Son of the Serpent

by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

  He came closer, his nose almost touching mine, and peered into my eyes. “Is it you, Youssef?”

  I pushed him away. “Of course it is I! Who else would I be?”

  The man stepped toward me again, narrowing his eyes in disbelief. “B-but the young man… he ran toward you and disappeared. Where did he go?”

  “How should I know? Maybe he went into the Nile. Leave me be. I have work to do.” I turned my back to him and continued loading the boat like I had seen Youssef do before I approached him. In time, the man walked away, as did the others. Everyone went back to work, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  I boarded the boat and began rowing with a couple of oars I had picked up from the ground beside it. I had watched carefully how the Egyptians rowed and steered their boats. I sailed up and down the vast river, discovering the farms, gardens, homes, temples, and palaces on its banks.

  The Egyptians built colossal monuments, which sat along the fertile Nile River Valley. I was mesmerized by man’s creations, but I should have been more impressed by the river I floated on, for this civilization would never have flourished without it. I picked up much information from Youssef’s mind. The Nile River provided an endless source of fresh water, fertile soil, and food. For thousands of miles in every direction, sands covered this part of the world.

  I spied a magnificent temple, perhaps the grandest and most exquisite I had ever seen, and before it stood a colossal marble statue of Lilith. Her name was written at the base of the sculpture. The details were splendid and masterfully done for a statue so massive. Egypt was rich in decorative stone, copper and lead ores, gold, and semiprecious stones, all of which were used in erecting this temple and statue in honor of Lilith. I gripped the oars so tight my knuckles turned white.

  I decided to sail into the smaller waterways branching out of the river to get closer to the castles and palatial homes. I figured if Lilith were in Egypt she would be in no less than a great house.

  I sailed at a short distance from the rear of a splendid palace. Grand marble steps led into a shallower part of the river. Tall reeds grew around the periphery of this area, creating a pool behind the palace. Many young women gathered there. I risked coming even closer but remained hidden within the high grasses.

  Without warning, my boat collided with something in the water. When I checked, it looked like some sort of filtration net rising about ten inches above the water. I held it down until the boat was over it, and then I was able to sail on. Apparently, the net was made to keep garbage, crocodiles, snakes, and other river monsters from invading the royal pool.

  The women were beautiful, but one stood out from the rest. She walked gracefully across the marble floor to the steps leading into the river, and as she did so, she removed her garment. I watched her bathe in the Nile, and she was beautiful to behold.

  “Watch out for crocodiles!” one of the girls said, giggling.

  “We would not want our Princess Tumerisy in the belly of a beast, now would we?” another teased.

  “Continue teasing and I will have you all thrown to the crocodiles!” Tumerisy said with a chuckle, making the girls laugh harder.

  The princess began to sing of the death of an infant and of yearning for a child of her own. Her song teemed with sorrow and longing. The girls no longer laughed and frolicked. Instead, they grew silent and hung their heads. I had to leave. I no longer wished to listen to Princess Tumerisy’s poignant melody. I would visit her again someday.

  I returned the boat to the place where I had borrowed it and jumped out of the fisherman’s body, rushing away while Youssef lay propped against a wall, unconscious. He would be disoriented for a short while, and then he would be fine.

  I made my way through the streets of Egypt, noticing everything—the people in the busy markets, the hulking masses of architecture hanging over me, the ornamented streets themselves—until I arrived at a more modest area.

  In the west, deep pink and violet ribbons were chased beneath the horizon by the coming of night. I decided to remain in this area. As I walked along a narrow alley, a soft weeping gave me pause. I turned the corner, following the sound. A few feet in front of me, a young girl sat on the ground. She leaned against a wall, her arms wrapped around her knees, her head bowed as she wept. I stared at her. The bloated blood vessels pulsating on the side of her neck beckoned me.

  “Why do you cry, girl?”

  She flinched, staring at me, eyes like saucers.

  “Why are you out here by yourself? It is becoming dark, and it is not safe.” I inched toward her as I spoke.

  She pushed her back against the wall and slid up to her feet. She continued pressing her body against the wall, as if she could disappear into it. Her hands gripped at the brick.

  “Please do not hurt me,” she whispered.

  “What makes you think I intend to hurt you?” I said, moving closer. She remained fixed against the wall, trembling.

  “It is in your eyes.” She stared at me, terror etched on her face. Her fear touched me and woke me from my trance. I had never desired blood from a human before. Could this have something to do with the creature whose blood I drank in the tent? It cannot be so. She was kind—she saved me from a slow and tortuous death. I found myself enduring the burden of hunger awhile longer.

  “Why do you shed tears alone in the dark?” My shoulders dropped with a sigh. “Has your family forsaken you?”

  “No! My family would never do such a thing.” Her words were like a knife plunging into my gut.

  “I fear I will lose one or more of them soon.” Her voice was brittle as she lamented.

  “Of what do you speak? Why do you fear this?” I asked, face-to-face with her now.

  All her facial muscles twitched at once. “You must be a stranger in Egypt.”

  “I am.”

  “So you do not know of the pharaoh’s commands?” She rubbed her red-rimmed eyes.

  “I have been traveling and only arrived this morning.”

  Her little face sagged. “The pharaoh ordered every Israeli male child not yet walking be thrown into the river for the crocodiles.” She burst into sobs.

  My chest heaved and my pulse quickened. It was difficult to understand how this horror was possible. Why has God not intervened? Or if the task was beneath Him why not send His warrior angels?

  “You appear to be in shock regarding this news,” she finally said. Her fear of me seemed to have subsided.

  “I knew man had grown wicked through the years, but has he grown mad as well? Has mankind learned nothing from the flood or what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah? What more must God do?”

  “It is true! I swear it on my life. You can speak to my father, Amram. He can explain everything better than I can.” She sniffled and looked at me, her eyes withered from crying.

  “What is your name, girl?”

  “My name is Miriam. It means Lady of the Sea,” the girl said.

  “Go home, Miriam. It is not safe to be out alone after dark.” I wiped away the tears on her cheeks. “Everything will be fine after a good night’s rest.”

  Her forced nod told me I had failed to convince her, and concern still marred her face. She peeled herself off the wall and ran down the street. I kept her in sight. When she arrived home, a short distance away, she reached for the door, and as she opened it she stopped and looked my way. She stared at me for a few seconds and then smiled before entering her house. It was a grateful smile.

  I had much to ponder. How was this evil possible? This set of circumstances reeked of Lilith. What could she possibly have to gain from the slaughter of innocents? Would God allow every male infant of Israel to be slaughtered? I shook my head, refusing to believe it.

  A sickle moon rose in the sky, leaving only a blanket of stars to give light. After trudging many miles in the dark, I came across a shadowy corner in a garden behind a temple which looked like a great place to get some rest before sunrise.

  Sometime later, an agonizing howl rippe
d me from my sleep. I bolted upright, my blood pounding in my ears. As another scream sliced through the fog in my brain, I scrambled to my feet, covering my eyes with my arm to block the blinding morning sunlight.

  Wailing and gut-wrenching cries drew me in their direction, increasing in volume as I got closer. Egyptian soldiers were everywhere. A woman ran in my direction. She carried a bundle in her arms—a crying infant. A soldier chased her and caught her garment from behind. He yanked her back and she fell, still clutching her baby. The woman swung her body over the infant to protect it and pleaded with the soldier.

  “Please, do not hurt my baby! He is my only child!”

  The soldier ignored her pleas, snatched the infant from her, and slammed it on the ground with such violence that I detected an audible crack as the infant’s fragile skull shattered upon impact. The woman shrieked, clutching her hair, shaking her head, and looking like someone teetering on the edge of madness as the lifeblood seeped from her broken baby. Although the infant was crushed and unmistakably dead, the soldier stabbed him with his sword again and again as if in a frenzy and then turned and ran the sword into the wailing mother’s chest. I witnessed the murder of innocents and did nothing.

  Anger spiraled from the pit of my stomach, and I shifted into my red fiend form. Boiling with fury, I clenched my jaw so tight it hurt. I roared, held out my arms, and spread my claws.

  Trembling and staring openmouthed, the soldier screamed before pivoting on his heel to flee. I leaped on his back, knocking him to the ground and flipping him so he could see what was coming. “You prey on the innocent, and I prey on the wicked!” I said, spitting the words in his face as he wailed. Then I sank my fangs into his neck and bled him dry. I stood and tossed his dehydrated body aside.

  Soldiers ran toward me, swords drawn. I watched them approach, my tail erect and wings expanded, the blood of their comrade dripping from my mouth.

  A tall, muscular soldier charged at me waving an ax stained with the blood of infants. I groaned and knocked the ax from his hand with my serpent tail as I stabbed him with the spike on one of my wings. His blood spurted from the wound, so I rushed him while he still lived and drank of the blood gushing from him. One by one I gorged on the soldiers’ blood until none stood.

  Panting, I looked around at what I had done. I had killed over twenty men, Egyptian soldiers. They lay splayed on the ground in heaps, lifeless and pale. Many of the people of Israel peeked out of their windows; others stared through the cracks of open doors, while some stood in the street and gawked at me, trying to hide within the shadows. So many shocked faces, so many witnesses… and the morning sun served to illuminate it all.

  I took flight. I left them behind but could not escape the desperate cries that filled the air around me.

  “No! Do not leave us!”

  “Protect us!”

  “They will return tomorrow for those infants they have not yet killed.”

  “Please, you must help us!”

  My eyes dripped with blood tears, and the muscles of my chin trembled like a small child’s. I flew beyond their sight, and once I was far enough away, I searched for a place to land.

  I spotted a cascade near the main river. There was no one around. I dove into the fall’s pool. Immersed in the water, I shifted to my human form. I washed the blood from my face and body. I was nude, my torn clothes left behind with the dead bodies of my victims. My misery worsened when I realized it was the first time I had fed on human blood. I gazed at the heavens and howled.

  “It seems every time we cross paths you are shedding tears.”

  The familiar voice shook me. I spun around, blinking lashes heavy with blood. I gasped and splashed water on my face at the sight of Gadreel standing before me, her four enormous white wings with black bands outstretched.

  I fumbled out of the pool. “Gadreel! I never thought I would see you again.”

  “Come to me. We have much to discuss.” She reached for my hands. “Where are your garments?”

  “Thieves took everything I had.” I lowered my head and looked away, feeling uncomfortable lying to her.

  She narrowed her eyes giving me a skeptical look. “Remain here. I shall get you something to wear, and then when I return you can tell me what really happened.” She smiled the way she did when she has caught me in a lie and plans to let me get away with it.

  I felt my cheeks warm as I gave her a subtle nod.

  When she returned, she handed me a tunic, a belt, and a short, white loincloth which I wrapped round my body. The belt held it all securely in place.

  “You look amazing,” I said, “like one of them. And with the black around your eyes and red on your lips, you resemble royalty.” I leaned in to kiss her, but she put forth her hand to stop me.

  “What are you doing here, and what happened to you?” she asked.

  “I came to Egypt in pursuit of my mother. While here I met a girl named Miriam, who told me the pharaoh had given his soldiers orders to kill all Israelite male infants.” Gadreel blanched as I spoke. “At first, I did not believe her, but then I ran into Egyptian soldiers. They ripped male infants from their mothers’ arms and slaughtered them in the most horrific ways before their mothers’ eyes. In some cases they slew the mothers too.” I felt the pounding of my heart as I relived the experience. “I refused to continue to watch and do nothing, so I attacked the soldiers in my fiend form.”

  She gasped, pressing a hand against her throat. “Did anyone see you in your fiend form?”

  I nodded.

  “You are in grave danger. They shall hunt you down and slay you,” she said, gripping me by the shoulders. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I know they will try,” I said, wresting my shoulders from her grip. I turned away.

  “I know your intentions were good. You wanted to save the infants and their mothers, but that will not matter to the pharaoh’s men.” She embraced me from behind, resting her cheek against my back. “I fear for you, Dracúl.”

  I turned to face her, holding a finger to my lips. “I have not gone by that name in a long time. Please, do not fret.”

  “So you shall leave Egypt without delay?”

  “No, not until I find out why this is happening—and I know of someone who can answer my questions.”

  She drew in a long breath, combing her fingers through my hair. “I shall go with you, for I also desire answers. What shall I call you?”

  “Call me Prometheus.”

  We left the waterfall and made our way to the street where I met Miriam. I found the house she disappeared into, approached its door, and knocked.

  The door creaked open and a man stood before us. “Yes, how may I help you?”

  “We seek answers,” I said, bowing my head out of respect. “A girl named Miriam stated that we could get answers from her father, Amram.”

  “I am Amram,” he said, creasing his brow. “You say you know my daughter, Miriam?”

  “We met once. She told me of a terrible decree ordered by the pharaoh. I have many questions. She said you could provide me with the answers I seek.” I glanced at Gadreel. She stared at the ground, and I returned my gaze to him.

  “Come in,” he said.

  I did not hesitate to do so. His home was humble but clean and cozy. The fragrances of incense and fresh bread wafted through the air. They did not have much but offered everything they had. Miriam came out of one of the rooms and helped serve food and drink to Gadreel and me.

  “Why are Egyptian soldiers killing the innocent?” I asked once the meal was finished.

  “Three months ago, a witch who passes herself off as an astrologer claimed that a liberator, a male child of Israel, was to be born. She told the pharaoh that this liberator would grow to be more powerful than any pharaoh of Egypt.” Amram’s face flushed as he gave us his account of the happenings.

  “Witch? Does this witch have a name?” Gadreel touched my arm and scowled at me. “Apologies. Please continue,” I said as heat bloo
med in my face.

  “The pharaoh decided to end the threat by getting rid of the liberator while he was still a babe, so he ordered every male child that cannot yet walk be killed. My son was born three months ago, on the very day the witch predicted the liberator would be born. We believe our son is the liberator of Israel, for a radiant light filled our house when he entered this world.”

  Gadreel gasped, placing her hand over mine.

  “We have concealed him for three months, but it is becoming impossible to do so any longer,” Amram said as he wrung his hands, staring at us like we were his last hope.

  A woman approached and set a basket made of papyrus on the table. “My name is Jochebed. I am Amram’s wife and mother to Aaron and Miriam, and this is my newborn son.” She extended her hand toward the basket.

  Gadreel and I rose from our seats and looked into the basket. My eyes were fixed on the infant. He was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. I was mesmerized.

  “He is special.” My words were barely audible.

  “We must do something,” Gadreel said, standing on her toes as she gazed at the infant.

  I looked at Jochebed and Amram. “I can help your son, but you must trust me.”

  They looked at each other and then Amram faced me. “I knew God had sent you the moment I opened the door and saw your face.” He nodded once, and I picked up the basket with the babe inside.

  “Is the basket impermeable?” I asked. “Will it float?”

  Amram looked at his wife. “Yes, I weaved the papyrus reeds tightly,” she said.

  “Very well.” As I glanced at the babe, he smiled at me the way only one pure of heart could. “I will take your son to safety. Say your goodbyes.”

  The family came forth, kissed and caressed the child, and said their farewells.

  Gadreel and I made our way to the door with the infant.

  “I will go with you!” Miriam said, hurrying to us. “Please. Let me come with you. I want to see where my brother’s fate leads you.”

  I faced Amram. “It will be a dangerous undertaking. If we are caught with the child, they will try to kill us.”