The Fall of Lilith

by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

  Gadreel lifted her moist, imploring eyes and gazed at her.

  Lilith extended her hand and pulled her friend to a standing position. Gadreel winced when she placed a foot on the ground. She lifted her leg, grabbed her aching ankle and rubbed it. Then she noticed how soiled her dress had gotten. She grimaced and tried to remove some of the mud but only succeeded in spreading the dirt further. Sensing Lilith’s impatience, she searched her face.

  “Stop looking at me that way,” Lilith said.

  “Apologies––I hate to delay you.”

  “You are constantly stumbling. We have only reached fifteen ages of life and have much growing to do. You shall not make it to maturity if you continue being so clumsy.”

  Gadreel avoided her gaze. “I shall be fine. Perhaps we should find the others.” She put her foot down, clenching her teeth and wincing. She grabbed Lilith’s hand and began hobbling beside her.

  Lilith scowled at her. “Your hands are dirty!”

  Gadreel gave her a toothy grin. Lilith giggled and returned her smile.

  “I suspect we shall find Michael at Guidance Park,” Lilith said as they strolled.

  Guidance Park was a vast yard bordered on the north by Mount Verve. Dangerous forests enclosed the park on the east and west. The only permitted entry and exit was through two large, carved wooden doors located in the southern area of the yard. The smaller, but deadly, South Forest flanked the great wooden doors. The angels were forbidden to venture into any of the perilous woods edging Guidance Park.

  Lilith was right––Michael was at the park sparring with Lucifer. They wrestled in the area of the park called Performance Circle. Each wore a piece of soft, lightweight white cloth, passed between the thighs and wound around the waist.

  “Michael, Michael!” Lilith waved. “I have a new game I would like us all to play!”

  Michael turned his deep viridian eyes her way. Lucifer took advantage of the distraction to knock him to the ground and straddle him. Lilith gasped. Biting her lip, Gadreel glanced at her. They gaped as Lucifer held Michael down.

  Lilith observed Lucifer. He was a formidable opponent for Michael, even as a youngster he had broad-shoulders, hypnotic blue eyes, and long, thick dark hair like black garnet. His pure white wings grew larger and mightier with the passing of time, but even with his gifts, she believed he could not defeat Michael.

  She turned her gaze to Michael. He was God’s favorite––she was certain of it. Because of this she decided not to compete with him. Instead, she would make him her ally and catapult him to the greatest heights. Every angel would do all he commanded, and she would bend him to her will. As he was God’s beloved, so would he be hers.

  Grunting, Michael shoved Lucifer, who tumbled to the ground and rolled away. Gadreel stood on her tiptoes, nibbling her fingers. Lilith cheered as Michael jumped to his feet. His cropped blond hair shone like golden stardust in brillante light. He pounced on Lucifer, knocked him down, and pinned him to the ground. Lilith grinned, admiring Michael’s power. She clapped and cheered for him, and Gadreel followed her lead.

  “Great match, my brother. I learn something new from you every time we wrestle.” Michael smiled, energetic green eyes earnest.

  Lucifer sighed and placed his hand on his shoulder. “It pleases me that I can make you a better fighter, but I fear this shall be the last time you are one step ahead of me.”

  Michael smiled and nodded.

  “Michael, you are the greatest warrior in Floraison!” Lilith twirled her long, dark hair around her fingers. Her eyes were a quiet storm and her heart beat fast with excitement. Michael thrilled her. God created him to be the best. She could learn much from him. She could become as powerful as he––if he would make it so. She would become vital to his very existence, and then once she was invaluable to him, he would make her his equal.

  “You almost cost me the fight when you arrived.” Michael scowled. “You must not distract me when in the middle of a bout.”

  Gadreel bit her quivering lower lip and glanced at Lilith.

  Lilith grinned. “I apologize for diverting your attention. It was not my intention.”

  Michael smiled a faint smile and nodded. Gadreel stared at the ground. Lilith bit the inside of her lower lip and remained silent.

  Lucifer had seen and heard everything and came forward. “Your game intrigues me.”

  Lilith grinned. She scanned the park and counted many other angels nearby: Jetrel and Raquel chatting, Dagon and Fornues racing around, Hashmal and Esar playing, and Beelzebub and Cam lying on the grass while listening to Gabriel’s singing. She beckoned them all.

  Beelzebub pranced to her. Hashmal and Esar strolled, but Esar did a cartwheel as he came near. Dagon and the others joined in, while Fornues clomped behind him, muttering under his breath.

  Gadreel looked around for Samael, but could not find him. She gazed at the ground frowning, rocking on her feet.

  “What goes on here?”

  She raised her head and her face came to life when she realized Samael had asked the question. Her almond-shaped, russet eyes gleamed with delight. “Samael!” She ran to him, her wild, golden curls twirled and looped in the wind.

  “We are going to play my new game.” Lilith looked pleased with herself.

  “Can I play too?” Samael asked.

  “Of course.” Gadreel interrupted their dialogue, looking giddy. Lilith scowled. Did Gadreel presume to take over her game? Only she decides who takes part in her activities.

  Her friend gawped at her.

  “Of course, Samael,” Lilith said in a fawning voice. “You are one of the most nimble angels in Floraison. You would make my game all the more fun.”

  Samael licked his lips and smiled. Lucifer sucked his teeth and looked away.

  “Go on, Lilith. Tell us how to play now,” Fornues said, grumbling.

  “Must we wait forevermore?” Beelzebub rolled his eyes and placed a hand on his hip.

  “Just give me a––” Lilith began.

  Esar began to perform weird tricks with his tongue. He stuck it out, folded it in half, and twisted it from side to side. Then he waved his tongue back and forth, so it undulated like the ripples on a lake.

  The angels laughed and stared in amazement at his tongue.

  “Why do you do such strange things, Esar?” Beelzebub opened his eyes in an exaggerated manner. “I often wonder if God made you merely as a joke to amuse the rest of us.”

  Lilith smirked. Oh Beelzebub, you’re the amusement.

  “If watching my stunts causes someone to smile, that pleases me,” Esar said. Beelzebub’s forehead puckered, he rolled his pale green eyes and retreated.

  “Enough!” Lilith yelled. “The hour has come to play.”

  Michael turned and began to walk away.

  “Michael?” Lilith frowned. “Why are you leaving? You shall not play my game?”

  “Apologies, Lilith. I have important things to do. Playing is for children and I do not consider myself a child any longer.” Michael looked at her with an apologetic expression and then turned and walked away.

  Heat rose from the pit of Lilith’s stomach and bloomed on her face. Her eyes narrowed to slits on her red face, her nostrils flared and her hands clenched. He was making a habit of rejecting her and she was beginning to feel differently toward him.

  “Let us play then,” Lucifer said with a grin.

  Lilith took a deep breath and stood before them. “I shall choose one of you to be it.” She pointed at them one by one. “It shall cover his or her eyes while the others hide. Then it shall try and find us.”

  “We shall play in this area,” Lilith added, indicating the area bordered by Mount Verve, the River of Life, and the East and South Forests. She strutted to a large tree and beckoned everyone to gather round. “I choose Fornues to be it. He shall cover his eyes and wait while the rest of us hide.”

  “Me?” Fornues’s large, heavy-lidded eyes opened wide. “Why me?”

  Beelze
bub sucked his teeth. “Obviously because you are far too large to find a suitable hiding place. It would be easier to hide the tree that stands before us.”

  Gadreel lowered her head and placed the back of her hand over her mouth to conceal her giggles.

  Fornues’ face grew bright pink, and he glowered at Beelzebub. Lilith grabbed a small section of his long, wavy auburn hair and yanked on it. He turned to face her. She let go of his hair, and he scowled as he rubbed his aching scalp.

  “Pay attention,” she told him. “You shall count to fifty against this tree while we hide. This tree shall also be home base. Stay alert, because as you are searching for us, we shall try to run to home base.”

  Fornues scrunched his brow, gazed downward, and scratched his head. Dagon saw his confusion and went to assist. “Fornues, you go hide with the others. I shall be it.”

  Raquel smiled at Dagon, and he returned her smile. Lilith watched their brief interaction and smirked.

  “Very well, let us get underway!” Lilith yelled. “Count to fifty, Dagon. Then find and tap the hidden players. At the same time, try to tap the running players before they get to home base. The first player you tap shall be it in the game that follows.”

  Dagon nodded and turned to face the large tree. He covered his eyes with both hands. He began to count, and the young angels scurried in every direction.

  There were plenty of trees, shrubs, and bushes at the perimeter of the game. The youths ran. Some climbed trees while others dove behind bushes and shrubs. They spooked many animals; small rodents with fuzzy tails dashed to and fro, tree animals swung from one branch to the next, and graceful felines leapt from trees and slunk away.

  Lilith skittered to a flowering shrub and hid behind it. She saw Samael and waved him over. He squatted by her side.

  “Gadreel, Fornues, come here!” Lilith called when she spotted them. They hurried and crowded next to her and Samael. “This bush shall not hide all of us. It is too small.”

  “Where should we hide?” Fornues looked bewildered.

  “There are plenty of shrubs and trees. Look around and find your own location.” Samael shoved him and shifted, showing his discomfort.

  “Or––we can find a place where we can all hide together?” Lilith said.

  “For what purpose?” Samael frowned.

  “It would be more fun if we hid together,” she said with an appealing grin.

  “Indeed, let us find a suitable area.” Gadreel jumped to her feet. Lilith pulled her back down.

  “I know of a perfect place.” Lilith’s smile was devious. Finally, the excitement she craved.

  Lilith led the others to the edge of the East Forest. Raquel and Jetrel hid within the branches of a nearby tree and watched the group pass them by.

  “Where is Lilith taking the others?” Raquel asked Jetrel.

  “I know not.”

  “I believe she leads them to the East Forest.” Raquel seemed alarmed. “She means for them to enter.”

  “No, it cannot be so. Lilith knows we are forbidden to enter.”

  “Still, she moves toward its entrance, and the others follow,” Raquel said.

  Jetrel glanced at her with a concerned expression. When she observed Lilith and her group, her expression changed to a glower.

  Lilith scanned the faces of those with her and smiled mischievously. There was no better time to test her ability to influence others to do her will. For the most part, she had always been able to influence other angels to do her bidding, but never something as big as this. If she succeeded, it would make her powerful in the eyes of the angels. She could exercise this talent, and no one shall be the wiser.

  “Dagon would never find us in there,” Lilith coaxed the others, pointing at the East Forest with her nose. Fornues stared at her, his big droopy eyes looking more awake than usual.

  Gadreel’s eyes opened wide. “Lilith, you know we should not enter the forests. It is prohibited.”

  “We are not going to enter the forest.” Lilith smiled and caressed her face. “We shall simply step a few feet inside and remain within the outer edge. Surely that is not what God meant when He said not to enter the forest.”

  “Still, it feels wrong,” Gadreel said. “We have no right to question God’s rules.”

  “I agree,” Samael said. “We should not venture past the bordering trees.”

  Lilith wore a jeering expression. “So, you do not trust yourselves to stay within the outer edge of the forest?” Lilith teased. “You are weak-minded and cannot control your actions?” If she could influence them to break God’s rules, it would prove that she was quite influential. The consequences may prove exciting.

  Samael seemed irresolute about whether to do as Lilith asks. He glanced at Gadreel and then at Fornues. They stared at him like turtle hatchlings waiting for their parent to show them the way to the river.

  “I have no such weaknesses,” he told Lilith.

  “Prove it!” She mocked him. “Step beyond the bordering trees and remain within the edge of the forest, hidden behind a bush or rock, until the game ends.”

  He inhaled and stepped past the strip of trees along the border of the East Forest.

  “No! Do not go any further.” Gadreel ran after him. Fornues stomped in after Gadreel, and they both entered the forest. Lilith laughed, amused by her power over them. She continued to watch, narrowing her eyes as she waited to see if anything happened to them. When nothing did, she could not resist and walked in after them.

  Fornues found a large moss-covered rock suitable to hide behind. Lilith squatted behind a large shrub. Gadreel crouched next to her. Samael hid behind a tall tree covered in vines. They waited.

  Gadreel trembled and pressed her body against Lilith.

  “Stop shaking so.” Lilith bumped her.

  “Why does the darkness rule here?” Gadreel’s lips quivered.

  “The trees cover us from Floraison’s light,” Lilith said. “Now, be quiet. Otherwise we shall be discovered.”

  Gadreel held tight to Lilith’s arm and placed her head on her shoulder. Lilith rolled her eyes but rested her head on Gadreel’s.

  Samael reclined against the tree. He experienced a piercing pain almost immediately. He jumped forward and whisked around to stare at the tree. The vines climbing the trunk were covered in red spines as long as his fingers. Pairs of large, dark green leaves also grew along the length of the plant. The leaves were shaped like small angel wings––yet eerie and menacing. Samael had never seen anything like it. He looked around and noticed the vines covered almost everything, including the ground. They even entwined the tallest trees, forming a dense canopy.

  The wing-like leaves began to flutter lifting the vines off the ground and trees, allowing them to hover above the angels. The vines began to move, flying hither and thither. Hundreds of leaves were beating at once, creating a loud, eerie flapping noise.

  Gadreel covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes. Lilith stared openmouthed as the vines came alive, whipping through the air and slithering on the ground. She jumped to her feet and scurried toward the edge of the forest. Gadreel gasped and tried to follow her but instead stumbled to the ground.

  “Lilith, help me!” Gadreel reached for her as vines wrapped around her body, their red thorns pricking her skin. Lilith looked over her shoulder and saw her friend ensnared by the vines but did not stop. She escaped the forest.

  Lilith encountered Raquel and Jetrel standing a few feet from the edge of the forest. Raquel was developing as the clever one, but for all her knowledge, could she have done what Lilith did? Jetrel was becoming a great warrior, yet she too could not have accomplished what she had done. Lilith had influenced three angels to break God’s law with only a few well-chosen words. No doubt these two would try to judge her for it.

  Lilith glowered at them as she tried to catch her breath.

  “Where are the others?” Raquel’s face was etched with concern.

  “I tried to help them,”
Lilith said, gasping, “but I was too weak, so I escaped to get help.”

  “You should have never led them into those woods.” Jetrel flung herself at her. Raquel held her back. “You know they are forbidden to us.”

  “It was not my plan to enter the forest.” Lilith curled her lips with icy contempt. “Gadreel wished for us to hide together.”

  Jetrel’s eyes narrowed into slits as she scrutinized her.

  “What is happening?” Michael marched toward them. Raphael, Cam, Esar, Hashmal and Dagon were with him.

  “Lilith, Gadreel, Samael, and Fornues ventured into the East Forest,” Raquel told them, her voice thick with apprehension.

  Michael raised his eyebrows and glanced at Raphael and Cam. Hashmal and Esar stared at each other struck dumb with wonder.

  Dagon aimed his sights at the dark woods. “Lilith stands before me, but where are the others?”

  “They remain within the darkness of the forest.” Raquel’s deep-set green eyes glistened like misted fern.

  Dagon stepped toward the forest. Michael and Raphael swiftly held him back.

  “Release me. I must help my friend!” Dagon struggled to get free. “Fornues shall not know what to do if he finds trouble.”

  Raquel crossed her hands over her mouth, moved by Dagon’s concern for his friend.

  “You must not make the same mistake our friends made.” Michael stood between Dagon and the forest. “We are not allowed to enter. You know this.”

  Michael and Raphael released him. Dagon closed his eyes and hung his head.

  “Our friends are in God’s hands now.” Raphael stared into the gloom beyond the bordering trees. “If God chooses to save them, then they shall be saved.”

  Raquel nodded and caressed Dagon’s head with her hand. Dagon lifted his doleful eyes and smiled at her. “And if God chooses not to save our friends?” he asked in a brittle voice. Raquel frowned as she gazed at his pained face. Raphael shook his head and turned away.

  Lilith lowered her head and bit her lower lip only now realizing the consequences of her actions.

  “If God chooses not to save them, they shall forever become a part of the darkness they are now in,” Jetrel said.