Silken Webs

Halfway through his meal, it occurred to Izdreth that Ashryn might have supplemented the food with aphrodisiacs. He paused in chewing, pondering the idea. For a moment, he was tempted to spit out the masticated hunk of honey-coated bread, then reconsidered. Ashryn was far too assured of his own prowess to resort to artificial means of arousing his toys. Thus assured, Izdreth continued eating.

No sooner had he finished than Ashryn swept into the room. Today he wore a simple black silk robe, his brown hair loose about his shoulders, green eyes alight with anticipation.

"I trust you slept well, Apprentice?" he greeted Izdreth sweetly.

Memories of the night before assaulted Izdreth's mind: Ashryn's hands stroking him into a writhing frenzy, whispering lewd words of encouragement. His dreams were worse still: images of Ashryn fulfilling his promise to taste him fully, the two of them coupling madly, legs and bodies entwined. Ashryn’s binding him in silken webs before torturing him with every erotic delight imaginable. The young arachin pushed it firmly from his mind.

"But of course, Ashryn," Izdreth responded with equal sweetness. He eyed the other arachin warily. What would Ashryn do next?

Ashryn did nothing. Instead, he merely stood before Izdreth, just out of arm's reach. Still smiling, he undid the sash to his robe and pushed the robe away from his shoulders. It fell to his spider body then slid to the floor with a silken hiss.

Izdreth shut his eyes a fraction too late. He hadn't wanted to see his tormentor naked; to do so would weaken him further. But he had sense enough to know that Ashryn had creamy, silk-smooth skin, a finely muscled torso, and a sizeable endowment. Before he had shut his eyes, Izdreth had seen Ashryn's member stir and begin to grow, a promise of delights to be shared.

Eyes still closed, Izdreth mustered a small amount of amusement. "You come straight to the point, don't you?"

"I do." Before Izdreth could reply further, Ashryn gripped the collar round his neck and pulled him up to stand. "Look long and hard at what I have to offer, Izdreth. And if you can truly refuse the delights I promise, then I will release you." He pressed his smooth, naked body against Izdreth's.

"Tell me that I don't rouse you, apprentice," Ashryn purred. To Izdreth's horror, his unruly member grew up stiff and hard between them.

"I-it's only my body! Not me!' Izdreth gasped. His cock thrust firmly against Ashryn's, then slid alongside it slowly as Ashryn pushed his hips against Izdreth's.

"You...your body...what's the difference?" Ashryn flicked his tongue along Izdreth's slightly parted lips before thrusting it inside.....and at the same time, thrust his cock inside Izdreth's already slippery inner passage.

Izdreth cried out in a mixture of shock, dismay and delight. Not quite able to stop himself, he wrapped his arms around the older arachin, nails clawing the satiny skin of his back.

"Yesss," Ashryn hissed against the apprentice's full mouth. "This is what you want, isn't it?" Izdreth could only moan as Ashryn thrust faster. Deeper. Harder.

Just as Izdreth neared his peak, Ashryn pulled out of him. "Don't say a word," he growled to his toy, who glared with undisguised hated at him. He took Izdreth by the shoulders and pushed him down to rest.

"Suck me," he ordered, "and if you do well, I'll satisfy you tenfold. If not, I'll see to it that you suffer all the more."

The sight of Ashryn's engorged flesh, so close he could feel the heat of lust against his parted lips, finally sent Izdreth over the edge. He sobbed, then leaned forward to do as Ashryn demanded.

Ashryn groaned softly at the touch of warm lips gently exploring his flesh. He could tell that Izdreth was not terribly experienced, and this delighted him. Suddenly the apprentice swept his tongue up the full length, finishing by licking slowly at the head before slowly devouring him.

The elder arachin shuddered, groaning louder. 'I stand corrected,' he thought wildly, groaning again as Izdreth stroked up and down, sucking or licking as it pleased him. He closed his eyes, purring his pleasure as two of Izdreth's fingers teased at his wet slit.

Ashryn shuddered again, oh so close to orgasm. Centuries of practice enabled him to delay the inevitable, allowed him to enjoy the young apprentice’s skilled mouth to the fullest. His fingers twined through Izdreth’s silken hair, caressing and occasionally tugging at a particularly sharp stab of pleasure.

"Ahhh…gods, Apprentice…your mouth is worthy of Sanguine himself." Ashryn panted harshly, occasionally gasping as Izdreth sucked and licked, fingers thrusting deep inside the slick wetness below. The older arachin allowed his head to fall back as the hot mouth enveloped him fully.

Suddenly, the hands tangled in his Izdreth’s hair yanked his head upward. "Enough," Ashryn growled, eyes boring into Izdreth’s lust-drugged ones. Gods, he was beautiful like this. "I hope you are as insatiable as I have imagined." He yanked on the collar chain. "Up. I want to see if other things feel as good as your mouth...."

Izdreth staggered into a standing position on his wobbling legs. He ached, oh, how he ached to be filled full of his tormentor’s flesh, to feel Ashryn pounding hard and harsh against him. He nearly screamed when Ashryn’s long fingers closed over his own hard length.

"Do you want me, Izdreth?" the wizard asked, lips inches from Izdreth’s full mouth. His tongue darted out to lick across them light as a butterfly’s wings. Izdreth whimpered.

"Hmmm? I’m not quite sure I heard you." The grasping fingers stroked up and down with agonizing slowness. Izdreth arched against Ashryn’s smooth hand, desperately seeking more friction, groaning wordlessly.

Ashryn chuckled cruelly. The young one’s actions spoke for him very clearly, but in this case, words were more delicious. "Say it," Ashryn whispered. "Beg me for it." His fingers abandoned Izdreth’s cock to slip smoothly inside him. Both arachins groaned: Izdreth at the pleasurable invasion, Ashryn at the tight wetness wrapped so nicely around his fingers.

"Imagine, Izdreth…it could be my cock inside you." His fingers withdrew, then thrust in deeply, slowly. He licked his lips. "Or…you could be inside me. Wouldn’t you enjoy that?"

"Ohhh…oooh gods!" Izdreth’s cry echoed in the small chamber as Ashryn firmly grasped his firm young flesh and rubbed it against himself. "Ohhhh…"

Delicious…Ashryn was slick and tight and oh so warm around him. Suddenly the arachin pulled away, laughing at Izdreth frustrated cry. "See? You can have me…later. Right now, I’ll be having you…but you have to ask me for it." He thrust himself halfway inside, both of them groaning, then stopped.

Izdreth’s mind spun madly at the sensations of silken flesh and hot wetness become one. His passage throbbed hungrily around Ashryn’s member, which seemed to throb and swell in return. Ashryn thrust deeper still, burying himself to the hilt, shattering the last of Izdreth’s need to prolong the torture.

"Please…Ashryn…take me…"

"Look into my eyes," Ashryn breathed. When Izdreth obeyed, he pulled back, withdrawing nearly all the way, then slammed fiercely back inside. Izdreth shuddered, groaning, moving his hips to meet his captor’s. "Ahhhh..."

Ashryn groaned wordlessly. The apprentice was so incredibly sweet…so slick and hot inside, not to mention the luscious, hard length thrusting up between them. He reached a slim hand down between them to stroke the sensitive flesh, smiling wickedly when Izdreth cried out in surprised pleasure. Ashryn shuddered in turn when his plaything’s muscles tightened around him.

"Move with me…yess, that’s it," Ashryn hissed, his breath tickling Izdreth’s ear. He groaned at the wicked delight of Izdreth writhing and sliding against him.

The young one was so beautiful: pale skin flushed and glowing with lust, strands of his long, silken hair entwined with his own or falling over his face in an ebony curtain. Izdreth's full lips were slightly parted and wet, inviting Ashryn's kisses, an invitation he found impossible to resist. He leaned in, running his tongue over the apprentice's mouth.

In response the young arachin sobbed, seeking Ashryn’s mouth. They kissed, tongues thrusting furiously. Ashryn sought to pull back, to regain control of the situation, but Izdreth suddenly sucked firmly upon his tongue, holding him. The sudden helpless, erotic pleasure of it sent Ashryn spiraling over the edge, all control lost, his cries muffled by Izdreth’s merciless kisses.

Izdreth pulled his head back, panting and writhing, sobbing as his own climax took hold of him with sudden, savage force. Warm semen spurted between them, covering both their torsos, mixing with the sweat slicking their still squirming bodies. A brief moment’s clarity hit him then with all the subtlety of a firestorm spell.

"Gods, what have I done?" Izdreth slipped mercifully into a soft, black abyss.

He stirred awake after Noctys only knew how long. The torches had burned low in their sconces, but there was still enough light to see by. Izdreth carefully tried to move his arms: He was still bound.

"My master doesn’t yet trust you."

Izdreth turned to see a slim, pretty girl of perhaps twenty summers. She was modestly dressed in soft blue robes, her long brown hair pulled back in a simple tail. She regarded him with bright, curious eyes. "What is your name?" he asked her softly.

"Jaenn," she answered, daring to take a step closer. "Master Ashryn has told me I am not to come here. But I was curious, and I had to see." She fished around in her pocket, finally producing a small silver key. "I took it when he was otherwise occupied." She blushed.

"I am surprised that he would bother with keys," Izdreth noted, smiling a little at the girl’s rosy cheeks. "Why do you serve him, knowing full well that he keeps me here against my will?"

She sighed. "I know that it is wrong of him. But I cannot resist him. I—well, we love each other." A defiant light coloured her blue eyes. ‘Say what you will,’ her expression told Izdreth.

Izdreth was hard-pressed to withhold a snort of laughter. 'Ashryn wouldn't know love if Mara herself told him the meaning,' he thought wryly. Still, he realised that it would be a grievous error to point this out to the young apprentice, who would no doubt become angry and defensive. Instead, he smiled.

"I'm sure you do," he agreed. "And surely you must know who I am apprenticed to." When she hesitated, he continued on, not wanting to give her much time to think. "I am Izdreth, Apprentice to Talryn, Master of the Obsidian Tower."

"The Archmage of Shade Perilous," the girl said, eyes wide. Her earlier defiance forgotten, she said "truly, I did not know…"

Izdreth smiled again. His Master's name had easily impressed the girl. So far, so good. "Yes, that is correct! And surely, you must know of what will befall your Master when I am found to be here."

All colour drained from her face. "Ohhhh...oh dear..." she seemed flustered, uncertain. For one heart-stopping moment, Izdreth feared that she would turn and flee the chamber. Finally she appeared strong, her lips in a firm line, eyes resolute. "I will do what I must to protect him."

Izdreth nearly sighed. Ashryn had his hooks deep into her already. Still, he forged on. "In that case, wouldn't you say that the best way to protect him is to make sure that I am not even here? You are an intelligent young woman--you would not be his apprentice if you were not."

"Tis true," she murmured, an idea beginning to light her eyes. The light went out, replaced by fear. "He would be very angry with me, if I helped you to escape. And yet if you stay, he will be doomed!" Her voice cracked with despair.

"Not if we make it looked as though I escaped. He will still be angry, yes, but not as angry as he would be if it merely looked as though you let me go. Agreed?" He gave her his most winning smile, bringing forth all the charm he could muster. He hated manipulating the girl, but he could see no other option.

The girl considered it. "What must I do?"

"Unchain me. Then we shall make it look as though there has been a struggle, and that I overpowered you."

The girl quickly unlatched all the straps and chains. As she did, Izdreth felt his strength and power returning to him. Apparently, the chains had been enchanted as well: Ashryn had taken no chances.

When this was finished, Izdreth yanked down one of the velvet wall hangings, and then knocked over one of the small sculptures. The girl watched, wide-eyed. The Master would be most displeased, she thought, shivering a little. He might be so displeased that he would *not* punish her, knowing full well how she enjoyed the occasional whipping.

Izdreth, unaware of what the girl was thinking, turned to her with a smile. "There. Now I must do one more thing." He wrapped one of the cuffs around his hand, and then raised it. "Forgive me for what I do." He brought the cuff down on the side of her head. The girl crumpled to the floor in a heap.

Izdreth knelt by her side. He checked her over--her pulse was strong--and noted sadly the lump he'd caused. Still, it was no doubt better than the pain Ashryn would cause her, if he discovered her duplicity.

"You will no doubt awake with a headache, dear girl. But know that I am grateful for your help." He tenderly kissed her cheek. Working quickly, he bound her up in the chains he'd recently been freed from. He gestured quickly, working the spell that would take him out of the tower.

Distant, scuttling steps reached his ears. Ashryn was on the way. No doubt he had discovered the key missing, and was coming to retrieve his missing apprentice. He shuddered, nearly losing total focus as he recalled all too clearly his surrender. "Focus!" he growled to himself. The sound grew louder, closer.

The energies harnessed, Izdreth began channeling them into the transport spell. The door opened…

Izdreth completed the spell. The apprentice waved a cheerful farewell to an astonished Ashryn as he slowly faded from view. Ashryn’s howl of rage followed him home.

The apprentice was gone, but that wasn’t what had infuriated Ashryn quite as much as the sight of his apprentice lying limp and crumpled upon the cold stone floor. He rushed to her side, his initial annoyance at her disobedience fading as he fretted over her, smoothing her hair from her face, checking for a pulse. She would live.

And Izdreth would suffer. Oh, yes.

Izdreth found himself in his room, dark and alone. His Master had not yet returned. Shuddering, he sank down into his bed of cushions and pulled the blankets over himself. Later he would bathe, and bathe again, seeking to remove a stain that would never truly fade. For now, all he could do was shiver from a chill that no amount of warmth could banish.

"Izdreth? Are you unwell?" Talryn’s voice cut through the gloom, a balm to Izdreth’s wounded soul.

Izdreth looked up at him wordlessly, his beautiful eyes saying all that needed to be said. "Master…"

Talryn was at his side in moment. He wrapped his arms around his apprentice and held him close as he wept. After a moment, Talryn joined him, gently stroking Izdreth’s hair and face as the tears rolled down his night-dark face.

"The fault is none of yours," Talryn said softly. Izdreth began to protest, but Talryn shushed him gently. "We will speak of it later, when your mind has cleared. Tomorrow, perhaps." Izdreth nodded gratefully, tears glistening on his pale, perfect face.

Talryn held Izdreth close, his face an inscrutable mask. Within his mind, two words surfaced and found their way to his lips.

"I repay."