I sat up, looking to spot Aira, Odessa, Hestia, or even Sofia near my side but surprisingly, it was silent, other than the chirps of hummingbirds and hisses resounding in the air.

The room was empty and in comparison to the rest of the palace, outlandish with its beige walls and wooden floors, tribal masks stacked on the walls, and numerous bookshelves. One dedicated to books, and the other to peculiar ingredients and substances. On top of that, the ceilings have wooden poles connected to the walls, which was where I found an olive colored snake slithering around.

Instinctually, I hopped back into the hammock. What if it was poisonous? It was bad enough that some dark enchantress tried to possess me. I didn't need to get bitten by a potentially deadly snake. Yet the snake came slithering towards me, hissing in the process.

My heart started to pound as I eventually hit the wall behind me, resulting in my fall onto the wooden floor. Rubbing my head, I muttered a couple ouchs under my breath.

"Ah, I see you've have awoken." A heavily accented voice said behind me.

Startled, I turned around. "Um... excuse me but who are you?"

Observing her from a distance, she had a brown complexion, chocolate colored eyes, long brown dreadlocks, a tattoo that went from chin to the neck, and plump lips. She gave a soft smile. "My names Leocadia and you're in the shaman's chambers. I'm the one who helped you recover from your little encounter with Lilith."

As she came closer, I noticed her right eye was concealed with an ikat-patterned scarf, which had me wondering, what happened to her right eye?

She nodded towards the snake. "I see you met Ezequiel." She said, laughing.

Leocadia bent down to the snake and he responded by hissing at her happily, slithering near her feet and allowing Leocadia to place him on her shoulder.

"Ezequiel?" I asked.

The snake hissed at me and I withdrew even more so, not daring to leave the hammock.

Leocadia smiled softly. "Ezequiel's my pet and assistant. You don't fret, he's not poisonous." She stroked Ezequiel's body affectionally. "He was just checking on you to make sure you were alright." She added.

I looked at Ezequiel, wincing quietly. If anything, the fact that his fangs were out in such an aggressive matter conveyed the impression that he wanted to bite me. Or even worse, eat me alive!

Leocadia handed Ezequiel over to me, allowing him to reside on my shoulder. But instead, Ezequiel came slithering down my arm and snuggled onto my hand, hissing happily. It was so cute actually that I couldn't help but pat his head.

"You see? Ezequiel isn't that bad, he didn't mean to frighten you." Leocadia told me with a beam.

I looked down at Ezequiel and gave a subtle grin towards him. I guess she was right. He wasn't too bad after all.

After a minute or two, Ezequiel left me be, deciding to settle into a pot. I then faced Leocadia, wondering what happened afterward. The last thing I could recall was me being lifted to the ground by a cocoon of air by Aira before losing consciousness.

"Leocadia, what happened?"

As she took bowls of ingredients from the shelves, she pursed her lips momentarily. "Ah, I'm not sure if you remember love, but Lilith or as you better address her as, 'the dark enchantress' tried to abduct you."

Lilith... so that's her name.

"The Elemental Weavers and a human girl whom they called 'Sofia' bustled in my chambers, explaining how you were attacked by Lilith. The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you needed spiritual care right away." She told me as she stirred what looked like herbs in a small flask.

Why did she even bother? That question kept repetitiously coming back. She barely knew me and I barely knew her.

"Why did you aid me?" I asked her quietly, my tone unsure. Leocadia didn't show much reaction to my question. Instead, she proceeded to take out a small bowl of what appeared to be rose petals of discrepant colors and hues.

"Take the rose petal that seems to speak out to you." She instructed.

I looked at her questioningly, at a loss for words. What do rose petals have to do with my question?

But regardless, I placed my hand in the bowl and looked for the rose petal that 'stood out' to me. It didn't take too long before I came across a midnight purple petal. Due to my past year of caring for Mrs. Harsbarry's roses, it was clear that the scent wasn't median. An atypical version of the musk fragrances yet far more trenchant and spicy. As soon as I touched it, I felt my skin prickle turbulently for a slight second before tints of deep blue appeared on the very corner of the petal.

"Now, the rose is a symbol that has quite a rich and ancient history, subsuming of paradoxical meanings. To Eileithyia, it's a symbol of purity and earthly passion; virginity and fertility; death and life and confidentiality." She explained. "That, however, doesn't mean every rose, no matter how analogous may be, is the same. Every color symbolizes a virtue. For example, white roses mean purity and holiness, red roses mean passion and sacrifice, yellow roses mean wisdom and joy, pink roses gratitude and peace, and purple roses mean wonder, awe, and change for the better."

"In this way, roses are more correlated to us than we believe, because just like the flowers of one's field, we all grow at our own pace." She finished.

I looked at her with indignation. What did that have to do with me or my question?

"And your point?"

"My point is that your soul is intertwined with a particular rose based on your personality and with that, every soul has a good side, no matter how disagreeable or insolent the character. Yours allures to purple roses, meaning you're of a unique, observant character."

Ridiculous, how could a rose be connected to my soul? It sounded bogus. Almost more so than the prophecies I've heard from so-called psychics on Beltane. "Roses are merely stupid flowers people admire for their beauty and fragrances. They have nothing to do with our personalities." I threw the petal in her face, crumpling it like parchment.

Leocadia picked the rose petal up and placed it on my heart. "Well, just like how we can't force the rose to bud, I cannot force you to accept your soul." She continued to babble.

I took the rose petal in my hand grudgingly. I had nothing to say about it. Ridiculous. Delusional.

In a forthwith fashion, an envelope came flying through the open window, and crash-landed on my face, causing me to backpedal into the wall once more. I threw the letter on the floor, scoffing in annoyance. First, a demon tried to abduct me, Ezequiel frightened me, and now a piece of parchment crash-landed on my face. Were everything and everyone trying to finish me off or what?

Leocadia picked the letter up from the floor and started to examine the seal. "Ah, the letter from Aira." She remarked, removing the ribbon and unfolding it before skimming through.

"Liselotte, Odessa will fetch you at nine, approximately to prepare you for your official presentation to the King and Queen," Leocadia informed me after a few moments.

I felt a sense of dread run through me at the prospect. I wasn't quite sure about the mannerisms of Fealettia's royal court and what made it worse was the fact that it was no other than the King and Queen themselves who were going to greet me personally.

But amidst my dread, I recalled Aira's words to me and Sofia just yesterday afternoon. "Please, I'm not manipulating you nor am I trying to lure you into a trap. You have to trust me. This affects not just us but the wall between Eileithyia, Khthonios, and the human world. If that wall is allowed to be broken apart... we're all done for."

At first, I thought she was a farce. A delirious fool that just wanted to toy with us and make fun out of her noble life. But then I saw the pleading look in her eyes, the desperation in her voice... I knew she wasn't just doing this for the King and Queen's sake... but also for her people, her kind; the last family she has left.

I never particularly wanted to play the role of some gallant knight in one of those fairytales Sofia used to read to me, saving the world and whatnot. But the mere thought of whatever wall breaking apart, allowing them to harm Gavril... I wouldn't be able to live with that. His ghost would follow me for the rest of my years.

I nodded, "Okay, thank you for everything," I told Leocadia.

She shook her head and calmly smiled, "I'm a shaman love. It's what we do."