an explanation when she vanished. Perhaps it was intentional or merely an oversight, but Saira had given him enough information to know what had drawn her to him. Now he had questions as to what she meant before she left.
"Females," he growled unhappily. "They can be so frustrating."
Immediately, his thoughts turned to Lilith.
CHAPTER 11
T HE CHILD WAS relaxing in her chair, staring at the fire in the hearth. She had just spent the night conversing with several demons about her plans for the future — her future, and theirs, if they remained loyal to her. Now she was wondering when the apparition would return, not realizing Saira was about to appear at the precise moment she had left. Soon, Caelene would remember the past differently, and Saira would leave, not realizing she had directly altered the future one more time.
Although aware of the Child's ambitions, Saira had no interest in them. Instead, she wanted to know more about the past, and so she continued their conversation as if she had never left and listened to the demoness' thoughts closely.
Humans. Believers. Dreamers. Hypocrites, the Child thought. If only they knew what I know. My plan has been more successful than even I had imagined, but I'm jumping ahead of myself. I was telling of my involvement with humanity. She continued telling her story.
"The Twin was furious at Adam and Eve's betrayal. He had forbidden them to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and they had ignored his orders. Now they knew too much to be happy in Paradise. They would no longer be satisfied with their simple existence. The experiment had gone wrong, and he blamed himself for not monitoring the situation more closely.
"The presence of the small serpent should have raised his suspicions, but he had no reason to believe it anything more than one of the many insignificant by-products of his vast collection of creations. When he realized it was actually his own twin's child, he felt a profound sadness and perhaps a sense of failure. Already, too many lives had been lost in the Great Battle over my mother. Now Eve was displaying the same independent qualities as she, something he knew would happen eventually, just not so soon. I remember watching Adam and Eve from the Netherworld. I actually felt sorry for them as they knelt before their 'God,' fearing his wrath."
Saira listened to Caelene's narration as she searched for the thread that would give her the pathway to the answer she was seeking. Once she located the right one, she followed it to its beginning, unbeknownst to the Child, and watched as the past released its long-held secrets about the demoness' role in the evolution of mankind.
* * *"You have betrayed me," the Voice said with great sadness.
"Forgive us, Father," Adam replied, trembling in fear.
"Was it so wrong to want what you already have?" Eve asked, glancing upward at the dark cloud hanging over their head.
The Twin thought about her question for a few minutes. It was a fair question and deserved an answer.
"No. I knew there would come a day when you would question your existence. I had hoped it wouldn't be this soon."
"Then why are you angry?" she said.
Only his brother, Dis, had the audacity to challenge him. The habit was irritating, but on some level, he enjoyed the stimulating debates.
"I am not angry with you, my children, only saddened," he said. "I cannot allow you to remain in Paradise now that you know the things you do. You will no longer be happy here."
"Where will we go?" Adam looked up for the first time.
"I have prepared a place. Your lives will be hard, but you now have all you need to survive."
Before they could ask anything else, they found themselves standing on barren soil in a land devoid of animal or plant life as far as the eye could see. On the horizon were the dark shadows of objects unfamiliar to them. A small
"Females," he growled unhappily. "They can be so frustrating."
Immediately, his thoughts turned to Lilith.
CHAPTER 11
T HE CHILD WAS relaxing in her chair, staring at the fire in the hearth. She had just spent the night conversing with several demons about her plans for the future — her future, and theirs, if they remained loyal to her. Now she was wondering when the apparition would return, not realizing Saira was about to appear at the precise moment she had left. Soon, Caelene would remember the past differently, and Saira would leave, not realizing she had directly altered the future one more time.
Although aware of the Child's ambitions, Saira had no interest in them. Instead, she wanted to know more about the past, and so she continued their conversation as if she had never left and listened to the demoness' thoughts closely.
Humans. Believers. Dreamers. Hypocrites, the Child thought. If only they knew what I know. My plan has been more successful than even I had imagined, but I'm jumping ahead of myself. I was telling of my involvement with humanity. She continued telling her story.
"The Twin was furious at Adam and Eve's betrayal. He had forbidden them to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and they had ignored his orders. Now they knew too much to be happy in Paradise. They would no longer be satisfied with their simple existence. The experiment had gone wrong, and he blamed himself for not monitoring the situation more closely.
"The presence of the small serpent should have raised his suspicions, but he had no reason to believe it anything more than one of the many insignificant by-products of his vast collection of creations. When he realized it was actually his own twin's child, he felt a profound sadness and perhaps a sense of failure. Already, too many lives had been lost in the Great Battle over my mother. Now Eve was displaying the same independent qualities as she, something he knew would happen eventually, just not so soon. I remember watching Adam and Eve from the Netherworld. I actually felt sorry for them as they knelt before their 'God,' fearing his wrath."
Saira listened to Caelene's narration as she searched for the thread that would give her the pathway to the answer she was seeking. Once she located the right one, she followed it to its beginning, unbeknownst to the Child, and watched as the past released its long-held secrets about the demoness' role in the evolution of mankind.
* * *"You have betrayed me," the Voice said with great sadness.
"Forgive us, Father," Adam replied, trembling in fear.
"Was it so wrong to want what you already have?" Eve asked, glancing upward at the dark cloud hanging over their head.
The Twin thought about her question for a few minutes. It was a fair question and deserved an answer.
"No. I knew there would come a day when you would question your existence. I had hoped it wouldn't be this soon."
"Then why are you angry?" she said.
Only his brother, Dis, had the audacity to challenge him. The habit was irritating, but on some level, he enjoyed the stimulating debates.
"I am not angry with you, my children, only saddened," he said. "I cannot allow you to remain in Paradise now that you know the things you do. You will no longer be happy here."
"Where will we go?" Adam looked up for the first time.
"I have prepared a place. Your lives will be hard, but you now have all you need to survive."
Before they could ask anything else, they found themselves standing on barren soil in a land devoid of animal or plant life as far as the eye could see. On the horizon were the dark shadows of objects unfamiliar to them. A small
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