Lilith: Eden's Planetary Princess (The Michael Archives Book 1)

by Robinson, C. E.

  “Britt? Are you sure?”

  Collin looked up.

  “I mean, you walked out with Britt last night, but right after that she came back and then took off with some handsomely rugged-looking Melchizedek. I mean you’re cute and all, but he was probably a real man. What’s going on, stud? Losing your touch?” Skillit eyed Collin, enjoying how his mind began to spin, knowing he was running through a litany of pretty faces. He was probably wondering who really was in his bed.

  “Hey Bill? Didn’t I see some fresh Habaneros in our delivery this morning?” Wrenn shouted from the kitchen.

  Bill, the owner, had replaced Skillit at the bar. He looked toward the kitchen. “Yeah, Wrenn. There’s plenty in the cool room,” he called out casually, pausing, then looking over to Collin and smiling briefly. Bill resumed his conversation with the male Angel who had just walked in a few moments before and was now drinking a beer.

  A tense moment passed as Collin considered that he might not know who was in his bed.

  “Don’t worry. It was Brittney,” Skillit chuckled.

  “Why do you do that to me Skillit? Don’t you think my life’s complicated enough?”

  “Hello Collin,” Wrenn said casually. Collin flinched at her sudden appearance beside him. She removed the glass from her tray, and gingerly, as if it might suddenly explode, placed it on the table in front of him. “Here’s your special drink.”

  Collin stared at it for a moment.

  “Straw?” Wrenn said as she held a straw straight up in her long black fingers. She did not place the straw on the table; she just stood there looking at him, waiting for him to speak.

  “Yes please, Wrenn,” he said with an embarrassed smile.

  In the same way she had placed the glass in front of him, she laid down the straw as carefully as if she were defusing high explosives. He felt Wrenn’s stare and was pulled to her death-filled black eyes, then quickly back to his drink.

  “Well, Skillit. If you don’t need me for awhile, I’ll go home and eat my lunch. Not really hungry but I could use the fresh air.” Wrenn turned and walked toward the door without giving either of them a single glance.

  “No, I don’t think your life is complicated at all,” Skillit continued as if nothing had happened. “Really, what do you do? Sit here and wait for some pretty face to sit down. You take her home and do, whatever…” she waved her hands in the air and grimaced.

  “… certainly I don’t want to think about whatever. Then the next morning you stagger to your office three hours late and sign a few forms. The hardest part of your day is making sure your hung-over brain doesn’t lead you into the creek. You plop your butt down in the same booth where I serve you like you’re a king or something. Then the next night you do it all over again. That’s really a tough life. What a slackard.”

  Collin gave her a dirty look.

  The door creaked open. A welcoming smile came to Skillit’s face. Thankfully for Collin, she called out before he could see who entered.

  “Good morning, Josephine.” Skillit eyeballed Collin as she stood to greet her new customer.

  “Hi Skillit. Have you seen Wrenn?” Josephine asked in her clear, refined voice.

  First Parvarti and Wrenn. Now Josephine. Collin wanted to crawl under the table. He had dated Josephine for months, but while Josephine incarnated on Eden for a one-lifetime mission, he had a fling with Wrenn. He mistakenly thought Wrenn was just another guest on vacation and would be far away from Oceania before Josephine returned. It was not until their third date she invited him to her place.

  Not only was Wrenn a resident, but she and Josephine were friends. He planned to end it with Wrenn before Josephine returned, but Josephine had died in a random childhood accident on Eden and returned to Oceania early.

  Skillit took a few steps toward Josephine. “Hey Josie,” Skillit said. They gave each other a small embrace and exchanged kisses on the cheek. “She just walked out not even a minute ago,” Skillit said as she gestured toward the rear door.

  “Thanks Skillit. I’ll find her.” They exchanged a knowing smile. Josephine started to turn toward the door, then paused. “Hi Parvarti. I didn’t see you at first.” She gave the Princess a friendly pat on the shoulder. As they spoke to each other softly for a moment, Collin kept his head down.

  Skillit sat back down across from Collin. A moment later, at hearing Josephine leave through the back door, Collin felt a huge wave of relief. She studied his sheepish face. “You haven’t talked to her yet, have you”?

  “No,” he mumbled back.

  “Coward,” she said, shaking her head.

  Collin absentmindedly sucked on his straw. Suddenly, he stopped and looked at the drink. He wondered if he was about to be hit by a blast of blazing hot Habanera fire, courtesy of Wrenn.

  “There you are,” a bright, enthusiastic voice called out. Brittney skipped in, pulling on the hand of a pretty but embarrassed-looking Angel.

  Skillit leaned forward and kissed Collin on the cheek. “And I wouldn’t worry about Habanero. An assassin like Wrenn would use Nightshade.” She got up as Brittney bounded over, slid in beside Collin, and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a big squeeze while plastering her lips against his cheek. No doubt, Skillit had seen this routine many times before. She dramatically gestured for the other Angel to take a seat across from Collin and Britt.

  “What can I get for you ladies?” she asked.

  “Juice would be nice, Skillit.”

  “Passion fruit?” Skillit asked with a smile as she saw how Collin perked up.

  Brittney just smiled. “Orange would be very nice.”

  The other Angel seemed too overwhelmed to say anything. “I’ll make it two,” Skillit said to herself as she walked away, shaking her head.

  “I was thinking we could pack a lunch and the three of us could sail out to Emerald Isle,” Brittney said with an eager smile. She was looking forward to stripping off her clothes, splashing in the clear waters, and lying under the rich, warm green moon.

  Collin was not listening as he continued to stare at his drink. Would Wrenn really put nightshade in my drink? Is she really that mad at me? So mad she’d kill me? Nah. He took a sip.

  Collin swallowed, took a deep breath, and let it out hard, as if disappointed. “I’m sorry Britt, but I have to work today.”

  “You work? Really?”

  Collin pointed to the left lapel of his nicely pressed shirt, gesturing to a silver bar, then to the right to the tiny elegant golden box with intricate script, underlined by three rippling golden lines — lines that represented air, sea and land — the symbol of the Corps of Logistics.

  “I’m the officer in command of Oceania’s logistics operations,” he said, sounding more amused than official. “It’s Monday morning. So, yeah, I have to work.”

  The other Angel’s face deflated.

  “What’s your name, beautiful?” Collin asked with a smile.

  “Jess,” she said, perking up again.

  “Well Jess, Britt, I get off at five. We could sail out to Emerald Isle after that and watch the green moon set and the red moon rise. We can make it supper instead of lunch, if that’s all right.”

  Jessica smiled broadly.

  “Great,” Brittney said, jumping up. As she skipped toward the door with Jess in tow, Brittney called out, “In the meantime, Jess and I can do some diving on the reef. We’ll meet you at your hut, uh… cottage, at five.”

  “Girls. Here’s your juice,” Skillit called after them.

  “Thanks.” The two turned around to get their orange juice, both of them beaming at knowing they had a date with Dr. Yummy.

  “Oh, Parvarti. Hi. I didn’t see you at first,” Brittney announced as she was taking a glass out of Skillit’s hands.

  It seems that no one sees me at first. What am I, so subtle that everyone has to look twice? Maybe that’s why Collin never…

  “Parvarti, this is my close friend Jess,” Brittney said, sounding perpetually enthusi
astic.

  “THE Princess Parvarti,” Brittney whispered in Jessica’s ear, more than loud enough for Parvarti to hear. Parvarti wished it no longer bothered her, but being King Joshua and Queen Magdalene’s youngest daughter was not easy.

  “Parvarti. Jess and I are going diving. Can you join us?” Brittney continued, remembering Parvarti and her older brother worked as scientists at the Oceanic Institute studying with The Keeper. “She knows everything about the local marine life,” Brittney said to Jessica. Jessica nodded her head in happy agreement.

  “Well, thanks, but I really need to do some work today,” Parvarti said, confessing the truth.

  Brittney and Jessica looked disappointed.

  “Parvarti, why don’t you use the outing as an excuse to collect some more samples for your research?” Skillit said, giving her an elbow in the ribs as a sign of encouragement. Maybe you’ll get up the guts to sail out to Emerald Isle and get naked with the other girls. That would really freak ol’ Dr. Yummy out.

  “Sure, why not,” Parvarti replied after considering Skillit’s suggestion.

  With faces beaming, Brittney and Jessica spun around and skipped out the door.

  “I’ll put the drinks on your tabs,” Skillit mumbled to herself as she watched the two Angels skip away. She walked around to the other side of the bar and subtly leaned toward Parvarti. Collin, who saw his opportunity to escape, silently moved toward the door.

  “Laugh out loud, but don’t look at him,” Skillit whispered to her.

  “Ha Ha Ha.”

  “Don’t look in the mirror,” Skillit whispered, noticing Parvarti’s eyes start to move up.

  “Now that’s a good one, Skillit,” she said as if sharing a joke.

  Collin looked over and held up his drink to wave goodbye. Skillit noticed he gave Parvarti’s backside a quick survey.

  “Did he look at me?” she asked with a giggle after she heard the door close.

  “Yeeeaaaaahh....”

  “Great.”

  Chapter 7

  The Enemy of My Enemy

  It is not always the case, that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. However, in the case of Commander Vegu-Aniel Odinero, I feel very fortunate that one of my enemy’s greatest foes is one of my greatest friends.

  —Pasiel Pegasus

  Jerusem: Capital of the System Satania

  Mansion World III Celestial Sphere JV3

  "You’re being awfully quiet,” Pegasus said, resting her left elbow on the desktop as she shoveled food in her mouth. She could not remember the last time she had food so fresh and well prepared. She quietly sent her thanks to the tiny elevator that brought the food up to her, or maybe it had come down to her.

  The small office just outside the decontamination area had no windows. There was an entry/exit door and a small door in the wall that opened to the tiny elevator. There were no ventilation grills, only a single air purification machine humming softly in one of the corners. It seemed strange she had to go through decontamination after coming from Edentia, a higher realm. Usually decontamination was meant for individuals returning from the Mansion Worlds south of Jerusem or from one of Satania’s inhabited worlds. And always, a deep decontamination was required to move up through Edentia’s Sea of Glass.

  She did not bother to ask why. They probably would not tell her anyway.

  “Sweet setup you got here, Aniel. You do the decorating yourself?” she continued, looking around the sparse office, soft green paint on four blank concrete walls, a light pink, featureless concrete ceiling, and a grey concrete floor with no drain. A single power cord ran through an open conduit built into the doorframe, then split into two, with one leg running to the air machine, and the other traveling up the wall to one amply-sized light bulb with no shade. There were five simple chairs. In the middle sat a wooden desk with no drawers, essentially a broad flat board supported by four sticks. The only other accouterments were the doors and ventilation grills. If you needed anything else, you had to bring it with you.

  Pegasus leaned her chair back on two legs, resting it against the wall as she crunched an apple. “Nice hot shower when you want. Plenty of good food. Decide you’re getting too old for this messy assassin stuff?” From his wet hair and much improved body odor, it was obvious he had taken a shower.

  Odinero said nothing. He leaned against the wall to her left, his arms crossed over his chest. Aniel, like any excellent assassin, had to be able to precisely control his facial expressions. However, Pegasus sensed an unusual worrisome flow of emotions coming from this walking slaughterhouse. Several times Pegasus thought she saw fear, panic, or maybe a sad sense of loss.

  Pegasus wore a set of green overalls used by technicians while her flight uniform was cleaned. Aniel had changed into another clean, full-dress blue Valkyrie uniform. Not possible that Aniel is doing this for me, Pegasus thought to herself. Must have another meeting later, though it would be nice if he was dressing up for me. He really is quite a dish.

  Pegasus finished her meal, but Odinero had yet to say anything. She loaded the elevator with the tray, plates, and scraps. As with every food cycle, when the empty elevator came back, there was a list of available foods. She checked carrot juice again.

  “Peg, you need to be careful about this one,” he finally said, now that she had finished eating. He stared at the blank, green wall. “Too much not adding up here.”

  She waited for him to continue, but he seemed to slip into deep thought again, so she continued to lean back in her chair and sip her carrot juice.

  She was absentmindedly drinking when Aniel shifted his attention to her. The look in his eyes was unnerving.

  “Here’s the deal. You’re to go to Urantia’s Mansion World I. Land on Atlantis. At Prince Caligastia’s palace, collect Lord Smigyl and his party. Take them to Eden’s Elysium.” Aniel paused. “When the request first came in, you were supposed to pick up Smigyl here, but then for some reason he changed the pickup point to Urantia.”

  She stopped drinking. Her mouth hung open. Urantia? Smigyl?

  He continued, icy-cold blue eyes matching his emotionless voice. “I suspect when you get to Eden, there might be an unknown change in personnel. Other than Smigyl, I don’t know whom you might be transporting to Salvington. When you land on Urantia, supposedly a tractor will be waiting just off the main runway. They’ll pull you to a secret hangar. Don’t unbuckle. Just don’t. Not until you’re safe on Salvington.”

  Pegasus’ mouth continued to hang open.

  “The tailors are weaving the latest battle armor into your flight suit. That’s about the only protection you’ll have on this mission. So, whatever you do, don’t get out of the pilot’s seat. If they ask, you refuse. If they insist, you refuse. If they look as if they’re about to become violent, you threaten to push the red button. If they become violent…” He leaned toward Pegasus. “If they become violent, then your orders from Mac are to push the red button.”

  She closed her mouth. I’m going to transport The God of Light to Salvington? No wonder Ka was in a rotten mood.

  “I guess it’s safe to assume General Ellis’ team is installing the red button. And I guess that’s what you two were fighting about. She didn’t want it and you told her she had no choice,” Pegasus said, taking another sip of her juice, trying to sound casual and unconcerned.

  “Yes, but more than that,” Aniel said. “Ellis refused to do anything until she talked to Mac personally.”

  “Of course you already had the link set up.”

  “Yep. And that’s what we were doing in the office. About the time you landed, Lieutenant General Kshiel Ellis was telling Major General Machiventa Melchizedek to screw himself.”

  “She didn’t!”

  “Oh yes she did. She also informed him this was the last time she’d do his dirty work and demanded reassignment. More correctly, she told him that she wouldn’t do it and wouldn’t allow anyone else on Jerusem to do it either until she was guaranteed transfer out of Norlatiad
ek altogether.”

  Aniel just nodded to himself. “But just so we understand each other. Know that there is benefit in every outcome of your mission. So if you decide to push the red button and kill yourself, Smigyl and a lot of other problems will vanish for a very long time.” Their eyes fixed on each other. “And by that, you know what I really mean.”

  Chapter 8

  Unexpected Reunions

  Personal agendas really don’t matter that much in the long run. I signed up to slay Beliar. Instead, I gave up my own life to save the Ratna of a benefic Goddess who had been worshiped by trillions across billions of galaxies in hundreds of thousands of Creations. One agenda was mine, the other El Elyon’s. The way I figure it, if you end up accomplishing El Elyon’s agenda, life or death, what’s there to complain about?

  —Goddess Janene, Eldest Daughter of King Richard and Queen Victoria of Ing

  The Resurrection Halls of Carolina Isle

  Mansion World II Celestial Sphere in low orthogonal orbit around Eden’s Solar Orb, Pollux

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Collin awoke in a cold sweat, panicked and disoriented from his one hundred and fifty year old dream. Parvarti’s eager face was still plastered in his brain. He looked around his room — nothing there but four green walls and two paintings. The illumination in the room increased with his wakefulness.

  He jerked, suddenly convinced Parvarti was in bed with him. He could already see her green body and passion-filled blue eyes.

  Nothing there except empty blue sheets.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  The subtle knocking came again. He swung his feet to the floor and looked at the door. There was a sign on the door, written in elegant script:

  Everything’s Okay.

  These are the Resurrection Halls of Carolina Isle.

  You are Safe and Surrounded by Friends.

  The door slowly opened. A face with a familiar shade of green slowly revealed itself. Collin jumped, half expecting to see Parvarti’s green face.