“She’s back.”

Lilith’s words hit James like a punch to the gut. The severity of the situation suddenly apparent, he hurried to bring forth his magic as quickly as possible. But he was too slow. As James reached inward and channeled his power, great golden chains materialized from the ground beneath him. They launched themselves at him like snakes and coiled around his neck and limbs, forcing him to the ground and forcing his magic back inside him.

James screamed in agony. The chains were white-hot, and they seared his skin as they pulled him to the ground. Concentration lost and magic suppressed, James cried out in frustration and pain. He tried to resist, but the chains wouldn’t budge, and struggling against them only caused the pain to worsen.

“James! No!” Lilith cried. She turned and began gathering magic in the palm of her hand, determined to free her agent from the goddess’ tortuous grasp. However, like James, Lilith was stopped before she even had a chance to act. A bright beam of light shone down on her, and the demoness froze; she was paralyzed. James watched helplessly as Lilith tried to resist the magic that ensnared her. She succeeded in opening her mouth enough to whisper, “Please, Ishtar… please don’t hurt him!”

The light surrounding the succubus grew brighter as Ishtar’s rage bore down upon her. The goddess’ voice boomed through the Temple of Venus. “You dare to speak my name, Lilith?” Her voice remained calm and icy, but her words dripped venom. “This human has clearly had a negative influence on you. I told you to get rid of him, yet you disobeyed me!” Raw anger crept into the heavenly voice, and the Temple shook for a moment. “I will do what you could not.”

“Please, Your Grace!” Lilith begged through gritted teeth as the light around her grew blindingly bright and its magic brought the demoness to her knees. “Punish me, not him!”

“IMPUDENT WHORE,” Ishtar raged, her thunderous voice shaking the earth and scattering the clouds. “Traitors and schemers may not beg for mercy from me! I know what it is you and your human slave have been planning!”

If James had been able to feel anything other than mind-melting pain, then at that moment he would have felt terror. Ishtar knew everything… they were finished. It must have been the goddess’ magic – not Lilith’s – that brought James to the Temple. And now he and his mistress were trapped. Though James felt hopelessness press down upon him, Lilith continued to struggle against the radiant beam that shackled her, fighting like a cornered beast and snarling with anger.

“James is not my slave! Nor is he yours!” she growled. “I love him, and you will never tear us apart!”

“Oh?” Ishtar’s voice was calm again. “Won’t I?”

The light engulfing Lilith dimmed for a moment, and the black-haired woman managed to get one hoofed leg beneath her as she tried to climb back to her feet. But an instant later, the light’s intensity returned with a vengeance. Lilith was slammed forcefully into the ground by Ishtar’s power. A horrible snapping sound chilled James blood – despite the searing pain he anguished against.

Once again, the light weakened, and Lilith pushed herself shakily up off the ground, raising her head and revealing a broken horn and a bloody face from where she had impacted the marble floor. Then, as the demoness was struggling into a kneeling position again, Ishtar forced her back to the ground. Lilith cried out in pain.

James seethed with anger and continued to pull against his restraints, but the golden chains held firm. In fact, they seemed to constrict tighter around him the more he struggled, burning his skin all the while. But that didn’t matter; James had to fight back. He tried and failed again and again to free himself physically, and each time he tried to focus long enough to bring forth his magic, terrible pain brought him back to his senses.

“It seems, Lilith, that you need to be reminded of my power. Watch as I kill your precious human agent,” spoke Ishtar.

“NO!” Lilith screamed. She thrashed on the floor, fighting against the invisible weight that pinned her, but it was futile.

“Worry not, Lilith,” said the goddess. “You will be punished as well. You took my mercy for granted, so now you will know my justice and my vengeance.”

The chains around James tightened and he felt one searing link crush his windpipe. He couldn’t even cry in pain as the edges of his vision began to darken once more. He felt bones breaking in his arms, unable to withstand the chains’ pressure. More alarming though, James felt a cold presence inside his own mind.

“Pitiful,” spoke an icy voice in James’ head. Ishtar spoke directly to him now, her sonorous words echoing around inside his skull. “Such weakness… You turned my faithful slave against me?” the goddess said contemptuously. “You are undeserving of a quick death. Die in agony, mortal, as I tear my magic from your soul.”

James felt a cold spike of pure pain pierce his head. The constricting and burning of the gilded chains couldn’t compare to the excruciating agony he felt now. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. His mind reeled in unendurable anguish as a second tortuous blow struck him. It felt as though James’ mind was being ripped from his body.

“JAMES!!” Lilith cried beside him, still trapped in her own magical prison. “PLEASE! PLEASE DON’T KILL HIM!”

James could no longer hear his mistress’ words. He could no longer see the Temple. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe – all he could do was suffer. Fire burned a hole in his mind, ice numbed him to all other sensations. He struggled to ignore the torment and find some inner power, but how could he ignore such terrible pain? James’ very soul screamed in agony as Ishtar wrenched her magic from him. She did so without the careful finesse and patient control James would have used; instead, she tore at his mind with her power, liberating the sexual magic she had given him through Lilith and returning it to the source.

As the last vestiges of that power were torn unceremoniously from him, James’ heartbeat slowed… and slowed… and slowed… What was left of his fragmented consciousness grew darker, and oblivion rushed toward him again for the last time. He was scarcely aware that Ishtar’s presence had left his mind, satisfied with the damage she’d done to James’ soul.

The world growing dimmer and quieter, James felt death creep over him – only to be dispelled by a voice in his head. Not Lilith’s, not Ishtar’s, and not his own.

Deep and masculine, the voice spoke simply, “Not yet, James. There is still much to do.”

And then it happened. Like the rushing of a great river breaking through a dam, James’ magic burst forth. Not sexual energy – no, that power had been taken from him – but pure, raw magic. The vast and enigmatic source of power that dwelt inside James coursed through him. As it did, it repaired the damage to his devastated mind, his crippled body, and his shattered soul.

A moment ago, James had been at death’s door. Now he surged back to life, aglow with magical power. His eyes snapped open and a bright light shone out from them. The chains that restrained him rattled and shook as James stirred, failing to contain the young mage and the energy he wielded. The chains broke apart. Bits of the golden links scattered across the marble floor before fading from existence – their magic was no more.

“WHAT?!” Ishtar shouted in confusion and anger. “You…” The goddess paused, and when she spoke again her voice had regained its sonorous quality and calmness. “I see… Yes, I understand now,” she said. “You were hiding a greater power, but it does not matter. Before me, you are still a worm.”

Ignoring the goddess’ taunts, James climbed to his feet, pulling his magic back under his control as he did. He turned and looked at Lilith, still lying prone on the floor, bloody and bruised, tears drying on her cheeks. She watched James with a look of shock and relief. He reached out a hand and began channeling his power once again, focusing on Lilith and the light that bound her. He felt the radiant prison begin to break down beneath his efforts, and Lilith began to rise up off the floor as the immense magical pressure over her was mitigated.

“ENOUGH!” Ishtar boomed. James saw something flying toward him and he was forced to jump backward to dodge it. A shimmering javelin of white fire fell from the sky, impaling the ground where James had stood a second ago. His magic interrupted by the goddess’ attack, Lilith’s prison returned to full strength and the demoness was driven to the floor again.

Suddenly, fire erupted from the spot where the javelin landed. A blazing inferno sprang to life in the Temple, its white flames separating James and Lilith. As the fire grew larger and hotter, James attempted to bring it under his control with magic, but he was unsuccessful. The flames seemed to have a mind of their own; he could not wrest command of them from Ishtar. The blaze spread quickly, scorching the marble floor and heating the air as it encircled James, who was incapable of stopping it. The fire grew closer, and James lashed out with conjured gusts of wind and torrents of water that only halted the flames’ advance temporarily.

“LILITH!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. He couldn’t see his mistress anymore, only the narrow beam of light that fell from the star above to the spot where the demoness lay. “Lilith!” James called again, “Hang on! I’ll get us out of this!”

“No. You won’t.” Ishtar’s cold voice rang out once more. The Temple of Venus began to shake. “I admit that I underestimated you, James Marshall.” The ground beneath James cracked and crumbled. “But I will not make that mistake again.” An enormous golden pillar fell to the ground with a thunderous smash. “You are dangerous – I can see that. You and that troublesome power of yours must be eliminated, and if I can’t kill you directly… then I’ll destroy this temple with you in it.”

A powerful quake shook the entire realm and James fell to the ground. Ishtar’s white fire cascaded over James immediately, the flames dancing wildly as they fell onto the defenseless man. Reflexively, James threw up his hands and shut his eyes, expecting to be incinerated by the great inferno. But there was no heat. There was no pain.

Opening his eyes, James saw that the fire had been kept at bay by a shimmering sphere – a magical barrier that encapsulated and protected the young mage. The flames licked at the barrier uselessly, unable to penetrate it. James breathed a momentary sigh of relief, grateful for his quick reflexes.

Another tremor rippled through the infinite dimension, tearing apart the ground beneath James’ feet. He scrambled to the side as a wide fissure split the spot where he’d been standing. Still surrounded by his protective sphere of magic, James moved slowly through the fire toward Lilith’s direction. Crumbling pieces of a ruined pillar fell over him, bouncing off his shield. Ishtar’s inferno had grown so large, its flames rising so high, that James could barely even see the column of light that marked his mistress’ spot on the floor. Pursued by falling debris and white flames, James waded through the fire. He focused intently on his magic as he walked, determined not to let the barrier fall.

Finally, James broke through the outer wall of fire that had surrounded him. There before him was the beam of light that had ensnared Lilith, but the demoness wasn’t there. Half of a broken horn and a small pool of blood were all that remained in the spot where Lilith had been trapped just a minute ago. Looking up, James saw her. Hanging limply in the air, still enshrouded by Ishtar’s magic, Lilith was rising higher and higher into the sky, toward the bright, distant star.

“Lilith!” James shouted desperately. “Let her go, Ishtar!” The cold star gleamed overhead, but the goddess said nothing. James cast out his magic in an effort to free his mistress from the power that bound her, but it was in vain. Lilith was too far away now, and James was devoting too much energy to his shield. He dropped it, not caring if a pillar crushed him or if fire consumed him. He tried again to reach the succubus, but it was no use. James could only watch as his mistress disappeared into the night. The clouds moved back to cover the dark sky when Lilith was past them, and James was left alone in the Temple.

Another rumbling signaled the next wave of quakes, and James managed to bring his barrier back up around him before he was flattened by falling rubble. “What do I do?” James asked himself, still staring up into the sky – now barricaded from view by clouds and smoke. “What do I do?”

“Get out of there, James!” shouted Lilith’s voice in James’ head.

“Wha-? Lilith!?” James exclaimed mentally. “Lilith, are you okay? Tell me where you are!”

“There’s no time to worry about me James!” said the demoness, her voice strained as though in pain. “I’ll be fine; Ishtar won’t kill me. But you need to get out of there right now! She’ll bring the whole Temple down on top of you!”

“No, Lilith! I won’t leave you!”

“GO!” cried the woman. “Survive! Please!” her mental words were pained and carried with them panic and urgency. “Please, James…” she said, quieter, “I can’t bear to lose you…” Then Lilith’s voice was gone, the telepathic link severed.

James choked back tears. He screamed in frustration and fell to his knees. “FUCK!” he shouted into the sky and punched the damaged marble floor beneath him, leaving a large crater where his fist impacted. His magical ward began to shimmer and fade, and James felt the heat of the fire slowly grow around him again. He was running out of time. He didn’t want to leave the Temple; he didn’t want to leave Lilith – not in the hands of that monster. God only knew what Ishtar would do to her. But James had no choice.

His shield flickered and began to disappear, and greedy flames surged toward him. James closed his eyes, tried to calm his mind, and focused on one thing. “WAKE. UP.” He shouted the words in his head as he channeled his magic and willed himself to escape the crumbling realm and the inferno that filled it.

The heat around him suddenly vanished. The sounds of falling rubble and cracking earth were but echoes in his mind. Feeling a hand on his forehead and hearing voices around him, James slowly opened his eyes.

“Ash, he’s awake!” a voice over him called out.

“Oh, thank God!” came a second voice from somewhere behind James.

“James!” cried a third, “Are you all right?”

James was lying on the couch in his sister’s hotel room, still naked. Around him were the familiar, worried faces of Mark, Ashley, and Jess. They watched him carefully as he slowly stirred. Heart hammering with adrenaline, skull pounding with a fresh headache, skin drenched with cold sweat, James sat straight up.

Mark laid a hand on James’ shoulder. Was he taller, or was James imagining things? “Easy, bro. Don’t push yourself; you just woke up.”

But James shook his head and brushed off his friend’s hand. “I’m fine… let me up.”

“You’re not fine,” Ash said sternly from the other side of the couch. She was holding her phone in her hand. “You blacked out right in the middle of… well, you passed out! We couldn’t wake you. I was just about to call the hospital; I still might.”

“Doesn’t matter,” James breathed, forcing himself to stand on shaky legs. “Where are my clothes?” he asked the room, leaning against the couch for stability.

Jess spoke next. “James, you need to take it easy. Sit back down; let us look after you.”

“No time,” said James as he stumbled around the room grabbing his discarded clothes. “Gotta move now.” He pulled on his pants, which seemed, inexplicably, to be too a little too long. Ash walked over and put her hand on his arm.

“James…” she said, “What’s going on? Tell us what’s happened.”

James stopped where he stood. Staring at the ground, he spoke softly. “She’s back, Ashley. Ishtar.”

The redhead blanched and went wide-eyed. “So soon?” she exclaimed. “I thought we had more time… but,” she looked at James gravely. “But what about-“

“What about Lilith?” Jess interrupted, having overheard and rushed over.

James shook his head and averted his eyes. “I don’t know,” he murmured. “Ishtar took her.”

“Then let’s go get her back,” spoke Mark, walking up behind the trio. James turned to look at him.

“Mark…” he said tiredly. “I didn’t want to bring you into this.” He turned to the others, “I didn’t want to bring any of you into this. I’m going to the museum alone. I’m going to kill Ishtar and free Lilith – or die trying.”

“Like hell you are!” said Jess.

“If you’re going after Ishtar, then we’re coming with you,” stated Ashley. Mark nodded.

Again, James shook his head. “No. I’m not letting you guys risk your lives.”

“You’re not letting us do anything, James. We’re telling you that we’re coming with, like it or not,” Jess said.

“You don’t understand,” explained James. “It’s not you that wants to help me, it’s my magic inside you.”

“No, dude. You don’t understand,” said Mark, stepping forward. James realized he wasn’t imagining it earlier – his roommate was definitely taller. “Your magic is gone, James.”

“What do you-…” James started before trailing off. He looked down at himself and began to comprehend. Mark hadn’t gotten taller; James had gotten shorter.

He’d gone from being two inches taller than the other man, to being two inches shorter. His muscly physique had diminished, his ruggedly handsome features become more muted. He was back in his original body – Lilith’s modifications were gone. Without the magic that connected him to his mistress, James’ appearance had returned to what it was before he’d met the demoness. And the loss of that magic meant more than just the reversion of James’ appearance.

“We all felt it, James,” spoke Ashley. “It happened while you were unconscious; something just sort of… clicked, and then we remembered everything.”

James’ head was spinning. He looked back and forth between the trio, who watched him carefully, waiting for him to speak. “But then…” he finally said. “Why-“

At that moment, James was interrupted by a knock at the door. All four of them fell silent and looked toward the entryway. James’ breath hitched as he stared at the door. A second knock echoed through the suite. “Is this it?” James wondered. “Has Ishtar found us?” Fear and trepidation passed through the inhabitants of the room. No one moved. A third knock came, and a fourth followed quickly. Whoever was outside was growing impatient.

James gulped and took a few shaky steps toward the door. As he walked, he gathered energy in the palm of his hand. If it was indeed an enemy waiting on the other side of the door, he would be ready to blow them to kingdom come. Putting his eye to the peephole, James peered through and spied who was knocking. He took a step back and let out a tense breath. Relaxing his magic and giving the silent trio behind him a comforting smile, he opened the door.

There in the hallway, looking uncomfortable and impatient, was a pretty young woman with wavy brown hair and a cute button nose. Slender and beautiful, she wore a slim-fitting jacket and tight pants that accentuated her curves.

“Lindsay,” James said, relieved to see the brunette and not some fearsome agent of Ishtar. “I-“

SMACK!

The teen’s open hand struck James hard in the face. She looked up at the man with a bitter look in her eyes.

“You pervert,” she said. James put a hand to the reddening spot where he’d been slapped and stared at Lindsay in surprise. “Whatever we were,” she continued, “it’s over.”

“Hold on, Lindsay, I-” James tried to speak, but was silenced when Lindsay raised her hand again, ready to strike.

“Don’t talk to me ever again.” Then, with a dramatic flip of her hair, she turned and stalked away angrily.

James stood shocked for a moment before turning and closing the door behind him. Ash, Jess, and Mark looked up at the ceiling or down at the floor, pretending not to have heard or seen what just happened. Mark was actually whistling.

“Kay…” James said slowly as he returned to the living room. “That’s kind of how I expected you guys to react. Why didn’t you?”

The trio looked at each other. “Are you serious?” said Ashley. “I’m your sister, you big idiot; I’m in this all the way with you. Besides, I’d be lying if I said I blamed you for everything we’ve done. I’m just as guilty, and proud of it.”

James was moved by his sister’s words. He smiled and nodded, then looked to Jess.

The blonde shrugged and grinned. “I already knew you were a scoundrel, but you’re my best friend and I can’t let you go through this alone. Magic or no magic, I’m with you too, James.”

Jess always did know how to make James smile, and now he returned her grin, happy to know she was on his side. He turned to Mark, who awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his feet. “Mark?”

The taller man sighed. “I did feel something earlier when you passed out, you know – like a piece of me that I didn’t know was missing was suddenly returned, and then everything made a little more sense… But the truth is, I’ve known for a while that something strange was going on, even before Ashley filled me in. Your odd behavior, coming and going at weird hours… it’s been hard not to notice, buddy. And I’ve had this weird fleeting memory of you staring at me with bright red eyes. I’ve been seeing it in my dreams, and it felt so real. It’s only now that I really remember everything that happened…” Mark paused and fixed James with a serious look.

“This business with gods and demons – I don’t really get it. But I don’t need to. You’re my friend, and you need help. So, no matter the fight, I’ve got your back, dude.”

James didn’t know what to say. His friends’ support was touching; he’d never known how lucky he was. He smiled appreciatively at Mark, silently thanking the man for his friendship.

“Great!” bubbled Jess. “We’re all on board! What now…?”

Ash spoke up next. “Yeah, James, what’s the plan? Sneaking into the museum and destroying Ishtar’s idol when you had magic was one thing, but what do we do now? Swing a sledgehammer at the thing?”

“Don’t worry,” said James, feeling a new confidence fill him now that he knew he wasn’t alone. He raised a fist, crackling with magical power. “I’ve still got enough strength left to kill a god.”

Mark stared wide-eyed. “Woah. I thought you’d lost your magic?”

James smirked. “I’m full of surprises. Though I don’t understand this one too well myself.”

“If it’s enough to break the statue, that’s good enough for us!” said Jess. Mark nodded in agreement.

“It won’t be easy, but there might be a way past the guards,” spoke Ashley. “I memorized their schedules and I think we can take advantage of a gap in their security.”

“Good,” said James, “that’ll be one less thing to worry about. It’s likely, though, that Ishtar knows we’ll be coming, and who knows what sort of defenses she’ll have put up around the idol.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” said Mark.

“And if all else fails, we fall back to plan B,” said Ashley.

James grew excited. “You don’t mean…?”

“Oh, yes,” the redhead grinned, “guns-blazing.”

“Well what are we waiting for!” exclaimed Jess. “Let’s do this!” She marched toward the door.

“Uh, Jess,” said Mark.

“What?”

“Clothes.”

The blonde stopped with her hand reaching for the door handle. She looked down at her nude form. “Oh. Right.”

James, Mark, Jess, and Ashley dressed quickly before heading out. “I’ll drive,” said Mark as they walked into the cool night air. The four friends piled into the car, with James and Ash sliding into the backseat.

“Tell me about the museum,” said James to his sister as Mark pulled out of the hotel parking lot. “What’s the layout like? How many security guards can we expect? Where’s the idol?”

Ashley was more than prepared to answer James’ questions. She pulled a small pamphlet out of her purse and unfolded it over her lap. “Look here,” she said, pointing to a map of the museum. She launched into an explanation about the level of security around the building and in the exhibits. James followed along closely, absorbing as much information as possible. Jess watched over her shoulder from the front seat, trying to keep up. Mark just listened as he drove down the street toward the museum.

The drive was short – the museum was only a few blocks away from the hotel – but Ashley educated the others very thoroughly in that time, determined to be as prepared as possible. “After closing, the museum’s security is reduced slightly. We’ll likely only have to deal with about half a dozen guards. The other curators and staff will have gone home already,” Ash explained, “so we’ll just have to get past the guards outside and then we’ll be in. There’ll be a brief opening when they rotate posts, and when that happens, we can just run in the front entrance.”

“What about cameras?” asked Mark, looking back through rear-view mirror.

Ash gave the others a smug look. “Already taken care of,” she said proudly. “I disabled them earlier today.” Jess looked at the other woman, impressed. “Well, I didn’t know when we were going to try to pull this off, so I figured I’d be prepared and just knock out the cameras first chance I got. Granted, I’ll lose my job if anyone finds out I tampered with them, but-“

She was silenced by a quick kiss on the lips from James. “You’re incredible, Ashley,” he said.

The redhead blushed and looked away. “Oh, go on…”

“So then what do we do once we’re inside?” asked Jess.

“Make a beeline for Ishtar, that’s what,” answered James, his expression turning serious again. “Where will the statue be?” he asked his sister.

“In the Babylonian exhibit,” answered Ashley. “It’s still under construction and far from finished, so it will be locked and guarded as well.”

“You have a key for the locked doors though, right?” asked James. Ash nodded and flashed her museum key-card, which hung from a lanyard around her neck. “Good,” James said, cracking his knuckles menacingly. “Leave the guards to me; you just get us inside and then I’ll take care of the rest.”

A minute later, Mark pulled up along the curb outside the museum. Climbing out of the car, the group looked up at the structure. Its enormous marble façade towered over them. A huge staircase led up to a set of gargantuan doors, flanked by rows of tall pillars that supported an overhanging roof. Sharp geometric shapes and large windows made up the roof and sides of the building, giving the impression of modern architecture competing with classical. It was an impressive thing, and actually standing before the building – knowing they had to break into such a place – suddenly seemed like a terribly daunting task.

Standing in the shadows near the car, James surveyed the open courtyard between them and the entrance. He hoped his sister was right about security, or else they’d be given away a lot sooner than he preferred. But there was no movement at all outside the museum.

“No one’s guarding the front!” whispered Ash excitedly. “We should go now! Before the guards come back!”

James nodded and motioned for the others to follow him. Keeping low, they hurried across the lawn toward the front doors. Double checking for any movement and seeing that the coast was clear, James rushed up the great stone steps and halted before the massive wooden doors, Mark, Jess, and Ash not far behind him. They stepped aside and made room for the latter, who held her key-card up to a scanner next to the doors. But nothing happened.

“Shit!” said the woman in a low voice. She tried again, but the result was the same; the little black box didn’t even flash red. “I think the power’s off!” Ash whispered.

James stepped forward and regarded the tall set of doors carefully. “Plan B then,” he said gravely. Ashley stepped back to give her brother room. James raised his leg and began focusing his power, imbuing himself with magically-enhanced strength. He kicked out hard and struck the door, but all it did was shudder under the strain, splinter a bit where James’ foot had impacted, and remain closed.

“Come on, god damn you…” James said under his breath, trying again to channel his magic. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Calming his mind and focusing his energy into one singular point, he raised his leg again. James snapped his eyes open and a bright glow emanated from them, bathing the museum entrance in magical light. James shouted powerfully as he kicked with all his might, driving his foot into the heavy wooden door once again.

With a bang, it exploded back. Blasted off its hinges, the huge door flew into the museum and landed with a crash against a far wall. Large wooden splinters from the door rained onto the ground before the group. Mark whistled. “Nice going, dude.” Jess nodded, eyes-wide, stunned by the impressive display. Ash grinned and rolled her eyes. “Show off,” she said jokingly.

James let out a long breath and blinked his eyes slowly, suppressing his magic and the light in his eyes once again. “Let’s go,” he said, and stepped through the ruined entrance into the museum.

The group found themselves in a large circular room with a tall ceiling. A vast tile mosaic covered the floor beneath their feet, and the walls were decorated with Greco-Roman frescoes. A giant chandelier hung from the ceiling, glittering in the small amount of moonlight that streamed through the wrecked doorway. Around the room were more sets of large wooden doors – though not as massive as the ones outside – each leading off to various exhibits and galleries.

“It’ll be this way,” said Ashley, pointing to the doors beneath a sign that read “Ancient Near East – Special Exhibit Coming Soon!” The others made to move toward the doors but stopped at the sound of footsteps.

The sound of bare feet on the hard marble floor echoed through the antechamber, and the four friends moved to stand near the center of the room with their backs to one another’s. It was impossible to tell which direction the footsteps were coming from. When they stopped, Mark looked around worriedly, not knowing what to expect. Jess reached for her purse and began rummaging through it. Ashley grabbed James’ hand, fearful and nervous. James gave her a reassuring look and began to summon his strength again, ready for anything.

Suddenly, all the doors in the room flung themselves open. Into the room ran a dozen figures, rushing in from all directions. Suddenly surrounded, James tried to identify the newcomers, but the room was still terribly dark. As the strangers moved toward the group huddling in the middle of the room, James conjured a small sphere of light in his hand and lobbed into the air, where it hovered just below the chandelier, now shimmering with reflected light.

The attackers groaned as they were temporarily blinded and stunned by the bright display of magic. This gave James and the others a chance to get a good look at their attackers. Their faces were unfamiliar to James, but he wasn’t really focusing on their faces; instead, his attention was caught by the fact that they were all completely naked. What’s more, their eyes – squinting as they adjusted to the light – were completely devoid of life or any semblance of intelligence. Pale-skinned and slack-jawed, the attackers were unmistakably husks.

Ashley gasped and covered her mouth in surprise. “James!” she whispered frantically, “They’re all guards and museum staff!”

“Shit,” said Mark, fists raised and ready for a fight. “What do we do?”

“We get out of here,” answered James. “Get to the Babylonian exhibit. Get away from these things and do not let them get close to you – unless you want to become a husk yourself.”

Having adjusted to the brightness, the husks began their advance again, spurred forward by an unending desire for carnal pleasure and undying loyalty to whomever had created them. James summoned forth his magic once again, recalling Lilith’s training as he did.

Channeling his power into the very earth beneath him, he raised his arms dramatically – and the earth rose with them. The tiled floor cracked apart as tall stones were forced out of the ground by James’ magic. Sweating with exertion, James pushed harder and willed the rocks to obey his command. Breaking apart and crumbling before compacting together again, the stones began to form a rugged-looking earthen wall of soil and stone that divided the large room. Over five-feet tall, the barrier stopped many of the husks in their tracks. It would be a long time before the slow-moving and slower-thinking creatures got past that. James turned around, shifting his attention to the enemies not blocked off.

Between James’ group and the door to the Babylonian exhibit were five figures. The husks ambled forward, quickly picking up speed and sprinting clumsily toward their prey. Mark kicked a large, sex-crazed man in the chest, sending him sprawling backward – though he was soon climbing to his feet again. Ashley cowered behind James as a thin female husk leapt at them. James stretched out a hand and grabbed the woman by the head, holding her at arm’s length with his magically-empowered strength.

She writhed in James’ clutches, scratching desperately at the man’s arm as she tried to reach him. James closed his eyes, and with a powerful pulse of magic, put the woman to sleep. She went limp immediately, and James lowered her carefully to the floor. He didn’t want to hurt the husks if he could avoid it – they were victims too – but he didn’t have time or the energy needed to cleanse their souls of whatever foul magic had transformed them.

Ashley screamed as a second husk dove at her feet. Grabbing her ankles, it pulled her to the ground. The redhead flailed and kicked at the creature, which clawed greedily at her shapely thighs. James tackled the mindless man, forcing him off his sister and wrestling him to the floor. Once he was restrained, James placed a hand against the husk’s head and knocked him out as well.

James climbed to his feet and turned to Ashley, who was sitting on the ground staring at the unconscious husk, clutching her chest and breathing rapidly. Helping his frightened sister back to her feet, he looked up in time to see Mark hit the guard he’d been fighting with a strong uppercut that put the husk down for good.

At the same time, a female husk jumped at Jess, whose back was turned to the rest of the group. With a loud crackling sound and sudden “ZAP,” the woman was forced off the petite blonde and flung several feet backward, where she lay twitching. “Holy shit, Jess,” said Mark, breathing heavily.

Jess turned around and held up a bright pink miniature taser. She smiled. “A girl’s gotta protect herself, right?”

A feral yell echoed through the room as a huge security guard rushed at Jess. Running on all fours like a beast, the man bore down on the teen with raging, mindless lust in his eyes.

“Jess, look out!” shouted James, but the blonde was too slow. Turning around an instant too late, she was tackled to the ground and pinned by the huge husk. Her little stun gun went sliding across the floor. Jess struggled desperately to break free, but she was far outmatched by the husk in terms of strength. The guard began to tear wildly at her clothes, ripping apart her spandex pants and tearing away her panties, exposing her pink pussy lips. The husk squeezed Jess’ small breasts with his large hands while he jammed his swollen erection at her entrance. Jess bucked wildly, attempting to knock the man off her, but it was no use.

Jessica’s pained scream echoed through the room as the husk sank his fat cock into her unlubricated pussy. A look of absolute ecstasy came over the guard’s face as he bottomed out inside the struggling teen. Jess howled and thrashed in vain against her assailant’s superior strength. But her shouts grew quieter as the husk began fucking her, and soon Jess was moaning sporadically against her will.

Possessed by an unearthly lust, all thoughts were sapped from her mind and the only thing that mattered to her in that moment was cum. She wanted the husk to cum inside her. She wanted to cum herself. She would do anything for that release, even sacrifice her very soul. And that’s just what was happening. As her mind was stripped bare by the husk’s vampiric lust, her eyes grew cloudy and her skin grew ghost-like. Drooling from her open mouth and grunting animalistically, Jess grew closer and closer to joining the ranks of the husks.

James was halfway through conjuring a great gust of wind that would force the guard off his best friend when he was suddenly interrupted. Two husks had made it over his stone barrier and lunged at him. The ravenous creatures held James around his shoulders and his waist and grabbed hungrily at the front of his pants, pawing desperately at his cock. James swore loudly and threw one husk off him; it landed against the earthen wall and slumped to the ground.

Still grappling with the other, he turned back around and saw the state Jess was in. Tossing her head back and forth emphatically, she screamed in violent, reluctant ecstasy, victimized by her rapist’s lustful power. The husk held Jess down with one hand while the other mauled and squeezed her small tits. The large, mindless man slammed his cock into her faster and faster, building toward an explosive climax. James swore and bucked off the husk that was latched onto him. He needed to hurry and get to Jess before she or the security guard came. If that happened, she’d become one of them. And James wasn’t sure he had the strength necessary to undue that transformation.

Mark was moving toward Jess as fast as he could too, but he was limping awkwardly, apparently injured from his fight with his own opponent. James began channeling another blast of magic that would stop the large guard, but he was beaten to the punch. A blur of red rushed past him. Ashley, who had been immobilized by fear moments ago, dashed forward and grabbed the little pink taser off the floor. She sprinted at the huge man that had Jess pinned.

“Get off my friend, you fuck!” she shouted fiercely, jabbing the stun gun forward at the security guard. The husk, eyes unfocused and mind lost to pleasure, didn’t react and was hit right in the chest. Mid-thrust, moments away from rapturous orgasm, he was blasted off the petite blonde and thrown backward by the high-voltage blow. Landing hard, he skidded across the floor and fell still.

Ashley dropped the weapon to the ground and fell to her knees next to Jess, holding her and telling her everything was okay. Jess came to her senses slowly, her eyes regaining their sight and her skin regaining its color. She looked around, confused and scared. Lip quivering, she fought back tears as she turned red with shame. Jess clutched the other woman’s blouse and cried. Mark hobbled over to the downed husk and gave him a good kick in the head to make sure he was out cold.

James went over to Jess and Ashley and kneeled beside them. “Jess, are you all right?” he asked. He knew she wasn’t, but he needed her to be. They didn’t have the time to stop and recover. Jess understood the situation perfectly well, too, and with a tremendous show of inner strength, she nodded.

The teen raised her head to look at James, eyes red from crying. “I’m fine…” she said, wiping tears out of her eyes with the back of her hand. She smiled appreciatively at Ashley and started to stand up. James offered the girls his hands and helped them to their feet. Mark pulled his hoodie over his head and gave it to Jess; it was huge on her, and easily long enough to cover her exposed modesty. The blonde smiled gratefully and put it on.

James looked over his shoulder at the wall of rock he’d created. The husks trapped on the other side were beginning to scale it and scramble over toward James and the others. “Come on,” he said, ushering his friends toward the Babylonian exhibit. They hurried through the doorway, James and Mark slamming the heavy wooden doors closed behind them. With another heaving grunt, James cracked the marble ground beneath him and forced it to rise up to block the door so that it couldn’t be pushed open from the other side. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he turned to Ash. “Lead on.”

The red-haired woman nodded and motioned for the others to follow her down the hall. The corridor opened up into a large room filled with ancient Egyptian artifacts and art. Painted sarcophagi lined the walls, gold and ivory jewelry filled glass display cases, and a replica of a pyramid stood in the center of the room. Nearby there was a staircase that – according to the map posted on the wall next to it – led upstairs to the medieval European section. On the far wall, opposite where James and the others had entered, there was a closed glass door, above which was a sign that read “Special Exhibit – Coming Soon.”

James strode forward purposefully, eyes set on the door and whatever lay beyond it. James tried the handle but was not at all surprised to find the door locked. On the wall beside him was another dead key-card-reader. James tried to look through the glass to see inside, but whatever was beyond the door was obscured by darkness.

“Step back,” James said, and the others did so. He raised his hands and released a small magical shockwave that easily shattered the glass door, leaving behind empty door frames and a large pile of jagged glass shards. “Watch your step.”

The four friends carefully stepped through the doorway and into another corridor. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard in the Egyptian gallery, and the group turned to see what new danger lurked behind them.

The lids of many of the sarcophagi in the room lay on the floor, some damaged by the fall that had produced the loud noise James and the others had heard. To their horror, shambling figures stirred within the great coffins. Thin, decrepit corpses wrapped in aged linen scraps stumbled out of their ancient resting places and slowly began marching through the labyrinth of displays toward the doors that James had just destroyed.

Jess, still shocked and traumatized from their last encounter with the museum’s guards, let out a high-pitched scream and held on tightly to Mark’s arm. Ash stared on in terror at the approaching mummies, her legs suddenly weak. Mark’s reaction was one of disbelief. “Fucking seriously?” he said quietly. “That’s some Scooby-Doo shit right there…”

The surprises didn’t stop there though. A loud metallic clanging echoed through the room. Wondering what else could be after them, James and the others watched, paralyzed with fear, as two large, heavy suits of steel armor – animated by magic – clambered down the stairs and joined the mummies in their pursuit of the four intruders.

“C’mon!” James said loudly. He grabbed his sister by the hand and pulled her along with him as he turned and hurried down the hallway, Jess and Mark following as quickly as they could. Heavy footsteps and metallic thudding echoed through the corridor behind them, but they didn’t look back. Before them, the hallway ended in a small set of marble stairs that led down into a larger area.

James stopped and hurried his friends down the steps ahead of him. Then, turning back the way they’d come, he extended his hand and began focusing on his magic. He imagined the energy within him growing hotter and hotter, brighter and brighter. When the intense heat became too much to contain, he released it through his fingertips. Jets of blue flame sprang from James’ hand and flooded the hallway with bright fire. Dark silhouettes, illuminated by the blaze, crumpled to the floor before him. The mummies groaned and wailed as their bandages were set alight and the fire spread amongst them. Soon, the undead were nothing but ashes.

James let out a sigh of relief and was about to turn back around when he spotted two figures still standing in the fire. Moving slowly but surely down the corridor toward him were the two suits of armor. Unaffected by the blaze surrounding them, they marched steadily forward, heavy steel boots clanking on the marble floor as they advanced. James swore and turned around. He hurried down the steps, following his friends into a vast room that was dimly lit by the glow of James’ distant magical fire.

“We’ve gotta hurry,” he said. “Those knights are right…behind…us…” James slowly trailed off. At the bottom of the stairs, he stood next to Mark, Jess, and Ashley, and together they stared at the scene before them.

The hall they now stood in was much larger than the last exhibit. Like much of the museum, the floor of the spacious room was marble – as were the tall columns that lined the perimeter of the room and supported the ceiling some twenty feet above them. All around the room were glass cases that displayed small, fragile bits of ancient jewelry and pottery. Statuettes and more complete pieces of art rested on pedestals. Much of the exhibit was still empty or under construction, with boxes and crates scattered around. At the far end of the room, covering much of the large wall, was a colorful, Babylonian-style mosaic that depicted two lions fighting. The displays were impressive, and everything was clearly very old and very valuable.

But nothing was quite as breath-taking as the enormous bronze idol that stood on a plinth at the heart of the gallery.

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