by Mark Harritt
They walked, and he conceded the point, “You’re probably correct. I was a young, stupid man at that time. Plus, what you offered me was something that I never could have attained on my own.”
Her hip kept bumping against his leg, something he was keenly aware of, “I know now, though, that you are the queen of deception. What you offer is a lie. It is a hollow existence that robs people of love and life, and leads to the deepest pits of hell.”
Lilith’s smile turned into a moue of disappointment. She sighed, “Eli, you’re such a killjoy. You turn a bit of harmless flirting into trench warfare.”
He patted her hand, “Lilith, believe me, I appreciate your flirting. I’m a man, after all. You are a stunning woman. You always have been, and you always will be, succubus beside the point.”
Lilith brightened at his complement.
“But there is no way that your flirting’s harmless. Your beauty, your flirting, your sexuality, your harmless fun, is the first indication that the road is tipping down a very slippery slope. You are a very dangerous woman. You are one of the most dangerous enemies I have ever faced, and, I think, will ever face.”
Lilith’s expression grew to one of deep satisfaction. Learning that her sworn enemy held her in high esteem made her glow. She conceded his point, “Well, yes, I guess I understand your reluctance in enjoying my company.”
Lazarus glanced at her, “Yes, I’m very reticent in trusting you at all. But don’t think that means that I’m not enjoying your company.”
She was amused by this revelation, and wrapped her other arm around his and gave him a hug. His heart beat faster as he felt her breasts crush into his arm. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked, and sighed, “Eli, you say the most romantic things.”
They approached the door, and Lilith let go of his arm. Sam opened the door and let Darcy in. He held the door and Lazarus leaned forward and took the door from him, allowing Sam to slip in. He continued to hold it for Lilith as she walked past.
“Of course, as much as I enjoy your company, it doesn’t mean that I won’t kill you if you betray us.”
Lilith smiled, and touched him with a light, very intimate motion, “Of course. I expect nothing less.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, “And when this is over, I’m going to hunt you down and kill you.”
He chuckled, “No, you’re going to try. You won’t succeed.”
He motioned for her to continue through the door. They stepped inside, and Sam was talking to the hostess to arrange for a table for four.
Lazarus continued to talk, “You know, I’m going to figure it out.”
“Figure out what, darling.”
He nodded towards Sam and Darcy, “Darcy, of course.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know she’s not one of you. She’s a merlin. Her powers aren’t demonic. She’s an innocent.”
“Oh, honey, there are no innocents in the world. You should know that by now.”
“I don’t know what your game is, but I still have some time. I’ll figure it out eventually.”
Lilith turned and pinched his cheek like he was a little boy, “You’re so cute. You have two days. Are you sure you’re going to figure it out by then.”
Lazarus smiled, “I’m pretty good at this kind of thing. I’ll bet you I know it by the time we face the incursion.”
Lilith thought about it, “maybe. So, what’s the wager?”
“I’m thinking a steak dinner at Delmonico’s.”
Lilith shook her head, “If it was the nineteen-fifties, I’d agree with you. It’s not the same since the Delmonico family gave it up.”
“Okay, then where do you want to eat?”
“Smith and Wollensky, in DC.”
Lazarus smiled. He needed to pay some K-street lobbyists a visit anyway. It seemed that fate was going to take him in that direction after Bisbee, “That sounds perfect. We’ll call it neutral ground until we finish our dinner. Until,” he thought about it, “how about six in the morning after our dinner. Then it’s open season on each other again.”
“You might want to consider a twenty four hour moratorium on operations after our dinner. I think that I might have the upper hand in DC.”
He hesitated, then agreed, “True. If there is a den of iniquity, immorality, and evil, it’s definitely DC. I’ve never known a place with more thieves than that town.”
“Hollywood?” Lilith asked.
He shook his head, “Close, very corrupt, but they don’t wrap themselves in the flag when they steal your money.”
Their table was ready, so they followed the hostess. They stepped to the table, sat down across from Darcy and Sam. They gave their orders for drinks. When the drinks made it to the table, they gave their orders for the entrée.
Darcy looked at Lazarus and Lilith, “You two look like you’re fast friends now.”
Lazarus stopped eating the corn chip, and used one of the points to make his point, “That, young lady, would be a misunderstanding on your part.”
Lilith nodded, “Yes, we’re just making an agreement on how long before we start hunting each other again.”
“Hunt each other? Why?”
Lazarus looked at Lilith, who shrugged, indicating she didn’t mind if he spilled the beans. “I thought you’d try to tell her sometime anyway. Might as well be now.”
He pointed at himself, “Saint.” He pointed at Lilith, “Demon Succubus.” He continued his explanation, “You understand that Lilith and I are sworn enemies. We’ve been trying to kill each other for, oh,” he paused, and counted on the fingers on one hand, his eyes looking towards the ceiling as he thought, “what, about eighteen hundred years now?”
Lilith thought about it, and nodded as she bit into a corn chip and salsa. She chewed, swallowed, and then spoke, “Yes, I think that’s about the time you decided to go into your current line of work.”
Darcy looked at them like they had grown horns on their heads, “eighteen hundred years?”
Lazarus looked at Lilith, “Have you talked to her about anything?”
“Not really, no.”
He looked back at Darcy, “Darcy, what do you know about the Bible, the Torah, or maybe Kabballah?”
“Not much. My aunt and uncle never attended church, and I’ve never felt a desire to go.”
“Do you know anything about Lazarus, risen from the dead?”
She shook her head, “Not much. Isn’t he the guy that lived to be a thousand years old?”
Lazarus corrected her, “No. That was Methuselah. A different guy completely. Lazarus was raised from the dead.”
Darcy shrugged her shoulders.
“What about Lilith? Have you ever heard about her?”
Darcy pointed across the table at Lilith, “You mean, her? I met her at the college. She was thinking about getting a degree in nursing. That’s how we met. Or are you talking about Lilith Fair?”
Lazarus smiled, “Well, the original Lilith is who the fair is named after. Also, Lilith was, according to Jewish tradition, Adam’s first wife, created from the same earth as he was, before Eve was created from Adam’s rib.”
“No, I didn’t know that. I thought Eve was the first woman.”
“Well, there is an ancient history of the name Lilitu, which is the Akkadian name for demon. This reference is also made in Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian mythologies as well.
Darcy was bemused by this, “You mean demon, as in evil, the devil, Satan.”
Hands flew up when she mentioned his name. They all tried to shush her. Lazarus spoke, “You might want to forgo mentioning that name again.”
Darcy was incredulous, “What, you’re telling me that you’re afraid of a mythical creature like Satan?”
Once again, the hands flew up to shush her. Sam put his hand on her forearm. When she looked at him, he shook his head, emphasizing that she shouldn’t use the name.
Lazarus nodded, “Yes, I’m very afraid of him. He’s not a
mythical creature. He is in fact, very real.”
Darcy rolled her eyes, “Oh, come on. You’re pulling my leg.” She looked over at Sam, “Are you in on this too? What are you guys trying to do? Trying to scare me off before we get to Bisbee?”
Lazarus continued, “Why do you think we’re going to Bisbee, Darcy?”
“Well, Lilith here has taught me about how to harness magic. She told me that there are dangerous, magical creatures that might harm people,” she motioned to Sam, Lazarus, and Lilith, “you three would need my help to contain them.”
Lazarus looked at Lilith, “Wow, you really did sugar coat it, didn’t you?”
Lilith shrugged.
Lazarus continued, “The creatures that we’re going to try and stop are more than magical creatures. From what I’ve been told, they’ve slaughtered millions, if not billions of sentient beings to breach our universe. If they get here, they’ll slaughter every living thing on the face of the earth, then continue their march of destruction through other realms of reality.”
Darcy watched Lazarus, not sure if he was serious or not. She still had reservations that he was playing some game, trying to scare her. She looked at Lilith. Lilith was dead serious. She looked at Sam. His expression mirrored the other two.
Lazarus explained, “What you have, Darcy, is not magic. Or, more precisely, it’s a natural way in which you control your surroundings. It is more of a psychic ability than it is magic.”
Darcy didn’t believe him, “No, you’re wrong.” She pointed at Lilith, “Lilith showed me how to control the magic, by using symbols, and key phrases.”
Lazarus shook his head, “No, what she’s shown you, is a way to focus your attention, so that you can use your natural abilities. Your God given abilities. No ‘magic’ involved.”
Darcy looked at Eli like he was mentally deficient, “Eli, there is no devil, and no god. And, if she existed, she wouldn’t subscribe to your outdated world view.”
Lazarus sighed, “Look, I’m not here to discuss semantics. I’m trying to impress upon you that there’s more going on here than you may know. This isn’t a walk in the park. There are dangerous, evil adversaries that we’re going to face in the next few days.”
Darcy rolled her eyes, “Eli, there’s no such thing as evil. That’s just society trying to label a person who doesn’t fit into societal norms.”
Lilith tried to subdue the laugh that came out, and just managed to turn it into a cough. Lazarus reached over and touched Darcy’s forearm, gently, with his hand, the intimacy getting her attention, “Darcy, whatever else you need to take away from this conversation, the one thing you need to remember is this. Evil is very real, and there are evil people that want to hurt you.”
“Why are we talking about this? What is this about? Are you afraid I can’t handle myself in Bisbee?”
Lazarus sighed, “No, Darcy, that’s not it. I just want you to be prepared for any eventuality.”
Lilith put her hand on Lazarus’ forearm, forestalling anything else he was about to add, “Eli, she’s a humanist. She doesn’t understand anything you’re talking about,” she turned to Darcy, “do you, honey.”
Darcy was miffed by Lilith’s patronizing tone, “Of course I understand. I just don’t believe that’s how the world works. I believe everything comes from nature, not some mythological ‘God.’”
Lazarus continued, and tried to explain further, “Darcy, I don’t think you get it. My real name is Eleazar. I was the Bishop of Bethany, on the island of Cyprus for many years.”
Darcy laughed, “Are you trying to tell me you’re a religious man? Forgive me if I don’t believe you. Not with all the weapons you carry.”
Darcy grew quiet. What he was trying to tell her, suddenly sank in. Darcy shook her head, rejecting it, “That’s impossible. That means that you’re about, what, two thousand years old.” She looked at Lilith, “Next, you’re going to try and tell me that she’s the original Lilith.”
Lazarus, Sam, and Lilith didn’t say a word, their silence deafening. They sat there, watching Darcy. Darcy laughed again, the look on her face incredulous, “Are you trying to tell me that she’s a demon that’s been around since Adam was alive?”
Lazarus shrugged. Lilith picked up another biscuit and began buttering it. Darcy looked at Sam. Sam nodded.
Darcy looked at all three of them as if they had lost their minds, “You can’t all be crazy.”
Lazarus spoke, “Darcy, you can manipulate the physical reality that surrounds you. Are you going to tell me that we’re mad because we’re telling you about demons and demonic magic?”
The table grew quiet as Darcy tried to digest what she had just been told. She turned to Lilith, “So what, are you going to go Oogy Boogy, on me now and turn into a demon and try to eat me?”
“Honey, that’s so not what I do. I’m not an Oogy Boogy kind of girl. My line of work is more like sales.”
Lazarus continued, “Darcy, you have a major misunderstanding of what demons are, and what they do.” He turned to Lilith, “This lovely lady you see before you is perfect for what she does. She’s lovely, erudite, sexy, and appealing to ninety-nine percent of the human race.”
Lilith spoke, apparently touched by what Lazarus had just said, “Awww, that’s the sweetest thing I think you’ve ever said to me, Eli.”
Sam rolled his eyes. Lazarus continued, “Hers is not a job of killing and destroying. Instead, she tempts, she cajoles, and she flatters. The people that she tempts decide who they’re going to be, what they’re going to do. If they make the wrong choice, they end up walking a path that they can never turn from.”
Darcy remained unconvinced, “Hell is a mythological place. It doesn’t exist.”
Lazarus looked deep into Darcy’s eyes, “Oh, believe me, I know all about hell. I know all about temptation. I’ve burned in the pit, with demons tormenting me.”
Darcy didn’t believe him, “And who tempted you? How did you end up in hell?”
Lazarus hooked a thumb at Lilith, “She did. That’s why I’m so familiar with how she operates. I know from bitter experience where the path she guides you can lead.”
Darcy shook her head, “I can’t believe either of you. There’s no way you’re two thousand years old, and no way she’s a demon from the dawn of time.”
Lazarus spread his hands in appeal, “Look, Darcy, let me explain demons and temptation a different way. Did you ever know any bad boys when you were younger? Any guys like that you were maybe attracted to?”
Darcy thought for a minute. She looked bashful when she said, “There was a mechanic in the garage where my dad took the car to get it fixed. He had that sexy, tough guy machismo.”
Lazarus nodded, “Okay, now imagine that bad boy kept flirting with you, telling you how pretty you are. He tells you things like, ‘Your parents don’t understand you. Your friends don’t understand you. I’m the only one that understands you, and cares about what you think and feel.’ What would you think about a guy like that? Especially if he brought you flowers, and paid lots of attention to you, when you were about fifteen or sixteen?”
Darcy thought, “Well, I did have a major crush on the guy. I’d probably be very flattered.”
“And you would appreciate the attention, and probably seek more attention from him as well, wouldn’t you?”
Darcy nodded, “Yeah, probably.”
“How old was this guy?”
“He was probably mid-twenties to early thirties.”
“What would you have done if he had come to your window one night, and managed to get you to talk to him without your parents knowing?”
“I’d probably talk to him.”
“Would you flirt with him?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“If he talked you into a moonlight stroll, would you do it, if your parent’s didn’t find out?”
“Maybe.”
“Okay, imagine that you’re on a moonlight stroll with him, and he kisses you, and
you kiss him back.”
Darcy glanced over at Sam, then closed her eyes, “Okay, I’m imagining it.” Lazarus had a pretty good idea that it wasn’t the mechanic she was thinking about.
“Okay, now imagine that you’ve just woken up, and you find yourself in your own bed, your panties are around your ankles, and your new boyfriend is nowhere to be seen. Then, you find out three days later that you have an STD. Plus, you find out you’re pregnant. And when you go to talk to him, you find out that he’s married and has three kids.”
Darcy opened her eyes, and she looked very unhappy, “That’s not where I thought this story was going, at all.”
Lazarus nodded, “Yeah, I know, and that’s where a lot of people find themselves. The law of unintended consequences.” He put his hand on Lilith’s arm again, “That’s what she does. She gives you a choice, and the choice looks very, very good. Then you make your choice and find out what the consequences are. That’s the fundamental essence of what demons do.”
Darcy shrugged, unhappy with his explanation. The food arrived, and they tucked in. It was very good Mexican food. Lazarus was glad they stopped there. Soon they finished, and were back on the road. They decided not to go all the way to Tucson, though. Eight hours of driving was enough. They stopped in Las Cruses. Lazarus was driving, and he pulled into a Holiday Inn Express. As he was checking in, he thought to himself, “I’m not usually a demon hunter, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.”
Everybody went to their separate rooms. Lazarus was getting ready to order a movie to watch, when the phone rang. He picked it up and answered. It was Lilith, “Eli, can you come to my room for a minute? I need to talk to you.”
“Yeah, I’ll be right down.”
He pulled on his shirt, and tucked his pistol into his front pocket. He wasn’t wearing shoes, and didn’t feel like putting them back on. Before he left, he gave Sam a call. When Sam answered the phone, Lazarus explained where he was going, “If you don’t see me again, it’s probably because I’ve been kidnapped and killed.”
“Oh, I don’t think you have to worry about that, Eli. Remember, the other night? When I went to her room to tell her about the next day? She wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing when she answered the door.”
