Son of the Serpent

by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

  “Do not be frightened. It is still I, Dracúl,” I said, waving my hands in front of me.

  She did not say a word but continued to back away, frowning.

  “In the same way you can transform from a mermaid to this form,” I said, gesturing at her legs, “I too am able to take on the form of a human.”

  She calmed and the corners of her lips twitched.

  “Do you not find this form appealing?” I asked, swallowing hard and looking at her, filled with nervous anticipation.

  “You are a beautiful creature, but you resemble a man, and men have not been kind to me,” she said with a haunted look in her eyes.

  “I am sorry you have been mistreated. If only those men who did you wrong were here in front of me, I would teach them the proper way to treat you.”

  Coralia giggled and her cheeks flushed pink.

  “You have no need to fear me, for you are most precious to me. You were my first friend.”

  “Your words are kind,” she said, her voice softer, throaty. She placed a hand on my chest. I was drawn to her.

  “My words are dictated by my heart.”

  “Please continue to tell me how you feel at this moment,” she murmured, twirling a strand of hair through her fingers.

  “I would rather show you.”

  I moved closer to her and touched her golden tresses. As my hand slid through her hair, she tilted her face toward my palm, her cheek nuzzling the inside of my wrist. I caressed her cheek, her neck, her shoulder. Her skin was silky. She closed her eyes, and I leaned in and kissed her on the lips. They were warm, succulent, and so my lips lingered. A current of bliss surged through my being. Despite all the years I have lived, this was my first kiss.

  “Coralia!” a sonorous male voice bellowed, interrupting our moment. We jerked apart to find Dagon stomping toward us. We sprang to our feet.

  “Who is this man?” he asked, grabbing Coralia by the arm.

  “This is no man, my father, for it is Dracúl.” She took my hand.

  Dagon peered at me a moment. I stood silent and still, fear rising in my throat.

  “Yes, you bear resemblance to your father when he was an angel, but you also remind me of someone else.” He stared at me with a hint of suspicion and disapproval.

  “Perhaps I also remind you of my mother?” I said, crossing my arms as I waited for his response. I watched the suspicion in his eyes turn to disgust.

  “Yes. There is a slight resemblance to her too.” Anger, like sharp thorns, formed on his words. “I have told you once before to stay away from my daughter. Why have you chosen to ignore my command?”

  “I–I… I did not—” My words were strangled by Coralia’s pleas.

  “Please, Father, do not be angry with him. He was drowning in the ocean. I sensed his entreaties for help and went to him. I pulled him out of the water so he may live.”

  “Once more you leave the water for him, and now, as before, I must bear witness to your pain and suffering as you return to your aquatic form.” Dagon glared at me again.

  Coralia reached for her father’s arm. “Father, he was unconscious when I brought him out of the water. Please do not be cross with him.”

  My heart ached and grew cumbersome in my chest. She would suffer upon returning to the sea. “Dagon, please allow Coralia and me to remain together awhile longer. Let me show her the beauty of this place, so her sacrifice will not be fruitless.” I bowed my head in reverence.

  “Saving your life was more than fruitful!” She gazed at me, and I thought I beheld a glimmer of love in her brown eyes. She turned to Dagon. “Father, please allow this.”

  “Very well. Go then. But I warn you, Dracúl, if any harm befalls my daughter, your life shall be meaningless.”

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Nodding, I grabbed Coralia’s hand and she giggled as I pulled her along. I could not recall the last time I had been as happy. Thoughts of my mother were buried somewhere in the back of my head.

  “She must return to the ocean by sunset,” Dagon yelled as we hurried away.

  I took Coralia to a nearby forest. She noticed every plant, flower, insect, and animal. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the fragrances of the forest. She tipped her head back to allow the sunlight and shadows to move like dreams across her face. She hummed, swung her arms while spinning, and danced to the rhythm of her laughter.

  My heart seized in my chest as I observed this sublime creature enjoying the natural world. I found an exquisite violet orchid and put it in her curls. Only her gorgeous face could diminish the striking beauty of the flower.

  I made myself brave, drew her to me, and kissed her once more. Afterward, I continued to caress her with my lips, finding it difficult to stop. She did not seem to mind. We kissed and held each other until shadows grew into giants and perished as the sun blazed red-orange and sank.

  One moment Coralia was fine, and the next she went slack in my arms. She winced and moaned, transforming into her aquatic form before my eyes. “My legs! I must return to the sea.” She screamed from the pain as her legs shifted into a fish tail.

  Without hesitation, I transformed into the red fiend, carried her in my arms, and flew to the coastline. Dagon waited in the water with a scowl on his face, already transformed into his merman form. “Bring her in quickly!” he said, gesturing wildly with his arms.

  I changed into my human form and waded toward him with Coralia in my arms, my chest burning and aching to see her this way. I was powerless to help her.

  “Do not leave me, please,” she said, clinging to my arm.

  “You need not ask for such a thing. I will never leave your side again.” I kissed her on the forehead and she smiled for a second, until another wave of pain washed over her.

  “Give her to me,” Dagon said, reaching out to take her from me. “I shall do what is necessary.”

  I stood my ground. “No! I will not relinquish her. I understand what must be done.”

  Dagon thrust his jaw forward as he glared at me.

  “We must go below the water surface now,” I whispered to Coralia. My heart expanded in my chest, becoming heavier with every passing moment. She nodded and reached out to caress my face. She was prepared. I kissed her as I submerged her—a kiss of death.

  I stayed under as long as possible, but eventually I had to come up for air. My lungs on fire, I shot to the surface and took a long, loud breath.

  I had to hold Coralia below the surface until she drowned. I howled as I held her underwater. She began to panic and struggle. I took another deep breath and submerged again, only to see her jerk and flounder as she succumbed. I hugged her tightly until she died. I shuddered as my blood tears diffused in the water and bloomed around us like a red aura. The pain I experienced when her body went limp and lifeless in my arms was beyond words. I released her and allowed what was necessary to happen. I surfaced, weeping, shuddering gasps quaking my body. The agony of losing her, even for an ephemeral instant in time, was unbearable. Dagon watched me the entire time. Was that pity in his eyes?

  All of a sudden, Coralia emerged resplendent from the waves. She was vibrant with the remaining rays of the sun glimmering on her wet skin. I was elated to see her flourish again in her mermaid form.

  In high spirits, she embraced me. “I sensed your presence with me the whole time, and it eased my fear and pain.” Her eyes glittered.

  “My daughter, it is time to feed,” Dagon said, reaching out to Coralia who clung tight to me. “My dearest, you know we must feed immediately after the change.”

  She sighed and released me. I protested and she held my face with both hands. “My father speaks the truth. The change takes so much from us; it is imperative we feed soon after. But do not fret, my love. I shall return soon, for it shall be difficult to be without you.”

  I kissed her once more, our lips melting together in ardor.

  “Coralia! The sooner you go, the sooner you can return,” Dagon said.

  “I shall be sw
ift.” She giggled and dove into the sea.

  Her delight was contagious, and I could not help but chuckle. Her father, however, was not amused.

  “Should you not be on your way as well?” I asked him.

  “I shall not be long, but I need to have a word with you first,” Dagon replied.

  My heart pounded, for I sensed the gravity of his words and knew no good was to come from them. Suddenly, demands as thick as black smoke gushed forth from his mouth.

  “We must part ways here. You must leave my daughter now and never return.”

  A fire ignited in me. “Why? You hate me because I am my mother’s son? You are afraid I will hurt her? I am incapable of hurting her. I would sooner gouge out my eyes and tongue and cut out my own heart, for she is my heart.” I inhaled deeply to catch my breath. “You believe I have an evil nature, that I am a fiend. Perhaps I am, but I love your daughter, and I would give my life for her.” I clasped my hands over my head. I paced in front of him, huffing and puffing, my panic growing.

  Dagon drew a long breath and gripped my shoulders to still me. “I no longer see you as such. I observed how you suffered when she went through the change.” His piercing gray eyes met mine. “Do you desire to see her suffer so, again and again? Because if you stay, this is what shall happen. Every day she shall leave the sea to be with you, and every evening my daughter shall suffer the same fate.” Dagon’s face was etched with sorrow as he spoke this terrible truth.

  He was right. I had a sudden and striking realization: Coralia and I were not meant to be together. To stay would be an act of utter selfishness. The thought of seeing her go through so much pain and suffering was unbearable. She is not for me.

  “I know now I must leave, but I promised her I would always be by her side,” I told Dagon.

  “Although you shall not be with her physically, she shall always keep you close to her heart, and therefore, you shall never leave her.” He looked at me, pity outlining his face. I squeezed my eyes shut, dying inside.

  Chronicles of Lilith - 2

  Upon my arrival on Earth, I discovered my ability to heal live beings of almost anything ailing them, using natural materials from the earth such as seaweed, ocean water, sand, soil, sap from trees, and countless plants and flowers. I honed my healing skills, which had already become something of a miracle after my transformation in Eden. I cured many diseases and disorders of the mind and body. Before long, people arrived in droves from everywhere to receive treatment or to seek remedy for a loved one. I offered them a cure but always for a great price.

  In my travels, I visited a city called Shuruppak. This city interested me because it was located on the bank of the Euphrates River and at precisely the area of the river where a possible ally was imprisoned. A long time ago, Satan and I and a few other rebel angels tried to release Beelzebub from his watery prison and failed. I was not yet a goddess then. Perhaps the outcome would be different now. I shall devise a plan with Asmodeus, Gremory, and Sila at some point. In the meantime, I shall do what I do best and wreak havoc on this city as I search for the being meant to be my companion.

  When I stepped inside the city walls, many recognized me as a powerful healer. Some welcomed me with open arms, while others flinched and ran from me with terror spread across their features.

  “I must have word with your leader.” I put my hands on my hips, raised my chin, and looked down on them. A few of them shrank back, but three men gestured for me to follow them.

  I spoke to the king of Shuruppak and his counselors. King Ubara-Tutu was immediately taken by me, but my very presence had his counselors trembling in fear. They granted my every demand without question. The better educated and wisest of them always feared me the most because they understood my true powers. The king gave me many servants and a grand house located in the middle of the city, where I would perform my healing rituals.

  Many of the citizens of Shuruppak had heard of my miraculous healing abilities and awaited my arrival. I allowed the king to visit me on some nights; in return, I had complete access to anything I desired within the city. Of course, I was able to take what I wanted by force, but it was simpler this way.

  At sunrise of the first morn, I set a large table with my entire collection of powders, potions, and elixirs and sent a servant to notify the inhabitants that I was ready to begin healing those who were sick.

  An older woman, dressed in tattered rags, her face careworn, walked into my healing room with her daughter. They dragged along a sick young man on a stretcher. Together they pulled the unconscious man toward me. Judging by the distressed expressions on the women’s faces, it was a great burden. I watched as they approached me.

  The young woman, whose dress was not quite as worn and ragged as her mother’s, knelt before me. “Please heal my husband,” she said as she looked up at me, her big brown eyes withered from crying. “If my husband dies of disease, no other man will have me. My mother is an old woman and will not be around much longer. I do not want to be alone and forced to sell my body on the streets for food, for that would be my fate if my husband dies.”

  “Do you love your husband?” I asked.

  She gave me a look of confusion. “Yes, of course. I love him with all my heart.”

  “Do you love your mother?”

  She narrowed her eyes, looking even more confused. “What?”

  “It is a simple question. Do you love your mother?” I spat out each word, as if perhaps she needed clarification.

  She bobbed her head, looking bewildered. “Yes, yes, of course I do. My mother has cared for me her entire life. She has made great sacrifices for me. I love her very much.”

  I extended my hand to her. She reached out and took it, and I helped her to her feet.

  I scrutinized her for a moment. “Now it is your turn to make a sacrifice.”

  “I do not understand.” She licked her lips and twirled her long, dark-auburn hair, tucking it behind her ear.

  “Your husband or your mother?” I waited for her answer. She gasped and hurried to her mother’s side. They embraced each other and began to weep.

  I exhaled an exasperated sigh and stepped toward her. “You have lived an uncomplicated life until now. It is time you learn to make difficult decisions. Judging from the bags under your mother’s eyes, her crooked back, and the grays covering her sinewy hair, she has had to make many difficult decisions throughout the years. Thus, who lives?”

  She wailed and shook her head. “Why must I choose? I simply want you to heal my husband. Please, just heal him.”

  I walked up to her, grabbed her by the arm, and pushed her forward, forcing her to face her mother and husband. “There is nothing simple about this,” I whispered loudly in her ear. “You asked me to cure what ails your husband.” I released her and shoved her forward. Then I walked to the stretcher and looked down on her husband, feigning pity.

  “I can heal him. I can make him whole again. When I am done with him, he shall be healthier and stronger than he has ever been. You could bear his children and live a long and happy married life together. However, I do require payment. A life for a life. What say you?”

  She ran back to her mother, both ladies squealing as they held on tight to one another.

  I rolled my eyes, signaling to my servants as I walked away. “Get rid of them. They are wasting my time. There are many others waiting to be healed.”

  “Wait!” the young woman said, scuttling to me. “Please, heal my husband!”

  “Then you have made up your mind—your mother’s life for that of your husband?”

  She turned to face her mother, her face contorting and her voice quavering. “I am so sorry. Please forgive me,” she said as she sobbed into her hands.

  The older woman’s body slumped and her lips quivered. “Look at me, child,” she said. The young girl’s eyes shifted, never looking at her mother. “I am an old woman. I have lived my life. Do what you must.” She spread her arms wide, palms up, maintaining her gaze on
her daughter.

  I proceeded to my table and looked through the remedies and potions. I picked up a small bottle containing herbal oil, along with a funnel. I looked at the young man strewn on the stretcher. His complexion was a horrid, sallow hue. Darkness encircled his eyes, and patches of hair had fallen from his head, leaving behind bald spots. His pulse was feeble and his breathing shallow. The shadow of death was already upon him.

  I expanded my wings. Both mother and daughter screamed. I had the ability to make my wings diaphanous, so as not to be seen by human eyes, but now I chose to display them. They were enormous and covered with feathers as black as night. The anterior side of my wings was also covered with eyes, some blue and some brown ones. Now, all my eyes—including the ones on my face—glared at the young woman.

  “I shall give your husband half of the medicinal tonic now, and then after your payment I shall give him the final dosage. Are you certain you have made the right decision? After I give him the first dose there is no turning back. To break an oath with me is to die a prolonged and horrific death, and in this case, every one of you shall die.”

  She trembled and stared wide-eyed at me. She rubbed the nape of her neck and glanced at her husband, and then she looked at her mother once more before turning to me. “I will stand by my decision.” Her voice was soft and brittle.

  I measured her with a sidelong glance. “Very well.” I crouched by her husband’s stretcher. I turned his head to one side, exposing his ear canal. I positioned the funnel and poured the potion into his ear. I rose to my feet and observed him.

  “D-did it work?” The young girl bit her lip.

  I held up a finger. “Wait.”

  The young man cringed, squirmed, and moaned. He coughed and wheezed.

  The young woman gasped. “What is happening to him?”