Compass Rising Pt. 02

She did her best to soothe her younger sister's sobbing, holding the other woman close in the decadent office. "Was it truly necessary to terrify her?"

"They were only told to obtain her, Senna. I refused to jeopardize her by broadcasting her existence," Rashan argued, voice low but intense. "Any mages who saw the both of you brought in here are already suspicious. I didn't want them getting to her before you."

"What's happening?" Ruka begged sharply, wiping at her face as her wide dark eyes darted between the two of them. "What in the Hells are you wearing?"

"I'll explain, Ruka. Just breathe." she assured her sister, the both of them similar in color and complexion.

Rashan had given her fresh clothing upon arriving, though, linens and leathers in a familiar black and burgundy. She was dressed as a female mage, uniformed and fresh faced in comparison to the younger Lydall sister. She had been given time to clean up and plait her hair back loosely while waiting for the Guard to track Ruka down. They couldn't look more different for being sisters, the younger still in a stained and tired shift that did little for her figure.

"I'll leave the two of you," Rashan offered, his hand cupping along her lower back and singing warmth up her spine.

He hadn't been kidding about them being connected after consummation. His proximity, his touch, it immediately stirred the arcanum inside her.

She blushed as she remembered that it had been his to begin with. "Fresh clothing, maybe? If possible?"

"I'll see it done," he nodded, his hand rising to catch onto her shoulder, stroking up the side of her neck. She felt his thumb and fingers wrap her throat as he pulled her forward, his mouth catching hers. Any embarrassment she would have otherwise felt with him kissing her in front of Ruka disappeared as soon as the heat of his arcanum recognized his touch. She melted under the assault of his tongue touching hers, feeling her own moan in her throat as he chuckled, pulling away from her. He gave her a cocky wink, "I'll be back."

Senna turned to her sister's wide eyed stare, motioning toward the high backed chair, "Right, so... maybe you should sit down..."

*

The chamber was aglow with gilded mages and red-rimmed guards, most of them men but some women scattered throughout. Senna was doing her best to ignore how all the mages kept furtively studying both her and her sister as Rashan spoke from the center of the room. The archmage elders sat silently behind him, an ominous trio of old men, all of them occasionally looking to both her and Ruka intently.

Rashan had in front of him a vaulted box, elegantly made of smooth and shining metal, one circular mouth at the very top of it. A hundred stones had been dropped into it earlier. Five were a glassy red, for Ruka. Four glittered blue, for her, Rashan already having connected himself to her. They had decided five would be the absolute limit, but there were enough extra stones that maybe they would only connect with two or three mages. It was entirely up to fate and the Gods.

She wished she knew how to pray.

"Any mages wishing to pull a stone may do so now," he nodded, meeting her eyes briefly before roving his glance over the rest of the mages around him. "Let's keep it calm and civil, brethren. If your stone is dark you are dismissed. Colored stones stay until all have chosen."

"This doesn't make you uncomfortable?" Ruka whispered into her ear. "It's a lottery and we're the prize. It's sick."

"You chose to stay," she answered sharply, head half turned. She noted that her sister clung closer after being admonished. "This is fair for them and for us."

"You would say that, considering one of the most attractive of them all has already unloaded between your legs."

She flooded with pride and a little bit of vindication. Ruka had always been their father's golden child, their breadwinner. And she had always been just Senna, the one with the limp, second choice. Now things had massively changed. She felt a pang of guilt for being a little petulant about it, though, and grabbed her sister's hand in hers, lacing their fingers as the first stone was pulled by one of the elders himself.

Obsidian black, the stone of the Sentry.

Ten bloody Hells, this was utterly nerve racking.

***

The first flash of blue that she saw peek from someone's palm made her stomach clench, breath held still. She looked up from the dark skinned hand to the face of the man holding it and saw wide-eyed surprise. His lips were parted but he said something silently to himself before showing the stone to Rashan. She watched the nodding reaction of tacit agreement between the two of them before the larger and darker man stepped off to the side.

His glance turned her way and she unconsciously fidgeted Ruka's hand tighter in her own. He tentatively smiled, dipping his head her way, nodding in a friendly fashion. He wasn't unattractive. Strong features, very dark skin, soft brown eyes and a mass of braids knotted up and back. He was obviously younger than Rashan but not by much. Senna smiled back, lowering her eyes after a blush touched her cheeks.

"I accept," Ruka suddenly murmured dreamily, her voice quiet but lush. Senna looked up and followed her glance as one of the few females to draw a stone held a red one, the women's eyes meeting across the room. She couldn't help but laugh softly at how embarrassed her younger sister suddenly seemed, her cheeks brushed pink by a blush as the blonde woman grinned at her.

"Well, this is enlightening."

"I've always enjoyed women. You know that."

"Fate knows what she's doing, is all."

*

By the time the drawing was done Fate had been fair, giving them only three each. Ruka's stones had chosen the blonde woman and two men, both pale, both tall. In fact all three of them seemed similar in coloring and stature.

Meanwhile, Senna's three mages were all distinctly different from one another, from their coloring to their bearing. Her third was a light skinned man, equal to her in height. Freckles littered over his nose and his long ruddy red hair was tied back in a low ponytail. His green eyes were bright and alert, his hands folded before himself as he spoke with Rashan.

She could hear the clean cut of his accent, Common obviously a language that was more difficult for him than for others. She continued moving toward them, feeling the darkest of the three fall in step beside her.

"Your light is truly beautiful."

"Thank you," she murmured back, enjoying how lush and deep his voice had been. "My name is Senna."

"Gildus," he answered quietly, his hand rising with confidence, brushing up her back so that his palm could press beneath her shoulder blades. The touch was warm and she felt heat rise up in her, creating an ache and a burning. "Rashan and I train together."

"You're friends?"

"As much as any mages can be," he smirked, as though sharing a secret. His opposite hand rose in the third Mage's direction. "And that is Cainim. He is from - "

"One of the other continents."

Gildus nodded. "Yes, from Nierhaven."

"I like his accent. It's very precise," she mused, her attention snagged on the pale angles of his face, the freckles that brushed over the bridge of his nose. It sweetened how stark his sharp features were.

"Does it hurt you? When the light takes you?"

Senna snapped her attention back from Cainim and toward Gildus again. "Rashan says that magic is pain. Does it ever hurt you?"

"It often can, especially if uncontrolled. It can also be exhaustive," he explained. "I look forward to finding a... simpatico between us, Senna. Whenever that may be. May I?"

She blinked as he lifted his hand, unsure of what he was asking for until his palm cupped her face. She just nodded submissively, unmoving as he dipped his head and brushed his lips across hers. It was a far less intrusive movement than Rashan's kiss and she found herself leaning into it instead of melting under it. Gildus slid his other hand along her waist and tucked her closer, his large frame cradling her in as his tongue pressed between her lips. He kissed her slowly and languidly, keeping his passion level and controlled as he learned her movements. The only impatience she noted as he ended the soft kiss was his hand on her ass, pulling her in against his groin.

He was a large man, wide shoulders and thick arms. Rashan was not small in the least but Gildus still had a broader and thicker musculature. She felt tiny pressed up the front of him, a little weaker than she had before the drawing started.

"I'm anxious to... connect," he murmured, casting a glance down the front of her. She was used to men looking at her with lascivious eyes. At least these men were a little more kind and courteous than her usual clients. "Please, if given a choice, let me bind to you next?"

"I don't know that I have a choice," Senna shrugged, her hands rising to his chest as he kept her close. "You did pull the first stone."

"Yes, he did," Rashan agreed as he and Cainim came in closer. That voice of his, the austere and lush warmth of it, she found it quite comforting. "That gives him the right to choose, according to Sentry guidance."

"I could take her now?"

"Whenever you deem appropriate, Gild." Rashan winced slightly, though, jaw rising as he searched throughout the room. She noted that his gaze settled on an uneasy Ruka. "Though, I was hoping for her help with her sister first. Ruka is still quite blind to auras. I thought we might see if Senna could wake her sight. It might be more... humane for her to do it. Wouldn't take long."

"I can't... I don't have - "

"You are full with magic. That's all you need," Cainim told her sweetly. "It's never too early to learn. Or too late."

She exhaled, his green eyes sparking with encouragement as she nodded. "I'll try."

*

"Good," Cainim murmured, his fingertips brushing the back of her hand, feather light. "Now, look for that light in her, Senna."

His accent elongated her name, making it sound something more romantic with a long 'Sey-nuh' sound. She inhaled as he stepped behind her, leaning against her back and framing her shoulders with his palms. She wasn't sure whose idea it was for Cainim to try and coax her into casting but she hummed appreciative pleasure as his hands stroked at her hair, drawing it back. He stroked the auburn length down the center of her back and pressed close again.

"Focus, viita." The term had been indecipherable to her but it had been luxurious, loving. An endearment in his language, she assumed. "Find the light inside her instead of around her."

Senna squeezed her eyes tighter closed, her hands against her sister's face. Ruka was still but her cheeks were incredibly warm. That warmth licked out at her as light and she felt herself exhale slowly as she tracked it, the tendril wrapping down her sister's spine. It braced low in her back and Senna reached for it mentally, luring it closer with a silent whisper in encouragement.

"It's getting louder," Ruka said rapidly, fear creeping into her voice. "I can hear it."

They all could, the drone sounding low but consistent.

"Release it, Senna," Cainim encouraged her, tracing his fingertips down her neck. "Show it what freedom is."

"Draw it out, love," Rashan murmured from her left.

She snapped out at that wisp of light, grabbing it with nothing but her own arcanum, pulling at it even as it fought back. Ruka shivered under her touch but stayed still, fighting her fear.

"Now, pull," Gildus ordered from somewhere in the darkness and Senna gave a taut yank in her mind.

Her sister gasped, whimpered, and then they were suddenly broken apart and she was pressed back into Cainim's chest. He was laughing quietly in her ear, the sound genuinely bemused as he hugged her hips backwards.

Ruka was crying as she looked from each of them to the other, turning away from Senna after a moment and toward the blonde woman. All three of the mages gathered around her were comforting her, their touches careful and kind. It was a bittersweet moment that had her huddling back into Cainim's arms.

"Well done, viita," he spoke into her hair, lips brushing her temple proudly. "That was very well done. You deserve a rest now."

She was tired, actually.

"I'll be sure she gets one," Gildus told them both as he reached for her, Rashan behind him.

She tentatively took the hand he was offering, sending Rashan a quick glance of concern.

"Good night, my darling," he murmured as Gildus pulled her hand up under his arm, keeping her close as he stepped away. "Remember what I taught you."

*

Gildus was not cruel to her - but he was not purposely gentle, either. His large hands were forceful, sometimes impatient, always either moving her where he wanted her or keeping her from moving herself. Undressing the both of them had been a fast and clinical affair, both uniforms puddled together on the floor of his low lit bedroom. A glowing orb hovered in the center of the room, high near the ceiling and obviously enchanted to keep the light going.

After getting her naked he had backed her up against the locked door. He was rough, but not mean spirited, and she found heat rising up inside her so fast that she felt as though she were gushing between the thighs. Maybe she was if the sounds his fingers were making meant anything.

"So wet already, Compass. You like being tossed around a little, eh?"

She just gulped under the press of his palm. One hand was wrapped skillfully around her throat while the other was buried in her pussy, thick fingers pumping in and out of her. She moaned and let her head thump back against the wall as a wave of whispering started to sound low in her ears. Senna felt her whole body shiver as he whispered some incantation and stretched closer, nuzzling his nose at her cheek.

He whispered the same words again and she squealed as one of his fingers prodded at her ass as well. She nearly climbed backwards up the wall at the sudden heat between her legs. She felt utterly on fire.

"Sensational," he muttered, watching her with interest. "That was merely just to amplify your senses. Your cunt nearly just swallowed my hand."

"I don't need amplification," she seethed out.

"Clearly," he laughed brightly. "Kneel at the end of the bed, please."

A real bed, lush linens and cushions, a thick mattress pad, a secure frame. It was everything that her own sleeping pad had not been and she wished that Rashan had waited for the comfort of the Sentry to bind them. It would have seemed more luxurious, maybe, more romantic.

But then... this wasn't about romance. A theory proven by the way Gildus bent her onto the end of the mattress, shoved her thighs apart, and buried his face between her legs. She keened with the pleasure of tongue and fingers and lips, his amusement humming into laughter as she squawked surprise and writhed forward, ducking her head down. She grasped into the sheets and moaned loudly as his tongue teased joyously between her cunt and her asshole, his hands squeezing her hips still.

"Please... please, Archmage?" She didn't even know what she was begging for but his answer was to slick his fingers into her as he stood. His other palm clasped one of her ass cheeks, squeezing and pulling her into place at once. She felt him steady his hips behind hers, lining up between her thighs.

"Beg me by name, Compass."

"Please, Gildus," she panted, his fingers rough and quick and stirring fire as they plunged in and out her. "I need you."

An echo of murmurs agreed with her, humming up from beneath both of them, the sound enveloping them.

"You need me to what?"

Senna groaned as his fingers left her, only to be replaced by the bulbous head of his cock. He slicked it up and down, prodded it at her, teased it in the wet of her pussy.

"Fill me."

He laughed, dipping a little deeper with an obviously thick cock. "Whatever you wish, my little one."

She cried out as he plunged into her, ramming deep and pulling her close with both large palms. His length dove deep, thick and hard, a branding rod to her insides. She felt the arcanum inside her alight, flashing to life with a bang like an explosive rather than the flicker of a flame. Everything from her gut to her knees was on holy fire, tingling and scorching as he growled his pleasure and shoved tight. The whispers rose around them, chanting louder, an affirmation.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked gruffly, surprising her with the query. It was likely the only pause or reprieve she would get.

Her cunt churned hotter. The awakening beast in her gut growling for more, aching. Hungry. Needy. Senna just shook her head back and forth, leaning her head down and biting against her own forearm as he grunted in acknowledgement. He pulled out and then jammed back into her, hips thrusting in earnest as their wet joining met her ears. She moaned and locked her teeth against her skin, a trick she had learned beneath her father's sweaty body.

She moaned, pleased with the knowledge that would never be a worry again.

"Yes," he groaned from behind her, a hand grasping into her disheveled braid. "Open more, Compass."

She felt her body pull at him all on it's own and she succumbed to the white and golden glittering light that tendriled and swirled.

"Feratum andusis l'Senna." Light and magic fucked her deeply from behind and she cried out against her own sweat painted skin, knowing pain and pleasure were both drowning her at once.

By the time he came she was wailing in power and pleasure and pain.

*

She lay beside him, his braids tangled in her fingers as she listened to him breathe. Her head shifted higher, jaw digging at his shoulder as she snuggled up against him.

"More," she murmured. "Tell me more. So that I am prepared."

"We serve the Sentry first, then the city. All of us." His voice was a welled rumble, deep and warm. Senna pressed closer to its burr as he rubbed at her lower back. They were both still sweat slick naked, their bodies curled together. "Rashan is a politician, a strategist. He leads the Warcasters."

She'd had no idea. Not an inkling.

"Cainim is a teacher, a true Archmage. He will train you well," Gild assured, his fingers lifting to brush her damp hair from her face.

"And Gildus?" she asked before placing a kiss against his cheek. "What sort of mage is he?"

"Judge, jury," he murmured, voice low, "executioner."

"Ominous," she whispered.

"Not for you." He shrugged as though he wasn't a walking threat. "Our highest and first priority will be your safety, Compass. You're ours to care for now."

"What will I have to do?" she asked him, hearing her own nervous uncertainty in her voice.

"Depends on the day, and the mage."

Senna negated the urge to frown at how obtuse his response was. "Shall I find Cainim now?"

"No, my little one. Not now," he chuckled, drawing her head down to his chest. "Now you rest. You've earned as much and more."