And Once More Saw The Stars Read online

  AND ONCE MORE SAW THE STARS

  BY RAE D MAGDON

  ILLUSTRATED BY RACHEL GEORGE

  And Once More Saw The Stars

  Copyright © Rae D Magdon, Rachel George

  First Edition

  The author has asserted their moral right under the

  Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified

  as the author of this work.

  All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Acknowledgements

  The verses of poetry at the beginning of each Canto are taken from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s translation of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. We imagine these two poets never dreamed that their words might someday inspire lesbian porn.

  Rae D Magdon:

  To Alyse, Mel, Jo and Sy who are such good friends that they waded through 20+ chapters of lesbian demon porn just for me. Thank you guys for editing this huge project.

  Rachel George:

  To my wife for her constant support without which I would not have been able to finish this project.

  Content Warning

  Contains graphic depictions of sexual activity between two women, one of whom has the ability to shapeshift and alter her genitalia. TL;DR - it has pussy and some cock, but we’re calling it lesbian because it involves two self-identified women. Give it a try before you run screaming from the room.

  Contents

  And Once More Saw The Stars 3

  Acknowledgements 4

  Content Warning 5

  Canto I: 7

  Canto II: 19

  Canto III: 30

  Canto IV: 47

  Canto V: 61

  Canto VI: 76

  Canto VII: 87

  Canto VIII: 99

  Canto IX: 111

  Canto X: 123

  Canto XI: 133

  Canto XII: 143

  Canto XIII: 155

  Canto XIV: 167

  Canto XV: 177

  Canto XVI: 186

  Canto XVII: 196

  Canto XVIII: 208

  Canto XIX: 224

  Canto XX: 234

  Canto XXI: 246

  Canto XXII: 255

  Canto XXIII: 264

  Fine: 274

  About the Author 279

  About the Illustrator 280

  Concept art 281

  Canto I:

  Midway upon the journey of our life

  I found myself within a forest dark,

  For the straightforward pathway had been lost.

  “The path is gone.” Eva’s hair fell in a curtain around her face as she looked down at her boots. The wide dirt road had faded into a small, overgrown footpath during the course of the day, but as the sun rose higher over the mountain, even that had disappeared. Only the rough, rooted floor of the forest remained beneath her feet.

  “That means we’re going the right way,” Lilith said. Eva glanced over at her. In the shadows of the trees, she looked even taller and darker than usual, and the lines of her body were tense beneath her shirt.

  “I’m ready. Let’s keep going.” She tightened her fingers around her staff and continued forward, leaving the edge of the path behind. The trees clustered together in thick patches, and branches tore savagely at her clothes, trying to prevent her from passing. No birds or animals called. Everything was silent except for her footsteps and Lilith’s breathing beside her. She was an intruder in this quiet place.

  After a few minutes, Eva turned to Lilith again, touching her just below her shoulder. Her arms were bare, and several fresh scratches marred her skin. “Are we going downhill?”

  Lilith nodded. “This is the valley you saw earlier, beneath the mountain that no one ever climbs.”

  She did remember seeing the mountain, but it had seemed impossibly far away then, looming over them like a cloaked black figure. Even when the sun had been at its highest, the mountain remained dark. “We can’t have come that far,” she protested, even though she knew they must have.

  “Time and distance pass differently here.” Lilith stopped, and Eva stopped beside her. Warmth covered her hand, and she looked down to see Lilith’s fingers folded over hers. Together, they held the top grip of her staff. “You don’t need to do this, you know. It’s my journey to make.” Even though there was almost no light left to cast them, the forest’s shadows crept further along Lilith’s jaw, hollowing her cheeks.

  “I want to come with you,” she said. “You know I would follow you into Hell and back.”

  “You have no idea what Hell is.” Lilith let go of her hand and turned away. “But I’m glad you’re coming with me. Perhaps that makes me selfish.”

  Eva’s lips curved into a smile. “No. It makes you human.”

  Lilith laughed and ran a hand through her hair, pushing it even more out of place. “Not yet,” she said under her breath. “But for you, I will be.”

  They continued through the forest as it climbed down and down into darkness, making sure their feet never slipped over the uneven ground. Neither of them relished falling the rest of the way. A flash of movement caught Eva’s eye, and she whipped her head around, but a firm hand stopped her from moving forward. “Wait.”

  Lilith’s eyes welled over with shining, liquid light. Her mouth opened as if in agony, showing off the fresh points of her white teeth. There was a tearing sound as wings erupted from her back, shredding through skin and the fabric of her shirt. Even the bones of her skull shifted as a pair of giant, twisting horns grew from her head. Her fingers extended into lethal claws, and she curled them towards her body, turning to look for the source of the movement.

  Seeing Lilith’s true form had frightened Eva at first, but now, she was only afraid of whatever had prompted the change. Lilith could leave behind her human body at will, but she only did so when she sensed danger, or when she needed to feed. If she had shifted, something was waiting for them in the shadows. “What do you see?” she asked.

  “I don’t see anything... but I hear it.”

  The beast struck in a blur of black and gold. It launched itself at Eva with a breath-stopping shriek, teeth bared and claws extended. The force of its body nearly knocked her over, but she managed to brace herself and strike at its face. The edge of her staff clipped the creature’s ear, and it staggered back in surprise, releasing the torn fabric of her shirt.

  Before she could pull back to swing, Lilith shot between them. The beast hissed in pain, and she knew that Lilith’s claws had found their mark. They whirled around together, and Eva pulled away. At last, she could see what had attacked her. It was a leopard, larger by half than any normal wild cat, lithe and covered in muscle.

  She drew back her staff, and this time, she brought the end crashing down directly on the leopard’s head. Its grip on Lilith loosened, and its lips pulled back over its teeth as it howled its rage. That was all the time Lilith needed. She lunged forward, tearing out the beast’s throat. The leopard crumpled to the forest floor, limp and unmoving as a sticky red pool spread beneath its head.

  “I didn’t expect to be attacked here... He must know we’re coming,” Lilith panted, blood still streaked around her mouth.

  Eva winced and brought her fingertips up to her lips. “You, um… have a
little something…”

  “Ah, sorry.” Lilith gave a sheepish shrug and wiped some of the mess away with her sleeve. “Anyway, be on your guard. This isn’t the last of them.”

  Eva stared down at the gigantic leopard bleeding out onto the rotting leaves and roots. “There are more of those things?”

  “No more leopards, but there are other creatures guarding the gate. I’m sure they will come for us before we get there. We need to keep going.”

  Eva followed Lilith for several paces, but then she paused, turning back to glance at the leopard one more time. She let out a small cry of surprise when she saw that its body had completely disappeared, dissolving into the dead-smelling earth. “Lilith? Was that thing... real?” Her question was answered when she saw the last traces of blood that were still smeared across Lilith’s face and arm. The leopard had been very real.

  They continued deeper into the forest, fighting their way through the branches as they descended the steep slope. As she picked her way downhill, Eva could not shake the feeling that they were still being watched. Occasionally, she thought that she saw flickers of movement, but the forest remained unnaturally quiet.

  It was Lilith who caught the first flashes of tawny in the trees, but this time, the creature that had been trailing them did not leap out. A lion strode out confidently from between two twisted trunks, its golden mane shifting over the rippling muscles of its powerful back. It bared its teeth, a roar ripping from its throat.

  Eva brandished her staff, but Lilith stepped in front of her again, claws extended as she prepared for the lion to strike. “Cats,” she muttered, almost disdainfully. “Doesn’t He have anything better to try and stop me with?”

  When the beast attacked, it did not use its teeth. Instead, it brought its powerful paw down like a club, trying to batter Lilith to the ground. Before the beast could finish the strike, she launched herself at the great cat’s face, slashing at its vulnerable eyes with her claws. The lion growled in pain and staggered back, blood pouring down its muzzle. Blinded and enraged, it tore forward with its teeth. One of its paws crashed against Lilith’s shoulder, making her stagger, but its powerful jaws missed her throat, and she was able to strike her own blow, slicing through the beast’s tough hide.

  The lion rushed again, its white fangs dripping with its own blood as a river of red poured down its face. This time, they met flesh. Lilith screamed as its teeth sank into her shoulder, and her ridged wings battered at the beast’s face, sending it sprawling as it released its grip in pain and confusion. That was the only opening Lilith needed. She ripped open the lion’s throat with her claws until only ribbons of flesh were left.

  The lion disappeared almost immediately, vanishing before their eyes. As soon as it was gone, Lilith staggered, bracing herself against a tree. The wound on her shoulder was not as deep as it could have been, but the lion’s teeth had punctured the skin.

  Eva hurried forward, dropping her staff and shrugging the strap of her bag from her shoulder. “Here, hold still.” Her face tightened with worry as she tried to examine the wound. It was gory looking, and still bleeding, but Lilith still seemed able to move her arm. “You have to heal. Do you need me to feed you?”

  “No,” Lilith grunted. “We don’t have time, and there isn’t anywhere safe to stop.”

  “Are you sure?” Eva asked. “Something else could come after us, something worse than a lion.” She reached up to stroke the side of Lilith’s arm, stopping just short of the torn flesh. “And when it does, you’ll probably want to use that arm.” When Lilith still did not look convinced, she used the only weapon left to her. “You’re a succubus. If you get hurt, we can always fix it later. But if something hurts me…”

  Lilith sighed and looked away, leaning further back against the tree. “Fine, we’ll compromise. Bandage it now, and I’ll feed from you later. Do you have any water in there? You won’t be able to see what you’re doing with all this blood.”

  Eva was not convinced, but something in Lilith’s expression told her that arguing would get her nowhere. Reluctantly, she opened her bag and reached into it. Her arm disappeared past the elbow as she rummaged through their supplies. “Hold on, let me find... here.” She pulled out several rolled up strips of bandages and gauze, as well as a bottle of water. “Will we be able to refill this?”

  “Yes, at the river Acheron,” Lilith said. “The other rivers are too dangerous to drink from.”

  Eva cupped Lilith’s face tenderly in her hand, tilting it to the side to reveal the wound. She ran the precious water over it, washing away some of the blood. After dampening one of the bandage strips, she cleared the blood from Lilith’s face as well. She used the dry strips to bind the wound as tightly as she could. “We’ll find a place to rest soon, and then I’ll get rid of that for you.” She narrowed her eyes when Lilith began to protest. “I said, I’ll get rid of it. We can’t go into Hell with your arm shredded.”

  Lilith sighed. “Very well. Hopefully, we can find some refuge past the gate.” She straightened her spine and stood up, testing the motion of her arm. “Come on. We need to leave before we meet anything worse than a lion.”

  They started forward again. The going was more difficult this time, and Eva had to move slowly or risk slipping down the steep wall of the valley. She hovered close to Lilith’s side, unwilling to let her step out of reach. Finally, after what could have been minutes or hours, Lilith stopped beside her. “Wait. Don’t you feel it?”

  “Feel what, love?”

  Even the affectionate name did not brighten Lilith’s face. The brilliant red tone of her skin seemed unnaturally grey around the edges, and when she turned, Eva could see how exhausted her eyes looked. “It feels... heavy. Like every bad thing in the world is sitting on top of my shoulders. You can’t sense it?”

  She paused, and a long, low shudder passed through her. A gaping emptiness yawned open deep within her chest, right where her heart should have been. “You’re right,” she whispered, her voice cracking in her throat.

  The source of their despair came in the form of a lean wolf. Like the lion, she slunk out from the trees instead of leaping, but she did not move to attack. She stared at the two of them with hungry, savage eyes. The painful weight that Eva had felt before doubled, and for a moment, she thought tears would spill down her cheeks.

  “Don’t look at her,” Lilith urged. The wolf stared at them, tongue lolling greedily from her large, fanged mouth. Her eyes blazed, and she seemed impossibly thin despite her large size. “Keep walking. This one won’t hurt us.”

  “Not physically, maybe,” Eva murmured. Each step was an effort, but somehow, she knew that turning around and trying to retreat up the side of the valley would be an even more impossible task. She watched the wolf with wary eyes, but it did not try to attack. Instead, it followed them, shifting through the trees, never more than a few yards away. “How long is she going to watch us?” she asked. Her bag suddenly felt several times heavier, and the trees were thicker, nearly growing on top of each other.

  “Until we find the gate.”

  “And where is the gate?”

  “Here.” Lilith stepped forward, pushing aside a branch. The forest opened into a clearing, and Eva gasped as she looked past Lilith’s arm. Standing in the middle of the clearing was a tall, arched gate. It was made of stone, but its color was so dark that it was almost black. Embedded within one of the doors, as if written in blood or fire, were glowing, pulsing red lines of text. They seemed to move when they sensed that they were being watched, curling and reshaping themselves into ancient, dead letters.

  Finally, they settled into something that Eva could understand. She read aloud, and the words grew brighter at the sound of her voice. “Through me is the way to the city of woe. Through me is the way to eternal pain. Through me is the way among the people lost.” Something prompted her to look back over her shoulder, and she was not sur
prised to see that the wolf had disappeared.

  Lilith stepped closer to the gate, running her hand over the stone. The inscription changed under her palm. “Justice incited my sublime creator...” Her voice broke on the word creator. She closed her eyes, folding her wings into her back. Her claws and horns retracted, and the angry red color of her flesh faded to a smooth, cinnamon brown. When she opened her eyes, they no longer glowed. She continued reading. “Created me divine Omnipotence, the highest Wisdom and the primal Love.”

  Eva read the last three lines inscribed on the arch, reaching out to take Lilith’s soft, human hand in hers. “Before me there were no created things. Only eterne, and I eternal last. All hope abandon, ye who enter in!” The words flared brightly for a moment, and then faded, darkening like a flame that had been stomped out.

  Lilith’s fingers unlaced themselves from hers and slid out of her grip. “You don’t have to come with me,” she whispered, staring straight ahead. “I wouldn’t blame you for turning back. I don’t know any human that would trust a demon to lead them safely through Sheol.”

  “You know one.” She put her hand on Lilith’s forearm, refusing to let her go. “Me.”

  “I have no idea why.”

  “Because I love you.”

  Lilith finally turned to look at her. “I’m not sure love is enough for this. If you want to stay alive, you’ll have to give me your absolute trust. You will need to follow all of my instructions without question, even if they seem dangerous or cruel. Are you sure you’re willing to do that for a succubus?”

  She let go of Lilith’s arm and reached out to push open the gate. Then, there was only the scream of fire and the burn of anguish licking through their bodies.

  Canto II:

  Hope nevermore to look upon the heavens;

  I come to lead you to the other shore,