Remember... Ch. 07

"Also, be careful to never cast these in the city limits. The Society Enforcers are the 'shoot first, ask questions later' types. If you need to practice, you can either rent an arena here at the society, or go outside of the city. There are a couple fields nearby where some people practice."

Amanda simply nodded.

"Ok. Now, watch my construction, and follow my lead."

Almost an hour later, Amanda laid panting on the ground. Mari stood over her with a smirk. "I told you not to overdo it," she said. "You only need so much power each time. The ice walls were fine, but-"

"I... " the elf panted. "I would've. Been fine. If the shard. Didn't get so big."

"Yeah. You definitely need to learn to control your spell potency better. You imbue them with way more power than they need most of the time."

With her elbows behind her, she pushed herself into a sitting position. "But more power is good, right?"

"Well. I guess sometimes? But it's not like you need a giant shard to down one person. A regular sized one is enough. Really, if you're accurate, even a small one might be good enough. And besides, right now we're only dealing with low tier combat spells. If you're not careful with the power for some of the highest tier spells, it's possible to drop dead from the exhaustion."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Just be careful. You and I, we're not like Maguses. We can only cast spells through our own power."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Eh? Don't you know the difference between elven and most human magic mechanics?"

Amanda shook her head.

"All elves, and human Sorcerer and Sorceresses like me are only able to use what strength we have within ourselves to cast spells, while human Maguses cast spells using the ambient magical energy in the air around us."

"What? You mean they don't get tired like this? That doesn't sound very fair," the elf grumbled.

Mari shrugged. "Well, there's up and downs for each. We can cast spells until we drop dead, while the worst that'll happen to them is that their spell fizzle out from a lack of power. But this also means that we can almost always cast spells no matter the circumstance, while Maguses would be able to cast spells until they've drawn out all the power from the air. It actually happens pretty frequently when there's a bunch of Maguses casting in close proximity to each other. This is why despite most human casters being Maguses, most of our combat casting specialists are Sorcerers or Sorceresses."

"Huh. That's interesting. Weird too. I wonder why there's no elven equivalent of Maguses."

"Yeah, I don't know either. There's equivalents for almost every race except elves and dwarfs. Doesn't really matter though. We're a far more reliable bunch of casters than they are," Mari grinned as she extended a hand to Amanda. "Now, break's over. Let's practice some more!"

+-+-+-+-+-

"Hey, Andrew, did you read the intel summary on Hek yet?" Mark said as he took off his helmet, restoring his normal voice.

"Mmm... Not yet. You know I always save the most interesting one for my bedtime reading," Andrew admitted sheepishly.

"Hah, ok. But really, read it. I'm not a hundred percent certain, but there's a chance that we might have a mole in the Hek branch. I'm suspecting House Norfald or House Casidus, but that's just pure speculation at this point."

Jaraad had by this point finished putting on his suit of armor. "Do you want me to have some troop moved to the area and see what information gets passed on?" He offered, his voice hollow and distorted by the helmet. "It's something I should do soon anyways."

"No, that's too obvious. And besides, I'm not absolutely certain yet," Mark shook his head. "I'll keep an eye out on it, and see what I can do, but I think for now the best course of action is to just observe. We'll have to filter what information we send to Hek, and be more careful of what information we receive from there."

"Yeah, ok. Keep me posted on that. Should we let the Society know as well? They have people there too, right?"

"They do, yes, but it's too early. Even if there is a mole, they might tip him off. I'll send them a note when I'm ready to tell them."

"Ok. Sounds good. Have a good night, then," Andrew said as he walked towards the far door of the hidden armory with Jaraad a few steps behind. He stopped mid-step. "Oh right, how's it going with that girl? Amanda?"

"Huh? Oh, good. Though, I think her guardians are going to try to dig up stuff about me."

"Oh. Uh oh. So what are you gonna do?"

Mark shrugged.

"Mark," Jaraad spoke up, "this is going to sound obvious, but she can't know what you are, and more importantly, neither can her guardians. Giving someone that kind of leverage is dangerous to Andrew, to all of us."

"Yeah, I know. I'm handling it," he said as he opened another door that lead into one of the many servant passages that ran throughout the palace. "Good night, guys."

After a quick detour to grab a bite near the drow night market, Mark found his way home. As soon as he stepped inside, he sensed something was off. There was the distinct sound of someone's breathing.

A quick glance around the dark living room assuaged his momentary alarm. Curled up on sofa armrest, Amanda slept peacefully, her stocking covered feet tucked under her. Mark smiled. He sat down on the coffee table, and stroked her hair. As he looked at her form, he noticed that the hem of her skirt was bunched quite high, revealing her slender legs. The blouse, too, had the top button undone, revealing the gentle curves at the top of her breasts.

Mark licked his lips. He took in her innocent beauty even as corrupt thoughts formed in his head. He was fairly certain that she'd be more than happy to be woken up and make those fantasies into reality, but... Mark shook his head and purged those thoughts. Instead, he contemplated on how to move her to his bed without waking her. It was at that moment that Amanda's eyes fluttered open.

"Mark?" She mumbled, blinking away the cobwebs.

"Hey there."

"Hi," she smiled and stretched, her eyes still half closed. "How long have you been there staring at me?"

"I only just started," he laughed.

"Creepy," she smirked as she spoke a magic chant. A small globe of light appeared next to her, bathing the room in a gentle glow.

"Not nearly as creepy as a girl who would show up to my house unannounced," he shot her a playful look. "How did you get here?"

"I met up with Mari earlier to have her teach me some spells, and she offered to jump me back here at the end of the night."

"That's nice of her. Now come on, lets get you to bed. I'll need to deliver you to Captain Banks in the morning, or she'll be mad at me again."

"No, not tomorrow. Lena said she had something in the morning, so she canceled tomorrow's class," she said as she sat up, patting the spot on the couch next to her. Mark was more than happy to move over, putting an arm around the elf as she pressed against him.

"Oh? Ok. Well, I guess you started seeing Mari now? How was that?"

"It was great! Mari taught me lots of new things. She totally wore me out and had me on the ground panting by the end, though. I was so tired," she laughed. A fleeting image of blonde and red, limbs entwined together, flashed through Mark's mind before she continued. "But on that note, you never told me that Mari was THE Mari Izer!"

Mark blinked. "Uh. Yeah, I guess. I didn't think that was important."

"Not important? I don't even know where to start!" She exclaimed, her voice rising. "She's like... really famous for her magical abilities! Not to mention it's rumored that she's engaged to King Andrew!"

"Ok, ok, yeah, I guess," Mark held on to Amanda's flailing arms, her excitement overflowing. "I've known her since I was little, so I never thought it was that big of a deal. She's just a good friend."

The elf girl tilted her head and gave him a funny smile. "Alright. You have other interesting friends that I should meet?"

He laughed. "You should ask Mari. She's the one with connections to the king."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Ok well, she did tell me something else. Part of the reason she offered to jump me here was that she said that we should... uh..." she looked down and mumbled something inaudible.

"Huh?" Mark leaned in closer.

"She said that we should... try your hobby. With the rope," she squeaked.

Mark frowned. He thought for a moment before tilting her chin up so that her eyes met his. "Are you sure you're up for it? I want you to feel safe and comfortable. The rest can wait."

The elf girl nodded. "I am." There was a small, shy smile, her cheeks turning a rosy red. "I've noticed that you've been tamer with me since that day, and I want you to know that you don't need to be. Being with you means that I am safe. I know you won't hurt me, not really. And..." She bit her lip.

"And?"

"You don't have to be so gentle with me. I'm not going to break."

Mark smiled slightly and nodded. "Ok. Come," he said as he led her up the stairs by her hand. The glowing ball of light floated behind her.

Amanda swallowed as she climbed the stairs. Mark held her hand with an iron grip, leaving her no other choice but to be pulled along. As they reached door to his room, he turned towards her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I know you might have had second hand experience with seeing things like what we're going to do, but let me go over some things with you."

Amanda said nothing, but nodded.

"We will be playing a game of sorts. And in this game, the most important thing is trust. You need to trust me to not push you further than you're ready to be pushed. I need to trust you to know your own limits, and stop me if I intentionally or unintentionally overstep any of your bounds.

"During the game, I may hurt you, physically and emotionally, but only to make the game more fun and interesting for the both of us. There is almost nothing you say or do that will make me stop, although that doesn't mean you shouldn't complain or struggle. In fact, I encourage it. It will make it more exciting for the both of us. The only thing that will make me stop is the safeword. When you say it - when you say the safeword - I will know you've reached your limit, and I will stop everything. Do you understand everything so far?"

"Yes," she nodded again.

"Good. The safeword is 'remember'. When you say 'remember', I will stop everything. Now, what is the safeword?"

"Remember," she answered, her voice confident, yet trembled with just a hint of her nervous excitement.

Mark grinned, his smile almost predatory. "Shall we begin?"

"Yes."

Stepping up close, Mark grabbed her hair and forced his lips upon hers before Amanda could even cry out in surprise, and as quickly as it began, the kiss ended.

"You're mine," he snarled, his body forcing her against the door. His leg pressed between her's, the firm pressure against her sex making her knees weak.

"Yes!" She gasped.

"'Yes'... what?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes... master," she tested the word in her mouth. She felt a warm tingling along her spine.

"Good pet."

Mark opened the door to his bedroom, and pushed her inside. Before she even had time to recover, he seized her from behind, and pulled her close. His hands roamed her body, groping, unbuttoning her blouse.

"No, wait!" Amanda protested as she hugged herself tightly, trying to prevent Mark from stripping her bare, but Mark grabbed her wrists, and twisted them behind her. He held them there with one hand while the other continued to strip and molest her.

As his hand reached beneath the waistband of her skirt, the elf began to struggle.

"Stop! Please, no!" She whimpered as the hand reached the apex of her thighs.

"Your cunt is so wet," he spoke into her ear, his hand rubbing along the outline of her labia against her panties. "You're getting off on this, aren't you, slut?"

Amanda moaned, his fingers extracting pleasures from her that she did not yet want to feel. She shook her head, trying to clear the haze, trying to deny to Mark and herself that she was becoming more and more turned on from this carnal abuse.

"Don't lie," he growled, pushing her in front of a full length mirror. "Just look at yourself!"

In the mirror, Amanda almost didn't recognize herself. Her stocking-clad legs were spread, her hips grinding against the hand beneath her skirt. Her blouse was unbuttoned and slightly open, displaying a strip of flesh from her stomach up to her neck. Her breasts were pushed forward from Mark's hold on her wrists. The lacy white bra that remained was almost a mockery of how they were displayed for presentation. Her neck stretched up and back, leaning her head against Mark' shoulder. Her mouth in the shape of an "O", panting in shallow breaths. Her eyes... she was almost afraid to look at them. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the lust behind her own eyes, yearning for even more depraved things to be done to her.

"Do you see what you are now? You are made for this, slut. Now you're going to cum for me," Mark said as he slide his hand under her panties, running his fingers against her moist flesh. Amanda cried out and leaned back, her muscles tensed up. His fingers pressing, stroking, until finally she moaned and gasped, crying out her release, and her legs gave way from under her.

Mark allowed her to fall to her knees. Amanda sat on her heels and hugged herself, her breaths quick and shallow. She looked down at the ground, afraid of making eye contact with her visage in the mirror. If she saw herself again, she might not be able to control herself from doing what those eyes were telling her to do.

She did not even realizing that Mark had left her until he came back some time later, with a coil of rope in his hands. Her top was yanked off, and her hands forced behind her. The sensation of coarse rope against her wrist sent panicked warnings to her brain as she tried to struggle free, but it was too late. An arm picked her up by the waist and threw her onto the bed, face down, her legs dangling off the edge.

Amanda felt her skirt hiked up, and her panties pulled off, and the sudden intrusion of Mark's fingers into her slick depths. A lustful moan escaped from her lips.

"You can't get enough of this, can you?" He taunted her, his fingers fucking her with slow, steady rhythm. "Tell me you want this."

"No," She moaned. The brief moment of panic had, if not cleared her mind, at least made her more alert. Something definitely felt wrong.

"Then why are you thrusting your pussy against my hand?"

"Because... because... I don't know!" It was the truth, and it terrified and aroused her. Her body seemed to be acting on its own, disregarding warnings from the still rational part of her mind. From a dark memory of not too long ago, she knew that it wouldn't be long before even her mind would betray her to the pleasures.

"It's because this is what you are made for. To be my pet," he hissed into her ear.

"My fuck toy," He removed his fingers from her cunt, and thrust them between her lips. Amanda whimpered with shameful need when she realized that she had started to suck almost on instinct. She did not even notice that Mark had positioned his cock between her spread legs.

"My slave." Amanda's body froze at the first moment of penetration. A sharp inhale quickly followed, sending her own lustful scent that still coated her master's hand deep into her consciousness. The exhale of her breath came in squeals and moans as her master thrust into her, driving all contrary thoughts away, leaving only the carnal ecstasy that chained her to her master's desires.

The slave felt her desires rapidly rise once again, and sucked harder on her master's fingers, hoping that she could please him enough to be rewarded with release. But it was not to be. Her master withdrew from her cunt and pushed her on to her knees on the floor. "Suck," he ordered.

Amanda licked her lips as she took in the head of his cock into her mouth, the scent and taste of her master's pre-cum and her own juices making her eyelids flutter. Mark groaned as more of his member disappeared between the elf girl's lips, until the head reached the back of her throat, kicking up her gag reflex. But unlike her past attempts at fellating his length, this time she did not stop.

Instead, she willed herself to fight against it, trying to relax, all the while forcing more of his cock down her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes as her gag reflex tried to rebel against the violation, but she was determined. It wasn't long before her lips were wrapped around the base of his sex. A perverse sense of pride filled her heart when she looked up and saw her master's approving smile through teary eyes.

Mark grabbed the base of her hair and slowly pulled out, savoring the feeling of her throat around his member. He allowed her to catch her breath before he slowly thrust in again. This time, Amanda took much less time to swallow him whole. He held her head in place while he stared into her eyes. How would she react when she realized that he was not going to let go, he wondered. A sadistic smile formed on his lips.

Moments pass. Amanda finally realized that her master was not letting go. She struggled feebly against her master's grip to no avail. She closed her eyes and tried to fight the panic welling up from inside. Her master would not be so cruel... would he?

"If you want to breathe, you're going to have to learn to beg," she heard him say.

But how? She wanted to ask. With her throat wrapped around his member, she couldn't even make a noise to convey her thoughts. As the seconds ticked by, with her body's movements all but restricted, and her lungs burning, Amanda looked up into her master and pleaded with her eyes.

Mark grinned in approval. He held her there for a few more tortuous seconds, and pulled free from her mouth. She gasped for breath, whimpering. He gave her just a few scant seconds to catch her breath before he place his cock against her lips again. She took him in with barely a moment's hesitation, and began to bob her head back and forth, her emerald eyes never wavered from his gaze. "Good girl," he smiled as he grasped her hair again, and began to thrust.

Amanda tried her best to fight down the gagging sensation whenever her master's cock hit the back of her throat, but the abruptness of the thrusts made it difficult. Tears once again welled up in her eyes, her body shook as she tried not to gag. It was a losing battle. Very quickly, Mark pulled away. Amanda's reprieve, however, was short lived. From a nearby drawer, he took out a familiar looking pouch.

A whimper escaped from the elf girl's lips as her body remembered the wicked sensations that the collar forced upon her. She could see her master doing something to the collar - perhaps adding more charms to torture her further? But she could not be certain. When he turned around to face her again, his fist gripped the collar so that the charms were hidden. He looked at her with a sly smile, his eyes narrowed, as if to say that he knew she would want to count the charms that he had put on there.

"Please no please no," Amanda quailed as the memories of the night that they had first met came back to her. The unwanted but irresistible desires that had made her lose control of her very self. The overwhelming desires that had left her so vulnerable in the dangerous situation. Her own lust and the desire to please her master quarreled with the fear in her mind. "I'll be good. I'll be a good girl. Remem..."

Mark stopped mid stride as a look of concern replaced the smirk on his face. Amanda paused for a moment, and shook her head, leaving the rest of the safeword unvoiced. "No, please don't please don't," she continued protests as she bit her lip. A brief smile appeared on Mark's face before he continued to her. "Stop please please please no no... Oh..." Her protests turned into a sudden moan the effects of the collar took hold on her body.