In Exile (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book III) (14 page)

NEW LIFE

Jarahmael kept Lillith and himself hidden in the second Sphinx at Aegyptus while he searched for a better and more permanent location for them to live. It was fitting to hide Lillith in the female Sphinx, Jarahmael thought. As Jarahmael had predicted, the female Sphinx was not of much interest to any of the Cherubim Angels. Nor did any of the other “construction Angels,” the Principalities and Dominions, pay attention to it any longer. They had completed their tasks just prior to the rebellion, and neither of the Sphinxes were ever intended to be used as part of the pyramidal transportation system for the Humans.

To make the female Sphinx even more inconspicuous, Jarahmael had begun moving sand to begin to gradually fill the area and cover it over. The other Sphinx was much closer to the grand pyramid, and garnered the most attention from the loyal Angels, whenever they came to visit the Earth. The Simians would look at the Sphinx, but its countenance was very frightening to them so they did not dare take any interest in accessing the inside of it. This made the second Sphinx a safe place for Jarahmael, and it grew in safety everyday as it slowly became buried and its existence would be lost to the memory of Simians, Humans, and one day, hopefully, the Angels themselves.

These days with Lillith were happy times for Jarahmael. He promised to never leave her again, as he felt terrible for having done so during the rebellion. And the way things were, he could not see any reason to leave her. Besides, it was best for the two of them to remain hidden as much as possible, as he was sure that each of them would be a prize capture for either the loyal or rebel Angels.

Jarahmael would take Lillith with him when he would occasionally fly over to watch Adam and Eve’s children grow. He knew that Lillith did not want to be too friendly with either of the other Humans; after all, she had been Adam’s mate in the very beginning. But she was interested in watching the two boys as Eve would take them outside into the fresh air. Lillith did become concerned as her pregnancy lasted longer than that of the Simian females or even Eve’s. But Lillith was also immortal, and both her and Jarahmael concluded that the greater length of time must have had something to do with carrying an Angelic child.

When the time came for their baby to arrive, Jarahmael flew and brought Eve back to the Sphinx with him. Adam and Eve had developed a deep fondness for Jarahmael, especially when they found out through Lillith that he had sacrificed his place in the Heavens in order to assist them adapt to life on the Earth. And for that both Humans were forever grateful. Jarahmael was touched by their loyalty as well, and he knew they would never knowingly endanger him or his new family.

On the night of his child’s birth, Jarahmael transported Eve in secret while the rest of the loyal and rebel Angels were back in their respective palaces, and he fulfilled his promise to return her home before sunrise. He did not want Eve punished for assisting him and Lillith. Jarahmael and Lillith named their son Enoch, a child born immortal, a descendant from the pure bloodlines of an Archangel and the First Born Human woman.

Lillith had never been cursed with death, because she never violated the Almighty's commandment of eating from the fruit of the forbidden tree. Therefore Enoch, too, was not subject to that fate, not being of Adam or Eve's loins. Nor was Lillith cursed with painful child-bearing, as that too was a consequence of Eve's disobedience, so having a child was a pleasurable experience for her and Jarahmael was greatly relieved.

Enoch was a beautiful child, a combination of the best features of Jarahmael and Lillith. A blue-eyed brown-haired child, he was born long and lean. He had the beginnings of Angel wings on his back, not fully developed, in fact hardly noticeable at that age. Lillith was enamored with the child’s beauty, and despite having little contact with Eve or the Simian females, Lillith did prove to be a good mother. Jarahmael was concerned at times that she paid too much attention to the child, and wanted to protect it from the outside world. Jarahmael knew that Lillith had been through a lot. Her relationship with Adam had not been good, she had been hunted by Luciferael and eventually captured by him, and even Jarahmael himself had abandoned her in his palace in the Seventh Heaven. And most recently she had been held in Hell itself.

Although the female Sphinx was a safe place for the three of them to live, Jarahmael knew that it was too close to an area very familiar to the Heavenly Host, the pyramids and other Sphinx had at one time been a main hub for Angels working on the Earth, and could be again someday soon for all he knew. He needed to find a more inconspicuous place for them all to live. He also wanted Enoch to be able to interact with the Human offspring of Adam and Eve. Not taking any chances in using a preexisting cave, as it could have some potential connection from Hell or Hades below, Jarahmael constructed a home by burrowing within the hard rock of one of the mountains within view of Adam and Eve’s cave. It was close enough that he could make sure that Enoch could play with the Human children, yet far enough away that it would not be easily seen by Angels or others observing Adam and Eve.

They definitely needed some distance from Eve, as Lillith and Eve did not get along well. Eve had replaced Lillith when Lillith had left Adam, so there was a competitive dynamic between them. And Lillith also knew that Jarahmael was cast out of Heaven because he had assisted Adam and Eve directly in violation of the Almighty’s commandment of non-interference. Lillith also believed that Enoch was a much greater Being than any child of Adam and Eve’s, and Lillith took no effort to hide her feelings from Eve about Cain and Abel.

Adam and Eve did not help remove that feeling of superiority either, as they allowed Cain and Abel to play with the Simian children. Lillith felt that the Simians were an even lesser lot than the Humans, and she tried to keep Enoch away from those children altogether.

And this dislike between Lillith and the Humans was made worse with Jarahmael's insistence that Enoch spend time with the Humans. The boy needed to understand his Human side and interact with other Human children. Jarahmael, too, tried to spend a great deal of his time with the Half-Angel, Half-Human child. Jarahmael had great concerns about what the Almighty or Luciferael would do about this hybrid creature. Would they let the child live or would they try to destroy him?

Jarahmael would often take the child with him, feeling that he would be best able to make sure the child remained safe if he was with him. He would take the child flying with him in areas he knew that neither the rebel Angels nor the loyal Angels would patrol. As a result, Enoch saw many strange and wonderful things at tree top level all over the world, flying along on Jarahmael's back. Enoch followed the developmental path of a Human, as Angels weren't born and didn’t grow; they were created, full size and with all of their faculties. Young Enoch did not immediately talk and walk as an Archangel would, but learned as his body matured. His wings were still too undeveloped for him to fly himself, but Jarahmael was patient with him and enjoyed carrying him about when he flew. Jarahmael was sure that as the boy’s wings developed, he would grow stronger and that he would be able to fly on his own someday.

Jarahmael still loved Lillith deeply, and although Lillith loved Jarahmael with equal fervor, she had developed a fear of being abandoned. She had been alone for a few days when she had left Adam, left alone in Jarahmael’s palace in the beginning of the rebellion, left alone in the Garden of Eden, and then most recently after she had been taken to Hades and Hell. She often would not let Jarahmael leave on his own, insisting that he bring her and Enoch along with him, despite the potential danger of capture by the loyal or rebel Angels. Most of the outings were to secluded places, which would be the safest from observing eyes. On those days, he would carry both of them; his back was large enough for the two of them as he flew. That way they could all talk to one another at the same time as they traveled.

By the time Enoch was seven, Lillith’s fear of abandonment became worse, and now instead of trying to cling to her family, she started to elect to stay home more and more and not travel with either Jarahmael or the boy. It was as if she was protecting herself by withdrawing from Jarahmael and Enoch before they could withdraw from her. She was in effect shutting down her world as far as Jarahmael could see. Jarahmael sensed Lillith becoming more and more distant from him, but he did not know how to address it. He changed his focus then from Lillith, to focusing on assisting the Humans develop on the Earth. He believed that Enoch would one day play an important part in the history of Humans and he wanted Enoch to be knowledgeable about the Angelic arts and use them to assist the Humans as they developed their societies. And Enoch could do that better than any other Being ever created, as he was a hybrid of the greatest Beings the Almighty had ever created.

Jarahmael continued to use a disguise so he could blend in with the Simians or appear as another Human. But it was difficult for him to maintain the Simian or Human form for any length of time. He decided early on that he would change his shape when dealing with these other Beings, outside of Adam and Eve and their family. He had made the mistake once of going into a village carrying Enoch on his back between his wings, and soon found himself surrounded by Simians wishing to communicate with the Almighty. It was also dangerous because both the loyal and rebel Angels were still searching for him.

Over time Jarahmael had created a defensive repertoire, using his Angelic powers and various tricks so that he was practically untraceable. And up to this point Enoch was safe, as neither the loyal nor rebel Angels had ever seen him. Lillith was a different story and more at risk, since both sets of Angels were well aware of her and what she looked like. Jarahmael kept Lillith hidden, as he was afraid even the loyal Angels may continue to try to capture her or find a way to kill her because she could be an unpredictable factor in the Creation. Lillith was the First Born of Humans and they all knew what happened with Luciferael, the First Born of the Beings of Light. Jarahmael tried to keep her happy and content, and to compensate for her lack of freedom, Jarahmael would venture out and get whatever she wanted and bring it back to her. As hard as it had been to create a safe and normal life for himself and his family, Jarahmael grew in confidence that he could continue to do so, and maybe the loyal and the rebel Angels had simply grown tired of searching for him.