Eshanai came too slowly. Her body was aching and sore from her treatment by whatever creature had attacked her in the dark waters. It could have been anything for all she knew. The Catfish’s missing fin hadn’t seemed to slow it down much on its mad scramble as Eshanai held on to it, but whatever it was had been vicious to the extreme.

She was sitting propped up in a hard, uncomfortable chair. The air was chilly, tasting like rotting flesh, and Eshanai shivered from the cold as the sound of water dripping in the distance echoed in her ears. She opened bleary eyes, catching sight of the new scars adorning her body. She was gathering quite the collection, and the ones she had caught from the octopus were just beginning to fade too, Eshanai chuckled to herself.

Eshanai didn't know why she was still alive, but she pondered the mystery as she lifted her head. The Catfish would be a fool to spare her, so maybe someone had pulled her out of the water. She was seated at a polished stone table with porcelain plates and finely decorated cups laid out in front of her. Her mind grew to a halt as she saw that Sikhez was sitting across from her, a strained smile directed at Eshanai.

“Sikhez, I’m glad you’re alright,” Eshanai said as relief flooded her. Sikhez must have been the one to save her, somehow escaping when the Catfish was away to come get Eshanai. She looked around in confusion at their surroundings. They were in some sort of damp cave, floating lights hovering against the ceiling, illuminating the many stalactites dripping water on the floor. “Is this where you’ve been hiding?” Eshanai asked as she examined the cave. She had been all over the island and thought she had explored most of it, but she didn’t recognize these caves. Her tongue flickered out of her mouth, and she got a more intense sense of something rotting.

“Eshanai, so nice of you to join us,” Sikhez said with forced cheer, her strained smile wide and unnatural as she brought a cup to her lips with the tip of her dark green tail to slurp loudly at the liquid within. The other Naga was very fancily adorned. She had golden hairpins fastened in her short black hair with little green gems in them, doing an excellent job of bringing out her green eyes. She had a jade necklace around her throat and bracelets around her wrists matching her olive skin complexion.

And to Eshanai’s astonishment, Sikhez was even clothed, not in something practical like armor or something that would protect her, but in a fancy red dress. Although Eshanai supposed, it was rather cold in here, but that thing couldn’t be giving her much warmth. There was no denying the effect the dress had on Sikez’s cleavage though, something to consider.

“Us?” Eshanai asked in surprise. “There are more of you here?” Had some of the young Naga banded together to better survive? In direct defiance of the elders? Eshanai would be impressed by their guts if that was the case.

“We are all guests here,” Sikhez said in that overly cheerful voice, and more glowing lights came to life along the ceiling, revealing the rest of the cave. Their table stood in a small part of what was shown to be a massive hall with a vaulted, cavernous ceiling and more tables and chairs spread throughout. What caught Eshanai’s attention were the figures sitting in those chairs. They were primarily goblins from the look of things, but Eshanai spotted other creatures too, like a Biquix and even a Spiteling, all sitting stiffly propped up in their chairs, all dead. They were as richly adorned as Sikhez, sporting fancy suits, and dresses, some in more advanced states of decomposing than others.

“This is the Catfish’s cave?” Eshanai said, finally understanding, and when Sikhez gave a barely perceptible nod, she continued. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get out of here. Where’s the nearest exit?” Eshanai said in a rush and quickly rose out of her chair, making it fall and clatter noisily against the stone floor. Sikhez flinched at the sound, looking around worriedly as if afraid she would upset someone.

“Please sit down again. He will be furious if he finds us out of our chairs,” Sikhez said timidly as she finally dropped her plastered on smile to look afraid. Eshanai frowned at her.

“What’s the matter with you? We are Naga. There’s no need to be scared of a little spirit,” she said with a chuckle as she slithered around the table and took Sikhez’s hand to drag her out of her chair.

“No, I’ll be punished again,” Sikhez gasped, a note of panic entering her voice as she yanked her hand out of Eshanai’s grasp. She turned back in surprise to look in shock at her frightened little sister. What could the spirit have done to Sikhez to make her so afraid? Cold anger entered Eshanai and made a pit of despair open up in her stomach. It was happening again. This latest disaster wasn’t as deadly, but it was still killing them. Slowly but surely, the young Naga would die if left alone.

Anger turned to fury, and it must have shown on Eshanai’s face, for Sikhez shied away from her. She was angry at the elders and their stupid laws. If they could just stop thinking that they were so high and mighty and actually listen to someone less than a thousand years old, none of this would have happened. She was angry at the Catfish spirit and anyone or anything else that would dare lay a hand on any of her sisters. She would do much worse than plucking every single scale from its body if she ever saw that overgrown mudsucker again. But most of all, she was angry at herself.

What, by the mountain, was she doing? How could Eshanai be running around chasing her dreams and silly fairytales when her people needed her? But what could she do? They didn’t want her help, running away at the mere sight of her. She didn’t know if the damage was as extensive as she feared. Maybe their young had fared better than she thought. Eshanai hoped so. It was that damn decree of the elders. No one questioned it. They were too respected, too powerful to be wrong. If Eshanai could just make them see sense, a lot of Naga lives could be spared. She couldn’t worry about that at the moment. All she could do now was help Sikhez get out of here.

“Look, I don’t know what he has done to you,” Eshanai said as she tried to contain herself, anger threatening to bubble up again at how pitiful Sikhez looked. “But look around. If you stay here, you’ll end up like them,” Eshanai reasoned and gestured out at the bodies rotting in their chairs. “A fancy corpse.”

“You don’t think I know that,” Sikhez snapped, finally seeming to get back to herself. Eshanai grinned at her, despite the tone. “At first, I tried to escape, but every attempt I made ended in failure. This place is not normal, the exits change, and even if I get out, I can never seem to reach the surface. No matter how long I swim for I never get so much as a glimpse of light. I cannot even hurt him. I’ve tried. He’ll just put me in that water prison again,” Sikhez shuddered at some memory as she looked worriedly around them. “You should really sit down. He has eyes and ears everywhere.”

If that were true, why hadn’t the spirit shown itself already? Was it afraid of Eshanai? Then why hadn’t it just killed her and avoided all this hassle? They had both upheld their end of the bargain so there would be no consequences from that terrible pressure she had felt, even if the spirit hadn’t liked her playing. If music was so vital to it, and Eshanai was the only one that had even touched an instrument on the whole island. Eshanai didn’t know the why of it just yet, but she suspected that music must be even more important to the Catfish than she had previously thought or else why go through all this trouble.

“Seems it is keeping you alive for a reason. How long have you been down here? Have you seen how it treats its other guests when it brings them?” Eshanai asked now that she had a guess as to why the spirit might be keeping her alive, but not Sikhez. Was it just to lure in Eshanai? Maybe, or it was just taking advantage of an opportunity now that the Naga were unfavoured.

“It is hard to say. There is no way to tell the passing of night and day down here. Feels like a little more than a week. And yes, drags them down here kicking and screaming usually.” Sikhez answered as she glanced at the stiff bodies all around them.

“And what does it do to them? How long do they last before expiring?”

“He mostly just talks to them and offers them tea, makes them sit in these chairs, and dresses us up. The more docile ones can last longer, but for the most part, he keeps them alive for one or two days before,” Sikhez paused in her telling, scrunching up her face. “Well, it’s weird. He’s not violent when they die. He simply touches their heads, and they just stop, no screaming or thrashing about, they just stop living.” So the spirit could kill them with just a touch, all the more reason to get out of here. Although it hadn’t killed Sikhez yet, keeping her alive for a whole week.

“And you have been getting the same treatment? When you’re not being punished?” This spirit was all sorts of weird, and if it weren’t for all the death, Eshanai would almost think it was simply lonely. She regretted that she hadn’t taken the time to learn more about spirits. Maybe Jiro would know what was going on here. Rulan would definitely know, but she was probably holed up with the elders.

It must be getting something out of all this. Was it because it could actually talk to Sikhez, and she could respond? Eshanai couldn’t imagine that it would get much stimulating conversation out of a goblin.

“Yes, it mostly asks me a bunch of questions about my opinions on things,” Sikhez answered distractedly as she seemed to get more paranoid, hunching her shoulders as if waiting for an invisible blow to land.

“Like what?” Eshanai asked her antsy little sister.

“What does it matter?” Sikhez complained with a snort of released breath. “Will you sit down already? My nerves can’t take much more of this.”

“No, I will not,” Eshanai answered slowly, steadily as she bent down and leaned in close so she could look Sikhez straight in the eyes. The younger Naga couldn’t stand Eshanai’s intense stare for very long and glanced away from those amber eyes as Eshanai continued. “And it does matter,” Sikhez twitched as Eshanai took her head in her hands and turned it back to face her.

They stared at each other for a moment before Eshanai leaned in to kiss Sikhez. The younger Naga resisted for a moment, squirming and trying to get away, but Eshanai was too strong, and she soon melted into the kiss. Sikhez reciprocated eagerly as her body remembered what it was like to be taken, to submit to a stronger lover. It gave her a rush that went straight to her sex as Eshanai’s tongue invaded her mouth and her hands explored her body. Her left hand snuck into the front of Sikhez’s dress to palm a hefty breast while her right stroked up and down her back. Sikhez was just about to challenge Eshanai again, and she was eager to be overpowered. It was the Naga way. When Eshanai abruptly ended the kiss, leaning back to look down at her. Sikhez rose up out of her chair in pursuit, wanting the kiss to continue, but Eshanai slapped her hard across the face, effectively stunning her.

“What was that for?” Sikhez asked, more bewildered than anything as she plonked back into her seat, a hand rubbing her stinging cheek.

“That was for, bah,” Eshanai clenched her fists in frustration. “For making me worry and for forgetting yourself. We are Naga, by the mountain. We don’t let spirits or anything for that matter treat us like this. We are apex predators.”

“Ha, we might have been before, but if you hadn’t noticed, spirits don’t exactly listen to us anymore. I have had more near-death experiences during the last month than I have during the rest of my entire life. The vegetation bars my way, where before it leaped eagerly to do my bidding. The wind ignores me, and the great spirit of the steps has kidnapped me. Tell me again how we are at the apex.” Sikhez was snarling at Eshanai, almost yelling as she vented her frustration. Then her expression abruptly cleared, and she straightened in her seat as she seemed to remember something. “We’re not supposed to see each other. Oh, the elders are going to be so mad.”

“Now you remember,” Eshanai said with a chuckle, and Sikhez glared at her again. “I’m starting to think that their latest decree is doing more harm than good.” Sikhez gasped at Eshanai’s open questioning.

“You’re lucky none of them are here to hear you say that.”

“That may be the case, but still, am I wrong?” Eshanai grinned at how Sikhez opened her mouth with a ready rebuttal on her tongue but closed it again to think. “In either case, will you really reject my help to let this spirit do as it pleases?” When Sikhez stayed silent, only frowning at Eshanai, she continued. “Look, you can do as you like when we get out of here, but for now, I’m going to help you whether you like it or not.” Sikhez only frowned harder as Eshanai held out her hand towards her but sighed in defeat as she reached out to take it.

“Fine,” she said as Eshanai pulled her out of her seat. “I’d expect you’d carry me out of here otherwise.”

“Yes,” Eshanai answered with a grin as she took in the full extent of the dress Sikhez was wearing. It looked constraining, with the way it was clinging to her upper body and confining her waist. The bottom part was instead heavy and voluminous. The red fabric cascaded down to pool on the floor. It obscured Sikhez’s tail entirely like a flower held upsidedown. “That can’t be comfortable,” Sikhez was taking quick little half breaths like something was keeping her from breathing normally.

“It isn’t, but I’m keeping it on so he won’t be too angry when he inevitably comes looking for us. It’s this damn torture device I have on underneath, something about being properly civilized.” She complained as she gestured at herself.

“You know you don’t have to be afraid of it anymore, right? I’m here now,” Eshanai said, trying to reassure the young Naga. Sikhez scowled again before she sighed and looked away in shame.

“I want to believe you, I really do. It’s just so hard. You say we are apex predators, everyone does. Even the elders spout it like it’s gospel. But it’s just not true, with the help of the spirits perhaps, but without them, we are just as mortal as every other retch on this island.” Sikhez was almost shaking, on the verge of tears, and her dress didn’t help. “So yes, I’m scared and so ashamed of it. I don’t wanna die.” Her confession cut straight to Eshanai’s hearts before Sikhez covered her face with both hands and started crying.

“There there little one,” Eshanai said, as she embraced Sikhez in a tight hug. She was so bad at this. She wished she could just know the perfect words to say to make Sikhez feel better, to tell her that they didn’t need the spirits to be great again. But the words died on her tongue, feeling disingenuous. “We may not be at the apex anymore,” Eshanai said as she sighed into Sikhez’s hair. She decided to be honest, the young Naga deserved as much. She was a strong one, despite what her tears might indicate. “But we can still survive this.”

“But, the elders say,” Sikhez spoke through her sniffles as she leaned into Eshanai’s shoulder.

“Forget the elders for a moment,” Eshanai interrupted. “Their word is not everything, they should never have disbanded the tribe and ordered us to scatter. Leaving our young defenseless without the power of the spirits.”

“I’ve made a shameful display of myself,” Sikhez said as she dried her tears and extricated herself from the hug.

“You younglings are all the same,” Eshanai said with a fond smile. “There is no shame in being scared Sikhez. Fear can be a useful tool if you make it work for you, but as with all things too much of it can be harmful, you must not let your fear rule you, little one.” Eshanai tried to impart, feeling out of place as a teacher, but trying not to let it show.

“I cannot help it, what will we do if it finds us? All we can do is run, but we won’t find an exit. He’ll make sure of it.” Sikhez said bitterly, as she stood staring at Eshanai, her doubt worn openly for her to see.

“I’ll protect you,” Eshanai answered with a confident smile, and the young Naga snorted at her bravado. “You might think I’m boasting, but I know the spirit isn’t invincible. I hurt it before it brought me here.” Sikhez stared at Eshanai amazed, her mouth hanging open in astonishment before she closed it.

“What?!” Sikhez exclaimed in disbelief. “I never even managed to leave a scratch on it. What did you do? Get a lucky shot against its eye or something?” The young Naga was still in doubt, but Eshanai couldn’t help but notice the small note of hope entering Sikhez’s voice. She grinned as her next word would feed that hope.

“I ripped off one of its fins,” Eshanai said calmly, and if anything the words had an even stronger effect than she had thought. At first, there was silence as Sikhez stared at her again, then she grinned savagely and grabbed Eshanai’s hand to start dragging her away from the table and out of the large hall.

“Wow, wow, wow, slow down there buttercup. Where are we going?” Eshanai said with a laugh as she let herself be dragged after her younger sister.

“We are going to kill that muckraker for what he has done,” Sikhez hissed back at her fiercely, and Eshanai could only smile and nod along at the change in demeanor, glad that her sister was back to her old self again.