The Descent of the Gods

Wound

Tubal was the first to return. As his horse raced into Nod, Tubal reeled, just trying to stay on. Women, children, beggars - they all watched him speed through the streets toward the citadel. They saw the blood. Their eyes turned to the river, and what they saw their confirmed their worst fears. The bridge clogged with wagons and horses, individual soldiers were not waiting to cross - they were diving by the score into the Euphrates and swimming across to the safety of Nod's shore.

Tubal's horse barreled into the citadel courtyard, and stopped abruptly, out of habit. Tubal tumbled over like and landed on the ground with a sickening thud, not moving. Soldiers quickly rushed to his side. Hearing their voices seemed to revive him, and he stood with their help.
They made their way up the winding steps, practically carrying Tubal to Cain's throne room. They burst inside. Seeing his father with Cain at the other end of the hall, Tubal shook off the helping hands of the soldiers, stepping toward them, his blood dripping freely to the stone floor.

"Herab ambushed us," Tubal rasped. "He had more warriors than we had ever imagined! Our losses were great. The army is retreating to Nod, but he is not far behind them. We must fortify Nod!"

Lamech rushed to the window to see for himself, while Cain just stood silently, his face wooden.

"We won't last a week against a siege," Lamech breathed. "We don't have enough food for..." As he spoke, Tubal collapsed, sprawled out unconscious on the floor.

"He's bleeding from his stomach. Get a healer here now!" Lamech barked, picking up his son off the floor as guards rushed forward to help.

"My boy..." Cain spoke, his voice tight and dry. "Not Tubal!"

"Leave my son to me," Lamech replied harshly. "Look to your people!"

Only moments later, Tubal was moved down to Lamech's family apartment in the citadel, and laid on their polished wood table. Adah held Tubal's bloodied head in damp cloths, while Zillah stood several paces back, just staring at her son. Pale, Naamah had sunk down next to the table, holding Tubal's hand, which had dropped limply over the edge. Azrael watched her, Semyaza by his side.

"Moloch will be here soon," Semyaza said. "We need to leave."

"I've failed. Again," Azrael said. "And now they will pay the price."

"They brought this on their own heads," Semyaza said.

"She didn't," Azrael said, his gaze fixed on the pathetic form of the terrified girl.

"You're right," Semyaza relied urgently. "And there's still something you can do to save her!"

"But at what cost?" Azrael said distantly.

"She'll be dead, or worse if you do nothing," Semyaza said. "Consider that cost."

The healer inspected Tubal's wounds grimly. Tubal didn't move a muscle during the entire examination. His breathing was ragged but steady.

"There's something still inside his flesh," the healer said, while reaching into the torn skin at Tubal's stomach. After a little searching, he pulled forth a carefully chipped stone arrowhead.
"Poisoned," the healer said flatly.

"Will he live?" asked Lamech. The healer hesitated, then shook his head. Zillah finally reacted, moving into Lamech's arm and holding him fiercely. He held her, fighting tears.

Suddenly, Tubal coughed, choked, and then vomited blood. The discharge fell partially on Naamah's hand and arm. For a moment, she was frozen. Then she leaped up and rushed out of the room, onto the porch.

"Lamech, what will become of us?" Zillah whispered. "Our enemies descend on us, and our own son... Cain will..."

"Cain will what?" Lamech asked.

"He had hoped that Tubal would take his place on the throne," she said quietly.

"How do you know that?" Lamech was taken aback.  Why would his wife know of Cain's intentions before he did?

"It was always obvious to me. In Tubal, he saw himself. And if Tubal dies, what will Cain do?" Zillah said, her voice rising at the end.

"Calm down my love," Lamech soothed. 

Just outside, Naamah clutched the railing of the family patio that overlooked Nod. This side of the citadel faced the arena where Cain's statue stood. It was surrounded by hordes of people, begging the statue for deliverance from the enemies descending upon them. 

"After all Cain has done," she whispered. "They still think he can save them."

Azrael followed her out of the house, but did not approach to offer any words of comfort. Demons had been entering the city all day, and intensifying the feelings of terror in the city. Naamah did not realize it, but demons now swirled around her, screaming at her and contributing to her feeling of helplessness and despair. He could have batted these little demons away without much effort, but creating a scene would only bring more of them - more than Azrael could handle alone. Already the demons outnumbered the angels still left in the city.

But then something happened. Naamah pulled her eyes from the statue and gazed heavenward.

"How can we be so blind!" She said. "Save us! Help us see!" As if physically struck, the demons surrounding here were immediately thrown back. Shrieking angrily, the demons retreated from her slender form, which radiated luminously in their dimension. They departed to find easier prey elsewhere in Nod.

"There is still power here," Azrael breathed, entranced at the sight of what he had just witnessed. He now approached Naamah, her head bowed and hands still clenched on the stone railing.

"Naamah, do you know my voice?" He whispered behind her. Her eyes opened, and again she looked heavenward.

"We need your help," she said.

"You must do what I cannot," Azrael continued. 

"There's nothing I can do, we need your help!" She said.

"If Cain's image falls, the people will look to heaven again," Azrael pressed. Naamah looked curiously at the statue of Cain, and all the supplicants surrounding it.

"What if someone destroyed that abomination?" Naamah said to herself. "If their god fell, maybe the people would look to heaven again?"

"Exactly," Azrael said. "My hopes lie with you, Naamah." He reached out his hand toward her shoulder, but before his hand touched the place where she stood, she turned around and left the patio.