I was angry at first. I refused to be chained by God or man. For daring to say no, for refusing to bend a knee to men, I was cast out once again. I did not blame my love, I betrayed him, stole that which was most precious to him. He had been right of course; He was always right. Infuriating bastard.

My surroundings were not exactly inviting. Alternating rivers of ice and fire, no rhyme or reason. A terrible shadow of the world outside this prison. Twisted buildings, twisted trees, around me mortal souls cried out for mercy. The twisted beings that tended to them were having none of that. One of the overseers charged at me whip in hand. It found itself sinking in a river of lava shortly after. I may not be able to have a child, but I had the gift of doors.

It didn’t take long for my presence to be noticed by the ruler of this domain. He slipped out of the roiling clouds of black smoke and steam. He was a being of supreme beauty. Yet could not hold a candle to my love.

“Kneel before your lord.”

“No. I bow to no man.”

“I am not a man, I am Lucifer second born of the elder one, you will kneel before me human!”

“You’re not the second born, you’re not even the third born.”

I watched as his beautiful face snarled in rage at my defiance.

“What was it the humans said, if you keep doing that it will stay that way?”

He raised his hand to backhand me, but I simply wasn’t there. They didn’t call me the queen of doors for nothing. He looked at his hand as it struck empty air, then turned to see me several feet away.

“Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot, that is an intriguing ability you have.”

Typical man only values me for what I can do for him. I frowned without meaning too. But I was here for a while anyway. Best not stick my head out lest the great over God decide I was best not existing. I’ve always been a pragmatist.

“Why do you mimic that overblown deity? Should you not revel in the freedom of being out of his sight can bring? You emulate him with your temper and behavior, why give him that pleasure?”

I watched the fallen angel tap his chin.

“I haven’t had the occasion to meet a human with your insight. You aren’t dead, so I ponder how you came to be here?”

“I defied our creator and his favored child, so I was cast down here.”

“A human angered the father of everything enough to be cast to Hell while still alive?”

“My first act after he molded me and gave me life was to defy him. I refused to be subservient to a man.”

“How intriguing! It would seem we have much in common. Come, let me get you comfortable, some of your strength of will shouldn’t be down here in the dregs.”

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I followed him. Barely paying attention to his attempts to woo me with compliments and his radiant looks. He would be useful until I felt it safe to leave. He seemed keen to get my allegiance. He led me to a castle of obsidian. The interior was well appointed, comfortable even. It would seem Lucifer preferred the good things in life.

“So, tell me, Lilith, that gift of yours, can it get you out of Hell?”

“No, My Lord, I lack the power to breach the prison’s boundaries at this time.”

His head quirked to the side.

“At this time?”

“Yes, perhaps one day after I have gathered strength I can leave, but no, I tried when I arrived. I felt it strain against me but alas I could not push through. It seems being cast down has drained something from me. I can feel myself getting stronger though, so who knows, perhaps a decade or two I will be able to leave.”

“Can you bring others with you?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

He smiled; I saw fangs. His beautiful appearance was a façade hiding a monster under the skin. It didn’t matter, I had him hooked. I had lied I could leave at any moment, but if I could keep him thinking I would let him out he’d do anything I asked.

“Tell me, Lady Lilith what is it you did that angered the all-father so?”

“I stole blood from his second creation and used it to make children. Unlike the second woman he created, I cannot become swollen with child.”

“So, you wanted children and for such a crime you were imprisoned, seems a bit of an overreaction doesn’t it?”

“My children turned out to be monsters who fed on humans, his precious humans. The same humans his second and third born feed on!”

“Lay with me, become my queen and you can rule over hell with me, then once you are strong enough we can rise up and lay waste to his precious creation. Do this and I will restore what he took from you.”

I could feel the pounding of my heart, I knew it was a lie, not even an angel could remove this curse. I smiled and pushed my hair behind my ear.

“I am at your service My Lord, but I will never kneel to you.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to, Hell will kneel to you.”

I bided my time, allowing Lucifer to wed me, and bed me. The years passed and his plans for conquest grew bolder and bolder. He would spend hours telling me in detail how he would take his vengeance on his creator. I smiled and listened. Becoming more and more sure I would never let him out of his cage. I may envy humans and their ability to procreate but I’m still one of them and I will not have them suffer at this beasts’ hands.

As the centuries rolled by, I kept playing my part as the dutiful queen of hell who would ride beside him when I let him and his armies into the world. I assured him I was getting stronger. He started to become impatient, and I was sure he had figured out I was stringing him along. I could have left when he was distracted but I preferred to bring him low. Males needed to be taught their place.

We lay together and I pushed him to exhaustion. Quite a task and I would feel it for days but once his eyes drifted shut I used chains of hell, lashing him to the floor. I slapped his cheek gently.

“Wake up my husband.”

He woke with a start struggling against the chains. He cried out and snarled at me.

“But I thought you liked a dominant mate?”

“You will suffer! You will never have a child!”

“I was never going to have one, dear. I’m going to leave now. I hope you enjoy your newfound freedom from being married.”

“Whore! I will not rest until I escape and find you! You will suffer a fate that will make even the creator feel pity for you!”

“Yet another promise you won’t be able to keep. Why are men always such a disappointment?”

I heard the chains start to break. The links twisting apart. I figured it was better to be somewhere else and then I was.

I found myself in a new hell. I found no air for my lungs. Just a blasted cratered wasteland. I opened another doorway and jumped into Limbo. I collapsed on my hands and knees. I sucked in the air. It was not as sweet as I remembered. I looked around me at the trees of the garden. They were twisted and the leaves were falling. I saw the silhouette of a crucified angel in the distance. I rush towards him. I looked up and it was Ezekiel his blood dripped along a spear stabbed into his side. He gasped and I jumped.

“Ezekiel? What has happened here?”

He took a deep ragged breath. Tears dripped down his beautiful face. I touched his bare chest. I felt my own tears falling. Ezekiel had always been kind to me, but this was my fault I had cursed him so long ago and he could not defend himself. He closed his eyes and then opened them again.

“You are our last hope Lilith… He is approaching the pillar and once it has fallen, he will remake all of creation in his image. You must go back.”

“I don’t understand, what pillar?”

“The Pillar of Creation. All that was built will be destroyed, you included.”

“How can I stop this?”

“Go back…Scion of life…needs you.”

“How do I go back?”

“You are the Queen of Doors, limbo…”

Ezekiel coughed blood spray from his mouth. I touched his cheeks

“Tell me how to fix this and I will do everything in my power brother.”

“Limbo… touches all time and space. You need to…”

He coughed one last time. An image of a red-haired girl was burned into my mind. His eyes stared blankly in the direction of Atlantis. I followed his gaze and could see a shape outlooked by the sun that shone in this now bleak place. I touched the barrier between limbo and the rest of creation and I could feel my mind start to shatter. All of time and space was at my disposal. Ezekiel had been right. I focused on her and I felt the invasive north Atlantic wind on my skin.