Lilith - TI3 (45 page)

"I won’t abuse your trust, Intunecat, but I wanted to thank you, myself. Without you, I wouldn’t be going home."

"Things have changed, Child. It’s no longer the place you knew. Although I personally think the humans are better off for what you have done, there are those who would disagree... but don’t misunderstand me. What you did was wrong and many have suffered because of it, especially Adam and Eve."

"That is my burden to bear. I only wish I could have told them how sorry I was."

"They are long gone, now."

"Intunecat?"

"What, Child?"

"All humans have souls. Why didn’t they? Was the Twin so angry he wanted to punish them by not giving them souls?"

"I don’t have an answer for that. From what I do know, I’d say no. If anything, he loved them so much that he would have done everything in his power to insure they survived their deaths. He probably never imagined they would be leaving Paradise, so he never thought they needed souls. After all, they were destined to live forever in the world he created for them. It wasn’t until after they died that he may have realized his mistake and made sure all other living things had souls. I think it was the only way he could insure their essences would continue on."

"That would explain human evolution, wouldn’t it? The starting over thing."

"Yes. The Twin was greatly disappointed with Adam and Eve. They were like children to him and he must have felt betrayed by their disobedience. He was perhaps the first parent to learn that there comes a time when all living things must let go of their young in order for them to grow. The only way he could do that was to send them to the mortal world and hope they and their offspring would flourish. But enough of this for now. Perhaps one day you will visit me and we can discuss this matter in more detail."

"I hope so. Thank you."

Intunecat felt her slip away... and with her, a similar loneliness to that her mother had left behind. Feeling an unusual need for some companionship, he decided to visit Mari and Maopa. Just the thought perked him up. The Earth Mother and her partner would wonder why he was paying them a social visit. That should make them a little nervous. The thought amused him.

T
HE MIRROR SHIMMERED like water rippling gently over a large lake. Lilith stepped away from it and watched to see what would happen next. As if in slow motion, a hand emerged, tentatively at first, followed by an arm and foot. Seconds later, the Child stepped from the mirror and blinked rapidly, trying to adjust her eyes to the light.

Just like that!
Lilith thought.
So simple and yet none of us knew.

Watching her daughter's expression as she blinked rapidly at the colorful room, the demoness was stunned at how much the Child had changed.

You are beautiful!
When her daughter didn’t answer, Lilith frowned. Something wasn’t right. She could no longer feel the Child’s presence in her mind. The emptiness was uncomfortable.

"Mother?"

"Yes."

"Something’s different. I can’t feel you now."

"I know."

The Child lifted her hands and stared at them in awe. Running the fingers of her right hand up her forearm, she seemed to be concentrating on the feel of her skin.

"It’s been a long time," she whispered.

Lilith knew what she meant. Her daughter hadn’t seen herself since she was a child... by demon standards. Now she was a grown demoness. Reaching out, she took her hand and turned her toward the mirror.

"Look."

The Child gazed into the mirror, mesmerized by the image staring back at her. Lilith towered over her by several inches. Where her mother was tall with long, dark hair, she was short with waist length-wavy red hair. Lilith’s skin glowed pale white while the Child’s was a faintly tinted rose color. Her brilliant green eyes met the reflection in the mirror of her mother's coal black eyes.

"Your hair, it's so long."

Running her fingers across the top, Lilith noticed the small protrusions just above and to the right and left of her forehead.

Horns,
she thought.

Few from the Underworld had horns. Only those carrying the bloodline of the most ancient of demons had them and even they had disappeared over time. The same would probably have happened to the Child's if she had not been imprisoned in the Netherworld. Then again her sire was the eldest of the demons and as his direct descendent, it was possible she would keep them forever.

"I always wondered if I looked like you or Father. I hoped it would be you."

"Well, I’d say you don’t look like either of us. You're your own self. Just be thankful you didn't get his big feet." She teased, glancing down at the small hooves.

The Child’s eyes blazed happily and she smiled.

"Yes... I am. I like me," she said, tilting her head at a slight angle.

"Me too. You're beautiful."

"I get that from you."

Laughing, Lilith turned her daughter to face her.

"Let’s hope that’s all you inherited from me. I’m definitely glad you don’t look like your Father. That would be awful!"

"How can you say such a thing?" interrupted a deep, baritone voice.

Strolling into the room, Dis walked up to the Child, took her by the shoulders and turned her so he could examine her more closely. Seeing the small horns, he nodded his head in approval but didn’t comment about them.

"I see you are grown up although you're tiny. My other offspring are big like me. You must get that from your mother. She said you had changed... matured."

"Really Father! I’ve been locked away for hundreds of thousands of years. You can’t expect me to stay a child forever."

"Don’t be impudent. In the Netherworld anything is possible. You are the first to escape from it."

"I didn’t escape. I was released."

"Escape... release... it’s all the same. Enough semantics! What are your plans? You must learn a discipline. It is one of the rules of the Underworld. All demons must have a trade. And no mischief... at least for a while. Demons have long memories. There are some who still remember the Great Battle."

"Dis! Give her time to adjust!"

"Adjust? She is my daughter. She doesn’t need to adjust," he declared, looking first at Lilith and then at the Child. "Well, I see I'm going to get nowhere with your mother here. We’ll talk again when she
isn’t around."

"Leave her alone, Dis."

The Underlord shook his head and laughed.

"You're a bad example for my daughter, Lily. I hope she shows me more respect than you do."

Without saying another word, he left them, unwilling to let his ex berate him in front of his daughter.

"That’s it? That’s all he has to say to me after all this time?"

Shaking her head sadly, the Child was obviously disappointed.

"It’s more than I expected. His appearance and desire to meet you after all this time says more than any words he may have spoken. Whether you realize it or not, he has just acknowledged you as his own. Don’t expect much more than that; at least until he adjusts to your presence."

"I guess you’re right."

"Listen, Child. Dis isn’t like anyone you have ever known or will ever know. He has his own agenda and he feels things differently. Everything is an extreme to him which makes him seem shallow at times. Give him time."

"I don’t have much choice, do I?"

"No."

"Mother?"

"What, Child?"

"Everyone calls me Child, or Demon Child. Did I ever have a name?"

Lilith gathered her into her arms and held her for several minutes, thinking back to the moment of her birth. She remembered the excruciating pain and the relief when it was over. The demon midwives had bundled the Child into a blanket and handed her to the Underlord. Without looking at her or Lilith, he had walked away.

"Yes. Caelene."

"Caelene. I like the sound of it. What does it mean?"

Lilith rested her head against her daughter’s hair and felt one of the small horns press into her cheek.

"Child," she whispered.

"Child?"

"Yes. It means ‘child’. At the time it seemed appropriate."

Laughter rang out through the Underworld. The minions and demons didn't recognize the new voice but it sounded familiar.

I
T WAS HOT...  very very hot! Opening his eyes, all Freddie could see was the multi-colored orange, red and black landscape of flickering flames. Screams pierced the air like rolling thunder. Around him stood several women, all dressed like whores. Some looked familiar, while others he was sure he had never seen before.

"You should!" whispered a voice from behind him.

Blinking from the sweat burning his eyes, he tried to turn to see who was talking to him. It was then that he realized he couldn't move. His wrists and ankles were bound to poles on each side of his body, leaving him spread-eagled. Flexing his muscles, he tried in vain to break the bindings. Sweat poured from his brow and chest, pooling beneath him. Looking down, he saw that he was completely naked.

"This is a dream!" he muttered and then screamed as a searing pain shot across his back.

"You will talk when we say you can talk," said the same voice now to his left.

Turning his head he saw a tall, thin woman with beady black eyes standing a few feet away with a whip in her hand.

"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice hoarse from pain. The crack of a whip was followed immediately by more pain causing him to suck in his breath and gasp.

"You will talk when we say you can talk," repeated the voice to his right.

Freddie glanced in the direction and saw the same woman and quickly looked to his left.

This is a nightmare!
he thought, afraid to speak. He was surrounded by the same woman.
Must be Twins.

"Triplets!" responded a voice behind him.

About to speak, Freddie decided to remain silent.

"Good. You learn quickly, doesn't he, sisters?"

"Yes. That's too bad," replied the second.

"Definitely, too bad," agreed the third.

As if on some unseen signal, the other women who were standing silently watching started circling him slowly, each one stopping in front of him for a few seconds so he had a clear view of her face. He immediately recognized two of them.

"Charlotte? Pammie?"

The whip sounded and the pain was instantaneous. Biting his lip, he tried not to scream.

"You will talk when we say you can talk," repeated the voice again.

Nodding, Freddie said nothing.

"These are the women you have murdered. They have names. It's good you remember them."

The pimp noticed that each of the triplets took turns speaking, rotating in the same direction every time.

"When you can name all of them, you will have passed the first of your trials."

"And one will be left. Do you understand?"

He nodded his head.

"You may speak!"