"Thank you for giving us an audience so promptly, Underlord."
"I always have time for my brother’s most honorable messengers," he replied solicitously. "What can I do for you?"
Bowing his head slightly, the tallest male gave Lilith a disapproving look before continuing.
"We have come for her," he said pointing at Lilith.
"Then your journey is wasted. She has made her decision and chooses to stay with me, as my brother is well aware. Please give him my apology and my regards."
"Our Master has given us orders. He is displeased by her disobedience. I must insist that she return with us."
"You insist? Have you forgotten your manners, Gabriel? My brother is
your
master but you are here at my benevolence. He, however, is only my brother... not my keeper. Do not mistake my good manners for softness. I will not tolerate insolence even from you. Do you understand me?"
Gabriel lowered his eyes submissively; unable to meet the fury in the Underlord's blazing red eyes.
"Forgive me. I mean no disrespect."
"Good. Now, as I said, she stays with me by choice. Is that not right, my dear?"
Lilith nodded but refused to stand. For some reason, she felt it important to remain seated. It showed a lack of fear and a certain disregard for these males.
"As you have said, I will not return to Adam."
"He is your mate, Lilith. You were created to be together," replied Gabriel, addressing the female for the first time.
"I was made from the same dust as he and yet everyone but Dis treats me as if I were inferior."
"In time you will..."
"What is time? I don't know the meaning of this word but it makes no difference. He is no more and no less than I and yet he dares to treat me differently in this one thing."
"It means nothing," said Gabriel, spreading his hands in an imploring manner. "I regret I have misjudged you. You are an intelligent female. Surely you see this is just a misunderstanding. I am sure it can be resolved if you return with us."
"It means
everything
to me and I understand perfectly. I will not return."
"Lilith, the decision is not yours to make. Our Master has instructed us to bring you back to Paradise."
"Your Master may be yours to obey but he is not mine," challenged Lilith, glancing at Dis for support. The slight nod of his head was enough to give her the confidence to continue. "I have no memory of my origin and no recollection of having pledged my allegiance to him therefore I am under no obligation to serve him."
"We must insist."
"And I must refuse. If you force this on me I promise you I will do everything in my power to make Adam’s life miserable. I will destroy him and everything I can get my hands on. He and I will never join. He will never know one moment of peace or happiness. Your Master will grow weary listening to my screeching and Adam’s pleadings," swore Lilith. "Tell Adam I am sorry for causing him pain... and tell your Master he has made a mistake."
Gabriel gave her an indignant look.
"Our Master never makes mistakes," he replied, displaying anger for the first time. When he took a menacing step toward her, Dis stepped between the Arch angel and his guest.
"You've exceeded your limits here," interrupted Dis, realizing the discussion was going no where. "And you try my patience, Gabriel. She has given you her answer. You will tell your master what she has said and give him my regards. Now, Cumo will escort you out of my home and the Underworld."
"This is not over, Dis," threatened Gabriel, momentarily forgetting he was talking to the Underlord. "No one defies our Master. His word is supreme and you know it!"
Dis stiffened, his whole body tensing in anger at both the implied threat and the show of disrespect by an underling. Stalking over to the three angels, he positioned himself in front of the senior angel and leaned down to make eye contact. Fire raged uncontrollably from his crimson eyes.
"You
dare
address me in such a manner in my home and in front of my guest?" he hissed. "Do I again have to remind you who I am and what I can do?"
Gabriel shook his head no and took a step back, more afraid than he had ever been in his life. His unquestioning loyalty to his master didn’t prevent him from fearing Dis. As Twins, it was possible their powers were equal, making the demon a force not to be taken lightly.
"Good! Now, you have outstayed your welcome. You would be wise to remember, Gabe, no one rules over me! You may follow him willingly but he doesn’t command such loyalty from everyone. Now, be gone before you anger me further."
Bowing slightly the three hurried from the room. Although their allegiance was to their Master, they knew better than to push their luck with his Twin.
"Who are they?" asked Lilith, watching Cumo escort them away.
"Angels. They serve my twin."
"I have caused trouble between you and your brother."
Dis laughed. He had never gotten along with his brother, although he cared for him in his own way.
"We have never agreed on anything. He resents my carefree life and the... ummm... partaking of the pleasures it offers. I have never understood how he can stay in seclusion all the time like he does, hidden behind closed doors, tinkering with his projects as if they were the only things of importance. Where’s the fun in that?"
"Tinkering?"
"It means to experiment. He has great hopes for making a perfect world. You and Adam were his latest attempt."
"Is there something wrong with his world?"
"He thinks so. Personally, I like it. It’s fun and exciting, and the sex is great?"
"Sex?"
"Forgive me. I forgot you are new to all of this. I will explain that later and tell you more about my brother. For now, though, I think you need to decide if you want me as your mentor... teacher. Do you wish to begin your journey?"
"As equals?"
"As equals," Dis promised, taking her hand and kissing it lightly.
"Then yes. I am eager to see what you have to offer."
"Good." Dis grinned, pleased with himself. "Let us begin. First there are some changes I need to make to protect you from my brother’s followers. They can be quite persistent and devious when it comes to pleasing their Master."
Dis knew he needed to transform Lilith from human into a demon and quickly. It was only a matter of time before his Twin would send his forces in an attempt to retrieve her. As a demoness, he could guarantee her safety and eternal life... and insure she would be an unsuitable mate for Adam. Once accomplished, it would be impossible for his Twin to reverse the process.
Minutes later, he held a mirror before Lilith so she could see the new her. Reaching up she tentatively touched the black hair. Leaning closer, she stared into sparkling black eyes. Glancing quickly at Dis, she smiled happily. Lilith liked how she looked, unaware that she was experiencing her first emotion as a demoness... vanity. The transformation was complete.
A
S AN ANCIENT spirit, Intunecat was aware of Lilith’s pre-existence to Eve but had only heard whispered rumors about the reason she had left Paradise. Now it made sense.
"So you were the cause of the Great Battle," he said, matter-of-factly. "I heard it was because Dis had angered his Twin but nothing specific. I understand there is no real love lost between the two."
"Maybe at one time, although I suspect they have affection for each other. I think both of them have mellowed somewhat over the ages. Anyway, I doubt I was the real reason for the battle," chuckled Lilith. "More like the final straw. From the very beginning they have never gotten along. I doubt if they ever will. Dis enjoys life too much. He’s like the proverbial child in a toyshop who doesn’t understand why he can’t have everything he sees. To him, there’s no such thing as hands off. Once he sets his sights on something, he has to have it, especially if he thinks it might be unattainable. Unfortunately, his brother is quite the opposite. He believes in rules and keeping things
organized
... you know... a place for everything and everything in its place. If his world becomes too disorderly, I think he gets frustrated, which is why he came up with all those ‘thou shalt nots’ when it came to mortals. It’s a shame. He had such great plans for humanity."
"So I’ve heard, although mortals aren't so bad... at least some of them... and those that are serve our needs quite well."
"True. I have to admit he’s not one to give up hope, though. When one experiment fails, he just starts over and tries something new. I don't know how many times he's destroyed the mortal world so he could recreate it."
The dark spirit laughed.
"So I've noticed. Every once in awhile I feel a few rumblings. Afterward, I notice the mortal world has a completely new face lift."
Lilith smirked. Intunecat's reputation for being overly serious was definitely undeserved.
"I know. It may be in for another one if things don't change soon. Unfortunately many of the humans haven’t evolved beyond their intolerances. Dis said that was his Twin’s biggest disappointment... and what keeps the hell fires burning as well as his coffers filled with souls. So you see, I'm more an excuse than a reason."
"Don’t underestimate your attractiveness, my dear. I can well imagine you were worth fighting for then and still are now."
Smiling at the compliment, the demoness let her gaze glide over the Dark One. Like Adam, he was extremely beautiful. Unlike him, though, Intunecat was worldly even if he had suffered an eternity of loneliness. Only the last few hundred millennia had brought him a semblance of companionship. For short periods he could leave the Darkness and roam both the spirit and mortal worlds. Born into darkness, the Light was painful to him. His fascination with Yemaya, the Illusionist, and her young lover, Dakota, had given the Dark One a new interest in life and a reason to venture beyond his domain.
"Are you going to tell me about the Great Battle? Some of it spilled over into our world. At the time, we were afraid it would destroy all of us."
"The Battle... Many friends were lost on both sides. Unfortunately, those most deserving of destruction survived," reminisced Lilith, sadly.
"Isn't that the way of things?"
"So it seems. There was a time when demons and angels were as one. They fought and they disagreed but never with the animosity you see today. It was never so... personal. There's no familial harmony like before but now some are consumed with so much hatred they are willing to destroy everything to achieve their goals. Instead of evolving into something greater, we are devolving into creatures controlled by our primal fears. I think in time it will destroy everyone."
"Perhaps... but if there are others like you then there is hope. Now, enough speculation on the future. Tell me about the Battle."
Leaning back in her chair, Lilith gazed into the darkness that surrounded them, remembering a time long ago.
"He was an excellent teacher. Dis, that is. He taught me about life... and love... and in the end... lust and selfishness. At first I thought he was magnificent, large and muscular, glowing red skin and an insatiable appetite. He was the perfect male. In time though, I realized his feelings were superficial... controlled more by his loins than his heart. There was nothing he wouldn't do to get what he wanted, and back then, he wanted me. When the Twin sent his Army to take me back, Dis gathered his Legions to protect me. At the time I thought it was because he loved me. His real purpose was to protect his property. Once he possessed something, he never gave it up willingly."
"And yet here you are," interjected Intunecat, interrupting her narration.
"As I said, willingly," she laughed, her black eyes glinting with humor. "Anyway, the battle raged for thousands of years until our forces were beaten back to the gates of the Underworld. We would have lost everything if Kali hadn’t switched her allegiance at the last moment. She was one of the Twin’s most powerful warriors."