Radiance 19 - The floods raise up a roar

    Stripped of all armour, without the sword that cuts and the shield that saves, Ostar and Mercury seemed quite tiny, suspended by the wrists from tall wooden staves, their bodies pale, bruised and lacerated. Ostar’s silvery hair lay about his neck in a dirty bedraggled mass, caked in dried blood. Mercury seemed no better, with a jagged wound across her scalp. If consciousness hovered behind their eyes it was well-concealed.
    They had put up a decent fight, Ashmedai mused as he looked at them, thinking back to the cellar in Netanya, especially considering their lowly position in the Seven. It had been most diverting.
    But this whole business was beginning to try his patience - the Unborn Prince had dared to invade the Lower Temple, desecrating the sabbath and causing trouble among the demons. Then he and Virgo had fled before they received the brunt of Ashmedai’s wrath. If the Seven were desperate enough to enter his sanctum on the holy sabbath, who could tell what else they might do? Better to receive the promised reward and be done with the whole business.
    “Where is my payment?” demanded Ashmedai as Samael stepped away from the captives and walked back down the tunnel towards him. Ashmedai took on the angel’s face as he spoke, twisting the features of fire and stone into the shadows that surrounded him.
    “The task is far from over, Ashmedai,” said Samael, burning coldly. “Until Leviathan, the twisting serpent, rises once more you are still needed - your payment will wait.”
    “It can, can it?” Ashmedai whispered, in a tone that would have sent any of his demons cowering.
    “Yes, the plan continues.”
    “Be careful Samael. I am not one of your Sitra Achra that you can order me around so easily, no fallen angel or little ghost. I am not one of your lackeys but the king of demons. Have a care how you address me.”
    “We both serve the Boss now, Ashmedai, the plan continues, as does your role. The powers of Netzach and Hod, even combined has not been sufficient. These two,” he gestured towards the prone figures of Ostar and Mercury behind him, “are weak. We need the Unborn Prince.”

Radiance 14 - Lamentations, Dirges and Woe

Whatever happened to Asher's father? Back in Chapter 1 Asher learnt that he was dead but never found out how. Read on to find out, in the final chapter of Netzach/Victory.

    Through strange eyes, Asher saw his father sitting in a hotel lobby, sipping at a glass of water and reading the New York Times.
    “Dad?” he tried to call, but no words emerged. This was only a memory, though not his own.
    His father took out a pen and began to fill in the crossword puzzle - that had always been a hobby of his, something Asher had never understood the appeal of. He had struck that familiar pose, chewing the end of his pen while he scanned the clues through his black-rimmed glasses. His father was just as he had been when Asher had last seen him - old, tired but alive.
    “Eliav, what are you doing here?”
    A warm familiar voice rang across the marble lobby. The eyes Asher was borrowing danced across leather sofas to the source - a dark-skinned woman in a red and gold dress, carrying a wooden sceptre at her side. Asher felt his eyebrow raise, though he wanted to inhale sharply - what was Virgo doing with Dad?

Radiance 10 - In the morning he devours his prey

The final chapter of Yesod is here. Look out for some Behind the Scenes before we begin the third section of Radiance - Hod (Splendour).

   Deep in the dark, something was stirring - something vast, sinuous and twisting, uncoiling in the salty depths.
    The watchers, in their infinite guardianship, did not move at all, keeping their eternal vigilance beneath the earth. But something was changing, a shift was occurring in the constantly shifting chaos lurking before their gaze. But if they noticed, the watchers gave no sign.
    Scales shifted, spines fluttered and split the black, foaming surf; unblinking, midnight eyes stared skyward, casting jealous glances towards the open skies, forever hidden by miles of stone and rock.

Samael vs. Ashmedai

So while we're between sections of Radiance, I was giving some thought to bigger narrative issues, and in particular the question of the main villain.

You see, when I started I wanted a major villainous figure for Asher to fight in the first chapter. I didn't want to have one of those stories where the villains are incompetent, and send useless minions to kill the hero, leading to escalating threats for the hero to defeat. No! I thought. The sitra achra should send their most powerful ally to get the job done - and who better than Ashmedai, king of the demons?

But then I came to chapter 5 and the reveal of Samael as the anti-Tiferet figure, corresponding to Virgo of the Seven, a raging figure of flames and stone.

But along with the rest of the Sitra Achra (Lillith, Naamah, Ov and the nameless one), as well as other creatures we've met and will meet, like the golem, the watchers and Leviathan, I'm worried that there are simply too many villains. The other problem is that Ashmedai (a demon) and Samael (a satanic angel) seem to have rather similar forms. So what are our options?