The Fallen Queen of Eden Ch. 02

Suddenly paranoid, she got up and went to the closet and grabbed the pool stick just in case she needed a weapon. Slowly she opened the door an inch or two and peeked out. To her relief, she only saw Elijah. His bedroom door was open and he was standing at his dresser getting ready for bed. He tossed his watch, wallet, and checkbook onto the top of his bureau then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket holster and revolver. She was hardly startled by this. She had seen weapons of every shape and kind over countless millennia. In fact, she was actually relieved to see that he was armed because she knew that her pursuer would not hesitate to have him removed if he thought he was in the way.

Eli started to turn towards the door causing Lilith to quickly hide so he wouldn't catch her watching him. When she saw his room light go out she once more relaxed and left her hiding place behind the door. This constant feeling of suspicion and doubt was starting to get to her and she longed to just relax. Desperate, she went over to her backpack and began to dig through it. Few things have the power to both stimulate her mind and relax her like a good book and she always carried the same two, The Scarlet Letter and I, Chang. Both held deep meaning for her.

The first was of a personal nature that she couldn't or wouldn't discuss with anyone. Some secrets simply had to remain buried. The other held a vast amount of ancient knowledge that had inspired religion, art, psychoanalysis, and literature. Digging through the meager items in her bag Lilith realized to her horror that in her haste she had failed to pack the books or her jewelry for that matter. Hopefully, Eli would be kind enough to take her past Millie's before going to the airport so she could get them. At least she hadn't forgotten her special leather roll.

Since the house was so quiet, Lilith decided to seize the opportunity and make a phone call of sorts, or at least try. Taking her leather roll from the backpack along with two deep blue candles she softly snuck off to the bathroom. Carefully she set the candles on either side of the sink then snapping her fingers against the wicks they instantly sparked to life bathing the room in a soft glow. It was little more than a parlor trick, but it was all that remained of her demonic power.

Untying the leather kit, she carefully unrolled it, her eyes carefully looking over each item in turn. The roll was made from the skin of a hellhound which was stronger than the hide of any earthly animals and far more durable. After so many ages in her possession, it was beginning to look a bit old and worn, but thankfully, hellhound skin never fell apart. Inside the pack was a number of mystical objects as well as a few vials sealed with corks that appeared to be made from materials not readily found on earth. In appearance, they looked like stone or clay and each was carved with designs that harkened back to when the world was new.

Taking out one of the objects, she carefully set it on the counter between the candles then gently unfolded the silk-like cloth that it was wrapped in. Lying in the warm glow of the candles was a smooth, flat, black stone that had been polished until it's dark surface reflected like a perfect mirror. She looked into the stone, her eyes focusing on the image of flames echoing from its surface. Softly she started to whisper the names of her many children in hopes one would answer and help her.

"Aytigin, Makatza, Yami, Kuro," she called, but nothing happened. "Ryuu, Akumam, Zenaku." For a moment the lights began to swirl before her eyes. Yes, she thought, it's working. She continued to call to her children, the light moving faster and faster. Lilith started to become excited and a triumphant smile spread across her face. All she needed was one child to hear her voice and her problems would be solved. She was about to squeal in delight when suddenly the light stopped its motion causing her look of joy to be replaced with one of horror as the stone mirror returned to normal again. She had failed. Lilith must have tried to contact them at least a dozen times since Millie's murder and had found nothing but roadblocks and obstacles. Frustrated and defeated, Lilith hit the countertop, momentarily hurting her hand but managing to release some irritation.

With a heavy sigh, she blew out the candles then wrapped up the stone and placed it back in the leather kit, tying it securely. Wanting to cool down, Lilith turned on the water then leaned down and caught the cool liquid in her hand and drank until she was satisfied. She then splashed some on her face, enjoying the cool spray against her skin. Looking at herself in the mirror she noticed her hand and in particular the ring on her finger. Normally it shone brilliantly with sparkling gems that had the power to catch the eye when she willed it and lure a soul to her side. Now the copper was so tarnished that you could barely see the pretty red/brown metal. The gems had lost their luster and even her powerful sigil had become lost beneath the shades of blue patina. The ring reflected her loss of supernatural power and seeing it was a painful reminder.

Her eyes turned their gaze to her reflection and she began to wonder if she was wrong. Maybe there was some power left. She had managed to light the candles so there was at least some remnant of her preternatural abilities. If there was, then it should be a simple matter to make her true face appear, no different from any other conscious movement. She concentrated and tried to bring out her demon self, but nothing happened. Her appearance remained unaltered. All she saw was her soft oval human face with its autumn skin and piercing jade eyes.

"I suppose you're finding the whole thing amusing," she muttered, turning her gaze upwards towards an invisible heaven. The demoness had no doubt that the Great Creator was laughing at her for ending up in this strange predicament. "Laugh it up 'old man'," Lili hissed. She had often assumed that God had a strange sense of humor. Why else would he have given her a disturbingly hot body and a face that seemed all sweetness, virtue, and chastity?

If her human form reflected all that then her real demonic shape was something altogether different and frightening. In her own way, she still possessed a strangely beautiful face, but the rest of her was a twisted amalgam of all the creatures that she could normally transform into. Her normally emerald eyes changed to a solid black and framing her soft visage, along her cheekbones, temples, and forehead, was a series of grey reptilian scales reminiscent of the deadly Black Mamba. Her pretty white teeth became long needle-like fangs that she could use to inject lethal venom into her victims. Her shapely legs became avian with the sharp talons of a Great Horned owl and her hands became covered in black fur and grew sharp panther's claws. If all of that was not enough to terrify then her scorpion tail was.

Lilith truly hated her demon form and preferred to keep it hidden, but right now she frantically needed it. If she could be whole again then she could put an end to her stalker once and for all. Staring at her image in the glass, she tried every trick she could think of but nothing changed, she was still human. Frustrated at the situation and unable to look at herself in such a vulnerable state, she put her hand over her reflection in the glass and turned away. At least Eli couldn't see what she really looked like.

She started to return to the spare room, only to stop in the hall. She didn't want to go back to the dark empty space and she hated to sleep alone. To anyone familiar with the demoness, this might have seemed hard to believe. She was Lilith and since the creation of the earth, she had lived for her own pleasure, filling her days and nights with every kind of distraction and debauchery imaginable. There was no vice the world could offer that she hadn't tried and rarely did she give it any thought. However, during those moments when she was alone and the night was dark and silent, she realized just how empty her life was. Standing there in the hall, she couldn't bear the thought of another night alone in a cold bed.

Slowly and carefully she peered into Eli's darkroom. She could hear his rhythmic breathing and could just make out his sleeping form in the large king-size bed. Next to him was a ball of black and white fur that suddenly raised its head and looked at her with its large yellow eyes. This must be Mr. Jingles, she thought to herself. Cats always seemed to accept her so she wasn't worried. Perhaps it was her independent spirit that mirrored theirs or the fact that normally she could become one. Whatever the reason, they always liked her. Dogs, on the other hand, were different. They seemed to sense the truth about her and wanted no part of it. Giving Mr. Jingles a couple of soft strokes on his back, Lilith slowly and gently pulled back the covers and ran her hand along the cool sheets. Never a woman given to modesty and wanting to feel the cool cotton fabric against her skin, Lilith pulled off her tank top and slipped in beside Eli. Feeling his body close and hearing him breathe was comforting and soon she drifted off to sleep.