"First things first, why would you be bothered with freeing me, or even helping me at all?" Lilith asked, eyes narrowed. Nobody made a deal like that, outside of stories that mothers told to their young. "What's in it for you?"
The man laughed, waving the question away with his hand. "You really are an idiot, aren't you? Is it so suspicious for an honest man to aid someone in need?"
"No, no really," Lilith responded, choosing her words. "Unless, of course, the person in need has been tied up and branded a criminal. It's kinda weird, not to mention illegal, for people to just randomly free criminals, you know. And, Alexei or no, I openly admit to thievery. That girl just beat me senseless for it." She narrowed her eyes, unable to express her suspicion further.
"Questioning your savior... Leave it to a thief to be suspicious of a simple kindness." He shook his head, smiling.
"If you're so honest, then tell me what's in it for you."
"You're an impertinent little witch, aren't you?" he asked, an edge of warning in his tone. "I can free you now, or you can rot until some other deity comes looking for revenge. Or worse..." His smile turned into a definitely wicked grin. "An unmarked, godless young mage -and yes, I can tell you're a mage by your mannerisms- is quite a rarity. All you really are is a potential disciple, in the eyes of the local gods. So, I advise that you take my offer while it is still available. I give you one more chance."
"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" Lilith pressed, unwilling to let the matter die. "That's all I want to know. Stop dodging my question."
"Enough!" The scholar shouted, his eyes boring holes into Lilith. "I can kill you where you stand," he growled, "and I choose to aid you instead. You simply need to accept my offer, and you will be free."
"If you're going to lie to a thief," Lilith smirked, "at least do it properly. After all- OOMPH."
Before she could finish, her words got caught in her throat, blocked by some invisible force. "What's the matter?" the scholar taunted. "If you're going to insult a greater being, at least have the power to match. In any case, I have no time to waste on a fool. So long, I'll be sure to get a good view of your execution." He raised his hands to cast another spell, thought better of it, and walked away.
If Lilith could have screamed, sighed, sworn, laughed, or any combination of the four, she would have. Instead, she remained immobilized and silenced, her mood darkening with every second. With nothing better to do, she watched the hustle and bustle of those around her. Eventually, as the day turned to night, she fell asleep from boredom.
------------------------------------------------------
A few hours after she had fallen asleep, Lilith, who had been mostly ignored by the townspeople, was once again awoken by voices.
"Wow, Lex, you really did a number on her..." The voice was relaxed, but authoritative. The speaker was clearly used to giving commands rather than explanations.
"Wasn't me, I just left her here. Though Ellen was walking towards her when I left, so she's probably to blame." The tone was casual, yet deferential. Obviously, either a servant, or two close friends. Lilith kept her eyes closed, wishing that the pair would just leave her alone.
"Blame? I don't think you can blame someone for righteous fury. Knowing Ellen, this girl is lucky that she still has all of her limbs. A good thing, I guess. You said she uses Lunar magic, Lex?"
"Just two spells, both of which are common for any thief worth their salt. What surprised me was... Well, she really doesn't look like a thief, much less a thief that could cast like that. Then again, I only met her on the road, so it's also possible that she's the kind of mage who just attacks travelers at random."
"Either way..." The commanding person stopped, pausing for a moment. "We know you're awake, you know. You can open your eyes now."
"Go away..." Lilith thought, not moving an inch. "Let them go away..."
"Huh, that typically works. She might actually be asleep..." Her words trailed off, before she continued in a mischievous tone, "Hey, Saki. Can I wake her up?"
"Sure, sure..." Saki yawned, prodding Lilith with her foot, "Just don't kill her. I suggest cooking her legs off with a fireball."
"Good idea!" the servant responded, with unnerving enthusiasm. "Alright then... Alexei's-"
Lilith's eyes flew open, as she began shaking her head as hard as she could. She tried to scream for them to stop, but found that the silencing spell was still in effect.
"Good morning!" Saki greeted, as a shadow fell over Lilith. "Well, I suppose it's evening now. Either way, it'll be good. For both of us, if you'll listen to me." Laughing, "Not that you have a choice, I see. Sorry about that, by the way." Lilith clenched her jaw, as she strained her entire being in an effort to break free of the spells, to at least get a look at who was behind her.
"Okay, tell you what. Alexei'll remove her spell, as an act of good faith. But you have to promise not to try and kill us, okay?" Her tone was light and breezy, causing Lilith's mind to conjure up an image of some ditzy witch in a cliched black outfit.
"Oh, um..." Saki looked for her train of thought, "If you understand, then nod your head. If you can't nod your head, then... Uhh..." The shadow moved out of sight, and vanished. A moment later, Saki stood in front of Lilith, kneeling down to an uncomfortable distance away from her face. "Just... umm... Blink your eyes, okay?"
As horrifically awkward as the situation was, Lilith couldn't help but be impressed. Saki's face was dominated by a large smile, one of pure happiness, rather than malice or smugness. Above that, both her hair and eyes were a similar shade of light green, just as Alexei's had been. Underneath her hair, Lilith could barely make out a small mark, or tattoo, on Saki's forehead.
"Or study my face, I guess that works too..." Saki mumbled, looking mildly confused. "Anyway, you understand what I'm saying, so I guess that counts for something... Here, as a sign of good faith, I'll do you a favor." Scooting her knees back, Saki brought her right hand to Lilith's throat.
"Goodness..." Saki gasped, her eyes widening. "Who on earth did you anger? This is... Umm... Hey, Lex, come help me out. This is why I keep you around."
"The fact that I do your dirty work is just a fringe benefit, I'm sure..." Alexei retorted, stepping over to Saki. Taking a deep breath, she further added to Lilith's discomfort by adding her hand to Lilith's throat. "Yeah, I think I can manage this. Can you lend me anything?"
"I'm no good with this brand of magic, so I doubt my assistance would be of much help..." Saki scratched her head, "This is Ellen's fault, so it's her problem. Ask her for help. She could use a chance to actually make good on her promises."
"Do I really have to...?" Alexei sighed, "I mean... It's Ellen... Sure, she's useful, but-"
"But what, hmm? Surely, my follower isn't slandering me behind my back, is she?"
"Speak of the devil," Alexei muttered under her breath, taking her hand away from Lilith's throat.
Ellen laughed, "It helps for the Devil to have good hearing. Now, anyway, what do you need?"
"Someone cursed this mage, and we need to-" Saki started to explain, before Ellen's sudden mood switch cut her off.
"Oh, /that/ mage?" Ellen asked, her voice dropping an octave, "The nasty little pest that keeps causing me headaches? Who'd she anger now? And, in any case, I like her better when she's not being a thorn in my side, so..."
"All I'm asking is that you restore her voice, O Worker of Miracles. Nothing more."
"Now, now..." Ellen wagged a finger, clearly enjoying the situation, "That's not how you call upon a god's help, is it? Unless, of course, I became the God of Sarcasm without realizing it... Nope, doesn't appear that I am. Try harder."
Alexei took a deep breath, struggling to keep her thoughts to herself. "O Great and Powerful Protector of the Village..." she began, shooting a dirty look at Saki, who was doing a bad job of containing her laughter, "O Wonderful and Beautiful Ellen, Worker of Miracles and Embodiment of Goodness..."
"Yes, yes..." Ellen prompted, with a 'Get on with it!' motion.
"In your infinite and just mercy, descend from thy lofty throne, and aid your lowly servant in her struggles, for they would be futile without your assistance..."
"As always," Ellen nodded, grinning, "Go on."
"O Wonderful Ellen..." Alexei continued, through gritted teeth, "Seek me out, and hear my plea."
As soon as she had finished, the immediate area was flooded with white light, causing Lilith to clamp her eyes shut once again. Saki and Alexei simply rolled their eyes, adopting a 'She does this every time' expression.
When Lilith opened her eyes again... Absolutely nothing had changed. Ellen was still standing before them, still wearing that absurd dress, and still wearing that irritating smile.
"You know, the blinding light is kind of unnecessary if you're right here..." Saki said, forcing a yawn. "It's kind of unnecessary even if you /do/ have to travel, by the way. You can pick a more subtle way to announce yourself whenever you're answering a prayer..."
"If you have business with me, save it for after I'm done with my worshiper!" Ellen snapped, still focused on Alexei. "Anyway. What may the great Ellen do for you, Alexei?"
"You can stop shoving your ego in our faces, for starters..." Saki mumbled, and then went silent at a glare from Ellen.
"Well, O Great One..." Alexei's urge to strangle Ellen was abundantly clear in her tone, "Your humble follower requests your aid in the matter of removing a powerful silencing spell, which may or may not be your own."
"It's not, though I wish I had thought of it. You can... take your hand off of her now, you know..." As Saki smacked herself in the forehead with the hand she had put to Lilith's neck, Ellen brushed her aside.
"Now, you little demon..." Ellen smiled, sending a chill up Lilith's spine, "Let's see how much you deserved this time..." Mercifully enough, she didn't touch Lilith, instead waving her hand over Lilith's face. "Well, well. Looks like I'm not the only important person who's fed up with you. Nice job on angering the local Magister. I mean that one, by the way. Never could stand his attitude..." She shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. "Right, sorry. Yeah, I can take this off. Just a sec..."
Ellen turned to Alexei, "Do it."
"You're a sadist," Alexei mumbled, raising her hands. "In the name of the Wonderful Ellen, I, Alexei-"
"Wonderful?" Ellen interrupted, causing Lilith to start screaming inaudible insults. If she could move, she would be beating her head against the nearest wall until this farce ended. "Is that the best you can do? Honestly, Alexei... I thought you had more imagination than that..."
"I, Alexei..." Alexei repeated, doing her best to ignore Ellen, "Call upon the power of my deity and give you my aid. In the name of Ellen... Dispel!"
"AND ONCE I'M WITH THAT, I'LL- Oh, wait..." Lilith stopped mid-rant, as everyone turned to stare at her. "Thank you, Ellen, I guess I'll-"
"Explain yourself now?" Saki said, cutting her off. "Well, yeah, that'd be good."
"What's there to explain? I was simply going along my merry way, when that... Alexei-girl... mugged me, and left me here. Then the local god decides to blow off some steam, before leaving me in the clutches of some demon in human form who kept trying to sucker me into service."
"Mugging a thief... Alexei, I'm surprised at you!" Saki teased, sizing up Lilith once again. "So, that's why we just spent an absurd amount of time helping a smart-mouthed mage get her voice back. Foolish girl, don't you know when you're in over your head?"
"A-anyway..." Lilith stammered, feeling everyone's stares, "W-why are you even here? You're the one that-"
"Obviously not, it looks like." Alexei remarked, marveling at Lilith's absolute lack of diplomacy. "To answer your question, though, we're here to make a deal. I'm required to report anything of note that happens while I'm doing work. Once she heard about how I ran into a fresh mage, Saki insisted on recruiting you. You're a mage, we want you to work for us. No more, no less."
"Does that mean I'll have to... Err... Will I have to work for Ellen?" Lilith asked, considering the proposal.
"No, no, of course not..." Ellen laughed, her personality becoming cheerful again. "Alexei devoted herself to me because I'm the local deity, but I won't force you to join. Most likely the opposite. Your loss, though."
"That sweetens the deal..." Lilith mumbled, thinking. "However, I don't like being coerced into things. Let me go, and then I'll be in a better position to negotiate."
"Exactly what we don't want," Saki and Alexei began at the same time. "Err," Saki continued, as Alexei fell silent, "Anyway, it's not like we had this whole thing planned out. I'm simply taking advantage of an opportunity. As should you. But, in any case, you are correct. This is coercion, plain and simple. You have no other options, unless you want to either die, or gain a life of misery. You... You don't have to look so depressed, you know. I'm not that awful... I just don't like being denied something I want. See? I want to coerce you into joining. Take that as a compliment."
"Well," Lilith thought, her sarcasm failing her now, "that decides things..."
"Okay," Lilith sighed, fully aware of what she was about to do, "I accept. On my word, once you cut these ropes and do away with this spell, I'll enter into your service."
"Very well. Alexei?"
"Right, ma'am!" Alexei nodded, drawing a small dagger from her cloak. Kneeling down, she cut the ropes off of Lilith, accidentally knocking her over.
"Ow! Can you let me move now? Please? This is really uncomfortable..."
"I'll do it," Ellen offered, "if you-"
A brief look of panic appeared on Alexei's face. "No, no, I've got it, Ellen. I can handle this." She cracked her knuckles, hovering over Lilith. "Alright, let's see... Dispel!"
Pale light surrounded her hands, then started spreading towards Lilith, who immediately regained feeling in her entire body. Out of habit, Lilith rubbed her wrists.
Lilith perked up almost instantly, her mood much brighter now that she wasn't tied up and severely uncomfortable. "Right, then. So, what's next?"
