Sleep was not a state that Lilith was used to being in. When she was at her full demonic power she rarely needed sleep and even then it was little more than a catnap. Regardless of what form the demoness was in, one thing was always true: she never dreamed. Not since the Garden of Eden had she experienced such fantasies, so she was confused when she found herself standing in Hell. This was impossible. The only way she could have returned to Hell was if her human form had died somehow. That couldn't have happened, she would have remembered.
Despite her certainty, Lilith couldn't deny the vista before her. She was standing in a dark forest shrouded in mist and perfectly still. There was no wind, no rustling leaves and the sounds of various animal and insect life that would be expected in an earthly forest were conspicuously absent. Here, the only sounds were the screams that pierced the dark mist as harpies tore the bark from the trees and ate it. The demoness recognized this forest as only a portion of the seventh level of Hell and the trees as the souls of men and women who had abused their children and spouses.
Hanging from more than a few branches of this cursed forest were the bodies of men and women wrapped in a spiderweb that were slowly and repeatedly being drained of their essence for all eternity. Some hung from the branch of a single tree and some were held in webbing that connected two or more. These souls were individuals that had known what was happening and did nothing, said nothing while the soul and life of another was slowly destroyed.
Lilith looked at the scene with cold indifference. This was the level where those guilty of violence were punished. None of what she saw was a surprise or a shock. She had been a witness to the torture and punishment of human souls from the moment the first ones arrived in Hell. She had listened to their cries for ages and had long ago tuned out their pleas for mercy. The only thing that caught her attention was a single Will O' the Wisp that glowed brightly in the fog before her. Such things were very rare in Hell and often was a presage to something important.
Following it, she passed through the woods, her sharp eyes noticing many creatures hiding in the mist watching her and bowing in respect. There were all shapes of Bogie's or goblins peeking out through holes in the tree of burrows in the ground. Lilith momentarily saw a Phooka at a distance, it's glowing yellow eyes watching her from beneath its large goat horns. There were Pucks, Trows and even a Fachan dancing on it's one leg waiting for a victim to torment. She even noticed Black Annis herself, harvesting flesh from one of the victims wrapped in her web.
Through human eyes these images were terrifying, but to the demoness they were nothing, merely familiars whom she had looked upon a million times before and would always show the Queen of the Lilim the utmost respect. Passing through the various rings of the seventh level, She continued to follow the Will O' the Wisp down a dark and narrow spiraling staircase to the eighth level where those guilty of fraud were kept.
This level was cut into ten individual ditches with souls being divided according to the type of fraud they had committed. Lilith started to enter this level only to be stopped at the door by a giant wrapped in chains and carrying a spiked wooden club. He was called Jack-in-irons and she knew him to be the guardian of this level, but never had he refused her entrance. She was about to ask what gave him authority to stop her when she looked up and saw that instead of Jack's face it was the Preacher-man's.
"You cannot win!" he said, that crooked grin playing on his face. Lilith stepped back and looked up at the chains he wore and noticed the heads that dangled from it. Most were decayed and half rotten, but there was one fresh victim hanging in the center. It turned and she saw Eli's empty eyes staring at her. Horrified at the sight she screamed and tried to pry it loose from the chains, but before she could even touch the lifeless face, Levi grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her away.
It was at that moment that Lili awoke, sitting bolt upright in bed, her heart pounding. She looked around the darkness and was glad to find herself in Eli's room and bed once again. She looked over at him and was relieved to see him sleeping next to her, his wonderful head still attached to his fine body. Although she felt soothed by this reality, it didn't completely stop the cold chill running through her veins.
Getting up she went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face and took some much needed deep breaths. Why had the dream upset her so much? She had seen severed heads and every kind of cruelty that could be perpetrated on a human body and felt nothing. Why did this one tighten her throat and gnaw at her insides? Eli, she thought to herself. She didn't want anything to happen to Eli. She couldn't allow him to be destroyed by the Preacher-man, but how was going to stop it? She had no power and no way to summon her children. There has to be a way, she thought to herself. I will find a way.
As determined as the demoness was, Levi Sethos was more so. Alone in his bedroom he had spent the night reliving the sight of Lilith taking off her clothes and seductively dancing on that pole. Ignorance, as they say, is bliss and delusions can make you believe something no matter how much reality says it isn't so. In his heart he firmly believed that Lilith had been dancing for him that night. She was showing him all that would be his rather than winning a drunken bet with Eli's friends. So certain had he become of his ultimate victory that more than a month ago he had made a decision regarding Jeza and now everything seemed to be falling into place.
The bright morning sun rose over the Ozark Mountains, the temperature of the Preacher-man's pool was perfect as he stepped in to do his morning swim. He prided himself on the fact that he always kept himself physically fit. He had been an athlete in both high school and college, participating in a number of sports including swimming. He was in the midst of his laps when he saw the smarmy face of his lawyer, Edgar Mealy walking towards him. The man was truly a slimy, boot-licking, conceited barrister. He was also the best in his field when it came to the interests of his powerful clients. Looking around, the attorney casually commented that he didn't see the lovely Mrs. Sethos about. The Preacher-man just smiled and explained that she had left yesterday for a ladies Bible retreat. A number of very wealthy ladies had paid through the nose for the chance to spend the weekend with Jeza Sethos at a luxury lodge and spa in the mountains of Seattle Washington.
The truth of the matter was that Levi wanted Jeza out of his way for a few days. The theme of the ladies retreat was 'unplugged' and focused on putting aside all those electronic devices that distract and refocusing on God. He had personally chosen it because it meant his wife would have to leave her laptop, tablet and phone home for the weekend. In Jeza's usual loving and trusting fashion she carefully locked them in a safe in her room. Levi wasn't worried. He had already paid off her assistant and had the combination.
He had actually been working on this for the last month beginning with hiring a private investigator to get photographs of her with her lover Ty. The spicier the photograph the better. He also paid the PI to bring him detailed reports of anything that was of note and could be used against her. An hour after Jeza's departure one of the top IT experts in the country was at his home going through her computer as well as hacking into her phone and tablet. To his relief she had surprisingly little evidence against him regarding his infidelities or anything else. What little she had was wiped clean.
Now everything was falling into place and as he finished his morning laps, he was certain that his future was finally going to be perfect. There were only a few more details to arrange, but that was why his lawyer was here. Smiling, Levi got out of the pool and wrapped a robe around himself before shaking Edgar's hand. He was certain that the two of them would be able to cut a deal with Jeza and force her to agree to a divorce. She would have a generous monthly allowance along with her clothes, furs and jewels in exchange for her signing the papers and walking away. This was non-negotiable and if she tried to fight the divorce, hold him up for more money, or try anything else, he would ruin her in the media with evidence of her infidelity, lavish lifestyle and allegations of misappropriated funds. As far as what he would tell the public or his deacons and other staff, well he would handle that later. Over time he would very slowly bring Lilith into his public life making sure it was done in a very positive light to ensure that his public wanted them together as much as he did.
