Legacy of the Watchers Series Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by Nancy Madore

  The evening meal was served, but Lilith could barely swallow a bite, and it was a struggle just to get through the long, tedious ordeal. She had but one thought in her mind. She couldn’t wait to be alone again with Asmodeous.

  Chapter 23

  “Lilith—”

  They had finally escaped the noisy hall and made their way into Lilith’s tent. Asmodeous had her pinned on the bed, his hands gently cradling either side of her face as he gazed into her eyes.

  “Lilith,” he murmured huskily again.

  Lilith’s heart ached with longing and she closed her eyes to escape the overwhelming feelings that the sight of Asmodeous awakened. No one else had ever affected her so. Her hands instinctively moved up toward his, caressing them while they caressed her face. She opened her eyes to see that his too were brimming with emotion. Lilith could see the same anguish, yearning and expectation that she felt, mirrored there. They simply looked at each other in a kind of startled daze.

  Asmodeous’ voice was heavy with passion when he finally spoke. “Have you had enough of being a warrior yet?”

  But Lilith didn’t have the opportunity to answer, because in the next instant his lips were crushing hers. Suddenly all the pent-up desire from years of longing seemed to erupt in her, bursting forth with an explosion of pleasure so acute it was almost paralyzing. She surrendered to it completely, wrapping her arms around Asmodeous’ neck and clinging to him feverishly as she responded instinctively to his kisses. His hands began moving over her, unabashedly exploring her body. And then they were tearing at each other’s clothing, fumbling for the other’s warm flesh in greedy anticipation, racing toward the pleasure that awaited them.

  The passion between them was as strong as ever. No sooner had one fire been extinguished than another began raging even hotter. Lilith couldn’t seem to get enough of him. She wanted more—more of his touch, more of his taste, more of his smell. When Asmodeous fell back, momentarily spent, she spun around and mounted him, brazenly, and with an air of command, just as she would mount a horse, and just as easily coaxing him into action. She felt no hesitation or shyness—not with Asmodeous! Her desire was much too strong.

  When at last the fiercest part of the storm had passed, they both lay silent and exhausted, luxuriating in the warm and tranquil afterglow. Lilith felt a strange, simple happiness she never felt before. Was this love? All those years ago she had thought her ambition exceeded her desire for Asmodeous. She’d been obsessed with being a Kalag-ga warrior. Asmodeous knew it. And he helped her!

  Lilith turned toward Asmodeous and found his eyes on her.

  “You were the one who told them to make me a warrior,” she said.

  “Yes.” He reached out a hand and very carefully lifted a lock of hair from her cheek.

  “But then you left. Why?”

  Asmodeous sighed. He just stared at her for a long moment. He seemed reluctant to answer her question. “Because I didn’t think we could both be warriors,” he finally replied.

  “But why?” Lilith wondered. Fighting side by side with Asmodeous had been a secret fantasy of hers. Sometimes she imagined him saving her life; other times she imagined saving his. Were men’s egos so fragile they couldn’t ever let a woman win?

  “Let’s just say I didn’t think I’d be able to take my eyes off you long enough to get a look at the enemy,” he said with a mischievous grin. His hand was now lightly caressing her breast.

  “No,” Lilith protested, pushing his hand away. “I want to know the real reason.”

  “That is the real reason, Lilith” he insisted. He became serious again as he tried to explain. “I really couldn’t see myself turning my back on you in a battle. Every dagger I heard meeting flesh, every death cry would have had me searching the field for you. I would never have been able to concentrate on what I was doing.”

  Lilith was speechless. And yet, she knew he spoke the truth. Hadn’t she felt similarly the first day young Gilgamesh joined them in battle? She remembered hanging back, retreating, in order to keep an eye on him. But in Gilgamesh’s case, she immediately realized that her worries were unfounded. He was a far better warrior than Lilith was. But to think that Asmodeous would actually give up being a warrior so that she could be one, both amazed and humbled her. Tears once again filled her eyes.

  “It wasn’t that much of a sacrifice,” he said when he saw the tears. He smiled wryly, and then assumed a tone of mock long-suffering. “It’s not so bad being the king of a great city,” he sighed as his finger—very cautiously—lifted one of the tears from her cheek. “Of course it would be better if I had my queen with me.”

  Lilith couldn’t stop the tears from falling but she firmly kept all other outward signs of distress in check. She shrugged, trying to make her own voice sound casual. “What authority does any queen have?” she asked with mock disdain, as if she could hardly imagine such a lowly position for herself.

  Asmodeous held back his smile and shrugged as well. “Not much I’m afraid,” he agreed, playing along. But his face suddenly lit up, as if something important occurred to him. “You’d have the final say in what I eat for dinner!” He announced with a hopeful grin.

  “Ah!” cried Lilith. “That is indeed a tempting offer. I could trade in my dagger for poison!” She pretended to consider it.

  Asmodeous looked wounded. “Must you always be killing someone?” he asked.

  Lilith laughed. “Yes,” she replied.

  Asmodeous grabbed her, pulling her into his arms and holding her there while he covered her face with kisses. Lilith pretended to protest, but she loved being locked in the warmth of his embrace. “I could show you something better,” he whispered huskily in her ear, pressing his hardness against her as if to emphasize his meaning. She felt herself responding and wholeheartedly agreed.

  “What if we were to compromise?” Lilith suggested afterwards.

  “Compromise!” Asmodeous rose up on one elbow, his expression filled with alarm. “Maybe you should wait until the effects of my lovemaking wear off before you say anymore,” he suggested.

  Lilith laughed. She couldn’t remember ever feeling as happy or content as she did just then. Perhaps she had been affected by what occurred that night after all. “I think I can handle a little lovemaking,” she said, emphasizing the word ‘little.’

  “Well then, proceed at your own peril,” replied Asmodeous. “What kind of compromise did you have in mind?”

  “The Kalag-ga will be taking control of the battle against the Emim,” she began, biting her lip thoughtfully. “You and the other Nephilim from your army will join us. We’ll need all the giants we can get to beat those monsters. I don’t even know what we’re up against, really. We’ve never fought anything like this, but from what I saw of the victims, it’s going to be like fighting vicious animals.” She shuddered at the thought.

  Asmodeous nodded. “I was already going to insist upon that,” he told her.

  Even in her lightened mood Lilith couldn’t let this pass. “Insist?”

  Asmodeous laughed “Suggest?” he offered.

  Lilith laughed too. “Do you think you’ll be able to overcome your little…problem with having a woman on the field?” she teased.

  Asmodeous grew serious. “I know you’re going to be on that field with or without me,” he said resignedly. “I’d rather be there.” His eyes held hers. “It will be an honor to fight beside the legendary Lilith…even if it costs me my life.”

  Lilith gasped at his words. She was struck suddenly with the fear of this possibility. It hadn’t even occurred to her that Asmodeous might be killed. But now that she thought about it, it wasn’t so far-fetched. Asmodeous hadn’t fought a battle like this in years. He was quite possibly out of practice, grown lazy from ruling his kingdom. Though he didn’t look lazy. But with Lilith out there as an added distraction—she was suddenly paralyzed with fear. She stared at him, stricken dumb by this new sensation of worrying about someone other than herself.

 
; Asmodeous seemed to read her mind and he immediately tried to take his words back. “Lilith, I’m not going to die! I only meant …never mind what I meant. It’s idiotic to think about it. The point is I’ve come to terms with you being on the battle field after all these years and I’ll be proud to fight with you.”

  Lilith nodded her understanding, but she was still too overcome to speak. They looked at each other for a long time without speaking.

  “What was the compromise?” Asmodeous asked, finally breaking the silence.

  Lilith’s face changed. The frown disappeared and her expression grew soft. She even smiled. “After the battle I thought I might visit this amazing city I’ve been hearing so much about, this…Kiriath Arba.” Suddenly feeling playful again, she assumed an air of casual indifference. “I want to see if it’s as nice as I’ve heard. And I have a sudden craving for wine.”

  Asmodeous grasped Lilith by the shoulders. “Really?” he exclaimed, searching her eyes. “You’ll come?” He threw his head back and let out a loud hoot that was half victory, half laughter. He looked at her with a determined gleam in his eyes. “Well, that settles it then! We’ve as good as won the battle!”

  Lilith stared at him in surprise.

  “I’ve waited nearly twenty years for you to grace my city with your presence,” he told her. “There’s no way you’re getting out of it now!”

  Chapter 24

  Lilith was filled with pride as the Kalag-ga warriors prepared to lead the throng of soldiers into the forest. This battle marked a first of its kind in history; the massive army combined giants with the sons of men, Kalag-ga warriors with ordinary soldiers. All these groups had come together for a common cause. They’d traveled three days at a grueling pace to participate in this war. Most of the soldiers had horses, but some of them had only camels and donkeys, which weren’t as fast. A few had chariots. Everyone compromised to accommodate their fellow soldiers. Even in the evenings, the soldiers who didn’t have servants were invited to share in the great feasts that were prepared in the very center of the camp. Great fires roared and even music was played for them before they retired to their tents. A kind of kindred spirit filled the air around them.

  The appearance of cedar trees peppering the landscape alerted the warriors that they were approaching the northern mountains of Syria. The mountains were spread out over hundreds of miles, the largest looming so far off in the distance that it seemed little more than a dim apparition from beneath the clouds. That was Mount Lebanon and, as a tribute to that great mountain, all the other, smaller mountains in that region were called, simply, the Lebanon Mountains.

  There is a small valley between the first two mountains that marks the entrance into the Lebanon Mountains. These two ‘twin’ mountains were called Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. The valley between the two mountains was simply called Gerizim, after the foremost mountain. The cedars that marked the countryside before reaching the mountains were relatively short and wide when compared to the ones that populated the forests beyond, which often stretched up well over a hundred feet high in search of sunlight. Their trunks were so enormous it took no less than ten men with arms outstretched just to span their entire circumference.

  Since the valley of Gerizim was the most direct way into the Lebanon Mountains, the Emim guarded it relentlessly, making the area virtually uninhabitable to men. Even the abundance of precious cedar couldn’t tempt people to enter the region, so fearsome were these monstrous deformities. But now, as the armies approached, the large cedars stood out in the distance, providing an extra incentive for the dangerous mission.

  There was a powerful stream of energy running all along the long line of warriors as they waited for the signal to move in. The sheer number of men would make the event legendary. No such group was known to have gathered before, but it was the manner in which the warriors were organized that was most extraordinary about it. And it was Lilith who had put the plan in motion.

  It was customary in those days to wear down one’s opponent by sending numerous, consecutive groups of men to attack. With this strategy, a powerful enemy would indeed be weakened over time, but those in the front lines would invariably be killed in the process. This made the front lines an extremely undesirable position to be in. Often the weakest or most expendable fighters were put there. But having fought exclusively for the Kalag-ga, Lilith was unused to losing warriors on such a large scale, and therefore she hadn’t developed the philosophy that soldiers were expendable. She felt that every soldier, even the weakest, ought to be used to their best advantage in a battle.

  With this in mind it occurred to Lilith that, placed strategically, each soldier might become invaluable and indispensable in his own right. And no one could find fault with her reasoning.

  Now, looking over the field of warriors, it was clear to Lilith that every last man was enthusiastic and hopeful about the battle ahead. Furthermore, there was a confident air among them that they all had a good chance of surviving.

  The Nephilim giants were placed in the front line situated about four or five yards apart from each other in a long row that spanned the entire length of the valley. Each of these powerful fighters was flanked on all sides with a miniature army of their own. Standing closest to the giant warriors, on either side of them, were two of the very best fighters the sons of men could produce. These soldiers were there to guard their giant, and they were to do everything in their power to prevent him from being struck down. Directly behind the giant and his two guardsmen stood four more soldiers from among the sons of men, whose function it was to move in for the kill once their Nephilim warrior struck a sufficient blow to render the Emim vulnerable. In this way, a giant could move on to the next Emim without worrying that he would be attacked from behind by one of those he left injured. He could rely on the four soldiers to finish the monster off. Further, behind this second battle line, was an entire line of backup soldiers, ready to fill in if any of the former soldiers needed assistance or were killed.

  It was rumored that some of the Emim lived up in the branches of the tall cedars, so there was a fourth line of men who were armed with bows and arrows, all expert archers, assigned to kill any Emim they spied looming overhead.

  There was a sense of unity among them that Lilith would never have expected among such a diverse group.

  Gilgamesh and his soldiers were positioned at the very center of the foothill that marked the entrance into the forest. This was where it was said that the notorious Humbaba, one of the most fearsome and vicious creatures of all the Emim, stood guard. Enkido, along with his soldiers, was placed next in the line to the right of Gilgamesh, and Lilith and her men were positioned on his left. Asmodeous and his men stood at left of her, and so the line went.

  Many a tale had been told of the monstrosity they called Humbaba. It was his actions that inspired the name Emim, which translated to ‘dreadful ones.’ Humbaba was thought of as a kind of leader among the Emim, although they were as unregulated a group as there could be, completely without consciences, lacking in the most rudimentary civility that can be found among the animals. He was a mindless killer who delighted in ripping living things apart. Humbaba embodied the Emim, and Gilgamesh was determined to be the one who killed him.

  No human had entered the forest and lived to tell about it since the Emim giants began dwelling there. Even so, rumors about the forest abounded. It was said that the bones of humans and animals alike were strewn about the forest floor. It was from these mountains that all evil was said to have sprung. However, the Nephilim warriors were neither influenced nor concerned by these rumors of the sons of men. To them, these unfortunate creatures were simply malformed Nephilim, the victims of repulsive birth defects. Even so, there was a collective gasp from all of them when one of the Emim suddenly emerged from the forest.

  He was bigger than Og, head and shoulders taller, even, than the largest bear, with the look of something twice as ferocious. He was covered in hair that was heavily caked with ever
y kind of filth. His face was disfigured and ugly, twisted into an expression of great hatred. In his enormous hands, which were made up of six fingers each, he carried an oversized ax. He did not appear surprised to see them.

  “I am Humbaba,” he called out to them in a loud, angry voice. “Why are you here?”

  “We’ve come for the Emim who attacked Jericho,” Gilgamesh called out to him.

  Humbaba’s eyes found and remained fixed on Gilgamesh. He seemed to be mulling this over. Finally he raised his ax and pointed it at Gilgamesh. “You,” he said—“will fight me for the right to enter the forest.”

  Lilith started to protest but Gilgamesh raised his hand to stop her. She reluctantly kept silent, since she knew Gilgamesh was well aware of what she had been about to say, which was that they didn’t need Humbaba’s permission to enter the forest. They were not bound by the superstitious rules of these ignorant savages and the people they terrorized. But Lilith also knew that this opportunity was exactly what Gilgamesh was waiting for. It was—in her opinion—his greatest weakness as a warrior, that he coveted the lion’s share of the glory from each and every battle. Lilith bit her lip, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop him from fighting Humbaba.

  Gilgamesh motioned for his aids to stay behind as he advanced to meet the monster alone. As tall as Gilgamesh was, Humbaba was a full head and shoulders above him. There was something almost eager in Humbaba’s expression as he watched Gilgamesh approach.

  When Gilgamesh came within a few steps of him, Humbaba suddenly lunged forward and thrust his head into Gilgamesh’s abdomen, surprising Gilgamesh with his speed while effectively knocking the wind out of him. Somehow Gilgamesh managed to keep from falling down, catching himself in the nick of time, but his ax had been flung from his hand. Gilgamesh immediately whipped his right arm around in a circle and drove his fist into the lower left side of Humbaba’s back, dealing him a fierce blow to the kidneys. This only set Humbaba back for an instant before he drew back his arm in preparation to strike a blow of his own with the ax he was holding, but Gilgamesh brought his fist up as hard as he could under Humbaba’s jaw. The monster’s head flew back with a loud crack, but he took his swipe at Gilgamesh anyway, and his ax just caught the side of Gilgamesh’s rib cage before he could move out of the way. Stung, Gilgamesh managed to grab hold of Humbaba’s weapon arm before he could strike again. Clutching it firmly in both hands, Gilgamesh began slamming Humbaba’s arm into his raised knee repeatedly, as if it was a large branch he was trying to break in half. Finally the ax dropped from Humbaba’s fingers. Blood poured from Gilgamesh's wound, but he didn’t appear to notice. He slammed his fist into Humbaba’s jaw again and again, clearly intending to take advantage of the injury he had inflicted with that very first blow. He went to strike him there a third time, but Humbaba caught hold of his arm and instantly wound it round his own, effectively binding Gilgamesh to him as he began pounding his fist into Gilgamesh’s chest. Gilgamesh did not take this idly; he brought up his other hand and began repeatedly striking Humbaba in the jaw with his fist. Each blow was punctuated with loud grunts from both the recipient and the assailant. They continued to viciously pummel each other in this way until Humbaba finally released Gilgamesh’s arm. The men retreated a step, angrily eyeing each other while catching their breath.