The Hidden Path

The Inquisition

The next morning, Lilith was far sorer than she normally would after a night with Alpha. Another reminder that she was becoming more vulnerable and weaker. Despite the aches, she was excited to not only explore the ruins of the temple, but also see a bit of Spain before the concert tonight. Having crawled out of bed and gotten in the shower, she now stood in the doorway of the bathroom, brushing her wet hair. Alpha turned from his dresser toward her, a sly smile stretching across his face.

"So tell me about the temple." Lilith said, ignoring the red that was now tinting his irises. Alpha grinned, his powerful hands buttoning his jeans.

"This temple was one of 4 that served as meeting locations while the Clergy was in its infancy." He replied, and as he spoke his eyes roamed her naked body, still damp from her shower. "Please get dressed Lilith." He finished with a sigh. Lilith smiled, but didn't toy with him. She wanted to get answers just as much as Alpha, and their time was limited.

"Yes my King." Lilith cooed, turning back toward the bathroom. Alpha's jaw flexed, his eyes studying her ass as she left. Before long, she was dressed, and they had traveled to a city square in Madrid, Spain. The late-morning sun was hot already, the sky powder blue and cloudless. This square, Puerta de Sol, was bustling with people. Lilith wondered if she and Alpha fit in with the rest of the tourists, though by the glances and pointing they were getting she knew the answer. Walking hand in hand, Alpha led them calmly out of the city square and through a narrow street laid with worn cobble stones. The buildings around them were tall and old, terracotta roofs topping the white and cream stone of the walls. After a maze of allies and backstreets, they stopped at a recessed doorway. With a heavy sigh, Alpha swung open the door and the pair walked into a remarkably large atrium that opened into the remnants of the expansive nave of an ancient temple.

"Holy shit." Lilith whispered, taking her hand from Alpha and gripped the strap of her cross-body bag, walking deeper into the nave.

"Careful Lilith, we need to be quick and . We don't know who else might be able to sense them." Alpha warned, his jaw tense. She simply nodded, her attention consumed by the vastness of the dilapidated temple. Though time had taken much of the details, it had left the naves grandiose intact. Scaffolding lined the northern wall of the temple, the stone crumbling under time. The massive slabs of stone laying the floor were twisting and undulating atop the setting earth, vines creeping along the grooves in the stone to the weathered wooden scaffold. Cracks ran along most of the eastern wall as well, the faintest lines of a mural still remaining. Along this broken wall were stone encircled doors made of dark hardwood. With a quick count, she noted at least 20 different doors.

"Where should we start?" Lilith asked, turning back to see that Alpha had disappeared. Her breathing shudder as she quickly scanned the front of the temple, hoping to catch sight of where he went. The realization that he had left her alone in this highly unfamiliar place sunk her stomach. Asshole...Shifting her focus back to the task before her, she looked over to the numerous doors running along a cracking wall that towered easily 50 feet above her. Ropes hung from the wooden beam running along the center of the arched ceiling, the ends frayed and unwound. The ceiling was so high, that the light from the small windows near the entrance and the alter hardly reached it. A quick movement then caught her eye, a chill of fear running through her. She wasn't sure who or what else was in this sprawling space, its size easily taking up the entire city block. It would be unwise to toil in one place for so long, but she felt overwhelmed by the options.

Lilith hesitantly decided to followed the scuttering noise, a door not too far from her creaking open. She knew this was a bad idea, every fiber of her being screamed at her to leave. But much like the cat, curiosity egged her on, leading her to stop just below the cobbled arch of the slightly ajar door. Whoever had opened the door had to use force to do so, the hinges rusted from neglect. The door itself was of substantial size as well, made of solid thick hardwood. What could have opened this door...Maybe Alpha...Lilith debated with herself, against her common sense of course. She knew that she would have seen him had he been the one to make the sound and to open this door.