Laresa's World Ch. 25: Ben & Horace

Each Djinn used their knowledge to bring each one of them closer to the mountain top. Laresa poured her power over Horace, giving him the same intense feelings he'd washed over her. She accepted every thrust and soon encouraged him to speed up his tempo and increase the force of his manhood claiming her sex.

In time both were clawing at each other and their bodies were stiffening. Each ones climax boarded on leaving them unconscious as their come exploded and coated the other. Laresa felt the sparks that danced across her lids shatter against her veins as she came. Horace's seed found every nook and cranny that they could, boring into her flesh to give her tiny shocks of power as they exploded into her barren womb.

Horace was exhausted and did not attempt to bring his cock back to its fullest potential. He rolled from her and stared up at the ceiling. His heart pounded in his chest. "My gods, woman," he muttered, tossing one arm over his eyes.

Laresa smiled, and eased from his side. She looked down on her lover's sweaty body and sighed. "Rest Horace," she whispered and kissed his lips, before cleaning herself and donning more modern clothes.

She watched Horace dissolve into smoke and waft toward the window, where the haze slipped out and merged with the medallion Ben wore. She followed it and saw Ben glance in the direction the gray mist had come from. Their gazes locked and held, then she moved away, her shoulders sagging with the weight of a monumental decision resting on them. Once downstairs she paused as the scent of bread rose up to greet her. She followed the scent to the kitchen where she studied a woman of grace and aged beauty.

"Oh my, you are a lovely one, aren't you?" the woman said as she lowered her cookbook and stared at Laresa. "Take a seat and I'll pour you some tea, though if you are who I believe you to be, you can just as well make it appear."

Laresa lifted her hand, but stopped when Abby waved her back. "None of that. If you are going to be free, you best learn to do a few things on your own. Walk on over there and pour the hot water into a cup, make yourself some tea. I'll watch," Abby declared.

Smiling softly, Laresa did as she was told, relying on her skills that she'd learned when Horace had been in control of her and commanded her to "play" mortal so many Masters ago. As the tea brewed she returned to the woman and was offered a seat, which she took immediately. The old chair was hard and not as comforting as Laresa's cushion, but she didn't mind the discomfort, allowing herself to find a way to get comfortable with no help from magic.

"So have a good time with that young man?" Abby winked.

Laresa's eyes grew wide. "You heard us?" she asked.

Abby chuckled. "I did. Franklin came in and told us you were mentally talking to the other genie, but I guess your umm. . .talk got less mental, for that was not silence that was coming through the vents." Abby winked at Laresa's blush. She reached over and squeezed the woman's hand. "Funny, you are thousands of years older than me, but here I sit feeling like a mother hen."

"Do you have children?" Laresa asked.

Abby's gaze dropped. "No, Franklin and I had a son, but he passed many years ago. Never had another. Tried, but well. . .just wasn't in the cards for us."

"I'm sorry. I can't have children. But I've carried the weight of them inside me. It is odd to feel a mother's pain and joy all through a pregnancy and then have the child ripped from your arms," Laresa whispered. "I cannot imagine the pain of losing one of my own, though perhaps in a way I can. I have lost loved ones both children and adults. As a Djinn I have caused many deaths too. It is not a pretty life I have lived, no matter what Horace says."

Abby sighed. "No, it probably isn't, but this life isn't a bed of roses either. There are hardships everyday. Ones that make you wish you could wish them all away."

"Why don't they?" Laresa asked, "Why doesn't my Master and you, his friends, wish for all your dreams to come true?"

"Because that's not freedom. That's not living," a male voice chimed in.

Laresa looked up and noticed Franklin and Ben walk into the kitchen. "Horace is resting?" Ben asked, touching the medallion. Laresa nodded. "I am not weak, so I can stay out longer. It is odd, since my "awakening" I have not needed to rest as often as before."

"Your awakening?" Ben asked, taking a cup from the counter and pouring a glass of lemonade from the pitcher in the fridge.

Laresa nodded. "Yes, when I protected one of my Masters it was with all my strength, strength I didn't know I possessed, since then I have been stronger and more sure of my abilities to grant wishes. Now though, Horace tells me that I could give all of that up and live like a real person. I am not sure I understand how that will work."

Ben smiled and took a seat beside her. His hand wrapped around hers as he pulled the two artifacts from his pockets. "These I think will help."

Laresa stared at the amber teardrop and the pearl/diamond disk. She felt the power of both items and her fingers trembled as she reached for the amber. She stopped, pulled back and picked up the disk instead. "I know this Djinn," she whispered. "He still hurts so very much."

"Can you locate him?" Ben asked.

She closed her eyes, clasping the artifact in her hand. "Yes, Master. He is in 1600 Scotland. He's a servant to a Mistress that abuse him." She sighed, opened her eyes and wiped at a stray tear. "He is so weak and tired. His body and spirit are breaking more and more with each cruel Master he is possessed by. He's not had much happiness."

Franklin cleared his throat. "Laresa, would you like to try and free him?" Franklin asked. "We think that disk will do it, we just don't know how it works. We know you are special. You are the daughter of a Chieftain. The only Djinn to have come from royal blood. You have it in you. We can feel it. Our research proves it. You however, you have to believe it in yourself."

Laresa's brows furrowed. "I can't do it without a command. I am not free."

Ben smiled. "Laresa I command that you dress all of us according to the time where this young man is located. Give us all the knowledge of that era. The dialect. The attitudes of those that are high in the step and would gain audience with this Mistress. Then take us there. We will meet this Mistress and see if we can free this soul."

"Yes, Master," Laresa said with a grin and a smile that spoke volumes. Without much work involved for a genie of Laresa's knowledge and power, the group of four mortals, one with the power of two Djinn emerged into the world of 1600 Scotland.

"Where are we?" Ben asked as he took in the thick grass that grew under his feet. His eyes wide with awe as he realized how little effort it had taken for Laresa to transport them. He heard Franklin and Abby muttering and then Laresa set the woman's mind at ease that her bread would be fine. Time had stopped for them in 2007, so nothing would harm the succulent dough that was cooking in the oven.

"Master we are just a few miles from the keep where the man serves his Mistress. I can feel his sorrow and his pain. This is new for me. I have sensed genies before, but not to this extent. He is in such pain. She's beat him, again, denying him the right to heal himself."

"Take us there Laresa. To her gates with the proper entourage accompanying us," Ben demanded, not feeling guilt for using his genie's powers.

In time he was surrounded by men, soldiers that for some reason or another didn't question him or their existence. He was again amazed at the power of the Djinn and knew now how easily it was to get sucked into it. The large group of men, horses, and supplies moved to the gates of the woman's keep. They were greeted with an angry shout, demanding their names and reasons for wanting to seek their Mistress's audience.

Ben was surprised at how easily a lie fell from his lips. He thanked Laresa, knowing that the missive from the King he had suddenly spoke of would be in his breast pocket to deliver to the woman. They gained entrance and Ben was treated like a Lord as were the others. The four of them were led to a study and Franklin immediately flocked to the books. His excitement heard by his wife as he perused the original works of some very well known classics.

Fifteen minutes passed before the woman of the Keep appeared. A man who looked barely old enough to shave was at her side. Ben knew who the servant was. He had sensed Laresa stiffen as she poured her gaze over the weakened genie. "He's never given much time to rest," she whispered to her Master.

"My thoughts exactly," he answered back. "Laresa you have permission to get into my thoughts and to mentally speak with me," he told her, this time in a whisper that noone could hear but Laresa.

"Thank you, Master."

"Lord Gray?" Charlotte McDonald said as she lifted her hand in greeting.

Ben bowed low, took her hand, squeezed it gently and lifted it to his lips. He pressed a kiss to it and then allowed it to slip freely from his hand. "I have a missive from the King," he pulled it from his jacket, "one that was to be read in private."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, but took the papers, breaking the seal. "Take our guests to their rooms," she demanded, sliding her gaze toward the young man. He bobbed his head and led the four of them from the room.

"Why didn't you tell her I am Djinn?" Laresa immediately asked the boy when he closed the door, leaving his Mistress alone.

"I am not allowed to speak to her, unless she deems it necessary. It is one of the few things I cherish. When I felt your power I recognized you. It has been a long time, my friend," the young man's face beamed. "But why are you here?" he asked.

Laresa smiled. "To free you," she whispered. She took his hand and held it, opened the grimy fingers and pressed the disk into his palm. "Think back to when you were the happiest. I believe you can go there, but you must desire it with all your heart."

A shriek of outrage came from behind the study door and a shout for the lad's return echoed through the keep. "Hurry, Sam," Laresa urged.

The group watched as the young man closed his eyes and concentrated on a place in time where he had found joy. A ray of light seemed to illuminate his features and then burst into a thousand tiny specks. Laresa was amazed at the beauty that surrounded her. The others shielded their eyes, but she continued to watch as the heat of the room they were in grew stifling. Just as the study door opened the world seemed to suddenly return to normal.

Charlotte glared at the awestruck faces. "Where is Samuel?" she demanded, holding the missive in her hands. "I need him here now!" she screamed.

"Madam. . .were you not wearing a silver chain earlier?" Franklin asked, cocking his head to one side.

Charlotte wrapped her fingers around her neck and gasped. "What? Who are you?!" she screamed and then demanded her guards come forth.

Laresa smiled, lifting her palm to stop all movement in the Keep. She stared at the Mistress. "Samuel has returned to a happier place, no longer under the power of the chain you wore. He is a free boy. He chose to return to a time when he was happy and safe. I will keep him that way and he will go on to become a well-rounded individual and powerful with his words and not the magic of the Djinn. You however are going to live a different life. The missive speaks of a betrothal between you and a very sinister man. You will serve him in all ways, losing all your lands to him and becoming nothing more than a whipping post for his rage and sick perversions. We leave you Lady McDonald."

Ben caught Laresa's nod and knew she wanted the command to return them to the proper time. He shrugged his shoulders, not sure, nor caring really what happened to the woman before them. He knew now that Laresa could find others and that meant she could free many. He gave the wish and soon the four of them were back in Abby's kitchen.

Abby relaxed the tight grip she'd had on her husband's hand, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear. "No wonder you have been sought by so many evil doers," she said, finally releasing the death grip she had on her spouse. She moved to Laresa, embraced her in a warm hug and smoothed down her silvery hair. "That power would be deadly in the wrong hands," she whispered, pulling back and cupping the soft features of the handsome woman.

Laresa smiled softly as Abby touched her face. "Master, I am tired, perhaps it would be wise for me to return to my home," she implored. Ben nodded his head and the group watched Laresa turn into the mist of gray smoke and slip into her ring.

"She's not made her decision yet, has she?" Franklin asked.

Ben sighed. "No, she's struggling. She knows something she's not telling us and though I could command her to, I won't."

"Free will is a gift. You gave it to her; you can't take it away," Abby warned. "What about that lover of her's, the one in the necklace. Could he not provide answers?"

Ben rubbed the medallion, but made no moves to bring out Horace. He didn't want to see him. He wasn't prepared to face the genie, knowing in his heart that Laresa and the other Djinn had lain together. "I don't think he knows everything either. I believe Laresa needs to work this out on her own. She'll come to us when she is ready, in the meantime, why don't Franklin and I leave you to your musings and we'll continue researching the dreams I've had. Too many cooks in the kitchen and all that," he said with a wink and a lopsided grin.

Abby chuckled. "You just don't want me to put you to work." The two men laughed, but agreed with her proclamation and sauntered their way back to Franklin's study, where they both silently poured over numerous texts.

"What choice do you think she's holding back?" Franklin asked.

Ben looked up. "Her freedom." He refused to delve in any deeper with Franklin; he didn't know himself what he wanted Laresa to do. If she took the freedom offered up to her, then she would be lost to him. If she refused, he could keep her for a little while. . .until he broke a rule. He was human after all; in time he'd falter and she'd be gone, but for those precious moments, what would it be like to have her bend to his will. Ben pushed his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I just hope when she's ready. . .I am, too."

*****

Laresa lay on the thick, cushiony pillows that littered the top of her bed. She stared up at the "ceiling" of her ring and counted the lines and crevices of the amber stone. She could see what was going on outside. Her Master reading, a look of worry etched along his brow. His friends, Franklin and Abby, both absorbed in their own lives and their own little worlds. Horace's presence was there too, even though she couldn't communicate with him, she could still feel him. She could also hear what was being said between Master and friend. She was holding back her freedom and only she knew why.

A heavy sigh left her parted lips as she recalled the moment of joy that filled young Samuel's soul when he realized he was going home. She felt his happiness. She felt his wonder. She felt his relief. He'd lived a pleasant life before he was sacrificed. It wasn't perfect, but it was warm, safe, loving. His family had grieved his death, but now he lived in that same time, with the protection of her powers surrounding him. He would never be an unwilling sacrifice to any people, not even his own. She'd toyed with time, more than she ever had before. In one swift movement of power she'd turned back the clock for Samuel and placed him in a world where he was a child again. How had that effected the world? She didn't know, but she knew she would have to help other genies. Too many lives had been changed because of the power of the Djinn. She had to find away to set those atrocities right, and that meant denying her own freedom.

With that thought in hand, she slipped from her ring, surprising both Franklin and her Master. She smiled warmly at them as their pulses returned to normal. "Master, I've reached a decision."

Ben swallowed. "Laresa, you do not need to call me Master. I thought I told you that."

She again smiled, but refused to drop the title, telling herself that her decision would not be thwarted because she chose to indulge in the gift of free will and embrace it. It was time, she told herself to accept her fate in life, just as Horace had and be a genie forever, freeing others so that they can live the way they desired.

"Thank you, Master, but it is a title I feel I must continue using. I am not going to seek my freedom from the ring," she proclaimed.

Ben's shoulders sagged and Franklin's head shook in disappointment. "You want to continue to serve others? To lose the rights of freedom you've hungered for for so long?" Franklin asked, "We did this to free you Laresa, you and the others."

Laresa took a seat next to her Master's friend. "If I take my freedom, then I lose my powers. I need them to free the others. I need my powers to find the other elements, the key items, as you both call them. Without the items, I cannot free the Djinn that desire to live mortal lives. How can I place my desires above theirs? It is not fair to them."

"Is it fair to you?" Ben asked, though deep in his gut a part of him was rejoicing. He was going to be Laresa's Master. He was going to be allowed to spend more time with her and experience more of her power.

"I am but one, Master. There are so many I have hurt with this gift, but now you give me a way to help others. It is time I fix the wrongs of my people and those of the ancestors of hundreds of Djinn," Laresa's spoke softly, hoping to convince her Master that this was her true desire, though she knew it wasn't.

"So you are going to sacrifice yourself, for them?" Franklin asked. "No life of freedom? Random Masters and Mistresses? Abuse? Death? No children. . ."

Laresa felt the tears forming, but fought them back. "It is just me; there are so many," she said, refusing to go on. "We can start now if you wish. Horace doesn't wish for freedom, but I can locate his key item. You may store it in the Societies walls, or you may store it in the safe Franklin has hidden in his basement."

Franklin chuckled and Ben's brows rose. "Oh, does he have one there? How much society work have you been doing secretly old chap?" Ben asked, snickering to himself. Franklin shrugged his shoulders, but didn't elaborate.

Ben turned his attentions back to Laresa. "Bring me Horace's key item, Laresa."

She closed her eyes and dug deep through her powers, eventually finding the source of her growing knowledge and focused on that euphoric feeling. Her thoughts shifted to a cave, one full of darkness, moisture, bats and other nocturnal creatures that shivered as her energy swept through their souls and into the depths of the dark pit. Once there she concentrated all her efforts on a wall, where behind several feet of earth there was a diamond. She focused on it, drew it from its hiding place and back through the path her energy had taken.

Seconds passed for Franklin and Ben as they watched Laresa's features pale and her body sway. They had grown concerned, but knew it was best to not interfere. Neither wanted to cause the lovely and giving woman any discomfort. As time slipped by they were both suddenly aware that Laresa's features had taken on a more calm tone and her coloring was returning. Franklin nudged Ben forward and the other man slipped an arm around Laresa's waist, pulling her next to him.

"That took a lot out of you," he whispered, letting himself indulge in the essence of the woman he held.

Laresa sighed softly, shook her head and allowed her Master to ease her down to the sofa where he sat with her, tucking her into his side. "I have it though. The key element in freeing Horace. If he ever decides he wants his freedom." She tilted her head and looked up at Ben. "Here," she told him, opening her palm and glancing down to stare at the exquisite mineral. The diamond sparkled in the light of the room sending off glittering specks of light throughout the study.