Lilith's Emporium Pt. 18: The Stone

Patrick awoke to the sounds of Nessira apparently having a horrible dream. She was covered with sweat and talking in her sleep, saying things that sounded like she was witnessing something horrible and Patrick was about to wake her up.

"No, please no, Sebastian!" She yelled out as Patrick froze for a moment.

Hearing his name bothered him a little but he put his hand on her shoulder and tried to wake her up as gently as he could. "Ness, Ness wake up, you're having a bad dream."

"No, Sebastian no, I'll kill them, I'll kill them all!" She yelled suddenly waking up and quickly sitting up in the bed with glowing red eyes.

"Woah, Ness, Ness it's okay," he said trying to calm her down as she growled a little before she took a deep breath.

"Patrick?" She said as her eyes returned to normal.

"Yes, it's me, you were having a nightmare."

"Oh God," she said as she began to sob dropping her head into her hands.

"It's okay Babe," he said putting his arm around her.

She rested her head against him as she began bawling her eyes out. He did his best to comfort her as they laid back down together. He didn't want to ask her what the dream was about because he had an idea already but also knew she would talk about it when she was ready.

After a little while, she fell asleep in his arms. If she was dreaming it was much more peaceful than the last one as she didn't seem to stir at all. Glad she was sleeping peacefully he still was wondering why she was yelling her former lover's name. He wasn't too worried about it but he still sometimes wondered how he compared to Sebastian, despite the fact they shared the same soul.

The next morning Patrick awoke to an empty bed. He sat up and looked around until he heard Nessira's voice coming out of her enchanting room right off the bedroom.

"Yes, I found it!" She said before she came running back into the bedroom.

"Huh?" He said as he was still half asleep.

"Get up, I need your help with something."

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up, what is it?"

"A magic stone tablet that we need to retrieve, it's right here in New York."

"Stone tablet, what kind?"

"One we need to get our hands on before someone else does."

"Okay, let's do this," he said getting out of bed and grabbing his wizard robes to get ready.

---------

"Please explain to me again what I am looking for?" Patrick asked as he and Nessira stood in a darkened alleyway after opening a manhole cover.

"It's a stone tablet, has ancient elvish writing, and it is guarded by something but I am not sure what."

"That's comforting," Patrick said with sarcasm. "And why is it in the sewers?"

"I'm not sure, probably because it's the last place anyone would look, take this crystal, it'll begin to hum as you get closer."

"Let's hope so, and also why aren't you coming again?"

"Because these are new boots, not meant for the sewers of Manhattan."

"This is why you wanted me to become a wizard isn't it, to do the dirty work?"

"Honestly I'd rather make Kevin do it, but he and Shadow are enjoying their weekend away, besides you are far more competent than he is."

"Hey he isn't a bad guy, Shadow loves him."

"Yeah but he's also gotten himself killed twice."

"The first one doesn't count."

"Fair enough, I dunno, he just bothers me," she said with a weird look on her face.

"Well back to the matter at hand, wish me luck."

"If I didn't think you could handle it I wouldn't be sending you, besides when you get back, you can help me take these boots off," she said teasing him a little.

"Maybe after a shower."

"Oh definitely, and don't worry, I'll be able to communicate with you the whole time."

"Great, got anything for the smell?"

"Yes, I advise you to breathe through your mouth."

Patrick rolled his eyes and jumped into the hole landing in a few inches sewage. He cast a spell that created a ball of light so he could see where he was going. He had never been down in the sewers before and wasn't all that excited about being there now. As much as she gave Nessira crap for not coming with him, he was actually okay with her staying behind so she didn't get hurt.

"How is it down there?" He heard Nessira's voice say like she was right beside him.

"How do you do that?"

"Simple magic my Love, now tell me what you see?"

"Pipes and sewage, and a smell that'll haunt me for a long time."

"Remember what I said."

"Yeah yeah, breath through my mouth," he said as he felt his crystal started to hum when he came to an intersection. "I think I may be on the right path."

"Just follow the crystal, I know it was less than a mile from where I am."

"So you really don't know if there is anything guarding it?"

"I don't, just be careful down there."

"Always," he said until he came across a section of wall where his crystal was practically glowing and humming. "Looks like I have to make a hole."

"A hole, wait, there may be gas mains near you."

"I am open to suggestions?"

"If the tablet is behind that wall then a portal might be too dangerous, just give me a moment."

Patrick stood there for a while waiting for her to tell him what to do until he finally said: "well, is there a spell that tells me what pipes and cables are back here?"

"Yes, it's called Google and I am casting it now."

"Google... seriously?"

"Yes, just shut up and give me a minute," she said as he stood there waiting. "Looks like you are good to go."

"When the hell did you learn how to use google?"

"Patrick, we are in a hurry here!" She said getting him back on the task at hand.

Patrick shook his head and used a simple force spell knocking in the brick wall opening up a sealed-off chamber on the other side. It was about 10 feet by 10 feet as he stepped in seeing cobwebs and dust. Whatever this room was it had been sealed up for a long time.

As he looked around he noticed an indent in the wall. He walked towards it with his ball of light still floating about his shoulder. He saw what looked like a book covered in webs and dust but upon closer examination, he realized it was the tablet.

"Nessira I found it," he said out loud but with no answer. "Nessira did you hear me, I found the tablet!"

"Why do you seek the tablet of resurrection?" A voice he didn't recognize spoke as he spun around.

There was a woman standing there wearing some sort of ancient-looking robes. Her ears were pointed and he soon figured out she was an elf but he wasn't sure who she was or what she was doing down here.

"Who are you?"

"I am Delimira, I created the tablet, I am bound to it and I am wondering why you are here to retrieve it?"

"I am Patrick, I'm a wizard, and my wife and I are seeking artifacts like this to store for safekeeping."

"You're wife, the succubus adopted daughter of the Goddess Lilith?"

"Yes, how did you know that?"

"Do you know her true intentions for the tablet?"

"What, I just told you."

"That is your intention, and I believe that is what you will truly do, but the red witch," she said pausing for a moment. "Her dark past makes me hesitant to let you take it."

"I can vouch for her."

"I am sure you believe that, but what use does she have for a magic tablet with the power of resurrection?"

"This is what we do, trust me, we will keep it safe."

"Are you sure she doesn't intend to resurrect someone, perhaps her old lover?"

"What, no she... why are you asking me this?"

"Because the thought is in the back of your mind, perhaps not even consciously but it is there."

"She wouldn't, she's my wife."

"Of course she is, ah, I see now, you possess the soul of her true love. Now with this, she could bring him back if she truly desired."

"Stop it, why are you doing this?"

"I am not doing anything," she said before she suddenly disappeared.

"Patrick, Patrick can you hear me?" He suddenly heard Nessira's voice again.

"Yeah, yeah I'm here."

"Oh thank God, I lost contact and feared the worst."

"I'm fine, I found the tablet."

"Really, you are the best, grab it and get out of there quickly, whatever magic broke our connection has me a bit on edge."

"Yeah, me too," he said under his breath before grabbing the stone and placing it in his satchel before heading back to Nessira.

--------

Nessira seemed excited as she examined the stone closely back at the Emporium. Patrick couldn't get what the elf said out of his mind but he did his best to try to forget it.

"This is so perfectly preserved," Nessira said still smiling as she held it.

"Well at least here it won't fall into the wrong hands, we will keep it safe, right?"

"Huh, oh yes, of course," she said before placing it in a small glass case with a magic lock for safekeeping. "Now it is ours."

"Both of ours?"

"What, of course it is, what was that about?" She asked a little confused by his tone.

"Nothing, just been a long day is all, I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Shall I join you?" She asked with a smile.

"Tempting but I just want to get cleaned up," he said before he turned and headed upstairs.

Nessira stood there for a moment concerned as to what was on his mind. He had never acted that cold to her before and was wondering if something had happened down in the sewers that he wasn't telling her. She looked back at the tablet for a moment as she could feel the magic oozing off of it as she began to ponder.

Patrick got undress throwing his sewer soaked clothes in a plastic bag before he climbed into the warm water. The elf's words echoed over and over and he began to think about what happened last night and it began to make him wonder if it was true.

"No, I don't believe it, I can't," he said getting angry at the idea before. "She loves me, and I trust her, that's all that matters," he convinced himself before he cleaned himself up and stepped out.

He looked into the mirror noticing a few grey hairs on the hairline above his ears. He thought it was strange because he was immortal like Nessira but didn't think much of it as he splashed some water in his face.

"You are starting to believe it aren't you?" The elf's voice said again as she appeared in the mirror.

"What the, stop it!"

"Stop what, I am only trying to protect you."

"From what, and why do you even care?"

"Because I have read your eyes and your soul, I believe you are truly a good person worthy of my magic, but your wife has her own plans, you must realize the truth."

"No, you are just some evil spirit trying to rip us apart."

"There is nothing evil here, the true evil sleeps in your bed, but believe what you want to believe," she said before disappearing again.

"This is all in my head, I won't let her turn me against Nessira."

As he walked into the bedroom Nessira was laying there covering herself with a sheet except for the boots which were still on her feet. She looked sexy as hell as she smiled at him but he wasn't in the mood to make love to her which bothered him.

"As promised, I need you to help me take my boots off."

"Tempting but I am really not in the mood tonight."

"Seriously?" She asked sitting up in the bed. "What's wrong Patrick?"

"Nothing, just... I really need some rest, okay, and those boots don't look like they are going anywhere," he said before climbing into bed. "I promise everything is okay, I just need some sleep," he added before he kissed her good night.

"Okay, rest up," she said laying back down watching him close his eyes but knowing something was definitely wrong.

She turned to face the wall with her back to him wondering what had happened to him down in that sewer. Maybe she should have gone with him, or maybe the tablet affected him somehow. All these thoughts flew through her head until he felt him slide over and put his arm around her holding her as he slept. A smile came across her face as she got comfortable and closed her eyes as well.

-------

Patrick opened his eyes confused by where he was. He was laying in a bed that was not his own and a cool breeze hit his face. He seemed to be in a castle tower but there were no walls. He was in a valley filled with trees and a waterfall nearby spraying must into the moonlight.

"Where am I?" He asked sitting up.

"You like it, this was my home, a long time ago," Delimira said as she was standing off to the side.

"Why am I here, what is going on?" Patrick demanded.

"Do you know how elves greet each other?" She said walking over to the bed as Patrick began to feel weak. "It is far more intimate than human greetings," she said before dropping her robes and standing there naked.

Patrick was blown away by how beautiful she was but he knew this was wrong. "Please stop this, send me home."

"You are home, laying in bed with that treacherous succubus, this is just a glimpse of what I can offer you," she said as she straddled him as he was too weak to fight it. "This heart in your chest makes you her slave, you are a means to an end for her, you can hear it can't you?"

Patrick began to listen hearing Nessira moan out Sebastian's name in her sleep again. "Stop it."

"Stop what, you have never been with an elf have you," she said as she leaned down against him pressing her lips to his gently. "You think you know true pleasure because you have laid with a succubus and lived, they are chaos and death, elves are passion and pleasure,"

She snapped her fingers causing the blanket between them to fade. He could feel the warmth of her slit against him as his cock began to harden. He tried to resist but he couldn't and before he knew it his erect cock was inside her feeling her warmth as she moved her hips only slightly but the sensation was heavenly.

"There we go," she said still only moving her hips a little which was more than enough. "I can be yours, Patrick, I will be everything you need and more, no schemes or plans, we can live here, and experience endless pleasures that only an elven mage like myself can give you."

Patrick tried to resist but the sensations he was feeling were stronger than anything even Nessira had done in the past. He wanted to wake up from this but he couldn't do anything except lay there and feel the sensation Delimira was inflicting upon him and the worse part was he didn't want it to stop.

"Release me from the tablet, and I will be yours."

"No!"

"I will show you the truth, Nessira will have to choose, and when she chooses to bring back Sebastian instead of saving you, then you will see the truth and together we can stop her and be together forever."

"No, please stop this."

"You don't want that, in fact, you want to cum inside me, and you will right about now!"

Patrick awoke as his cock burst under the blanket soaking through. He had never cum that hard before in his life and his penis didn't seem to want to stop as he put his hand on it begging for it to subside as Nessira sat up confused by what was happening.

"What the fuck?" She said seeing what looked like a gallon of cum soaked in their blanket. "What the hell happened?"

"The tablet... Delimira,... she wants me to choose her."

"Delimira?" She asked confused by the name. "Who is Delimira?"

"She' an elf, the tablet, she told me..." he paused for a while as Nessira noticed something was wrong. Someone was messing with his mind and she could tell just by looking at him. "Tell me Ness, why do you want that tablet?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me," he said rolling out of bed. "The past few nights you keep yelling his name, and then you have me fetch the tablet of resurrection out of the blue, what are you planning?"

"Patrick, listen to me," she said getting up. "This elf, she is filling your head with nonsense, don't believe her."

"No, you want him back don't you, I am just your consolation prize and now you have a way to get what you truly want back, tell me I'm wrong?"

She was so angry she slapped him across the face which she had never done before and even felt bad after. Patrick stood there shocked by this himself as he realized he was probably being stupid. He knew it was Delimira doing this to them but he also knew he had gone too far.

"Get out," Nessira said with tears in her eyes as Patrick turned and left the room without question.

Once out in the hall, he could hear Nessira sobbing and he knew what he had to do. He ran downstairs and opened up the storeroom door stepping inside. He saw the tablet under the case and looked at the lock that only he and Nessira could open.

He ran over to his bookshelf and began doing some research about elves. It took him a while but eventually he found the name Delimira and a story about what happened to her. It was said that she broke the rules of the elven elders when she created the tablet of resurrection and was banished. She tried to turn on the elders and was put to death but her tablet was hidden away because it was believed that her soul was attached to it waiting for someone to bring her back to life.

"She's... using me, I have to end this," He said as took out the tablet and was about to smash it on the floor.

"Don't do that," Delimira said as she had appeared yet again. "That's not how to free me."

"This needs to end, now!" he said ready to throw the tablet down when he suddenly couldn't move. "What... what have you..."

"Ha, you made love to me, I have taken your semen, now I have power over you," she said with a sinister grin on her face. "But don't worry, I meant what I said, once the witch has shown you her true colors I will take good care of you."

"No you won't, you are draining my life force to bring yourself back, and she would never betray me."

"Oops, I guess you figured me out, now we have to do this the more painful way, I would have made it fun for you but you had to spoil it, but still you are a fool, she is more evil than you think, how many people has she killed, she even wanted to kill you!"

"How do you know all this?"

"I know what you know, I read your mind the moment you entered that chamber and took my tablet, I will show you her true colors and you will be forced to watch as the woman you love sacrifices you for her own dark desires and then I will use what is left of you to bring myself back as well."

"What is going on here!" Nessira said suddenly standing in the doorway seeing a strange elven woman and Patrick seemingly frozen by magic.

Patrick could see the redness in her eyes like she had been crying but now he was more afraid than ever as he didn't know what Delimira was planning and a part of him was scared of what Nessira's plans were as well. He watched as she quickly assessed the situation.

"So you must be Delimira," she said crossing her arms.

"Why yes, and you are Nessira, the Red Witch of Raven Hill, daughter of Lilith, have I forgotten anything?" Delimira said with a smile on her face.

"Yes, the succubus who is about to murder you for using your magic on my man."

"Your so-called man is enjoying it more than he cares to admit," she said as Patrick was still frozen in place as she took the tablet from him. "Actually I am here to make you a deal."

"A deal, ha, what could you give me?" Nessira said with annoyance in her voice.

"Well as I have been explaining to Patrick here is that you have been keeping a secret, I knew it the moment you touched my tablet, and even though I can't read your mind, I can give you back your lover."

"Then release him!" Nessira demanded.

"No, not him, your real lover, Sebastian," the Elven mage said seeing the surprise in Nessira's eyes.

"That's... that's not possible."

"Oh it is, you know it is, and with my help, we can make it happen, his soul is right here, making a body is easy, all you have to do is give me the word."

"And even if I didn't murder you and were interested, what do you want in return?"

"Well, I want what is left of him when we are done," she said pointing at Patrick who still couldn't move.