Time for a rest

Ashnan blinks, still dazed. Then she seems to gather herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before smiling warmly at her sister and you. Stroking her younger sibling´s hair she turns to you.

"Sorry for being so rude before and welcome to the House of Lilith! I don´t recall properly introducing myself, I´m Ashnan. I´m the eldest...well, after Mother of course..." Turning to Ishari she continues, "Ishari, why don´t you take our honoured guest to his room? I´m sure he could do with a rest after all the walking and, erm... hard work he´s been doing."

Ashnan heads to the door to leave, "I need to go tell Mother about our new friend, so you make sure he´s properly cared for and rested, OK!"

After Ashnan is gone, Ishari grabs your hand and leads you through a series of tight corridors, walls covered in old tapestries or panelled in ancient, gnarled wood. Wherever you go, the rooms are dimly lit by the occasional candle or oil-lamp, just bright enough to see where you´re going, but too dark to make out the details of the furniture or wall-hangings. The air is dusty and dry and it smells of bees-wax, old tomes and dried herbs.

Once or twice you catch a glimpse of glowing eyes peering at you from behind a doorway, before ducking out of sight. There are other people living in this hive of tunnels, other sisters...

Before long you reach a low door. Ishari opens it and you follow her in, banging your idiot head against the frame. Inside, you find a room, as dimly comfortable as the rest of the house. In it is a bookshelf and a big bed with dark red sheets and more pillows than is strictly necessary piled upon it.

"I hope you like it..." Ishari says looking nervously up at you, "There´s some wine in that jug by the bedside. It´ll help you sleep."

Grunting back what you think passes for an answer you undress and sit down on the bed, throwing your sweatpants, which had already been filthy at the time of your **** and were now approaching some horrible kind of transcendent state of squalour, into a shadowy corner. They make a clattering noise.

You´re tired. You could do with a rest...