Mage and Consort Pt. 03

"No time," the other Lady growled. "Give me all your Seed now, Leo, as fast as you can. Anya, would you help, please?"

Leo was shocked by Lady Karlov's pleading, but Lady Tur nodded slowly, and pulled from his grasp, dropping awkwardly to her knees.

"Consort, I cannot use your Seed to protect myself. It might even give me away. But I will help Melina. I will draw it out for her."

The other Lady's hands were at his breeches, and didn't resist. The moment his cock emerged, Lady Tur leaned forward to take it in her mouth, and the other Lady began massaging the portion outside her mouth.

It was too fast. But this was what a true Consort had to do. He had to be prepared, for exactly this moment. Leo closed his eyes, felt for his Lady, and found her warm talent engulfing him as fully as her mouth on his manhood. His Seed exploded in flame, suffusing the emissions pooled within his balls.

"Ladies," he gasped. "It comes. As I count, three, two, one..."

The final second never seemed to come. The Seed rode the very crest of the fluid, racing in the frozen moment though his manhood into his sweet Lady's mouth, catching her a moment too soon, even as she tried to move aside. Then it was smearing across her lips, onto the other Lady's cheek, and deep into her throat, before the first pulse even finished.

It didn't work perfectly, but the momentum kept his Seed flowing into Lady Karlov, more than he'd ever before managed. She mashed her nose into his groin, swallowing as quickly as she could, her whole body shaking. In mere seconds she realized it was done, and without pause she turned to his Lady, licking it from her face, and then kissing her open-mouthed on the lips.

His Lady's eyes grew wide, but then she shook her head, and Lady Karlov fell away, gasping.

"I could not stop myself swallowing," Lady Tur said nervously. "I did not realize it was even possible to share in such a -- direct way."

"Perhaps not," Lady Karlov said, chuckling softly, wiping the last from her chin. "Oh, Skies, Leo, what power! Maybe it was for the best that Anya got some as well. We run now, Consort, and then they will all see what I am capable of. Best of luck, Anya. Don't get captured, whatever you do. Hold your talent in tight."

He helped his Lady lean back against the tree. He couldn't get that moment out of his mind. It was simple expedience from Melina, as always, but he'd never seen two Ladies kiss in that fashion.

"You are a true Consort, Leo," Lady Tur said. "Fare you well."

One last, careful bow, and then Leo turned, unable to look upon her face. He would see her again, and this was not a goodbye.

Lady Karlov was a capable runner, though Leo knew she would tire before he did. They angled straight for the road, pace increasing when they hit the packed dirt, running side by side. The torches quickly resolved, showing the distant outlines of the army camp. No alarm raised yet.

"Consort," the Lady said, struggling for breath. "If I am taken, you must go to Beriba, with Anya. Find Sevello or Yoras, near the western docks, and convince them to trust you. Do you understand?"

"I do," Leo said, though in truth he had no idea what the Lady meant, or why she was telling him this. Leo and his Lady would make their own decisions in that event.

He realized that he could make this decision for Lady Karlov. If she succeeded in smashing them through the army, he could simply outrun her, until she was forced to abandon him. Later, when it was safe, he could return for his Lady. Maybe it would be for the best.

"Stay two paces behind me, no more or less," the Lady said. Her voice was eager, with an edge that made him anxious. "Do not falter, no matter what happens. They do not want us hurt, you understand? We have the advantage."

"Lady," he said, raising his voice as he fell back. Ahead he heard a cry. "Lady, do not slaughter them. I beg you, they are merely doing their duty --"

"I have no guarantees," she gasped. "I have such power now, Leo! Yet control always demands more strength."

"And you have the greatest control of all," Leo said desperately. There was no reply, as the Lady had raised one hand, pace slowing.

"They have two true Mages," she hissed excitedly. "And several weaker talents. Avert your eyes to the ground, Consort. Three, two, one --"

There was a light of such searing brightness that Leo stumbled despite her warning. Somehow it intensified, lighting everything in his peripheral vision with brighter-than-day clarity. Thunder crashed, and the trees just behind them exploded into flame.

The fire kept growing, always just behind them, and he understood: she was slowing the High Mage's party, and blinding those ahead to their progress. Smoke from smoldering moss and leaves billowed around them, masking them further.

She angled to the left, and something smashed Leo hard in the shoulder. A few steps later, another blow: a blunted arrow. Flashes of white flame appeared around them, as the Lady began destroying the missiles in midair. Their progress slowed. And then something large and heavy hit Lady Karlov.

She yelled in pain, but kept advancing, pushing wind and flame ahead of her. More debris flew, some igniting but much carrying through, rocks and pebbles like a sideways stonestorm. Leo protected his face, knowing that the Lady was doing what she could to divert the rocks, and that it wasn't enough. But they were nearly to the line of torches, and ahead of them soldiers were scrambling desperately from their path, screaming and beating at flames on their clothing. Lady Karlov cried out with glee, and suddenly a bolt of lightning struck in the smoke, mere paces ahead. The flying debris lessened, and he hopped over the inert form of a Mage. Leo was truly terrified of the Lady he followed. Fire closed behind them, another bolt of lightning struck somewhere, and suddenly there were no more campfires.

"You have done it, Lady," he called. She was speeding up again, lowering one hand as they rushed to effect their escape. And then a hundred yards later she suddenly drew up and turned around, gasping for air and coughing. Now was his chance to escape her. Fire lit her face, like a demon from the stories.

"Run for your life," she hissed, raising both hands, staring back at the direction they'd come.

Leo slowed, confused.

"You fucking fool, it is the Third!" She coughed, but held her hands steady. "I am finished, Leo, but I will buy you time. Remember what I told you, and protect your Lady. Go, fool!"

Leo shook his head. Was she truly sacrificing herself? It hardly mattered. The road was clear, and she wasn't following. This was his chance. He began to run, and his path was suddenly lit with incandescent brilliance from behind him, laying out a broad vista of countryside before him. The Lady screamed in exultation, and Leo memorized his route, knowing she wouldn't keep this up forever. He ran like the wind, and then an invisible fist smashed him flat against the ground.

Behind him the air echoed with thunder. Leo coughed and rolled on his back, unable to rise. It felt as if a boulder lay atop him. He stared at the immense conflagration, with Lady Karlov a small dark patch at its center.

And then his eye was drawn upward, to a darkened patch of sky, growing larger. Strangely twisting, fluttering, like a -- robe.

The kingdom's Third Mage descended almost casually through the fire, and the flames died to nothing her wake. She landed in front of Lady Karlov, who fell to her knees. It was suddenly dark, the air carrying nothing but distant cries and a cool breeze.

"You have killed two men," the Third said. Somehow her voice carried all the way to Leo. "But that is merely criminal. You are abandoning this land in its time of need, and that, Melina, is unforgivable."

Somehow Leo found the strength to roll to his stomach, squirming like a snake. If only he could get enough distance. One foot, another.

The weight intensified, and the world vanished into nothingness.

#

Anya thought she was deep enough in the forest to safely watch. And then the light came.

A half minute later, still blinking spots from her eyes, she saw the flames trailing in Melina's wake, trees exploding on either side of the road. She'd never seen magic unleashed this way, and it terrified her.

But it wasn't truly unleashed. The flames torched tops of trees, but rarely ignited their neighbors. Maybe the fuel was wet enough to prevent disastrous spread. Or maybe Melina was revealing mastery to impress even a full Mage. It was what she always secretly wanted, Anya suspected. Now everyone knew what a power Melina was, that there was no denying her what she wanted. No point standing in her way for anything, or anyone.

Leo wasn't destined to be Anya's Consort. She'd known that for a while, even if she hadn't admitted it. It had nothing to do with his wishes, or hers, and everything to do with the kingdom's never-ending power struggles, and Melina's iron will. Melina would blast her way through the army, running on with Leo, and Melina would find pretexts to delay returning, to give Leo time to accustom himself to his new role.

All Anya had to do now was decide what to do with her life.

Lights flashed, thunder echoed in the distance, and Anya waited. She still wasn't convinced by the story Melina had told, of an oh-so-convenient pursuit. But Leo said he'd felt something. And Anya had taken some of Leo's power, hoarding it tight in her womb. She needed to stay quiet, until she was sure any danger was passed. Plus it gave her an excuse not to decide anything.

Anya leaned against the tree, quieted herself, and listened.

Melina said it was a small group, moving on foot with stealth. Anya supposed the fiery theatrics had removed any reason for stealth. Still, it surprised her when she heard indistinct calls from behind her on the road. Melina hadn't lied, it seemed.

Suddenly Anya's stomach lurched. Something rushed down the road, far faster than a human. She could feel the magic casting, touching the Earth like a great rolling wheel as it effortlessly propelled itself forward and up. It whipped past her, and she let out a breath. Not for her, of course. The missile took aim at Melina's immense conflagration, the one she'd claimed would serve as distraction for Anya's own protection.

As it passed, the flames died, leaving the object highlighted by the incandescence ahead. And she realized it wasn't an object at all: it was a person, hurtling through the air.

A High Mage. Anya had never heard of anyone using their power this way, outside fantastic stories. Lifting the weight of a person was no great feat for a High Mage, and that strength made them both vital for the kingdom and deadly for any enemy. But Anya well knew the terrible risks of anchoring Force magic on one's own body. To trust your control was so absolute, when an instant's falter would mean sure death? She supposed that was what made you a High Mage.

The flames ahead died entirely, and suddenly Anya felt a chill. There was no chance of outrunning such a foe. And Melina knew far more of the High Mages' strengths than Anya did. Had she suspected something like this? Did this explain her strangely defeated reaction?

On the road she heard men's voices, and several indistinct figures approached from the distance, running for the dark camp. The Mage's companions, who were no doubt feeling quite superfluous.

Anya knew that this was her chance, and she needed to make her escape. But she was frozen with doubt.

Melina hadn't lied. She'd done exactly what she said she would do, providing a distraction. And more than that: she'd demonstrated beyond a doubt that she already had the power of a Mage. She could have held back, especially once she'd been sure of her capture. Maybe Melina really had gotten what she wished for: recognition. But for all Melina's arrogance, she was ever ruled by cold-blooded calculation.

Maybe this was a way of making sure that she'd be given real responsibility when she got taken to the castle. But Anya didn't think it worked that way. When Melina's political support had destroyed itself, she'd immediately run rather than face the fate she'd described to Anya. Used and controlled, by Mages with vastly more power than Melina herself. No, that all rang true. That was something Melina would run from.

Anya waited, shivering, for what seemed like an hour. Long enough to watch the camp begin disassembling itself, purpose fulfilled. And finally a cart appeared, pulled by four cartsmen at a fast walk. The High Mage and a few others followed on foot, and another Mage sat in the straw cart bed. Two bodies in familiar clothing lay inert beside her.

Since the night of the storm and her injuries, Anya had barely made any decisions, relying instead on Leo and especially Melina to make them for her. Perhaps it was her constant pain, but she suspected not. Anya knew she'd always been too willing to go with the path presented her. It was her own kind of cowardice.

She could escape somewhere on her own, perhaps pass as an out-of-luck farmer from distant lands. The thought of resuming that life again was frankly awful. Anya had a taste of a different living: fine food, endless satisfaction for her curiosity, maybe one day some real respect. And Leo, of course. And Leo.

Anya didn't know in truth how he'd be treated in the castle. But he wouldn't be able to leave on his own. And if she wanted to make any claims on him, futile as it might be, she needed to do it with all the force of a Lady wronged. Someone whose Consort had been taken from her. What would that Anya do now?

She would start walking back to the fort. She would fall on the mercy of her teachers, the healers, everyone who might pity her. And she would find a way, somehow, to get Leo back.