The Witch of Endor

The Witch of Endor
(Two chapters from Scions of Azazyel: War in Heaven by RK Wheeler)

Lilith had been born different.  She had grown up seeing and conversing with the dead, although she did not realize they were dead until her parents started asking who she was speaking with.  It was the magic that came later when she reached puberty.  She could not control the magic those early years, and her parents had to move from Nazareth to Endor.  It was not long before rumors started. 
“Lilith’s skin was very fair, and her hair was red with white streaks in it.  It was hard to hide who you were with hair like that.  She was petite and sensual.  She was of average height in those days and had a good deal of confidence from all that she had overcome.  Her eyes were an emerald green, her lips were full.  She had curves that men found irresistible, and her business was never at a loss for customers of the male persuasion who would pay for a palm reading or a talisman from her shop just to be near her or to be touched by her.  She would wear a headscarf or head cover when she left her shop so that she could at least try to blend in.”
“King Saul disguised himself and took two men with him to Endor to consult with the witch who tales say could commune with the dead.” 
“I come to you with a request to summon one from the dead.”  Saul said to Lilith.
“How do I know that you are not a spy for the King who has banished all of those who can wield magic from his realm?”  Lilith asked.
“I swear to you that no harm will come to you if you do as I ask.  I can pay handsomely for your services.”  Saul said as he placed a bag of gold on the table. 
“Lilith’s eyes grew wide at the bag of gold.  She untied the finely woven bindings and peered inside, reaching in to hold a couple of gold coins before dropping them back inside and securing the drawstrings once more.
“How can you possibly enforce such a claim?  Do you work in the royal courts?  Obviously you have wealth and guards, but only the King can offer such protection.  Do you bear a letter of amnesty with the royal seal?”  Lilith asked.
“Saul stood and removed his hooded cloak revealing his polished armor of silver and gold and a gold crown upon his head.”
“The King is here in Endor in my shop?  I have your word?”  Lilith asked in surprise.
“Yes and I have a letter signed and sealed to grant you safe passage within my kingdom if you will but do my bidding this night.”  Saul said.
“What is it that you desire of me?”  Lilith asked.
“I desire that you summon the spirit of the prophet Samuel to speak with me.”  Saul replied.
“Lilith said, Very well such magic is very taxing on me.  If I do this I will not be able to do so again for weeks or longer.  It will weaken me.  The fee you offer is worth the exertion, however.”  She stood and pulled vials of liquids off the shelf and jars of unnamed objects which she began to pour or drop portions of into a kettle that hung over a fire in the hearth.  She took a spell book off of her bookshelf and opened it flipping through the pages until she found the one she wanted.  As she consulted the book she began to recite the words in a chant.  Lilith extended her hands and flames wrapped themselves around her fingers.  She drew symbols in the air with the fire.  The symbols hung in the air before those present.  She shot the flames into the floor around her as a pentagram formed around her body.  She turned and faced Saul as her eyes began to glow an eerie red in the dimly lit room.  Her chants increased in volume as she repeated herself three times finally raising her hands from her waist towards the ceiling.”
“Saul’s men the fiercest of his warriors trembled in the corners of the room in fear.  The King also appeared frightened and he began to question the wisdom in what he had asked the witch to do.”
“The room trembled.  Bowls and glasses fell from the shelves, startling the King and his men.  Suddenly, Lilith screamed!”
            “What is it, what did you see?”  Saul whispered. 
“She replied, “I saw gods ascending out of the earth.”  1 Samuel 28:13. 
“Saul could not see the vision and asked, “What form was Samuel?” 
“She said, He had the form of an old man covered with a mantle.” 
“Saul perceived that it was Samuel and he bowed before the spirit.” 
“Smoke from the hearth swirled across the floor until it rose before Saul as an eerie voice creaked from within.”
“Why hast thou disturbed my slumber, King Saul?”  The spirit asked.
“My army stands poised to fight the army of the Philistines upon the morrow.  I desire to know if I will be victorious.  I don’t understand why the Lord no longer answers me?”  Saul said.
“You have sinned in seeking the life of David who slew Goliath the giant.  Your life was in his hands in the cave, yet he slew you not.  Still, jealousy fills your heart, and you desire to kill him.  Because of your sin, the Lord will no longer answer thee and upon the morrow, your army will be defeated by that of the Philistines.  You and your sons will be slain and your spirits will entreat in the realm of the dead.”  The spirit descended into the floor as the smoke swirled outward and disappeared.
Saul grew terrified and dropped the glass that he held as it shattered upon the floor.  His eyes bulged and his hands trembled as he stared at the floor where the spirit had been.
The fire died from Lilith’s fingers and faded from the floor.  Her eyes took on their normal emerald green appearance.  Lilith walked over to the King and placed one hand upon his shoulder.  He looked up at her with bloodshot eyes void of hope.
“Is this for certain?  Are the spirits sometimes wrong?”  Saul asked pleadingly.
“The future is in motion, but Samuel was your prophet…” 
“Never that I know of.”  Saul said as he lowered his head into the palms of his hands with his elbows upon the table.
Lilith felt sorry for the King.  She fed him and tried to console him as he was in great distress that night. He left her with a bag of gold and the letter of amnesty and departed with little hope in his eyes.
She hastily packed her most essential spell books and potions and set off to leave Endor.  She had heard from her brother that, there was a retreat at Mount Moreh, south-west of Endor for mediums and those who used magic.  Lilith paid for a mule and loaded her things across its back and headed out of town.  A shadow followed her. 
A couple of days after opening her new shop she met a middle-aged man named Lamech.  He was tall and bearded and wore his hair long, but he was clean and well kept.  It was hard to guess his age.  His hair was a salt and pepper color.  He looked neither old nor young.  It was his eyes that gave him a look of being an older man rather than his hair or how he walked.  His eyes were deep set, not necessarily mean or evil, but they carried a deep sorrow. 
Lilith was warry at first that he might be a spy for the new King and said, “How do I know you are not a spy for our new King who like Saul may banish or put to death those practicing magic?” 
Saul snapped his fingers and lit a candle on the table behind her. 
“I see you are at least a novice wizard. Let me see your hands.”  Lilith said.
Lamech extended his hands to her.  They were big and thick, but surprisingly smooth, and cold. 
“Your hands are as cold as a corpse!  And you have no lifeline.  Never before, have I read such a palm as yours.  You carry a heavy weight upon your shoulders, deep pain from long ago, interesting.  Come back tomorrow if you can pay.  You need a warm fire and a warm woman to chill your cold skin.”  Lilith said flirtingly. 
“He smiled as he said, “I will pay you handsomely to teach me what you know, and I will be sure my hands are warm when we meet on the morrow.  I prefer to meet at night as I work in Endor during the day at a slaughterhouse for sheep.  I leave early and return late.  I must ask if it would offend you if I arrive with the blood of a lamb on me? ” 
“Bring a change of clothes with you and you may bathe in the back and change, for an additional fee of course.” 
“He agreed and the next night about two hours after sunset he arrived.  He did have a small amount of blood near his shirt collar, but she did not comment.  She smiled as she took his money.” 
“Just behind the beads, there is a tub full of hot water,” 
“Thank you, my lady.”  Lamech smiled as he replied and he proceeded to the back room.
“She could not help but watch through the beads as he stripped down and marveled over his physique although she only caught a few glimpses.  His skin was very pale; it was almost white, even compared hers.  She pretended to busy herself in her books and in making a talisman that she would place for sale in the morning.  When Lamech came out he had shaved off his beard.”
“She and Lamech were attracted to one another.  She first found out what he already knew about magic.  He had picked up a couple of things here and there, but merely parlor tricks.  Their relationship grew.  Lamech found feelings in himself that he had thought were lost forever, long ago.  Many lives of men had come and gone since the curse came upon him.  He had never allowed himself to feel love for another after the death of his son and the rejection from his wives.  Everyone he had known or cared about was dead.” 
“The world was changed.  When he awoke each night he would try to find an evil adult to sate his bloodlust.  He had become an expert at using a touch, a smile, a laugh, an insult, or a tease to lure them away from the lights of the towns and into the dark.  Certainly, he could take them by force, but he preferred to keep a low profile and he enjoyed the challenge, the tease and getting to know his victim before taking their life.  The evildoers would not be missed, at least not by those who might go to the authorities.” 
“Lilith was happy, but doubts began to eat away at her about Lamech.  At first, she didn’t question why he never took a day off work.  At first, this did not seem out of place, but he always had an excuse for not meeting her in the day.  Also, she had never seen him eat.  He made the excuse that he always ate before leaving the city.  She accepted this story for a time.  She had never been in love, but if this is what love was like then it was a welcome change.  They spent the next several months in this relationship.  Lilith had just turned thirty.  Lamech had surprised her one night with a new dress he had brought from the city.  He told her he would take her into town and that they would go to a celebration welcoming King David who was touring his new kingdom.” 
“He is said to be a good king, a just man.”  Lamech said. 
“Lilith tried on the new dress.  It was very beautiful and she filled it out handsomely.  She had noted in the mirror that she had her first wrinkle on her forehead.  She couldn’t believe it at first.  She rubbed it and made silly faces trying to stretch it out, but it would not go away.  She tried lotion and even a spell she had read about once but nothing worked.  She was concerned as at this time a single woman had few rights.  An old single woman, well that was even worse.  With men a palm reading or a trinket to ward off evil was one thing, but when it came to the deeper magic, or visitations by the spirts of the dead, none would stay with her for long.  Lamech was different.  Not only did the spirits of the dead not frighten him, he wanted to learn magic and was picking it up quite well.  Still, she longed to walk with him in the daylight, to have a picnic under the trees in a cool breeze of autumn.  Something was not right, but it would have to wait, they had a celebration in the city to attend! They had a wonderful time in Endor. There was music and dancing and celebration.  They danced and she was in love in his arms.”
“Doubts continued to eat at the back of her mind.  Could it be another woman keeping him away by day?  She was too well known in Endor to go into town.  Finally, she decided to follow him one night.  She had kept her distance as he walked through town to a hill a couple miles beyond.  He disappeared behind some scrub bushes.  The dawn was not far off, and if he were truly going to walk to Endor, he would have to leave very soon to make the distance when most shops opened.  She waited but he did not leave.  She finally decided that she would confront him once and for all.  If it was another woman, it was better to find out sooner than later she told herself.  She sent her magic into the cave, but she could only detect his presence.  As she approached she saw bones off the path that she could barely make out in the weak light.  They were human bones!  She felt uneasy but continued inside as she called the fire to her fingertips to illuminate the cave. 
“Inside there were more bones and a corpse.  The corpse was that of a man whom she recognized.  He was a thief who had stolen from her shop only the day before.  He was dried out like a raisin.  He still wore the necklace he had stolen.”
“How strange!”  She thought. 
“She continued on, and in the very back of the cave was a sarcophagus.  A large stone lid covered the top.  She pondered what this might mean.  She summoned her magic and focused on the stone lid and it began to move, scraping stone on stone until the lid was hanging nearly halfway off its base.  Inside Lamech lay asleep.  He appeared as though he were dead.  He did not breathe.  She reached to touch his neck to feel for a pulse and his skin was cold, his pulse was weak and slow.”
Lamech opened his eyes and seemed confused.  “Lilith? What are you doing here?”
“I am sorry.  I had to know where you spend your days.  I feared you were dead.  Why is there a corpse and bones here, and why do you sleep in a crypt?” Lilith said.  
Lamech sat up and climbed out of the sarcophagus.  “Lilith, I have wanted to tell you, but I did not know how.  I kept hoping to find a way to tell you, but I was afraid you would leave me if I did.  I love you, Lilith, please!  Hear me out!”  Lamech said.
“I am the great, great, great grandson of Cain who slew his brother Abel.  I killed Cain by mistake, but his curse was passed to me sevenfold.  I in turn, killed my son Tubal-Cain by mistake.  I have wandered the world, survived the great flood and I desire a companion to share immortality with me.”  Lamech said. 
Lilith stared wide-eyed in spite of herself.  “How can this be?  All of the magic and the gifts I have been born with do not have the power to grant immortality.  How is this possible?”  Lilith asked in wonder. 
“Each night, I crave blood insatiably until it is satisfied.”  He replied.  As I have grown older I have more control over the bloodlust than I once had, but if it is not satisfied, I begin to grow weaker as time goes on and the lust grows all the stronger.  Typically, I seek out those who are evil-natured to kill.  Once I have drunk my fill, I can wander, seeing the world in ways mortals could scarcely dream of.  I have the speed greater than the fastest horse.  I have the strength of ten men.  I cannot drown if submerged in water.  I do not require air to breathe, although I breathe to fool the mortals whom I associate with.  All riches are mine to have.  I will never age.  I have all that this world has to offer except a companion to share it with.  I sought you out to study the magic arts, but now I have come to love you, Lilith.   I offer you what men and women desire: the chance to never grow old, to not suffer illness or fatigue.”  Lamech continued.
“Lilith pondered what he had said before replying, “I would be a fool to say I would not be interested in such a gift, is there no other way other than drinking a human’s blood?”  Lilith asked. 
“I survived on fish and animals for a hundred years during and after the flood, but I prefer the taste of human blood, much the same way that you can survive on cornmeal and water, but you yearn for meat from the fatted calf.”  Lamech replied. 
“How do I know you are telling me the truth about all this?  Lilith asked. 
“Lamech smiled, bearing his long canine teeth.  Lilith was taken aback despite herself.  Lamech pulled a dagger from his belt and Lilith raised her arms defensively, orange flames rising off her hands as she prepared to strike.” 
“Hold Lilith; I am not threatening you.”  He placed the point of the dagger over his heart as he watched her reaction. 
“Wait, what do you plan to-!?“ Lilith exclaimed, reaching for the knife.
“Lilith did not have time to finish her sentence as Lamech thrust the dagger to its hilt in his breast.  He winced in pain, but left the dagger in his chest for a few moments longer to let this set in.  The fire on her hands died slowly as she lowered her hands, maintaining just enough flame to light the cavern.” 
“Pull the dagger out so that you will know that it is not illusion.”  Lamech stated. 
“Lilith grasped the hilt of the dagger and pulled back, and it slid easily from his chest.  Dark blood that was black and devoid of the red color she would expect dripped from its blade.  Only a few drops of blood escaped the wound as it quickly closed up, leaving only the hole in his shirt.  Lilith dropped the dagger as it clanged against the stone floor.” 
“Tell me how this power can be mine?  With all my gifts and the spirits with whom I commune, still I am denied what you possess.  I do not want to grow old or to die.  I love you, and I would not be separated from you.”  Lilith stated.
            “Would you live as others grow old and die?  Your brother, his children, your friends, all will grow old and pass away and you will see them come and go.  Any that you love will be taken from you.”  You will shun the daylight and must forego its radiance.  It will burn exposed skin and your powers are weaker during the day. Mortals will fear and shun you and hunt you down if they realize what you are.  You may forget to breathe, or they may question why it is it that you never eat or drink?  Can you kill each night, so that you can live forever?”  Lamech asked. 
“I could kill an animal, I know, but I am not sure about people.  If it is possible to live off the blood of animals I would do that. I want to be with you always.”  Lilith replied. 
“Then meet me here two hours after sunset, after I have fed and am at my strongest.  Be certain you are not followed.  If you are followed and we are discovered it could be the end for us, as we will be helpless for a while once I turn you.”  Lamech said.
“I understand my love.  I will see you tonight.”  Lilith said.
Lilith arose early the next morning and sat on the mountain facing Endor to watch her last sunrise.  She thought deeply about her choice throughout the day, watching the blue sky and the clouds go by.  “Is this what I really want,” she thought to herself?  
Lilith walked up the path out of the magician’s village towards the cave.  She stopped once again to watch the sunset, hanging her feet off the cliff’s edge watching the changing colors.  She had always loved the night, but it was impossible to really prepare one’s self for an eternity of them.  The wind came up the side of the mountain and blew her hair into her eyes.  She pulled her hair back as the last edge of the solar disc disappeared below the horizon.  She stood up and finished walking to the hill below the cave.
She set up a magic ward at the entrance to warn her if any entered.  She sent her magic into the cave again, but this time she sensed two persons…and an animal?  One was Lamech.  She was not sure what this meant, but with fire on her fingertips, she entered.  Another dried up husk of a corpse lay just inside the entrance.  It appeared to be a local drunk who would not be missed.  Tied up just past the corpse was a woman, a local prostitute.  Lilith recognized her from Endor although she did not know her name.  She seemed dazed and unaware of her surroundings.  Lamech waited near the sarcophagus.  A lamb was tied next to the sarcophagus and a wooden coffin had been brought in and placed beside the one of stone. 
“Just until I can craft you one of stone my love.  I have brought you a woman, but in case you still will not partake of human blood, I have also brought you a lamb.”  Lamech said. 
“How sweet, my dear?”  Lilith said sarcastically. 
“Are you ready for this?” Lamech asked Lilith.
“How can one be truly ready for something like this?”  Lilith asked. 
“Focus on me, look in my eyes.”  Lamech said. 
“Vampires can subdue a victim often by simply staring deep into their eyes causing them to lose their will to resist, but in this case, Lamech simply wanted to calm Lilith during the change.  Lamech kissed her once more deeply while she was still a mortal woman.  He watched the pulse of the blood as it coursed through the arteries of her neck.  His heart began to speed up, matching the beat of Lilith’s.  Even though he had recently fed, the lust for blood began to rise within him.  He could control it now, flush with fresh blood and take his time.  More importantly, he would be able to stop without completely killing her by taking too much blood, he hoped.” 
“He had never turned a woman, but he suspected it would be the same as before.  He couldn’t bring himself to tell her how painful it would be for her.  He caressed her skin, up her arms, feeling one last time the softness of her flesh, the rise and fall of her breath on a rhythmic automated cycle that would soon be something she would have to learn to do mentally when trying to avoid attention from mortals.” 
He kissed her once upon the neck, as she sighed in his arms.  His incisor teeth elongated in the torchlight as he kissed her again, this time his incisors penetrated her skin as she cried out in pain, but then relaxed once more.  He took his time letting the warm, salty blood fill his mouth as he swallowed over and over. 
Her heart rate began to speed up as her heart struggled under the stress.  She grew first tense and then went limp in his arms.  He knew he needed to break off feeding on her before her heart stopped completely.  He fought the ecstasy that comes with taking in the last blood from a victim as their heart stops and pulled away.  She was near death now but still conscious.  If he did nothing, she would die. 
He gently whispered to her, “You must drink now, Lilith, or you will die, drink my blood and live together with me forever.” 
He held her close with one hand as she was too weak to stand on her own.  He grasped his dagger with the other hand and pushed it into the right side of his neck, wincing as he did so.  As he pulled the dagger out blood shot out, still red with the fresh blood from Lilith, and he let the dagger drop to the floor as it clanged against the stone.  He lifted Lilith and embraced her; he guided her mouth to the wound in his neck.  Lilith, like a newborn babe, swallowed. Then she swallowed again, and finally, her eyes opened wide and she grabbed Lamech behind the neck with both hands and pulled him to her as she continued to drink. 
She would not stop on her own, he knew and he finally had to pull away from her.  Her eyes glowed red in the darkness as she clawed at him trying to drink more blood from the wound that already was beginning to close on his neck.  He held her off for a moment longer, a great weariness and weakness setting in him.”
            “Suddenly she cried out in pain as she began thrashing upon the floor where she had fallen.  He winced in spite of himself, seeing her in pain.  There was no way that he knew to avoid the pain of the death of the body, so the new vampire could be born.  She breathed a final breath that gurgled in her throat, mingled with his blood as she went still.  Had she been old as he had been when he changed she would have been brought to her prime age, but she was young so her external features changed little, except her eyes.  Her eyes took on a sparkling brilliance like a pair of emeralds.” 
“Vampires attract attention sometimes due to the brilliance of their eyes when they have recently fed.  After a couple of hours, the eyes would assume a more normal hue.  Lamech leaned heavily against her coffin as he struggled to lift her and place her inside, and shut the lid.  He fell to the floor and reached up to his own sarcophagus and struggled to pull himself into it.” 
“He was too weak to close the lid, but he managed to whisper to her, ‘feed;’ as he lost consciousness.”
“Lamech did not wake again until the sunset on the following day.  The lid to his sarcophagus was in place and he struggled to slide it back still weak.  He fell to the floor as he crawled out.  No sign of Lilith.  The lamb was dead she had drunk its blood, which was good.  He crawled to the front of the cave and the female prostitute was still there, staring blankly ahead.  He drained her and laid back as his strength returned once more.  He stood and exited the cave.  The wind blew against his face.  The moon shined brightly this night.  Lilith was sitting on the edge of the cliff where she had watched the sunset the night before.  Now she watched the moonrise with new eyes which could see the world in a clearer, more vibrant colors than mortal eyes.  She turned as he approached and smiled.”
“During the first year, Lilith and Lamech lived a life that few vampire couples have been able to achieve.  They were happy together.  Although Lilith did not bring herself to kill humans, she was willing to let Lamech bring her a sheep or a goat if she had slept in.  During the first few months, a newborn vampire tends to sleep more.  Lamech would be to Endor and back typically by the time she awoke, and he would bring her an animal to feed on.  A year went by before Lilith started having abdominal pains.  She did not mention it to Lamech at first thinking perhaps it was just the last vestiges of her human body finally dying.  After several months, she began to consume more animals than she had been, and this Lamech noticed.  She confided in him that she had been having abdominal pains and had noticed the small swell of her abdomen.” 
“Tell me this is not possible!” she said almost in a panic. 
“I had never even considered it.”  Lamech said. 
Lilith paced back and forth and clasped her hands to the sides of her head. 
“A life of darkness I was willing to live, but to bring an infant into this life?  What sort of child will this be Lamech!?”  Lilith said as she cried. 
“I don’t know, no one knows.  You are the first female vampire that I have created and the only one that I have met.  We are in unchartered waters here.”  Lamech said.
“Lilith continued to consume double the number of animals she had formerly taken during the next three months, during which time her abdomen had grown as large as a normal mortal woman’s abdomen would have grown in nine months.  She had nightmares about the baby.  She wanted it out of her.  The time for delivery came; at least it was night.  They had prepared a small coffin for the child and they had brought an extra sheep to the cave that night.  The delivery was a terrible ordeal for Lilith.  She was fortunate that she was a vampire, tougher and stronger than a mortal woman, or she would not have survived the delivery.” 
“What came out of her was nothing that either of them had ever seen.  It had the upper body of a baby and the lower body of a serpent.  Rather than hair, it had serpents atop its head which hissed at Lamech when he first tried to touch the baby.  He recoiled in spite of himself.  Lilith pulled the baby sheep to the young gorgon but it would not eat.  She carried the baby to the human victim, who despite being in the vampire trance looked upon the baby gorgon and was turned to stone.” 
“What in heaven or hell have we done?”  Lamech cried. 
“Although the vampire parents were immune to the gaze of the gorgon, they were unable to feed her from live humans.  The baby was born with teeth and it would eat from the bodies that her vampire parents had drained.  Lamech began to spend more and more time away from the cave.  He could not stand the gaze from his daughter.  He hated the hissing of the snakes upon her head.  One night, he arrived in a bit of a panic and was speaking hurriedly.”
“We will have to leave this place tonight.” Lamech said as he hurriedly gathered a few items they kept in the cave.  “King David has heard of the magician’s village here and it is rumored in Endor that troops are being dispatched here tomorrow.  We must leave, but let us leave…leave that THING behind!” 
“Absolutely not, she is my child, she is your child!”   Lilith cried. 
“I will get us out of King David’s kingdom, but when we arrive at our destination I will no longer share space in the same cave or house with her.”  Lamech said. 
“They traveled by night as far as they could run.  Eventually, they reached the ports and paid a merchant captain handsomely for his own cabin with instructions that their baby was ill with leprosy and it would be in his and his crew’s best interest not to disturb them until they arrived in Greece.  Lamech had planned ahead and brought goats on board and offered a pair of goats that he would kill each night to the captain for his men.” 
“Some of the men on the ship had been murmuring together about the strange passengers who had boarded and who had not shown their faces each day.  The captain had locked a hefty bag of coin in a chest before sharing a bunk with the men.  If these passengers could pay that handsomely for the captain’s cabin, then perhaps there was more where that came from.  Besides the woman was very beautiful and there were many of them and only one man.  These men were hardened sailors, some criminals who took work in the Mediterranean as they were unable to find jobs in Greece.” 
“One night, a pair of the sailors waited until Lamech and Lilith were up on deck, towards the bow watching the sea.  One stood to watch outside the cabin while the other crept inside.  There was a large basket off to one side of the bed, the lid was closed.  If there was more gold this is where he would find it.  He closed the door behind him and moved towards the basket.  He was startled just as he reached for the lid, by a slight movement within.  The sailor jerked his hand back in fear but decided he had come too far to turn back now.  It would only take a moment to see.  He lifted the lid and then fell back against the table behind him as he stared wide-eyed, mouth agape at what lay within.” 
“The serpents moved on top of the girls head, hissing at being disturbed.  The girl, who had been asleep, opened her eyes which were like that of a poisoned serpent, with slitted pupils.  The eyes were yellow where the whites should have been.  The eyes flashed brightly as his cry for help was stifled as his vocal cords turned to stone. He fell towards the door hitting the floor with a loud thud.  His companion reached for the doorknob to see what was wrong, but his hand never reached the door handle.  Lilith had grabbed his head and broke his neck, letting him fall as she entered the cabin.  Before he hit the deck, Lamech caught him as he fell, and bit into the man’s neck, drinking in the blood.  Lilith rushed into the room and quickly realized what had happened, and was relieved that the baby was unharmed.” 
“Lamech threw the body overboard but the men already suspicious of their passengers had been alerted to the sudden disappearance of the couple on the bow and seeing their shipmate thrown overboard.   There were twenty men aboard, two were dead.  A group armed with daggers rushed the rear of the ship.  Lamech met them knocking the first into the four behind.  He grasped the front sailor and threw him overboard.  The four men who had fallen cried out and alerted the rest of the crew.”
“Lilith emerged in a rage, going for the captain that had seemed to break their agreement.  He stumbled back against the mast, only having just enough time to draw his sword as Lilith rushed him.  His sword pierced Lilith’s abdomen as she lunged.  She ignored the pain in her rage as her fangs pierced the skin of his neck.  She drank in the warm, salty blood as she was caught up in a sort of ecstasy.  She thought to herself that Lamech was right, human blood was so much better than animal blood.  She pulled away as the sword slid out of her; the captain fell forward onto the deck clasping the wound in his neck.  She had not finished him, she saw the helmsman staring wide-eyed nearby.” 
“Lamech moved faster than the men could react.  He would stop only long enough to thrust his hand through the chest of one victim and break the arm or legs of another as they swung their swords futilely at the air where Lamech had been.” 
Lilith’s wound was already beginning to close as she went for the helmsmen.  He backed away from the helm of the ship, and he grabbed an oil lantern that hung near.  He cast it at the feet of Lilith and it burst into flames as it caught her dress on fire.  She screamed as the fire burned her legs, she tore off her dress, her beautiful legs burned and smoldered in the light of the fire as it spread across the rear of the ship.  Lilith summoned her own fire to her hands and sent the magic fire at the poor helmsman who was caught up in the flames, screaming as he dove overboard.  Lilith’s eyes glowed red as she lowered her hands.  Her thoughts returned to her baby.” 
“Lamech continued his assault upon the men towards the front of the ship, two sword hilts were buried in his chest now with the length of the sword protruding from his back.  The sailors who yet lived, seeing this unholy demon, and the fire of the ship, flung themselves into the sea.  Lamech was separated from Lilith by the flames.  The sails were on fire now as the crackle of the flames grew louder.  The wind-fed the fire and blew it forward towards Lamech.  His eyes widened in fear; fire is deadly to a vampire if it consumes them faster than their body can heal itself.  He backed towards the bow of the ship as the fire drew near.  He cried Lilith’s name.  There was a small lifeboat tied to the front deck and he quickly tore the ropes that held it, lifted it and flung it into the sea. He jumped into the lifeboat, continuing to call Lilith’s name.  For a moment, he caught sight of Lilith and the baby as she rushed from the cabin, clothed in flame, as she raced to the back of the ship where the flames were less intense.” 
“Lilith looked around in desperation as the flames drew closer to her and the baby.  There was nowhere to go.  Where was Lamech?  Lilith’s hair caught fire as she screamed in pain.  The baby cried out in fear for the first time as she watched her mother burning.  In a vain attempt to save her beloved child, Lilith held the baby gorgon overhead above the fiery ruin of her own body.”
“The heat was painful even at a distance as Lamech drifted past the rear of the burning vessel.  The waves tossed the small life boat up and down as he leaned against one side of the life, boat staring at the flames.”
“Lilith did not seem to hear his cries in the noise of the wind and burning of the ship as she looked out into the inky blackness.  Then she saw the silhouette of the lifeboat and Lamech. But the ship suddenly exploded, throwing her and the baby upward into the night as flaming wreckage flew in all directions. They landed in the sea, bits of flaming timbers drifted atop the ocean.” 
“Lamech screamed Lilith’s name again as he fell to his knees.  He cursed God for his fate and swore to have his vengeance for the death of his son, for his curse, and for the death of Lilith. The wind and the waves carried him away from the failing flames that lighted upon the waters.  All grew dark.   He was fortunate that the lifeboat had a small sail and mast tied down inside.  He wrapped himself in the sail, hiding from the dawn and wept as the wind blew him back into the Mediterranean.” 
“Lilith clung to the mast as the fire burned down, extinguished by the waves.  The pain from her burns was intense.   She placed her daughter atop the floating wreckage. The baby seemed to understand her mother was injured as she wrapped her serpent tail around the mast and her mother’s hands.  They were lucky they had not been far from shore when the ship exploded.  The mast drifted into the surf of the shallows off the coast of Greece.  Lilith carried the baby gorgon to shore.” 
“The crash of the waves and the spray of the salty air was little consolation as her wounds continued to pain her.  Her hair and clothes were burned away.  She needed blood.  She staggered towards an abandoned building as the first rays of sunrise came above the horizon.  She and the baby crawled inside far enough to avoid any direct light.  Lilith caught a large rat and drained it of its blood and fed the rat to her child.  She lay in the corner and passed out, as little Medusa lay across her chest.”
 
The blood’s the life, the life’s the blood
Beware the night, and vampires bite
A cross, a stake, be sure to make
Or pray the Lord your soul to take