enough to hear her argument. It had been decided. This was between women. That her husband still challenged her about briefly having Dante's scent on her skin made Eve clench her teeth. Lilith had to die. The young female Neteru had not taken that godforsaken bitch's head, so she would.
Rage beyond mortal comprehension filled Eve as the past tortured her mind. She was still linked to Lilith's essence by way of Adam. Men just didn't understand how long a feminine grudge could be held... until the end of time. Nor could she ever explain the mixed feelings that she harbored about the fact that Dante was finally gone.
The unknown but pending threat had registered in both Neteru Councils. She was the first to perceive it and was the most affected by it, though none of them quite knew why. The only conclusion both councils could draw was that whatever it was went far back to the beginning, when the first would be last and the last would be first; the act had to be swift and decisive. For centuries Lilith's haunting laughter and evil schemes had plagued her. The solution was decapitation by Isis. The pleasure would be all hers to dust Adam's ex-wife.
Memories riddled Eve as she stood on the edge of existence. Thousands of years of having her name tarnished, her motives questioned, her womanhood and that of all women misconstrued in the sacred texts of mankind... her children defiled and murdered, her rightful rule given to Aset... oh, yes, this was more her battle than Damali's. The young one, her sister Queen, was no match for this very old evil.
The argument over the viable options had raged in council for a month, until Aset had finally relented because Damali was still under a male Neteru apex haze, and oblivious. Thus the business of seasoned Neteru Queens would have to be handled by one with a long history under her broad sword belt.
Eve narrowed her gaze, tossed her immaculate Kemetian braids over her shoulder, and then opened her hand for the Isis blade to fill it. She closed her grip around the bejeweled handle of the familiar weapon, clutching it like it was a long-lost friend. Yes. This went back to the beginning. Renewed fury spiked adrenaline through Eve's system as she leaned back her head, and a battle cry filled her throat. "Lilith! Your head on a pike!"
Instantly, Lilith materialized in black armor before her, standing a hundred yards away. The desert went dark, just before dawn. The wind rose and brought stinging particles of sand that felt like scorpions to beat against their faces. A pair of black glowing Bedouin eyes stared into unblinking Kemetian irises that gleamed silver in the eclipse.
"It's been a long time, Eve," Lilith hissed.
"Very long indeed," Eve said coolly, walking forward, too angry for any fear.
A swishing, spaded tail unfurled from Lilith's spine as her legs became granite and her gargoyle features slowly overtook her once voluptuous body and mouth. Eve watched dispassionately as she strode in a slow, methodical advance while Lilith's fangs lengthened.
"You should fear me more than your husband, who just kicked your wretched ass," Eve whispered through her teeth.
"At least mine can get it up," Lilith said, snarling with hatred. "How is poor Adam these days?"
Eve was pure motion. Her lunge came without warning, the Isis chiming in the wind, her slash across Lilith's breasts severe, missing Lilith's throat as Lilith ducked backward to avoid the blade. Black blood splattered Eve's face. Lilith's immediate return blow to Eve's jaw was temporarily stunning; her razor-sharp tail impaled Eve's thigh to the bone. In two lightning moves, the Isis quickly disconnected the combatants as Eve simultaneously severed Lilith's tail and levied a solid left-handed punch in the center of Lilith's chest to drive her backward, leaving Lilith's tail lodged in her thigh like an additional appendage.
Lilith quickly raised her arm to block a blow and to claw Eve's face, but Eve's fast reflexes knocked spit from Lilith's mouth when her fist connected with it, half-turning Lilith around. Before Lilith could respond with a black energy bolt, two swift kidney kicks, and a third delivered to Lilith's abdominal section sent Lilith lurching forward for a second and then made her fall back, lose her footing, and hit the ground. Eve advanced undaunted with broad, rage-filled Isis swings, opening gashes in Lilith's arms as she tried to protect her body.
Unable to match Eve's blows, Lilith instantly retreated from the infuriated Queen,