And Then There Were Four (Lilith Carrie)

Chapter 159: A Losing Battle

Cassie.

A few days of going to the secret library Silas had brought me to hadn't brought me any closer to figuring out how to help Lucas. However, I learned a lot about Anna. Including just how close Silas was to her when he came to Asgard to be- gin with.

"So you were her guard?" I asked, staring at Silas, who walked around the library tossing an old brown ball up in the air before catching it.

"Yep, it was my first job here. It wasn't exactly what I had expected... when I came here she had already been here for a long time. I was young and rebellious. I hated the world be- cause of how I was treated, and she saw something in me oth- ers didn't."

"But... that doesn't make sense. She would have been an- cient by then-"

"Around seven hundred years old to be exact," he hummed as his eyes twinkled with amusement.

I was astounded. From the stories, she was supposed to be human or so I thought, but then lived that long. It didn't make any sense. "How, though?"

"How was she that old?"

Nodding my head, his smile widened, "Anna was one of Odin's creations, Cassie. She was a descendant of one of his wolves."

I had heard many things over the years about Odin, and some of the stuff he did but this... I had never heard before.

Odin's wolves were famous, and the entire reason our species was created. In order to protect the wolves hunted by hu- mans, Odin bestowed his wolves to gift them with the ability to turn into to humans to hide amongst the same men that tried to kill them.

"We are all descendants though," I whispered looking back down to the painting of her I have found in a scroll on one of the many bookshelves. "That still doesn't explain how she lived so long."

"Odin bestowed a gift on her when she lost Bjorn and two more of her children. When she came here, three of her chil- dren had died, and she wanted death as well. Her anger con- sumed her, making her hate the life she was given. However, Odin wouldn't let her give up on life. He knew she had more to offer so he made her immortal until she could see that even through the darkest of days life has beauty even in the dark- est of shadows."

Sila's words were always poetic when he wanted to ex- plain something important. Letting a smirk crest the corner of my lips, I rolled my eyes and went back to trying to read the faded writing on the parchment. However, the words were foreign and far more advanced than anything I knew, and I was left wondering what they were instead of actually know- ing.

"So, he made her immortal until she appreciated life?"

Nodding his head, he picked up another book and made his way toward me, laying it down. "This is Anna's journal from her last year here. When you have time, you should read it."

I ran my fingers over the spine, admiring the intricate designs. It was beautiful, and my mind was curious to know what she had to

For now, we have more important things

his lips part as he nodded again. "Of

hate the fact I kept reminding him, but it was important to figure out if I was ever going to fix what was going on. Every single day Lucas was the way he was, I felt the

I didn't like. "So we have been here for days at this. What is actually going

shaking his head, “Inanna was here when Anna was. The two

a villain?"

smiled, "but her acting the way she was set Anna on edge. I worked closely with Anna, and through all of it, she felt Inanna and her were growing distant. That Inanna was up to something dark, and when she began hanging out with the wrong people, Anna became

I saw her photo I realized how much she and I looked alike. The only difference was she seemed to smile all the time where I did not. Anna didn't seem like the kind of person whose smile ever fell,

Silas. My fingers once again brushed over

and the next day... Inanna and

my brows. "What do you mean they were gone?

the vale between realms wasn't as confined as it is now. It was easier to slip out, but that was because Odin didn't worry about things like he does now I suppose.

the name rang internal bells as I remem- bered the stories I had heard growing up of the battle my par- ents went through with him. How they wanted

Loki was dangerous, but thankfully, Odin impris- oned

what Silas had said. As far as I remembered, it was my mother who had thrown Loki back into Asgard, but then again, who was I to correct the

simply rolled back up the portrait and retied the ribbon around it that had once held it closed. I was learning a lot being here but it wasn't helping me

before, and I was never the

I moved towards the bookshelves to replace the scroll with Anna's portrait or

really, just a lot

you," he said as the sound of his footsteps echoing behind me let me know just how close

face him. "As I said

before, Cassie. How she is acting now with Lucas,

thought I had hit a brick wall with what to do. I had found myself lost wondering if I would ever find something to get me closer and then Silas

with much irritation, I watched as a quizzi- cal glance of amusement danced in his fiery eyes while the corners of his lips turned up into a wide smile as if he thought what he told me was the

at first. Back then, I didn't want to believe-"

believe he thought I was in- terested in the details. "Stop. You didn't

Silas gave me a con- fused look before closing his mouth with a sigh.

didn't you?" I asked, trying to understand why he wouldn't. That was something I could have used to steer me