“Is it always this empty?” Emery asked as Darius moved toward the staircase.
“This area seems to be, yes, for the most part. I believe they have various festivals where neighboring sects come to…visit, and this large area hosts them. This sect is made up of a string of caves and caverns, though. Certain areas are teeming with life at all times. This is the third lust sect I’ve been to, and its general makeup is very similar to the others. They like twisty halls and secluded rooms and hidden alcoves.”
“Or just banging on the stoop,” Penny groused. “So these…creatures just hang around and bang all day?”
She felt a little shiver. Then a little tingle, starting at the base of her stomach and sinking into her core. It pulsed there, aching, feeding on the unicorn blood and the thought of Emery so near. Meanwhile, her brain screamed at her to shut her eyes, uncomfortable because of her naivety, she knew, but uncomfortable all the same. She wanted to turn around and sprint out of here, much like her reaction when she had unfortunately burst in on Reagan and Darius. Twice.
“This might turn into the biggest mind-eff of them all,” she murmured miserably. “They’re like a bunch of bonobo monkeys.”
“It’ll do you good to…unwind a little,” Darius whispered as they reached the next level. He didn’t stop, leaving Penny to peer through the gloomy darkness. She didn’t see any shapes moving in its depths, though.
At the fifth floor, when Penny’s calves were burning, and she had to squint through the darkness to see anything, Darius finally stopped climbing.
“This is the leader’s quarters,” he said, stepping away from the stairway. “They call them conspectors.”
Those alcoves he’d talked about branched off to the sides, little cubbies with long, flat surfaces topped with piles of pillows. All of them were empty.
“They don’t have any guards or anything?” Emery asked quietly. They approached a dimly lit doorway at the back of the space.
“No, not that I’ve ever seen,” Darius replied. “They like the feel of my vampire magic, so I had no trouble gaining admittance and a meeting with the leader. From there, we worked to a place of understanding. I don’t think they get a lot of visitors in this area. I was directed here by my contacts in the Edges.”
Penny shook her head slowly. This vampire could clearly talk his way into anything he wanted. If Reagan ever thought she’d hear all of his secrets, she was sorely mistaken.
She chanced a glance behind them. Still empty.
They passed the empty alcoves, entering a dimly lit space with a couple of flickering lights on the walls—fairy lights, maybe?—mimicking the flickering candles lining the furniture along the sides. Couches crowded together, facing each other, no table in between. An assortment of beanbags and armchairs were arranged beyond them. Farther back, through another doorway, the ceiling dropped low until it felt like they were cocooned.
A being lounged near a bookshelf, an open book in hand and its other hand between its plump thighs.
“Good gracious,” Penny said, bumping off Emery’s side.
“Hmm,” the demon groaned before slowly closing the book and sitting up. It looked around, its eyes landing on Darius. “The vampire returns. Fantastic. Just in time for our weekly ritual. Your magic will be a pleasant boost to our usual efforts.”
“Acacius,” Darius said by way of greeting. “Let me introduce you to my associates.” He slid his hand through the air. “Penny and Emery, a natural dual-mage pair.”
“Ah.” The demon rose to standing, up and up until it reached the height of nearly seven feet, Penny was sure of it. A sheet draped its chest, masking what might be lady boobs or man boobs, and slid down the lower half. Nothing tented it. “The origin of the spells you peddle in the Edges.”
“Just so. Their craft is highly prized.” Darius clasped his hands in front of him. “We’ve had a long journey. I wondered if we could rest here for a time. Get some food for them. Replenish. After that, we will continue on into the Underworld. We won’t mention whence we’ve come.”
The demon waved the sentiment away as though that didn’t trouble it. Its smile was sly. “On one condition. They must attend the ritual.”
“Oh no,” Penny said immediately. “No, no, that’s okay. We wouldn’t want to impose.”
The smile spread. “I insist. You are inexperienced, are you not? I can see it in you. I can see the yearning, the great passion…and the fear. I can see the confusion as you respond. We will release you, little flenchlin. We will let you fly.”
Penny felt her eyebrows sink as her face twisted into a scowl. She stepped a little farther behind Emery, and the demon laughed.
“I will see that it is done,” Darius said, and turned, his hands out, motioning for Penny and Emery to get going.