to the girl,” she said. “You’re welcome here, and your mount will be guarded. Ask for the High Priestess.”
I finally pulled my eyes away from their swords and claws long enough to realize there was a young succubus at my side. She couldn’t have been older than ten, still chubby-cheeked, her wings small and incapable of flight, and looking bright despite the tension in the air of Lust.
I handed Capheira’s lead to her and stroked my horse’s silky neck. “Be nice for her,” I said quietly, and the young succubus just beamed up at the horse.
“She’ll be good. I have sugar,” she said, and Capheira’s ears pricked up as she led the horse away.
The guardians sheathed their swords, and one of them pushed the doors open.
I steeled myself and walked up the steps, entering the sanctum of the succubi.
The doors closed behind me, but I hardly heard it. The interior of the temple looked like it’d been ransacked: several long silk banners in jewel tones hung haphazardly on the walls, and only half the sconces were lit, keeping everything in a soft half-light.
But the temple was full of temporary beds, every one of them occupied. As I moved forward, I caught sight of strips of silk wrapped around limbs like bandages, some of them soaked with blood.
All of the patients were female demons. The succubi had ripped down their decorations as a last resort for bandaging, and the few exhausted-looking healers moving around were using the lamps to see their patients by.
Even as I watched, the doors behind me were flung open again. I quickly moved out of the way as several succubi carried women inside, all of them wearing something that denoted the Circles they were from. One of them was tattooed with Leviathan’s red ink, and her chest was bleeding freely.
The healers got to work finding beds for the newcomers, and the dark shadows under their eyes seemed deeper than ever.
I steeled myself to interrupt but was saved by another succubus rushing forward. Her horns and claws weren’t on display, and old brown bloodstains smeared the front of her silk dress. “Who are you here for?” she asked, brushing her hair back and looking frazzled.
I didn’t know the name of the succubus I was supposed to heal. “I’m here for a woman who belongs to Asmodeus,” I said, feeling like I was intruding and out of place. “And to see your High Priestess.”
The succubus closed her eyes for a moment. “Ah. Rhalys. Come on, then. She’s not doing well, but the healers are just about burned out, so she’ll have to heal the hard way.”
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