Around the outer edge of the stone was a circle that one of the roots tapped into and along the circle at twelve equidistant points a different character of his language was inscribed. He had no idea why they were in the order they were in, there was no saying that he knew of and they did not match the twelve tribes.
However the work as a whole was amazing, even a master stonemason could not have done the work as well. Then something else drew his attention and he looked into the carved lines. Within each line were thousands of letters of his language strung together in an endless series of words. This was more than just an amazing piece of work, this was a miracle. He turned to the prophetess and said, “I could not have made this."
"But you did, my son."
"There is no way, I could have. Those words, those are incantations, I could not have known those.” Zachariah looked at her. He could feel terror rising in his heart.
"Calm, my boy, what you have done you have done as an instrument. Whether it was God himself that worked through you, or an angel or one of the prophets returning to guide your hand, whoever it was the work is done. Now, whether it is used for good or evil depends upon you and Lilith."
Zachariah looked around, “Lilith, I need to see her."
Part Four
The Ring
Chapter Fifteen
Zachariah struggled on his own for several moments before the prophetess caught up to him. Even at her advanced age the little support she could offer him was a help for he had been on his hands and knees on top of the stone for a month. His legs would not straighten fully and his arms were sore and crooked. Yet he limped forward with determination to reach his home. He tried to yell but his voice was weak and hoarse from having done no talking. He had only been barely able to whisper to the old woman when she had woken him and he had seen the ‘Z'. Suddenly he heard the old woman intake a deep lung full of air. It reminded him of the way the bellows by the smelting furnace took in air. Then she yelled out across the field with such force that he half expected to see the thatch of his roof go flying off and into the distance.
It was only a brief moment after the release of her verbal assault that the door to his house opened and Lilith appeared. She was the first one through the door but was followed closely by his father and mother. His father passed Lilith and ran to help the old woman support him. Lilith and Rachel also came to his side. When Lilith was near enough Zachariah let go of the prophetess and wrapped his arms around Lilith. He hugged her with what little strength he had. “To me it seems I was only in there a short time but my body tells me it was much longer, how long has it been?"
Zakarias answered, “The doors closed on you thirty days ago."
He turned and looked at the old woman, “A full month. You kept me from my family a full month?"
She looked at him and in a voice as cold as ice said, “It was not I that kept you there. It was the calling of the one that put you in the trance. You saw the work, and you know it was by the design of a powerful and good being so do not question the time.
"As far as your pains, they will heal. Before your parents return from taking me home you will be your old self again."
Zachariah looked at her and asked, “When do you leave?"
"I figured I would give you at least tonight and one more day with your parents before separating you again, then I will leave.” She then looked to Lilith, “There will be no payment for this, what was done had to be done. It is His will.
"However, for the time that I am to remain here, I will stay in the shop and sleep there. So that the family can be a family and not have to worry about a strange old woman being around."
"No,” Rachel interjected, “you can sleep in Zakarias’ and my house."
"It is not necessary. I have made myself a spot in the shop where I have slept for nearly a month. I am quite comfortable there.” Then she turned and headed toward the shop. Zakarias watched as she closed the door behind her.
The three helped Zachariah into his home and to his bed where they all sat about him and talked. He wanted his father to see the symbol so badly, but decided it could wait until just before they were ready to leave so that they did not disturb the prophetess.
Rachel and Zakarias decided to let Lilith and their son have some time alone so they stepped into the front room and went to the corner where they had slept while their son was sequestered within the shop.
Once his parents had stepped out Zachariah looked at Lilith and said, “I cannot believe how good you look to my eyes. I still cannot believe it has been a month, but you look like you are glowing. Come lay with me my wife."
"But Zachariah you are in too much pain for us to do anything.” She said as she lowered her eyes.
"My love, I just want to feel you next to me."
Lilith climbed onto the bed and helped him sit up. Slowly she undressed him, doing her best that his stiff joints and muscles would not be hurt even more. Then she stood and removed her own clothing as he watched. Looking at him she smiled and said, “I do not think your body realizes you are in pain."
He looked down and saw that his cock was as hard as it could be and laughed, “I guess it has a mind of its own. If I were not in so much pain I would let it guide me tonight."
Lilith smiled as she climbed in beside him and then slid her hand down to his manhood and began to stroke him slowly. “Perhaps letting it have a mind of its own will ease a little of your pain.” Then she slid her head under the blanket and he soon felt her lips upon his cock.
He bit his lip. It was one thing for his parents to hear Lilith moan and scream and quite another for them to hear him, but Lilith was doing everything she could to get even with him for embarrassing her that night. Her tongue ran up and down his shaft, teasing the head, and then down again. Then suddenly without warning she sucked one of his balls into her mouth. He could taste blood where he had bitten his lip hard to keep from moaning out loud. When she released his ball she flicked it with her tongue and then slid her tongue up his shaft again before taking his cock into her mouth.
She plunged her head down his shaft all the way. He could feel the back of her throat open as she swallowed and took all of his cock into her mouth. There was nothing he could do, a low guttural moan escaped then he grabbed a pillow and held it to his mouth, his arms screaming in protest from the sudden movement but the pleasure was too great and he did not care. Up and down on his shaft her head bobbed, faster and faster. Her mouth sucking harder, her cheeks pulled tight against his shaft from the suction. He began to lift his hips and piston into her mouth as she ground down upon him. Then he felt the surge building and with both hands he held the pillow to his mouth as he screamed out and his seed erupted into Lilith's mouth.
Slowly she bobbed her head a few more times then with her hand she milked the last of his seed from him, licking it from the tip as it came out. Lilith climbed up beside her husband and kissed his lips. He did not even mind the taste of his seed upon her lips. He actually liked it for it was a blend of her lips and him. She whispered, “Now tomorrow you can tell your mother what I did.” Then she laughed and hugged him tight.
When they awoke the warmth from her body alone had eased much of the pain of his muscles and Zachariah found he could move easier. He was still stiff so his mother took some liniment that had mint and cactus juice blended into it and worked it into the muscles of his arms and legs.
That day they were a family, spending time together, laughing, and joking. Zachariah was glad his mother mentioned nothing about any sound she had heard the night before but Lilith seemed a little disappointed. There were a few times she even hinted but if the two had heard anything they were being discreet and not giving into her attempts to rouse their curiosity.
The day passed and their evening meal went quietly. They knew that the old woman would be waking them up before dawn to get started so they decided to get to bed early. As Lilith and Zachariah turned to head to bed Zakarias spoke up and said, “Lilith, before you g
o to bed. Can you tell Rachel what it was you were doing to my son last night that made him moan like that?"
Lilith turned a bright red and quickly turned and ran for the bedroom. Zakarias rolled back onto the pillows and laughed loudly. As Zachariah looked at his parents Rachel was pounding on his chest and he heard her saying, “Papa, you are just awful! You told me you would not embarrass the girl!"
Zachariah turned to follow Lilith but heard his father say, “Baby, it is so much fun to see you women turn as red as you do."
"Oh Papa!” Zachariah heard a thud and he knew Rachel's fist had connected with his father's chest again.
That night Lilith and Zachariah just slept cuddling, holding onto each other. It was not embarrassment that kept them from their lovemaking, but that Zachariah wanted to just hold her close and feel her warmth. “Lovemaking is wonderful,” he had told her, “but sometimes just being close to the one you love is more precious than all the lovemaking combined."
She had smiled at him and nestled under his arm, resting her head upon his chest. He kissed the top of her head and went to sleep with the sweet scent of hyacinth from the soap she used to wash her hair.
The next morning as the old prophetess barged in under the flap and smacked her cane down to awaken everyone; there was a surprise in store for her. For everyone was up and ready for her. In fact they were shocked that she was not already aware that they were awake for it seemed that she had known everything else. She just laughed and said that she was not connected with the Lord all the time, just on important things. Sometimes she just went about her life like everyone else did. They all nodded for that was easy to accept, for surely God had other prophets that needed His time as well.
After their morning meal Zachariah and his father loaded the wagon and then helped the prophetess and Rachel up into it. They said their farewells then Lilith and Zachariah stood arm in arm as they watched the wagon pull away.
From the moment the wagon disappeared from their sight Zachariah could feel a change sweep over Lilith. She suddenly felt cold. She did not say a word as she disengaged from his arm and went back into the house. He followed her in and watched in silence as she cleaned up after the morning meal.
Whenever he would try to start a conversation she would look at him and he could see tears in the corners of her eyes but if he tried to approach to comfort her she would abruptly turn her back to him and continue with what she was doing. Even as they lay in bed she had her back to him and was as far from him as she could be. When he attempted to scoot closer she started to rise from the bed so he said, “Lilith, stay. I will slide back over.” Then he moved to the other side of the bed and lay watching her trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Had he done something? Did his father's comment upset her so badly? If so why did she not react at all until after he was gone and why was she not telling him now when he was gone and she had Zachariah all to herself?
All night he lay there and could not sleep as he watched her. After a while he could tell from her breathing that she had drifted to sleep so he rose and dressed then went out and stood just outside the door and looked up into the sky watching the stars.
A star streaked across the sky, bright and sparkling. Shortly after it had vanished another shot across the sky. It was not as bright and it lived shorter upon the night. Something told Zachariah that he had witnessed an omen but of what he had no clue. He gazed a while longer at the night sky before striding across the field to his shop.
As he entered and looked at the stone he suddenly remembered he had wanted to show his father the symbol before he had left but the prophetess had been in such a rush that it had slipped his mind. Now as he looked upon the stone again he still felt like he had not done the carving. It could not have been his hand that had carved that image; he had not the skill or talent within him. He might have been the tool that had been used but some other being had been the craftsman. Maybe even the prophetess herself had possessed him and guided his hand.
The light of the sun began to pry its way through the gaps within the thatch of the roof and trace its delicate fingers along the stone. Zachariah watched as they drifted across the ‘Z’ and he almost fell into another trance when he heard a soft tap at the door behind him. He turned and saw Lilith standing in the open doorway.
"Zachariah, may I please approach you and talk to you.” She said with her head lowered. He could see wetness upon her cheeks and knew she had been crying.
He lifted his hands to her and beckoned her in, “I was wondering when you would tell me what was wrong. Please come and talk to me."
Lilith shook her head ‘no’ and said, “I cannot take your hands yet, Zachariah, for I fear what I have to tell you more than I fear death. Please just let me come close and kneel upon the floor while I confess my past and my sins to you."
Zachariah suddenly felt very ill, yet he nodded and agreed to let her do as she wished. Lilith entered and stopped about two paces from him then before she knelt she stripped off her clothing and set it in a heap on the ground. She took from the dirt on the floor and rubbed it on her and then knelt on the floor and said, “I come to you naked, to reveal all that I am to you and hide nothing. I am filth, vile since the beginning of time, created from the dust of the earth and cursed by God."
For more than three hours Lilith poured out everything. She told her entire history from her creation by God to her discovery of her curse to the vile things she had done. She told of how she had crawled out of the earth so weak from starvation that she did not think she could live. That was the day he had found her.
She told of her shock at being able to eat regular foods and of not being hurt by the sun. She had not understood why until three months later when he had proposed to her. She still could not fully comprehend until he had told her of his prayer and that he had loved her from the moment he had seen her.
She also told him that she was the one that had killed the others in the other villages. She told him that she had a hunger within her that she had not yet learned to control but when she had felt that her husband's life could be in danger she had come to control it to protect him. Zachariah could see that she was laying herself bare before his eyes so that he could see and hear everything that she had done. Yet it did not stop the feelings that had risen within him.
While she spoke he saw before him a woman that had lied to him from the day they had met. Finally she stopped and laid her arms out before her and placed her forehead upon the ground in a symbol of subjugation.
Zachariah stood and looked down upon her. His heart was beating rapidly with anger. He did not know how he could still feel love for this monster at his feet and yet he did. “Lilith, all I can see before me is a liar."
She raised her head to look up at him, tears streaking down her cheeks. “Husband, please."
"Do not call me that,” he hissed from between his clenched teeth. “From the day you met me you have lied to me. You said you did not know your past and you knew everything. You hid a monster in the house of my parents. You could have killed us in our sleep. I do not know why you did not.
"Maybe you had to find out why you could eat and be in the sun, so you kept us alive for information.” He turned and looked at the stone, then while staring at the stone asked, “From the day you entered my life how many men did you slay and reduce to nothing but bones and dust before you stopped?"
"Fifteen."
Zachariah spun around and stared at her, “Fifteen, is that all?"
"Yes."
"And to you it is just a number. You do not even see all the lives of the people you ruined by killing those fifteen men.” He spat on the ground in front of her. He remembered the man emptying the bones of his son upon the table in front of the village elders and now he knew it was his wife who had been responsible for the loss of both of his sons.
That filled him with deep seated anger, but what surprised him was that rising above even that anger was the jealousy he felt knowing that she had stood naked
and lured the men to their deaths with promises of sexual pleasures. Just having them look upon her was a sin. She was supposed to be his.
"Your body was supposed to be mine and mine alone from the day we got engaged."
Lilith looked at him and raised her arms to him and said, “It has been, Zachariah."
"You lie! You used your nakedness to tempt some of those men to their death after we were engaged, and some even after we were already married and sharing our bed.” He stood and lifted his hand but stopped himself. He had never hit a woman. He could not hit Lilith even if she were a monster.
Sitting back down he looked at her and said, “Show me!"
Lilith looked at him perplexed, “Show you what, Zachariah?"
"You said you could change form. I want to see them all, show me."
"Please, Zachariah, don't make me do this!"
He gritted his teeth and said once more, “Show me!"
Lilith stood and first she shifted into the form of the cave bear. The bear was wounded. A large gash was across its right forearm. Then she shifted into the wolf and it too showed injury as it held one paw up and limped about. Next she shifted into the large bat, who was badly hurt; one of its wings had been completely ripped off. She followed that by the rat, which was missing its tail. The last she shifted into was an asp; it had been another creature she had drained while she was in the cave after the flood. It was the only one that showed no injury.
Then she stood before him as Lilith again.
"Did you not say you could become a monstrous form, as well as the shape of every man you had drained, and what about the hairy man?” Zachariah asked.
Lilith held her hands together and pleaded with him but he stood adamant. So she shifted into the Neanderthal first, then several of the men she had killed and finally into the monster she had first found she could be. Not once during her changes did Zachariah make even the slightest of sounds, not even when she turned into the monstrous form. When she was done he looked at her and said, “I know you did not show me all the men because I counted five, but that is okay. It was enough. Now tell me, you said that when you shifted you would heal. Why were so many of your forms injured then?"
The Crimson Z Page 57