in so many other ways. And yes, we could breed. If you don't believe me, then look to some of the empirical evidence that your modern scientists are uncovering using DNA. If you wish to find the mother of modern people, you have no further to look than to me."

Maggie's eyes lit up. “Then where did you come from?"

Lilith's face suddenly looked sad. “Of all the things I know; with all of the experiences I have had; in every book I have ever perused, I had found nothing to answer that question."

Edward measured his words carefully. “So are you saying that you were put here on earth by God?"

“God? Which god? I can't say. I am only dimly aware of my earliest existence."

“How come?" Maggie asked, totally engrossed in the story.

“Child, you are a product of the time in which you live. So allow me to explain it with a concept that you might associate with. If someone built a computer which right from the start was perfect in every way, but it lacked the programming to equal it's crafting, what would happen?"

“Uh. Nothing. I mean, assuming it had some basic programming installed, it could do basic functions."

“Correct. This is no different than being an infant and growing up. You learn to assimilate information, store it and use it when you need it. But in the beginning, I knew not what I was, nor where I came from, or any of the things I long to know now. I know where I have been, but not where I began."

“That sounds depressing."

“No, not depressing. Depression is a singularly useless emotion. But it is a mystery which I still, to this day, strive to uncover the truth behind."

“I see."

“Do you?"

“Vaguely at best."

“An honest answer. Since my earliest existence I have grown, and I retain all that I have ever done and experienced. But my origins might as well be shrouded in deep fog in the dead of a moonless night."

Edward was shaking his head. “I don't mean to be a doubting Thomas, but what you say is rather remarkable."

“It is; not because it is difficult to believe, but because it is true.  Understand son that I care not a bit about your opinion on what I say. I tell you only because the question was asked. I could give you details that would last a thousand years and still not necessarily convince you. That is both a boom and a curse for my children. They have evolved to the point where they cannot distinguish between what is real and what is not.  Since I am unable to influence so many, I allow them to go about their lives unfettered from interference from me. And in some cases, I will not allow it from others. Despite everything that had been accomplished over time, my children are still largely children. Even living longer has not helped them, for they have lost respect for those who have lived before them. They see the world as ever expanding, but the reality is, it is shrinking rapidly. There will be a reckoning here in the future."

“Are you back to talking about the Apocalypse? You said it wasn't a real thing."

“Not as it is portrayed. But civilizations rise, and they inevitably fall. That is why the past, and understanding it, is so important. But you see, something always rises from the ashes. The story of the phoenix was a very old tale, and one I remember hearing for the first time after I arose from one of my slumbers."

“Slumbers? You make sleeping sound important."

“Sleeping? No dear," she told Maggie, “I'm referring to what you would call death. Only in my case, I don't die. I have been burned, buried, stabbed, slashed, hacked, drowned and have had so many more things done to me that you might need a new dictionary to add all of the definitions I have for ways I have perished. And yet, each time, I came back."

Edward frowned. “I don't understand."

“Neither do I. But according to someone who is presently working on this for me, my DNA is eternal. He is very excited by his study, but I'm afraid that when he is done, I will need to wipe his mind. Some information is too potent for the limited intellect of the general population."

“Eternal?"

“Yes dear. The normal body ages because the coding - I think he called it that, erodes after being copied too many times. Mine does not. It just keeps going on and on without losing any of its vitality."

“So you can't die?"

“Not so far.  Nor do I age. I gave up trying to commit suicide a long time ago. I find that there is always something new on the horizon, so I keep myself busy learning all there is to know. I'll have you know that I still recall every word on every scroll that was in the library at Alexandria."

“Those scrolls were destroyed weren't they?"

“Yes dear, they were, and what a waste. But maybe, someday I will allow what I know to be transcribed. But it will not be this day, or the next or the one after that. The human race is presently too unstable to have such riches."

Edward wanted to ask a hundred questions at once, and he knew Maggie probably had more. But he was presently sated. He had to digest his meal and his intake of information. But he did have one question. Ok, two.

“Lady Lily, might I ask something?"

“There is no law against asking. But you had best pick your questions carefully. I am under no onus to answer you."

“When you rescued us, you had wings, just like Maggie."

“That is not a question."

“I know. But how many forms do you have? I have seen more variety than I ever thought possible."

“And you will see more before your life is over. The Meek; that is what the Indeprensus are; they will eventually step in where the rest will fail."

Edward shivered. She knew more about what was coming then she was letting onto. He recalled a verse from the Bible and it made his skin crawl just a little. “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth…"

Lilith smiled. “Yes son, that's right. The time will come when my children will have to make a step forward. You will need to be ready for that day when it comes. That is, in fact, largely the reason I asked you here. I cannot be everywhere at once, despite what you may think.  I need good women and men who have the ability to think and who aren't afraid of doing. You'll need to think long and hard on this matter, for I will not take any answer you give any consideration until I know you have given a full degree of thought."

“You want us to be part of an army?"

She laughed. “Not an army son. Just the cleanup crew after the fact."

“Fine. But you still didn't answer me."

“I have many forms. Wings came to me early on, and I put them to good use. Where do you think such legends as demons and angels arose? When I tell you I am the Alpha, then believe me that I am the Alpha. Time must pass before I will see if I am the Omega."

“But you can assume the wolf form, because you did as Corrine."

“Again, you fail to ask a question."

“Yes, I know. But I think I have an answer already, so I will refrain from asking or saying anymore."

Lady Lily smiled. “Then I will call this meal finished, and the day at an end. You will be shown to your rooms. Until tomorrow, I bid you all a good evening."