Satyr Play 02 Pt. 02

The four Fae wobbled and opened their eyes to glare at the woman on the bench.

"What happened?" Marisa asked as Queen Mab watched with interest.

Joren spoke for them. "You were correct regarding the level of magic for this one. It will only take three mages to protect a fourth who does the work of implanting and binding the glamor. However, her will is abnormally strong. She must allow us in to complete this work!"

Tish snorted. "Dayshia? Strong-willed?"

The woman in question fixed an eye on her friend. "Hush you! They just caught me off-guard. Now that I know what to expect I should be ok."

Joren traded a look with the Queen but received no sympathy from her. He nodded and gestured to the three others who would be his protection. He fixed a stern eye on his patient. "You must work with us, not against us."

Marisa leaned over her slightly with a gentle smile. "Remember they are giving you what you want and need. Concentrate on the photo and soak in all of the details," she coached. Dayshia nodded shakily then lifted the snapshot Sandy had taken of their group at their previous year's office Christmas party. They all looked incredibly happy in the photo! She smiled and nodded to Joren having fixed in her mind how she looked in the picture. The Fae nodded stiffly, and the group prepared themselves once more.

Dayshia was surprised again by the sudden impression of otherness inside, but this time she forced herself to let it happen. This became harder and harder to do as that otherness slipped deeper into her mind. Their presence was adding a grating vibration, discordant and unsettling, like nails on a chalkboard, squealing door hinges and cold fingers down the spine combined. The deeper they went, the harder it became to endure. She was about to scream when she felt a calming presence next to her. Marisa?!? An image flashed through her mind of the gorgeous blonde between Sandy's/her legs, and she felt Marisa's surprise and amusement. That made her feel better. Marisa's calm was an oasis.

They followed the mage's minds deep into her core, and while it didn't get easier, Marisa's presence made it bearable. They reached the bottom, and Joren's voice sounded like it came from all around. "I begin. Prepare to imprint the image."

A shudder ran through her body but Marisa held her in a warm hug, and she relaxed a little.

The actual binding was a pain almost beyond her ability to endure. Dayshia screamed in her mind, her throat paralyzed at the moment, and clung to Marisa who whispered soothing sounds to her, protecting her from slipping into madness.

"Now," Joren said, pain evident in his tone as well.

Dayshia thrust the image of her joy filled face and happy dance at the blank outline the Fae prepared for her and felt it sink into place.

"This is your activation trigger," the Fae indicated and once he was assured Dayshia had it memorized he and the others fled from Dayshia's mind. The vacuum they left with their abrupt departure left Dayshia dazed. After a moment, she probed the trigger and was surprised to see a second one. She felt a gentle pressure from Marisa to avoid that one. Then the woman slipped away as well.

Dayshia opened her eyes and saw the pretty blonde smiling down at her. She raised an eyebrow at the woman for the secret they shared, but Marisa just shook her head minimally.

"Thank you for the assist," Joren said to Marisa. "Are you up to helping with the others?"

The Succubus nodded with a smile. "Then I'm going to need a few hours of sleep."

Dayshia discovered she was exhausted and didn't have the energy to stand. She was barely able to keep her eyes open.

"I know, it takes a lot out of you. It's ok. You can take a little nap to recuperate," Marisa told her. Echoes of the pain rolled through her muscles.

"Please activate the glamor," Joren instructed. "You have to activate and deactivate it manually while conscious. If you suddenly become unconscious or expire it will activate automatically," he explained.

"Expire!?! The glamor activates if I die?" Dayshia gasped.

Joren looked at her in surprise. "Of course!"

Dayshia still looked a little disturbed, but she reached for and touched the trigger.

The change was instantaneous. Resting back on the bench was an entirely human appearing Dayshia.

Sandy and Tish squealed with excitement as Joren handed Marisa a large mirror for Dayshia to see her new glamor. Marisa held it above her so she could see the change. Stunned, she placed her hands on her cheeks and stared at her reflection in delight.

"It's me! I'm back!" she gushed in relief.

The Fae mage frowned. "It's only an overlay. Your true self is beneath the surface of this illusion."

"If her glamor's nature follows mine, it might have a more physical presence than a normal Fae glamor," Henry suggested.

Dayshia gave Henry a confused look when she tore her eyes away from the mirror.

"A Fae glamor would only hide your now larger eyes under the image of human-sized eyes. Touch your eyelid, and you'd be poking yourself in the eye. Tell me what you feel if you touch your eyelid now," he explained.

Dayshia cautiously raised a fingertip to touch the delicate skin of her lid. She relaxed with a smile as she felt only skin. No discomfort from a poke in the eye.

Henry returned Dashia's smile and looked to Joren. "It's an augmented glamor. Don't ask me how it works. It messes with the laws of physics."

"Henry, that's science! This is magic! You just have to believe!" Tish giggled in delight.

Her smile was infectious, and he found himself sharing her joy. Then he noted Queen Mab was watching him closely with an enigmatic smile on her lips. He looked away quickly.

"Dayshia, close your eyes and get some rest. We'll keep watch over you," Marisa said gently, and the woman gratefully smiled as she let her exhaustion take her.

"Who's next?" Joren asked.

Sandy stepped forward and glanced nervously at Dayshia who was snoring softly. She plucked the photo from the bench as it was her memory aid as well. The petite blonde moved to the second bench and rested back on it. Kesini wrapped herself around Sandy in a hug.

A fresh group of four mages took their positions. The lead mage in the group presented himself to Marisa.

"I am Russvenn. I will bind the glamor. You will keep the subject calm and receptive."

Marisa blinked at the Fae's emotionless, almost mechanical delivery.

"Isn't he the life of the party," Sandy snorted, and Marisa began to giggle.

Sandy smiled and took her hand. "Does it hurt?" she asked in a little girl voice, and Marisa saw how frightened she was.

"I'll be with you and so will Kesini. Speaking of which," She took hold of a strand of blond locks. "You mustn't hurt any of these Fae as they help give Sandy her glamor. Take your lead from me. Comfort Sandy. Is that understood?"

Marisa felt reluctance but Sandy's support came through their connection with Kesini, and they sensed the hair agree begrudgingly.

"We will do the initial test insertion," Russvenn indicated and nodded to the others.

Sandy closed her eyes and squeezed Marisa's hand.

Alien minds dipped into hers starting a loud scraping buzz. They immediately fled.

Marisa watched the unsettled expressions on the Mage's faces. "We need additional reinforcements. The Wild Magic is too strong," Russvenn complained. He looked to the waiting mages and gestured for an additional six to join them.

To distract herself, Sandy looked at the photo and smiled as she was laughing merrily at the photographer. She couldn't recall who took it, but it had been a fun party. She examined the details of how she looked and nodded. Once more ready, the Fae wasted no further time but plunged into Sandy's mind. She gasped and pinched her eyes tightly closed in pain. Kesini began to rise to strike back, but Marisa's sudden presence swept in and gathered the two in a tight hug. Kesini settled down and turned her focus on Sandy who clung to her and Marisa, whimpering slightly inside.

She cried out when the Fae stopped at her core. Marisa thought maybe ten Fae was more than what was required, but she focused on soothing the frightened blonde. The rough vibration was intense, and Marisa could feel the Fae's desperation to leave.

"Prepare the image," Russvenn's voice snapped.

Seconds later the searing pain of the binding swept through Sandy's mind, and she screamed internally, her body frozen as Dayshia's had been. Marisa whispered to her, and she felt Kesini straining to attack the Fae, but Sandy was holding her too tightly.

"Now!" Russvenn's voice rasped.

Sandy slammed the image of her laughing at the party into the blank, and there was a loud groan from the Fae who buckled under the force. Sandy pulled back and the image bonded to the blank.

"Trigger here." Russvenn blurted then the Fae were gone.

Sandy gasped once more, but this time it was in relief. She sluggishly examined the trigger and saw the second one. Marisa's exhausted mind pushed her away from that one then slipped away.

When Sandy opened her eyes, she saw Henry, in Satyr form now and wearing only a kilt, carrying Marisa away in his arms.

"What?" she mumbled.

Camila moved to her side and accepted the mirror from Joren.

"It's ok. Marisa just needs to rest. She told me last night that she was going to do this, but I wasn't sure she'd be able to. Succubi only skim the mind's surface with the shallowest dives. Her talent allows her to go deeper, but it seems to take a great deal of energy." She saw Sandy's eyes were struggling to stay open. "Before you sleep, trigger your glamor to test it."

Sandy touched the trigger in her mind, and Kesini vanished to be replaced by normal blonde hair to mid-back. Most startling was its lack of animation. It was just hair.

Sandy's eyes went wide. "Kesini!" she squeaked and sat up. She felt her presence in her mind and her warm hug around her body, but she couldn't see the glowing blonde locks at all. "Oh! You're invisible!"

Camila nodded. "That makes sense. The only difference for you is your lovely new hair. OH!" Camila's eyes flew wide as something squeezed and lifted her tits.

"KESINI!" Sandy gasped, her face glowing with embarrassment. The hair released the tits making them bounce in Camila's dress. "I'm so sorry!" Sandy moaned pitifully.

Camila shook her head with a small smile. "You'll want to teach Kesini to keep to herself when you're in disguise to not give away her presence. She has to assist the disguise."

"Yes! I mean, I will!" Sandy blurted. She sank to the surface of the bench as the little burst of adrenaline ran out and her strength with it. "I just need..." Her eyelids drooped, and she was out.

Kesini lifted her gently and centered her on the bench. For anyone watching, it looked like Sandy was levitating. Camila made a mental note to speak to Sandy about how Kesini should behave.

"Shall we proceed with the final glamor binding?" Mab asked.

"We need a brief respite to recharge, my Queen," Joren replied wearily.

She pouted but saw there was nothing for it. "Brief?"

"Certainly no more than thirty minutes."

"You have twenty," she said with finality. She wanted her third favor sewn up, and there was a party to host. Her other guests would begin to grow restless.

"Yes, my Queen," he said and backed away with a bow. She returned to her chair under the umbrella beside the little table, and Joren returned to the mages. As a group, they dropped to the grass to meditate or sleep. The ones who had yet to participate looked at their colleagues with worried expressions. They kept glancing over at Tish then over to Henry who was back by the entrance of the room by a bench where Marisa was resting.

-=-

Henry knelt next to the beauty, holding her hand.

"I'm just tired. I'm not hurt," Marisa said to him with a smile. She saw Nate's concerned expression. "There's no need for this much worry!" she insisted.

"You collapsed after you helped Sandy!" Henry said firmly.

"You're exhausted!" Nate argued.

"Can't Camila assist with Tish?" Henry asked.

Marisa shook her head. "My talent allows me deeper access. Just not so frequently without exhausting myself. I need to rest."

"Do you need to feed?" Henry asked quietly.

She smiled at him. "Not here."

He nodded, and she closed her eyes. He and Nate moved a short distance away to stand guard and let her rest.

"So... she can feed on you too?" Nate asked.

Henry glanced at Nate and noted his attempt to appear merely curious. Beneath that, Henry saw a little jealousy. Nate was more than a little taken with Marisa. Henry was determined to be an adult about this, so he just nodded. Nate sighed.

Mary came over. "This is the weirdest party I've ever attended," she grumbled quietly.

Henry snorted as Nate chuckled and they shared smiles with her. Nate nodded emphatically. "I second that and I've been to some lame college parties."

"Oh, it gets weirder," Henry hinted. "Did you... feed?" he asked quietly. Mary raised an eyebrow at him and nodded. She tipped her head in the direction of Roy, though she finally snorted a little herself. "The big guy felt a little weird about doing it, but he fed me quite well."

Nate was looking at her with evident curiosity. "Ok, you two, enough with the secrets. Fill me in!"

"Only if you tell me yours," Mary replied with a look of challenge in her eye. Nate just grinned and nodded.

Mary leaned in, and Nate began to whisper in her ear, so Henry left them with Marisa to speak with Sigrid, Camila, Meixiu, and Roy. Mahati was chatting with the Council members.

Sigrid took his hand. Henry could see the worry on her face as well as Roy's.

"Three favors?" she asked quietly.

"For three glamors," Henry said with a nod and a smile that fooled no one.

"Any hints on what these favors will be?" Camila asked.

Henry just shook his head.

Everyone took seats and tried to relax. They enjoyed the fresh air and gentle breeze in the grand illusion the Queen had prepared for them. Servants brought them drinks of purest spring water delicately infused with the subtle flavor of mountain flowers.

Not Henry's favorite but it wet his dry mouth. He knew it was just nerves, but that knowledge gave him no comfort.

-=-

Lise-Anne was fuming. The council's summoning to this event by Mab was insulting enough but to be tricked into acknowledging these... new additions, the post-Humans, as a protected adjunct to the Satyr's treaty was making her skin crawl. She wished Rand was here as his support helped keep her anger in check.

She was also worried about his state of mind. Someone had murdered his cousin in Germany. Considering how tough the Dwarf race was, whoever bested Thane del Neev was a significant threat. She would ensure Rand had the council's full support in locating and hunting down this killer.

Isaac Nils approached her with a professional smile on his face. As a trained diplomat, he was quite good at disguising his unease.

"Minister," he began with a friendly nod, but his use of her title told Lise-Anne this wasn't going to be small talk. She responded with the title for him as well.

"I suppose being on hand for the introduction of a new race falls under the duties I'm expected to do, but does it feel odd to you that the council has been asked to attend the party? Unless we are greeting additional representatives, I'm out of my element," he asked quietly, his smile fixed in place.

Lise-Anne nodded slightly and shrugged. "It isn't typical, but she is the Fae Queen and refusing her invitation would have had... consequences."

Isaac nodded. "Do you think we're looking at the only attendees for the party in this room?"

Lise-Anne frowned as she casually glanced around the chamber. It did seem odd for there to be so few people attending one of the Queen's parties. They were usually extravagant affairs with a hundred or more guests. "Maybe the other guests are already here, in another room?"

Isaac nodded thoughtfully, but even the trained diplomat's unease was beginning to show.

The Minister of Security glanced over towards the Queen and saw her watching them. She nodded to Mab with a smile but felt a chill run down her spine at the almost predatory smile she received in return. The Queen was planning something.

She wished Rand was here.

-=-

A short time later, Tish stood beside Marisa and looked at her sleeping friends with trepidation. "How... difficult is this?"

Marisa was pretty exhausted herself, her twenty-five-minute nap barely scratched the surface of her need, but she smiled at the tall brunette. "It's different for everyone, but it is draining."

Tish nodded then made herself comfortable on the bench. Her hooves extended past the end as she was much taller than the Fae who the furniture was designed for.

Joren and Russvenn were conferring with a third mage, giving him an update on what they'd found. Finally, this one walked over to speak to Marisa and Tish.

"I'm Kallish. We understand that the Satyr-"

"Henry," Tish corrected.

The Fae paused to look at her and nodded. "Yes, Henry. He was... involved in the process of transforming you. There is some concern that the level of Wild Magic in you is elevated to dangerous levels. We'd prefer to do the initial insertion with the entire team. This may cause some additional discomfort due to the discordant frequencies of our magics." He looked to Marisa. "It might not be safe for you to participate this time."

Marisa stared him down. "She needs me. I'll be there."

Tish looked to Marisa with grateful tears in her eyes. They held hands as the Fae took their positions.

"The entire team?" Mab curiously asked as she approached.

Kallish bowed to her. "Yes, my Queen. There is a high probability that her level of Wild Magic will be high. We are just taking precautions for the initial test."

Mab nodded. "Proceed."

With another bow, Kallish took his position next to the bench.

"Deep breaths and relax," Marisa said quietly to Tish who nodded and closed her eyes.

Tish immediately felt herself tensing up as a terrible grating vibration began. It quickly dissipated, and she opened her eyes to see all of the mages looking at her with various levels of concern.

"What's wrong?" Mab asked.

Joren addressed the Queen. "It is as we expected. The Wild Magic is very strong in this one. Not as strong as the Sat- not as strong as it is in Henry but almost more than we can deal with."

"Almost?" Mab asked in a tone that assured the mage that she wasn't about to accept a negative response.

"Yes, we... could use a sink," he suggested tentatively.

She looked at him until he began to sweat. Just before he broke, she nodded. She turned to face the entrance of the room and gestured for one of her guards to join them. The big man rushed over to stand next to the mage. He bowed to his Queen then Mab looked into his eyes and the guard's muscles locked up. The Queen glanced at Joren. "Your sink." The mage nodded gratefully to her and moved back to the other mages.

"What do they mean by sink?" Tish asked Marisa quietly, but the woman just shook her head with tension showing around her eyes.

"We will begin," Kallish said.

Once more Tish felt the grating vibration drilling into her mind and gasped in pain. She felt Marisa's calming presence settle in next to her and she clung to her as she listened to the soothing murmurs.

Allowing this to continue was becoming impossible when every instinct was screaming at her to push them out. It was only Marisa's support that made her resist that impulse. The... noise? Sensation? The incompatibility of the mage's presence in her mind increased the deeper they went until she thought she might fly apart. She could feel Marisa weakening as well, so she reached out to her and tried to give her strength. Energy flowed between them, and for a moment the dissonance eased as Marisa's presence strengthened.