Danica Pt. 19

Andrea's hand rested gently upon the hand of the old woman, stroking it in a comforting gesture. "I think Danica probably needs to say a few things too. The two of you have shared so much, and yet you hide so much for fear of hurting each other."

Celes looked up and cocked her head, "How is it that you're so full of wisdom?"

Andrea smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "I'm a simple girl, and I've been on my own for a long time. I've had to learn to read people to get along."

"Maybe I need to take my nose out of my books and start paying more attention to what is going on around me," Celes mused.

Andrea chuckled, and responded, "You know you've been ignoring things now, on purpose. You'll pay attention now. Do you want me to go with you?"

Celes looked as though she were considering the idea for a moment, but then shook her head and replied, "No, I think I need to do this alone." The light of realization appeared in Celes' eyes then and she asked, "Do you... How do you feel about Danica?"

"She's one of my dearest friends. She was my first, and I treasure her touch. I'm not in love with her, though. I don't think I've been in love with anyone yet. It doesn't bother you that we..."

"No, I understand Danica's desires. I know she isn't ready to commit to anyone, and she'll always have a need for a man, as impossible as that is for me to understand."

"They have certain advantages," Andrea said and giggled.

"The three of you and Brandon are trying to corrupt me. I was perfectly happy considering all men no better than hairy pigs in rut and you're all forcing me to see there are some good men. Not many, but a few."

The slight twitch of Andrea's eyebrows and the tone of her voice insinuated far more than her words, "Have you thought about other things?"

Celes actually blushed.

"You may have to face that fear some day," Andrea suggested.

"Not if I can help it. I'm happy the way I am, I don't need any more complications," Celes said, wrinkling her nose.

Andrea yawned and then said, "I'm sorry."

Celes chuckled, "It's okay – it's late. Thank you, Andrea."

"You're welcome. Are you going to go see her?"

Celes nodded, "If she's back."

"Be brave – you'll be fine," encouraged Andrea, bringing Celes' hand to her lips and kissing it softly.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Danica awoke, disoriented by the unfamiliar environs of her apartment for a moment, and the darkness of the room. She had spent hours tracing the runes on her flesh in the Hellgate, and had completed several protective structures. It had been exhausting work, and she had collapsed into slumber as soon as she emerged from the Hellgate and found her bed.

Rising, Danica considered one flaw in her plan. The change in time inside the Hellgate allowed her time to do what she needed to do, but when she emerged in the real world, only moments had passed. She knew it was going to take a while to adjust to that, and waking up in the early hours of the night was one of the problems it was going to cause her.

Slipping into a bath, Danica examined her body as she washed. The runes were invisible on her skin, although she could feel them when she concentrated. Otherwise, they would be undetectable unless activated. Even then, they would only flare into magical life when defending against very powerful magic, or upon Danica's command.

The problem of the disruption to her schedule was easy enough to fix. She was rested and ready to resume her tedious task now. When she emerged from the Hellgate again, only a few moments would have passed by in the real world. The next time she woke up, it would be daylight, and she would be back in a normal rhythm.

She would have to be careful not to spend all her time within Zoraster's ability to spy upon her sleeping. She knew that would be very suspicious. Danica decided she would need to space the sessions out, so as not to arouse suspicion in the mad Archmage.

As soon as she finished her bath, Danica packed up her things again, preparing to set out on another fictional journey. This time she planned to go to Beniopolis, and then later to visit Tonda. It would give a logical reason for her to pop about using the spell.

Her decision made, and a burning desire to complete the runic defenses consuming her, Danica cast the Hellgate.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Celes stood outside Danica's door, scowling. For two days, she had come several times to Danica's rooms, finding the defenses still active, and no sign that Danica had been there. Now that she admitted her feelings, as much as she understood of them, and had decided to reveal them to Danica, she was anxious to do it.

Danica often took extended trips, even when not away on a task for the madman, and usually Celes thought little of it. This time it was driving her to distraction. Briefly, Celes considered contacting Danica and asking her to come home, or scrying for her to find out where she was. She dismissed the notion, not wanting to spy on Danica or sound desperate in asking her to return.

Pursing her lips, Celes walked the halls toward Marlena's room. She had already bent Andrea's ear a dozen times in the past two days, and she didn't want to wear the poor girl out. Celes thought that perhaps a little discussion of magic with Marlena would provide a welcome distraction from her feelings for Danica and her study of witchcraft.

A short while later, Celes was again disappointed. Marlena didn’t answer her knock. Thinking of something she had recently discovered in her studies, Celes decided now was as good a time as any to see if she could apply some of the knowledge. She had found the recipe for a potion of calming, and she could certainly use that now.

Her course of action determined, Celes went to her room to attempt her first use of the craft that was her birthright.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Zoraster watched Celes leave Marlena's door, walking back down the hall toward her own room in his scrying mirror. Dismissing the magic, he turned back to the mirror he had been watching before Celes had intruded upon the show.

The merchant was now firmly within his grip. Camilla had done her work well, and in a very short period of time. Deep in the man's subconscious, he would remember the horrible torture Camilla had visited upon him. On the surface, he remembered nothing. Camilla had removed the amulet that protected the man from magic as she coupled with him, allowing Zoraster's compulsion magic to take hold. Camilla's education in the foolishness of defying Zoraster's whim would always be there, buried but faintly influencing the man's thoughts, reinforcing the compulsion.

Now Zoraster watched as Camilla received her reward. Marlena, spellbound and weeping, lapped Camilla to a screaming orgasm in the mirror before him. Marlena had defied Camilla before, and the woman had never forgiven the insult. Marlena now paid for angering the wicked woman.

Zoraster's magic would ensure that Marlena remembered nothing, much as the merchant, but deep down the horror would remain. It would keep her in line.

Of course, at this moment she understood everything that was happening, but could do nothing to stop her body from doing anything Camilla asked of her. The pain of the woman who had plotted to destroy his work at the Forge gave Zoraster a deep feeling of warm satisfaction.

Zoraster relaxed back in his chair, eager to see what other unpleasant surprises Camilla had in store for Marlena, as soon as she recovered from her current state of trembling ecstasy.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Danica emerged from the Hellgate with a wide smile on her face. She was pleased with the quick progress of her rune scribing, and already she had a number of structures that would spring to defend her without even a thought to activate them. The evening spent lost in pleasure from Tari's tongue and Rehkmire's cock, making her body shudder, helped brighten her day as well.

A short walk and a quick knock later, Danica was catching up with Tonda and Jaron. It had been too long since she had seen them, and she was pleased to discover that the people here were recovering well from the horror of the Nameless Ones.

It wasn't long before the proximity to the scantily clad couple started to arouse Danica's desires. Jaron and Tonda responded with equal passion, and the three were soon removing their sparse garments to give each other pleasure under the welcome relief of a cooling comfort spell.

Danica's spell revealed that Tonda was fertile. Danica offered a mute smile of apology, but saw something pass between the couple when the rosy glow of fertility appeared beneath Danica's hand. Without a word, the couple revealed to each other their readiness to become parents, and then told Danica of their decision.

Danica kissed them both, and then said rather impishly, "I think you know how it's done."

Tonda and Jaron both laughed, but the laughter was soon drowned in passion as Jaron slid his erection deep into Tonda's tight sheathe. Danica just watched as they coupled, stroking Tonda's leg and Jaron's back. Their lovemaking was exactly that, with no hint of lust or clinical detachment aiming for their goal. They were enjoying the closeness of being together, of being in love, and their mutual desire to start a family.

Jaron's pace increased slightly as he drew near his climax, the natural response to his impending orgasm. Still, he maintained a sedate pace, looking into Tonda's eyes as they both moved steadily toward release.

Jaron came with a quavering gasp, his love reaching her peak at the exact same moment. Tonda was radiant as she quivered in orgasm, her hand lying on her mound, feeling her man's seed deep within her, perhaps giving them what they desired. Danica lay with them as they quietly talked for a while, sharing the joy of their anticipation. It would be some time before they knew for sure, but they planned to keep trying in the meantime, until she was with child.

After a short while, the couple smiled at each other and looked at Danica. Moments later, their hands and mouths were teasing her body, building her toward release. Just as Danica was nearing her peak, they both pulled away, but only long enough for Jaron to slide his dark, thick manhood into Danica and spike her pleasure even higher.

Danica quivered and gasped as Jaron's cock plunged into her depths and Tonda's tongue flickered over them both. Danica screamed in release as her orgasm gripped her, her sheathe closing tight around Jaron's buried manhood and her head lashing wildly on the pillows.

They gave her a few moments to recover, and then with a smile that bordered on mischievous, Jaron started to thrust again. Danica sharply yelped as his throbbing organ set off a powerful aftershock within her. Tonda watched her man's cock slide in and out of Danica's soaked sex for a few moments, and then started to rub Danica's bud in fast circles, while at the same time sucking on the hard tips of Danica's bouncing breasts.

Danica built rapidly from the hot friction of Jaron's cock penetrating her depths and Tonda's expert fingers teasing her clit. A pulsing heat swelled in Danica's womb, and she gasped out sultry words of encouragement between cries of ecstasy.

Jaron grunted with each thrust, near to release as well. After a few more strokes, he could no longer control the need. He buried his member in Danica's depths, the thick shaft pulsing and spurting hot cream deep inside her. His hips jerked in an irregular rhythm, fighting against the sensitivity brought on by his climax to try to bring Danica to her peak.

Tonda's flashing fingers and Jaron's throbbing cock succeeded in pushing Danica over the edge a moment later. Her first orgasmic contraction forced Jaron to jerk free with a loud grunt. A torrent of Danica's juices followed his retreating member, erupting from between her folds in a geyser.

Tonda leaned down to lap Danica's clit as Danica continued to buck and writhe on the bed. Tonda purred, tasting Danica's juices and her man's cum while her flashing tongue keeping Danica coming.

Danica pushed Tonda away after a minute, unable to handle the powerful spikes of pleasure that arched her back up off the bed any longer. Tonda licked her lips with a moan, and then lay down to gently stroke Danica's body while the woman spiraled down from her peak.

A thought interrupted Danica's post-orgasmic bliss a short while later. Jaron and Tonda were going to have a baby, and they were here in Zoraster's house on the island.

Danica frowned as she considered that. She had managed to get Carolyn, Heather, and Grant safely away, but others were in danger as well. The same threat hung over Tari and Rehkmire, if Zoraster's twisted mind encouraged him to do so.

Tonda asked, "What is wrong Danica?" The beautiful, dark-skinned woman stroked Danica's cheek as she spoke, and there was concern in her eyes.

Danica smiled and lied, "Nothing." She then levered her body up to kiss Tonda, tasting her own juices on Tonda's full lips.

Danica pushed the thoughts away for the moment, but she knew she had to do something to protect the others that could become pawns in Zoraster's torture of her – somehow.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

With a final stroke of her magical pen, Danica completed the last rune. The strain of maintaining the Reflection's Servant spell long enough to complete the final few runes was starting to tell on her, and so Danica released the magic to sink back into her real body once more.

Stretching to work out the kinks in her muscles, Danica rose up off the bed with a groan. She was weary, but smiling. Two weeks had passed in the real world, but Danica had been working for far longer in the confines of the Hellgate.

Danica wanted to test the power of the runes, but for now, she was simply too exhausted to even think straight. It took a great deal of effort to force her personal little realm to manifest a mirror, and all that required was a thought. Danica decided that as soon as she had taken a look at the finished rune structures, it was time for a long rest.

Concentrating through the fog in her mind, Danica touched her forehead and willed the runes scribed on her body to reveal themselves. Danica's nude body blazed with magical light, the octagonal rune structures glowing bright blue in the mirror. Danica squinted, touching the rune on her forehead, and concentrated again. The glow of the runes changed to a fainter, powder blue in color. Danica smiled, much more pleased with the color.

The image in the mirror was unnatural, and far from attractive, but Danica knew the power those rune patterns could summon. Spinning, she examined the runes scribed over nearly every inch of her flesh. She had done what she could to make the structures flow with her curves and contours, but it did little to reduce the harshness of the glowing runes glaring all over her body.

Danica's head swam, and she put her hands out wide to regain her balance. Another touch to her forehead caused the light of the runes to fade, and she once again saw her unmarred image in the mirror.

Banishing the mirror with a thought and a wave of her hand, Danica opened the portal of the Hellgate back into her rooms in Zoraster's complex. She opened the portal right next to her bed, picking up the bag of her things and tossing it negligently to the floor on the other side of the portal. Immediately thereafter, she stepped through the portal and fell into her bed, letting the spell lapse. Danica was asleep almost before the light of the Hellgate had faded from her room.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

The stink of unwashed bodies, rotting food, excrement and death billowed out of the cave. Zoraster scowled and waved a hand before him, wrapping a bubble of fresh air around him. The stench from the cave before him was so thick it was almost visible.

The oppressive miasma now blocked by his magic, Zoraster strode forth into the cave. He could hear the scrambling of the creatures within, and assumed one that had watched near the entrance was probably alerting the rest of the pitiful vermin.

Raising his hand palm up over his head, Zoraster summoned a bright ball of light to guide his steps. He strode quickly across the uneven cave floor, dodging the protrusions of stone on the walls and ceiling. Sneering, he stepped over the litter of excrement and offal that appeared before him in ever-increasing quantities as he moved deeper into the bowels of the earth. Sighing in disgust, he gave up trying to dodge the foul mess when it became like a carpet upon the stone floor.

The passage widened steadily as he moved forward, and ahead he could see the opening to the gallery beyond. Zoraster smiled, knowing that now the signs were in order. Now, he could steal the power necessary to obtain the stone. The whisperings in his head and the prophecies all urged him forward. Stepping out of the passage, he heard screams and hisses as the Wood Trolls within shrank away from the bright light that hovered over Zoraster's head.

The disgusting creatures cringed along the walls of the cavern, covering their eyes and gibbering in their guttural tongue. Zoraster surveyed the chamber, finding approximately two score of the filthy creatures inhabited the cave. The most intelligent of their kind, the Wood Trolls actually had crude pallets cobbled together, as well as tables and chairs strewn haphazardly throughout their rude home. Gathered here by their god, they were breeding stock that Blorcasir hoped would produce one that could serve his purpose.

As soon as their eyes adjusted to the light, they of course attacked. The creatures were savage, and driven by their god to kill. These were kept tucked away in the cave, not allowed to venture forth by their god, but the instincts of the monsters took over as soon as they realized Zoraster had invaded their domain.

A female leapt forth, her disease-ridden claws and yellow teeth bared. Zoraster spoke a word and thrust his hand toward the creature. The Wood Troll exploded in a spray of blood and gore, spattering everything within a wide radius around her.

A male with a club raised his weapon to strike, but Zoraster's next spell froze the creature solid in mid-strike. It stood like a statue, enveloped in a sheet of clear ice, as the rest approached.

Zoraster gestured and spoke words of magic, sending forth blasts of energy, lightning bolts, and balls of fire into the attacking creatures. Smoke filled the chamber as the creatures died, whimpering and screaming.

The young, barely as high as Zoraster's knee, charged toward Zoraster en masse. With a wicked smile on his lips, Zoraster stretched out his hand toward them and sent forth a blazing tongue of flame. The creatures shriveled and died in the searing heat.

A loud report sounded from the back of the cavern. Zoraster turned toward the sound and saw a thick cloud of black smoke mixing with the oily haze already hanging in the cave, and Blorcasir stepped forward from within it, screaming in a thunderous voice, "NO!"

Zoraster smiled, his fingers lovingly caressing something secreted inside his robes.

Stalking forward, his face twisted in a mask of rage, the reduced Lord of Murder's voice filled the chamber with a deafening scream, "YOU WILL DIE MORTAL! I WILL REND YOUR FLESH AND FEAST UPON YOUR SOUL!"

The few remaining Wood Trolls fled toward the back of the cave away from the wrath of their god. Zoraster stood, unmoved, his magic protecting him from the ear-splitting sound of Blorcasir's rage.

"I'm terribly sorry, Blork, have I inconvenienced you by ridding the world of these vermin?" Zoraster taunted with a smile on his face.