Danica Pt. 17

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Marta died peacefully, a smile upon her face, at sunset that night. Danica, Carolyn, and Kyle were all at her side, the last sight her tired eyes beheld before they closed forever.

Danica returned to her rooms that night, but arrived back at Carolyn's house with the rising sun to help the young woman through the burial and the visits from friends of the family that followed. She was there to tuck in an exhausted Carolyn at the end of the long day as well.

The wedding was to happen in a month, and Danica told the couple to take their time getting things in order for their move. She converted a large sum of coin into gems, easier for the couple to carry than coins, to prepare for the move as well. To secure it, she crafted a purse with the holding enchantment that could be locked to prevent anyone but Carolyn or Kyle from withdrawing the contents.

She also planned to send a charm with Carolyn that she could use to call Danica if the couple was in danger, not caring in the slightest what Zoraster might do to her if it was necessary for her to teleport to their side while they were on the road. To make it less likely that anyone would attack them, she planned to send them out with merchants on their way to Egoria, and to hire additional guards that would make attacking the caravan utterly suicidal for anything other than a huge gathering of bandits.

Danica collapsed, exhausted, into her bed that night.

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Marlena returned from her task the next day, and the pair returned to their work on Marlena's toy. Celes joined them, watching to increase her own knowledge of the process and assisting where she could with spell components.

Just as the sun set that evening, Celes cast the spell of joining and they all poured their Art into the final enchantment.

Once the glow of the spell faded, Danica gestured for Marlena to pick up the toy and said, "See if it worked."

Marlena's anticipation was obvious, something that had grown throughout the creation process. She quickly picked the item up and walked from the lab to Danica's bed. Celes remained in the lab, while Danica walked to the doorway. Once she reached the bed, Marlena buckled on the harness and lay down on the bed.

Taking a deep breath, Marlena spoke the word of command and the item's magic sprang to life. All evidence of the toy vanished as the phantasm Marlena's magic had placed upon the toy appeared. Danica's face grew a crooked smile when she realized the phantasm was the image of the priest from the temple of Erotine.

The image of Thaddeus pushed his hips forward, the shaft of the toy penetrating Marlena at the same time. She moaned as the toy throbbed and hummed inside her, thrusting quickly into her depths as the image of Thaddeus groaned. Marlena could feel his hands on her, the illusion so complete that it didn't fade in the slightest.

Concentrating hard, Danica could see through the illusion to the toy beyond. She knew it would prove very difficult to penetrate the illusion without magical intervention with the physical component of the toy adding to the sensation. Danica watched, seeing that the balls of the toy swung just as they should, slapping against Marlena, giving her an additional level of realism and stimulation.

Danica walked into the room and patted Marlena's shoulder, reminding her through the fog of pleasure of something they had attempted to allow the item to do. Marlena started to roll over onto her hands and knees, and felt the shaft slide out of her depths. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw and felt the image of Thaddeus assisting her as she rose up on all fours. The toy then penetrated her again, causing Marlena to moan loud and long as the toy filled her.

Danica looked over at Celes when she walked back into the lab and noticed the woman shifting from foot to foot. She also noticed where Celes’ eyes were focused. Curious, Danica sent a though to Celes, You're looking somewhere I wouldn't be expecting you to look.

Celes turned to Danica, wrinkled her nose, and then sent her thoughts out in reply, Don't be sassy. I can be curious just like anyone else – and not having any hair makes him look... She paused. Different.

The building sound of Marlena's pleasure distracted them from any additional mental conversation. Celes walked back into the lab with a final glance at the illusion of Thaddeus, and then went on through the door beyond into the common room. Danica waited in case Marlena needed her to speak the command word that would stop the toy's magic. Considering how much difficulty the woman appeared to have catching her breath, Danica thought it just might prove necessary.

Marlena came, and the illusion of Thaddeus groaned at the same time, the toy giving Marlena the feeling of his seed spurting inside her. While the illusion of Thaddeus was still panting and unmoving, the vibration of the toy had not stopped. Marlena tried to gasp out the command word.

Danica came to the rescue, speaking the word and causing the magic of the toy to deactivate. Marlena shuddered violently, and then thrashed a few times before arching her back high and collapsing back to the bed.

"I think it works," Danica said with a grin.

The only reply Marlena could offer was, "Mmm hmm."

"The illusion is keyed to your fantasies, so I take it you've been having a few about Thaddeus?" Danica asked with a crooked grin.

"It is a little hard to push out of my mind," Marlena admitted, although she didn't sound happy with the fact.

"Don't worry too much about it, Marlena. It will take you some time to come to grips with the feelings you're having. I'm not sure some days whether I've ever really come to accept mine."

Marlena shuddered and then said, "Can you help me get this off? I don't think I can move my arms."

Danica laughed and walked into the room to free Marlena from her toy.

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Zoraster opened the coffin-like crèche where Camilla's spirit had streaked into her new body several days before. The woman's eyes popped open and she screamed, "Don't send me back!"

"I wouldn't have been forced to kill you the first time if you had not gone against my will," Zoraster responded.

Camilla then thrashed and screamed incoherently, and Zoraster closed the lid with a sigh. "It appears you are having a little difficulty with the transition into your new life. I may be forced to find other uses for you."

The Archmage then left the room via a door that looked completely out of place here in his sanctum within the mountain. While the other doors were plain and serviceable, only the warding runes distinguishing them, this one was made of the finest wood, carved with scrollwork and figures. Opening the door, Zoraster stepped into the room beyond and closed it behind him.

The room beyond the door was just as inconsistent with the remainder of his abode as the door was. Block walls lined the small room, and it was decorated in a manner that suggested a young noblewoman's taste. Lying on a bed at the head of the room, surrounded in a nimbus of shimmering azure light, was a woman. She was lush of figure, all sensual curves and soft skin, a wealth of dark blonde hair spread out around her like a halo on the pillow. She was dressed in a fine silk nightgown, her hands folded across her stomach.

Zoraster stood and stared for long moments, his heart thudding in his chest. He closed his eyes, scowled for a moment, and then forced his face to resume a neutral expression as he walked toward the bed.

Removing the amulet he had received from his kitten, Zoraster looked at it for a moment before pushing it through the nimbus of magic and touching it to a similar amulet around the woman's neck within. He spoke words of magic, and bright motes of light swirled around the two amulets.

Withdrawing his hand from the magic, Zoraster paused again, staring at the woman within her protective cocoon. Once again, his will overcame trepidation as he spoke the words that released the magic surrounding the bed.

The freckle-dappled young woman on the bed yawned, stretching as she opened her eyes. Zoraster could not help but smile as the young woman smiled up at him. "Tharsas, was I sleeping again? I sleep too much."

Zoraster's heart missed a beat as he heard Colette's voice speak his name, the true name he had abandoned long ago. The feeling of euphoria he felt drained away and ice gripped his heart as she continued, however. Her voice had a monotone quality to it that was nothing anyone else would have ever noticed, but to Zoraster it was like a metallic screech setting all his nerves on end.

Waving his hand above the woman, he watched as the magic surrounded her and she returned to a state of suspended animation. Zoraster stood, his teeth clenched and his breath emerging in short angry blasts as the magic settled into place over her.

Screaming in rage and disappointment, Zoraster hurled the amulet in his hand against the stone wall to ricochet back toward him and under the bed.

Raising his face to the ceiling he screamed, "You mock me, do you? You laugh on your thrones, manipulating this world for your own amusement, destroying that which you have created with your petty games. Soon you will mock me – you will deny me NO MORE!"

Unbidden, his magic swirled around him in his rage, a crimson aura of power crackling with blood red discharges of electricity. The bolts arched from his body, repelled by the magic surrounding the bed but leaving tiny scorch marks on the stone and furnishings everywhere else they touched.

The power seeping from him suddenly winked into darkness as he gained mastery over his emotions. The feelings his amulet had drained from the serving wench had restored Colette's smile, but the music in her voice was still lost to time and a dagger's point. Murdered by a man he had thought already dead, his love's blood was on his hands because the strike was meant as revenge upon him.

Time and time again, he had attempted to restore her through the clone, but always something was still missing – it was not Colette. Anger bubbled up within him as he remembered his other attempt to raise her to his side once more, to wrest Colette from the grip of the gods as he had done with Camilla.

They had denied him, meddling as always for their own amusement. Gods of light, gods of dark, it mattered not – they all spread their evil influence through the world, destroying the perfection of creation.

Growling and clenching his fists, Zoraster pushed down his rage and turned his face to the ceiling above once more. "Soon, vain and arrogant ones, you will not have the power to deny me. I shall have my Colette back, and she will reign at my side as I remake this world as it should be, free of your meddling. Free of scheming nobles, free of murderous women, this world shall achieve the perfection that is its true destiny."

"Soon," he repeated, a smile crossing his face and laughter echoing loudly off the cold, stone walls.

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I hope you liked this tale, and will continue to read Danica's ongoing story. Please take a moment to vote, and perhaps comment. Feel free to comment on every chapter, nobody is stopping you! *laugh* That's the only payment a free author gets, and every bit of feedback is most appreciated!

You may find later chapters have some flubs and grammar issues, until I finish posting all the edits. Look for the note at the beginning of each chapter about my editor, Roust, and that will let you know whether the chapter is newly edited.