Sex Wizards - Mastery Ch. 01

Author's Note: We're back with book 2! This is continuation of the Sex Wizards series that starts with Sex Wizards: Initiation. So, if you haven't read that yet, check it out, yeah? If you don't want to, or just need a quick refresher, here's a recap of the important bits:

Dominai of Airedale was a hunter and forest guide until a one-night stand with the wizard Allisande revealed he had magic in his bloodline. When an accident broke his drawing arm, he traveled to the Crux, the center of magical study in the Kingdom of Straetham with the hopes of starting a new life. But magical study was a far cry from the duty tomes and rituals he was expecting. Instead, ropes and leather were the material components, dominance and submission the ritual, and pain and pleasure melded together in his body to create magic.

Dominai fell into his studies at the Crux. He learned to delve the past, present and future through divination with the ovisari Margeurite. The evoker Olbric showed him that pain could be pleasurable under the right conditions. He made close friends with the corpimancer Galiva, who fixed his arm and allowed him to draw a bow again. Arlon, the Grandmaster of the Crux, showed him the power of denial and chastity, and Cancassi, the intersex Maeve taught him how to embrace his inner beast of burden.

Even though Dominai came from a conservative upbringing, he fell into the swing of the Crux, and developed feelings that went beyond casual casting for both Olbric and Galiva. He excelled, especially at divination, where the visions brought on by his denial and ecstasy revealed that even though Allisande had been missing for some time, she wasn't dead as they had all feared, but being held against her will.

When Olbric was sent on an outward excursion to aid with bandits harassing a gold mine, he ran afoul of the same people who had captured Allisande. He was overwhelmed, captured, and taken alive. His would have been another name added to the list of missing wizards that had vanished without a trace, but Dominai and Galiva's divinings saw what happened and uncovered a vision that would rock the Crux to it's core.

Olbric and the four other missing members of the Crux had been captured by a rogue group of wizards and were being used for casting against their will. Arlon gathered a retinue to go to Olbric's last known location and track down these rogue wizards, but only after some convincing did Arlon allow Dominai to come along.

The retinue reached the Black Burrow mines, where they discovered that a vein of magiline, the magically conductive material used to store spells, had been uncovered. Olbric had run afoul of the rogue wizards and had been overwhelmed and captured as they tried to pilfer the incredibly valuable material.

Dominai, with the help of the half-orc Garrett, managed to find the trail left by Olbric's abductors, and followed it to their lair. The Crux wizards confronted them and discovered that a number of the rogue wizards had once studied at the Crux before being expelled, including their leader, Diran Barclay. The Crux wizards were victorious in their fight, but not unscathed. Dominai was one spell away from being killed while Cancassi and Thaddius were badly injured. Though two of the rogue wizards were taken alive, Diran escaped.

Olbric and the four other missing Crux wizards were recovered, along with a kidnapped tzigaro woman named Orabelle, though all of them carried scars from their time in the cave. The road back to the Crux was a long one, but they returned victorious. And as a reward for his divinings that helped recover the five missing wizards, Dominai was awarded a divination mastery, making him an official wizard of the Crux.

Six months later...

#####

The creak of the ropes is the only sound in the quiet casting room. I lay on the floor in the puddle of sunlight that shines in through the window. I get comfy, pillowing my hands under my head as I look up to admire my handiwork.

It's a hell of a view.

The neat harness of white ropes are a nice contrast where they bite against Galiva's brown skin. Her head hangs, relaxed and limp. Her eyes are closed, lips parted and face serene. Her breathing is even and deep, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was asleep. With the long hours she's been working, I'm glad to give her a little rope break.

Besides, she's so godsdamned beautiful that I'm having a hard time looking away from her, and with her trussed up as she is, I get to stare all I like.

Her arms are folded and tied behind her back, but I was careful when I did it. I made sure not to tighten the ropes over any pressure points or put any undue stress on her shoulders. All ropes attach to two sturdy metal rings that I used to cinch her up about three feet off of the ground.

I reach up with my foot and give her a gentle nudge to get her swinging. Her brown eyes slide open and meet mine, a contented haze relaxing her features. I can't help but smile at her obvious enjoyment. "Having fun?" I ask as my foot continues to rock her.

"Mmhmm."

I reach up and tug at one of her perky brown nipples. Framed by the ropes, her breasts look incredible. "How's your neck? Want me to rig a sheet up?" I ask. It's the only part of her that isn't supported. I'm not about to wrap any ropes around her neck, but a sheet or scarf could be a nice little hammock for her head.

"You worry too much," she says. "Rope suspension can only be so comfortable."

"You're the one who drilled that worry into me," I point out. "All that talk about nerve damage and strangulation, straight up dropping someone on their head-"

"Alright, alright," Galiva chuckles and lets her head hang down again. "I appreciate that you're careful, but I'm fine, I promise."

"Good," I say and still her gentle swing. "Ready to come down?"

Galiva gives me a thoughtful look. "I know this was just supposed to be rope practice, but your rig is solid. I think you're ready to cast."

I blink up at her in surprise. In the past six months, Galiva and Olbric have eased me into casting. Abjuration spells, for the most part. Between the shifts she's taken at the medical clinic in town, Galiva's been nice enough to let me use her for some higher caliber rope practice, but I've never actually cast a mastery level spell like this.

The idea sends a thrill of excitement through me, but worry comes hot on its tail. "You're sure?" I ask as I stroke my thumb over her bottom lip. I like the idea of casting, but the nerves are hard to shake. I almost wish she'd say no.

Galiva pulls my thumb into her mouth and sucks, swirling her tongue around my digit. It sends a throb of heat straight to my groin, and when she opens her eyes again, they smolder. "Do I look like a wizard that's unsure?"

"Nope," I say, my breath catching. "Seem pretty damn sure."

I prop myself up on my elbows to catch her lips. I swallow her little whimper of need, and when I pull away, I leave her panting. If there's one thing I've learned about casting with Galiva in the past few months is that once she's under ropes, it doesn't take much to get her riled up.

I'm nervous, but I don't want to disappoint her. I roll out from under her and scramble to my feet. The nerves don't quite go away even as I recheck my rig. I'm careful as I grab the anchor rope and pull her up to a good height before tying it through the little ring set into the floor.

I give her a little spin and can't stop a grin as both her mouth and slit land right at my crotch. She squeals, but I stop her before she can get too dizzy. "That's mean," she chuckles, yet when I reach between her legs, she gasps.

Her slit is already dripping, and I grin as I push two fingers into her. She gives an eager little moan as she wiggles her hips as best as she's able, begging with everything but words. It's sexy as hell, and I can't help but indulge her.

I let her ride my fingers for a bit as I tease that sweet spot inside of her. When I slide my fingers out, the noise she makes is pure disappointment. She only has herself to blame, really - she's the one who taught me what it is to tease someone to desperation.

I lick my fingers clean, and the taste of her makes my cock swell in my trousers. I circle back in front of her, and she lifts her head to look up at me. I slide my fingers through her curly black hair, gripping gently at the roots to help her keep her head up.

"Help a friend out?" I ask as I release my cock from my trousers. Galiva's moan is answer enough, and she opens her mouth. I push in, and her tongue immediately starts to work around me. I grab the ropes with my free hand and pull her closer, sliding more of my length into the accommodating heat of her mouth. When I hear her quiet gag, I immediately pull back out.

"Alright?" I ask.

"Fucking hell, Dom, just face fuck me already," she growls.

"Fuck - alright, alright!" I say before I thrust back into her mouth. I use the ropes to guide her further onto my length, thrusting shallowly. She moans before taking a breath as her throat loosens to accommodate me. I seat myself deep, feeling her nose brush my stomach. It's nearly my undoing.

I swear and pull out before she sets me off. Her head hangs with a quiet whimper, and when I tilt her chin up, I'm greeted by her glazed smile. Gods, she's in it pretty deep.

That face never ceases to send a thrill through me. Not only is this powerful wizard trusting me enough to cast, she's relaxed enough to give control fully over to me. Yet at the same time, it always makes me extra aware of the responsibility that comes with casting. I feel the weight of it settle onto my shoulders, even as it softens my length a little. I find myself handling her a little more gently as I move behind her.

I pull out the little bottle of lotion from my pocket before going to the cabinet and finding a string of five round focuses. I slick them before I spread Galiva's cheeks and ease them into her, one by one. She shivers as they settle in her ass, and I can't help but give the string a little tug, threatening to pull one back out. I'm rewarded with a whimper of need.

It's ambitious - I don't think I've charged more than two focuses on lower caliber spells, but maybe this one will be different. Galiva is well and worked up, and I've got just the thing to keep her that way.

I reach into my pocket and pull out a little oblong focus. As soon as I touch it, it starts to vibrate between my fingers. I'd accidentally stolen it from Margeurite during one of our divination sessions, but fortunately the ovisari doesn't seem in a hurry to get it back.

I trail the little focus up between Galiva's legs, brushing through her folds before I settle it against the hood of her clit. She cries out and tenses in the ropes, shaking with need.

I swear quietly, transfixed by the sight of her. Even bound and quivering, she's beautiful. Maybe especially bound and quivering. I roll the little buzzer around and smile as she jerks and wiggles helplessly in the ropes.

I watch her closely to make sure the vibrations don't get to be too much. Casting divination has given me a knack for reading people, and I see the telltale tensing of her muscles, the way she bites her lip. I roll the buzzer off of her and am rewarded with a throaty wail. The ropes keep her legs spread, and I just barely brush the tip of my cock against her wet slit. The feel of her perks me right back up, but I don't push in yet.

"Dom, please!" she begs as she wiggles her hips, as if trying to coax me in.

It works. I slide into her with a groan and she replies with a simpering moan of pleasure. Her walls clench around me, greeting me, and I can tell she's already close. I glide deep into the wet heat of her slit and give a few experimental thrusts. She feels incredible, and I grab the ropes before pulling her onto me, snapping my hips to meet her.

Galiva wails, and I keep the pace up for a minute before I seat myself deep to let her cool down a bit. Though if I'm being honest, it's a necessary cooldown for me, too. She wiggles her hips in invitation, and I can't help but give her ass a little swat before I thrust deep again.

I'm rewarded with a mewl of pleasure, but when I reach around and put the buzzer against her clit again, it turns to a scream. I speed up again and grab the ropes for leverage as my hips bump hers with every hard thrust.

Her orgasm builds slow, and I feel it as she tenses. When it crashes over her, she jerks in the ropes, her hips bucking against the little buzzer. She wails, throwing her head back as her body shudders with pleasure. I don't let her finish before I take the string of focuses and pull. Galiva's moan rattles out of her, her body jerking as each focus pops out.

I swear as my own end comes, and I yank the ropes hard. I seat myself deep as my cock empties into her, filling her willing slit. A moan makes it past my pursed lips, and I rest my head against the ropes.

For a second, I just stay there as we both pant in the afterglow. It takes a minute to get myself together before I ease out of her. She yelps as I pull the last focus free, but my pleasant buzz disappears when I only see two of the five glowing. I sigh and clean them off with a handkerchief before storing them in my pocket.

"You're alright?" I ask.

Galiva chuckles, and I hear the satisfaction in her voice as she says, "Fantastic."

I can't stop a smile before I go about freeing her. I untie her arms first out of habit - if something goes wrong, at least she'll have some freedom to brace herself. Not that anything goes wrong. Even if I'm a dud at casting, I sure have gotten good at rigging.

I lower her feet down and help steady her as she wavers. I make quick work freeing the rest of her from the rig before I start to unwind the rope harnesses. It takes a few long minutes to get it all off. When I do, Galiva drapes her arms around my shoulders and kisses my cheek.

I smile as I return the embrace. She always gets cuddly after conduiting, and I'm happy to oblige. I guide her over to the comfortable chair in the corner and pull her onto my lap. She settles against me, face nuzzled into the crook of my neck as I rub at the rope marks on her arms. For a few long minutes, I just hold her and let her ease back into herself.

When her eyes are a little clearer, she looks up at me and asks, "How'd we do?"

I pull the focuses out of my pocket. Two of them skitter with light, but the other three remain dim and uncharged. Galiva frowns as she looks at them. I pinch one of the glowing ones between my fingers. "That's a fucking mastery level spell, yet they still feel weak," I say through a sigh.

Galiva takes one of the focuses and rolls it in her palm. "You're right," she mutters, sounding perplexed. "It sure felt like it was strong."

"It definitely wasn't you," I mutter. "I'm just... not right for casting. Maybe I should just stick to being a conduit."

Galiva scowls and nestles back against my neck. "You're being too hard on yourself," she says. "You're a quick learner, but when all is said and done, you're still new at this." I sigh and tighten my grip on her, but she tilts my chin up and catches my lips. "Don't get discouraged. You'll get there."

I muster a small smile. "I hope you're right."

#

Once I'm sure Galiva is well taken care of, I head up to Olbric's room. The little lock on his door clicks open as I approach - a modification he made a few months ago - but I still knock before coming in.

Olbric's at his desk, round spectacles low on his nose as he takes notes from a tome of a book. His long black hair is tied away from his handsome face, and in the past few months, it's only gotten longer, hanging nearly halfway down his back. He looks at me over the tops of his spectacles as I flop onto his unmade bed. "Rope practice went that bad, huh?" he asks.

I scowl and bury my face into his pillow, breathing in his familiar scent. "Rope practice was great, but then Galiva said I should try and cast," I say. "Casting's never bad. I'm just terrible at it."

"You're not terrible at it," Olbric says, and his chair creaks as he leans back. "Did you have a good time?"

I sigh and roll onto my back, dragging fingers through my hair. "I guess? I dunno," I say with a sigh. "Casting is weird for me."

Olbric turns around in his chair, his arms resting over the backrest as he gives me his full attention. "Weird how?" he prompts.

I scrub my hand over my face. "I don't know how to explain it," I mutter at last. "I feel like I'm doing everything right. The rig was good, my knots were perfect, Galiva was having a good time, and yet this is all I got out of it." I reach into my pocket and pull out the two cleaned focuses. Usually you're supposed to divvy the spells out, with any odd focuses going to the Crux's stores, but Galiva had let me keep both.

Olbric takes them and rolls them in his palm. "You were doing rope suspension?" I nod and Olbric hums thoughtfully. "It's definitely a diminished output for a spell of that caliber," he says with a perplexed frown.

"Do you notice anything when I've cast with you?" I ask. "Am I just... doing something wrong?"

Olbric shakes his head as he hands the focuses back. "Not that I've been able to tell," he says and then his grin turns sly. "Though if you're wanting to try again, you know I'm certainly available. You still haven't tried casting evocation."

I groan and bury my face back into his pillow. As much as I enjoy evocation, I haven't touched casting it. Every time I even think about it, it makes me uneasy. I'm quick to change the subject.

"Any headway on your transmutation spell?" I ask. Ever since he was overwhelmed outside of the Black Burrows by Diran and the other rogue wizards, Olbric's taken a step back from evocation. Instead, he's turned his sights onto a transmutation mastery.

"Some, I think," he says as he frowns at the notes on his desk. "After talking to Cancassi, I think I have an idea for the spell I want to develop."

"Yeah?"

"But I'm not telling you a thing about it until it's ready," he says with a grin. "Though once it is, I'd love for you to help me test it before I take it to Arlon. If I have the nerve to take it to Arlon."

I chuckle. "Oh, so you're fine to cast it with me, but not with him?"

"Arlon is intimidating to cast with! You got lucky getting around it for your divination mastery," he says. "You, though - you're easy to debase."

I grab one of his pillows and huck it at the back of his head. "Rude!"

Olbric laughs, and I hear the scrape of his chair before he's on me, pinning my hands over my head. "And you love every second of it," he growls before biting my neck sharply.

I bite back a moan, but can't deny that he's right. "Maybe I should just conduit," I say. "I've got one mastery. Maybe that's enough."

Olbric soothes the spot he bit with a gentle kiss. "Even though I think you'll be great at it, there's no rule saying you have to cast," he points out. "But I think you should talk to Arlon."

Heat floods my face at the thought of it. "I can't talk to Arlon about this."

Olbric catches my lips. "Dom, I went to Arlon my first month here after I lost a focus in me," he says. "Your casting block has got nothing on that."

I chuckle and let my head flop back against his bed in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

#

Even though my heart's in my throat, I stay true to my word. As I approach Arlon's closed office door, I hear voices inside. I find a spot against the wall to wait and try my best not to eavesdrop, but Allisande isn't making it easy. Her voice is raised in anger.

"-won't even let me try!"

Arlon's reply is calm, though it's quiet enough that I can't catch it. Whatever he said is apparently the wrong answer for Allisande, because she storms from his office a moment later, a whirlwind of black robes, fiery red hair and indignation. "Hey Dom," she says shortly, but she doesn't stop as she sweeps past. I watch her retreating back before slipping into the door.