Deal with the Devil
Lilith pressed herself against the glass wall of the Mithras Tower. She sealed her mouth against the glass and blew until her jaws flapped. "Hey!" Dante called as he walked into the room. She turned and leaned against the glass. Dante pointed at her. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"
"Just one more time." She watched Dante drop himself before the computer console. He was dressed all in black leather, which instantly reminded her of her vision. "You look a lot like your father."
Dante turned from the projected screen that floated in midair. "What? How the hell would you know that?"
Lilith shrugged. "Just a guess."
She stepped behind him to see what he was doing. The projection displayed a map of the planet. The sovereign state was marked in blue across North America, South America excluding the southern tip, north and west Africa, and Europe. Mundus's territories were marked in red across all of Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the rest of Africa. Dante touched the red border in Africa and extended it to the east coast. Then he pulled it a little ways below the equator. Then he leaned back in the chair.
"That's it. That's what we got."
"It's impressive." She rubbed the top of his head. "I'm heading out. I'll be back."
"Don't get into any trouble."
"Who? Me?"
"Or I'll kill you."
Lilith gave him a thumbs up before leaving.
(X)
Isaiah watched people walk in and out of the temple in the center of the city. He held his hands together as if in prayer as he slowly worked his way up the stairs. He slipped through the doors to find the building mostly empty. Only three people were kneeled at the altar, and each was doing something different. Isaiah stepped up behind a woman holding an infant. She mumbled something quickly over the infant before reaching into a bowl and wiping water across the baby's forehead.
"Shouldn't a priest be doing that?" Isaiah asked.
The woman startled as she noticed him. "What?"
"Shouldn't a priest do that?"
The woman covered the baby's face. "You must not have been paying attention. There are no priests."
"Don't you think you should get some?"
The woman stood and glared at him. "Are you making fun of me?"
Isaiah decided that this was an opportunity. "I don't have a sense a humor that I am aware of. I am . . .unwonted . . . to the change of politics."
"Obviously. There are no priests anywhere. The Second God doesn't allow them."
"A religion with no clergy? Why?"
"No one knows."
Isaiah watched the woman leave without saying another word. "No priests. I must find this Second God." He kneeled where the woman had been moments earlier and whispered another quick prayer. When he was sure there was nothing more to do there, he walked back out to the street. The moment the sunlight hit his face, he watched the people walking up and down the street. "How do I find him?"
He visually searched from where he stood until he noticed a woman who stopped to admire a vine. She began picking off several dead white flowers. She wore a leather vest and a daring skirt down to her ankles that was basically two large strips of cloth attached to a leather belt. Following instinct, Isaiah crossed the street to stand behind her. He made no sound.
"What do you want?" the woman asked without turning around.
"How did you know I was here?"
The woman plucked the final withered flower before turning around. "How could I not? What do you want?"
"I'm looking for someone very important."
"That narrows it down. There aren't many of those anymore. What's his name?"
"He is the one a woman in the temple called the Second God."
The woman showed no surprise. "Then you've come to the right place. Follow me."
The woman began walking down the street without waiting for him. He kept in step behind her. "How do you know I won't try to kill him?"
"You can't kill him. Many have tried, and all have failed. None have come close. Now shut up and follow me."
"If I do, will you at least tell me your name?"
The woman spoke without stopping. "It's Lilith. Now come on if you're coming. We have a ways to go."
(X)
The creature peeked over the rock and downhill. It watched as Isaiah and Lilith traversed the open field towards the woods. When they had completely passed, it crept over the rock and crawled after them.
"How much longer?" Isaiah asked.
"Just a few more hours," Lilith answered. "Come on."
"We've been walking for several hours already. It's almost sunset. I can't believe you walked to the city like this."
"I didn't. I flew."
"Flew? There were no landing strips for aircraft."
Lilith stopped for the first time during the trip to look at him. "I didn't fly by plane. I flew myself, under my own power."
Isaiah unconsciously took a step away. "You did what?"
It made Lilith uneasy. "Just come on. We're being followed."
Isaiah tilted his head towards her. "I know. Go on."
"I have no weapons. Neither gun nor sword."
"I need none. I will protect you."
"I don't need your protection." Lilith turned and ran headlong into the woods.
"Crazy woman!" Isaiah yelled as he chased after her. She was well ahead of him. "Curse this human body!" he yelled without thinking. The chase instantly ended when something landed in front of him from above. He skidded to a stop and fell to his knees.
It was a bald creature with pasty oozing white skin. It leaned over him and grabbed him by his neck. A pair of bony wings began flapping, but it never got the chance to take off. It was distracted by a whistle. Without letting go, it turned to see what was at its back.
"Let him go!" Lilith demanded. Isaiah stared in shock as her hands were engulfed in bright red flames. Her eyes were glowing white.
"What are you?" Isaiah asked hoarsely.
The creature threw him aside and launched itself at Lilith. She leapt aside and threw a stream of fire at it. Isaiah watched with an open mouth and wide eyes as Lilith flipped into the air and transformed in a flash of black light. Six wings lifted her further into the air. She and the creature fought above him.
"That explains it," Isaiah said. He closed his eyes and stood. With all his strength, he mentally reached into his center and released a painful energy. He screamed as everything was covered with a hot light. When it was all gone, Isaiah fell over as he struggled to catch his breath. The creature was gone. Lilith fell screaming from the air and hit the ground facedown. When she mustered the strength to roll over, she found Isaiah sitting astride her chest with a knife to her throat.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"You're one of them," he said. "You're a demon. Were you leading me into a trap?"
"If I were leading you into a trap, would I have fought that monster off?"
"I don't know. Who, or what, are you?"
"I already told you. I'm Lilith."
Isaiah pushed the knife further against her skin. She swung for his face, but he grabbed her arm and held it against her chest. She was surprised by his strength.
"I should ask you what you are instead of the other way around," Lilith threatened.
"That is none of your concern. I am looking for the one called the Second God. Do you know where he is?"
Lilith felt the knife break her skin. "Of course I know. I already told you that. He's my father. If you harm me, he will kill you in the most painful way he can think of."
Isaiah placed the blade against Lilith's face to scrape the skin under her eye. Blood dripped from the blade. "What is this? Blood in your eyes?"
"It is the blood of my grandfather Sparda."
Isaiah showed recognition of the name. "Sparda was your grandfather? Which of his boys is your father?"
"What difference does it make?"
Isaiah pressed harder against her. "At least it explains how you survived that attack I used. No demon has ever survived it before."
"Get off of me." Isaiah complied and stepped away. "You want to see the Second God?" she asked. "You will, but if you put your hands on me again, I'll kill you myself."
"I'm sorry. If I had known you were the daughter of one of the rebels of Hell, I would not have."
Lilith slid away and stood. "Come on then. We still have a long way to go."
