Alexandra cautiously stood and drew her sword. The ringing of steel bounced around the nearby rocks. “What makes you think I trust you?”
“For audience with you, I intend no harm,” the demoness said. “This is my pact with you.”
Recalling her conversation with Erzulie, Alexandra knew Lilev to be bound by such a promise. How? Why? Was Erzulie even correct on the matter?
“Oh yes,” Lilev said, “you can trust that your information is accurate. I am bound by my pact as much as gravity binds you to this planet. Such is the way of things.”
“How?”
“To keep us under control. Iblis was wise to make us this way.”
Still uneasy around her enemy, Alexandra refused to lower her weapon. “I could kill you,” she said.
Lilev widened her eyes and said, “You've blood on your hands, I see that. Do you like the taste of it, dear child? Or, perhaps I should address you as the Lioness?”
Alexandra returned her stare and didn't answer.
“No? Do you prefer Alejandra of the Mayan expanse?” Lilev asked.
“Where does that name come from?” Alexandra asked.
“Ahh,” Lilev said, “perhaps now I have piqued your interest. I know much of what has transpired, and what will come to pass. Perhaps it is time to share with you, Godslayer?”
“Godslayer?”
Had Lilev gone mad?
“Madness is simply another state of being,” Lilev said as she trespassed into Alexandra’s surface thoughts again. “No better nor worse than the illusion you call 'sanity.' However, I know of what I speak. I know many things.”
Not willing to let the opportunity slip, Alexandra said, “I'm listening.”
“Oh, not here. Neither of us is safe so close to Hernon's troops. Walk with me?”
Alexandra nodded and kept her sword ready. “Lead the way.”
Lilev glanced at the weapon and said, “You can put that away.”
“Not going to happen. Go.”
“Well, I cannot turn my back to you. Humans are prone to betrayal,” Lilev said.
“You're just going to have to trust me.”
With an eye over her shoulder, Lilev led Alexandra from her vantage point as she grumbled in that strange language.
“You really made a mess of things by coming back,” Lilev said.
The demoness backed into a tight, low clearing amongst the rock formations. Talla followed them to the new spot, but he didn't come any closer to Lilev. He appeared wholly unsettled by the unnatural creature before him. Scanning the sky and landscape, Alexandra entered the space. She was taut and ready for violence at the slightest hint of betrayal.
“I told you that you needn't worry,” Lilev said. “You have my bond, for this night at least. The blood between us must wait.”
“You promised answers,” Alexandra said.
“Perhaps if I knew the questions I could better assist-”
“You've been in my head the whole time,” Alexandra said. “You know the questions. Stop playing games!”
“What fun is life without games?”
Alexandra glared at her.
“Alright, Lioness, here is the deal we shall make,” Lilev said. “I answer a question and you allow me to touch you, same as before. And so on until you are sated. Do we have an accord?”
Without considering the consequences, Alexandra said, “Fine.”
She no longer cared about what she felt was right or wrong. Demons, angels, the church, the old world, the army - damn them all! Alexandra was blazing her own path this time. If that path led through a demon's forked tongue, then so be it.
“So reckless with yourself,” Lilev said, smiling. “I like this Lioness.”
Alexandra frowned. “First question. Who is the Crone and why does she want Eden destroyed?”
“Good question. But that's more like two.”
The women locked gazes for a few tense moments. If Lilev intended to break her pact, Alexandra was ready for it. One slice would end the danger she presented. One easy motion.
“Since I'm feeling generous, I'll make an exception for your first one,” Lilev said as she broke her gaze from Alexandra. “The Crone is an ancient power, probably the most primordial on this world. From your lore, I suppose she would be nature incarnate - a consolidated consciousness of this planet's lifeforce. Does that make sense to your limited mind?”
Ignoring the insult, Alexandra nodded.
“As for the second question I am graciously granting, she wants Eden destroyed for the same reasons I do,” Lilev said. “This world cannot survive while souls are trapped within the prison of Eden.”
Alexandra pondered the meaning of the words as Lilev advanced.
“Wait,” Alexandra said. “That didn't answer my question. What do you mean, prison? How are souls trapped there?”
“That's two more questions, my dear. Shall we put them on your tab?”
“I expected straight answers!”
“Your expectation, not mine,” Lilev said as she reached for her.
Alexandra raised her sword and said, “I'm not bound by your pact. You will answer fully, with all that you know, or I will end you.”
Lilev smiled. “So much like my dear Koneh. Perhaps there is hope for you, after all, Alejandra.”
“Anytime you want to start, demoness.”
Lilev rocked on her heels and said, “Very well. I will tell you what I know. Elah is but a child in the cosmos. With a utopian goal, He hoped to unite the Earthly souls in harmony. Instead, He found that souls here were the same as souls everywhere - flawed and prone to imperfections. In His mind, at least. He constructed Eden for many reasons, most paramount of which was to walk amongst the souls here. To share and learn from them. Unfortunately, that conduit had unforeseen effects.”
“Like?”
Lilev's tone darkened. “Like other gods, if you can excuse the crude term, taking notice of our planet. You see, dear child, there are forces out there existing quite differently than you know or can comprehend. They must abide by the rules of the universes in which they reside. However, if a doorway were opened to allow passage-“
“What are you telling me?” Alexandra asked. “Aliens are out there?”
“Your mind cannot possibly understand the magnitude of the realm in which we exist,” Lilev said. “Perhaps someday.”
“Fine. What of these forces?”
Lilev frowned. “With Eden open again, and Elah gone, these forces can walk upon Earth. They only needed the door unlocked. Foolish child. I wasn’t trying to stop you because I wanted to claim Eden for my master.”
Alexandra raised one of her eyebrows.
“I needed to stop you from opening that doorway,” Lilev said, “because of what I have seen could happen. The things you humans have worshipped from the dawn of time aren’t beings of this world. You are merely glimpsing something beyond your consciousness. And now, they will come. It is for these reasons the Crone wants Eden destroyed. I share her desire.”
Blinking, Alexandra attempted to process Lilev’s theories. Could it be true? Mankind has worshipped glimpses of these gods? Gods who would do humanity harm? Could a greater evil befall them than that which was already unleashed by the earthquake and the opening of Hell?
“Time for payment,” Lilev said as she wrapped her clawed hand around Alexandra’s forearm.
Like before, Lilev violently entered her soul. The demoness ransacked every corner of her mind and Alexandra’s knees buckled under the strain. Though she had never been raped, Alexandra thought the invasion quite similar – another being was inside of her, ravaging her very soul.
After the torrent had ended, Alexandra opened her eyes and retrieved her sword. Lilev simply watched her.
“What have you done?” Lilev asked. Her tone had darkened.
Confused, Alexandra found words difficult after the violation. She wrinkled her brow and cocked her head to the side like Talla often did.
Lilev advanc
ed and said, “You are not the same as you were in Brasilia! Something has changed you. Your soul… It is weaker than before. What happened to you?”
“I- I don’t know,” Alexandra said as she clutched her stomach. Aside from the pain from her wounds and Lilev’s touch, she felt no different.
Then, like a sudden boom of thunder, she knew.
“This is your fault!” Alexandra said as the memories battered down her self-control. “After you killed Erzulie, I brought her back. If my soul is damaged, it is because of you!”
Lilev kicked the ground with her hoof and paced. “Foolish child. Do you know what you have done?”
Controlling her wavering voice, Alexandra said, “I saved my friend.”
“And doomed us all!”
“What-?”
“Koneh let things slip away,” Lilev said. “That boy. My rebel son-“
Before her anguish over Koneh could take hold, Alexandra said, “Koneh isn’t sure about the lies of Eden either.”
“So much good that does me now!” Lilev said, still pacing.
Examining the strange creature, Alexandra said, “Koneh doesn’t believe your crazy theories, does he?”
Lilev paused, snorted and said, “Koneh thinks me mad.”
“I can’t say I disagree with him. I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around what you just told me.”
Lilev shrugged. “Your minds are too closed to embrace the truth around you.”
Alexandra watched the demoness for a few moments and then said, “Is Koneh a child of Elah? Like me?”
Lilev stopped. “That is another question.”
“I know the price.”
Lilev studied her for a moment. “No,” she said. “Koneh is no godslayer. And now, neither are you.”
“Godslayer?” Alexandra asked. “What is that? What are you talking about?”
The demoness reached for Alexandra again. She didn’t resist but she fell to the ground this time. The invasion was too overwhelming.
“Bilah san,” Lilev said as she stumbled away from Alexandra. “They are coming, even now.”
“Who?”
Lilev looked into her eyes and said, “The Gods.”
“Let’s just slow down,” Alexandra said. “Enough games. We may be on the same side and I’m sick of it all. Tell me everything. I need to know all that you know.”
Still bewildered from their last touch, Lilev attempted to compose herself. She straightened her tattered robe and appeared lost in thought.
“You need to share with me, Lilev,” Alexandra said. “What the hell is going on? I can handle it now.”
Again, Lilev looked into her eyes. The demoness seemed calmer.
“This is what I know,” Lilev said. “Elah was finished with His failed experiment here. I don’t know what He was looking for but I suspect He did not find it. So He departed this world. Because all life is rare and precious, He left a path back to Earth – a trail of breadcrumbs, if you will. I have foreseen other gods using that pathway to enslave us all. I have foreseen this and I must stop it.”
“Pathway?”
“Eden,” Lilev said. “Eden is their beacon to this world. Like a lighthouse on a distant shore, they have spotted the light. And now that you have foolishly weakened your own soul, we must wait a thousand years for another godslayer.”
New memories came into focus, but Alexandra realized the images weren’t from her life, they were from Lilev’s. The demoness had hunted and stolen visions of the future from prophets throughout history just like she had from Alexandra. Lilev had been manipulating the strands of time to fight against Elah and his presence upon the Earth. The demoness believed she knew the truth about everything she professed; including Alexandra’s weakened soul after the healing of Erzulie.
Alexandra’s world defocused for a moment and she felt dizziness overwhelm her. She stumbled and leaned against a rock wall for support while her head cleared. Her stomach painfully heaved but she didn’t vomit. How could she settle this possible truth? The gods worshipped by humanity since the prelude to history were out there? And they were coming?
“Even if all of this is actually true,” Alexandra whispered, “what do you expect me to do? Why tell me this? How can we fight a god?”
Lilev grinned and said, “The Crone is a cunning soul. She altered Elah’s grand design by remolding his weave of power into his ‘children.’ She hid something in your soul, granting you the power to stop everything and close the beacon.”
Then her grin morphed into a scowl. “But you ruined all of that when you decided to heal your fallen angel. Without the full power of the Crone’s blessing, you are half of what we need you to be.”
More of Lilev’s memories flashed by Alexandra’s waking eye. This time, she saw the future that Lilev feared. Gods walking the earth. Humanity in worshipful slavery. Free will a distant memory. A true end of days for all creatures.
She turned to Talla and realized what the Crone had done to her. Alexandra was supposed to protect every living being on the planet and she had failed. Elah wanted her to light His beacon and she did exactly that. Because of her selfish act to save her friend, she had doomed everyone.
“Now you see,” Lilev said, her voice soft and almost motherly. “The future events I have pulled from your mind confirm my fears. I must somehow survive until the next godslayer is born. The task of training him should have fallen upon Koneh, but you spoiled that as well. I shall take this also upon myself.”
“Wait,” Alexandra said as she recalled her dream about the caves. “I saw something in one of my dreams. I think you should know it.”
“Why do you say that?”
Alexandra leveled her gaze at the demoness and said, “It’s about you.”
Lilev’s eyes widened and she grasped Alexandra’s wrist. The demoness was everywhere inside of her, like a burglar ransacking her most private thoughts. With a gasp, Lilev fell away from her and laid panting on the rocky ground.
“I see… My death,” Lilev said between breaths.
Alexandra nodded and clutched her aching stomach. She wasn’t sure she could remain conscious through another invading touch.
After a few moments of silent recovery between the two women, Alexandra asked, “So what do we do now?”
Lilev caught and held her eyes as she spoke. “We hide. There is no stopping the storm of power once it is unleashed. This city will be destroyed and the gods will likely take hold upon this world. Our battle is over, Mih’darl of the Last Age.”
Slumping to the ground, Alexandra exhaled. Gods. Beacons. Eden. What did the future, indeed, hold for her? Could she invest in the ravings of a demon? Koneh certainly didn’t. He wanted to see her into Eden to reopen it. Who could she trust? Who was right?
Alexandra forced her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. No sense in complaining now as she finally had some of the answers she had sought. Just because the answers vexed her didn’t mean she could ignore them.
With her eyes still closed, Alexandra said, “If all of this is true, and it’s so important to you - can’t we just destroy Eden now?”
Though she couldn’t see Lilev, Alexandra felt the sneer.
“You need to be inside the beacon to destroy it,” Lilev said. “You ruined that chance too. It was impossible for Ael to fail. And even if he did fall, what could have possessed you to leave paradise? My plan was perfect.”
Koneh’s memory stung the inside of her eyelids and Alexandra winced. She didn’t want to think about that day. Not only did the memory harm her mercilessly, but she didn’t want Lilev to know the truth of it all. The demoness couldn’t be allowed any more power over her.
“Why can’t I reenter Eden?” Alexandra asked.
The question sprung from her lips more petulantly than she had hoped. Did she still want to return to ignorant paradise? Even after all she had learned?
Sensing her raw desire, Lilev said, “You wish to live out your days with the
shroud over your eyes? That is disappointing, Lioness.”
“Sometimes… I just want to go back,” Alexandra said, opening her pained eyes.
“Of course you do,” Lilev said, “I know what’s in your weak heart.”
"No, I don't think you do."
Lilev narrowed her bottomless eyes and said, "Don't think your pain unique, Lioness. Like you, I have been to Eden. Like you, I have been exiled. My pain has lasted millennia and the longing still burns my heart. My weak heart. We share more than you think, girl."
Recalling Koneh's assertion that Lilev was Adam's first wife, Alexandra felt the fool. This creature, this menagerie of tortured souls, likely knew her torment and then some. Alexandra's own longing for Eden was but a flicker compared to the roaring fire that apparently churned within Lilev.
"Fair enough," Alexandra said. "Why can't either of us reenter?"
Lilev snorted. "For me, it is simple. Elah's gate does not allow the wicked entrance. This body would be burnt to ash if I were to get any closer."
"The wicked? So, it is based upon sin?"
Lilev nodded. "I trust that Koneh has instructed you upon the burdens of sin?"
"Somewhat."
"For you, the rules were enacted to maintain some semblance of balance between the living and the eternal," Lilev said. "If all life were to remain in Eden, then the Earth couldn't survive. Even now, some people who enter Eden do return to the city Padre Hernon is building. They return because there are things here for them. They know, just like you must have, that reentry is not possible in the flesh. They know and they depart anyway, safe in the comfort of the promise of paradise after life has been lived. Confident in their gift from Elah."
Alexandra absorbed the explanation and realized the truth of it. However, truth was something far less absolute to her since she awoke on the roof of that bus. She had journeyed with angels, fought demons and healed others with her hands. Perhaps there was a way to reenter Eden as well.
“There must be a way,” she whispered.
Lilev examined her for a few moments. Then, she said, “You reached Eden, and that was impossible. Despite insurmountable odds, you defeated Ael. Without knowing your own power, you divided your soul to save that fallen angel.” After pausing, Lilev smiled and continued. “I’m willing to give you a chance, Alejandra of the Mayan Expanse. You have proven more than I thought you would be on several occasions.”
Babylon (Eden Saga Book 2) Page 15