Jessa's mine, and the bible-writers, being dead, are in no position to sue me. By the way, not even that beach is really mine. It's a place in Marshfield, MA. The tapestries are a bit risqué - forgive me.
And Before Eve Was Lilith...
I stood, ready for my feet to betray me, but did not sway. I glanced around - the room was lighter now - and saw the tapestries that covered every wall of the octagonal room. Seeing my gaze go towards them, Lilith said softly, "Look closely, Jessamyn, and tell me what you see." She gestured towards the wall hanging nearest to an old oaken door. I moved towards it; she followed.
I let my eyes travel over the tapestry. In three successive scenes, a tall woman, unclothed, with long black hair, spoke to a man with curly, sandy hair, looked on scowling as the man walked hand-in-hand with a brown-haired woman, and held one hand out to a snake of a venomous green. My eyes flicked to the next scene; the same woman, with the snake coiled around her neck now - but something was different. From the waist down, the woman had the body of a great spotted cat, her tail lashing around her feet. The next showed no woman at all, but a cheetah standing next to a rearing snake. I turned to look at the other tapestries - all showed the tall woman or the hunting cat that was her other form. The last tapestry was unfinished.
"It's you, isn't it?" I whispered, turning at last to look at her. She laughed softly. "Of course. They weave themselves, you know; they were a gift from my daughter's daughter. She said the things I knew and would know should not be forgotten. But look at the last one."
Even as she spoke, the threads were lifting themselves and a new scene began to form before my eyes. A girl with flaming red hair and eyes as green as Lilith's - with no little shock, I recognized myself - sat on a wall near an ocean, one knee up, next to Lilith. Then another weaving of me, this time gazing at wall after wall of tapestries. The woman next to me put a hand on my shoulder, and, as I turned, smiled. "You are part of my life now, Jessamyn. The threads knew almost before I did. But there will be time for watching them later. Come." And she led me through the door.
The house - or perhaps I should call it a castle - was old, with high, arching ceilings, stone floors, narrow, cross-shaped windows, and huge fireplaces. There were animals everywhere; granite and marble lions, tigers, and all manner of big cats crouching in corners, dragons rearing from the woodwork and wound about beams, snakes curled around pillars, galloping horses carved into the wooden walls, wolves running on the stones underfoot, and eagles soaring overhead. There were real beasts as well; a panther who followed Lilith all around, a falcon sitting unfettered on the back of a chair, even a creature I had assumed didn't exist - a unicorn colt cantering around on spindly legs, not bothered at all by the wolf he nearly stepped on.
Lilith paused and put out a hand to the colt, who clattered up to her on the flagstones. She caressed behind his ears, and he pushed his muzzle into her hand, snorting happily, lipping her fingers gently. The tall woman laughed, and motioned me forward. The unicorn looked at me curiously. "This is Arhara," said Lilith, still with one hand on the colt's neck. "His mother - Salver - is around here somewhere. She's been with me for a long, long time - she's one of the few who survived the flood."
Lilith looked at me, serious now. "We'll be around for a long time too, Jessa. It will be easier for me now, with a companion, but I am worried for you. I was born to this life; you were not." She shrugged a little, and caught my eyes with hers, in a gaze I was almost afraid to break. "If you ever can't handle this, you need to tell me. This is a different world, and it's not always safe." She grinned slightly. "But then, my dear, we're part of what makes it dangerous..."
I grinned back at her, feeling my canines prick my lower lips as I did so; they were longer than I was used to. I ran my tongue over them, relishing the sharpness of them, the predator they implied. I had never noticed it on Lilith before; now that I looked at her closer, with detail-craving cat's-eyes, I saw they were a little sharper. As she saw me process this, her lips curled in a small smile, no teeth showing, her eyes a glowing gold. "So, kitten, what say we take a run?"
And Before Eve Was Lilith...
I stood, ready for my feet to betray me, but did not sway. I glanced around - the room was lighter now - and saw the tapestries that covered every wall of the octagonal room. Seeing my gaze go towards them, Lilith said softly, "Look closely, Jessamyn, and tell me what you see." She gestured towards the wall hanging nearest to an old oaken door. I moved towards it; she followed.
I let my eyes travel over the tapestry. In three successive scenes, a tall woman, unclothed, with long black hair, spoke to a man with curly, sandy hair, looked on scowling as the man walked hand-in-hand with a brown-haired woman, and held one hand out to a snake of a venomous green. My eyes flicked to the next scene; the same woman, with the snake coiled around her neck now - but something was different. From the waist down, the woman had the body of a great spotted cat, her tail lashing around her feet. The next showed no woman at all, but a cheetah standing next to a rearing snake. I turned to look at the other tapestries - all showed the tall woman or the hunting cat that was her other form. The last tapestry was unfinished.
"It's you, isn't it?" I whispered, turning at last to look at her. She laughed softly. "Of course. They weave themselves, you know; they were a gift from my daughter's daughter. She said the things I knew and would know should not be forgotten. But look at the last one."
Even as she spoke, the threads were lifting themselves and a new scene began to form before my eyes. A girl with flaming red hair and eyes as green as Lilith's - with no little shock, I recognized myself - sat on a wall near an ocean, one knee up, next to Lilith. Then another weaving of me, this time gazing at wall after wall of tapestries. The woman next to me put a hand on my shoulder, and, as I turned, smiled. "You are part of my life now, Jessamyn. The threads knew almost before I did. But there will be time for watching them later. Come." And she led me through the door.
The house - or perhaps I should call it a castle - was old, with high, arching ceilings, stone floors, narrow, cross-shaped windows, and huge fireplaces. There were animals everywhere; granite and marble lions, tigers, and all manner of big cats crouching in corners, dragons rearing from the woodwork and wound about beams, snakes curled around pillars, galloping horses carved into the wooden walls, wolves running on the stones underfoot, and eagles soaring overhead. There were real beasts as well; a panther who followed Lilith all around, a falcon sitting unfettered on the back of a chair, even a creature I had assumed didn't exist - a unicorn colt cantering around on spindly legs, not bothered at all by the wolf he nearly stepped on.
Lilith paused and put out a hand to the colt, who clattered up to her on the flagstones. She caressed behind his ears, and he pushed his muzzle into her hand, snorting happily, lipping her fingers gently. The tall woman laughed, and motioned me forward. The unicorn looked at me curiously. "This is Arhara," said Lilith, still with one hand on the colt's neck. "His mother - Salver - is around here somewhere. She's been with me for a long, long time - she's one of the few who survived the flood."
Lilith looked at me, serious now. "We'll be around for a long time too, Jessa. It will be easier for me now, with a companion, but I am worried for you. I was born to this life; you were not." She shrugged a little, and caught my eyes with hers, in a gaze I was almost afraid to break. "If you ever can't handle this, you need to tell me. This is a different world, and it's not always safe." She grinned slightly. "But then, my dear, we're part of what makes it dangerous..."
I grinned back at her, feeling my canines prick my lower lips as I did so; they were longer than I was used to. I ran my tongue over them, relishing the sharpness of them, the predator they implied. I had never noticed it on Lilith before; now that I looked at her closer, with detail-craving cat's-eyes, I saw they were a little sharper. As she saw me process this, her lips curled in a small smile, no teeth showing, her eyes a glowing gold. "So, kitten, what say we take a run?"