Enclave

by Brandon Varnell

  That was the real mystery. It was clear to them both that someone had taken them from the sight of the battle, healed their wounds, and brought them here. But who had done so? And why? Not knowing the answer to these questions was truly beginning to bother Christian, even more so than usual.

  By this point in time, his danger senses should have been blaring warnings at him left and right. He was in an unknown place and had been brought there by an unknown person. They had also clearly stripped both him and Lilith, which disturbed him greatly, more than he was willing to admit. And yet, despite the fact that he literally knew nothing about their current circumstances, he’d not felt so much as a blip of warning from his normally sharp instincts.

  Was something dulling his senses? Maybe. He couldn’t say for sure, though one part of him hoped that was the case as much as the other part of him didn’t.

  The hallway, which up until this point seemed to go on forever, finally came to an end. Situated before them stood a very large, very ornate looking double door with golden handles. Christian and Lilith stared at the extravagant door with its artistic rose motifs painted in silver and gold. In the center of the door, surrounded by more silver and gold rose motifs, was the image of a beautiful woman with long legs, slender shoulders, and a perfect hourglass figure. She was naked, her breast visible for all to see, as well as her crotch. Behind her were a pair of large, reptilian wings.

  They looked at each other.

  “I don’t think this is a boarding house,” Lilith said at last.

  “It could be, you know. Maybe these people are religious fanatics who worship women with... with wings.”

  “Maybe,” the way she said that made it clear to Christian that she did not believe his words. “I guess there’s really only one way to find out.”

  Their decision made, the two stepped up to the door and pushed it open.

  On the other side of the doorway was a massive bathhouse. Built in a style of architecture that was reminiscent of the buildings found in Greece, the bathhouse had several dozen large, Corinthian columns, six across the width and twelve going down the length on either side. The floors used a more modern tile, tiny squares with rounded edges that were beige in color. In the center of the bathhouse was a gigantic pool that took up at least ninety percent of the available space.

  Steam rose from the water’s surface. White, wispy, cloud-like moats that swirled about the air, forming lazy patterns that took no shape but were constantly shifting into different forms. The water was obviously heated. It was also recycled. Situated in six different locations―one in the center of the wall with the door, another on the opposite side, and two more on the walls that ran lengthwise to make a total of four—were several waterfalls. There was a shallow canal that went underneath a small bridge and let water flow out of the pool. Christian could only assume the water went out through the canal, was recycled somehow, and then came back out through the waterfalls.

  Situated in and around this pool were a bunch of women. Some were inside the pool itself, lounging around or splashing water at each other in playful fun. Others were sitting on the edge with just their feet in the water, and still others were standing off to the side in small groups. Each woman was just as gorgeous as the one before them, each possessing the same inhuman perfection found in Lilith.

  Each one of them was also very, very naked.

  And every single one of those women had stopped what they were doing and were now staring at him.

  Under the gaze of so many women, all of whom were gawking with wide-eyed, open-mouthed surprise, Christian very nearly found himself paralyzed. He was so shocked and numb to everything except the stares that he didn’t even feel it when Lilith tightened her grip on his hand.

  “Um.” he tried to think of something, anything, to say. “Y-yo. Sorry for, um, intruding?”

  Christian winced.

  Truly, his oratory skills could use some work.

  CHAPTER 2

  In a darkened chamber with very little in the way of light, seven figures sat around a table.

  “So, Asmodeus has been defeated, eh?”

  “It would appear so.”

  “What’s more, the Executioners managed to break the incubus out of prison.”

  “It seems we did not put enough guards over the penitentiary.”

  “Understatement of the millennia. I heard the people who broke in and rescued the incubus were members of the XIII.”

  “And how do you know that? All of the demons we had guarding the penitentiary were killed.”

  Bishop Vertrou sat at the table, listening as the others discussed the recent string of failures. There had been a lot of troubles happening on his side of the world. The failure to kill Samantha Gale, the disappearance of Christian Crux and his little succubus, not to mention the death of Asmodeus. It was bad enough that the Executioner commander in charge of the western hemisphere of the USA had managed to escape death, but for one of the Seven Demon Kings to have their soul severed from this world was a disaster.

  And then there was Christian Crux. The very idea of that man having escaped death caused Vertrou to feel a deep, burning anger within him. How he despised that boy, that stupid child with his high moral fibers despite his origins. He wanted nothing more than to kill that fraud with his own hands, to watch as the life faded from his eyes.

  Taking a calming breath, he studied his surroundings. The room was dark, almost pitch black. There was just the barest trace of light coming in from several blue lines that ran along the wall and ceiling like veins. And yet, even with that small trace of luminescence, Vertrou still couldn’t see anything, nothing but the black silhouettes of those who were in charge of the Catholic Church—the ones who ruled from the shadows.

  “What of the Quatra?”

  “You mean the killer of Abaddon? He is still missing, or so I hear.”

  “According to the reports, he and the succubus went missing in Las Vegas, Nevada, after defeating Asmodeus in combat.”

  “What of the humans who saw the battle?”

  “There is no need to worry about them. Mephisto is controlling what the media hears and has taken care to silence those who saw the battle between the Quatra and Asmodeus.”

  “I still find it hard to believe that a mere human could defeat one of us.”

  “Asmodeus likely underestimated him. You know how he loves to play with his food.”

  “That, or he was distracted by the succubus. It’s well-known that Asmodeus tends to let his lust get the better of him.”

  Bishop Vertrou nearly clicked his tongue at the mention of Asmodeus’s insatiable lust, remembering the number of times he had been forced to cover for the demon king when the urge struck him. How many times had he entered Asmodeus’s room to discover the place littered with the naked corpses of those he had bedded? It must have been in the hundreds by now.

  He was glad Asmodeus was gone. Now he wouldn’t have to cover up the numerous crimes that demon committed.

  “Bishop Vetrtou,” a deep, dark, and rumbling bass voice spoke his name, startling the bishop from his reverie.

  “Yes, my lord?”

  “Do we know where the former Executioner known as Christian Crux has disappeared to?”

  “Our hordes are still searching,” the bishop admitted with just a bit of reluctance. His master was not known for his kindness. Reporting failure could easily result in his death. “However, we have heard rumors that he and the succubus were last seen being driven off in an ambulance. According to the reports, the person driving it was a very beautiful woman with olive skin and dark hair. Another succubus, I’d wager.”

  “So, another one of those wretched women has put a damper on our plans. I want you to find this woman, Bishop. Find this woman, kill her, and bring Christian and his little whore to me.”

  Bishop Vertrou nodded his head at the darkened figure of his master. “It will be as you command, my lord.”

  “Remember, we cannot have the one
who carries the title Quatra know of his origins. He is the most dangerous enemy we have right now.”

  “What of the Executioners?” asked Vertrou.

  “The Executioners are irrelevant. Mere ants who scurry underneath those whose powers they cannot begin to comprehend. They are to be ignored unless they decide to reveal themselves. However, should they choose to reveal themselves, crush them.”

  Bishop Vertrou wasn’t sure he agreed about the Executioners not being a threat, but he didn’t voice his opinions, not wanting to find himself prematurely killed for disagreeing.

  “Of course, my lord,” he said, bowing his head to the dark silhouette.

  ***

  Lilith turned to look at Christian, an expression that was both amused and perturbed, probably due to the situation. “Yo? Really, Christian? You’re standing in a bathhouse filled with naked women, and that’s the first thing you say?”

  Christian had the decency to look sheepish. “It was the only thing I could think of to say.”

  The twitching of Lilith’s lips showed that she was trying to hide a smile, while a small vein pulsed on her forehead, denoting her irritation. She didn’t know what to feel. Amused by the first words that came out of Christian’s mouth since entering this room, angry that there were a bunch of naked women for him to potentially stare at, or perturbed, because she had no idea why there were a bunch of naked women all congregating together in the first place. Was this some kind of women’s bathing convention or something? And how come she and Christian were in the same area as them if that was the case?

  Lilith looked out at the sea of feminine flesh. There was a lot of it. Just by counting heads, she could see that there were at least over four dozen women in this room. Most of them were lounging in the pool, sitting on the staircase that led into it, leaning back, their chests thrust forward in an unconscious show of their bountiful assets. There were more in the center of the pool, younger women who looked to be in their teens. They were playing with a beach ball, tossing it back and forth, or they had been. Now they were staring at Christian in undisguised curiosity and maybe an odd hint of apprehension.

  Huh. Looking at them now, the younger ones’ sort of reminded Lilith of how she used to be, only not quite as fearful of men as she had been. That was... weird.

  There were more women, too. A good deal were simply standing around by the columns, forming groups. They looked like they had been discussing something, though Lilith would likely never know what they had been talking about. They weren’t conversing now, that was for sure.

  One thing Lilith noticed about the women lounging in what had to be some kind of massive, communal bathhouse was that all of them were exceedingly beautiful. Not just beautiful. Stunning. There wasn’t a single female in the entire group that could be considered even just mildly attractive. All of them, regardless of their height, their skin color, their eye color, the size of their breasts and hips and waists, were resplendent and otherworldly. Perfect. That was what they were. Perfect in every way possible.

  Having learned about her own origins, Lilith knew.

  There was no way these girls could be human.

  They were succubus.

  The prolonged sense of tension, thicker than even the foggiest day in Los Angeles, that had descended upon the room was finally broken when a young woman walked over to them. Her olive skin shone and glistened in the dim light. Perspiration clung to her skin as she walked forward with slow, sensual movements that drew the eyes to her amazing legs and hips. Bare feet padded lightly along the stone surface, barely making a noise, other than the soft “pitter patter” that could just barely be heard above the sounds of rushing water. With each step she took, her breasts swayed. Her looks, this sensual grace and elegance, this hypnotic rhythm of motion, was enough to intoxicate any man.

  It was a good thing, Lilith mused, that Christian was not any man.

  “It’s you!” He pointed at the woman, his eyes widening in surprise. “You were the one who took our order at that Mexican restaurant!”

  The woman paused, her eyes turning to look at him.

  Lilith, upon hearing this, gave the woman a more scrutinizing look. “You’re right,” she said, surprised. She then looked over at Christian, her eyes narrowed just slightly. “And just how long were you staring at her to be able to recognize her on sight?”

  “You mean you couldn’t?” Christian looked at her, his head tilted, the glimmer in his eyes visibly confused. “I mean, isn’t it kind of hard not to recognize someone like her? She’s pretty memorable.”

  “Why? Because she’s pretty?”

  “No, well, partly, but mostly because you don’t see many people who look like her.” Christian, still seemingly confused, looked out over the crowd of women, all of whom were still staring at him. “At least, you don’t usually see women like her.”

  Lilith frowned at Christian, but before she could think of saying anything, the woman finally spoke up. “I am pleased to see you two are finally awake.” Her voice was just as light and airy as it had been when she’d been taking their order at the Mexican restaurant. “We had not been expecting either of you to awaken for a long time. Your wounds were rather... extensive.”

  “Our wounds?” Lilith furrowed her brow for a moment.

  “She’s talking about the injuries we received during the battle,” Christian said, keeping his narrowed eyes on the olive-skinned woman. “Right?”

  “Indeed, the wounds you received during your battle with Asmodeus were substantial. Even with our comprehensive knowledge of the human body, healing your injuries was almost impossible. The most we could do was bandage you and cleanse your bodies in our springs.”

  “How badly were we injured?” asked Lilith. She did not remember how the fight against Asmodeus had ended. Actually, the last thing she remembered was seeing Christian get speared through the shoulder and lifted off the ground. Everything after that was blank, and no matter how much she tried to recall what happened, her mind continued coming up with nothing. It was frustrating, especially because she could almost swear the memories were there, hiding just a little beyond her perception.

  “This is not the place to discuss something like that,” the woman said. She then began walking over to a small side room, but she paused long enough to gesture them over to her. “Follow me. I shall do my best to explain what you wish to know.”

  The two shared a look, a silent conversation. As Lilith stared into Christian’s eyes, she saw that he was thinking the exact same thoughts that she was. They didn’t know this woman, and neither were sure they could trust her. At the same time, it seemed as if they didn’t have much choice. There wasn’t anyone else they could rely on right now, except maybe one of the other nude women in the room, which wasn’t anymore appealing.

  They followed her, doing their best to ignore the eyes on them. Christian, in particular, seemed to be getting the most stares, and Lilith felt a small stirring of anger at these women. Didn’t they have anything better to do than stare at her man? The nerve of them.

  The side door they went through led into a small changing room. White walls. White tiled floor. White ceiling. Aligned along one wall was a large rack made of wood. Within each of the small, square cubby holes was a hamper filled with clothes.

  Walking up to one of them, the woman began to get dressed. She picked up her panties, a rather racy black thong and, after stepping through it, slid it up her long legs. She then grabbed a black dress. As she put it on, Lilith had to admit that it was a lovely gown, shimmering and sparkling as it moved, like thousands of stars had been imprinted into the dress and were designed to shine as the light hit them. She also saw that it was sleeveless, had a plunging V-neckline that showed off ample amounts of chest, and went down all the way to her feet.

  Now that she was dressed, the woman gestured for them to follow her again. She led them back to the large bathhouse, and then out of the door they had first entered through to get there.

  A
s they began walking back down the hall, the woman started talking. “Before I begin explaining what I can, allow me to at least introduce myself. My name is Clarissa Farland, and I am the current leader of this enclave.”

  “Enclave?”

  Lilith and Christian both shared another look. Seeing this, Clarissa gave a small nod of affirmation.

  “I am sure you’re already coming to this conclusion, but this is a succubus enclave, one of the last remaining bastions of our kind.” Clarissa turned her eyes toward Christian, narrowing them just a bit. “Your Catholic Church has done much to destroy my people. In the last thirty years, the number of succubus enclaves has gone from sixty-five to just five. Mine is one of the smaller ones.”

  “I wouldn’t know anything about that,” Christian told her. “Men are not usually assigned to take down succubi due to your allure. Lilith was the first one I’ve ever met.”

  “Yet it does not change the fact that you were, at one point, a member of the Executioners.” Clarissa’s voice was not harsh, but it held a reprimand in it, one that made Christian wince. “But we are not here to talk about that. The past cannot be changed, and all we can do now is continue to look forward and try to build a better future.”

  Lilith bristled a bit at the insult Clarissa tossed Christian’s way. That had been completely uncalled for―Christian was no longer an Executioner, and she knew he was beginning to regret everything he’d done under their orders. She didn’t say anything, though, as this was neither the time nor the place. She also didn’t want to get on the bad side of the woman who had rescued them.

  The walk became silent after that. The woman, Clarissa, didn’t seem to mind this, almost like she was giving the two time to absorb what she’d said. By this point in time, the three of them had reached the end of the hall on the opposite side, which led to a T-junction. Clarissa went left, beckoning the two to follow her.