Cain stopped before the large tree behind which I hid.
Finally, he broke the silence. “I have accepted another brother.” He searched his family’s confused faces. “His name is Dracúl.”
Eve, Adam, and Abel stared at Cain with bewildered expressions.
“Dracúl, please show yourself!” Cain said, extending his arms toward the tree.
I inched my way around to the front of the tree and grinned at them, squaring my shoulders to prepare for the multitude of embraces I would receive.
Eve gasped, flinching as she pressed a hand over her mouth. The color drained from her face, and she moved her lips as if to speak, but no words escaped.
Had I been in my fiend form, I might have expected this reaction. I resembled her son—a beautiful being. I shoved my hair away from my face.
Adam’s jaw dropped when he held me in view. He took a few steps toward me, staring at my face.
Abel threw his head back and laughed. “I did not know there were other boys like us. This is good.” His gaze went from me to his brother and back again, and his laughter ceased. I watched as a cloud of confusion crossed his face.
Adam could not take his eyes off me. “Where do you come from? Why is there a strong resemblance between you and Cain?” He looked troubled.
“I do not know,” I replied. “What I do know is that I belong here now, with you.” Adam gave me a pitying look.
My coaxing did not have the same affect on Eve, for when she saw Adam’s face she turned to me and glared.
“No!” She took me by the arm and shoved me away. “You must leave this place now. You do not belong with us.”
I jolted, my heart pounding. I rubbed my throat, which seemed to be closing. I glanced at Cain. He hurried to my side. I had a whirling sensation in my head. I thought I would fall, so I hung on to him.
“Why not?” Cain shouted. “Why must Dracúl leave this place?” Black storm clouds raged in his eyes as he glared at his mother.
“This creature is not like us,” she said, her voice no longer soothing. “Having been begotten by evil, his nature is evil. He must not stay amongst us.”
My legs faltered, and I would have fallen to the ground if Cain had not sustained me. My mouth hung open. Every muscle in my body slackened. Languid and lightheaded, I stared at Eve. I wanted to say something, but I had no idea where or how to begin.
“If Dracúl is the creature you speak of, why, Mother, do we share more similarities than my brother Abel and I do?” Cain asked.
Adam continued to stare at Eve, concern and fear etched on his face.
Eve’s legs buckled. She swayed to and fro until she collapsed on her knees and sobbed. Adam scrambled to her and held her as she wept.
“There is something she is not telling us, Father.” Cain glared at his mother and pointed his finger at her.
“Enough, Cain,” Adam said, holding Eve and looking agonized.
Cain shook his head. “No, Father! I must know the answers to my questions. Why are there so many likenesses between Dracúl and me?”
I remained motionless, listening and watching as the truth unfolded. Eve crumbled in Adam’s arms.
“Speak the words the boy yearns for,” Adam whispered to her. “I too find their resemblance peculiar. Give us the answers we seek.”
“I cannot speak such words aloud,” she whispered.
Suddenly, a trumpet sounded from somewhere above us. I looked for the source of the sound, my eyes darting in every direction as Cain and Abel gaped at the sky. Only Adam and Eve appeared unfazed, though the intense, powerful sound of Gabriel’s Trumpet of Truth would soon compel Eve to speak with candor.
Chapter 3
FALLACY
“One day, malevolent creatures slipped into the Garden of Eden and beguiled me,” Eve said, beginning her confession. “An innocent and gullible creature, my eyes were not yet opened to sin. I did not have the knowledge of good and evil.” Her voice seemed caught in her throat as she struggled to form the words. She stared at Adam, her eyes imploring him to understand.
“Continue!” Cain yelled, glaring at her.
She wore a wretched expression on her face. Despite her rejection of me, I pitied her.
Eve squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and continued in a tremulous voice. “One of the beings called himself Samael.” She shuddered when she spoke his name, as if saying it out loud might summon him. “An alluring creature, his ways were captivating and his words melodic like the lyrebird’s song.” She stopped and cradled her face in her hands. Cain glowered at her. I pressed my lips together, feeling the pain in her words.
Once more we perceived the vibrant and dynamic sound of Gabriel’s Trumpet of Truth. Eve lifted her tearful, beseeching eyes to the heavens. The sound echoed, loud and dark. The trumpet’s resonance was a preface to Eve’s truth. We all stared at her, waiting for her to finish her account. I trembled, my pulse fluttering wildly.
Eve’s face twisted with anguish, as if her words would change the world. “The creature Samael seduced me, and we engaged in lustful acts in the garden.” After the words gushed forth, she threw herself to the ground, sobbing and gasping.
Adam’s face blanched. He recoiled from her, shaking his head, his eyes wide and fixed on her in disbelief. Abel gasped and embraced his father.
Cain clenched his jaw. He glanced at me and then glared at his mother again. His nose flared, and he balled his hands to form fists. “What do your shameful acts have to do with me?” he bellowed, the last word lingering in the air. Eve shrank from his rage. “Tell me! Speak now, woman!”
“The reason you and Dracúl resemble each other is because you share the same father.” Eve placed trembling hands over her mouth as Adam howled. Abel held his father and wept on his shoulder.
I winced at the look of astonishment on Cain’s face. My legs faltered and I fell to my knees.
“No, this cannot be so,” I said, my voice brittle. “My father is Satan, not Samael. You are mistaken.”
I saw pity in Eve’s eyes as she looked at me. “Your father, Satan, possessed Samael while in the act, and he spilled his own seed in me to conceive Cain. Your own mother named him.” Her face grew pale and wilted. “She said the name Cain means ‘spear,’ and she claimed, ‘As Michael’s spear marked the end of Satan, so shall Cain mark the end of mankind.’”
Cain took several staggering steps backward. He clenched his teeth, his eyes fixed straight ahead. I summoned my strength, rose to my feet, and proceeded to him, hoping to sustain him as he had me, but he stormed away. I hurried after him. He ran as far as he could before he collapsed and crumpled on the ground, sobbing.
“We will be fine. Please do not fret.” I passed my hand over his back.
He looked at me, his expression bleak. “No, brother, nothing will ever be good again. My entire existence is a lie. My family will never accept me now. The truth has been spoken aloud about who—or what—I am. The man I thought my father will never look upon me the same way. Abel will be their true son.”
“We have each other,” I said, my hand on his shoulder. “We are brothers, and we will always be together. We do not need anyone else. But why, brother, will they not accept us?” Filled with grief enough for both of us, to think with clarity seemed impossible.
Cain lifted his eyes and with a haunted expression he uttered in a gruff voice, “We are soulless creatures, and our nature is evil.”
His words disconcerted me. “If that is what they believe, we do not want them in our lives. You have skills to farm the land, and I am a good hunter. We could find a home of our own and begin anew. There is much I can show you outside of this place. We will have many adventures together.”
Cain sat upright and wiped his eyes. “You are right. We could leave this place together and find a new dwelling.”
Relief washed over me and I exhaled hard, unaware that I had been holding my breath.
He got to his feet and brushed some of the dirt off his body. “Fi
rst, I must return to my home and fetch my clothes and tools, and I would also like to say goodbye to the man I believed to be my father.”
A foreboding made my blood run cold and the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stood on end. Cain proceeded in silence to his previous home.
I caught up to him and grabbed his arm. “Wait. Please don’t go.”
“This is something I must do.” Cain jerked his arm away. “Do not attempt to stop me.” I backed away from him and watched him go with a premonition of horror to come.
I dragged myself to the nearest tree and sagged against it. I fell asleep at once.
A gentle voice beckoned me. I opened my eyes, and a gorgeous face gazed back at me. Heavy lids lined with long, thick, dark lashes framed sultry eyes resembling gemstones. One of her irises was a rich brown smoky quartz and the other a blue sapphire. Her skin was smooth and flawless, like cream lightly colored with a drop of honey. As she spoke her mellow words, I watched her plump pomegranate-colored lips move. She smiled and unexpected warmth rushed through me. Her cascades of long, lustrous, russet hair tickled my face as she leaned over me to kiss my forehead.
“Awaken, my son. I have something to show you,” she said in a soothing voice. I grinned and jumped to my feet, eager to follow her.
We pranced together through the forest hand in hand. I looked up at my mother and she smiled, but her smile hid something, like a snake covered with leaves. I felt a shiver run down my spine. We hiked until we came upon a river. I stared at the dark, lazy river, and my heart sprang to my throat. I rubbed my neck and tightened my lips. A chill crept into my bones, and I rubbed my arms. A noise made me turn toward my mother. She had transformed into a snakelike creature. Her face had not changed much but took on a malevolent expression. Her once dainty hands were now large and bore long, sharp claws, and below her waist she had a serpent’s tail, much like my own.
She bashed me with her powerful tail. I hit the ground hard. The fall knocked the air out of my lungs. I wheezed and coughed, but she showed no mercy. She pinned me to the ground. As I struggled to get away, my heart thumped in my chest.
“Why do you hurt me, Mother?” I cried. She glared at me and without hesitation sank her fangs into my neck. I winced and flinched in pain. “Why? Why do you hate me so?” My words gurgled within my mouth as I faded away.
I sat up straight with a start. I had awakened from a deep sleep. My fiery chest heaved, and the heat rose to my face. I balled my fingers to a fist and punched the tree I reclined against. “It was my mother? My own mother tried to kill me?” The huge epiphany I experienced threatened to drive me mad. I shifted into the red fiend for the first time since I had changed. A flood of crimson tears stung my eyes, and I shook with sobs. I got up and walked in circles, covering my head with my arms.
I stopped, cocked my head, and wailed to the heavens. “Mother! I know you tried to kill me!” The words were like thorns in my gullet. “The monster in my nightmares—the fiend who tried to destroy me—was my own mother.” My fast, shallow breathing made it difficult to catch my breath. I clasped my hands over my head. “I will find you, and when I do, you will pay for all I have suffered.” I swiped my hand over my eyes.
I knocked trees to the ground, tore flowers and bushes to shreds, unable to rid myself of the toxic hatred and rage coursing through me.
After a while, I stopped and stared at the mess I had made. I beat my chest, but the scorching flames of pain and awareness did not expire. I collapsed to the ground and stared into space, gritting my teeth. “Mother, you left me for dead. You never loved me. I know this now, and this knowledge torments me—so many smothered memories, unfolding themselves into grotesque monsters of pain.”
“Lilith, you are the reason I have suffered my entire existence. Finding and destroying you is the only way I can go on. Your demise would be the panacea for my many afflictions.” I clenched my teeth and sulked. Soon, Cain will return, and when he does, together we will find my mother, Lilith, and destroy her.
Chapter 4
MALEVOLENCE
The sun sank lower in the sky, and the light of day began to drain away. What kept Cain? I decided to find him before nightfall. After some time, I spotted Cain at a short distance. As I got ready to call out to him, Abel appeared around the bend. I moved closer but remained hidden, curious to see their interaction after everything that had come to pass.
When Abel encountered Cain, he stopped in his tracks and recoiled. His mouth gaped and his eyebrows climbed to his hairline.
“So now I scare you, brother?” Cain wore a wry expression on his face. Abel lowered his head and stared at the ground.
“I am the same boy I was yesterday and the day before,” Cain said with a scowl.
Abel backed away from him. “I am frightened by the darkness I see in your eyes.”
Cain ambled toward him. “You were always their favorite. I now understand why you were Eve’s favorite, but why, my brother, did Father favor you?”
“Stop calling me your brother. We are not brothers.”
Cain’s face blossomed red as if a fire was lit inside him, and his nostrils flared. “Do we not share the same mother? Did we not grow up together?”
Abel seemed to ignore his questions. “Perhaps my father sensed the evil in your nature, as I always have.”
Cain glared at Abel without blinking. “I will show you my evil nature.”
I did not like the malevolence in Cain’s voice, so I rushed toward them.
I watched Abel turn to flee, but Cain hoisted a rock and hurled it at his head, knocking him to the ground.
“Stop!” I shouted.
Cain glanced at me and held up a hand. “Stay where you are, brother. Do not interfere.”
My heart pounded. I watched, fixed to the spot.
Abel rolled over and rubbed his head, wincing and moaning in pain. He gasped when he saw blood on his hands. “You have spilled my blood!” His lips quivered. “My father will never forgive you for this.”
“Wrong,” Cain said. “He will never forgive me for what I am about to do.” Wild-eyed, he picked up another large, jagged stone, and bashed his brother’s face with it.
Abel wailed in pain and reached out his arms, trying to stop the assault. He gurgled, choking on his own blood. He retched and floundered helplessly on the ground.
I gasped and covered my mouth, staring at the scene before me.
Cain smashed the rock into his face again, and blood sprayed his chest and neck.
Abel sputtered teeth and tried to plea as his bones crush. He flailed his arms, trying to stop the fury raining upon him.
“Silence! You will never sting me with your words again. Be forever still and silent!” Cain continued to bring the rock down on his brother’s head, over and over, until his skull smashed beyond recognition and Abel lay distorted and lifeless in a lake of blood.
When Cain realized what he had done, he fell to his knees and rocked back and forth. He stared at the bloody rock still in his trembling hand and dropped it beside his brother’s corpse. Abel’s blood streamed toward him, and he recoiled from it.
I rushed to him. “We must leave this place!” I grabbed the shoulder of his blood-soaked garment and shook him. “Hurry!”
Cain’s breaths were fast and shallow as he wiped his bloody hands against a tree trunk. He glanced at me. “I cannot believe I did this,” he said as he shook his head and stared at his hands.
I yanked him by the arm, and we dashed from the area. We ran, not knowing where we were going. The trees’ shadows were now twice as long, and we continued running until they melted away into the blackness of night. Cain stumbled and collapsed. I tried to help him up, but he crawled to a tree, wilting against its trunk. He cradled his face in his hands, lamenting.
I wormed down next to him, and as I placed my arms around him, I heard a voice.
“Where is thy brother Abel?”
Cain and I flinched and looked around for the source of the disembodied
voice. Cain clambered to his feet and, in a cautious manner, lifted his eyes to a shimmer in the sky. “I know not where Abel may be,” Cain said, his lips quivering. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Trembling, I pressed by body against the tree, trying to disappear into it.
Suddenly, an angel materialized before us. “What have ye done? Listen! Thy brother’s blood cries out from the ground.” The angel’s irises burned red. He emitted flames from his mouth when he spoke.
Cain gasped and flinched. My muscles went rigid. Panic swelled inside me.
“My name is Hashmal. I stand before thee to make known God’s commands. I am His mouthpiece.” A fireball erupted from his mouth. He hovered over Cain, glaring at him. “God curses thee and drives thee from this land, which opened its mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand. From this day forth, when you work the ground, it shall no longer yield its crops for thee. Thou shall be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Cain grew ashen and trembled. His legs faltered, and he fell to his knees. “My punishment is more than I can bear. On this day you drive me from my land. I will no longer be able to cultivate it or raise crops, and I will be hidden from the presence of God. A restless wanderer I will be, and whosoever finds me will surely destroy me, knowing what I had done.”
“Not so, for whosoever slays you shall suffer vengeance seven times over.” Hashmal’s strawberry-blond hair stood on end, and fire and lightning came forth from his mouth.
Then, from the shimmer in the sky, a beam of light fell over Cain. A golden chrysalis formed over him until he disappeared within it.
I peered at this golden cocoon which encased my brother. My chest heaved and tears filled my eyes, yet I lacked the courage to move or do anything, lest I be burned alive by the same angel who had burned my father. I covered my face. Did God destroy Cain?
Hearing a snap and crackling, I uncovered my face. I stared at the cocoon, and it began to move and crack. I held my breath and watched as Cain shattered the casing and tore away layer after layer of golden crust, like a bird breaking out of an egg, until he freed himself.
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