Burn The Ashes: Lost From Day One

[Lost From Day One]

Since Liltotto Lamperd was a baby, it was clear that something was wrong with her. 

From the moment she crawled out of her mother’s womb to even now, she was gripped by an irresistible hunger that plagued her every second of every day. It was like there was a bottomless hole in her stomach begging to be filled, and her family—as poor as any other in the rural slums of Germany—was not capable of filling it.

A burden from birth, that’s what God had decided she deserved to be. She ate her family out of house and home before she turned six and was sent away to the local church shortly after. Maybe her parents thought they could cure whatever curse was put upon her, or maybe they just wanted to abandon her while keeping their consciousness clear. Liltotto didn’t really blame them. There’s only so many times you can catch your daughter sneaking late-night snacks that empty out your fridge before you have to do something.

The church didn’t really help, all things considered, but they were much better equipped to deal with her hunger. The priests and nuns fed her three square meals a day, which was more than her parents could manage, and they let her work in the kitchens when that wasn’t enough. Out of respect, Liltotto tried not to snack when she could. She failed most of the time, but they never complained.

For a time, her hunger was more satisfied than it had been at home, but as usual, it never really went away. The priests whispered about curses and divine punishment, and Liltotto quickly learned to ignore the way they looked at her when they thought she wasn’t paying attention. They tried to fix her with prayers, but apparently their faith wasn’t strong enough because it never worked even a little bit.

And then, when she turned eight, she ate a fifty-year-old wooden pew.

It wasn’t on purpose, of course. She’d been sitting in the chapel during evening prayers, her stomach twisting itself into knots as it always did, and she’d gotten so hungry and the lacquered wood smelled so good and the next thing she knew, her mouth had opened wider than any mouth should, and the wooden seat was sliding down her throat like a loaf of bread. The nun who saw it screamed herself hoarse, and after that, the church was a hell of a lot less cool with her little curse.

Liltotto spent the next two years drifting between parishes, each one taking her in after the last politely asked her to get the hell out. Word traveled fast among the clergy, and it wasn’t long before she found herself on the street with nothing but the clothes on her back and a stomach that had long since stopped caring about what fell in.

She ate what she could find: garbage, rats, a mailbox once and a few other bits and bobs every now and then. Nothing satisfied her hunger, but it never made her sick either so that was cool. She only really had to worry about how it affected her on the way out.

It was during her little stint of homelessness that He found her.

She’d been sitting in an alley behind a bakery, working her way through a dumpster full of day-old rolls soaked in spoiled milk, when a tall man with dark hair and a presence filled the whole alley crouched in front of her.

She wondered if she was going to have to eat her first human when he took one look at her and asked, “How long have you been hungry, child?”

And she responded simply, in the voice of a child who had known nothing but, “Always.”

And that was how Liltotto became a Quincy, and gave her life and time to a cult hellbent on exterminating the very concept of death itself from the records of humanity so they could be closer to God.

Now, though she was raised and reared a good little Catholic girl, Liltotto had been pretty desensitized to getting down on her knees and praying to the one who was probably responsible for her whole mess. But Yhwach had given her a sense of purpose and friends to share it with, so she owed it to him to see his goals realized.

At least until he betrayed and killed pretty much all of her friends and nearly her as well. The bastard.

Nowadays, she was pretty much done with the whole “greater purpose” thing. The Church had been a bust, and cults did her no good. She just wanted to live, eat food that was actually food, and save Gigi and the rest of her friends.

And if this little pint-sized Devil could help her do that, then she’d forsake God a second time to see that happen.

Crunch.

“And I am telling you that no matter who gives you permission, I am your father first and foremost. You will listen to what I have to say and that is final.”

“For a man who fully accepted his daughter’s wishes to rise to one of the most dangerous positions in the Underworld, you’re being quite obstinate. This is not a full-fledged war I’ve decided to lead; it’s a skirmish at most. Easily dealt with.”

“I’ve already told you my decision. The answer is no.”

Liltotto sighed, leaning her head against the wall. How much longer was this going to drag on?

She tilted her head, locking eyes with one of the dozen guards stationed around this part of the castle. She’d felt their glare boring into the side of her head for several minutes now, and it only got worse when she locked eyes with them. They’d apparently been told that she was one of the people involved in little incident only a few nights ago and they clearly didn’t really appreciate her presence back here. Tough shit for them, but she’d still like to be out of here soon. All this demonic energy was making her skin change.

Liltotto reached into her bag as the argument continued in the room behind her, grabbing a handful of candies and shoving them into her mouth, paper and all. The flavor washed over her tongue but did little to satisfy, and she was about to go for another handful when a voice popped up to her left.

“And who are you supposed to be?”

Liltotto turned and was met with a blond little boy standing a foot shorter than her, wearing a suit when he looked like he got out of diapers maybe a year ago.

“Nobody important,” she said, turning back to the wall and popping another piece of candy into her mouth.

The boy puffed up like a bantam rooster. “Excuse me? Who do you think you are, speaking to me that way. Do you have any idea who I am?”

“Nope.”

“I am Riser Phenex, second son of Lord Phenex and second in line for the title of heir to House Phenex,” He placed one hand on his hip, chin tilting upward like he was trying to look down on her. “You are standing in my family’s manor, so it would do you well to familiarize yourself with your betters”

Liltotto gave him a sideways glance, looking him up and down. This kid was related to Tanya? Clearly, whatever she had didn’t run in the family. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

Riser’s eye twitched at the lackadaisical response. He stepped toward her, his face filled with suspicion. “Actually, what is a human doing in our castle in the first place? Why have the guards not taken you to the dungeon and—” He squinted at her hand. “Are those sweets?”

“Want one?” Liltotto held a piece of candy out to him, hoping it would make him go away.

Instead, the little brat sputtered. “I... That’s not—I don’t want your sweets! I want to know what you think you’re doing here!”

“I’m waiting for your sister to get done arguing with your dad.” Liltotto nodded back toward the study door, which, as luck would have it, suddenly swung open in that exact moment. Tanya marched through the doorway, a tight frown on her face that shifted into perplexity as she caught sight of her little brother practically steaming in the hallway.

“Riser, why are you here and not attending your lessons?” It was clear that Tanya was unhappy to see her brother shirking his duties and the little boy began sweating at his sister’s look. Liltotto watched with some amusement as he drew himself up, trying to match his sister’s stare with his own.

“I... I came to speak with father about an important matter, but something else has taken my attention!” Riser said, recovering enough of his composure to puff his chest out. He pointed at Liltotto, his finger inches away from her face, “Sister, what do you think you are doing allowing a human into our castle? And so soon after the attacks! Do you have any idea what the other Pillars might say if they heard about this?”

“I’m sure they’ll gossip about me regardless of whose company I decide to keep,” Tanya said lightly, before her tone sharpened. “You, however, have no business being in this wing of the castle and you know that well. Any matter you want to discuss with father can wait until supper. If I were you, I’d go back to your lessons before he figures out you’re here.”

The boy shrank back under the weight of his sister’s stare but he tried to reignite whatever defiance he had left. “But—”

“Now, Riser.”

Riser’s mouth opened and closed twice before he seemed to think better of whatever retort he’d been preparing. He turned on his heel with an indignant huff and stomped down the hallway, his little suit jacket flaring behind him like a cape.

The pair watched him go until he rounded the corner, then Tanya let out a breath through her nose. “My apologies. He’s been quite spoiled.”

“Is he really related to you?”

“Mhm.” Tanya brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, gesturing for Liltotto to follow as she began down the hall. “Our mother has doted on him since he was a toddler despite my warnings. I’ve been far too occupied with my own affairs to curb his worst tendencies like an older sister should so I’m afraid they’ve spiraled somewhat out of control. I’ve only just started to make headway in that regard.”

“Hm. Good luck with that.”

“I worry I’ll need more than that,” Tanya sighed, shaking her head. “Onto the topic at hand, I’m afraid that the conversation with my father didn’t go quite as I planned.”

Liltotto had gathered as much already and just nodded. “Let me guess, he wasn’t very excited to send his daughter off to war?”

“To put it lightly,” Tanya huffed. “I’m quite a valuable prospect, politically speaking. He isn’t in a hurry to send me off to fight my own battles so soon.”

“So what will you do? We had a deal, remember?”

Tanya glanced at her, looking confused. “What do you mean? The plan has already been formed. We aren’t straying from it now.”

Liltotto blinked. “You’re just going to disobey your dad like that? Don’t you nobles have some kind of code that says the kids can’t talk back to the lord of the house or whatever?”

“Oh certainly. At least as far as matters of noble politics are concerned.” Tanya smirked, leaning her head back to watch the ceiling. “As it stands, this is a military matter. And as the prospective heir to the seat of Asmodeus... I outrank him. I certainly would have liked to have his support but truthfully, that whole conversation was nothing more than a formality.”

Liltotto let out a surprised bark of laughter that echoed down the empty hallway. A few of the nearby guards shifted at the noise, shooting her suspicious looks that she ignored entirely, giving Tanya a smirk. “You know, you’re not what I expected from a Devil. I thought you’d be some pompous little kid with a stick shoved up her ass, sorta like your brother. You’re pretty cool.”

Tanya raised a brow at the wording but took it in stride. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

As Tanya led the way through the castle, Liltotto’s eyes drifted across vaulted ceilings, ornate sconces, and tall windows framed by heavy curtains of crimson and gold. The whole place was lit up like a cathedral, warm light spilling from crystal fixtures and casting everything in a soft glow that looked a hell of a lot better than it did when they broke in.

Pretty nice, she thought, checking out the decor. She eyed a painting the size of a small shed, taking in the sour-faced noble scrawled across its surface. Wonder how big their kitchen is.

“So,” Tanya said as they descended some stairs, her voice breaking through Liltotto’s wandering thoughts. “What are your plans once this is over?”

“Dunno,” she said simply. “Haven’t really thought about it.”

She thought for a moment, and Tanya was silent, waiting patiently

“Honestly? It depends on Gigi.” Liltotto pulled another candy from her pouch and tossed it into her mouth. Banana and wax paper barely touched her tongue before it slipped down her throat. She kept talking without pause. “Once we get the others back, she might calm down or she might not. Hard to tell with her. Either way, I’ll probably just go wherever they go.”

“And where would that be?”

“Wherever.” Liltotto repeated. “There’s always someone willing to take in a necromancer who can raise the dead on command, but Gigi doesn’t care who she works for and the others can’t, so I usually have to step in.”

“You almost act like you’re their caretaker rather than their companion.”

“Someone has to be.” Liltotto shrugged. “Bambi’s dead. Candice is dead. Meni’s dead. Gigi’s the only one who can keep them moving and Gigi’s... Gigi.”

Tanya hummed, nodding slowly. “You and Giselle seem rather close. Forgive my bluntness, but are you and her… involved?”

Liltotto smirked. “You asking if we're fucking?”

Tanya twitched at the lurid phrasing, but nodded. Liltotto shrugged. “We fool around a little sometimes, hell, we all used to before things went to shit. But Gigi’s too messed up in the head for something serious and unlike her, I’m not into zombies.”

“Ah.” Tanya’s face scrunched in disgust. Clearly, she’d finally worked out Gigi’s deal.

To the girl’s credit, she seemed to take it in stride and her expression smoothed out after a moment, somewhat surprising Liltotto. She expected more of a reaction to hearing of Gigi’s “habits”

“Well,” Tanya began. “Depending on how the coming battle goes, there may just be an alternative to your vagrancy.”

Liltotto gave her a sideways glance “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Tanya smiled thinly. “All in due time. I’d rather not make promises I can’t keep.”

They emerged into the same courtyard where Tanya had been fully prepared to turn her to ash only a few days ago. The grounds had been cleaned since then, the worst of the scorch marks scrubbed from the stone and the ruined hedges torn out to be replaced later, but faint traces of soot still clung to the cracks between the cobblestones.

Tanya stopped in the center of the courtyard and snapped her fingers. A magic circle flared to life between their feet, edges flickering with hellfire. Liltotto tensed at the wellspring of demonic energy pouring from it and Tanya glanced at her, “Please brace yourself. This is rather disorienting the first time, take it from me.”

Before Liltotto could react, the flames at the edges of the circle rushed upwards and inwards, enveloping them in a fiery hell. She tensed, expecting to be wracked with pain as her flesh was seared and her bones were turned to ash, but nothing like that happened.

Flames swirled through Liltotto’s eyes and through her head. Her stomach lurched in several directions she wasn’t even sure existed as she was pulled through space and time as a piece of taffy. A moment later, her feet found solid ground and she staggered, one hand shooting out to grab the nearest stable surface which happened to be Tanya’s shoulder.

Liltotto blinked hard as her vision swam. “That sucked.”

“I warned you,” Tanya said, completely unbothered by the swaying girl hanging off her shoulder. Liltotto took a second to get her bearings before pushing away from the girl and taking a look around.

She was met with an open space carved out in the middle of a forest. The grass had been scoured to dirt, and the ground and been rendered completely flat. Open ground was bordered by low stone walls and simple structures that had clearly popped up overnight. A few Devils milled about, carrying crates and other equipment, and most of them froze when they saw Tanya, with several snapping to attention.

“At ease,” Tanya called out, and the soldiers relaxed marginally, though quite a few eyes lingered on Liltotto. She ignored them, scanning the camp and the landscape that surrounded it. Deep forest spread out in all directions, with the black shapes of mountains in the distance, illuminated by the false stars and moon in the sky.

“A forward base on the outskirts of House Berith’s territory,” Tanya answered, already walking toward the largest of the buildings. “I had it established yesterday, shortly after our reconnaissance.”

Liltotto followed, her shoes crunching on gravel. “You set all this up in a day?”

“Forward operating bases are surprisingly simple when you don’t have to contend with procurement departments that haven’t updated their filing systems in three decades.” Tanya pushed open the door to the main structure and held it for Liltotto. “If our military functioned properly, I could have done this in six hours. Deploying troops to your own territory should never be more complicated than a phone call or two to the right people.”

The inside was mostly empty, with a large table dominated the center of the room, covered by a large map. A few chairs surrounded it, and torches mounted on the walls provided flickering light. Liltotto eyed the map, noting it was an incredibly accurate recreation of the Black City. She wondered how Tanya remembered enough about it to make something so detailed, before her attention was taken by the large tray of food sitting on a side table. Bread, cheese, some kind of dried meat. Her stomach growled audibly, and she grabbed a piece of bread without thinking, gulping it down and grabbing another soon after.

Tanya noticed but didn’t comment, turning her attention to the maps on the table. “Caílte should be arriving soon. He’s the one I’ve chosen to lead the assault force.”

“Who?” Liltotto asked through a full mouth.

“The current Asmodeus’ Knight.” Tanya traced a line on the map with her finger, marking a path to the Black City. “He’s one of the fastest Devils in the Underworld, and speed is going to be our primary advantage here. Our enemy knows that we know of their existence. We must stomp them out before they can muster any real force.”

“Just a skirmish, right?” Liltotto asked, finding all of this prep to be a little absurd.

“The size of the battle doesn’t mean we shouldn’t optimize our approach.” Tanya tapped a point on the map. “We have a rough estimation of the enemy’s forces, but not of their strength. We will not take any chances. ”

The door opened behind them, and Liltotto turned to find a tall man striding in. He cut an impressive figure, large and wiry, with blond hair cut into a sharp wolf’s tail that only made his strong features stand out even more. His bright eyes brightened further  when they landed on Tanya, his face splitting into a grin.

“Tanya!” Caílte crossed the room in three long strides and clapped Tanya on the shoulder with a large hand. “Mo dhlúthchara! What adventure do you have in store for me today?”

“Caílte.” Tanya greeted the man. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“Short notice?” Caílte let out a booming laugh. “You told me there was a fight brewing and an enemy stronghold to crack open; of course I ran here as soon as I could! It has been wonderful around here ever since you came along! I’ve got wind back in my sails!”

Tanya smiled thinly at the man’s boisterous and frankly loud voice. “Well hopefully, might just be able to put it to use. Come, we’ll go over the plan together. You as well, Liltotto.”

Liltotto swallowed the chunk of bread she’d been working on and grabbed a piece of cheese to follow it. They gathered around the table to discuss the plan of attack. Tanya and Caílte mostly talked amongst themselves, with Liltotto offering input when asked and when she thought it was necessary. Mostly, she just listened.

She found herself a little surprise at how much stock this Caílte guy put into her plans and her words. He didn’t treat her like the peons outside did, but it was clear he had some level of respect for her opinion, which was honestly kind of crazy considering he was the piece of a Satan. Liltotto didn’t know much about how Devils ran things, but she knew that Satans were the top dogs, and their pieces had enough weight to throw it around by themselves.

Yet this Devil was talking to this little girl like she was his equal, and it seemed almost natural, as if Tanya was just an adult wearing a child’s face. Just what was with this kid? The longer they spent together, the more curious Liltotto became.

The conversation continued without her for a while as she ran out of information to give. Tanya and Caílte discussed exit strategies, fallback positions, things that mostly flew over her head. Liltotto tuned most of it out, her gaze settling on the map’s recreation of the Black City.

She hoped Gigi was keeping her head down. That crazy bitch was smarter than any of them gave her credit for, in her own messed-up way, but Liltotto knew how she got when her zombies were threatened. Their friends were precious; precious enough for her to completely blow any plan if she though they were in danger.

“We’ll move at dawn,” Tanya said, straightening up from the map. “That gives us enough time to finalize preparations and brief the troops. Caílte, I’ll need your group assembled and ready by the eastern perimeter in no less than three hours.”

“Done and done!” Caílte clapped his hands together. “Ah, it’s been too long since I’ve had a proper scrap.”

“Try not to enjoy yourself too much,” Tanya said dryly.

“No such thing!”

Caílte gave Liltotto a nod and a wink before striding out of the room, the door swinging shut behind him. His footsteps faded into the ambient noise of the camp outside, and then it was just the two of them again.

Tanya gathered the markers from the map, placing them carefully into a small box. Liltotto watched her for a moment, still chewing.

“You’re pretty good at planning wars,” she noted. “Have you done this before?”

Tanya didn’t look up, but Liltotto saw her lips quirk in amusement. “In another life, perhaps.”

Liltotto raised a brow but didn’t press. She reached for the last piece of dried meat on the tray and bit into it, thinking back to their conversation in the hallway and the interesting girl in front of her. Maybe, when everything was dealt with, she’d see if she couldn’t stick around for a while. Wandering got a little tiresome, and she knew even Gigi was getting sick of not having a place to settle down for a while.

Though first thing was first; she had to get her girls back.

Everything else was just dessert