The Book Of Lilith

Book One: The Book of Lilith

All content and ideas property of the author: Tracy Ford

One

           

From deep within the ground, an awareness rose. She was created from the earth itself, instructed to become life from the deity known only as God.

            Adam gazed upon this figure in awe. The Lord said he would create him a partner; a woman. He never imagined she would be so beautiful. Her figure was shapely, unlike his body in countless ways. Her thick chestnut colored hair fell to her waist, blowing lightly against her naked flesh in the breeze. Instantly, Adam felt a warming through his core and a tingling in his loins.

“This is woman?” He whispered, looking above, “She is truly amazing.”

           

Her eyes opened to the world for the first time. So bright, she thought. She looked down at her feet, which were caked with the earth from her creation. How can this be? She wondered.

“Lilith,” She heard a voice say.

She looked around, trying to find the one who had spoken. She saw another starring at her. The creature looked like herself, but different. He was larger than she, his tanned shoulders especially broad. His wavy brown hair wisped around his ears but did not fall below. His dark eyes looked at her with amazement and awe. Behind his eyes Lilith sensed more. A want, a hunger. She became weary of this one.

            She thought words and they formed within her, erupting from her lips, “Who are you?”

She had to admit, the sound of her voice startled her a bit.

“I am Adam. I am the first man created by God. You are to be my woman. Lilith is your name.”

“Who is to say that I am to be yours? Were you not also created from this very earth?” Her dark hair fell from her shoulders as she brushed the dirt from her naked body.

Adam’s jaw dropped open in surprise. He did not expect this reaction from her.

“It is the will of God,” he said to her.

            “Who is this God? How may I speak with Him?” she demanded.

Adam came over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, “I will show you,” he said.

He knelt onto the ground and began to pray. She looked down at him, watching, as he moved his lips silently. Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of peace came over her and she heard the same harmonic voice that had first awakened her.

“Lilith, my child, you have been created for man. You are to be with him and reproduce. Listen to him, child, he is wise.”

“Are we not the same?” she asked desperately, “Were we not created equally?”

“You are of equal importance, Lilith. You are not the same, yet you hold the same responsibilities to this earth.”

“Am I to be his?”

“You are mine, child.”

This answer pleased her. She felt she now understood the will of this God, and she was willing to cooperate.

“We are equal.” She said to Adam, smiling.

She held out her hand to him, “Come, we must see this world.”

Two

In the weeks that followed, Adam showed Lilith the Garden. The Garden was a large green forest. Within the maze of trees were many sources of water. A river passed along the edge of the forest, which provided veins of water enabling the forest and the wildlife to flourish. The colors were amazing. Lilith was amazed at how many shades of green there were. Flowers bloomed in every size and color imaginable. Adam pointed to the grey snow-topped mountains along the northern boarders of the Garden and explained to her that they were placed here by God to provide safety for the two of them. Lilith couldn’t help but to wonder what they were being “saved” from.

The lands that Adam showed her were beyond beautiful. Her first experience of the earth was one filled with beauty and love for all things. She felt she belonged within all that was around her. The plants, the animals, they were her friends. They were what made the Garden so special to her.  The waterfalls and springs that appeared throughout their domain proved to be fun along with being eye catching. Lilith loved to swim in the water. The feeling of weightlessness gave her a sense of peace and belonging. Lilith enjoyed this feeling of freedom immensely.

“What is the name of this place?” Lilith asked Adam one day when she convinced him to allow her to take a swim and to enjoy being alive for a change.

“Eden.”

“What lies on the other side of the mountain?”

“That is no concern of yours, Lilith. Your home is here in the garden with me.”

Lilith shrugged, she was in no mood to argue with him. She remained content looking at the lands that surrounded them.

            Lilith longed to find others like them. It was difficult for her to believe they were the only two. The thought scared her. She really could have cared less for Adam.

            Lilith’s dislike for Adam grew as the days passed on. He told her the names of the creatures around them. He would point to the beautiful beings that soared through the sky. Lilith often pretended to be one of these creatures soaring above. She could even feel the wind blowing around her if she closed her eyes.

            “These creatures are birds,” Adam would explain.

“Did they tell you what their names were?” she asked him, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

Adam responded the same way as always, he sighed and rolled his dark eyes.

“Lilith, I am to name them what I please. They have been placed on this earth as the plants and the trees- for our use.” 

Lilith seethed.

 “Did God tell you that? Could they not have been placed here as I was, with their own purpose to this earth?”

Adam shook his head.

“Do you believe that I was placed here for your use?”  She challenged.

“You were given to me by God” he replied, his eyes never wavering from hers.

Lilith held his gaze until Adam looked away. She had free will and she felt she was her own person. She could hear Adam praying. He did this every time she disagreed with him. It was as if he believed something was wrong with her because she had a personality of her own. Lilith didn’t bother to pray for advice. She had planned on using the brain God had given her and trusting in what she felt within her heart.

           

Lilith had not spoken to Adam since their last argument. He could not seem to communicate with her. She seemed so different than him. He was very attracted to her, but Lilith seemed to want nothing to do with him. Wasn’t that the very intention of her creation?  He wanted nothing more than to fulfill the will of his God. He began to pray.

The message that was given to Adam from God was not one that Adam wanted to confront. It was time for Adam and Lilith to have children. Their futures had already been decided. He had to find her and tell her. He knew she would not take this news well.

Lilith was in the forest, enjoying the peace and quiet of the Garden. She loved to sit and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. She loved knowing she was a part of the Garden. She heard a rustling in the brush. She knew it was Adam by the sounds he made. Lilith heard him coming and wondered if she should escape. She knew this area of the forest better than he did and she was certain she could get away from him if she tried. Lilith decided to stay to see what it was Adam came out here to tell her. He had kept his distance and she knew it was only a matter of time before he would come after her.

When he appeared from the trees,  Adam looked at Lilith with nervous eyes.

“I have come with a message from God.”

“I’m listening.”

“It is time to start reproducing. Our children, as they will be called, have a lot to accomplish in their lives and it is time that they were born.”

He braced for her reaction.

Lilith thought this to be absurd.

“How does He know the lives of those who are not yet born?”

“Must you always question the intent of our God?”

“It seems this is what He intends for you, my dear,” she hissed, “God has said nothing of the sort to me. I have not heard His voice giving me instruction, only yours.”

 With these words, Lilith left the Garden. She refused to submit to one she was equal to. She had free will, given to her in her creation, and it was her free will to leave this demanding creature that called himself “man”. She traveled north. Once and for all, she was determined to find out what was on the other side of that mountain.

As she traveled, Lilith thought about the argument that resulted in her leaving Adam and the Garden. She thought about what was being asked of her. Lilith flamed with sexual interest, but she could not allow herself to be dominated by Adam. Lilith had to prove to him that they were equal.  Adam would not take this struggle well, he would not understand. She knew there had to be others like them, and she intended to find them.

Three

When Lilith left, Adam was absolutely terrified. He was not only terrified for himself, but for Lilith as well. She had been defiant since she rose from the soil, but Adam felt that she was his responsibility. Her actions reflected his ability to perform God’s Will on Earth. He knew that Lilith leaving the Garden was not the will of their God. He prayed.  He begged for forgiveness from his God, feeling he had failed Him. When Adam felt the overwhelming presence of the Divine, he opened his eyes.

 There before him stood three creatures, bathed in a brilliant glow.  They were of a human form, but they were not of the Earth as Adam and Lilith were. They had long golden hair that billowed around them. They looked upon Adam with loving blue eyes. White feathered wings spread wide from each side of them, along with their arms to comfort his soul.

Their voices sang in harmony when they said in unison, “We will bring her back to you.”

The Messengers from God then faded into the air, as if they were blown away by the gentle breeze Adam felt upon his cheeks. Adam felt relief, then. God was not angry with him. He then prayed for Lilith’s soul.

           

Lilith walked north, using the mountains as her guide. She believed she would find others like herself beyond the large, dry rocks. She could not explain why she believed this. She felt as if it was true. This feeling came from deep within her. She could not explain it.  Just then, Lilith felt the presence of The Divine. She felt the overwhelming sense of love and peace. A strong wind accompanied this presence. It blew her hair behind her, exposing her breasts. Three Angels then appeared before her. Somehow, she knew this was what they were. She knew why they had been sent, and she knew who had sent them. She was angry, despite their amazing beauty.

            One of them held out his glowing hand, “Come, Lilith,” he said, his voice a melodic song in her ears, “It is time to go home.”

At this moment in her life, Lilith wanted nothing more than to go along with the beautiful beings which fluttered their wings before her. But she could not. Something inside of her would not allow her to give in. Not even to God himself. She would not lie with Adam, have his children or live her life as his property!

“That is not my will”, she said to the angelic beings before her after much thought.

“It is the will of our Lord,” the angel said with a smile that could have charmed the fiercest of all the animals.

“I have spoken to the Lord and He said nothing of the sort,” Lilith argued.

This comment seemed to anger them, for their expressions changed, and they no longer held the look of love in their eyes. The winds began to pick up again, blowing the trees surrounding them. The one who spoke with her looked over at the other two angels, who nodded in agreement to his silent command. They appeared to mold together into one being, their voices became one sound.

The now singular creature pointed north and cursed her, his voice loud and booming like thunder, “You are forbidden to live amongst the Lord’s garden. You are cast out from the Heavens, into the depths of Hell and are damned to roam the earth for eternity in search of a home you will never find. All of your children will carry your curse, and your damnation.”

            Lilith’s body was stricken with sharp pain. Her veins felt as if they were burning her flesh.  She fell to her knees as the bones from her back burst forth from their fleshy bondage. They folded outward, molding into another form around her. With the new construction of her body came unimaginable pain. She knew there was no escaping the torment. She could focus on nothing except the horrors of what was happening to her. Her flesh moved outward, stretching to cover the exposed bone. The tight flesh turned to black leather, forming large black bat-like wings. The rest of her skin became thin and pale, exposing the fading blue veins running through her body.  Lilith’s eyes dilated, her pupils now covered the brown iris of her eyes. Blood streamed down her back and arms. She lay on the ground, her blood pooling around her. In the midst of Lilith’s torment, a single word was uttered to her. It spawned from darkness, and invaded her mind. She gathered all of her strength in order to kneel before her torturer. She lifted her head and whispered the word.

Immediately, the sound of her weak voice struck fear into the soul of the creature before her. He broke apart into the original three beings and fled. One looked back towards her, his blue eyes wide with fear, his lips quivering. Lilith realized then that the word she had whispered within her pain had been the true name of God. She laughed. Then the darkness welcomed her.

Four

When Lilith gained consciousness, she was surrounded by blackness. She blinked her eyes, but the world around her remained black as pitch. A voice called out to her. At first, she was reminded of her creation. She wondered momentarily if it was the voice of God. Quickly, she recognized the voice as the same which had spoken the true name of God to her during her torment. She could feel the presence of another close by. Suddenly, a whoosh sound stemmed from her right. It was accompanied by the smell of sulfur.  In the distance, Lilith saw the glow from the torch as a small orange orb, but it soon became bright enough to illuminate the space around her. Lilith looked at her surroundings. She stood on a hard surface which reminded her of smooth rock. She could see nothing around her. Lilith wondered where she was.

As the memory of the torture she suffered surfaced into her mind, a feeling of sadness overcame her. She didn’t understand why she would be punished by God’s soldiers. Lilith always believed she had free will. She questioned herself for the first time. She felt panic stir within her chest. Maybe Adam was correct, she thought, maybe I was created for him.

As Lilith pondered this idea, a figure emerged from the darkness. He held the torch in his hand. She knew right away that he was an angel. He looked like the three that had banished her, only he was far more beautiful. He had a larger frame and an heir of power surrounded him. She felt it as he approached her, emanating from his aura. As he seemingly glided towards her, he wore a smile and open arms. He took her hands into his. His touch was soft, but she could sense the strength beneath. She felt lost in his eyes, which were the color of the waters that flowed through the Garden. This one had been wounded. Where large angelic wings should have been, bare bone protruded. Hardened flesh and ancient blood lingered as scars upon the bones. She desperately wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him.            

“You saved me,” she said to him.

He nodded and lightly touched her newly sprouted wings.  It was at that moment Lilith saw the loss in his eyes.

“I am sorry. I tried to save you before this much damage had been done.”

Her eyes lowered to her feet as she whispered to him, “I must know, what happens now?”

She looked up into sorrowful eyes. A tear dropped from his eye. It was a tear of blood and it stained his cheek.

“Everything has changed for you now, my daughter. God has forsaken you.”

“You have also been forsaken. Am I to remain here, with you?”

She spoke these words carefully, assuming this was what happened to the beautiful one before her. 

He shook his head, “No, Lilith, you are not damned to Hell for eternity. I control this Hell and I will not make you stay. You were, however, damned to live for eternity amongst the men you have disobeyed. You’ll exist as a demon to them. You will need to feed from the blood which curses through their veins and you will roam only while it is night.”

Lilith pulled her hands from his grasp, her eyes wide with fury.

 “You are kidding me, right? I have to drink blood? Blood from whom? There is only Adam.”

Then it hit her.

 “It’s not only Adam, is it? There are others! I knew it!”

She stopped to think this new information over. It was a lot to take in. She felt overwhelmed. She took a deep breath.

“What’s your name? Why are you helping me?”

He looked deep into her eyes when he responded.

 “My name is Lucifer. I am helping you because, as you stated earlier, I was also forsaken by our God. It’s too late for me now, Lilith, but I can still help you.”

Lilith was not surprised that Lucifer had a plan for her. He was beautiful, and she was drawn to him but that did not mean that she trusted him. She saw that they were in similar situations, so she decided to hear his idea.

“You were right, you know, about all being equal on this Earth. The other humans are equal to Adam in all ways, but they were not created by our God.”

These words caught Lilith’s interest.

“How were they created?”

            “They were created in the same manner as the plants and animals and every other living creature. They were created from the Earth.”

            “As I was?”

            “No. You were instructed to become life from the hands of God. The others were born of the Earth naturally. Go to these people, approach them. They worship a Goddess, a Mother Goddess. Be their Mother, Lilith. They will provide you with all the blood and anything else you could ever need. In return, teach them the Truth. Tell them all is equal, do not allow them to worship one supreme idol.”

As Lucifer spoke of his plan, his hands moved to accentuate his points. His eyes flared with intensity. He wanted her to agree to this plan. She had to agree that it did sound like a good deal.

“One question,” Lilith said, holding up a hand to calm the words of Lucifer, “You speak as if we are superior to the other people on this Earth. How am I to become the very thing I speak out against?”

Lucifer looked at her with a stunned expression.

“You are very intelligent, Lilith. You will make a grand leader. Lead them because you can help them. Help them to understand.”

Lilith had a very difficult time saying no to Lucifer. He was very compelling. His mind was equal to hers and that was something she had never experienced. She wondered if that may have been why they were damned.

“I will try this plan.”

Lilith knew she had little other option. For now, at least, Lucifer was her only ally. This plan gave her a starting point for when she arrived back from wherever she was. Is this another reality? How does this exist?

“Are we equal to God?” Lilith asked suddenly.

 Her thoughts had been pondering the idea of equality from their conversation. Lucifer thought about this question, resting his chin upon a fisted hand. At last, Lucifer shook his head.

 “I do not know, Lilith. What I do know is the memory of forsaking me haunts the heart of God. Does this make Him equal?”

Lilith was confused.

 “You believe He regrets hurting you?”

“I believe he did what had to be done.”

“I believe you answered my question,” she whispered.

Five

Lucifer opened a door to the world for her. The things he seemed to be able to do simply amazed her. Armed with only an idea conjured from a fallen angel, Lilith learned how to work her new wings and flew into the night’s sky.

She flew high into the night, feeling the wind blow through her long blackened hair. She felt free, as if she were finally a bird in flight. She wished she could always feel this free. Lilith vowed to help the people of her Earth feel as she did now.

As Lucifer had explained to her, she could only travel at night. Her vision had changed because of the dilation of her eyes. She could no longer see clearly in the sunlight, which stung her.

Shelter from the blaring daylight sun was difficult for her to find in the searing desert. Lucifer had released her on the other side of the mountain. This side was hot. The sand burned her bare feet when she had first tried to walk upon it. All around her seemed to be nothing except barren desert. During daylight hours, Lilith was blinded by the sun. She used her large wings to shade her from the sunlight. Her wings burned and blistered after the first day. She had to resort to burying herself deep within the sands to avoid the sun burning her light skin. This was how she realized how much strength she had gained. She easily dug her hands into the hardened sands. This was also how Lilith realized that she no longer needed to breathe.

 After many long nights of soaring through the star filled sky, Lilith found what she was looking for.          

Nestled between two mountains and a large sea, civilization sprung from the rolling oasis. Within the rolling hills themselves, surrounded on all sides by man-made walls, a town was built. Structures sat upon tiers of land dug into the sides of the hills themselves. The bases of the tiers were stabilized by large stones.

Lights from torches and fires illuminated the town and created shadows of the people who inhabited it. The beings looked as she and Adam did, that is until the Lord sent her punishment. For many nights, hidden amongst the small brush and fields of grain surrounding the city, Lilith studied these people. She invaded their minds to look upon the lands as they did. She learned their language, and devised a plan of her own.

            The city of Jericho was inhabited by some two-thousand people. Water was lead from the river that flowed between their home and the mountains to their east. This water was directed to their fields, which enabled them to keep a steady flow of food and drink. The townsfolk enclosed their settlement within massive, stone-faced walls at least four meters high.

Lilith imagined all of the work these people must have done to erect these foreign structures. She read from their thoughts that these people had an enemy. Apparently there were others, and they intended to invade this city, bringing with them death and destruction. She could not just sit back and watch this happen.

            The people of Jericho had never heard of Lilith’s God. Their minds held no memories of Him at all. However, these people did have a very interesting belief system. For instance, when one of the members of their city died, the body was decapitated, and then buried under their former home. The head was left out for small insects, which they kept in clay jars. The insects devoured the flesh in a few days. When only a skull remained, the skull was taken to the largest home, the home of their leader.

The one who lead this group of people was a woman. Her hair was thin and gray, her face wrinkled with age. Her figure hunched over, and she used a stick to help her walk. Lilith stared in amazement as the old woman sculpted the face of the deceased using tinted plaster, to match the color of flesh. She inserted shells, painted to look like eyes. The reproductions were amazingly accurate.

The decorated skull was then placed among others of the same family lineage. Lilith knew she would never experience death, but through these people she could views its process.

The townsfolk also created small female figurines, hands below breasts. This was their icon for the Mother Goddess Lucifer had told her about.

Lilith decided to finally introduce herself to these amazing people. She had successfully learned how they communicated, and she was ready. The night produced a full moon, which she used for her advantage.

Lilith flew up high into the sky, allowing for her shadow to spread amongst the town below. People gathered below, staring in amazement. Some started to run into their homes, quickly gathering their children into their arms. They feared for their lives. The others did as she had hoped; they knelt onto the ground and threw their hands into the air.

“Mother Goddess, please do not harm us!”

 Lilith smiled. The plan seemed to be working. She landed amongst them, outstretching her hands lovingly. She folded her wings behind her to allow herself to look less threatening.

“I am here to help you, my children. I will help you to defeat your enemy.”

All came from their homes and knelt to the ground before her.

 “Thank you, Mother Goddess,” they said, along with many prayers to her.

            Lilith kept her promise to the townspeople. She helped them to build higher walls, ones which included solid stone towers at each corner of the city. This allowed them to defend from a higher point. In return, Lilith asked the peoples for sacrifices. Because of war, they knew where others resided. They were to bring the captured to her, unharmed if possible.

The people of Jericho were invaded often. The lands they lived upon were fertile and it was envied by all those who knew of its location.

When a particularly large neighbor tried to invade, Lilith advised her people to move for a time, eluding their enemy completely. The city was destroyed, but there were no human casualties.

During their time away, the townspeople built Lilith a wonderful temple. It was built with strength and with love. This home became very special to Lilith. When the temple was fully constructed, the people returned to their homes to rebuild their beloved city.

            Sacrifices started being sent to Lilith at her temple. The first man brought to her was gagged and bound. He was brought through the first and largest chamber located in the front of the Temple. Her worshipers were all about, painting the walls with depictions of their lovely Goddess.

The captured man was then led into a smaller chamber, where Lilith sat upon a throne of stone. Before her crackled a large ceremonial fire. Her temple had been chiseled from the Mountains she had gazed upon from the Garden. It seemed so long ago now that she had lived there with Adam. Her sacrifice was filthy with blood, sweat, and dust from the lands. Lilith inspected her offering. He looked like the men residing in Jericho. He had long dark brown hair, bronze skin and big brown eyes which were now widened with fear. She made him kneel before her. Through his thoughts, Lilith sensed that the man knew he was going to die. He prayed to his God. It was not the God which created her.

 Lilith sent the man’s captors away. Alone with her sacrifice, Lilith walked over to him. She unbound the man gently and bathed him with fresh spring water from a pool located behind her throne. The dirt and the dust streamed off of him and Lilith was free to see his true body. The man was surprised at her treatment. He believed that maybe he wouldn’t die, after all. She hated to disappoint him, but her blood lust was becoming too strong. She did not want to place those she lived amongst in danger.

She caressed the man’s body with sweet smelling oils. She spread the oils until his naked body gleamed like a beautiful bronze statue. She moved her hands slowly over him, enjoying the feel of his flesh beneath her fingers. As she did this, a warm tingling sensation ran through her body. She imagined this man inside of her, touching her, making her feel glorious.  Lilith brushed these thoughts aside. She could not give in to the want of this man. She did not want the first time to be with a man she had to kill.

She pulled the man gently towards her and kissed him on the lips. She then kissed him on his cheek and then on his neck before giving him her dark kiss, which made him writhe and squirm with ecstasy.

 As Lilith drank the blood from her first victim, images began to fill her mind. The images were of the life of this man. She saw a couple and felt love for them. They were his parents. She then saw others in his family and she felt for them the way he had. Lilith experienced the pleasures of sex and love. At the end of his life, Lilith saw herself. She felt the ecstasy given to him from her dark kiss. It was the best feeling he had ever experienced in his life. Lilith pulled away, leaving his body empty of blood and soul.

Lucifer did not mention this aspect of her curse to her. She had not been prepared. The memories stayed within her mind for a time, disorienting her. After a moment, the memories become part of her. She believed this to be the worst part of her curse. She wondered how she could possibly exist forever with all of the memories of her victims flooding her mind.

Lilith tossed his body into the large ceremonial fire, believing this would release him completely from the confinements of his human existence. He had endured enough. Lilith was beginning to realize just how much she had changed. She was not human anymore. These thoughts and the new memories within her mind haunted her as she stared at the burning body. The fire crackled as the flames gradually charred the body of the man who now lived within her.

Six

The rooms within Lilith’s temple were decorated with pictures of her and her followers. Lilith was closest to the women and eventually only the women came to her temple to gain the guidance of Lilith’s words. The men were usually away fighting or hunting for food.

For many years, Lilith lived among the people of Jericho, protecting them from neighboring men. Before Lilith’s eyes, her lovely daughters grew, had daughters of their own, then withered and died in front of her. They were her precious flowers, living within the walls of her temple garden.

Lilith always asked God to have Mercy upon these women. They were intelligent and strong. She desperately hoped He chose to not punish them for listening to her true words.  

            As Lilith sat among the women she had grown to love, their mothers and their daughters, a strange feeling came over her. Flashes of her creation came into her mind and a voice entered her thoughts. It was the voice of Lucifer.

“Another is in need. Please, go to him.”  

Lilith stood.

“Mother?” one of her girls asked a worried expression on her pretty face.

“I will be home soon.”

Her girls stared at her, worried, as their mother walked out of the temple doors.

Lilith walked through the night. She seemed to be in a trance state, her mind held no thought as her legs moved her forward. They lead her over the mountain and down a trail which was vaguely familiar.  Lilith found herself back in the Garden. She found herself in the very land in which she had been damned. She stopped, her mind spinning, as she came to the edge of the green forest.

Why am I here?

 Still, her legs carried her onward. She felt as if she was being driven by an invisible force. Suddenly, she heard tortured screams. There was no question in her mind to what was causing them. When Lilith stepped through the clearing, where she believed the cries originated, she saw the image of a man who lay screaming in a puddle of his own blood. The bones of his back had broken from the flesh and folded outwards, creating his wings.

Is this what had happened to me?

 She looked on in horror at the sight. Lilith made mental contact with the tortured creature before her and for the first time since her creation, she spoke the true name of God. The man looked up to the Heavens and screamed out the Name. The hatred in his voice as he screamed out in torture forced his pain to stop. He slumped to the ground, drained of blood and energy.

As Lilith ran over to him, Lucifer’s laughter faded within her head. She helped the man up and led him to a tree, where he could rest. He looked up at her, tears of blood brimming his eyes.

“I only tried to please Him,” he sobbed, “and He punished me.”

Lilith embraced the man.

“The same happened to me,” she whispered.

She looked into his Angel blue eyes. She had never seen such a thing on a mortal. She kissed him, unable to hold back her longing to be with a man. He returned the kiss, although weakly. She bit into her wrist, piercing her flesh with her teeth. As the blood dropped down her wrists, she placed her wound into his mouth.

 “Drink.”

As he drank from her, Lilith felt the same ecstasy as her sacrifices.  Loosing focus, Lilith grabbed the man and bit into his neck. His memories come rushing in with the sweet taste of his blood. The feelings that ran through her body seemed to grow stronger. Her nerves, which were being gently caressed, were now being jolted by wonderful little bolts of lightning. She lived the life of this one, whose name was Cain, in a matter of moments.

When Lilith felt Cain had been fully healed by her powerful blood, she pulled her fangs out of him, and kissed him deeply. She pulled him close to her, and for the first time, they molded together as one demonic being.

Seven

Lilith sat upon the carved steps that led up to the entrance of her temple. The night air was heavy due to the humidity that plagued the daylight hours. Lilith stared out across the fields towards Jericho. She missed her girls. For many years, Lilith remained within her living quarters. She was with Cain and their three young sons. For now, she was happy being with them, but she knew in her heart that her short pregnancies and the fast rate of development she had seen in her sons were only signs that this was not her destiny. This was merely an alternate route towards where she was meant to be.

Lilith felt Cain’s presence behind her. She looked up to see him behind her with their sleeping baby in his arms. He smiled at her. Lilith reached out towards her son, Zillah. Cain gently handed the baby over to her. He was wrapped snuggly within a thick wool blanket.

The sleeping child, like her other two sons, had inherited his parents’ curse. As the curse had instructed, her babies were all born with dark leathery wings protruding from their backs. They bit at their mother’s breast with sharp little teeth, not for mother’s milk, but for the blood that pumped through her veins.

Zillah looked most like his mother. His eyes were black, as was the soft wisps of hair on his head. Her baby boy was the most pale of her sons. When he was hungry, his skin became translucent. Lilith tried to keep him well fed.

            Lilith had asked her people for more sacrifices to feed her lover and her children. The people of Jericho had to invade neighboring villages to meet her demands. Lilith found herself demanding more and giving less to her people. She only appeared to her dedicated women when she had to keep the religion alive. She chose to keep her family separate from her worshipers. This decision often bothered her.

“Where are the boys?”             Cain asked, breaking Lilith from her thoughts.

She stood and handed him their sleeping baby.

“They are playing in the side yard,” Lilith said, nodding towards the left side of the temple, where she had last seen her children.

Cain stepped in to lay the baby down. Lilith followed him in, and saw Cain lovingly nestle his baby onto a bed of pillows, woven from the finest of fabrics in bright, vibrant colors. They had been filled with the most pleasant feathers and herbs.

When he turned, Lilith took his hand. She pulled him to her and kissed him deeply. She was moved by his kindness to their children. She was equally as moved by the feeling of his hands moving onto her buttocks. He pulled her closer to him and his kisses became more passionate. Lilith felt him growing beneath his robes. Cain then slipped a hand between hers and groped onto her breast. He lifted her leg up around his waist. They both knew that they didn’t have much time before their children came around the bend calling.

As if reading each other’s thoughts, their robes were quickly moved aside and Cain was inside of her. Lilith leaned back against the wall for support and wrapped her other leg around him. She was careful to not moan out loud. Her pulse quickened, her face flushed and Lilith had to bite into Cain’s neck to keep from crying out. Lilith felt his teeth sink into her neck and with them the ecstasy known only to the demons of the world before feeling the last throbs of Cain inside of her.  

Lilith took a deep breath and smiled, blood dripping from her teeth.  Cain wiped the blood from his mouth and adjusted his tunic. When he looked up, he had a broad smile on his face.

Lilith turned to see their son, Irad coming around the corner, with the same smile and gleam in his big blue eyes. Cain walked out of the room, towards his son.

“Daddy!”  Irad yelled, running towards Cain with all of his little might.

Cain caught the young boy and spun with him. Irad laughed and giggled happily. Lilith walked out to be with her family. She knew her eldest son, Enosch, was close.

Since his birth, Lilith had a very strong connection to her first born. She seemed to know all of his dark thoughts. She waited mere moments before she saw him turn the bend, walking slowly into the back yard. This one would brood. His black hair hung down into his piercing blue eyes. Enosch sat on the steps, exactly where Lilith had been only a short time before. Lilith saw an unusual look in her son’s eyes as he peered out across the field towards Jericho. She read what he was thinking about her people and her blood ran cold. 

Eight

           

The next few years passed very slowly for Lilith. She was feeling more distant from Cain and her sons as each day passed. Each day seemed to be like the last. She sat in her chamber, sulking when she heard the knocking on her door.

 Lilith had seen a brutality in her children that she could not understand. This moved her to question her existence. Lilith had always believed in Fate. This Fate had rules even God had to follow. But now Lilith questioned if that was what she was being driven by.

Since her Damnation, it was Lucifer who chose not to confine her to Hell. He allowed her to roam the earth free. It was also Lucifer who drove her to help Cain. Lucifer even gave her the plan to approach the people of Jericho as their Goddess. He had given her the idea to demand sacrifices from them to sustain her life, while teaching them to believe in a false idol. Today, her people waged wars on others, creating misery and destruction in their wake just to sustain her life. The reality was that she must take a life every day to sustain her own. Her children were demonic beings. She could sense it beneath their beautiful manipulative exteriors.

“Who is it?” she yelled at the door.

The consistent banging intruded her thoughts. The door opened and her son, Enosch came in. Enosch had grown to be a young man in these short years. Lilith felt as if she barely knew the beings that had once grown inside of her.

Enosch led a man behind him. The man was led by a chain attached to a collar around neck. He had been beaten. He was covered in dust and blood. It had been many years since Lilith received a sacrifice in such a condition as this.

 “What is this?” she asked her son, anger flashing in her black eyes.

Enosch looked at her and smirked, “He’s new. They have just captured him. What does it matter?”

Lilith glared at her son, “They sustain your life, Enosch. They deserve our respect.”

Enosch started to laugh.

“They are just food, mom. There are plenty where this one came from. This one isn’t any more special than the next one to come.”

Enosch pushed the man towards her. The man stumbled forward, but quickly caught his balance. He was trying very hard to keep some dignity. Lilith noticed. She understood. Lilith dismissed her son. As he walked out, Lilith rose to her feet. She quickly walked over and locked the door. She turned to face the man who had been brought for her.

 He looked different from those who were usually brought to her. His hair was a lighter shade of brown, his eyes a dark shade of blue. This alone stunned her. She had not seen such a thing since she was first introduced to Cain. This one must have descended from Eve. This meant he was one of Adam’s children. She reached out and brushed his hair from his eyes to get a better look. He stared back at her. There was more curiosity than fear in his eyes.

“You are a soldier?”

“I am a slave.”

“You have not always been a slave.”

“No.”

Lilith wanted to hear this one’s story. She had been lonely and she couldn’t possibly consume him in the condition he stood before her. Lilith went back to the door and opened it just enough to stick out her head and speak with the guard Cain insisted stood in front of her door at all times.

“Send for one of my girls,” she said to him.

The guard looked at her, surprise appearing across his face. She had never before spoken to him and this seemed like such an odd request.

“Which one?”

Even after asking, he knew he wouldn’t have known who she requested. He was not allowed anywhere near the temple itself. He only guarded the living quarters.

“It does not matter,” Lilith answered to his relief, before slamming the door shut.

The guard decided he better meet the demands from her quickly. He turned and walked down the hallway to another corridor which connected the Temple with the living quarters of the Goddess herself. The long walkways were lighted by torches fixed onto the walls. Creepy shadows played on the walls from the flickering flames. The guard had been a hunter before coming to work for the Dark Ones. He had a family to take care of. A family which seemed to grow too quickly to keep up with.

When emerging to the other side, the guard stood and looked around him to take in the scene. There were women everywhere. They walked around quickly, carrying pitchers of water and wine and platters of bread and other food. They seemed to be providing for each other. It looked as if the women had come from all surrounding lands. He recognized some of the ancestral tribes while others he had no clue to where their origins would be. As the next woman walked by him, he reached out and lightly brushed her arm.

 “Excuse me, the Goddess has summoned for you.”

The woman nodded and handed her pitcher to another girl who walked by. The girl had dark hair, almost black in color, tied up in a braid. Golden barrettes and gold flakes twisted through her black tresses. Her skin was dark bronze. She was stunning. She walked with confidence through the hallways as she followed the guard to the Goddess’s chambers. At the door, the guard briefly knocked and then opened it up and pushed her inside. He then closed it quickly behind her. The guard knew that no matter what the Goddess had said, Cain would kill him if he knew he had left his post.

“Lock the door and come here, quickly.”

The girl heard the voice demand from her. The young woman had never seen her Goddess before. She was filled with excitement and curiosity. She locked the door and quickly walked in the direction she believed the voice had originated. 

She could not help but to look around at the secret chambers of her Goddess while on her way. The chamber was filled with scented pillows of bright colors. Silks draped over the columns in the room and blew around from the breeze that danced within from the open doorway. A ceremonial fire burned, throwing shadows onto the others in the room.

There were two of them. First, she saw the man. He stood vigilantly by the fire, his arms by his sides. He was filthy. Dirt and blood was smeared across his body and matted into his tangled hair and his beard was unkempt. But even despite these circumstances, as she looked into his eyes, she felt something. It was as if those blue disks could see within her soul. She felt her heart skip a beat. Deep inside of the strength which allowed him to stand against death so vigilantly was sorrow.

Standing behind him was her Mother Goddess. She was absolutely stunning. The drawings upon the Temple walls and the statues of her throughout the grounds gave her beauty no justice. Her hair was long and black. The thick waves flowed down her unearthly white skin, down to her bare breasts. Her body was shapely, her skin flawless. Lilith looked up at her with black eyes. Her lips and her nipples were grey. She looked like the walking dead. Large black, leathery wings protruded from her back. She had them folded behind her, but this action did nothing to make her less intimidating. The girl knew the story of her mother. She knew Lilith had once been like she was. She must have been very beautiful then. The girl came to her senses and quickly bowed her head to her Goddess.

 “My apologies, Goddess,” She muttered, “You summoned for me?”

Lilith looked at the girl who had been sent to her. She smiled. She had noticed the lingering stare and the quickened pulse when the girl had gazed upon her sacrifice. She would do nicely.

“What is your name?”

“Natasha.”

“Natasha, I want you to take him to the bath. My private bath here in my chamber. I shall bring you some oils and some shears. I wish for you to prepare this one for me. Be gentle with this one. Make him presentable. He has potential,” Lilith added with a smile towards her daughter.

Natasha smiled, a light blush warming her skin.

“After you have finished, bring him to me and then go get some wine and food. Don’t forget your glass, you will be joining us.”

Natasha understood and led the man over to prepare him. She wondered exactly what the Goddess had in store for her.

Nine

Cain sat on the steps that led up to the Temple of his love. He remembered the love he and Lilith shared not all that long ago. She now locked herself inside her personal chambers, refusing to come out for days, even weeks at a time. Cain knew that she was miserable.

Lilith could not be the Goddess she was meant to be and also have a family at the same time. He and the boys hindered her progress. They had delayed Lilith on her inevitable path. Cain understood that he was in the same position. They were not meant to have families. They were not meant to love. They were cursed. They were creations of Lucifer and they were driven by the same Evil. Cain extended the wings given to him in his creation.

This is who I am now.

 The black leathery appendages were a constant reminder of what he was. The years he had shared with Lilith and the love they shared which brought about the birth of their children was all but fantasy. As the children grew quickly before his eyes, he knew in his heart that they were a source of Evil upon the earth. Lucifer introduced them so that they could have these children.

Cain was saddened by his realization. He could take the truth, but he feared Lilith would not come to the same conclusion. Unlike himself and their children, Lilith was created by God. This caused her heart to be filled with hope and love. She would never be all evil. Her curse was the Evil that came into the world because of her. No matter how good her intentions, the outcome would always be Evil.

Cain sighed. It was embarrassing that he had given in to love. He had lived as a human man in the last years. Not even the demon children he and Lilith bore awoke them to the truth of what they were.

Cain looked up to see three figures in the distance. They were the consequences of his stupidity. He would not let them fail their true selves as he had done. Like him, his children were not God’s creations. They did not hold the same light as their mother inside of them. He stood and called them over to him. His sons would soon become men and they would be free from this place. Free to roam the earth. Cain knew he would not be far behind them.

           

Ten

Lilith sat upon a large pile of pillows. With her lounged Teroth, the man brought to her for sacrifice, bound and bruised. His hair was now cut and his light olive skin gleamed with the scented oils Natasha had lovingly rubbed onto him. She could now see into his deep blue eyes. They were not bright like Cain and her children’s eyes. They were dark like the color of the sea. Lilith had him stand before her nude, as she was. They awaited Natasha for food and wine.

“Teroth, please speak freely. You are a soldier, are you not?”

“Yes.”

“And who do you defend?”

“God.”

This answer stunned Lilith into silence. Surely he could not mean her God?! No one had ever acknowledged her God. This answer proved to her that she was right in thinking this one was descended from Adam. She wanted to know where this one came from. She wanted to taste of him. She needed to see this one’s history for herself.  Her lust for his blood quickly became strong, almost to the point of excruciating.

Just then, when Lilith started to doubt if she could hold back and finish out her plan for this one, Natasha walked in carrying a pitcher of wine and a plate of bread, fruit and figs. Lilith took a deep breath and smiled. She was thankful for the distraction.

 “Wine?” she asked the humans before her. 

Teroth nodded and accepted a bowl of wine from Natasha. Lilith watched him. In his eyes there was no fear. She decided she would not kill this one, at least not right away. She could wait until tomorrow’s sacrifice to drink. A day without blood would not hurt her. Lilith looked up and saw Teroth eating from the plate Natasha held in her hands. Lilith shook her head.

 “No, no, no sweetie set that down. You are not a slave to this man. You are not a slave to any man while you are in this Temple. You are not even a slave to me.”

Natasha relaxed and sat down amongst them. Lilith looked over at her daughter. Although she had never seen her before this day, she somehow felt close to her. She made a vow to herself to keep this one near to her from now on. Natasha wore a royal blue tunic, lined with gold. It was cut short, to reveal her long legs. She looked into Natasha’s eyes. They were soft and brown.

“Where are you from, Natasha?”

“Here.”

“You were born inside the temple walls?”

“Yes.”

“I have never met you.”

Lilith realized how little she knew about any of her girls. Those she had been closest to had passed away long ago. Their memories were kept alive only by the haunted plaster faces looking back from beneath the houses of their ancestors. She missed them.

As the sad look that had come across her face disappeared, Lilith turned her attention to Teroth. She made herself smile at him. Teroth sat silently, gulping down wine from the pitcher Natasha had handed him.

“Do you have a woman?” Lilith asked him.

“A wife?”

“Whatever. Yes, a wife.”

“No.”

Lilith looked at him curiously. One of her dark eyebrows lifted up in question.

“Have you ever been with a woman?”

“No. I am not married.”

Teroth answered this question quickly, without thought. Lilith had no idea why this would matter.  Lilith smiled broadly and her black eyes danced about happily.

“Natasha, show this one what he has been missing.”

Lilith decided to use this man to entertain her daughter and herself before she tasted of him. He was very attractive and his link to Adam excited her. Lilith knew Natasha had felt the attraction by her lingering stare.

“I cannot,” Teroth stammered out nervously.

His eyes were wide and she noticed his veins quake with anticipation and fear. Lilith desperately wanted to bite into one of his throbbing veins. It amused her that he seemed to be comfortable with the thought of death, but the thought of being with a woman caused him so much fear. She shook her head.

“Let me explain this situation to you, Teroth. You are going to die. Before you do, I believe you deserve to live.”

Lilith had made up her mind. She would live vicariously through Natasha. She nodded toward her beautiful daughter.

“Go for it.”

Natasha’s pulse quickened and her face flushed. Did the Goddess just ask me to have sex with this man? She was more than a little shocked. Lilith must have noticed by the look on her face because she said, “The sacrifices give me life. Before they do, they should be honored. They should be loved.”

Natasha understood her Mother’s logic. She and her sisters were not limited by their religion. Lilith granted her worshipers freedom. They were allowed freedom of thought, freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Natasha could not imagine living any other way. Women came to the temple from the outside, seeking refuge from their difficult lives. With them came horrible stories of controlling men and unfair rules created by them. She felt sorry for Teroth. He looked at her with worry in his amazing blue eyes. She had to smile at the thought that she would be the only woman to have ever lain with this man. She took a long drink of wine.

Natasha unclipped the barrettes from her hair so that it would fall in dark waves across her shoulders. Next, she slipped the robes from her shoulders and let them fall to her feet. Teroth was awaiting her, hard with anticipation for the unknown. The fear had completely faded from him. The only emotion his eyes betrayed now was lust. Natasha kissed him tenderly, pulling him close to her so that her breasts would press against his chest.

Eleven

Lilith watched as Teroth and Natasha came together for the first time. She smiled. He seemed to have served his purpose well. Natasha smiled and kissed him when he was through. This act amused Lilith. It aroused her. She had not felt arousal in some time. She had a feeling it would be a long time before she chose to fulfill her own lust again.

“Natasha,” Lilith said to her daughter, “Use the bath to clean up. I need to speak with this one alone.”

Natasha nodded and picked up her robes before heading towards the bath in the back of the large chambers.

Lilith turned her attention towards Teroth.

“You performed well for her. I am pleased.”

“I have sinned against my God. I should pray.”

Lilith was confused.

“It is a sin to experience the pleasures of another? I thought this would be something He wanted.”

Lilith thought of the time she was asked to reproduce with Adam. Lilith sighed, “You are a child of Adam.”

She did not ask this as a question. She stated her belief openly. She had no doubts he had come from her former partner. Teroth stared at her, an expression of surprise on his face.

“You know of Adam?”

“He was a vile man. Is he still alive?”

“Adam? No. He died in his sleep long ago. He lived a very long time. He served God well, Madame, he was not a vile man.”

“Did you know him?” She asked.

“No…”

“Then you do not know what kind of man he was.”

Lilith spoke these words in such a way that Teroth could not argue with her. She moved the conversation.

“Do you speak with God?”

“Yes.”

“Did he just tell you that you have sinned?”

Teroth wasn’t sure what she was getting at. He spoke carefully.

“He did not have to tell me. It is written.”

“Written by whom?”

“Adam.”

Lilith shook her head sadly. If she was not careful, Adam’s words would spread across the lands before hers would. Women were in danger of losing their freedom. They would become the objects of men.

“God sent me here,” Teroth said. His voice was so low, it was almost a whisper.

“He did no such thing. My people captured you.”

Lilith was becoming annoyed with his naivety.

Teroth smiled broadly, “Yet I am not dead. I am alive, talking with you. I am able to deliver his message.”

“What message?”

Lilith was interested in what he had to say. Could he really have been sent by God? Had God sent her a message through this mortal man? She believed it was possible. Maybe He wanted to apologize to her for what his angels had done.

“He wants you to stop. Stop spreading your lies.”

Lilith became angry. She taught women that they were equal to men and her words were thought of by God to be lies!? She felt as if she were in front of Adam himself. She had not been this angry since her time in the Garden with him. He had not been missed.

“He is sending His people to stop you.”

Lilith looked into his eyes. He was telling her the truth. He was delivering her a warning. He continued.

“My people are coming. They come for revenge. You have ransacked our village. You have murdered our people. You will have to pay with your own losses.”

Lilith had enough of this. She walked up to Teroth. She laid her palm flat upon his chest and looked up into his beautiful eyes. Lilith bit his neck and experienced the life of Teroth:

    Teroth was raised by his mother. God was the only father he ever knew. His mother was an outcast from her village. Those who remained within the village were the descendants of Adam and Eve. Mother was called a witch by them. She was an older woman with strands of white in her dark hair. She was not an attractive woman, but she was the only mother Teroth had ever known. She had raised him to believe that the people who lived in the village were evil. She told him that they wanted to kidnap him from her so they could fill him with their lies.

            Teroth’s mother had made him do laborious work from the time he was very small. She did not give the young boy any respect. She treated him as if he were her slave. As he grew larger and stronger, his mother grew older and weaker. He knew his chores and he knew how to cultivate, harvest and prepare meals. He was not educated in anything else.

            As Teroth’s body grew, so also did his mind. His mother often got angry with him for asking so many questions, especially if his questions had anything to do with the villagers who lived in the valley below their home.

One day, Teroth again asked his mother about them.

            “Were you once one of them, Mother?”

            She sighed.

“If you had not come from me, child, I surly would have killed you long ago. Why must you ask such questions? Listen to me. Those people hate me. They hate me because I do not believe their lies. They hate me because I have you. They watch you, ya’ know.”

“Why would they watch me?” Teroth asked shocked at what his mother was saying. He had never had an answer from her at all in all of the years he had been asking about the village. He listened to her words intently.

“They hate me, child, because you are the son of Adam. You are one of them. They await my death so that you may join them. They watch you because you are sacred to them.”

His mother shook her head sadly.

“But you are my son. You are mine until I die.”

After the odd conversation with his mother, Teroth began to pay closer attention. True to his mother’s words, he occasionally spotted a man watching him from afar. He could feel eyes upon him as he performed his chores.

Lilith stops abruptly. Her quest for answers had only brought more questions upon her. She would not kill him after all. Teroth was now her prisoner. She laid the beautiful, naked Teroth gently upon her mound of pillows.

Lilith opened her chamber door. She had one more request for the guard who was quickly becoming her servant.

“Summon my sons.”

Twelve

Lilith sought out her three offspring, who had been instructed to await her within the Temple. They lounged upon cushions created by the hands of her girls. Everything in the Temple had been created with love for Lilith by the females who worshipped her.

The number of women within the Temple had been growing steadily. Lilith would turn no woman away. This news spread and women who were discontent with their lives came to her Temple to worship her. In Lilith’s Temple, women were treated like goddesses themselves. She kept them safe and secluded from whatever it was they were getting away from. Their children were also welcome, although the boys had to leave the Temple when they reached puberty. The people of Jericho welcomed these boys as citizens and soldiers.

 Lilith felt that it was time to concentrate on the well-being of these women. Her experience with Teroth had enlightened her. It was time to make some changes within her Temple. Also, if what Teroth had said turned out to be true, she had to make sure her sons and the women who worshipped her all remained safe from God’s army. Lilith refused to allow those who she loved so dearly to be punished for her faults.

When Lilith entered the room where her boys awaited, they stood to greet her. “Hello, mother,” they said in almost unison. Lilith nodded. It had never ceased to amaze her that they had grown so quickly.

The beings she loved as her sons were now all young men. She looked at them each in turn. There was Enosch, who would still brood. As he aged, he grew hair upon his lip and chin. His black hair grew long and still hung in his piercing blue eyes. He appeared to be the most strong of her sons. He was the shortest, but he was the most muscular.

She then looked to Irad. Irad had always warmed her heart. He had seemed to only grow upwards in the last years. His frame was tall and thin. He also wore his hair long. It fell to his waist in a beautiful blonde sea. His brilliant blue eyes, given to him by his father, were striking. They were not hidden behind blackness as his brother’s were. Irad was smart and energetic. Lilith felt a sadness within her when she realized the words she was about to say to him would change their relationship forever.

Before Lilith could become too sad at the thought of losing the close relationship with her middle child, she quickly turned her attention to her baby, although he wasn’t much of a baby any longer. Zillah sat among his brothers comfortably. He looked into his mothers eyes with the knowledge of what she was about to say. This one always seemed to be one step ahead of her. His black hair was cut shorter than his brothers. An act, she assumed, which was made to set himself apart from them. His frame was shorter than Irad’s, but just as thin. His eyes were as his mother’s; black. And his skin was pure white. He held all of Lilith’s traits. He would have a harder time fitting in among humanity. In the years ahead, he would have to depend upon his brilliant mind. Zillah was quiet, always the observer. She nodded silently at him, giving him the sign that what he thought was about to happen was indeed true.

“We must speak,” she started, “Each of you have come to me asking about female blood. You are men now and I am aware of your wants. I can read your eyes as they follow my girls. It is too dangerous for you three to stay here. It is time that you go. This world is large, and all is your home. Remember all that your father and I have tried to teach you.”

Irad and Enosch stare at their mother in disbelief. They had not realized their freedom was so close.

“We are really free to go?” Enosch asked her.

Lilith nodded her head.

“I am sure God has his place for you in this world,” She said.

 Her sons do not argue. They have felt trapped within her Temple walls for some time. They look to one another and nod their heads. They are ready.

As Lilith’s sons walk out of the doors they had lived behind for their whole lives, they separate. Indeed, if not God, than Fate has a plan for them. 

Thirteen

In his slumber, Teroth dreamed of the events that had led him to Lilith’s temple.

He was living amongst the men and women of God. They were the descendents of Adam. They were his family. He was in attendance at the morning prayers. The leader of these people was a man by the name of Kenan. He stood in front of the large group, speaking the words of Adam. As was the ritual, he called upon Teroth to stand in front of the others.

“Adam’s last true son. A truly special man in God’s eyes,” he would say. The people would pray and reach out to him.

Teroth would stand at Kenan’s side and play his part. He believed he owed Kenan. The man took him in when his mother had passed. He had been the same man who had watched him from afar. Keenan once told him that he had been horrified to see a child of Adam being raised by a “cursed harlot”.

Teroth still had many unanswered questions about his origins, but it would have been rude for him to question a man that had done so much to help him. Kenan took him in as family. He provided his food and shelter. Teroth only had to do a portion of the household work, which was much less than what he had been used to.

Teroth watched Kenan speak to the descendants of Adam. As he spoke, he moved his hands. The people were enthralled by what he had to say. They would do anything Kenan asked of them. In their lives, these people came to Kenan for advice. They believed he spoke directly to God.  Kenan spoke in a calm, caring voice. He spoke of a loving God who granted all wishes and riches beyond imagination upon entering the gates of Heaven. In return, He demanded a life of servitude.

Teroth believed Kenan’s words. He wanted to be special. He had loved the idea that he had a purpose. Kenan had given him a very important job to do. He was to distract Lilith while the army of God surrounded her beloved city, Jericho.

Teroth had lied to Lilith. His village was not attacked by her people. Teroth and others were sent to construct the small village as a decoy. They wished to gain entrance into the walls of Lilith’s temple. They knew Teroth would be chosen for the goddess herself. He was the chosen one. It was God’s will for him to reach her.

Something stirred within Teroth’s consciousness. A touch. It was gentle and soft. He heard his name being spoken. It sounded far away, like an echo.

Teroth’s eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times to gain focus.

At first, Teroth believed he was looking into the face of an angel, except this face seemed familiar to him. Intimately familiar.  It was Natasha.  

“They have come!” she said in a loud whisper. Her brown eyes were wide with fright, “They are circling the city. They allow no food or supplies to enter.”

Teroth nods. So far, the plan was working. He sat up and took Natasha’s trembling hand into his own.

“You must stay close to me. You will be safe. They will not harm me.”

Frightened, Natasha fell into his open arms. With him she felt safe.

“I know how to make what we did acceptable in the eyes of God,” Teroth whispered in her ear. Natasha looked up into his eyes, a questioning expression upon her face.

“I want to marry you. When this is all over, I want to take you to my home and make you my wife.”

Natasha felt warmness through her body. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She smiled at Teroth. She could not help but to smile. She kissed him. To answer Teroth’s proposal, Natasha gave herself over to him.

Fourteen

Lilith is angered by the words her son, Irad was telling her. Shortly after her sons departed, Irad had come swiftly into her chambers. He reported seeing an army circling around the city of Jericho. He volunteered to turn around to tell their mother of the news. Irad read the thoughts of the men who surrounded her city. They had murderous intentions. As he explained all of this to Lilith, she nodded her head, as if she were expecting this moment to come.

“Do you see now why I sent you boys away? I did not want any of you to be witness to this.”

“What exactly is ‘this’?”

Lilith just shook her head.

“You wish for me to leave?” Irad asked, looking like a scolded child, “I am willing to stay to help you fight this enemy.”

“No, Irad. I have protected you from these people for your whole life. I will continue to do so. I want you to have no part of this. Please, Irad, go. I want you safe. Away from here.”

Lilith pleaded with her son, intensity in her eyes. Irad could do nothing except nod and embrace his mother. He did not worry about her. Immortality was a curse that they shared.

“I will go. But I will not be far. I will stay close enough to come help you if I must.”

Lilith stepped back to look at her son. She nodded, “now go.”

After Lilith knew her son was safely gliding through the sky, she focused her attention to the matter at hand. She felt as if she had been fooled. And his name was Teroth.

Before Lilith sought out her prisoner, she felt she had to analyze the situation herself. She must know how she could help her people. And she must save her temple at all costs. Lilith shook her head with disbelief. How could she have allowed this to happen? Why had she not read of the dangers in Teroth’s thoughts? How had she not seen them within his blood? Even after all of these years, she realized she still had much to learn about her curse.

As Lilith entered the night, she immediately saw the soldiers of God, circling the city that had accepted her. She had vowed to those people that she would keep them safe from their enemies. But could she protect them from hers?

Many men stood alert, while others rode on horses. She could smell the animals from her temple. She could hear their breath and the tossing of their manes. It saddened her that these innocent creatures had to be involved. It was not their choice to lead these men into battle.

The number of men surprised her. There were thousands of them. They surrounded the city in a sea of motion. Their leader, a man on a white horse with coal black hair, preached to the men of God and of Adam. He told the men of the “horrors” and “sins” of her city. Among them were the worship of a false idol, condoning the pleasures of the flesh and giving women rights. These words angered Lilith all the more. These men were wrong and the God they worshipped was not a God of goodness, but a God of unfairness and brutality. This God was capable of unspeakable acts of torture, which Lilith knew of first hand.

Lilith took a deep breath. She could not allow her anger to cloud her judgment. She had to remain calm to figure out how to save what she could from these men. She read their thoughts, to get an idea of what they were planning.

They had been here for some time, their numbers growing slowly with each passing night. They would be here until they received the sign from God that it was time. Lilith believed that this meant they were awaiting the orders from their leader, so she concentrated on him the most. His thoughts were sporadic at best. This one had insanity at his doorstep. Kenan saw visions of people who were not really there. He heard words no one else could hear. Lilith had heard the voice of God. The voice Kenan called God was not the same. The voice he heard came from inside of his own mind. The insanity of the situation scared Lilith.  These people were capable of just about anything.

Lilith understood the strategy of these men. It was not new. The strategy was that they circled the city for days, allowing no food or supplies into the town. They weakened their enemies before they attacked. Lilith knew she had brought these men here. They came for her blood. They were sent because of her actions.

Lilith knew it would not be long before they attacked. She expected them to move in on her town the next morning. She could only hope that the walls would hold. They were Jericho’s only hope.

Fifteen

The sound itself was deafening. It was enough to awaken her from her slumber. Although Lilith could not go out into the day, she could see what was happening through the eyes of the men on both sides of battle. Once she had established mental contact, it was easy for her to see through the eyes of another.

At daybreak, the soldiers of God regrouped. They all gathered at the front gates of the city. With their leader in front, the troops awaited with anticipation for his sign. Among the swords and axes held by the men, they all had another weapon at their disposal. It was a most unusual weapon to bring to a fight. They all held small brass bugles up to their lips. Lilith had never seen anything like it. She wondered where this was going. Although her mind was filled with curiosity, her heart was filled with dread. She wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but she knew it couldn’t be good.

In groups, they all blew the horns. The sound was loud and obnoxious. Although they played in turn, this was not music. The notes were high pitched and throbbed through her skull. This was the noise that had awakened her.

Kenan held up his hand and the noise stopped. He would then point at another group and they would begin to blow. At last, Kenan stopped the sound for the third time. He opened his arms to his men, and at once they all started to blow their horns.

The walls of Jericho began to shake. The people ran, covering their hands over their ears. The sound boomed across the city, off the stone walls, vibrating the city itself. Homes shook off of their foundations, as the walls that protected the city herself began to crumble. Lilith looked on in horror at the sight. She could do nothing and this itself hurt her more than the destruction.

The sound ceased only when her beloved city was a mound of rubble. It was as if God himself had shaken the Earth to destroy Jericho. The soldiers believed it was God’s hand that caused this destruction because that was what their leader had believed. The soldier’s of Jericho, on the other hand, grasped onto their swords and prepared for a battle in which they were greatly outnumbered. The fight would not be fair.

Lilith watched from her tomb, frightened. She wondered where Cain was and if he would be willing to face this enemy with her when the time came. She hoped the soldiers could stall the enemy until nightfall, but that was many hours from now.

As the walls tumbled down into large heaps of rubble, the men of God again regrouped. They all lined up and began to enter the city one by one. The main entrance was the only way to get in or out. The other directions were blocked by rubble and forces of nature. As the men entered, they formed small groups of ten and twelve and began to kill everyone who crossed their paths.

As the men marched into her city, hate seeped from them. It distorted their features and controlled their gruesome actions. The men of God looked like Demons as they entered the gates of Jericho. They began lighting torches and thrusting them into the air as they chanted for death to come to her people.

The enemy wielded swords, axes, and clubs. They grabbed rocks from the rubble to hit her people with. No one in the town was safe. They killed women, children and the elderly with pleasure on their faces. Blood splattered everywhere. It rained down upon them as they did their devil’s dance, screaming out in victory.

Lilith sobbed. Surely, this could not possibly be an act of God. Men truly were nothing more but beasts in the fields. Lilith laid her head upon the ground. She rested her palms upon the earth. She listened to the destruction of all she had loved.

“Why are they here?” Natasha asked, looking up into Teroth’s deep blue eyes. She was still more concerned than happy with his proposal to her. Natasha knew of nothing except the temple in which she was born. She wasn’t sure she wanted to leave the only home she had ever known.

“They have come to cleanse the city of the sins of Lilith,” Teroth answered her.

Natasha did not understand these words. She could see no wrong in Lilith’s actions or words. Lilith gave women hope. She granted them freedoms they could have nowhere else. She kept them safe from their past. She kept them safe from the men. Natasha was unsure if she agreed with Teroth’s religion. It seemed barbaric to her. Little did Natasha know, Teroth’s people were showing how barbaric they really were.

Sixteen

Lilith was not the only one who was awakened by the falling of the walls of Jericho. Within the depths of his own chamber, Cain stirred. His eyes opened to the darkness when the sound of the bugles began. The sound was unrecognizable to him. Cain opened his mind to see what was creating the god-awful noise from above.

When Cain realized the men were men of Adam, or God’s men, he became concerned for the safety of Lilith. He and Lilith had not been on the best of terms, but he loved her as much as he was capable of loving anyone in his life. Cain could not read Lilith’s thoughts, but he knew that she was distraught. He knew that she was lying awake in her chamber, waiting for dusk to approach so that she may go to her city. She would need his help. While he pondered in the dark, Cain made a silent promise to himself. Before he left to join their sons out into the world, he would make sure Lilith was safe. He would always make sure that she was safe. If he had a purpose to this world, as Lilith believed everyone did, then his purpose was to make sure Lilith was protected.

Cain felt the earth shake. He knew it was the walls of Jericho tumbling down. He knew destruction was under way. Cain slept. He had to gather all the strength he could for the inevitable fight ahead.

The next time Cain opened his eyes, it was dusk. He immediately thought of Lilith. He had to go find her. He had to help her.

Cain found Lilith in the field. She was staring out at Jericho, watching it being engulfed by flames. He could hear screams coming from the city. Lilith seemed to be in shock.

“We must stop them. We can’t let them get away with this.”

Lilith did not look at him as she spoke.

“What do you want to do?” He asked her, “I don’t think we can fight them all. There are many who did not survive.”

“Trap them inside,” she said.

Lilith looked at him, then. Blood tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped them with the backs of her hands, smearing the blood on her face.

“I want them to burn. I want them to die by their own destruction.”

Cain nodded. He liked her idea.

The demonic couple moved silently towards the town. As they approached, they saw firsthand the destruction they had been seeing through their minds’ eye.

Their enemy was becoming tired from all of the chaos, but not tired enough to stop the intrusion. All of the troops had made it inside of the city. Groups of men searched the bodies that seemed to be everywhere. They took anything of value, even from their own men. Blood from the bodies streamed through the streets.  

Lilith saw the leader, Kenan and a three other men on horses talking amongst themselves. She quickly moved towards them, darting from one shadow to another until she was close enough to hear them. They spoke loudly, clearly believing they were victorious.

“We must regroup,” Kenan was saying, “We must destroy the Temple of Lilith. We will not allow her lies to spread further, that is the whole point of this mission.”

Kenan looked around him.

“I do not see any icons to Lilith here. And I have seen no trace of Teroth.”

Kenan had a worried look in his eyes. He looked towards the fields, to where Lilith’s Temple sat.

Lilith and Cain look to each other and nod. They knew they had to act fast. On the way towards the gates, they saw soldiers continuing in their joy of murder and rape.

Cain and Lilith also saw the people who had once thrived in this city. Their bodies lined the streets, piles of them on fire, as if there had been a plague. Women were beaten, their clothes torn from their bodies. Lilith wanted to cover them all. She wanted to give some respect to those who had cared for her and helped her people.

They saw children, and this hurt Lilith the most. Young ones were not spared, not even babies. Their tiny bodies lay next to the adults, brutally cut open and tossed aside. She hated to look, but could not turn away. Lilith made these images fuel her determination for revenge.

Lilith pointed to the main gate to the city, which had been mostly blocked by rubble from the collapsing walls. Only a path large enough for one horse at a time remained clear.

 “That is the only way in. If we could block it, they would be trapped within this burning city.”

Cain nodded and followed her to the entrance. They moved about silently, as not to be heard. It was easy for them to do, as their curse allowed them to be hunters of these men.

Quietly, they used their inhuman strength to lift the largest of the debris to block the entrance. It did not take them long to complete their task.

Lilith nodded to Cain, “make sure this city is burning. Fuel the fires to consume all that is left. I will search for any survivors.”

 Cain did as she asked. He found a barrel of oil for the lanterns and spread it throughout the city, using the dancing shadows as his cover.

Lilith glided overhead, keeping her mind open for any tormented thoughts or slowly beating hearts. She was unsure if anyone would be left, but she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t check.

Lilith heard a stifled scream from below. She glided down to see what it was. Within the shadows, she could see a soldier, his hips pumping away, his hand covering the mouth of his victim. Lilith is repulsed, but she was moved to save this soul. She silently walked up behind the man and in one fluid motion, she snapped his neck. The man never knew his death was coming. He slid to the ground with a thud.

The victim, a young boy of about thirteen, cried out. He looked at her, his brown eyes filled with fear. His cheeks were wet with tears and sweat. Lilith folded her wings behind her. She gently held out a hand towards the boy, “its okay, you’re safe now.”

“It’s not,” the boy sobbed, “e..e..everyone is d..d..dead.” he stammered.

Lilith went to the boy and embraced him. She felt him shudder against her with his sobs. This situation only angered her more. God’s men, her foot! These were not men of any god. These men were animals! Worse than animals! She felt her face grow hot with fury. She picked up the boy and carried him outside of the city. She placed him down beside Cain, who had finished his task and was awaiting her return.

“I must go back to see if there is anyone else.”

“No, Lilith, the city is on fire. Fire can hurt you, you know, so you must stay away,” Cain begged of her.

Lilith looked into the burning city. She felt a flicker of desperation within the walls of one of the homes. She knew someone was in there.

Without trying to argue with Cain, she glided into the city of flames.

Lilith quickly found the one she was looking for. She knew that she must hurry. God’s soldiers had figured out that they were trapped and some of them had already passed out from the smoke. Most of the men were in a panic. Lilith wished she could find the leader of these men, Kenan, and kill him herself but she knew there was no time. His fate was to burn amongst his men.

Inside of the burning house, a woman was crouched in the corner. Her eyes were wide with fear and she rocked back and forth, holding her legs. A baby lay in front of her. He was disemboweled. The lady stared at him. Lilith approached her slowly. She could not imagine having to see such a thing happen to her own child. The woman didn’t look up. Lilith reached out to her and there was no reaction. Quickly, Lilith grabbed her and flew into the night. The woman instantly panicked. She reached out towards her deceased son and screamed, “Nooo!”

The woman was no match for the strength of Lilith. She easily kept her grip on the distraught mother. She and Cain took the two survivors of Jericho to her temple to dress their wounds.

There was one more enemy within her walls. How am I going to kill you, Teroth?

Seventeen

Lilith walked into her chambers. There, she found Teroth and Natasha together. They lounged among her pillows together, touching one another in a lovely way. As if nothing in the world could harm them.

Lilith cleared her throat and they jumped, startled at her silent presence.

She read Natasha’s mind. Her daughter was happy. That was all Lilith asked of her. She dismissed her from the room.

Natasha knew as soon as Lilith asked her to leave the room what fate lay ahead for Teroth. She smiled. She did not trust that man. Her home was here, with her mother and her sisters. He was in Lilith’s hands now. He was her sacrifice.

“How am I going to kill you, Teroth?” Lilith finally had the opportunity to say.

Teroth looked at her. He did not seem to be afraid. She wanted that to change.

“It must be a special death, for revenge is sweet. Crucifixion? Impaling? No. Your brothers were burned alive by my hands. Can you smell the remnants of their burning flesh?”

 Lilith smiled at him. There it was. There was the fear she was looking for.

Teroth was afraid. Lilith’s words chilled him to the bone. This was not the plan. The temple was supposed to be burned. His brothers were supposed to came to get him. He began to panic, this was not what God wanted! God was supposed to lead them through this! Where was he now?

Lilith laughed out loud.

“Indeed, Teroth. Where is your God now?” She sighed, “The scars that you bear must pass through the gates of heaven to reach Adam himself. You will be my little gift to him.”

Lilith was very close to Teroth as she spoke. She leaned towards him and kissed him on the lips. She then bit into his neck and slowly drank him in. Lilith didn’t kill Teroth. She had far better plans for this one. Lilith took Teroth to the Garden.

“This is where it all started”, she explained. 

The beautiful lush garden she had once lived in with Adam was now nothing more than rolling fields of rye.

“The Earth remembers the blood that was spilled here. It remembers the pain.”

Lilith led her prisoner to the middle of the field. Teroth did not fight her. He was weakened by his loss of blood. At this stage, he followed her idly. His mind was one with hers and he was not strong enough to control it.

Lilith sat down and Teroth followed. She smiled at the simplicity of her actions. From her hair, which was up in a twist on her head, she pulled out a small dagger. She leaned over and fed from Teroth again. She wanted the last of his memories, those of his time with Natasha. It was sweet. The thoughts made his blood taste like honey. Lilith stopped. Teroth would now just sit in the spot he was in until his blood replenished or the animals attacked. Lilith was hoping for the latter. That was why she had brought the dagger.

Lilith cut Teroth. She cut his cheeks, deep gashes that poured the little blood he had left in his veins. She cut his arms and chest and legs. He was soon covered in his own blood. Lilith could smell it, so she knew the animals could, too.

“You will die by nature, Teroth. You will die by the one thing your religion claims to be above. You will see that nature is advanced in all ways. It will make you beg for mercy. It will show you its true power. It will then take your life.”

Lilith left him there. She knew he would die. His bones would be scattered across the fields by the beasts that roamed them.

Epilogue

Cain stayed at the temple dedicated to Lilith for some time. He kept in touch with his sons, and decided to join them. He found himself in a small village called Nod, in which he took the time to learn to read and write. He wrote memoirs, describing what had happened to him and how he had been created into the demon he now was.

            Enosch, Irad, and Zillah quickly realized their strength far outweighed that of any human. They learned how to control their powers of mind reading. They each had a profound charisma and found it easy to manipulate the people around them. Their bite was sexual, as were they; It did not take the boys long to realize they could create others like themselves.

Lilith’s son’s experimented by revisiting their victims, taking only drops of their blood at a time. The mortals became addicted to their feeding, becoming drones that would willfully do their bidding for another donation. If they shared their blood, allowing the lifeless ones to drink from their own veins, their followers became of free will and transformed into a being not unlike themselves.

            These others, born into the darkness through the blood of Lilith’s sons, were never as strong as their creators. They each seemed to hold memories of the one who had fed them. The boys shared in more blood, discovering the secrets of memory exchange and using it to their full advantage.

Lilith sat upon her chair, a beautiful gold-plated throne, situated at the head of the room. She wore the finest of garments and was adorned with jewels from all over the world. Lilith was truly a Queen of her Temple. Before her were all of her girls. She had rebuilt her religion larger and stronger than before. These girls were her life.

Cain had left. She knew it was only a matter of time. She needed more than him and he didn’t need her at all. She wondered when she would see him again. How long a period of time would pass before she saw the father of her only children? She shook her head. She had no time to ponder such thoughts.

Her lovely Natasha sat next to her. She was also adorned in the finest things Lilith could find. She had a personal assistant of her own who catered to her every need. She was very special. She was pregnant with a descendent of Adam, after all.