Hope

This was what she made the men feel. The women, too, who were affected by her. This was her own power reflected back. The psychic nature of the magic had made her understand just how badly the victims of her aura yearned, allowed her to sympathetically sense the pain of their need. But to feel it directly like this, to have it forced on her? She had a new appreciation for what she had inadvertently forced on others.

What was doing this? Had the town full of women somehow pooled their powers? Hope was so strong, even an Archmage shouldn't have been able to penetrate her defenses. The only thing could even try to do this would be a Megami.

"Yes," said a firm female voice. "A Queen Megami, to be exact. Your Queen." The words seemed to ripple across Hope's mind, filling her with a heady euphoria and a deep, hollow ache when they ceased.

Hope turned her head, blinked through the tears, and looked up to see a woman floating down from the sky. She was petite, with a cute pixie-cut of light brown hair, but her sheer presence and the way she hovered made her loom large in Hope's eyes. She was dressed in an elaborate white garment with pink lining, somehow looking like a military uniform crossed with a formal dress. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties at best, but it was difficult to tell these days. The healing effects of Sex Magic kept women, and even the men they played with, healthy and youthful. The woman could be older than Hope, yet look half that easily.

"My age isn't your concern," she said. "Your concern is whether or not I'm going to kill you when this conversation is over."

SIX

Once her dramatic entrance was achieved, Queen Rose used her power to float both hope and Sam into Hope's house, coming in behind them. She was able to easily shield Sam from Hope's aura, and the boy had been placed in Hope's room, told to not come out until given permission.

She set Hope on the floor of her living room, then sat upon the two-seater couch. Despite the cushions being designed to easily let a person sink deep in, Queen Rose sat up, barely making a dent in the cushion. She sat as though on a throne, back straight, legs crossed, with her hands folded on her knee, a regal air about her.

She had calmed her aura down, letting Hope breathe again and compose herself. Hope knelt on the floor before her, still dizzy from the sudden surge of forced arousal. Her clit and nipples were still stiff, and she could sense Sam's cock was as well. This did not seem to be a forced effect from an aura. Crazily, it seemed her and Sam's sexual responses were their bodies standing at attention for the Queen. No pain, no aching need, just a constant salute to the one clearly in charge.

"That is the case, yes," said Rose, easily reading Hope's mind. The mental rippling effect of her words had also been suppressed, so Hope could focus. "It seems a stubborn side effect of being a Queen. A small thing, really, and I'm sure you understand uncontrollable side-effects. But I don't mind. You should be reverent of your ruler. I do, after all, maintain peace and harmony in my nation."

There was a pause. The Queen's eyes, a deep blue, seemed to gaze into Hope's very soul as she made eye contact with the woman. Hope felt herself becoming lost in their depths, until the Queen blinked. Hope's gaze dropped and she sagged, her breath heavy. She hadn't even felt the Queen's power and yet she knew she was an open book to her.

If the Queen felt any empathy for Hope's plight, she made no outward show of it. Her expression unreadable, passive, but cunning; no telling whether she was about to smile, snarl, or just stare you into a cowering ball. She was in absolute control of herself. But then, a Queen Megami had to be, didn't she?

"You are a pitiable woman. A Glitch condition that makes others suffer instead of you, and yet your compassion means you suffer in turn because of it. Meanwhile, your stupidity ensured you'd back yourself into this corner. So many things you could have done to make this work for you, and you're only now giving them serious thought. Even when the ideas occurred to you, you were instead chained down by sentimentality."

Hope had nothing to say in her defense. She clearly didn't even need to speak for Rose anyway.

Rose's gaze held steady. "This would be so much easier if you were a monster. If you'd have just attacked the town and proven to everyone you really were just a lunatic."

Hope's brow furrowed. "My Queen? I don't understand. You would have wanted me to attack the town?"

"It would have shown you were just a lunatic, and we wouldn't be facing a potential revolt. And fixing the problem would have been as simple as tossing you into orbit." She paused, sensing Hope's bewilderment. "It's the easiest way to execute a powerful rogue Sex Mage."

"Um..."

"But, you're not a monster, are you? You're just a wreck. So what am I to do with you? I can't put you in a Glitch commune or the Blasted Zone or exile you to Haven, you'd be riling up women there, too. I suppose I could just dump you on an island or the middle of a large forest, but you clearly never bothered to learn wilderness survival. You've stayed stubbornly reliant on modern conveniences."

"I need people," said Hope. "I can't just bottle myself away forever. I'd go crazy."

"I know," said Rose. "That's what makes this tricky. I don't wish to kill you, but I can't let you stay in my country."

Hope blinked, feeling a pang of dread. "I can't just be set up in another town? The courier thing didn't work out with Rungton, but—"

"I sympathize with you, Hope, more than you can know. But I have a people to consider, and disruptive elements like you, disturbing the peace, inspiring revolt? I will not have it."

"Revolt? My Queen, some men blew their tops, but surely—"

"The boy came to you. Other men were inspired by his example. Had they not been clamped down on by their women, would they also have come to you? What would you have done, with such a group of desperate men, looking for someone to help them? Perhaps guide them? Perhaps show them a new way?"

Hope's brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you—?" Then her eyes widened. "No! My Queen, I would never! I would never try to form another one of the Cults. Or, or, or try to steal any of your territory, or whatever it is you're thinking!"

"You don't think you would. But how do you think the Cults got started? Desperate people looking for desperate solutions."

Hope grit her teeth, feeling anger well up. "And why shouldn't they be desperate? Your people torture each other. The women torment the men, and they get worse every year. The men get treated like shit, and the women just egg each other on. You want monsters? Look at the maniacs your protecting!"

"Maniacs who still abide by a system," said Rose. "Men may resist, but they are controlled. Some women may sympathize, but the majority wish to maintain the status quo. For now, and for the foreseeable future, it works, as long as rogue elements are controlled. The Cult Wars happened because the world wasn't vigilant while it adjusted to Sex Magic's appearance. We Megami took over the world, so something like that could never happen again. Part of that means people like me have to nip any potential threats like you in the bud."

Hope shook her head. "It's going to blow up in your faces eventually. Even if it takes years. Decades."

"Perhaps. But for now, the system works, while we plan something better."

Hope scowled. "If me making a couple guys out of turn is all it takes, then your system is—"

"I wouldn't expect a country bumpkin to understand the nuances of governance," said Rose. Her words carried a hint of the mental ripple that had so overwhelmed Hope before. Hope was immediately reminded of her place, and stayed silent. Queen Rose stood, and Hope bowed her head. "You have exactly two options, Mrs. Escher. You will leave my country, or I will kill you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my Queen," Hope hissed the last word bitterly.

Rose ignored the insult. "I'm not your Queen anymore." She went to the door, then paused as she touched the handle. "I will return in three days. Either you will be someone else's problem by then, or you will be no one's problem ever again." She then exited, flying into the air like a rocket as soon as she was out the door.

Hope let out a long breath, feeling mentally and physically drained, overwhelmed by the unfairness of it all. She curled into a ball on the floor and started to sob. Sam came out of her room, figuring it was safe to come out now. The Queen's shield still holding for the moment. He went over to Hope, and put his arms around her. For the first time in years, Hope was able to let herself be touched. The sudden feeling, as well as the stark reminder of how much she missed it, just made her cry harder, clutching him tightly to her.

***

An hour later, Hope and Sam sat on her couch, just staring at the far wall. They sat in silence, holding hands. Hope's eyes were still a bit red, but the cry had done wonders to clear the emotional turmoil for the moment. Sam's touch was a comfort she wished could last forever, but she could already sense Queen Rose's shield was starting to dissolve. Hope was catching glimpses of Sam, to his shame, wondering if it would be possible to have sex with her now. His cock was already half-erect. Soon enough, her aura would be forcing him harder than humanly possible, and her mere touch would be sending him into a coma.

"Sam?" she said. "Can I ask you to help me?"

"Sure," he said. "Anything."

"Don't say that," she said. "A girl might take you literally."

Sam smiled slightly. "Well, within reason, of course."

"Of course," she said. "I don't have a vehicle. But if I had a man to give me energy, I could just fly myself where I needed to be. And take him with me, of course."

"You want me to be your helper or something?"

"I don't know where to go or what to do, yet," she said. "I have almost no money. But the magic can keep us, well, not fed, but we won't starve, and we won't really be in danger from bad weather. We won't even need to sleep. If you can tolerate staying in my aura some of the time, if you let me tease you for a while, the magic can keep us going until we find a place where we can try to live."

"I can be your courier still, wherever we go," he said.

"I would like that a lot," she said.

"Where were you thinking of going?" he said.

"No idea," she said. Then she paused. "Well, actually, I know plenty of places not to go. I want to try for one of the nicer Queendoms. Montana, the Carolinas." She made a laugh. "Hell, I'd even try for that Furry Nation; we'd have to let ourselves be turned into, like, cat people or something, but they treat the men there pretty okay, if what I read was right."

Hope sensed a clear thought of herself looking like an anime-style catgirl in Sam's mind. His cock flexed at the idea, even though it weirded him out a little. Speaking of which, his erection was fully stiffening. Hope reluctantly pulled her hand away from his. "Sorry," she said. "I think your shield's breaking down already." She paused, then leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. "And thank you. That meant more to me than you could know."

Sam blushed and smiled, almost beaming. "No problem," he said. "So, when do you want to leave?"

She stood. "No time like the present. Just let me pack a bag and put a sign on the door. Do you need anything?"

Sam shrugged. "Nothing worth going back for."

"Okay," she said, then paused. "Um, well, if it's alright with you, it would probably be smart to start building your energy up."

Sam swallowed nervously, but nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said. "Maybe, um, start with something a little less intense?"

Hope smiled. "How about a nice old fashioned blowjob?" Sam grinned and nodded, his cock fully erecting. He adjusted himself, then flinched slightly as he felt a warm phantom mouth close over his organ, and start sucking him in a slow, sensual draw. He lay back on the couch, letting himself be coaxed towards the edge of climax, and for once not minding as the magic kept him from releasing, embracing it's teasing power.

An hour later, Hope, wearing a large backpack, was carrying them both in the air, keeping him just at the edge of her aura, still playing with him. He didn't mind at all, though. And Hope was going to make sure she repaid him in spades. Until then, the horizon beckoned.

END