Song of the Black Bird

Song of The Blackbird is a short story released with the e-book purchase of The Daughter of Evil: Wiegenlied of Green which was released December 7, 2017. It centers around Lich Arklow and his first meeting with Banica Conchita.

Plot Summary
Lich Arklow arrives uninvited to the Millennium Tree Forest to see the slowly withering Held, much to Held's displeasure. Lich eventually explains that he has come to say farewell, and that he and Eater Sabella will from now on be living in the country of Marlon. After Held expresses relief Lich is leaving, the two begin to quarrel about his previous rebellious behavior, such as attacking Michaela and reviving Arth Lucifen d'Autriche as a mud doll. The conversation soon shifts to Lich criticizing Held for sheltering the other spirits so much, such as by wiping their painful memories of the past.

Held eventually becomes fed up and orders Lich to leave; as Lich prepares to do so, he discovers the sapling Michaela and learns that Held has planned for Michaela to become his successor. Realizing that Michaela will learn everything Held knows about him as a result, he plans to kill the sapling, only to be chased off by a blonde nun. As Lich leaves, he recognizes the nun as the former princess Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche.

Much later, Lich meets up with Eater in a forest near the Marlon capital of Bariti. Lich ruminates on how it's for Eater's sake that they settle down in the forest, as while he as a bird can do as he pleases, the bear Eater would be in danger if sighted by humans. Meanwhile, Eater explains how the animals of Column Forest will only agree to let them stay if they solve a problem for them; the forest is being continually ravaged by groups of bone-white humans at sundown.

The two make plans to beat up the "humans" and force them to leave. That night, however, they discover the strange humans, corpse soldiers, commanded by a blonde girl clothed in black, wielding the vessel of Gluttony. Eater quickly makes short work of the corpse soldiers; the blonde girl is disappointed, but surprised when Lich begins speaking to her.

Lich tries to get the girl to hand over the vessel; when she snaps and attacks them, Lich has Eater knock her out and they take it by force. Although Lich hopes to use the demon to revive Eater's memories of the past and refine a technique to create a new humanity, he discovers that the demon inside is no longer Eater's former cousin, but a woman. Amused, the woman introduces herself to the two, and such is Lich's first encounter with Banica Conchita.

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