Son of the Serpent Read online

  Son of the Serpent

  by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

  Copyright © 2018 by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

  This edition published by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means –

  except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without written permission from its Publisher.

  Copyright © 2018 Vashti Quiroz-Vega

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-947475-03-8

  ISBN-10: 947475-03-7

  For JC, who kept cracking the whip until I was done writing, and for my lovely niece Natasha for her unrelenting support.

  BOOK 3

  Purgatory

  Contents

  Chapter 1: THE AWAKENING

  Chapter 2: SERENDIPITY

  Chapter 3: FALLACY

  Chapter 4: MALEVOLENCE

  Chapter 5: AFFLICTION

  Chapter 6: FORSAKEN

  Chronicle of Lilith - 1

  Chapter 7: DRACÚL & CORALIA

  Chronicles of Lilith - 2

  Chapter 8: DELUGE

  Chronicles of Lilith - 3

  Chapter 9: VESSEL

  Chronicles of Lilith – 4

  Chapter 10: TRANSCEND

  Chronicles of Lilith – 5

  Chapter 11: WICKEDNESS

  Chronicles of Lilith – 6

  Chapter 12: KEMET

  Chronicles of Lilith – 7

  Chapter 13: THE BIRTH OF MOSES

  Chapter 14: SPIES IN THE GREAT HOUSE

  Chapter 15: ARTEMISIA

  Chapter 16: QORBUNET BERAM

  Chronicles of Lilith – 8

  Chapter 17: AURORA

  Chapter 18: THE SEARCH FOR EMOTIONS

  Chapter 19: PURPOSE

  Chronicles of Lilith – 9

  Chapter 20: DESTINY

  Chapter 1

  THE AWAKENING

  I awoke wrapped in darkness. Smells of musty earth and mold wafted into my nostrils, and humid, stinging cold air chilled my bones. I curled into a tight ball and gasped, feeling disoriented to time and place. Trembling, I shifted on moist ground, my eyes flitting in every direction as I searched for a source of luminosity. Filaments of moonlight scarcely passed the towering trees surrounding me.

  I looked up but did not gaze upon a single star. Instead, a mass of dark branches loomed overhead. Cool gusts made trees rustle like living things. They groaned, and their bare branches creaked as they reached for me like clutching, clawed hands. The wind’s eerie whistling and howling made my heart rap against my ribs.

  My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning all sound except my fitful panting.

  “Where am I?” My voice sounded small, brittle and unfamiliar, like a child. A boy.

  Unsure what to do, I lifted my upper body off the wet earth and peered into the dimness of the forest.

  “Who am I? Why am I alone?” I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them wide again. My eyesight began to clear, but my mind remained a fog.

  I touched my face and head. I inhaled a sharp breath as my hands ran across two pointy projections extending from my skull. Shivering, I passed my hands over the rest of my body and noticed the skin below my waist differed from the skin on my torso, arms, and face. Dry, smooth scales, cold to the touch, covered my lower body.

  Images of a tall creature with long extremities filled my mind. As my vision adjusted to my surroundings, I beheld I had no legs. Instead, I had a scaly tail—like a serpent. Where are my lower limbs? Something heavy tugged on my backbone. I shook to remove the hindrance, but instead, a huge pair of black, spiky wings distended from my back. My body tensed. “What sort of creature am I?” I whispered.

  Once more I closed my eyes. When I reopened them I distinguished colors—grayish-green moss-covered rocks and russet trees; a sea of gold and copper covered the ground as crisp leaves floated down from trees and curled into the moist earth. I gazed at my arms and hands. They were as red as blood, and my hands were clawed.

  “Was I abandoned here?”

  I wanted to escape, but my reptilian lower body would not move. Another gust chilled the air and shook the trees. I feared getting ensnared by the trees’ clutches if I took flight. Hostile screeches from crepuscular creatures pierced the air. I whisked my head to and fro, searching for the origins of the sounds. Terror seemed to thwart logic and rational thinking.

  I covered my ears and shrieked, unable to withstand the horror gripping me like a vise. I tumbled to the ground facedown and rolled my body side to side. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing this reality to end.

  I struggled to remember events preceding my awakening. Faces flashed before my mind’s eye; the smiling face of an exquisite being brought back memories. This beauty often sang to me with a dulcet voice. How I wished to hear her melodies then. Her long, wild, golden curls were like sunshine and always put a smile on my face. Her sizable, hooded eyes, the color of ripe dates, often looked upon me with pity. Why? She possessed four immense white wings adorned with black bands, similar to an exotic bird. Could this creature be my mother? If so, why is she not here with me?

  Islands of memories returned to me. I had a sudden recollection. Gadreel had been the female of otherworldly beauty and soothing voice, and sadly, not the one who birthed me. My heart, like a boulder, laid heavy in my chest as I recalled her last words to me: “Dracúl,”—my name is Dracúl—“you must promise to remain in the cave until your father and your mother return.” Her eyes glittered with sorrow and fear. I watched her flee in search of her own children, whom she desperately missed.

  “The cave!” I gushed as the image of the small hollow space broke through my mind. I nodded, determined to find this cave. Perhaps my father and mother awaited me there.

  One memory quickened another, and images of two powerful males crossed the threshold of my mind. The taller of the two showed prominent in my memory. I recognized his intense, dark-blue eyes and two monstrous, dark, spiny wings—wings like mine!

  Realization struck me like a blow to the face. “Father! Where are you, my father? Do you wait for me at the cave?” I whispered. A scintilla of hope crept into my heart for the first time.

  Slowly, I uncovered my ears. The rustle of animals rummaging in the scrub frightened me, and I pushed my body off the ground with both arms. Wide-eyed, I looked around in desperate search of impending danger. Tears blurred my vision. Like the child I was, I whimpered.

  The wooded area’s fragrance—fresh, alive, and dangerous—kept me alert. I jumped at the slightest noises.

  A thick mist twined itself around trees and bushes as it drifted toward me, threatening to envelop me in its murky veil and smother me. I backed away, refusing to vanish in the eerie white world.

  A huge branch broke from one of the nearby trees and came crashing to the ground inches from me. My heart leaped to my throat. I bolted away from the fog. Once more my pulse raced in my ears and, for a moment, obscured every other sound.

  I came across a small cave deep in the woods. I cannot explain how I knew it, but this place and the one my memories revealed were one and the same. With every nerve aquiver with anticipation, I rushed toward it. I stumbled over exposed roots, hitting my head on a rock and cutting my forehead. It hurt, so I touched it and noticed blood on my fingers. The woods whirled around me, and I waited a moment to steady myself. Unwilling to wait any longer, I pulled myself up on my forearms and dragged myself to the entrance. Upon entering the cavern, new memories flooded my disoriented mind.

  I remembered spending time there with my father, Satan, and his closest friend and ally, Samael. Where has everyone gone? I do not recall my mother. Why? Surely I h
ave one; even the lowest of lowly creatures have mothers. Then I did what a child does—I sobbed and brooded, making my head throb.

  After awhile, I sat on the ground. I realized my head no longer hurt. When I touched my forehead, the wound had healed. I chuckled and shrugged, happy it no longer hurt or bled. The cave became shelter. With my arms at my sides, I squared my shoulders and leaned against the wall. I rested my hands in my lap and tried to recollect further but instead fell asleep.

  A terrifying roar shook the ground. I sat upright in a jolt and blinked owlishly. Panting, I furrowed my brow and narrowed my eyes. An incandescent radiance shrouded a group of angels descending from the heavens. I witnessed my father defy the celestial beings, Samael by his side. A gruesome battle ensued. Archangels boasted weapons which glinted in the sunlight, appearing divine, like God’s own hands had forged them. Conquering the angels appeared to be a hopeless act, yet Satan and Samael tried and were defeated and bound together in chains.

  Another deafening roar drowned the world’s noises, and once more my heart leaped and my ears tingled. An immense, ineffable beast with impossibly large wings and long, sharp claws swooped down, headed for the chained beings. The behemoth seized them and carried them away in its clutches to a place far beyond my eyes.

  I awoke, my mouth agape, gasping and sobbing. My nightmare carried recollections of recent events. My father perished. Memories of him, Samael, Gadreel, and Dagon inundated my brain. Satan, my sire, loved me, and I loved him too. The others were also kind and taught me to hunt, use basic tools, and build a fire, among other things. Now they were gone.

  Have I lost everyone? My father and his ally were carried away bound in chains and surely draw breath no more. Dagon disappeared into the sea, and Gadreel departed in search of her loved ones, leaving me behind. All had forsaken me.

  I howled, shaking and convulsing on the ground, feeling isolated in a hostile world. Eventually, I crumpled from exhaustion. My eyes stung. I wiped them, and a crimson fluid smeared my hands. Blood covered my face and body. Instead of briny tears, lifeblood streamed from my eyes. I knew then I differed from other creatures I had known. It seemed like my bones had turned rock-heavy; even raising my head became difficult. I needed to feed.

  The sun had come up. Ribbons of the sun’s beams meandered through the branches, carrying a bit of light into the forest. I decided to venture out, but instead swallowed hard and glanced at my trembling hands. Remaining at the cave’s threshold, I peered into the woods, seeing danger everywhere I looked.

  A sound broke my concentration. I startled as something flew past me. A flash of light blinded me for a moment as the creature produced a gap in the canopy while hiding midst its branches. I poked my head out.

  “Mother?” I searched the treetops. “Is that you? Have you come for me?”

  The creature stirred in a tree across from where I stood and made the leaves rustle and clatter. One of the tree’s limbs came hurtling to the ground. I gasped and retreated further back into the cave. Heat rose from the pit of my stomach and bloomed in my face. I pounded on my hips with my fists, feeling unworthy of being my father’s son.

  My father had courage; he would be ashamed of the coward he had for a son. I clasped my hands over my head and stared at the forest. I groaned and shook my head in frustration. I will be brave like my father. I will make myself brave. I inched forward and stared up at the foliage, attempting to find the life-form hidden within. I bit my lip and tensed in anticipation of what would reveal itself.

  A large predatory bird dove from the trees with a loud squawk. My arms flew across my face to protect my eyes. I flinched, and a shriek escaped my lips. It was not my mother. I collapsed to the ground and curled into a tight ball.

  I buried my face in my hands, ashamed by my behavior. I knew I had to muster enough courage to obtain nourishment or I would perish. I got up from the ground, holding my breath, and finally left the cave. I blew out my breath and made my way through the forest. Fallen leaves crackled under my tail as I slithered along. Detecting the beat of paws against the ground, I hurried, looking around, trying not to allow fear to overwhelm me.

  I stopped short as an enticing aroma coursed through my nostrils. I followed the rich scent to a deer a short distance away. The creature turned toward me and our stares met. The animal immediately pointed its palmate antlers at me. My heart throbbed and my nostrils flared as I became heated.

  We rushed toward each other, aiming our projections at one another until we crashed and locked horns. The young buck pushed against me in a test of strength. A mere boy, weakened by hunger, I began to slide backward in the moist dirt. The blood vessels on the buck’s neck were dilated, engorged with blood. I listened to the rhythmic beat of the deer’s irresistible crimson fluid pulsing in its arteries. Saliva flooded my mouth as I breathed in the briny, metallic succulence.

  Determined to have my meal, I expanded my wings and flapped them fiercely, setting nearby bushes aquiver. I zoomed to the sky, stopped in midair just before reaching the canopy, and dove toward the deer. I landed on its back and, without hesitation, sank my fangs into its neck. The buck grunted and thrashed, kicked its hind legs and shook. I latched on and continued to feed.

  Soon the animal began to wobble and stagger. I sensed its body becoming slack. Its legs trembled and, in time, faltered, and the young buck collapsed to the ground.

  I fed until its heart stopped beating. Satisfied, I slipped off its back. When I saw the carcass, a dull ache grew in my chest. I stared at the once robust and beautiful animal now devoid of life. My shoulders slumped, blood tears pooling in my eyes, and I sniffed repeatedly, as if to pull them back.

  I left the deer. Dragging my tail behind me, I coped with the turmoil within me. I wished to endure, but in order to survive I had to kill. Is it in my nature to kill? Am I a predator?

  I hiked through the forest for a few miles and came to a creek. The thinner canopy in this area allowed the sun to glitter on the surface of the water. I knelt by the creek’s edge and looked at my reflection in the crystalline water. I grimaced and recoiled, jarred by the image staring back. I rubbed my eyes with the base of my palms, pushing them deep into my sockets. When I stopped rubbing them, I waited for the luminous phosphenes to clear, and then I crawled to the bank to take another look at my reflection. My eyes popped wide. I took in a sharp breath, realizing my eyes had not deceived me. It was my reflection. The hideous creature in the water was I.

  Feeling lightheaded and weak, I flung myself onto the grass. Thoughts of my father forced their way into my mind again. He had an abundance of iridescent black hair down to his waist. So why is my head smooth and hairless like an egg? My father’s eyes were azure like the sky at the “blue hour” between dawn and sunrise. My irises were red like furious flames. His pale, radiant skin shone like evening stars. Yet my skin looked the color of blood and rage.

  I was grotesque—perhaps a mistake?

  Could this be the reason my mother abandoned me, so repulsed by me she refused to be in my presence? A burning pain bloomed in my chest, and my mood turned low. I slipped into the river and immersed in the cool, refreshing water. Underwater, I watched the little fish swim away from me in fright. I shed silent tears which diffused in the water, creating a cerise halo around me.

  All at once, an unpleasant sensation of giddiness overwhelmed me. I slipped away into unconsciousness, and my reality became nebulous. Dark illusions tormented me. An ominous, indistinct shadow appeared before me. I sensed it’s evil purpose—it desired to hurt me. It took hold of me and yanked me deeper underwater. I pressed my lips together and held my breath, but my lungs burned with trapped air. I flailed my arms, shook my tail, and thrashed my wings and got away from this sinister energy. I dragged myself onto the creek bank and crept away shivering, my teeth chattering.

  Lying supine on the muddy ground, I took fast, shallow breaths and tried to gain control of my bearing. My heart galloped. Once more, the images came. The same powerful, amor
phous specter that had attempted to drown me now loomed over me, pinning me to the ground, subjugating my mind and body. I lay on my back, immobilized, helpless, my pulse racing with anticipation of something monstrous and unimagined. Then I suffered a hot, penetrating pressure between my head and shoulder. I winced and groaned. My small hands curled into tight fists, unable to shift or get away from the piercing pain on my neck. When the sensation passed and the shadow disappeared, I recovered and sat upright.

  I touched my neck to stop the blood from flowing out of the wound. There was no injury there, no blood. Nothing had happened outside my mind. My young psyche had created a distorted sensory experience which appeared to be real. I clenched my jaw in frustration and shook my head. For a moment, I was unable to distinguish truth from delusion. I rose from the ground and scurried back to the only safe place I knew.

  Breathless, I slumped against the wall in the rear of the cave and coiled my elongated, snakelike lower body to find comfort. My body trembled; I wrapped my arms around myself and rocked side to side. To survive on my own I had to control my fear. I did not venture out for the rest of the day.

  Evening tossed its gauzy gray over the forest, dulling even the silvery shine coming off a low-slung moon. I curled in a dark corner and fell asleep. Once more I suffered nightmares: a fire-breathing angel, whose eyes and hair color matched those of the flames he emitted, burned Satan—my father—and his loyal companion, Samael. The air grew heavy with the smell of sparks, acid, earth, and thunderstorms, the scent of the enormous beast with shimmering, colorful scales that carried my father and his ally away in its clutches. Above me, lurking in the trees, a strange winged creature—part female, part snake—cackled, as though taking pleasure in Satan and Samael’s calamities.

  I stood near the creek again. A terrifying fiend knocked me to the ground. The evil creature pinned me against the earth and then bit into the base of my neck, drawing the life from me.

  My eyes snapped open. I bolted upright and shrieked, roused by the bad dream. I stared straight ahead, wide-eyed. Once more I rubbed the area on my neck where the creature had bitten me, but located no open gash. My chest heaved. Some time went by before I realized the horrible events were not occurring but instead were recovered memories of incidents which had come to pass. Night after night I had these terrible nightmares.