by Nancy Madore
Lilith slowly unsheathed her own dagger and waited, like a tigress ready to pounce, for the right moment. Butterflies fluttered wildly in her stomach. Minutes went by. The guard stood remarkably still. He did very little fidgeting and there were very few distractions. It was a calm night. Even so, the guard seemed fairly alert. Lilith waited. She had all night, and she knew from stalking animals that patience was a virtue that was always rewarded.
All of a sudden the man’s head moved up the littlest bit. He sniffed several times. Lilith poised herself for action. She watched the guard with the same intensity that she pursued a dangerous animal in a hunt. The man sniffed again and then inhaled deeply. Before he was able to fully execute his sneeze Lilith thrust her dagger into his kidney and gave it a twist, effectively paralyzing—and silencing—him while she jerked back his head and then quickly and cleanly sliced his throat. The man had not uttered a sound.
Lilith dragged the guard’s body around to the side of the building until they were in the shadows. She quickly searched his armored cloak for the silver badge that held the mark of the Lagash warrior. Finding it, she cut it from the garment and placed it in a little pouch that was attached to her belt. She felt a sudden, wild thrill of triumph. But there was still a long night ahead. It would not do to start congratulating herself yet.
Lilith looked around. The city was deathly quiet. She could see its towering walls in the not so far off distance. She began warily working her way toward them, moving quickly and stealthily, careful not to make a sound. Although the streets were empty, she moved cautiously from one form of cover to another, hunching down to make herself seem smaller. She traveled as fast as she could without allowing herself to get too winded. Even so, her heart was racing dangerously by the time she reached the outer walls of the city. She hung back, trailing the wall from a short distance until she found the gate, and then kept on even farther in order to assess the situation on the other side as well. It appeared that the gate was only guarded for about fifty yards on either side. Lilith counted seven guards on the upper wall. She figured there were several more on the stairs, and a few watchmen inside the gate. She would remove the guards along the wall first.
Lilith inched her way closer to the wall, searching for a stairway. It appeared that the ‘gate’ was actually made up of an inner and an outer gate, with a large area in between and rooms tucked away on either side. Lilith had been to cities with similar gates before, so she knew that during the day the area between the two gates usually functioned as a public square where all manner of business was conducted. There was a roomy market area for traders, as well as sections for city meetings and official gatherings. That was probably where they let the cart sit for so long when she first arrived. The opening to the inner gate was made up of two large wooden doors secured with a wooden bar. The outer gate was probably the same. Lilith would have to kill each guard quietly and individually, which meant that she would have to take them by surprise. Much like the guard she had killed back at the storehouse, they would most likely be focused on what lay outside the city walls, but she wouldn’t take any chances. The butterflies began fluttering again as she cautiously approached the first stairway, but they were butterflies of anticipation and excitement, not fear. Her desire for success drove her onward. It did not seem possible that she could fail.
Lilith found the first guard sitting idly at the bottom of the stairway that led to the upper wall. She crept up along the wall behind him, waiting for the right moment to strike. The man’s head bobbed slightly and Lilith realized he was struggling to stay awake. The moment his head begin to drop a second time Lilith pounced, twisting her dagger viciously into his kidney while grasping his helmet and jerking back his head. His body stood poised and frozen, almost as if he was waiting for her to cut his throat. She was mildly surprised by how well this method of killing worked. She had devised it herself after casually picking the brains of one of the healers in her village.
She dragged the body up several steps so it wouldn’t be visible to anyone passing on the road. Then, after insuring that no one had observed anything, Lilith quickly removed the Lagash emblem from his cloak and secured it with the other one in her pouch.
Lilith looked up above her. The stairway was clear as far as she could see, but it curved out of sight before reaching the top. Lilith doubted there would be guards stationed along the stairs, but she might encounter one descending. If that were the case, she would have no time to delay once she was spotted. She towered over most of the sons of men by at least two heads and she was stronger than they were but, even so, the Lagash soldiers were trained killers and not to be underestimated. The stairway was mostly dark—an advantage—and she inched her way silently up the steps, keeping her body flattened against the inner wall as she went. She continued this way all the way to the top without seeing a single guard.
When she reached the upper wall, Lilith tightened her grip on her dagger. From the street below, the guards appeared to be sufficiently spaced so that they were unlikely to see or hear one another. This was the reason they carried the horns in the event that they had to sound a warning. Lilith wouldn’t give them the opportunity to use their horns.
She peeked around the corner of the stairway and saw the first guard. He was whistling very softly as he stood looking out over the wall. He was leaning forward in a relaxed manner, resting his arms on the wall. Lilith looked in both directions and saw that it was clear, but she knew that this could be deceiving, as there were alcoves all along the upper wall for secret passageways and other stairways, or perhaps to simply confuse someone like her in the event of an attack. Taking a deep breath, she lunged at the guard, killing him just as she had the others, by first paralyzing him with the thrust to his kidney and then slicing his throat. She dragged the body into one of the alcoves in order to hide it, wanting at all costs to avoid someone discovering the bodies and sounding the alarm before she finished. Then she collected her little memento and added it to her pouch.
The timing was perfect; it was long past the hour for mischief and before anyone thought of work—even slaves. No one was on alert. No danger was suspected. They were not prepared for this, as it was not how armies attacked; slipping through shadows, quiet as mice. The giants, in particular, liked to draw attention to themselves before an attack, noisily approaching in a cloud of dust like a stampede. Armed with arrogance and intimidation, they were loud and obnoxious and threatening. That was not Lilith’s way. To her, war was like a game. To overpower an opponent was nice but to outwit them was exhilarating. But she would not congratulate herself yet. She was pleased, but there was still more to do.
Ducking low, Lilith crept along the wall until she spotted her next victim. Choosing just the right moment, she killed him as easily as she had the others but, this time, she heard someone cry out from several yards away. Looking up, she spotted two guards she hadn’t noticed before. They must have been walking in that direction and stumbled upon her just then. They appeared to be as surprised as she was. Without a second’s hesitation she threw her dagger the full distance and struck one of the men in the eye. And while her dagger was still airborne she had begun running toward the other guard who was scrambling for his horn. Just as it reached his lips Lilith threw herself forward and drove her foot into his loins with the full force of her long, powerful legs and effectively knocked the wind—and the will—right out of him. As the man bent forward with a strangled groan, Lilith retrieved her dagger from the other guard’s eye and quickly sliced his throat, effectively relieving him of the terrible pain in his groin along with his duties to guard the city gate. She frantically looked around but the area appeared to be clear.
Lilith’s heart was racing. She was afraid someone might have heard the guard’s cry. She stood perfectly still for a moment and listened, but there was no sound. With no time to waste she had no choice but to keep moving. Within minutes the bodies were stuffed into another alcove, their uniforms stripped of their badges.
Lilith made her way quietly down the set of stairs, and just as easily killed the guard that was posted at the bottom.
Thrilled and elated, she made her way toward the inner gate, but here her joy was interrupted by confusion. The area appeared to be empty. Surely there was a night watchman! She eased her way in and around the rooms and hallways encompassing the gate. They were all empty. This struck her as odd and she wondered if it was a trap. Had she missed a guard on the upper wall? She looked up. There was no one overhead. She got on her hands and knees and looked under the wooden doors of the gate in case the watchmen were on the other side. There was no one. Lilith took a moment to think. Even if someone was on the other side, they would not necessarily be alarmed by the gate being opened from the inside. The whole idea of the gate was to keep enemies from entering the city. They had no reason to believe that enemies were already within—unless of course they heard that earlier cry. But that was unlikely. At any rate, there was only one way out of the city. If there were watchmen on the other side of those doors she would have to kill them.
Her height made it easy to reach the bar, but it was very heavy. As quietly as she could, Lilith pushed the hefty bar out of its holds. Then she gently pulled open one door, peeking out from behind it to see what was beyond. Once again, she was surprised, and perhaps even a little disappointed, to find the outer gate empty and unguarded. It had almost been too easy.
Shrugging, Lilith now opened the outer gate, pushing the doors all the way open until they touched the outer walls. Then she went back inside and opened the inner gate doors in the same manner, taking one last look around the abandoned area. Having rendered the city wide open after killing only thirteen of their armed guards, Lilith stepped out through the gates and left the city of Lagash.
Traveling on foot, she moved deftly through the reed banks and intertwining pastures, resting only when necessary and for the briefest intervals. She thought about the men she’d killed, marveling over how easy it had been. Although she didn’t derive pleasure from killing any living thing, she did find it empowering to be able to do so when necessary.
But had this been necessary? Lilith resented the sudden twinge of conscience that unexpectedly assailed her. She immediately squelched it, reminding herself that it had indeed been necessary. It was the only way to prove herself as a warrior. If anything, the Kalag-ga were the guilty ones, not her.
Her sense of triumph returned when she thought of the Kalag-ga. She had outdone them! Now they would be forced to acknowledge her competence as a warrior.
She was still elated when, hours later, she reached the river that ran along the outskirts of the city of Uruk. She was comforted by the familiar sight of it. She would be welcome here. It was ruled by an angel, the well-loved Lugalbanda, who was hailed as a god by the people there. It was the home of many giants and the resting place for the Kalag-ga. The giants mingled peacefully with the sons of men under Lugalbanda’s rule, and the sons of men enjoyed the protection of the Kalag-ga warriors.
It was nearing daybreak. With her success so absolutely assured, Lilith finally allowed herself to let down her guard as she sat down on the bank of the river. She noticed, suddenly, the grime that covered her. What a sight she must be! She removed her helmet and cloak, relieved to see that the cloak had caught most of the blood. She reached into her pouch and found the swabu paste she’d thought to bring, congratulating herself again for her thorough planning. She washed the cloak in the clean, rushing water of the river, scrubbing out the blood stains with the paste. When she finished she hung the cloak on a nearby bush to dry. Her wrap was soiled as well, but she decided she could make do without washing it if she turned it around and used the opposite side. She couldn’t linger too long, after all. She’d hate to startle a farmer getting an early start on his day. With this in mind she swiftly stripped off the rest of her clothing and stepped into the icy river. Her legs had caught the worst of the mess, but her hair was also encrusted with gore. She washed and rinsed herself quickly but thoroughly and then, shivering, climbed out of the water. She allowed herself a few moments to dry before putting her clothes back on. She dressed hurriedly, hating the feel of the dirty wrap against her damp skin but satisfied that at least no one would be able to see evidence of her activities from her appearance.
With a sigh of satisfaction, Lilith sat down on a rock near the bank. Absently she picked up a small stick and began carving pictures in the dirt. She stopped, looking at the stick and then looking at the ground all around her. A small smile crept over her lips as she began gathering small twigs from the surrounding brush. She knew exactly how she would occupy her time while waiting for dawn to approach.
A few hours later Lilith was inside the city of Uruk, impatiently tapping her foot as she waited outside one of the merchant’s shops for the doors to open. The merchant approached sluggishly from within, but when he saw Lilith it seemed to startle him fully awake. He stared at her in openmouthed astonishment for a few moments, but his behavior didn’t offend Lilith. The sight of a giant was always remarkable, no matter how many there were in the city, but a female giant was rare and spectacular. The man fumbled with the door, trying to pull his gaze from Lilith long enough to see what he was doing.
“I want something delivered,” Lilith told the man, presenting him with a handful of coins.
When the man saw the coins his demeanor immediately changed. He recovered from his shock and instantly began fawning over Lilith as he led her into his shop. He pushed things aside, clearing a space for her to sit, all the while elaborating on her incredible beauty, the likes of which he swore he had never encountered before.
“There’s no need to flatter me,” she interrupted impatiently. She had no time for the tedious ramblings of this silly man. “It will please me more if my errand is carried out exactly as I wish.”
“Abimelech!” the man called out. “Abimelech, come! It is urgent!”
A young boy came running out from the back room, his hair disheveled from sleep. “Here I am,” he said, jumping in surprise when he noticed Lilith.
“Wake up,” scolded the boy’s father. “Pay attention.” The boy looked confused.
Lilith stooped so that she was at eye level with the boy and gently put her hand on his shoulder. “Do not be afraid,” she said. “It is a happy errand I have for you. You see, I want you to deliver a present, and I’m certain the recipient will reward you well.”
Lilith showed him a small box constructed of twigs that she had carefully woven together while waiting on the river bank outside the city gates. She’d attached a thick layer of bark to the top of the box, and artfully carved her message into it. To the leader of the Kalag-ga warriors, From Lilith. Neither the boy—nor most likely his father—would be able to read it, but Lilith knew that the giant warriors of the Kalag-ga would all know how to read and write. They would have been instructed by their fathers.
The boy gazed at the box with a mixture of curiosity and reverence. He reached out his hands for it but Lilith jerked it back out of his reach. “Have a care,” she warned, “that no one else hears of this or lays eyes on the box. It will go badly for you if you show it to anyone besides the person it is intended for.”
With wide eyed consternation the boy accepted the package, carefully holding it in both hands. “Who should I deliver it to?” he asked.
“I want it delivered to the leader of the Kalag-ga warriors. Do you know of whom I speak?”
Abimelech nodded solemnly, but his lips formed into a small smile. It would appear that the boy not only knew of whom she spoke but that he looked up to him as well.
“Asmodeous?” asked the boy.
“Yes,” said Lilith, returning the boy’s smile. “Asmodeous.”
Chapter 17
Lilith should have been exhausted but she could have danced all the way back to her v
illage. She couldn’t help remembering that last, mortifying journey back from Uruk when Asmodeous humiliated her before the members of the Kalag-ga. That memory made this victory all the sweeter.
She called to mind Asmodeous’ proud, handsome face, remembering how his teeth gleamed when he laughed at her. She tried to imagine what his expression would be upon opening her present. He would be taken back at first, examining the dead soldiers’ metals in bewilderment. Slowly he would recognize the mark of Lagash on them, but he still wouldn’t know how Lilith had come by them, or understand her meaning in sending them to him.
But it wouldn’t take long before word of what happened in Lagash got out and then realization would hit. Soon—perhaps even within hours—everyone throughout the region would know about the mysterious events that occurred in Lagash during the night. Confusion would abound. Prophets might even be called forth. No doubt the sons of men would conjure all kinds of mystical possibilities involving the wrath of the gods. Terror would ensue. Guards would be trebled. But the mystery would remain unsolved. How had the gates been breached, and why had the city been spared once it had been laid open?
Lilith laughed. She and Asmodeous were the only two people on earth who would know the answer to those questions. And she hoped those answers would cause him great discomfort. To think that she had single-handedly managed to do what he and his warriors could not. She’d accomplished with cunning what the entire Kalag-ga army couldn’t do with all their combined strength. How he would kick himself! Here was someone who could have presented the city of Lagash to him on a silver platter and he had been too proud to accept it simply because she was a woman! What was worse, she had made it even harder for the Kalag-ga warriors to defeat Lagash in the future.