by T. R. Hamby
But you’ve told me enough truths for me to know what to do, he continued ominously. Come meet my daughter, Calypso--once you are out of the water….
And the ice beneath him cracked.
Roone crashed into the water, dropping deep into its depths. It was cold enough for him to sense, absolutely frigid, and his lungs instantly ached for air. He looked up; he could see feet moving frantically on the ice above.
He shot upwards, but he had already drifted from the opening. He brushed against the ice, and with his legs, made a large hole. He swam to the fresh opening, his lungs searing, and surfaced.
He clung to the edge, taking in great gulps of air. He looked around and stared.
It was a battle. War cries pierced the still air. Every last Valkyrie was fighting what appeared to be Angels, judging by their Presences. It was a mass of charging bodies, swords, shields, and blood. Lots of blood.
But it was the middle of the war that horrified Roone the most. A woman, pale-haired, dressed in a hood and coak, was battling three Valkyries and Michael, all at once. Roone could feel her power emanating from where she stood, a Presence Andreas had had, an immense power.
Come meet my daughter, Father had said. Calypso.
“Fuck!” Roone cried.
He clung to the edge of the ice. His sword still hung from his belt, and he fished around in his pocket for his dagger. He retrieved it, and buried it in the ice. He hauled himself out, swearing, and got shakily to his feet. He was soaked. He unsheathed his sword, and the noise caught the attention of two stray Angels.
They gave a cry and advanced.
But Roone simply lowered his sword. He had played this game before.
He stretched out his hand, and watched as they dropped, writhing, screaming and twisting on the slick ice.
“There would this monster make a man,’” he breathed.
Mel
“Michael! Get back!”
Mel sprinted toward the middle of the creek, slipping slightly on the ice. All around him Blades were flying, Angel and Valkyrie striking and swinging, screaming, thrashing, howling. He had lost Nora, but it was Michael he ran to now.
There was a woman who had, calmly, appeared in the middle of the battle. She was tall, pale, with dark eyes not unlike Michael’s. She gave off the same Presence as Andreas had--powerful. Godlike. Who the fuck was she?
Whoever she was, she was fighting on the enemy’s behalf, and fighting well, holding off three Valkyries and one Michael with apparent ease.
She swung her sword, and Michael stumbled, gripping his arm.
“Michael! Move!” Mel shouted, cutting down an Angel as he struggled to get to him.
He couldn’t produce fire, and he had no source. He could only rely on his Blade.
He finally made it, and grabbed Michael by the collar, pulling him out of the fray. He took his place, parrying a rough blow, so powerful that his arms were jarred.
The woman hissed, her teeth bared. “King of the Wicked,” she whispered, pleased.
And she turned on him.
She swiped her hand, and the three Valkyries were thrown backward. Mel swung, and she grabbed his Blade. Blood trickled from her palm, but she took no notice, cracking the Blade in two and tossing it aside.
Mel backed away, defenseless, and she seized him by the throat. He struggled, gripping her wrist, as she lifted him effortlessly into the air. Her hand was fast around his throat, squeezing. He had never felt so much strength.
She chuckled, enjoying the sight of him struggling. “Such a weak king.”
He was close to blacking out, and he thought of Nora, alone without him….
Then the woman gave a cry, as if stung, and released him. He hit the ice hard, and then slid, fast, rushing along the frozen creek, pushed away by an invisible force.
He skidded to a stop and looked around. Some immense force had just whisked him away from the woman, and he had an idea who that was.
Them.
And there she was. Mel scrambled to his feet to watch as the goddess, hoodless, cloakless, faced off with the demigoddess. Her back was to him, but he could see her plain as day, as the other warriors slowed in their fighting.
The woman sneered, but Mel could see she was afraid. Them flicked her hand, stinging her again, and the woman howled, backing away. She raised her sword, but it shattered into miniscule pieces.
The woman gave an unholy cry, and with a rush of pale hair and gossamer cloak, she vanished.
There was a pause. The Valkyries were still, very still, and so was Mel. He kept his eyes trained on Them, who, so far, he could see had long dark hair done up in an intricate braid.
She was hesitating, her shoulders moving as she breathed.
Then suddenly Barry was there. He was sporting a bloody lip, but otherwise looked fine. He rushed to her and took her hand. Mel watched as he murmured to her, and he realized he was whispering words of encouragement. She shook her head, and he nodded emphatically.
Finally she gave a tiny nod. She clutched Barry’s hand, and, with him at her side, turned.
And it was….
Mel stared. She was looking right at him, and he couldn’t believe his eyes.
No. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be….
Lilith.
Nora
It had all happened so quickly.
Roone had only been speaking with God for a couple minutes when the ice opened beneath him. He disappeared into the water, and everyone had rushed out onto the ice. Then, all the way on the opposite bank, they appeared. An army of Angels--maybe fifty--swarmed onto the creek. And they warred.
Nora had lost track of the others, and was now fighting on the ice. She had managed, somehow, to have never killed before, but that changed in an instant. The first Angel she sliced open with her Blade. She dueled with the second, swinging and parrying, until that Angel succumbed. And after that was a blur of faces, cries, blood and brain.
Now she stood, looking frantically for Mel. The battle had ended--for the most part. There were several Angels still standing, but they too had been struck dumb by Them’s Presence. It was an immense Presence, a great power, so great that Nora’s knees nearly buckled.
She paused to look. Them was a little thing, dainty, with dark braided hair, tan skin and dark eyes. She wore pants and a long-sleeved shirt--pretty, but simple. And she was white as a sheet, turning to face them all, and Nora couldn’t understand why. She followed her gaze, and her heart stopped--Mel.
Thank god.
She ran to him, clutching his arm. “Jesus, Mel--are you okay? Are you hurt?” she breathed.
She had seen him dangling in the air, being held up by that horrid woman. Now she could see fingermarks on his throat, which were slowly fading.
He didn’t look at her. He was still staring at Them, frowning slightly, his face ashen.
“Mel,” Nora said, tugging on his arm.
He wrenched his gaze away from Them long enough to glance at her.
Nora let out a frustrated growl. She looked at Them again, who was still staring at Mel. She looked….devastated.
Nora frowned. What was going on?
But Them didn’t try to explain. She turned away, Barry whispering in her ear. She brushed at her eyes and looked around.
“Where are the rest?” she asked.
Her voice was light--not at all godlike.
One by one the remaining Angels moved, remembering themselves, and grappled with their opponents. Them raised a hand, and the Angels dropped, collapsing hard on the snowy ice. The Valkyries bent down and dispatched them.
Then they moved, all seventy of them, rushing Them and speaking to her in excited voices. Nora couldn’t see her anymore, the crowd was so thick.
She turned to Mel, who now looked horrified. “Mel. Talk to me. Are you hurt?”
Mel shook his head vaguely.
“Michael, what is it?” Gilla’s voice said behind them, and Nora turned.
Michael was on his knees, holdin
g his arm and looking sick. He was pale too, and was staring at the crowd, as if he too was, inexplicably, horrified by Them.
Mel turned and looked at him. They didn’t say anything, just looked at each other.
Mel moaned, and Nora was shocked to see tears in his eyes. “Oh my god.”
“What? What’s wrong?” She cried fearfully. “You’re scaring me.”
Mel was shaking, and he shook his head. “That’s….she’s….”
“Lilith,” Michael whispered.
Nora looked between the two of them. Then she whirled around, gazing into the crowd. She still couldn’t see Them--not that she knew what Lilith looked like anyway.
She turned back around. “But--are you--she’s in Heaven,” she said weakly. “Are you--sure?”
“Nora,” Mel breathed, brushing at his eyes, “apart from loving you, I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
This statement made her blood run cold, and she turned to study the crowd again.
Lilith. Lilith? But why, how? It just couldn’t be.
“How?” Gilla whispered.
No one could answer.
Lilith
It had happened slowly.
Heaven was a beautiful Place--dreamlike, ethereal. Perfect. And Lilith was its first resident. There she found the same grass, the same trees, the same sky as Earth. Little creatures roamed, drew close to her. She built a house out of clay, as Mel had taught her.
Then the others came. First Adam, an old friend, who was happy to see her. Then his second wife, Eve. And so it went on, slowly at first, and then faster and faster. Heaven began to expand, accommodating all its subjects, and everyone, everything, was so, so happy.
And for thousands and thousands of years it was like this, until one day….
One day. Lilith began to feel something inside her….a sort of nagging, a sort of flex. Something stirring. She was stirring, and she had no idea how or why.
The years went on, and something else happened, too. Lilith wasn’t….happy. She wasn’t sad, exactly, and she wasn’t angry. But she looked around and saw for the first time all the imperfections around her. Adam was still a bore. Some of the children threw rocks at her house. Why hadn’t that bothered her before?
She had a horrible and relieving sense of waking up, as if from a dream. The power within her--for she knew now that’s what it was--flexed constantly, stronger, firmer. She had an ache in her fingers, desperate to know what she could do. Desperate to do anything.
It still took so many years. She lost track of how long. But one day, after months of practice, she did it. Slowly, inch by inch, she made a Place. Just a space between dimensions. She could feel it expand, feel the edges with her fingers.
I want to go there, she thought.
And then she raised off the ground, levitating herself, breathless and confused. Heaven dissolved….she was rushing upwards….
Then she was there. Her Realm. Her Place.
She was alone for a long time, and in that time she Created--trees, earth and water. She built another house, this one of stone. She wove baskets, sewed clothing, gathered flowers and swam in the river. And all along she thought.
Why? Why was she so powerful now? She was just a human. What was so special about her?
It took her a long time to realize that it had been Father who had given her her power. He had given her life, and then had cruelly stolen it from her. Something about that had changed her. Something about that had made her powerful, after so many thousands of years.
Oh, if he only knew. She would have reveled in his horror.
Her power grew as the years passed. Soon she was able to look down on Earth. Her one thought was Mel, and she searched for him desperately. And she found him, one day--he had returned to the clearing, which looked very different now. There was no Tree, and the rest were gone, too.
He stood there, looking so broken that she wept. Mel. Mel.
And she followed him from then on. The connection was easy--they had known each other, after all--and she watched him and Michael through the ages.
Dear Michael. They had both been wronged.
While she watched, her world grew. She began to Ascend others--humans, mostly, but some Angels too. Her friends, her dear friends. Some of them became her Valkyries, and together they trained, learning from the best how to fight. It was exhilarating, empowering.
Here was a Place they could call home. A Place where murder was unknown. It was happy here, but not perfect. No one was forced into a dazed sense of wonder. It was all up to them. A new life. New choices.
And here she was now, in a very cold place, surrounded by her family. And across the way was Mel. Mel and Michael.
Now they knew.
“It’s all right,” Barry, beside her, soothed. “It’s just a shock.”
“He hates me,” she breathed, shivering.
She wanted to sob. Around her the Valkyries looked worried, whispering to each other. Their bodies were spattered with blood, their faces dotted with it. They were triumphant warriors.
Lilith took a deep breath. She had to focus. She was catastrophizing.
She gave Barry a nod, and he smiled encouragingly.
“All right,” she said, and the murmuring stopped.
She looked around: All of them were Valkyries except for Barry, and one other. Roone was there, hand-in-hand with Theresa. Lilith smiled at the sight, and Theresa flushed.
She sighed. “You can go back to camp. Wash up. I’m going to speak with the Kings.”
They looked disappointed, but nodded and dispersed.
“I’ll go tell the others,” Barry said, and he left, headed straight for Mel.
Lilith felt a little sick, and looked away.
Theresa was firm. “I’d like to stay,” she said.
Roone stood beside her, looking nervous.
Lilith nodded quickly. She and Theresa had always been close, since Theresa’s Ascension.
Lilith then looked at Roone, who looked nervous.
“It’s….nice to meet you,” he said awkwardly, holding out a hand.
Theresa giggled, and he flushed. “Don’t make fun of me,” he said mildly.
Lilith smiled and shook his hand. Some of her nerves were fading, which was good.
“It’s nice to get up close to you,” she said. “Your eye is such a pretty green.”
“My last one,” he said jokingly.
“I wish I could restore your vision. Maybe one day I’ll learn. I don’t know if it’s something I can do.”
“I like how it looks, though,” Theresa said. “You look very dangerous.”
“If only I was,” he replied dryly.
“You need to change. You’re soaked.”
So the three set off for the house. They quickly caught up with the other six: a pale Mel, a gray Michael, a confused Gilla and Nora, Barry, and a quiet Gabriel. No one looked her way except for Barry, who took her hand and squeezed. The others, it seemed, were too overwhelmed to want to look at her.
Lilith was overwhelmed too. For months she had agonized over revealing herself. Mel’s reaction had always scared her away. But today the battle had happened, and she had seen that woman come down. There had been no choice.
They got to the house, and immediately went to the living area--except for Roone, who went to his room to change.
Everyone stood around awkwardly. Glances were made Lilith’s way, and she flushed. She could feel Mel’s eyes on her, and she avoided them.
I can’t do this, she thought, her heart racing.
Yes, Barry replied, you can.
She took deep breaths. Inside her power shifted, moving restlessly, almost as if distressed by her anxiety. She resisted the urge to jerk her head, to allow this great power to take over, to protect her from the inevitable.
No. She didn’t have a choice now. It was time.
So she went to the recliner on the far side of the room. Barry sat on her left, and Theresa sat on her right. The others
slowly lowered themselves into seats, now staring outright at Lilith.
Lilith looked at them all--Nora, who she had loved from the very beginning; sweet Gilla, mischievous Gabriel, her dear Barry. And Roone, emerging from his room, so easily ignored all his life.
And then Mel, and Michael. Mel had been her beloved for so long. Michael had been her executioner. Both of them stared at her, pale and still.
She took a deep breath. Breathe. It’s all right. Hush.
She looked at Theresa. “Do you know if we lost anyone?” she asked anxiously.
Theresa shook her head, her braided hair whipping. “Not one.”
Lilith let out a breath. She smiled, heartened.
“What brought you down?” Barry asked quietly.
“The woman,” she said, “or whatever that thing was.”
“You should have come down when the battle started,” Gabriel said mildly.
Lilith faltered.
“Gabe,” Barry hissed, and Lilith sensed a flash of his impatience.
“No, he’s right,” she said, touching Barry’s hand.
She looked at Gabriel. “I could see that we would win. We outranked them by twenty. If I had seen things go wrong, I would have come down sooner….”
“Which is why you came down when you saw the woman,” Nora said quietly.
Lilith flushed, happy to finally speak with Nora, and ashamed at her own inaction.
“I was afraid,” she whispered. “I let my fear get the better of me. I’m sorry.”
Theresa took her hand, giving her an encouraging look. No one asked what Lilith had been afraid of, although she was sure they could guess.
“That woman,” Roone said after a small silence, “is called ‘Calypso.’ Father told me she’s his daughter. I don’t know what that means.”
Gilla frowned. “Maybe he--Created again?”
“Created a daughter?” Gabriel murmured, frowning broodingly. “Hmm.”
“A daughter with godlike powers,” Roone continued. “His own personal Andreas.”
“Oh, shit,” Nora breathed. “He must have decided to Create his own demigod once you told him about Andreas and Reina.”
