I followed her to the back of the temple, winding between the beds until the woman led me to a set of stairs hidden behind the wall. We climbed upwards a level, where the scent of blood was thick in the air.
The temple was absolutely packed, but the succubus picked her way through it like she had everything memorized. Even the silky beds set into recesses in the walls were filled, but she led me to one in the back.
I almost gasped when I saw the succubus in the cushioned alcove. Her leg was bound from ankle to mid-thigh, and blood had seeped through her bandages.
But she was familiar to me, even without the gold flakes, fake halo, and paint. “Angelcake?”
It felt like a hundred years ago that I’d fought her in the Brightside arena, whip against whip. She’d taken my hand afterwards in congratulations for my victory.
I sat on the bed as her eyes fluttered open. She was pale from blood loss, but she was definitely Angelcake. Her mass of golden hair was stiff with gore.
She looked up at me and smiled, even though there were lines of pain carved in her pretty face. “Hello again.” Then she hissed, holding her leg stiff. “Damn Traitor got me right in the thigh. The muscle’s cut clean through.”
“It’s your lucky day. I’m here to heal you.” I held a hand over the bandages on her leg. “May I?”
She nodded, gritting her teeth. “It’s not Angelcake anymore,” she muttered.
“No?” I let the white fire slip through me, down my arm and into my fingertips. It wasn’t as bright as I would’ve liked; I’d probably burned through some of it myself, trying to heal my wing as much as possible. But at least I’d have enough for her.
“My name is Rhalys. I left Angelcake behind when I left the arena.” I ran my hand over her leg as she talked, searching for the worst of the wound.
“Did you win your seventh round?” I asked, hoping to keep her talking. The more she talked, the more distracted she’d be.
Rhalys snorted. “No. After you killed Yraceli and left, the Prince was… well, he was in a black mood, I’ll say that. He didn’t seem to care about the arena at all.”
“Mmm.” I made a noncommittal noise, finding the tears in her muscle. Whoever the Traitor was- I was sure it was one of Mammon’s men- he’d cut so deep it was a miracle she hadn’t bled out already.
I let the white fire dance forward. It seeped under her skin, illuminating my fingers, and began its work.
Rhalys winced. Clearly my magic was unpleasant to others, even if Lucifer could withstand it without pain.
“So, one day he came in,” she gasped, her jaw tight. “He said any one of us that wanted to leave was free to go, right then and there. The contract would be broken without repercussion.”
Her hands trembled, and claws grew from her fingertips. She dug them into the mattress, beads of cold sweat growing on her face.
“Just a little longer,” I assured her, even though it was a lie. Her leg had been mutilated.
“I wanted to come home.” Tears leaked out from her scrunched eyelids. “I was tired of fighting. Tired of getting painted up, tired of losing… so I broke my contract and came back. I’m worth more here at home, I was planning on joining the Silverthorns… Until this, anyways…”
I dared to reach out and brush her hair. “You’ll be healed perfectly fine and still worth everything. Just hold tight.”
Rhalys nodded. She began rambling as I did the rest of my healing, talking aimlessly to keep her mind off the pain. At one point I was treated to a very long, detailed, and praise-filled speech about the qualities of Asmodeus’s cock, which I could’ve gone a whole lifetime without knowing.
The white fire of my healing magic was nearly burned out as the last of Rhalys’s torn skin began to knit itself together. A cold sweat had broken out across my own forehead as I focused all of my energy on making sure everything came together right, even as the fire guttered and threatened to die.
By the time the last healing flame had burned itself out and vanished, leaving my hand trembling and empty, Rhalys’s haggard breathing had evened out and the lines on her brow had slowly smoothed.
“Take it easy,” I said, swiping at my face with my forearm. All of me felt a little shaky, like I’d pushed too much, too soon.
The succubus who’d brought me to her was nowhere in sight as Rhalys slowly sat up. She moved her leg stiffly, but she managed to get upright and move both of her legs off the bed without gasping in pain.
“I hope Asmo paid you well for this,” she said, gingerly rubbing the bandage that was no longer necessary.
I managed a tight smile. “Oh, he did. I would’ve done it anyway, after he gave us help.”
Rhalys opened her mouth to say something else, but her gaze moved over my shoulder and her eyes widened. “Lady,” she murmured reverently, before shutting her mouth with a snap.
I looked over my shoulder, praying there were no more unpleasant surprises.
A new succubus glided down a set of stairs into the center of the ward. She was tall and draped in sheer white veils from head to toe, providing only slight glimpses of the perfect face and body behind them. The muted glint of gold flashed on her long horns and claws, and a lion-like tail swished behind her as she walked.
At first, I thought the clicking sound she made was from wearing heels, but I looked down and saw slim legs ending in gilded cloven hooves.
I immediately knew this was the High Priestess I’d come to find. All of the succubi in the makeshift infirmary nodded to her as she passed, moving like a deadly specter among them.
I stood up as she approached, wishing I could read her expression. The veil moved back and forth, hiding her features as effectively as a shroud.
She extended one clawed hand to me, palm up. I looked at the trap of her golden nails, my stomach churning with nervousness, nausea, or maybe both.
“You came for answers.” The High Priestess’s voice was smooth as silk, almost lyrical, but edged with steel.
I nodded, and finally reached out and placed my hand in hers. “I’m here about Erisvyra.” Her fingers wrapped around mine gently, her claws just avoiding digging into my skin, and a long minute passed between us.
She finally inclined her head. Her double-curled horns extended above her head like a halo, catching the light.
“Come with me, and I’ll tell you what I can.”
6
Melisande
The High Priestess led me up winding stairs, her hooves creating a gentle rhythmic tink with every step. We climbed past several more floors filled with injured and sick women, and every succubus we passed bowed her head reverentially to the Priestess leading me upwards.
When we finally reached a floor that was almost empty, I thought we were near the top. Instead she kept climbing, and I followed, rising high into the tower. My legs were shaking after six flights of stairs; I’d felt full of energy that morning, but healing Rhalys had taken more out of me than I’d thought.
The flickering sconces became few and far between, and soon the white marble was painted in shadowy shades of gray. The High Priestess herself began to look less angelic and more demonic as it grew darker, her horns no longer shimmering gold, looking much sharper and more dangerous than they had in the light.