The Godsend Backfire: The Beginning by Harold Straugh (best e reader for academics TXT) 📗

“She doesn’t take too kindly to anyone, and I wasn’t with you. I do have one question; how do you ride your donkey?”

“You don’t, you sit on him and let your feet dangle over the side,” I walked over the Wretch and showed her what I was talking about. I sat upon Wretch like a stool, my feet dragged a little, but Wretch was tiny and not meant for riding, or much of anything, I thought. I still didn’t know to this day why I didn’t use my speed to get there faster, but I was still learning about myself.

I gathered up a small bag of potatoes to eat along the way, Mer-Alz-Azkiban packed some vegetables and some dried fish. We made our walk towards Gomorrah.  Mer-Alz-Azkiban snacked here and there on her vegetables and didn’t really say much. I ate potatoes like apples and took in the scenery.

“May I sit upon Wretch?” she asked.

“If he lets you, why is it you’re covered up? And why didn’t I have to cover up? I did last time.”

“Its customary for women to cover in Gomorrah, unless they’re indoors and it is also customary that all be covered before entering the Hall during the meeting, another one of Abakanazar’s rules.” she said.

“Odd, I hadn’t noticed before,” I said, not lying either, I was simply too busy to notice.

“Most men don’t,” she said.

The day drew on and soon we were in Gomorrah. I admired my potato field before we walked into to Hall, tying Wretch up beforehand. As usual, Abakanazar was in there.

“Welcome friend and friend of his. I’m glad you’re back.” He said.

Mer-Alz-Azkaban took off her hijab and got a strange look from Abakanazar, “We’re here to see my mother,” she said.

“She’s off hunting, you can wait in here. Not that it’s any of my concern, but why are wanting to visit her.  Last time I checked you weren’t talking.”

“Have you heard anything about Lilith?” I asked, taking the last bite of my potatoes.

“Odd you ask, our villagers that were attacked were asked the same thing. I haven’t though, well nothing but rumors and stories when I was a kid. I take it though that since they’ve asked, and you are asking, there must be some truth to her.”

“There is and Derium and Mylicous aren’t going to stop until I find her,” I said.

“But haven’t they stopped? I’ve only heard of minor attacks unlike here, Sodom and Zoar. They’ve seemed to back off since you’ve arrived,” he said.

“Yes, they’ve tried luring me away from the two villages but knowing I’m here and there, they have stayed away, except Derium. He came back last night and tried to feast from a baby,” I said.

“That’s horrible, please tell me he didn’t’ succeed.”

“He did not, Roldian acted fast and scared him away,” Mer-Alz-Azkiban said and gave me a look that told me not mention Lucifer.

“Your mom will be back shortly, she would know more about it than anyone around, she’s been around a long time,” he said.

“She’s been around almost a hundred years,” Mer-Alz-Azkiban said, puzzling me.

“You don’t look that old,” I said stating the obvious.

“She had me when she was fifty-five, plus witches age slower. We may not be immortal like some, but our imprint on this Earth will last just as long,” she smiled and her eyes caught a gleam of light

“You are……” I started to say.

“A bitch?” she said suddenly and Abakanazar laughed.

“No, I was going to say beautiful, but I guess now isn’t the time for such talk,” I said as some color came to her cheeks.

“I have some business to attend to, so if you both don’t mind waiting at Mer’s mothers hut please,” Abakanazar said.

Mer-Alz-Azkiban wrapped her face back up and I let her take the lead.  When we walked outside, Wretch was gone again.

“Wretch is gone,” she said.

“He does that from time to time,” I said to her looking into her eyes.

“Where do you think he goes?”

“Off to do donkey stuff I assume,” I said and that was the end of our conversation until we reached her mother’s hut.  There were strands of herbs hanging on the outside and some herbs growing around the outside as well.  There were two makeshift seats, so we sat and waited.

“Mother has always been a good hunter, I honestly think she enjoys killing things,” she said.

It was a while, I’d say probably three hours before her mother showed up. She had two people carrying a long, single stick, it was loaded with what appeared a smaller version of the rodents around Sodom.  There was a good twelve feet between the two people holding the stake.  They all three had smiles on their faces, but her mother was the only woman out of the group.  That seemed to be the ratio there, one woman per two men.

She stopped when she saw Mer-Alz-Azkiban, “So child, the chicken has come back to the roost.”

“I guess you can say that, I just came back for some answers,” she said to her mother.

“I see you brought the white-one,” her mother said and gave me a hateful look.

“The names Roldian, I just have a question for you,” I said.

“And why should I help you?”

“Because the attacks won’t stop unless he has answers, they’ve simply moved on for now, but they will be back, I had to fight one off just last night,” I said.

“What do you want to know?”

“Have you heard of Lilith?” Mer asked.

“I have, back in my younger years, I was just becoming of age. I heard rumors here and there of her, how much of scarlet she was, how she was like him,” she nodded to me, “Then one night I heard an