Lila Bard

* ToP
* SoM

**Captain Lila Bard** is a thief from Grey London who finds out that she is an *Antari* after stealing the black stone from Kell Maresh and getting involved in the world of magic.

Following the events of the Black Night, Lila stays in Red London. She parts ways with Kell and joins the *Night Spire* as a thief. Later, when Alucard Emery is stripped of his position as a privateer, Lila succeeds him as the captain of the *Night Spire* which she renames the *Grey Barron*.

## Physical description

Lila has short chestnut brown hair that reaches to her jaw and brown eyes; one of them is slightly lighter than the other because it is a glass eye. The prothesis replaced Lila's *Antari* mark which was carved out by a doctor at some point in her childhood. Her glass eye is damaged while fighting Ojka. Lila later acquires two new glass eyes: a brown and a solid black one. She got the black glass eye from Maris Patrol and wears it the most. However, when she needs to blend in, Lila opts for the brown glass eye.

Lila also has a boyish physique which allows her to masquerade as a young man, and a pointed chin. When Lila lived on the streets of Grey London, she was always skinny and bony. This changes when she arrives in Red London and starts looking healthier.

As the Shadow Thief, Lila wears a broad brim hat and a mask. During the *Essen Tasch* of 1820, Lila, while pretending to be Stasion Elsor, has shorter, slightly darker hair and wears a demon mask for the fights.

## Personality

As a thief, Lila is cunning, daring and quick-witted where she is able to quickly steal a variety of objects such as a top hat from a dozing chauffeur. She is courageous, proud, and this pride drives her to survive by herself without the help of others.

Lila has a tendency to run away to save her own skin; this is a reflex she has attained from living on the streets and which makes it hard for her to grow close to people. Thus, she prefers to work alone and views caring and love as a form of weakness. However, Lila eventually starts to learn to trust and help others again.

When provoked, Lila can respond violently as shown when she kills Powell. Lila has a predatory side and enjoys being in control. While she held a weakened Kell Maresh in her room, she created another Kell using the black stone, and had him do a striptease "for fun," to Kell's horror.

She dreams of adventures of being a pirate and wanderlusts over journeying around the seas. Her wanderlust is a part of what caused her to travel to the other Londons with Kell. She wants to see as much of the worlds as she can.

Further, she tucks her hair behind her ear to show her opponent that she is not hiding.

## Biography

### Early life

Lila was told that she lost one of her eyes in an accident when she was little; in reality, a "two-bit" doctor carved it out after her *Antari* mark manifested. Her mother used to read poems by William Blake to her, particularly those from the *Songs of Innocence and of Experience* before bedtime. She died when Lila was ten. Five years later, her father sold her to a man to clear his tab; she has not seen her father since. The man tried to violate Lila, but before he could, she slit his throat. It was the first time Lila killed someone.

Almost a year ago—eleven months, two weeks, and a few days, to be exact—, Lila and Barron had a falling-out after she robbed one of his patrons. As punishment, Barron wanted her to pay rent, though only with money she had earned, not stolen. He even offered to pay Lila if she helped run the tavern with him, but because Lila does not want to settle anywhere, she refused and left the Stone's Throw. On the way out, she stole the brim hat she later began to use as the Shadow Thief.

### Moving back

In October 1819, Lila runs into a constable after stealing a silver pocket watch. He warns her to be cautious because a thief is haunting the streets, unaware that Lila is the thief in question. She promises to be careful and then heads to the *Sea King*, an old, rotting ship where she resides. There, she goes to its steering wheel and imagines herself as a pirate captain before she goes into her cabin.

Lila tries to rest when Powell, the ship's owner, comes to her room to collect the rent. She hands him a few silver coins, but Powell is dissatisfied with the amount and attempts to violate her to make up for it. Before he can do anything, Lila attacks and kills him by stabbing him in the gut with a dagger. She then pours the whiskey he brought with him over his corpse and sets him and the ship on fire. Lila leaves with only a few essential items—money, her clothes, her weapons, and a special map—to the Stone's Throw. Barron is standing outside it when she arrives. Lila tells him that the *Sea King* burned down and she needs a place to stay. She offers him the stolen pocket watch as payment; although Barron refuses it, he allows her to stay.

### The black stone

The next day, Lila returns to the Stone's Throw after accumulating a good sum of stolen coins. She gives a few coppers to a beggar boy standing close to the tavern. Just when Lila is about to go inside and eat, she sees three boys robbing the beggar boy and leaving. Despite Barron urging her not to bother, Lila puts on her Shadow Thief disguise and follows the boys. The boys split up, and Lila trails after the skinny boy who took the beggar's coins. She sneaks up to him and presses a knife against his throat, ordering him to empty his pockets. Then, the boy's friends arrive. In the ensuing brief fight, the skinny boy realizes that Lila is a girl, and Lila swiftly frees herself from his grip and escapes.

While on the run, Lila collides with a strange man. He can barely stand and has blood on his face; and while Lila helps him clean up, she also robs him before she leaves him in the alley and returns to the Stone's Throw. Before she enters, she inspects the item she stole and is disappointed to find out it is only a black stone.

She is both hungry and tired, but ultimately decides to head to bed without eating. Before she can go to sleep though, the strange man suddenly appears in her room and demands the stone back before he collapses. Lila drags him onto her bed and binds him to it. When he wakes up, she interrogates him. He introduces himself as Kell and tells her that he comes from another world that is full of magic; he needs the stone back because it is "bad magic." Disregarding Kell's concerns and protests, Lila tries out the stone's power: First, she conjures a sword and scabbard and then another Kell which she commands to divest. The false Kell becomes self-aware though when Lila attempts to dispel him and attacks her. The real Kell then uses blood magic to destroy the fake and save her.

Kell binds Lila to the wall by manipulating the wood, retrieves the items she took from him, and leaves the Stone's Throw. After an hour of hacking the wood, Lila finally manages to free herself. Annoyed and now knowing the risks, Lila throws the conjured sword out of her window before she goes downstairs for a drink.

### An adventure

Not wanting to have a drink at the Stone's Throw, Lila heads to the Barren Tide. While she drinks and ponders over Kell and the black stone, a mysterious man sits down next to her. He introduces himself as Holland and asks her about Kell's whereabouts; he knows Lila met him because he can sense traces of Kell's magic on her. Although Lila truthfully tells him that she does not know where Kell is because they only met briefly, Holland drags her out of the tavern and forces her to remove all her weapons. He then sends lightning through Lila's body and orders her to scream because he knows this will lure out Kell; he is correct.

Not long afterward, Kell arrives and tells Lila to run, but Holland does not let go of her until Kell says he can try taking the black stone from him if he does. Lila hurries away but returns with an iron bar because Kell came back for her and she does not like owing anyone. While Holland's attention is fully on Kell, Lila knocks him out with the iron bar. Kell binds Holland to the ground, and Lila drags the severely injured Kell to the Stone's Throw.

At the tavern, Barron helps Lila carry Kell upstairs and get him to bed. Lila burns a few herbs to cover the smell of Kell's magic and hides the black stone with some more herbs. She tells Barron what happened and is surprised to learn that Barron already knows about magic. Barron then leaves the room, and Lila holds vigil over a sleeping Kell, ready in case Holland finds them.

When Kell wakes up a few hours later, Lila wants explanations for everything that happened. He tells her that he and Holland are the only *Antari*, blood magicians, in existence. Hundreds of years ago, anyone could move freely between the four Londons—Grey, Red, White, and Black London—but since Black London's fall and the seal of the interdimensional doors, only *Antari* can travel between the worlds. The black stone survived the purge of Black London artifacts and needs to be sent back home before anyone abuses its power and causes great destruction.

Although it is uncertain whether Lila, with the help of the black stone, can follow Kell through the worlds, she persists; she is not afraid of dying and refuses to hand over the stone. Reluctantly, Kell allows her to accompany him. Lila leaves all her money and her silver pocket watch behind for Barron and touches the door to his bedroom but does not say goodbye to him before she and Kell leave the Stone's Throw.

They head to Whitbury because its Red London counterpart is close to the Ruby Fields, a tavern where Kell has a room; Kell then opens a portal to Red London through which they step.

### New world

To Lila's amazement, she arrives in Red London in one piece; however, Kell is nowhere to be seen. She decides to explore the area and watches a procession during which the prince spots her in the crowd and surprisingly frowns at her. Lila asks a nearby group of girls what the parade is for, and they tell her that it is for Prince Rhy's birthday. After one girl, Elissa, compliments Lila's English and asks who her tutor is, Lila laughs and leaves the parade behind, heading toward the Night Market.

Lila attempts to steal a colorful stone from a tent, not knowing that it is enchanted against thievery. The vendor catches her and calls the guards but before they arrive, Kell finds Lila. He apologizes for her behavior and pays the vendor for his troubles before he guides Lila away from the marketplace and scolds her for trying to steal something. Afterward, they head to the Ruby Fields, and Lila asks Kell why he seems to be hiding from the guards. Kell admits that he belongs to the royal family; he might have been adopted by the king and queen but he never felt a member of their family. His words anger Lila and she snaps at him; even if the king and queen might not love him like a son, he was at least taken care off and never had to fear for his survival. Kell agrees and apologizes because he can guess how hard her life might have been but Lila does not want his pity.

A bit later, Lila and Kell finally arrive at the tavern, only to find it burned down. When Kell senses Holland approaching, he conceals himself and Lila with the black stone's power. Holland taunts them, detailing how he killed Fauna and Barron and saying that it is their fault that they died. Lila wants to attack Holland then and there, but Kell holds her back.

When Kell and Lila still do not reveal themselves, Holland tries to locate them by raining ashes on them, but the stone's power made them incorporeal as well as invisible and the ashes simply pass through them. Acknowledging defeat, Holland leaves. Lila retrieves the pocket watch Holland threw to the ground and vows to slit Holland's throat. She and Kell then head to Aldus Fletcher's pawnshop.

Fletcher is not there when they arrive, and Lila and Kell use this opportunity to search his shop for a white rook. Lila is amazed by the displayed items; a knuckle knife especially catches her eye. They still have not found the rook when Fletcher returns. Lila attempts to attack him, but he stops and brings her to her knees with his bone magic. Kell tells Fletcher that he needs the rook back, but Fletcher is unwilling to sell it to him. He might, however, sell it to Lila if she sleeps with him; although she does not understand his words, she understands his gesture and growls at him. Fletcher then reveals that he contacted the royal guard that is looking for Kell.

A moment later, five guards storm into the shop, and Lila swiftly conceals herself with the black stone's magic. Kell explains that he is fine; he was simply delayed while running his errand and then went to Fletcher's pawnshop to look for Rhy's birthday gift. Before he is escorted out, Kell secretly tells Lila that he will be back soon.

One guard stays behind in the pawnshop; instead of giving Fletcher his reward, he kills him. As soon as the guard is gone, Lila becomes visible again. She takes the white rook from Fletcher's corpse and the knuckle knife and heads out to find and save Kell.

### The Black Night

Lila goes to the palace and finds out that a masquerade ball is taking place for Rhy's birthday. When she runs into Elissa again, Lila steals her invitation and then enters a tent at the Night Market that sells clothing. There, she meets Calla who recognizes her from this morning when she walked through the market with Kell. Believing that they are romantically connected, Calla is eager to assist Lila for nothing in exchange, but Lila is reluctant to take her help because she dislikes charity. Only when Calla states Lila can repay her in another way later does Lila accept.

Calla helps her find suitable clothes, and Lila is stunned by their beauty as she has never worn anything so expensive and elegant before. Lila thanks her and leaves for the ball where she lets herself be introduced as "Captain Bard of the *Sea King*" and greets the king and queen who have been enchanted, though nobody notices it but Lila.

Lila sneaks out of the ballroom and searches the palace until she finds the private rooms of the royal family. She enters Rhy's room by jumping from another room's balcony to his and shoots at Rhy who is currently possessed by Astrid Dane. Astrid throws the necklace via which she is controlling Rhy to Lila before making Rhy stab himself. Lila jumps aside, and an enchanted royal guard takes the pendant. She and Kell quickly dispose of the guards in the room before they tend to Rhy.

While Kell keeps repeating the *Antari* healing spell—*As Hasari*—, Lila reminds him that they need to go and that the spell does not work instantaneously. They then escape to Kell's room where Kell opens a door to the London Sanctuary. Kell places Rhy on a cot. Lila tells him that it is too late, but Kell refuses to let his brother die and creates a soul seal between himself and Rhy with the black stone's power. The seal intertwines their lives; as long as Kell is alive, Rhy will be too.

Tieren Serense then finds them, and after Kell explains the situation to his mentor, Tieren says he will keep Rhy safe at the sanctuary and tend to him as well as lead Lila and Kell to the tunnels. On the way, Kell insists that Lila stays behind, and Lila retorts that he cannot fight both Danes on his own and that she can defeat Astrid even without magic; after all, Astrid is currently possessing various people in Red London. He relents when Lila keeps the white rook hostage and after Tieren says that Lila possesses latent power.

Before Tieren lets Lila leave, he inquires about her missing eye, and she tells him about the childhood accident in which she lost it. He also tells her that she needs to kill Kell if the black stone overtakes him. Afterward, Lila and Kell head back into the city to get closer to the palace. While they are stepping through the door to White London, Holland appears and pulls Kell back to Red London. Lila manages to pass through the portal on her own and has to fight some hungry White Londoners until Kell arrives. To her annoyance, Kell has also brought the dying Holland with him.

They then go to the White Castle where they split up; Kell goes to find Athos while Lila heads to Astrid.

In front of the throne room, Lila encounters Beloc who was ordered by Athos to guard the room. Because he cannot abandon his post, Lila has no other choice but to kill him. She does it reluctantly, though quickly and painlessly on Beloc's request. Lila then finds Astrid slumped on her throne. Right after Lila manages to destroy the shield that protects the queen, Astrid wakes up in her own body and attacks Lila. Astrid easily overpowers Lila and disguises herself as her before knocking her out and seeking out Kell.

By the time Lila regains consciousness and finds Kell, he has already killed Astrid. He then collapses because the black stone—now restored—tries to take over him. While Kell fights against the magic, Lila kneels over his body and urges him to fight and not give up. Her question whether there is a blood command to defeat *Vitari* reaches Kell and reminds him that there is indeed one: *As Anasae*, to dispel. With all his strength, Kell says the command out physically, and the black stone loses its power.

Lila is glad to see Kell awaken. After he recovers enough, he sends the black stone to Black London alongside Holland, who is still alive. When they are about to leave, Lila and Kell recall that, without the stone, Lila might not be able to accompany him to Red London. She insists to try anyway, and Kell opens a door. To their amazement, both of them pass through in one piece. Their joy does not last long though because the royal guard soon finds and arrests them.

Lila and Kell are brought to the king and queen, and Kell explains what happened and assures them that the twins are now dead—he defeated them with Lila's help.

Emira and Maxim are curious about Lila, wanting to know who she is and where she comes from; Lila lies that she arrived per ship a few days ago and decided to help Kell save his home. She also calls them out for treating her and Kell like criminals, but her words fall on deaf ears. The queen and king then inquire about Rhy, and Kell informs them that he is well. As soon as he and Lila are released, Kell will get him.

Three days later, Lila visits Rhy who takes a liking to her. Kell quickly ushers her out and brings her to the Isle. After he gifts her an element set, they part ways. Enjoying her newfound freedom, Lila sets her eyes on a ship.

### New thief

Lila's excitement quickly wanes though when night falls and she does not know what to do now. Then, she spots some crew members of the *Night Spire*, the ship she was admiring, and decides to follow them into a tavern. There, she waits for the perfect opportunity to trip a waiter and rob Bels during the ensuing commotion.

Satisfied, Lila leaves, but Bels hurries after her. They fight, and when Lila manages to kill him, his fellow crewmen catch her and bring her to their captain, Alucard Emery. After Alucard tells her she killed his best thief, she declares that *she* is his best thief. Amused, Alucard allows her to join his crew.

Sometime later, Alucard catches Lila curse in English and invites her to his room. Alucard asks her who she is; after all, it is unusual for someone who is not a noble to speak English with such fluency. Lila deflects his questions, however. He then tells her that he is a privateer, not a pirate, and that he would like her to keep him company as he does not want his High Royal to become rusty. In return, he will teach her Arnesian. Lila is willing, but only if he also teaches her magic; Alucard agrees.

### Raid at night

Four months later, Lila pretends to be a lost maiden on the sea to seize the *Copper Thief* after making a bet with Lenos and Stross. In a dress and with her hands bound, Lila floats in a small rescue boat in the Arnesian sea. She also has a cask of ale with her and several flares which she ignites one by one until she catches the attention of the *Copper Thief*. Its crew brings her aboard, and she tells Baliz Kasnov and his men that her ship, the *Golden Fish*, was hijacked by pirates. They also killed her husband and abandoned her on the small boat.

Interested in Lila, the ransom she could bring, and the riches from her apparent ship, Kasnov allows her to stay and brings her to his cabin. He leaves her there alone and joins his crew on deck. Lila waits a while until she frees herself and removes the dress. She uses tapers to fill the air belowdeck with drugged smoke; abovedeck, the crew are knocked out after drinking the ale she drugged.

Lila goes on deck where she kills a crewman and Kasnov who is still standing because he did not drink her alcohol. Afterward, she triumphantly returns to the *Night Spire*. While Tav and Vasry applaud her, Lenos and Stross are in disbelief and reluctantly part with the knife and money they bet. She and Alucard then head to his cabin where they toast "to the best thief."

Later that night, Lila returns to her own room and practices her magic. She conjures fire and manages to combine it with the twin blades she won.

### Return to Red London

The *Night Spire* then heads to Sasenroche. There, the crew splits up, agreeing to meet at the Inroads in the evening. Lila follows Alucard to the port town's black market where she discovers a stall that sells enchanted mirrors. In one of them, she sees a powerful, evil-looking version of herself, and the shop owner informs her that the mirror shows what one desires. Spooked, Lila leaves, and Alucard—who knew that she was following him—finds her. Together, they walk to the tavern, and Alucard admits to Lila that he can see threads of magic. She wants to know what he sees when he looks at her, but he refuses to tell her.

At the Inroads, Lila has a drink with a friendly Veskan before she joins the other crew members. When everyone is together, Alucard announces that they will return to Red London because he has entered the upcoming *Essen Tasch*. Intrigued by the tournament, Lila plots to enter too. Afterward, while the others sleep at the Inroads, Lila returns to the *Night Spire* where she tries to will the ocean; she fails and gets a nosebleed as a result. Alucard then finds her on deck, and they talk for a while.

On the way back to Red London, Lila practices magic whenever she can, training even through the nights. Her sleep deprivation causes her attention to slip when she has a lesson with Alucard in his cabin. Instead of continuing the lesson, Lila asks Alucard about Faro, Vesk, and the *Essen Tasch*. While they talk, Alucard suddenly kisses Lila, though only to throw her off enough that she might tell him what she is running away from. When she realizes this, Lila pushes him away and storms out of the cabin.

On deck, Lila encounters Lenos, and he tells her about his homeplace Casta: There, people believe that *aven* people appear for a reason. And because Lenos thinks that Lila is *aven*, he is wary of her, fearing the reason why she appeared. They then part ways, and Lila goes to her own cabin to sleep, just when someone calls that land is in sight.

Later, when the *Night Spire* is sailing on the Isle, Alucard joins Lila on deck and tells her about his past as a pirate. A moment later, they arrive in Red London where Lila meets Jasta Felis. The *Night Spire* crew then checks into the Wandering Road. Lila has to share a room with Lenos, Tav, and Vasry, and though there are only two beds, she manages to secure one to herself.

Afterward, she heads to see Calla to repay her debt. However, because what Lila gives her is far more valuable than the clothes she got during the Black Night, Calla gives her credit for her shop. Calla also informs Lila that Kell has been asking for her every week for the past four months. With that knowledge, Lila returns to the Wandering Road where she wants to chat with Alucard. However, when she spots him leaving his room in a "disguise," Lila decides to follow him.

Lila shadows Alucard to the Emery Estate and finds out that he is a nobleman from the House of Emery. After Alucard has an argument with his brother Berras, he leaves early and reveals to Lila that he knows she was tailing him. They then return to the inn together.

### The *Essen Tasch*

Two nights before the *Essen Tasch*, Lila decides to steal a competitor's identity, as she learned that no new participants can be accepted anymore. Thus, when Alucard invites her to a customary party at the Setting Sun for the local competitors and their entourages, Lila accepts and seizes this opportunity to find a victim. Her choice falls on Stasion Elsor, an unremarkable participant with the right physique.

Stasion leaves the party early, and Lila follows him and knocks him unconscious with a metal bar. Just when she is about to dispose of him, Alucard finds her. Although he scolds her for her action, he helps her by persuading the crew of a criminal transport to ship Stasion to Delonar. In return, Alucard makes Lila admit that she is not from Red, but from another London. After they steal Stasion's belongings and send him away, Lila and Alucard part ways, and Lila heads to the Coach and Castle Inn where Stasion has a room. There, she cuts her hair and changes her clothes to assume Stasion's identity.

## Skills and abilities

* **Magic:** As an *Antari*, Lila is one of the most powerful magicians to exist and can wield all elements, though she favors fire because of her harsh past living in the streets of Grey London. When Lila compels the elements, she often recites Blake poems, particularly "The Tyger" for fire, and "A Cradle Song" for water. At first, she had troubles with summoning and controlling the elements. She would often push herself too hard, not knowing the exact extent and boundaries of her own power, risking her health and getting heavy nosebleeds. Still, even before Lila learned how to properly control her magic, she was capable of creating incinerating firewalls as well as over-powering Kell during the *Essen Tasch*.
* **Knife fighting:** Lila is very adept at fighting with knives and always carries multiple knives with her.

## Possessions

* Current
* Former

* **Caster:** A Collier flintlock revolver Lila stole. After she leaves Grey London, the revolver falls into disuse because Red London does not use guns, and Lila cannot get more bullets. She keeps Caster in a chest by her bed on the *Night Spire*.
* **Devil mask:** A black devil mask she fell in love with in Calla's shop.
* **Element set:** A "game" for practicing magic, given to her by Kell Maresh.
* **Knuckle knife:** Lila's favorite knife which can be used for both stabbing and hitting. She steals it from Aldus Fletcher's pawnshop. It is ill-weighted because of the metal guard.
* **Map to Everywhere:** A map Lila stole from a shop when she was fifteen years old. Even though she obtained it in Grey London, she later finds out that the map is originally from Red London.
* **Shard of Astrid Dane:** A piece Lila took from Astrid Dane after she was turned into a statue by Kell and shattered. She keeps it as a reminder of the fight and what she can do.
* **Top hat:** A hat she stole from a dozing chauffeur.
* **White rook:** A white rook Lila takes from Fletcher to travel to White London.

- **Silver pocket watch:** A watch Lila took from a gentleman in a collision. The initials, L.L.E, are engraved on the back. She later gives it to Maris Patrol.

- **Twin knives:** A knife which separates in two if a hidden notch is pressed. Lila received it from Lenos when he lost a bet to her. During the final fight against Osaron, he dissolves the twin knives.

## Appearances

* *A Darker Shade of Magic*
* *A Gathering of Shadows*
* *A Conjuring of Light*
* *The Fragile Threads of Power*

## Gallery

*See more here*
Lila, on the US hardback of *A Gathering of Shadows*.Lila, on the US paperback of *A Gathering of Shadows*.Full body.Lila as the Shadow Thief on a "Wanted" poster.Lila as Stasion Elsor.Lila by Mona May.Lila and Kell, seven years later.
## Trivia

* General
* Etymology

* Lila is genderfluid "to the extent that someone in 1819 would intuitively be."
* She leans toward men, but is primarily attracted to power and conviction.
* Lila hates chess because she lacks the patience for it. She also dislikes Sanct as she does not understand how the game works.
* She sleeps with her back to the wall and a knife by her knee.
* Despite and because of her connection to taverns, particularly to the Stone's Throw, Lila hated taverns growing up.
* She also hates winters in Grey London because it is an unprofitable time for thieves and everything is "damp and grey and bitter cold."

### Out of Universe

* Lila's past may be revealed in the future.
* One of the things that ties Kell and Lila's fates together are the poems of William Blake: Kell stored a book of Blake's poems in the Ruby Fields, and Lila's mother read his poems to her.
* Lila was not based on anyone. Instead, Lila embodies certain aspects of Schwab she wishes she would do differently. Schwab also said that, out of her *Shades of Magic* characters, she would like to step into Lila's role the most.
* In an interview, Schwab mentioned that "Lila is not a sidekick, she's the hero of her own story. She's not a love interest, and she's not a plot device. Her purpose isn't just to please the reader or Kell, it's to be true to herself, and that self happens to be a total self-serving badass."
* Lila is one of Schwab's favorite characters to write.
* The outfit Lila receives from Calla for the masquerade ball in *A Darker Shade of Magic* is V. E. Schwab's "dream ensemble."
* Lila's mantra/motto is "If a thing is worth having, it's worth taking."
* Despite claiming not to like animals, Lila would most likely feed some in secret.
* Lila's favorite "tea" would be bourbon.
	+ Lila's Starbucks order would be a triple espresso. She would also be banned from the establishment.
* If Lila had to live through lockdown with Kell, Rhy, Alucard, and Holland, she would kill them all.
* Lila's girl crush from another series would be Inej Ghafa from the Grishaverse.
* In *Vengeful*, at a costume party, someone is dressed as Lila and is making out with someone dressed as Kell.

- Her name is not pronounced "Leela" but "LIE-la." Only Calla calls her "Leela."

- The name "Delilah" (דלילה) is of Hebrew origin and means "delicate, weak, languishing." In Arabic, "Delilah" means "to flirt." An Arabian variant of the name, "Dalilah", means "faithless one."
	* In the Old Testament, Delilah is the lover of Samson. After being bribed by the chief of the Philistines, she tries to find out the source of Samson's power. Eventually, she learns that this source is his hair and subsequently cuts it, betraying him.

- The name "Lila" (लीला) means "play, amusement" in Sanskrit. It can be a variant of "Leila" as well which in turn is a variant of the Arabic "Layla", meaning "night."

## References

1. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, VII: The Follower, II
2. ↑ "Lila: Oct 23/Scorpio"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
3. ↑ "How tall are the characters?" — "Lila: 5′9″"
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
4. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XIII: The Waiting King, IV
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, VI: Thieves Meet, III
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *The Fragile Threads of Power*, II: The Captain and the Ghost, I
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XII: Sanctuary & Sacrifice, II
8. ↑ *The Fragile Threads of Power*, IX: The Threads that Bind, II
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, III: Grey Thief, I
10. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, VI: Impostors, V
11. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, III: Grey Thief, II
12. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, VI: Thieves Meet, III
13. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, V: Royal Welcome, V
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 *A Gathering of Shadows*, I: Thief at Sea, V
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, X: One White Rook, II
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, VI: Thieves Meet, II
17. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, III: Grey Thief, III
18. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, III: Grey Thief, I-III
19. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, V: Black Stone, I
20. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, V: Black Stone, III
21. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, V: Black Stone, V
22. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, VI: Thieves Meet, II-IV
23. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, VII: The Follower, I-III
24. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, VIII: An Arrangement, I-II
25. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, IX: Festival & Fire, I
26. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, IX: Festival & Fire, III-IV
27. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, X: One White Rook, IV-V
28. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XI: Masquerade, I
29. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XI: Masquerade, III-V
30. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XII: Sanctuary & Sacrifice, I-IV
31. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XII: Sanctuary & Sacrifice, VI
32. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XIII: The Waiting King, II-V
33. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XIV: The Final Door, I-IV
34. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, I: Thief at Sea, III-IV
35. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, I: Thief at Sea, I-II
36. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, III: Changing Tides, III-IV
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 *A Gathering of Shadows*, III: Changing Tides, VI
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 *A Gathering of Shadows*, IV: Londons Calling, IV
39. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, V: Royal Welcome, I
40. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, V: Royal Welcome, III
41. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, V: Royal Welcome, V-VI
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 *A Gathering of Shadows*, VI: Impostors, II
43. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, VI: Impostors, IV-V
44. ↑ "Samuel Colt's revolver is patented to 1835, but the revolver Lila owns in ADSOM (which is set in 1819) is a flintlock, patented by Collier in 1814. While the Collier flintlock revolver wouldn't come into massive circulation until the early 20′s, it quickly became accessible to the very rich, from whom Lila liked to steal."
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
45. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, III: Changing Tides, IV
46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, X: One White Rook, V
47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 *A Gathering of Shadows*, I: Thief at Sea, II
48. ↑ "Actually, Lila is--or would be--genderfluid if she were a modern teen. Being historical, it's a little tricky."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
49. ↑ "[Lila] has no connection whatsoever to her gender. She's gender fluid to the extent that someone in 1819 would intuitively be."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 "VENGEFUL: V.E. SCHWAB ON FEMALE ANGER & AMBITION" — Book Riot
51. ↑ "Lila leans toward men (but is turned on by power)"
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
52. ↑ "SPACE THE NATION: V.E. SCHWAB THINKS PREGNANT MEN MIGHT MAKE SOME POLICY CHANGES" — Syfy
53. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, I: Thief at Sea, IV
54. ↑ "To the readers who are mad I'm not giving you Kell and Lila's backstories, I'm holding those because this isn't where I want to use them. That doesn't mean you'll never get them."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
55. ↑ "Throughout the series there are a few things that tie Kell and Lila's fates together. This is one. In A Gathering of Shadows we learn that Lila's mother read her Blake poems, and consequently Lila uses them to help her summon and focus magic."
(*A Darker Shade of Magic* — Kindle notes and highlights)
56. ↑ "[Lila]'s is an aspirational character. She is how I wish I handled fear."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
57. ↑ "Want to be? Delilah Bard."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
58. ↑ "I would be Lila Bard. Out of all the characters in the book, she experiences - and enjoys - the most adventures."
(translated from an interview with Tor Online)
59. ↑ "New Release Interview: V.E. Schwab talks A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC" — Science-Fiction & Fantasy Suvudu (archived)
60. ↑ "Out of all your characters, which one was your favourite to write about?" — "It's probably a tie between Victor Vale (Vicious) and Delilah Bard (ADSOM). [...] Lila's reckless spirit means that even while I'm writing her, I'm not ENTIRELY sure what she'll do."
(V. E. Schwab on Goodreads Q&A)
61. ↑ "Confession: the outfit Lila gets from Calla is pretty much my dream ensemble."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
62. ↑ "Sometimes that means distilling a character down into a mantra or motto (Lila Bard's is, 'If a thing is worth having, it's worth taking')"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
63. ↑ "Lila insists she doesn't love animals, but she'd probably feed them in secret."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
64. ↑ "What kinds of tea would the characters of ADSOM like?" — "Lila: Bourbon."
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
65. ↑ "Lila would order a triple espresso [from Starbucks]."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
66. ↑ "Lila: BANNED"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
67. ↑ "I've found myself wondering how my characters would handle [lockdown]. [...] Authors, what you got?" — "Lila would kill them all"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
68. ↑ SCHWAB INSTASTORY Q&A (SOM-SPECIFIC) — fourlondons
69. ↑ "Someone found the easter egg :)))"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
70. ↑ "You spotted the Shades of Magic Easter egg in VENGEFUL ;)"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
71. ↑ "Lila is pronounced LIE-la."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
72. ↑ "Lila is pronounced LIE-LA."
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
73. ↑ "Lila = lie-la, like Delilah without the De"
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
74. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, V: Royal Welcome, VI
75. ↑ Behind the Name — Delilah
76. ↑ Dictionary — Delilah
77. ↑ Nameberry — Delilah
78. ↑ 78.0 78.1 Wikipedia:Delilah
79. ↑ Behind the Name — Lila 1
80. ↑ Behind the Name — Lila 2
81. ↑ Behind the Name — Leila
82. ↑ Behind the Name — Layla