Chapter 17: The Cave of Doors.
The cave was damp, but safe enough. Water dripped from the ceiling in steady drops. The walls were rough stone, wide enough for us to rest without being exposed.
Rhea dropped her pack and leaned her sword against the wall. "We’ll stay here until morning. Don’t wander."
Vesper was already scratching symbols into the dirt with one of her rings. The faint glow told me she was putting wards up. "This cave is old. It holds its own magic. It might keep enemies out for a while."
I sat against the wall...my body still hurt from the fight. The charm pressed cold into my chest, and Alma was still quiet. Her faint hum buzzed in the back of my mind, but she didn’t answer me when I whispered her name.
[Alma — Status: HIBERNATE 25% Integrity]
She was climbing back slowly, but not fast enough.
I rubbed my face with both hands. "Don’t leave me in here alone," I muttered.
Silence answered...I must have dozed off, because when I opened my eyes again, there was someone crouched right in front of me.
Not Rhea,not Vesper...A woman.
Her skin had a faint glow, smooth with a violet tint. Her eyes shone gold in the dark and black hair spilled down her shoulders. Two horns curled back from her head, sharp and polished and behind her, a long tail moved, curling like it had a mind of its own. The tip brushed the floor and then flicked against my leg and I froze.
She smiled. "Well, well. What do we have here?"
Rhea’s sword scraped from its sheath in a blink and he pointed it at the woman’s throat. "Step away from him."
The stranger didn’t move,her smile widened on her face and her tail slid higher against my leg. "Relax, Captain. If I wanted him dead, he wouldn’t be breathing right now."
I forced my voice out. "Who... are you?"
She tilted her head. "Selendra...This cave is mine and so are the doors inside it."
"Doors?" I echoed.
She snapped her fingers and the walls shuddered. Faint red light lit up the stone and one by one, arches appeared along the walls. Some were cracked and sealed while others shimmered with mist, glowing faintly like hidden fire.
Vesper’s head snapped toward them. "Succubus gates," she whispered.
Selendra’s smile widened. Her tail wrapped tighter around my thigh. "Correct. Each arch is a path to my world,the realm of succubi. Endless desire and endless hunger."
Her eyes locked on me. "But the doors don’t wake for just anyone. They stir for power,for lust,for systems. Tell me, boy...how did you wake them?"
The charm on my chest throbbed in answer.
Selendra’s eyes lit up and she leaned forward and pressed a clawed fingertip against the charm and heat shot through me. "Ahh.... So that’s it,She’s inside you."
My breath caught. "You can... see her?"
Selendra laughed. "See her? Darling, I can taste her. That little system is leaking more energy than she knows."
Her tail slid higher, curling dangerously close. My face burned.
"Enough!" Rhea snapped...She shoved the blade closer. "Move your tail before I cut it off."
Selendra looked amused, not threatened. She finally unwound her tail, slow, deliberately. She stepped back with a teasing grin. "Protective, aren’t you? Fine...I’ll share."
She turned and pointed at the largest arch in the cave. It was glowing brighter now, light spilling like it wanted to burst.
The hum deepened and mist swirled inside the arch.
The charm on my chest pounded in sync.
Alma stirred faintly in my mind.... Her voice was broken static, soft but urgent. Eiji... don’t... open...
Selendra’s grin widened. "Ah.. It seems one of my sisters has noticed you already."
The arch flared and Wind whipped through the cave, pulling at me. My boots scraped the stone and I grabbed at the floor.
Rhea seized my arm. "Hold on!"
Vesper hissed curses, drawing wards in the air to anchor us.
The pull grew stronger, the light blinding.
Selendra only watched, her tail flicking lazily. "If you step through, boy, you’ll never come back the same."
The charm on my chest burned and my vision blurred. Alma’s voice whispered one word in my head..Run.
The arch roared open and the cave became a storm.
The pull got stronger, my feet slid and my fingers scraped rock. The charm on my chest burned. The light from the arch filled the cave.
Rhea wrapped her arm around my chest and pulled back. "Hold on! Do not let it take you."
Vesper slammed both palms to the floor. Lines of red light spread under us and the wind slowed though the pull did not stop.
Selendra stood to the side. Her tail moved slow,she was just watching me. "Breathe...If you panic, the door will drag harder."
I forced air into my lungs and Alma’s voice brushed my mind,thin and weak. "Do not step."
"I will not," I said...My teeth hurt,my hands slipped but Rhea held me tighter.
Vesper shouted a word and the glow under us flashed. The pull eased for one breath. "Move left... Away from the arch."
We shuffled left and the stone bit my palms. The wind yanked again and the arch roared. The mist inside turned white,Shapes moved in it but I did not look for long.
Selendra tilted her head. "It wants him,not you two. It smells the kernel."
Rhea did not answer, She pulled harder. My boots found a crack and I pushed into it and the crack held me...We gained one step.
Alma whispered. "Anchor,hands to stone...Chest down."
I dropped my chest to the floor. The charm hit the rock and the heat spread into the stone....The pull lost a little strength.
"Good," Vesper said and drew three fast signs in the air and slammed them into the ground. The wind fell again and we moved another step away.
Selendra walked to the arch... She did not touch it. She raised one hand and tapped the air. The light dimmed a shade. "Greedy door...Enough!"
The pull eased again and I crawled back until the wind tugged but did not move me. My hands shook,my arms shook and my stomach rolled.
Rhea kept one hand on my shoulder. She watched the arch with the other hand on her sword. "Status."