Pillars of Cloud

Pillars of Cloud

The Salt of Angels, Book One

Connor Irving

Copyright © 2024 by Connor Irving

Cover design copyright © 2024 by Story Perfect Dreamscape

Editor: Sanford Larson

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher. However, brief quotations may be reproduced in the context of reviews.

Published November 2024 by Dreamsphere Books.

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Canada

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1

Octo urbibus caelitibus invitis et potestatibus Pandaemonii, evoco ex infernis igneis Lilitu, virginem umbrarum, matrem daemonum, magnam diabolam, ut regnum caeleste et omnes obvios deleat. Haec est voluntas mea, sic sit.

The man chanted, his voice echoing with the crackling of flames. He stood, in a suit of all black, before a pentagram carved into the floor. Most of his face was hidden by the waves of his greasy hair, but certain parts of his skin could be seen. It was so pale and so thin that it seemed to have a sheen in the light shining through the roof of the neglected ruins that had once been the home of an ancient king. As he chanted, he moved his hands in circular motions with his palms facing forward and with each rotation magical crimson energy shot from his hands and began dancing between his fingers and running up his arms and around his body. His breathing grew heavier and his voice louder as he neared the end of his chant and when he completed it, the magical energies shot violently from his body and surged down onto the pentagram before him. It hit with such force that the ground shook aggressively.

He watched with great interest as the crimson energies were drawn beneath the surface of the gray stone floor and then released again as a dark red mist. He had seen the effects of magic before, but he had never used it. It had been something he had feared since he was a child, but that was a long time ago. The mist spread across the entire pentagram before beginning to twist upward in a spiraling crimson pillar. Through the gaps in the spinning smoke he watched as something began to take shape in the eye of the storm. His view of the event was hindered as the pillar began to implode. For a moment, the man worried that he had not done the spell correctly, that he had set up the pentagram wrong, but his worries subsided when the smoke once again spun around violently, shooting outward and spreading across the room before dissipating into nothing.

Where the smoke had been, there was now a woman. She was tall, her bronze skin dark against the shining white of her dress which made her long hair look like spilled ink. She took in a deep breath and the lingering red smoke shot from the back of the room and slithered into her nostrils like twin snakes. As she exhaled, her full red lips opened, flashing her shining white fangs momentarily until she opened eyes that were endless black voids with no whites, similar to the eyes of a shark.

My Lady. The greasy-haired man dropped to one knee in a bow, his voice shaking a little. Before him was Lilith, the Queen of Hell. She had been the First Woman until she refused to be submissive to Adam and was cast out of Eden. Lilith became the mother of Demons and sovereign of the seven planes of Hell. She was also the reason he had killed his own brother and she still had some influence over him so he couldn’t hate her.

Get off the floor, Cain, Lilith said; he instantly got up. When he was a baby, Lilith had used her blood to make him unable to deny her desires and she had used him to exact revenge on Adam and Eve by having him kill his brother, Abel. He had been cursed with immortality for that and Lilith had been the one person to stick by him, however, she only turned up when she needed him to do something.

It is about time you summoned me; I was beginning to think you had forgotten me.

I could never forget you, my Lady.

Lilith’s mouth twisted into a thin smile as she chuckled slightly and looked around, recognizing the ruins of the castle. It had been the home of King Bladud until he had offended her. She had destroyed him and his kingdom. It was right in the center of ley lines, areas where magical energy was most powerful and so was perfect for summoning beings from Hell.

So, you have procured what I wanted? Her voice was smooth and harsh, like an icy spring.

Indeed I have, much to the dismay of Sammael, Cain said. Sammael was a Lord of Hell and consort to Lilith.

Then take me to them, the Demon commanded.

Cain, unable to deny her, nodded as his eyes flashed red. A pillar of the same red smoke spiraled around both Cain and Lilith as it whisked them away from the ruins of Bladud’s castle. When the pillar of cloud dissipated, they were in an empty field surrounded by tall bright trees and an array of beautiful flowers, the sun was shining gloriously and there was not a cloud in the sky.

Lilith smiled as she felt the heat of the heavenly body on her face. It always amused her that the Alium, a community of mortals, maintained the illusion that they were safe in daylight, in order to stay alive. The mortals were more commonly known as Stagnants, a pejorative used by the supernatural community. Most demons were safe anyway and the Greater Demons only cared about Stagnants that could see through the veil. The veil was a magical curtain hiding the Alium from the Stagnants. It was the Faeries and Vampires that they really had to worry about.

Lilith grimaced as her dark eyes scanned the field.

There’s nothing here, Cain. Her tone was dangerous, the Queen of Hell hated being taken advantage of or tricked.

Not to the naked eye, my Lady, Cain said as he continued to look forward, willing anything to be revealed. Lilith was impatient and he had seen her angry before. It was not something he wished to see again.

Nothing was said between them for a few moments, which felt like a millennium to Cain. Lilith took a deep breath, readying herself to speak, when the air before them rippled and began peeling away. The scene changed entirely and the empty field was replaced by a large building of dark gray cobblestone, the door was a dark brown with no handle and above it was a large window. Most of the window glass was normal, but some of the panes were an intense black, in the shape of a cross adorned with a crescent moon. It was the symbol of Lilith. Even from a quick glance at the exterior, it was clear that this was a temple to the Demon Queen. As she made her way forward, the door swung open to allow entry. They stepped inside and it became even more apparent that this was a church to Lilith, the air was warm with the heat trapped by the stone walls. Tapestries hanging from the walls depicted the life of Lilith—her creation, her fall, her coronation. There were black pews running down either side of the room creating a long aisle down the middle covered in a crimson carpet, Lilith’s ceremonial color. The aisle led to a large stone altar at the other side of the room. On the surface of the altar was a red cloth, a golden chalice and a shining silver athame with an ornate black handle. On the front of the altar was a phrase in the most ancient of languages, Tamil. நான் தலை வணங்கமாட்டேன்.

Cain glanced at the altar, mentally translating the phrase to I will not bow and thinking privately that the quotation was very appropriate for Lilith’s temple.

• • •

There was an air of illness within the church and an off-putting smell of brimstone. It was obviously a place of darkness. The roof was high and only the tapping of Lilith’s white heeled shoes broke the silence. The sound echoed upwards.

Magnificent, she whispered, mostly to herself though she knew others could hear her. She had not created this place and she knew it was not the work of a Stagnant cult, the magic hiding it was too strong. It could only be a Demon, a Prince or Lord of Hell.

Why, thank you, said another behind Lilith and Cain, the voice cutting through the eerie silence. Both turned to see a man before them, his skin the same bronze as Lilith’s, his hair the exact same shade of the darkest black but his eyes were not like Lilith’s, they were like emeralds shining in a cavern.

Sammael. Lilith strutted over to her husband and threw her arms around his neck, he coiled his around her back before they unwound themselves. I did not expect you to help.

Cain was very persistent, he refused to leave my palace in Pandemonium unless I helped him. There was a clear annoyance in Sammael’s voice.

Pandemonium was a plain in Hell belonging to Lilith, Sammael, as her consort, had his own palace there.

Then show them to me, Lilith said excitedly.

Sammael nodded, he walked past Lilith and Cain to lead them toward the altar, his face stony. He had never wanted to reveal this secret to Lilith. He had hoped to conceal the knowledge of this event, one that he would have been able to forget after seventy or eighty years—no time at all in the life of an immortal. He had been mortified when Lilith had discovered the secret. He thought she would be angry about it but was shocked when he discovered how pleased she was, a plan instantly forming in her mind. She was crazy, but she was brilliant. At the altar he adjusted the collar of his silver suit and played nervously with one of his lapels before waving a hand above the red cloth. As the shining silver rings on his fingers moved above the red cloth, the air shimmered and stripped away the illusion covering it. Four baskets were revealed, four wooden Moses baskets each holding a small infant. Two of the children were swaddled in pink blankets, the others wrapped in blue. Two boys and two girls. Sammael’s cheeks flushed with color as they were revealed. Two of the children, the first boy and girl were the product of his infidelity with a beautiful woman from Egypt. The the other two had been conceived by Sammael and another gorgeous woman from Greece.

Perfect, Lilith gasped as she bent down to get a closer look at the sleeping children. Absolutely perfect. She had not been around a baby in a long time, but she knew she had to remain quiet or they would wake and start crying; she despised the sound of babies crying.

My Lady, Cain began speaking at normal volume but dropped to a whisper as soon as Lilith shot him a dark look.

What are they perfect for?

Yes, Lilith, you have explained part of your plan, but not all of it. What do you require my children for? Sammael whispered, his green eyes illuminated with intrigue.

They’re our children now, Sammael, or at least they will be when I feed them my blood as I did with Cain. As you know, we have been subject to the rules of Angels and the Seraphic Laws for thousands of years. They have restricted the rights of all of the Alium, but it has been bearable.

Lilith spoke of the laws that had been set by the Seraphic Council, the governing body of the Alium made up of the leaders of each Pantheon of gods—powerful Angels confused as gods by Stagnants over many years. There were laws that restricted the movements of Demons, controlled Vampire feeding, banned necromancy and gave Faeries guidance in how to deal with humans. The laws were supposed to protect Stagnants, but most of the Alium believed them to merely be a way for the Angels to control the gods and had fought against the laws being passed originally. The punishment for breaking these laws was a trial before the Council and a sentence to be passed.

Well, there have been rumours within the Alium that the Seraphic Council wants to pass a new set of rules called the Arcadian Laws; these are more restrictive, and many are cruel. The punishment for even bending these Laws will be instant death, or for those who cannot die, an eternity trapped in purgatory. These Laws cannot be passed for another few years as is stated in the Seraphic Laws and these children are half Stagnant, half Alium, a brand-new race. This will delay the Arcadian Laws being passed even further as they will be unsure whether these children come under their laws or mortal laws and will want to wait to see if they can add more to the Arcadian Laws to restrict these beings as well. I want these children to be raised in captivity by Angels. While the Angels are not with them, you Sammael, their father, will train them in the arts of Demonic magic. When they are old enough, we will free them and they will lead an army of the Alium in a war against the Angels. We will take control of all realms and put an end to the Arcadian Laws before they begin.

Lilith spoke with conviction, there was a rage behind her words. She had been punished throughout her entire life for not conforming to the rules and she was not willing to let the Angels diminish her power and her rights any further.

How many years are left of the Seraphic Laws? Cain asked.

He recalled them being passed, it was early in the fifteenth century when he was moving through France, he hadn’t been able to stay there though, he never got to stay anywhere. That was his curse for killing his brother, he would be forever walking across the earth, alone.

There are ten more years until any new laws can be passed, and they will have to wait a further eight years until these children are of age before they pass the Arcadian Laws in order to account for all species of the Alium.

Lilith made her way around the altar to stand behind it. She picked up the athame that lay between two of the Moses baskets and traced the edge of the blade down her palm, normal flesh would have sliced open and bled, but not Lilith’s, her skin was tough as iron.

Do they have names, Sammael? You are their father; it makes sense you would name them.

Sammael felt very uneasy listening to Lilith, there was no disdain in her voice, no disgusted undertone when discussing the children brought forth by his infidelity, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that Lilith was furious with him. Then again, he had given her the tools for her plan, maybe she was as pleased as she claimed.

They do have names, Sammael said. He chose his words very carefully, Lilith would know and be angry if he were lying, but she would be incandescent with rage if she knew that the baby’s mortal mothers had named them before their deaths.

The first boy and girl are the children of an Armenian noble, he is called Loukas, and she is Estrie. The other two are the children of an Egyptian descended from the Ptolemaic dynasty, the girl’s name is Mania and the boy is Astaroth.

Beautiful names, Lilith said. She was hovering a hand above each child for a moment, the air between her palm and the babies shaking and shimmering slightly.

They all have such raw magical potential, especially this one. Her hand hovered above the child Sammael had named Estrie. I sense a dangerous amount of power in this one. Keep an eye on her, Sammael.

I am sure that you will also be watching her closely, Sammael said.

Not for the first eighteen years. The corners of Lilith’s mouth turned up as she saw a look of confusion and a little bit of fear run into Sammael’s eyes; he hadn’t been a very hands-on parent with their Demons, caring for children did not come as naturally to him as it did to Lilith. Perhaps that was because he had never been human.

"If the Angels think I am caring for and training the children, they will kill them before they reach eighteen and will foil my plan. We will allow the Angels to think they are the only people raising the children in captivity and they will keep them on Earth as they will not want the polluted in Heaven. In secret, Sammael, you will train and teach them the history of the Alium, the cruelty of the Angels and how to control their powers. After eighteen years, just before the new laws are to be passed, you will free them, summon me and then we will gather our army hidden in Hell where the Angels cannot venture."

The Demon Queen had been thinking this through. It was not a spur of the moment idea; she had carefully planned each point since finding out Sammael had had various children with a number of women three months previously.

That is an intricate plan for the future, my lady. What now? Cain asked.

Now, Cain, you are about to witness what I did to you as a baby to make you so obedient.

There was a gleeful tone to her harsh voice as she spoke of the past. Cain had been her secret weapon against Adam and Eve, the tool she had used to bring their perfect house crumbling down; even thinking of the pain she caused the two of them made her ecstatic.

With all eyes on her, Lilith raised the shining silver and black athame once again, she muttered something in an ancient language under her breath and the blade began glowing with a faint red light. She repeated the action of drawing the metal against her tough skin, only this time it did open, and a black-silver liquid poured out across her palm. It was her blood, her demonic ichor. She placed the athame back onto the crimson cloth, a drop of ichor fell from the blade onto the fabric, it hissed and burned through it immediately, creating a small hole. The Demon then picked up the golden chalice which stood between the other two Moses baskets. She placed her bleeding hand above the chalice, tilted her palm and squeezed. Ichor dripped into the golden cup, filling it quickly. When Lilith decided it was full enough, she withdrew her hand and uttered a new incantation in the ancient language. The cut sealed instantly and the ichor on her palm was wiped clean. She picked up the full chalice and walked back around the altar to face the sleeping babies.

With her back to Sammael and Cain, Lilith waved her free hand and the air around the babies shimmered as their mouths opened. Lilith pressed the chalice against each of the baby’s mouths and poured a small amount of her ichor into each of them; none woke or moved as it entered their systems. Lilith’s dark eyes widened, as did her smile. She replaced the chalice and turned back to face Cain and Sammael. The ichor insured that the four children would be obedient to her forever. They were her children now. She had always wanted a partly-human child; she had the chance once, but it was torn from her by God.

Lower your spells, Sammael, it’s time, Lilith said.

Sammael knew exactly what she meant, he was being told to lower the spells hiding the church from the sight of anyone, the spells that had prevented Lilith from seeing it before Sammael had wanted her to find it. If he did that, the Angels would immediately be alerted to the presence of the dark magic she had performed, magic that broke at least three of the Seraphic Laws, they would swoop down from the Heavens and send her back to Pandemonium. This was the best they could do with Lilith, she was impossible to kill and far too powerful for mere Angels to place her in purgatory.

Are you sure, Lilith?

Completely. Lower your spells and then get out, the Angels cannot know you are here, or they will send you to Hell with me.

The Angels feared her more than Sammael, she was always calm and collected, a dangerous state for a Demon of any rank.

Sammael nodded as Cain started.

What about me? Am I to leave?

Yes, Cain, you are to leave. It is unlikely that you will ever see me again now that I have four of you, now that I have a family. Lilith saw the hurt flash across his face. He had done everything she ever asked, he had always been more her son than Eve’s, but not by choice. Cain had considered himself a part of Lilith’s family, or at least one of her closest friends. She had never seen him as anything more than a pawn for her revenge, he was a constant reminder of Adam and Eve. She needed him, but she hated him. He took a deep breath as he readied himself to speak again.

Go, Lilith commanded. Cain had no choice but to conform, he closed his mouth and lowered his head, his greasy hair fell into his face once again as he made his way out the door to continue his eternity-long venture.

The moment Cain was out of the door, Sammael raised his arms and flexed his fingers.

"Tutela carmina, nos non abscondam."

Streaks of magical energy the precise colour of Sammael’s green eyes began pouring off of the walls and flying straight into Sammael’s body. As the magic was stripped from the dark grey walls, they grew darker, the building shook aggressively, and the tapestries went up in dark green flames, dropping the white ash onto the ground and filling the room with a thin layer of black smoke. The babies coughed in their sleep and Sammael repeated his enchantment. The church shook again, the black wooden pews snapped and toppled over as some of the walls cracked with a loud crunch, there was a loud smashing noise as the stained glass window shattered inwardly, splattering broken shards of glass along the floor at Sammael’s feet. The shattered window allowed the smoke to be cleared from the room. The Lord of Hell repeated his chant for a third and final time, more green energy rolled off of everything in the church and straight into him. The door shook violently with a loud explosion that sent small splinters of wood flying through the air in all directions. Quickly, Sammael raised his hand to create a small invisible force that bounced the shards of spiked wood away from the sleeping children. Once done, he lowered his arms and turned to Lilith to smile before being covered by a spiraling pillar of green cloud. When it cleared, Sammael was gone.

Lilith only had a moment alone as the last of the green smoke dissipated. Immediately, two twinning pillars of white cloud spiraled before her. They spun quickly, creating winds which blew Lilith’s hair and cleared the floor of broken glass and wood. When the shards had been pushed into the corners of the room, the pillars began slowing until they disappeared, revealing two beings who had not been standing there before. Both were slightly taller than Lilith, their skin was a darker brown than Lilith’s and their hair was light brown. Both had shimmering golden eyes and giant gray wings extending from their backs. They were Angels, dressed in the silver armor of the Seraphic army. Simultaneously their wings flexed before folding themselves tight against the backs of the Angels as they drew swords from the air.

Nakir, Adriel; how delectable to see you both again.

Lilith had met many Angels in the past, though it had been hundreds of thousands of years since she had last seen these two. On the day that she became a Demon, she was transported to Heaven and tried before a court of Angels who wanted to fix her. She had declined their offer and destroyed areas of Heaven during her escape. She had killed many Angels and injured many more, Nakir and Adriel among them.

Lilith, you have broken the Seraphic Laws by creating monstrosities once again… Adriel began, his voice was loud and echoed around the room.

Monstrosities? Lilith demanded loudly but calmly. They are my children.

And children of yours are Demons—monsters, Nakir said.

Lilith smiled; the two Angels recoiled at the sight of her fangs.

You are half right, Nakir, these children are half Demon, but they are also half human; your Seraphic Laws do not apply to them nor will any new Laws you…

Lilith cut herself off. No one was meant to know about the design of the Arcadian Laws. She would never divulge her informant’s name.

The Angels knew Lilith was correct about the Seraphic Laws, they included nothing about being half Alium and half Stagnant, nor did their plans for the Arcadian Laws. Alium members below the age of eighteen could not be punished under any law unless they committed one of the cardinal sins.

Nakir gritted his shining white teeth and glared at Lilith who was watching them with one hand on her hip and a smug look on her face.

Be that as it may, you are a Demon and you have broken the laws, it is time for you to go back to Hell.

Both he and Adriel raised their blades, aiming for an attack from Lilith.

Very well, Lilith said. Both Angels looked bewildered as they wondered why she was giving up so easily. Lilith had never given in before.

But before I go, I want your word that no harm will come to my children.

Adriel sighed heavily and lowered his blade. An Angel’s word was his bond, literally, Angels could not lie. If they made this promise to Lilith, they would be bound to it for eternity and the very fabric of the Universe would prevent them from harming the creatures.

Very well. In the name of all Angels, no harm will come to these children, Adriel said and watched as Lilith’s shoulders dropped slightly as she relaxed.

Unless they attempt to harm any member of Heaven or Earth. Adriel expected this to rile Lilith but it did not.

Lilith flicked her hair off of her shoulder so that it cascaded down her back and then spread her arms out in a T-shape with her head thrown back.

Okay, I’m ready. Send me back to Hell.

Despite acting rather blasé about being sent to Hell, Lilith was dreading it. The ritual for sending her back was a painful one filled with intense Angelic magic that not only hurt but made her feel physically ill.

The two Angels dropped their swords and before the swords hit the ground they disappeared into thin air. Nakir and Adriel each drew another blade, seemingly from nowhere. These blades were daggers of pure gold, much smaller than the previous swords, and they seemed to radiate Angelic energies. Nakir and Adriel both walked in different directions around Lilith and plunged one blade at equidistant points a little before her. Each created another blade for themselves and walked around her a little bit more. Standing in the T-pose bored Lilith and she was now waiting impatiently, twirling a lock of her long black hair between her thin fingers. The Angels stabbed the knives into the ground again. Nakir then created one final blade and went behind Lilith as Adriel walked past the other Angel and back around to stand before Lilith.

Ignes, both Angels said as Nakir drove the final blade into the ground. The final blade sparked and set off a trail of fire running from knife-to-knife trapping Lilith in the pentagon shape in the center of a star, the flames continued to run until they formed a circle around the star making a pentagram out of flames of white, heavenly fire.

"Olim iterum revertar, Lilith snarled angrily. One day I’ll be back."

"Non diu," Adriel responded. Not for a long time. It was a horrendous experience for a Demon to be dispatched back to Hell; the more powerful they were the more energy was used and the more painful it was going back. Lilith, being the most powerful of Demons, was in for a world of pain; one that would take years of recovery in Hell before she could return to earth. With the flaming pentagram ready, Nakir returned to the side of Adriel.

• • •

"Dios, Satani probat!" they said together and slowly the flames began to get hotter and brighter. They said it again and the fire rose, higher and higher. There was little sound coming from Lilith apart from her deep breathing. The Seraphic energy was already affecting her.

"Dios, Satani probat!" the Angels chanted again.

The flames grew to a bright, even white and for a moment they stopped dancing before beginning to spin rapidly; they spun so fast that there were no individual flames, only a tornado of white light, a pure heavenly fire. The screams of Lilith began with howls of torture as her skin was caught by the leaping flames within. The pillar of fire became thinner and thinner, and the shrieks of Lilith grew louder. There were no gaps to see what was happening to the Demon, but from her harrowing cries, the Angels could only assume that it was a pain like no other. Then the screaming stopped and instantly the fires died, revealing a scorched pentagram on the ground and nothing more. The swords had been melted by the heat of flames and Lilith was back in Hell.

The Angels nodded to one another, a job well done, before they made their way to