Relearning Old Lessons
Silence. Only the sound of the SUV moving down the road could be heard, but Maxwell’s mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of Lilith. His curiosity stirred, wondering what she looked like in this lifetime. Perhaps she was a blonde again like she had been during the Roman period, or perhaps she would resemble her original body. Since the first time she’d passed on, he’d only seen her as a redhead once. She was a young child who had been ignorantly killed, the townsfolk condemning her to death because of her bright red hair.
“Witch. She’s a witch!” the voices rang out, echoing sad memories.
He had gotten there in time to hear the tiny voice spring forth a blood-curdling scream. It was a sad sight indeed. He fell to his knees, gathered up the cooling form, and cried as if she had been his own daughter. His head fell back, and he bellowed to the sky as the tears poured out, desperate for answers. She was so young in that life, considered an innocent, yet she had to learn a lesson? Maxwell still didn’t understand why she passed so soon in that lifetime, but some things weren’t for him to know or understand.
For a long time, even longer in angelic terms, he held a grudge because of that. He would have nightmares of finding her tiny form stoned to death, her cheekbone shattered, her hair dirty, and her body completely broken. The way the corpse fell lifeless as he carried it away from the town, and that horrible spot covered in blood at the burial site… He remembered whispering over the fresh grave, praying for her soul as he had many times before, and leaning forward to kiss the mound of dirt. He left behind a handful of white daisies before walking off to wait once more.
His thumb came up to his cheek, wiping away a stray tear. His piercing eyes remained on the road, hypnotized by the lines and the random flickering of his headlights on the safety reflectors. The compass on his thumb continued to point ahead, still guiding him. Even after all this time, the sorrow still came to him when he remembered that day. It had taken the people of the town all day to find her. He couldn’t help but think of how frightened and confused she must’ve been. Pleading to God to be saved, unaware those prayers would go unanswered.
From experience, he knew everything happened for a reason. Sometimes one that didn’t always make sense, but a reason nonetheless. The hope was that we would understand why when we moved beyond death and into the spiritual side of living. For those like Lilith, answers never came. It was part of her punishment. He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain all this to her. He would answer anything she asked, but his focus would be on getting to her in time.
He drove day and night, only stopping to refuel and rest. After three days, he found himself near the San Juan River Valley, struggling to stay awake. When he glanced over at the bluffs, he saw a light burst toward the sky, causing the clouds to shift and lightning to break within them, scattering across them in a dance.
“What the…?” escaped his lips as he tilted his head to get a better glimpse of the sky.
He continued driving, taking note of the direction, his compass pointed in comparison to the light show. Eventually, he abandoned the black SUV and began hiking up the side of the rock formations toward the top of the bluffs. By the time he got there, the sky had settled to calmness, but something else caught his attention.
The smell of rich and heavy dirt filled his nostrils. She had been there. Since she had been created of Earth, Lilith’s very soul was ripened with it. The smell was strong, so she had been there within the hour. He knelt until his fingers touched the dirt. A scene unfolded before his eyes of Adele fighting with someone, another demon. He continued the investigation and found the demon to be a once fallen angel. One he once knew very well, one who had succumbed to evil. He had known that not all demons were fallen angels, fallen angels fell into different categories, but those that truly embraced their fallen situation became demons, a full acceptance of being bad.
The dark figure raised his hands to the sky, calling down blackened spirits from the clouds. Adele screamed and began running from them, only to be knocked down. One burst into laughter, then curved and came back, going after her again. Suddenly, it turned into a mist, bellowing in pain. Maxwell was unable to see what she had done to cause such a thing, but he continued watching, intrigued.
Adele stood, brushing the dirt from her dark jeans, pushing her long hair over her shoulder. She looked at the dark figure. “Is that all you have, demon?” she yelled at the fallen angel without fear. Maxwell had never seen such bravery in a human facing down someone such as himself.
The demon’s voice distorted and rumbled as it spoke in the language of the angels. “Human dirt, you ruined it for everyone. You are the reason we are damned.”
Maxwell drew back his fingertips, ending the scene. Adele disappeared, as did the demon. He sighed, knowing she couldn’t be far. He walked around, looking over the edges of the plateau, hoping to see her making her way by foot, but saw nothing. His fear grew. Perhaps the demon took her, but he didn’t get the impression that would be an easy thing to do. He smirked, impressed. Lilith was emerging from within this new incarnation.
With style and angelic grace, he easily scaled down the side of the plateau. Weightlessly, he bounded down to the ground. As he made his way to where he’d left the SUV, her smell grew stronger. The hand of the compass had moved, and he was determined to follow in the hopes of getting a glance at her, and not just from a play of images. His head tilted to get a better whiff, hoping to pick up her smell again. It was faint, growing stronger until it was surrounding him as if she were by his side.
Quickly turning around, he found himself pinned to the ground, Adele straddling his stomach. She had pierced his shoulder with an iron piece, dark blood gushing forth. “Demon!” she screamed in a hiss, her face contorting angrily. Maxwell’s hands grabbed the bar, hissing back at her, baring his elongated incisors. “Why won’t you die?!”
“What are you talking about?” he muttered between painful gasps. As he grits his teeth, he caught glimpses of her eye color in the night light…a rare icy blue. “I’m not the demon from the top of the bluffs. I’m here to help you.” He was still attempting to move but failing.
“Help me?” Her expression changed. She was now confused. Why would a demon help her? “Who are you? What do you mean help me?” She eased off him and rose, securing him with a foot on either side of his waist. “I don’t want help from a Demon. Besides, it looks like you need the help here.”
Annoyed, his teeth grit again as he managed to pull the iron piece from his shoulder. “You know, I’ve seen you as many incarnations in my time. You made dresses in medieval times, you were a royal mistress to the king of France, and you were even a soldier, but this is new.” Tossing the metal to the side, he rolled his shoulder as it slowly began to heal. “You got some nerve just attacking people. How’d you even know what I was? You could’ve really seen yourself in some trouble in this day and age.”
“You smell of darkness. It’s the smell of demons and pure evil.” Adele stepped back and to the side, allowing him to stand, cleaning her leather jacket off. Awaiting his explanation, she adjusted her white racerback tank top. “Well, go ahead. Explain, demon.”
“I’m not like my brothers and sisters. I’m different. I’m not consumed by my punishment. I’m still trying to be redeemed.”
Her brows furrowing, she stared at him. “Maxwell?”
His eyes went wide. “How do you know my name?”
“I thought you were a myth. The Redeemer.” Her hand reached out, trembling. Softly, she touched his cheek.
Everything in him wanted to explode. He had found her, not losing her this time. The feel of her hand sent chills through his body. He hadn’t felt a soft touch in millennia. “I’m very much real, Adele.”
Before letting the touch suck her in, she drew back and let her hand fall to her side. “What are you doing out here?”
“I could ask you the same. I tracked you to the plateau up there but didn’t know where you’d gone. I saw you fighting with someone.”
“He was trying to take me. Seems that’s been happening a lot lately. I even had one of them bite me.” Adele pulled back her jacket, revealing a dark bite with several teeth marks.
“Azazel…” The name lingered on his tongue with a soft hiss of hatred. “Azazel bit you. I thought he was just trying to make me mad, but it looks like he was telling the truth for once.” Stepping closer, Maxwell softly touched it. “It looks deep. We’re going to have to get it taken care of or it’s going to fester.”
She pulled her jacket back over the wound. “I don’t need you taking care of me. I’ve been taking care of myself for a very long time. I don’t need some demon coming along, playing knight in shining armor.” Her eyes narrowed as she began walking toward a dirt road in the distance.
Dumbfounded, Maxwell stood there. His expression turned from shock to acceptance. He wasn’t going to try and figure out why she was so rough around the edges. He knew things would explain themselves in time. Slowly, he quietly followed. He watched her confidently move in one direction, then stop, trying to appear as if she weren’t truly lost, then turn in the opposite direction. Amused, he followed her, a stupid grin on his face.
Finally, she turned around, annoyed. “How do I get out of this desert?” He didn’t speak, pointing toward the black SUV in the distance. “Fine. Let’s get going.”
She didn’t argue over who was going to drive, walking straight to the passenger side. She was exhausted, edging toward a collapse. Adele slumped in the passenger’s seat, pulling her legs up and hugging her arms around them.
Maxwell slammed the door shut and looked her over, trying to assess her frame of mind. Seeing that she was too tired, he started the SUV and began driving toward the dirt road. Unsure if he should make conversation or just let her rest, he decided quietly was the best choice for the moment. Shortly after he drove off down the road, she was fast asleep.
Vehicles were few and far between until they got closer to the city. The streets became more alive as night turned into morning. With ease, he found an inn and pulled up to it. Leaving her sleeping in the car, he made his way to the front desk.
“Hi there,” he said to the pretty front desk clerk. “I’m going to need a room. Do you have something?” He smiled a tired, fake smile, the woman responding to his charm and good looks.
The perky brunette smiled back at him, leaning over to show him a large portion of her cleavage. “We happen to have a room. Would you like a single or double bed?”
His lips closed into a smug grin as he saw her tactics for what they were. “I’ll take a double bed.”
Her smile faded slightly when she realized he wasn’t alone. “The doubles have a kitchen and a mini-bar.” She began handing him information. “How would you like to pay?” Her eyes shined at him, grinning.
From his pocket, he grabbed his wallet, pulling out several blank paper rectangles, handing them to her. As she reached to take them, he made contact, rubbing his index finger back and forth on hers, making a flirtatious giggle erupt from the woman. She tugged on it slightly, and he playfully tugged back. “Cash.” He then released the clerk’s hand. She smiled, feeling the paper, believing it to be a wad of money.
“Very good, sir.” She began moving about, ringing it up in the computerized register, even handing back the paper rectangles as if it were change. “Here’s your change and receipt. The room will be on the top floor of the back building. Very private.” Pushing the room key toward him, she playfully twisted a strand of hair around her index finger.
He stuffed the meaningless paper back into his wallet, placing it into his pocket. Tipping his head in acknowledgment, he took the key and walked back to the SUV, then drove around to the room.
“Where are we?” Adele said tiredly, turning to face him.
“I got us a room. You need to rest, and we need to care for your wound,” Maxwell explained, pulling his bags from the seat behind her. “You can come join me up there or you can stay put. There are two beds.”
She didn’t argue, just shut the door, and followed him up. Once inside, Adele explained what had happened. “I was walking down the street in Los Angeles when that demon took me. I have nothing but the clothes on my back. It was completely unprovoked. Usually, there’s some reason for them to attempt to take me, but I wasn’t doing anything.” She continued hugging her body as she watched him moving around, hoping he was actually listening to her.
He paused long enough to give her a concerned look. “Perhaps he decided not to wait for you to jump him. You know, everything happens for a reason. If you’ve been banishing those like me back to Hell, I’m just surprised you’re not dead by now.” He watched her cross the room, wandering to the end of the bed and sitting.
“It’s not just Demons. Those just came about one day. I started by killing vampires. That led to werewolves which, in turn, ended up becoming protection from negative ghosts and even barriers for those fucking witches.”
Her disdain for everything beyond human caught him off guard and his eyebrow rose in surprise. “Witches, huh? What don’t you like about those?” He had to find himself a seat to hear this one, knowing she had no idea about her past. That part wasn’t as surprising as the fact she had been killing anything with a hint of a paranormal connection. Settling on a black metal chair in the corner, he lit himself a cigarette and tipped his fedora down. His body began to relax quickly.
Adele’s face contorted in disgust and she decided to change the subject before she revealed too much about herself. “Can we get some food? I haven’t eaten in days.” With pleading eyes, she rubbed her belly. Besides, she wanted to talk to him, learn about him, and understand him. She had never come across something like him before…a demon who wasn’t demonic. Perhaps he could give her some answers.
He nodded and walked out the door, returning with a plastic bag a short time later. “I got some food from the vending machines, and was also able to get some medical supplies.”
As Maxwell dug into the bag for the gauze, iodine, and bandages, he directed his attention to her as she pulled off her dirty top, revealing her white bra. “Perhaps you should bathe first, then I’ll get you bandaged.”
She nodded and went into the bathroom. As she moved past him, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing at her curves. The roundness of her backside, the way her hips curved, the way she carried herself… This was not the form of Lilith he had fallen in love with, but he couldn’t deny that this form was appealing. As Adele turned to look back at him, pulling her long red hair to the side with a smirk, his gaze darted down to his fumbling fingers.
While she showered, he prepared her a small sandwich with items from the mini-bar, small bag of chips, and a can of soda. He got out the supplies he was going to use to bandage her wound, then relaxed, his mind planning what their next step should be.
“Have you ever been in love?” she asked, opening the bathroom door, drying her hair with a towel.
Catching him off guard, he jumped, turning toward her. “Yes, a very long time ago.” He reminded himself she had not yet been told she was the reincarnated soul of the one he loved so very long ago.
“What was she like?”
She smiled when she saw what he had prepared for her. Maxwell scooted his chair closer, beginning to clean her wound of anything she might’ve missed while showering. He ripped strips of white tape and pressed them against the edge of the table, then opened the gauze.
“Well…” He unrolled the white gauze, thinking of how to properly describe Lilith. “It was many lifetimes ago before history began getting recorded and misunderstood. Back when it was still handed down from one generation to the next.” Glancing at Adele’s eyes, he saw softness in them. He smiled briefly before focusing back on his task. “I grew to know her as strong, curious, and intelligent. She had a beautiful face that glowed with health and innocence. She had marvelous blue eyes, pale skin, and red hair, and lived in the first paradise. Eden.”
Adele’s eyes grew wide. “Lilith? I read she was a demonic queen, and that her children were demons.”
He gave Adele a sharp look. Maxwell was hurt by her words, but he took a deep breath and continued. “That is not what happened. Over time, she was demonized by men who liked the story of Adam and Eve, rather than the truth. You’ll see that often throughout history. The demonizing of a figure over a mistake or because the writer didn’t like the being for various reasons. It’s so people follow what they have to say and not what is damning to their cause.” Maxwell finished covering Adele’s wound and sat back, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Lilith would’ve never become a demon. Her actions were used as a lesson. They didn’t want others to do what she did.”
“What did she do that was so horrible?”
“She sought revenge. I don’t know all the details since I was in Hell at the time.”
In the way Maxwell shifted, Adele could see this was a sore subject. “What was Eden like? What happened to it?” she asked, stuffing another chip into her mouth. “I mean, if it’s all true, someone should’ve been able to find it, right?” She was curious. If the Bible were true, at least parts of it, there should be evidence.
Maxwell quietly thought about the question, wanting to make sure he was careful with what he said. A few minutes of silence passed before he spoke. “There is something I can do. I can show you the things I have seen. I can also show you things from your past.”
Adele’s eyes grew wider as she stopped her next chip before putting it in her mouth. “What do you mean you can show me? Like, draw me something?”
He shook his head, pointing to the tattoos on his arm. “You see these tattoos? They’re Enochian. It’s a magical language. Most don’t know how to read it because it is of divine origins and not of man, but I was able to regain some of the old abilities I lost when I fell. I can show you the world’s history as seen by me. I’m not sure how much I can show you, but I know these things for sure because they’re of me and you.”
She closed the small bag of chips, brushing her hands off. “How do we do it?”
He stood, and she followed suit. He walked over to the door, making sure it was locked, then arranged two of the dining chairs across from each other. “I’m going to need you to sit here and I’ll sit across from you. Now, just a word of warning. Seeing what you will may have side effects, but I’m not sure which ones. It’s a very intense experience for anyone to go through. Are you sure this is what you want?”
Adele stubbornly nodded. “I can handle anything you throw at me.” Maxwell’s brow rose as he sat down, Adele did the same.
Scooting in so his knees touched hers, he placed her hands, palms down, on her legs, making sure she was straight. “We’ll see how much you can handle in a minute. Shut your eyes and focus on my voice. You will hear and see other things, but you have to keep listening to my words as an anchor.”
Adele’s eyes closed, and Maxwell softly touched his index fingers and middle fingers to her temples. Breathing in through his nose, his lips parted, slowly exhaling. His eyes flickered with gold as his breathing became deeper. Symbols on his shoulders began to glow, swirling down his arms, lighting other markings as the magic traveled through his flesh. When it reached his fingertips at her temples, they glowed with a white light.
Her head fell back slightly as her journey began. She was in a paradise rich with flowery smells and fine, dark dirt. “You are in the beginning,” he explained as she began walking through the tall, vibrant grass. Her hands remained on her knees, but she was touching the grass in her vision, feeling its coolness.
“It’s beautiful. Everything’s so bright. Colors aren’t like this anymore,” she muttered.
“Things have become duller over time.”
In the distance, she could see a black-haired, nude male figure leaning against a tree, his arms across his chest. She knew he was familiar, but it wasn’t Maxwell. As she stepped toward the figure, the scene swirled into a mist and she now stood in a different place. Her surroundings had fallen into chaos. The tree the male stood against was now burnt, the leaves still burning. The grass was gone, the sky orange instead of the bright blue it had been moments before. Adele turned and saw a village in chaos. Creatures made of white light, all shapes, and sizes, were slaughtering humans.
“What’s happening?” Adele whispered.
“Sins of the Watchers and children of man. One of many cleansings of Earth,” Maxwell tried explaining, but he watched as her face distorted. He knew she was becoming affected by what she was seeing. “You’re okay.”
She began running toward the village as a creature raised a hammer to strike a woman holding a baby in her arms. “No! Stop!” Her words fell on deaf ears and she saw the hammer hit the woman, who fell on top of the baby. The creature then flew off quickly toward someone else. Adele looked at the two dead at her feet, the blood beginning to pool. “Monster!” she screamed, unaware that the creature was an angel in its purest form, naïve to the need of armor at that point in time.
Maxwell’s eyes closed, and he focused deeper, sending her forward. Again, the scene swirled into a mist and she stood at the edge of a village. The plants grew up and the once tan dirt was green. People had progressed and moved on, the scene Adele had just seen all but forgotten. Feeling jerked upward suddenly, white light surrounded her. She screamed in fear, the blinding light forcing her hand upward, shading her eyes. She saw the creatures again but, this time, they appeared as humans in armor, the tips of their wings appearing as if dipped in shiny silver metal. She heard the sounds of swords clashing and the echoing bellows of the thousands before her.
“The Clash of Angels,” Maxwell explained. “As man moved on, the war in Heaven was raging and angels had not yet fallen.” For a moment, he smiled. Not at the fact he was showing her a brutal and graphic war, but at seeing Heaven again. His home.
The white of the clouds and surroundings of Heaven illuminated in a rainbow of pastel colors as Adele remained still, watching angels killing angels. She screamed out as a blond-haired male came toward her, his sword raised high. She knew this was an attacker on Maxwell. Her arms flew up to block the blow, but she was again moving so quickly, she felt the wind rapidly blowing against her flesh and felt emptiness so deep, it hurt her very bones. Not understanding what she was witnessing, she turned her head, seeing dirty and bloody angels falling, realizing she was also falling. Before she could hit the ground and be absorbed into it as Maxwell had, she was standing, breathing hard, looking at the village again. It was great, tall, and prosperous, then the sky darkened and war on Earth began.
Maxwell sped things up, sending her through the ages, his fingers now rubbing small circles against her temples. Scene after scene swirled in transition. War after war, death after death mingled with peaceful moments when the land grew bright and alive. The mountains in the distance slowly grew, then crumbled back into nothingness. The ground turned from tan dirt to grass that she could see growing quickly, flowers bloomed, rains fell, and she could feel the plants exhaling as if taking a breath, sighing during the peaceful moments.
Unfortunately, the peaceful scenes never lasted. War and chaos always broke out as Adele was tossed forward in time. The ground groaned as it was plowed, and a village again rose. Wood walls were built up around it, only to be replaced with clay and then stone. A large river formed on the ground, flooding the area up to the edge of the village, which had now become a harbor and trade city. She stood up to her neck in the water; watching swarms of sharks circle her. Momentarily, she felt the brush of smooth grey skin against her arm. Reacting to move away from it, she heard Maxwell.
“Remain calm,” Maxwell uttered, hoping it would ease her. The sharks swam around for a few more minutes, then disappeared, swimming off.
Heavy rains began pouring down upon her. In the distance, she saw a massive boat bobbing on top of the ocean that had grown up around her.
“Another cleansing,” Maxwell explained.
Feeling she’d seen enough of earlier times, he skipped forward thousands of years. He allowed her to see the rise of great empires like Egypt, Rome, and India, and great historical figures like Cleopatra, Moses, and Buddha. He advanced her to seeing other beings, such as vampires and the original Werewolves that had escaped the angelic cleansing of The Watchers’ sins.
A grey werewolf stood on its hind legs, howling at the moon. Several others came from the side. She watched them moving past her. She was invisible to all, except a female that turned and looked directly at her. The female’s brows turned downward questioningly as she approached. In a deep, growling humanoid voice, she spoke. “What are you?” Her long, clawed fingers reached out and lightly touched Adele. The warm, furry hand touching her cheek was oddly comforting. Adele didn’t expect that kind of gentleness from such a frightening-looking creature. The werewolf abruptly turned toward a loud howling and, without another word, took off, leaving Adele behind.
A Vampiric scene began to play out. Adele witnessed a black-cloaked figure bending over a woman in a white-breasted red dress. The figure rose, and Adele saw that it was a man. His mouth was covered in blood, glistening amongst the thick, bloody fangs. He hissed at her, then turned back to feed on the woman. Seeing this scene unnerved her, but also filled her with an odd happy feeling she didn’t understand.
“Vampire,” she whispered.
“Yes,” Maxwell replied.
Again, he sped up, allowing her to see other scenes. Maxwell never clarified for her what was a past life and what was something he, himself, had seen. Scene after scene transitioned in a swirl of mist as she was thrust into another place in time. So much war. Being exposed to so much brutality, blood and loss would shake anyone. Finally, she saw things she could place and recognize. Native Americans interacting with Europeans for the first time. A woven basket of food being handed to strangers. The murders during the Salem Witch Trials was particularly upsetting to her, but she was unsure as to why.
Before more recent events could be shown, Adele whimpered, “I can’t handle anymore.” Maxwell pulled his fingers from her temple and relaxed back against the chair.
Tears clung to Adele’s eyelashes. Unaware of how long it had been, she turned towards the window. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to calm down. She looked at Maxwell, his arms crossed over his chest. “There’s so much war. So many have died and for what?”
The only reaction he could muster was a simple nod. “Human beings are complex,” he finally muttered. He never considered that showing her certain things would affect her so deeply. He never considered the things she had gone through in this lifetime, which stirred mixed feelings within her. He had purposely shown her the good events amongst all the hate and fighting.
“The Werewolves I’ve seen didn’t look like that. Those were upright.”
“Those are first-generation and were a lot more like humans back then. They were practically killed off at one time, but they are back and have been for several hundred years. However, they are more like wolves now.”
She was curious about why, but quietly sat, contemplating all she had seen. “I was Lilith, wasn’t I?” she finally whispered.
Staring at her, shocked, Maxwell wasn’t sure whether or not she’d figured it out with what she had just seen. He looked toward the floor. “Yes.” His chest rose and fell as he sighed.
Adele’s eyes began to swell with tears, the lines broke and down her face the trickles became a stream as she became emotionally overcome with emptiness, pain, and the harsh slap in the face that was reality. Her left hand rose and with the palm of it, she smeared the wet from her cheek leaving another line of water untouched on the opposite cheek. Seeing that she was lost in thought, Maxwell rose and walked into the bathroom to shower. As the water hit and cleansed their paths down his ancient frame, he heard her cries begin, growing louder, changing into feral cries of loss, grief, and torment.
He knew he couldn’t help. The best thing for her was to express it, release all the overwhelming feelings. Maxwell washed, dried himself, then stood in front of the mirror to shave. Staring at what he’d become, he turned his eyes away, ashamed.