The Fall of Lilith

by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

  Lilith narrowed her eyes and plucked a fruit from the tree. Without hesitation, she bit into it. The fruit turned to sand in her mouth. She coughed and gagged and spit, trying to rid herself of the gritty silt in her mouth.

  Before long, the entire tree began to disintegrate, becoming sand, mixing with the soil on the ground. Satan picked Dracul from the ground and stared openmouthed as the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil ceased to exist.

  The fallen angels gaped at the area where it once stood.

  “There is yet another tree far greater than this one,” Samael revealed with an audible tremor in his voice. “It is located in the center of the Garden. It is called the Tree of Life. This tree can give us amazing powers. We can gain immortality and wisdom upon eating of its fruit.”

  “Let us partake of the fruit of this tree and become gods.” Lilith bobbed her head.

  “Will the fruit from the Tree of Life not also become sand in our hands?” Dracul creased his little brow.

  “We have no way of knowing that, my son, but that should not deter us from trying.” Satan put him down.

  “There is but one obstacle.” Samael gulped and rubbed the back of his neck. “The Tree of Life is guarded by Cam and his flaming sword.”

  “Cam is but one, and we are three!” Lilith clenched her fists. “Besides, the fact that this tree is guarded indicates that the fruit may indeed be eaten by us.”

  “Lilith’s logic is undeniable,” Satan said. “We shall leave the Garden, reunite with Gadreel, and form a strategy, thus we shall have a better chance of succeeding.”

  “Why do we need Gadreel?” Lilith put her hands on her hips.

  “Four against one is better than three against one. Is it not?” Satan said.

  “Yes, you are wise.” Lilith turned her face and rolled her eyes skyward.

  Satan took her by the hand. Dracul flew to Satan’s shoulders and rode with his tail wrapped around his neck. Samael followed them. They departed the Garden of Eden, forsaking Adam and Eve to suffer their disobedience and face God’s wrath alone.

  Chapter 46

  Gadreel’s Penitence

  They entered the forest near the Garden and quickly found the cave. Gadreel sat, back curved, legs bent and drawn up to her torso. Head bowed as she hugged her knees and rocked.

  “Gadreel,” Samael said in a blasé voice. “We are back.”

  Upon seeing Dracul riding on Satan’s shoulders, she jumped up and danced around. “Dracul! You are safe!”

  Samael opened his eyes wide at her and pressed a finger to his lips without letting the others see. “Of course, he is safe, why would he not be?”

  Heat bloomed across Gadreel’s face, painting her skin a shade of rose. “I am happy to see him.”

  Dracul swooped off his father’s shoulder to hug her. She kissed his shiny red head, and they all laughed. Samael took a deep breath relieved their incompetence was not revealed.

  Lilith tilted her head back and yelled, “Triumph!” She chuckled and looked at Gadreel. “Our task in the Garden of Eden is almost done. God’s prized creations are tainted. Adam and Eve are no longer pure or perfect as God intended.”

  Gadreel froze and stared with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

  “We returned from the Garden for one purpose only,” Lilith said. “To form a plan to defeat Cam, who guards a sacred tree that can give us godlike immortality.”

  Gadreel’s shoulders slumped and she stared at the ground with an agonized expression. Another day amongst them seemed unbearable and she missed Dagon and her daughters. She must flee, but how? Unsure of what to do next, she remained silent and listened to their schemes.

  Lilith glanced at her sideways.

  “We must forge weapons from raw materials that the forest shall provide. We must not enter the Garden empty-handed,” Satan said. Lilith and Samael nodded and left in search of objects to be shaped into weapons. Gadreel remained seated, staring at the cave floor.

  “Have you ceased to believe in our cause?” Satan raised his eyebrows.

  Gadreel rose to her feet and moved about, inspecting her fingernails. “I––I thought I would stay behind with the little prince.” She shifted her weight to the balls of her feet.

  “Very well, but be certain this time he remains in the cave,” Satan said in a somber tone.

  “I shall take good care of him.” She scratched her nose and avoided his eyes.

  With a deep sigh, Satan hurried to join the others. As soon as he was gone, Gadreel planned her escape.

  “Dracul, you are an intelligent little being, thus, I shall not fret to leave you on your own.” She held on to his shoulders.

  “Why must you leave me?” Dracul’s eyes were large and doleful.

  She passed her hand over his hairless head. “This may be difficult for you to understand but unlike Lilith, Satan and Samael, I yet wish to return to God’s good graces, and I am unable to obtain pleasure from destroying other beings. I am determined to never again allow Lilith to manipulate me into situations that make me feel unworthy of God’s love. There is good in you, Dracul. Remember that. Hold on to it despite what you see happening around you.” She kissed the top of his head. “Besides, I, too, have little ones like you. I miss them. I need to find them, for it has been too long since I have held them in my arms.”

  “I shall go with you and help you find them.”

  She kissed him again. “No, Dracul. If you follow me, I shall be punished. You must vow to stay in the cave until your father and mother return. Stay, I implore you. Otherwise my life shall be forfeit.”

  Dracul nodded, wearing a frown. “I shall stay in the cave until my father returns.”

  When his words of promise reached her ears, she took flight. She flew at full speed toward the beach where she last saw Dagon and her little mermaids.

  Dracul followed her with his eyes until he could no longer see her. He lowered his head and sniffed, holding back tears.

  When the others returned, they found him alone entertaining himself with a bat pup he found hanging upside down in the cave.

  “Where is Gadreel?” Lilith scowled as she looked about the cave.

  “She fled.” Dracul said. “But she made me promise to remain in the cave until you and my father returned.”

  “What do you mean, she fled?” Lilith’s face flushed a raging red.

  “She said she needed to find her little ones––like me.” Dracul looked as innocent as a daisy. His pet bat now hung from one of his horns and he giggled.

  “And you allowed her to leave?” Lilith yelled, making him jump.

  “Enough! Do not yell at our son! He is an innocent,” Satan said. “It is not his doing that Gadreel abandoned us.”

  “I seek retribution for her betrayal!” Lilith’s nostrils flared and her eyes glinted in anger.

  Samael’s face slackened, he shrunk back against the cave wall. “Gadreel, what have you done?” he said, under his breath.

  “Another time, perhaps. We have more pressing matters now,” Satan said.

  “No! We shall leave now before she gets too far out of our reach.” Her face contorted in an all-consuming rage. Dracul jolted. Satan glowered at her. He shifted into the red fiend and clenched his jaw.

  “I have already spoken on the matter.” He grasped her neck with a clawed hand. “Raise your voice to me again, and I shall quiet you for an eternity.” When he released her, she gasped for air and collapsed to her knees, coughing and rubbing her throat. His fingers left stinging scorch marks on her skin.

  Satan turned his sights on Dracul, who was curled into a ball, wide-eyed and trembling. “Do not fear, my son, for no harm shall ever come to you.”

  Lilith glared at Satan and watched him through eyes burning with hatred as he strolled away, carrying his beloved son on his shoulders. Samael glanced at her, but looked away when their eyes met. He followed Satan, out of the cave.

  For all the ways Satan had made her suffer, she would take away that which was mos
t precious to him, inflicting equal wounding. Her revenge was almost complete.

  Day gave way to night as Satan and Samael worked hard to construct weapons worthy of fighting Cam. Using wood, bones, horns, bark, and other materials found in the forest, they made spears, lances, and knives. “I have decided it would be best if we return to the Garden of Eden in the light of day. In the Garden, the debilitating effects of the sun do not affect us. We must rest this night, so we may be revitalized and strong in the morning.” Satan sighed and made himself comfortable next to Lilith, but she turned away from him. Dracul slept at his side.

  Samael slumbered alone in a dark corner of the cave. “Why would Gadreel abandon me?” He placed a hand over the black, heart-shaped mark Cam had inflicted over his own heart. “I shall never give my heart to another.”

  Chapter 47

  Lilith’s Nurturing Ways

  The sun introduced a new day, although inside the cave it was yet dark. Lilith’s body alerted her it was morning, and she rose in the darkness. She strolled from the cave and looked to the east. Slivers of sunlight peeked through the trees. She returned to the cave to wake the others.

  “Wake up, for the sun rises in the sky.” She nudged Satan.

  “It is yet dark.” He shifted.

  “Only in this forest,” she said, and jostled Samael awake with her foot.

  Satan sat upright, and woke his son. “Today is the day we shall acquire everything that is due us.”

  Samael nodded. Lilith wore a smirk.

  “Is it time to go?” Dracul’s eyelids were heavy.

  Lilith portrayed the nurturing mother. “We shall eat first, my son.”

  They hunted in the forest and caught several small animals. Satan allowed Dracul to first drain the animals of their blood while they yet lived. Later, they shared the flesh.

  Lilith observed her son with loathing whilst he drained the animals of their life force. She noticed how he sank his fangs into an animal’s neck, creating two holes from which he drew its blood.

  Her son grew taller and stronger by the day, and his father taught him to be an efficient hunter. Soon he would be able to overpower her. She must act quickly if her plans were to come to pass. While rubbing the blistering burn marks Satan left on her neck after nearly strangling her to death, she conceived a plan.

  “Satan, my prince, I have growing concerns.” Lilith frowned.

  “What troubles you, my treasure?” Satan furrowed his brow. She slid her hand along her throat as she spoke to remind him of what he had done.

  “I have a foreboding regarding our son.” She brooded. “I fear he shall not fare well if he goes into the Garden of Eden with us. He must remain here, but I dare not leave him alone as the callous Gadreel did. I shall stay behind to protect him.”

  “Did you see this in one of your visions?” Satan asked.

  “Yes, but my vision was unclear.” Lilith trembled, terrified he would read her thoughts.

  He took her hand and kissed it. “You fret so for our son. You tremble and I also see fear in your eyes. Your great love for our son moves me. If I hurt you, it is not what I desired.”

  “It is of no consequence now,” Lilith said. Satan kissed her on the lips. When he turned to look at his son, she grimaced and wiped her mouth, for his kiss had long ago ceased being dulcet, and left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  He stood straighter and jutted his chin. “Very well, Samael and I shall confront Cam without you. When we defeat him, we shall partake of the Tree of Life. We shall return for you and Dracul, so the two of you can gain immortality as well. Thenceforth, we shall reign on this planet as gods.”

  Lilith smiled while the corners of her mouth fought to fall and reveal her true self, but she could not expose herself yet, so her rage sat behind the facade and waited for the right moment. She placed her arm around her son and kissed his head. Dracul winced, for he seldom received her affection.

  Satan and Samael uttered their farewells and began their course to the Garden. Lilith wasted no time. As soon as they were out of sight, she took Dracul by the hand and dragged him deep into the forest.

  “Where are we going, mother?”

  “I wish to show you something.” Lilith flashed him a lackluster smile. “Do not fret, for you shall enjoy what I shall demonstrate to you.”

  Dracul slithered through the jungle, looking eager to see his mother’s surprise. Lilith transformed into her snake form, and he beamed. “Now you look similar to me. We both have tails.” Lilith glanced at him and nodded once.

  When she reached a river, she stopped. “Behold! You have never seen or bathed in a waterway like this one before. Go on! Take a closer look, my son.”

  Dracul tilted his head and narrowed his eyes with confusion at her dour expression. He slithered with caution toward the river. He panted and looked at her with a worried grimace.

  “Why do you look at me that way? Why are you moving at the pace of a salamander?”

  Dracul stopped and stared at her with woeful eyes.

  She growled and rushed him, knocking him to the ground. Her pulse beat loudly in her ears, drowning her son’s screams. She wrapped her massive tail around his body and pinned him down.

  He trembled and stared at her with a stunned expression. She ignored his terrified face, grasped his small head with her clawed hand, and exposed his neck. She penetrated his neck with her large, sharp fangs, creating two large holes. Bright red blood spurted from the puncture wounds. Lilith placed her lips over the openings, allowing the arterial spray to fill her mouth with warm blood. She began imbibing his life force. While she drank his blood, he struggled, gurgling, and thrashing his tail.

  She heard her son’s heart pulsating, at first robust and then feeble. After a while, Dracul’s heart ceased beating and he lay lifeless and ashen on the wet soil. Lilith stared at what she had done. Sorrow and remorse tried to creep into her heart, but she disposed of them, and made her heart a rock once again.

  She carried his limp body to the cave.

  “Goodbye, my son.” She muttered the words with scorn. “My only regret is that I shall not see your father’s face when he finds you sprawled on the cold ground, forfeit of life.”

  Afterward, she desired to slip into the Garden of Eden. She craved the fruit of the Tree of Life. She would gain godlike immortality and fly to the cave Satan raved about when they first reunited. She would wait there a while, amongst the cave dwelling animals, where no one would find her until the Garden of Eden became hers to take. Lilith continued to scheme while her son’s blood yet dripped from the corners of her mouth.

  She took a final glance at the small lifeless body and screamed. After emitting several piercing shrieks, she flew to a nearby tree and hid within its branches. When she saw Satan and Samael run through the forest in the direction of the cave, she began to fly from tree to tree, using them as cover until she reached the edge of the forest.

  Still in her snake form, she slithered to the Garden’s entrance and sneaked inside without hesitation. She hid behind a bush decorated with large, exquisite flowers possessing the color and glow of the setting sun.

  “Where art thou?”

  God’s voice was like thunder. Lilith’s body stiffened. She cowered behind the flower bush. Her lips quivered and she was about to show herself when she heard Adam’s voice as he confessed to hiding from Him.

  She puffed with relief realizing that God addressed Adam and Eve, not her. They would soon inform Him of her deceit, but He had not acknowledged her presence in the Garden as yet. Perhaps because of her serpent form, he mistook her for an animal? She peeked around the bush and saw the humans look up to God’s light as he reprimanded them. They were at a great distance from the Tree of Life. She seized the chance and rushed to the tree as fast as possible, taking the risk of being noticed by God. She also chanced a confrontation with Cam.

  She arrived at the tree and froze before it, marveling at its brilliance. Coiling her tail around its base, she slid to a
branch, and plucked one of its blushing fruit. Recalling what happened when she bit into the fruit from the other tree she stared at it, reluctant to put it in her mouth.

  The fruit was like none she had ever seen, draped in shiny reddish-gold. It was cold and smooth in her hand. She placed her mouth over the fruit and sank her bloodstained teeth into its crisp, delicious flesh. The fruit squirted its sweet, succulent juice into her mouth. The scent swathed her like a dip in a pool of warm water, conjuring images of Floraison’s light and bathing in the River of Life. The aroma was bright, cheerful, and more fragrant than any flower in the celestial Triumph Gardens.

  Upon finishing the magnificent fruit, she began to undergo a transformation. She grew stronger, full of energy and vitality. The eyes on her wings gained the power of sight, having been of no use in the past. Now she saw in every direction at once, except directly behind her. The feathers became lustrous and able to withstand extreme temperatures. The inner frame of her wings became stronger, capable of enduring powerful impacts. Her tail grew longer and robust. The colors of her lower half were dazzling. She spread her arms wide, tilted her head back and closed her eyes. “I am becoming godlike.”

  Blinding flashes of lightning sliced through the sky. Thunder, which followed closely, shook the ground. As the wind grew stronger, the numerous trees in the Garden began to disintegrate one by one. The dust left behind by the crumbling trees blew to and fro in the increasing wind. Flowers and greeneries no longer crooned melodies. The vegetation wailed and screeched as it ceased to exist.

  Lilith scanned her surroundings. The colors of the Garden were gone, and only dreariness remained as it all turned to sand. She released the Tree of Life and leapt to the ground before it, too, dissolved. She lifted her eyes to the sky, now an ominous dark gray. A jagged bolt of lightning struck nearby; she jerked. Overhead thunder continued to rumble, boom, and clash. Her hands flew to her ears to cover them. She slithered ahead, leaning into the wind. Dirt and debris whizzed by her, whipping her face. She pressed her eyelids together against the sting of the violent wind. A heavy, humid smell spread through the air. The Garden of Eden was in turmoil. If she did not exit soon, she would suffer the wrath of God.