The Fallen Queen of Eden Ch. 13

Sleep was not a state that Lilith was used to being in. When she was at her full demonic power she rarely needed sleep and even then it was little more than a catnap. Regardless of what form the demoness was in, one thing was always true: she never dreamed. Not since the Garden of Eden had she experienced such fantasies, so she was confused when she found herself standing in Hell. This was impossible. The only way she could have returned to Hell was if her human form had died somehow. That couldn't have happened, she would have remembered.

Despite her certainty, Lilith couldn't deny the vista before her. She was standing in a dark forest shrouded in mist and perfectly still. There was no wind, no rustling leaves and the sounds of various animal and insect life that would be expected in an earthly forest were conspicuously absent. Here, the only sounds were the screams that pierced the dark mist as harpies tore the bark from the trees and ate it. The demoness recognized this forest as only a portion of the seventh level of Hell and the trees as the souls of men and women who had abused their children and spouses.

Hanging from more than a few branches of this cursed forest were the bodies of men and women wrapped in a spiderweb that were slowly and repeatedly being drained of their essence for all eternity. Some hung from the branch of a single tree and some were held in webbing that connected two or more. These souls were individuals that had known what was happening and did nothing, said nothing while the soul and life of another was slowly destroyed.

Lilith looked at the scene with cold indifference. This was the level where those guilty of violence were punished. None of what she saw was a surprise or a shock. She had been a witness to the torture and punishment of human souls from the moment the first ones arrived in Hell. She had listened to their cries for ages and had long ago tuned out their pleas for mercy. The only thing that caught her attention was a single Will O' the Wisp that glowed brightly in the fog before her. Such things were very rare in Hell and often was a presage to something important.

Following it, she passed through the woods, her sharp eyes noticing many creatures hiding in the mist watching her and bowing in respect. There were all shapes of Bogie's or goblins peeking out through holes in the tree of burrows in the ground. Lilith momentarily saw a Phooka at a distance, it's glowing yellow eyes watching her from beneath its large goat horns. There were Pucks, Trows and even a Fachan dancing on it's one leg waiting for a victim to torment. She even noticed Black Annis herself, harvesting flesh from one of the victims wrapped in her web.

Through human eyes these images were terrifying, but to the demoness they were nothing, merely familiars whom she had looked upon a million times before and would always show the Queen of the Lilim the utmost respect. Passing through the various rings of the seventh level, She continued to follow the Will O' the Wisp down a dark and narrow spiraling staircase to the eighth level where those guilty of fraud were kept.

This level was cut into ten individual ditches with souls being divided according to the type of fraud they had committed. Lilith started to enter this level only to be stopped at the door by a giant wrapped in chains and carrying a spiked wooden club. He was called Jack-in-irons and she knew him to be the guardian of this level, but never had he refused her entrance. She was about to ask what gave him authority to stop her when she looked up and saw that instead of Jack's face it was the Preacher-man's.

"You cannot win!" he said, that crooked grin playing on his face. Lilith stepped back and looked up at the chains he wore and noticed the heads that dangled from it. Most were decayed and half rotten, but there was one fresh victim hanging in the center. It turned and she saw Eli's empty eyes staring at her. Horrified at the sight she screamed and tried to pry it loose from the chains, but before she could even touch the lifeless face, Levi grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her away.

It was at that moment that Lili awoke, sitting bolt upright in bed, her heart pounding. She looked around the darkness and was glad to find herself in Eli's room and bed once again. She looked over at him and was relieved to see him sleeping next to her, his wonderful head still attached to his fine body. Although she felt soothed by this reality, it didn't completely stop the cold chill running through her veins.

Getting up she went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face and took some much needed deep breaths. Why had the dream upset her so much? She had seen severed heads and every kind of cruelty that could be perpetrated on a human body and felt nothing. Why did this one tighten her throat and gnaw at her insides? Eli, she thought to herself. She didn't want anything to happen to Eli. She couldn't allow him to be destroyed by the Preacher-man, but how was going to stop it? She had no power and no way to summon her children. There has to be a way, she thought to herself. I will find a way.

As determined as the demoness was, Levi Sethos was more so. Alone in his bedroom he had spent the night reliving the sight of Lilith taking off her clothes and seductively dancing on that pole. Ignorance, as they say, is bliss and delusions can make you believe something no matter how much reality says it isn't so. In his heart he firmly believed that Lilith had been dancing for him that night. She was showing him all that would be his rather than winning a drunken bet with Eli's friends. So certain had he become of his ultimate victory that more than a month ago he had made a decision regarding Jeza and now everything seemed to be falling into place.

The bright morning sun rose over the Ozark Mountains, the temperature of the Preacher-man's pool was perfect as he stepped in to do his morning swim. He prided himself on the fact that he always kept himself physically fit. He had been an athlete in both high school and college, participating in a number of sports including swimming. He was in the midst of his laps when he saw the smarmy face of his lawyer, Edgar Mealy walking towards him. The man was truly a slimy, boot-licking, conceited barrister. He was also the best in his field when it came to the interests of his powerful clients. Looking around, the attorney casually commented that he didn't see the lovely Mrs. Sethos about. The Preacher-man just smiled and explained that she had left yesterday for a ladies Bible retreat. A number of very wealthy ladies had paid through the nose for the chance to spend the weekend with Jeza Sethos at a luxury lodge and spa in the mountains of Seattle Washington.

The truth of the matter was that Levi wanted Jeza out of his way for a few days. The theme of the ladies retreat was 'unplugged' and focused on putting aside all those electronic devices that distract and refocusing on God. He had personally chosen it because it meant his wife would have to leave her laptop, tablet and phone home for the weekend. In Jeza's usual loving and trusting fashion she carefully locked them in a safe in her room. Levi wasn't worried. He had already paid off her assistant and had the combination.

He had actually been working on this for the last month beginning with hiring a private investigator to get photographs of her with her lover Ty. The spicier the photograph the better. He also paid the PI to bring him detailed reports of anything that was of note and could be used against her. An hour after Jeza's departure one of the top IT experts in the country was at his home going through her computer as well as hacking into her phone and tablet. To his relief she had surprisingly little evidence against him regarding his infidelities or anything else. What little she had was wiped clean.

Now everything was falling into place and as he finished his morning laps, he was certain that his future was finally going to be perfect. There were only a few more details to arrange, but that was why his lawyer was here. Smiling, Levi got out of the pool and wrapped a robe around himself before shaking Edgar's hand. He was certain that the two of them would be able to cut a deal with Jeza and force her to agree to a divorce. She would have a generous monthly allowance along with her clothes, furs and jewels in exchange for her signing the papers and walking away. This was non-negotiable and if she tried to fight the divorce, hold him up for more money, or try anything else, he would ruin her in the media with evidence of her infidelity, lavish lifestyle and allegations of misappropriated funds. As far as what he would tell the public or his deacons and other staff, well he would handle that later. Over time he would very slowly bring Lilith into his public life making sure it was done in a very positive light to ensure that his public wanted them together as much as he did.

Yes, everything was going according to his carefully formulated plans... mostly. There was still the issue of Lilith Eden, herself. She was as stubborn and unmoveable as she was beautiful and exciting. Fortunately, the Preacher-man knew just how to coax her. She had come to his cabin when he put a bit of pressure on that nosy old woman at the bar, so why not again? What would she do to protect Eli Asher? It seemed to Levi that her desire to keep that unimportant 'nobody' safe was an excellent way of controlling her. Besides, he had warned that man that interfering between Lili and himself was a mistake. The next time he sent someone to take care of Eli, it would be permanent and neither would see it coming. Her choice was simple really, embrace all the luxury and happiness that he had to offer her and spare the welder, or continue to fight him and lose everything she cared about. In the end, he was certain she would do the right thing.

While Levi was busy with his lawyer, weaving his web, Lilith was also plotting. She had finally managed to calm down from her nightmare and managed to think of a way to escape from the Preacher-man. She had already planned to buy Eli a new set of tires for his motorcycle, but now she saw this as more than just correcting a wrong. With a new set of tires, the two of them could ride down to New Orleans together. It was a perfect plan. Elijah was planning on going down there anyway and he was already on administrative leave from work. She would pay him for gas and once they were there she could disappear. The best part was that Eli would be safe from the Preacher-man and she would be free from his shadow.

Lilith was so excited by this plan that as soon as she was dressed she ran back into Eli's bedroom, tossing hair pins onto his dresser then leaped upon the bed. Her shapely legs straddled the sleeping man and her sudden weight on his body woke him instantly. Lili smiled brightly at the instant groan he gave as her weight came down on him and the sight of his eyes briefly opening to look at her before closing again. Not satisfied, she started to play with his hair and attempted to tickle him so he'd fully wake up. Unfortunately, Eli wasn't ticklish and his lack of enthusiasm at her playful wake-up was disappointing. She was about to tell him so when he spoke up instead.

"Your weight sitting on my bladder is only going to make me wet the bed."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, quickly getting off of him. "Sorry." As Elijah sat up and got out of bed, Lilith was surprised to see that he was wearing a pair of boxer shorts. She hadn't noticed him wearing anything to bed before and found this change rather peculiar. The fact that humans were so obsessed with covering up their bodies had always seemed a crazy notion to her anyway. That someone would arbitrarily start dressing when there was no need to seemed more insane. "Since when do you wear boxers to bed?"

"Since strange naked women started crawling in there while I'm asleep," he answered, giving her a teasing wink.

"Oh please, do you think I've never seen a man's dick before?" she asked, as she started to follow him into the bathroom. Eli stopped her at the door before turning around and answering a bit sarcastically.

"I have no doubt whatsoever that you have seen plenty of dick." he needled playfully, but Lili gave just as good as she got.

"Having a lot of experience can be a great thing. Your 'little friend' might enjoy an exciting playmate rather than another evening with your right hand."

"Ouch," he laughed as he closed the bathroom door.

The demoness giggled victoriously as she straightened her long white boho skirt, making sure that her charm belt hung the way she liked it then went back to his bedroom. She looked at herself in the mirror feeling rather pleased with herself and how she looked. The nightmare she had experienced was all but forgotten and she couldn't wait to tell Elijah her New Orleans plan. Smiling, she put her long dark locks into a messy bun and pinned it just as Eli's phone started ringing. For a few seconds, she hesitated since it wasn't hers and a woman answering could potentially cause awkward questions for Eli. When it rang again, Lili snatched it up prepared to pretend to be the cleaning lady if need be.

"I might as well make myself useful." She swiped her finger across the screen and greeted the caller with a cheerful voice. "Satan's Den, what the Hell do you want?" She expected to hear Wynne or Kaleb on the other end or even Eli's parents. Instead, she heard a voice that immediately made her recoil.

"Lilith. This really must be my lucky day. I didn't expect to hear your voice, not right away anyway."

"What do you want?" she hissed.

"You know, King David's firstborn son, Amnon, fell in love with his half-sister Tamar because she was so beautiful. He pretended to be sick just so she would come and prepare food for him. If I were ill would you prepare food in my sight and feed it to me with her hand?"

"You're insane," Lilith seethed, her voice low. "I am familiar with what happened to Tamar. Amnon raped her and then he hated her. In the end, he paid for his transgressions with his blood, just as you will pay for yours. That I promise you."

"There is no reason for hostility. I called with an offer that I'm certain you'll be interested in."

"What could you possibly offer me that I would want?" Lilith asked in a low growl.

"Elijah Ashers life," the Preacher-man answered. "You realize that yesterday and last night was only the beginning. I will uproot his life in every possible way, including his friends and family, making his life unbearable if you're around. If you still refuse to yield to the role God has chosen for you then your hero will be removed by force if necessary." At Levi's words, Lilith couldn't speak. All she could do was recall the image of Jack O' Irons wearing the head of the Preacher-man on his shoulders while Elijah's hung from his chains as a trophy. "You have the power to stop it, of course."

"How am I supposed to do that, exactly?" Lili asked, finding her voice again. She was certain she already knew the answer, but rather than dance this infuriating dance, she wanted him to get to the point. As she waited for an answer Eli came back into the room with a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth.

"I want you to go away with me for three days and two nights. Meet me at my cabin in the hills and we can do whatever you want. We can hike trails, talk, cook together, swim... just give me this chance to win your heart." He was in earnest and she could hear it as well as that edge of hope. Since the dawn of time itself she had refused to submit to any man and she didn't want to do it now. She couldn't bear to give in to a man as corrupt or depraved as the Preacher-man.

In a burst of anger Lilith lashed out as hard as she could with her right hand punching the glass mirror hanging on the wall over the dresser. The glass shattered into a spider web of cracks and pieces with shards sticking out of her bloodied hand. Seeing this startled Elijah and he didn't have to guess who was on the phone. Quickly he threw aside his toothbrush and snatched the phone from her placing it to his own ear.

"Listen you son of a bitch..." Eli started, his patience gone, but the call immediately disconnected. "He hung up," he growled as he turned to Lilith and saw her cradling her hand.

"Blood," she said softly, staring at her knuckles and trying to choke back the pain. The sanguine fluid began to drip onto the floor from the deep lacerations as the hand also started to swell. "I've never bled before." Eli got a handkerchief from a dresser drawer and wrapped Lili's hand as best he could while trying to be as gentle as possible. Despite his best efforts she still cried out in pain.

"It's broken," Elijah said, looking it over and noticing the swelling and discoloration around the pinky finger.

"Broken?" Lilith asked. She had never had an injury in all her long life and she was in shock at how bad it could hurt.

"When you punch through a mirror that's hanging on a wall, that's bound to happen. It's not that bad, though. We'll go to the ER, they'll set it, give you a few stitches and everything will be fine," he explained. The demoness looked at Eli suddenly, genuine fear in her eyes. He sat her on the bed and told her to keep the handkerchief on it to help stem the blood. He then picked up his toothbrush and ran off to the bathroom to finish getting ready so he could take Lilith to the emergency room. Once he was gone she sat there looking at her hand, still shocked at the notion of being injured.

"I don't think I want to be mortal anymore," she whispered.

The wait at the ER was long and tedious, the excuse being that they were waiting for a room with a particularly bright light suitable for sutures. Eventually Lilith's turn came and she was taken for a series of x-rays then to a room where another waiting game began. After several minutes of boredom Eli started rummaging through the drawers to see what they kept stashed away. The first thing he found was a box of latex gloves and looking for some entertainment he slipped one out and started blowing it up like a balloon. He then glanced at Lilith, then getting her attention, tossed it at her as though it were a ball. For a brief moment it brought a smile and even a laugh to the demoness' face, but it was short-lived and she finally laid it on the examining table.

Bored herself, Lilith stood and started to walk around the room, stopping before a magazine rack and thumbing through the periodicals to see if there was anything good. She found most of them were various health digests all talking about different discoveries and what the current diet in vogue was. In the back of the rack, she came across a news magazine from a couple of years ago and on the front was a picture of Levi and Jeza Sethos. It was all about their latest mission to bring food, clean water and other aid to starving children in Africa. It was a noble cause, but looking at those two faces she couldn't imagine them doing anything selfless.

"It's rather ironic isn't it?" Lilith said, breaking the silence in the room and showing the magazine to Eli. "I mean, here is a man who desires a righteous, pristine image when the cameras are rolling, but would probably trade his manly whatnots just to have me in his bedroom wearing black leather. I suppose for a man who has never loved anyone but himself, in a twisted sort of way he does love me. It might be the kind of love someone has for a favorite sweater or something, but a kind of love nonetheless," Lilith glanced back at the magazine and the arrogant face of Levi Sethos.

"Until I met you, I never paid much attention to him. Oh, once in a while I saw his picture in magazines and on news shows, but that was it and I really didn't give it much thought. The last time was when I was sitting in the waiting room at my doctor's office and started reading an article on him in a magazine out of boredom. It was a puff piece that had to do with helping kids that were starving here in the states and I remember there was a picture of him with a child. You could tell he was having a hard time holding her because his left arm was in a sling," At this last detail Lili suddenly looked up at Eli, interested.