Sisters of the Mists Ch. 01

Author's Notes:

(ADDED March 2011) I just want to warn everyone that this story isn't complete yet. I had a major tragedy in my life on the day that Ch. 12 of this story came out. It's still not easy to bring Danica back to life, but I am working on the story. As of right now, I have Ch. 17 finished, and I'm beginning to post new chapters. It may be quite some time before the story is complete, however. I just wanted to warn any new readers. (END ADDITION)

This story is erotic fantasy, set in a world of magic. I reserve the right to be listed as the author of this work wherever it is posted. If found anywhere except Literotica.com with this note attached, this story is posted without my permission. © Darkniciad 2007

The villains in this story are truly evil, and their actions prove it. Some scenes may be disturbing for some readers.

I make use of modern weights and measures quite often in my work, because those are the weights and measures of my fantasy world. I know many fantasy readers prefer more archaic terms, and I hope those readers can overlook my use of miles, feet, and other such measures.

Please note that the form of witchcraft in my world is not meant to be true Wicca. Nor is it supposed to follow "Charmed" exactly. No offence or confusion is intended.

You will find that reading Book I of this story, Danica, will give you a lot of insight into the characters and the continuing storyline. For those who've already read Danica, welcome back to my world. I know it's been a long wait.

Please note that this first chapter contains no detailed sex. The sex will come as the story progresses.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Danica sat up in bed, sucking in a great gasping breath. Her auburn hair hung in damp ringlets over her face, stirred by blasts of breath as she tried to recover from the shock of her dream.

Throwing off the stifling coverings, Danica found her nightshirt soaked in sweat, clinging to her body like a second skin. Her nipples stiffened in the cool night air, making the garment she wore appear even more transparent.

Danica heard a voice from her doorway, "Was it the dream again?"

Pushing the hair away from her face, Danica nodded slightly, "I'm sorry, Celes -- was I projecting again?"

Running a hand through her disheveled raven locks and yawning, Celes responded, "My ears are ringing, and my head is throbbing. Was it worse this time?" She plucked at her nightshirt, the tight material having bunched up above her firm breasts as she slept.

"It was for me," Andrea interrupted, stumbling into the room to stand next to Celes, rubbing her bloodshot eyes. Her blonde hair stuck out wildly in all directions, her lithe body covered only by a pair of white panties and a sheer dressing gown.

"I nearly fell out of bed when it hit me," Marlena added, coming in right behind Andrea. Her nightgown was rumpled, and her dark auburn hair just as mussed as that of the other three women. "I think I hear the girls."

Stretching, causing her breasts to jut free of her dressing gown for a moment, Andrea said, "I'll go calm them down and get them back to sleep."

"I'll go with you," Marlena offered, holding out her hand to the still half-asleep blonde to guide her steps to the other side of the manor.

"I'm sorry, and tell the girls I'm sorry for waking them too," Danica sighed, pulling the chilly, wet cloth of her nightshirt away from her body, as she was breaking out in gooseflesh.

As the two women nodded their understanding to Danica and left the room, Celes walked over to Danica's closet and called back to her friend, "You about hurled me out of bed too. Are you okay?"

Danica waited for Celes to walk back out of the closet, carrying a clean nightshirt and bedclothes, before she responded. "I guess. You're right, it was worse this time. It was so vivid, and I saw them all die -- horribly."

Celes sat her bundle down on the edge of the bed and walked up to cup Danica's cheek in her hand. "Come along now; get out of that wet thing and into the bath. I'll change the covers for you."

Swinging her still trembling legs over the edge of the bed, Danica smiled wanly and said, "Thank you, Celes."

Helping Danica to stand, Celes smiled back and led her to the tub, touching the runes to fill it with warm, steaming water. The magic worked in mere moments, and before Danica could even pull her nightshirt over her head, the tub was full.

When the cloth cleared her eyes, Danica found Celes staring with a crooked smile. "That will wake a woman up," Celes purred and licked her lips.

Danica smiled and blushed slightly. "Naughty." Her smile faded then, and she sighed. "Thanks for trying, but I just can't shake that dream, even for that."

Guiding Danica to climb into the bath, Celes sighed as well, and said, "I understand. I'll just have to try harder, later. I don't think this is just a bad dream, Danica. This is twice now."

"You're right, this felt a lot like the dream that led us here. I've got to do something."

Celes handed Danica a washcloth. "Well, you'll have all the help you need. You know we'll all put our studies aside, and one of us will take over with the girls while you get it done."

Danica smiled. "Did I just hear you say, the girls?"

Celes chuckled and tossed her hair, turning away and walking back toward the bed. "Yes, dammit -- don't rub it in. You're right, there's far more to them than just being magical creations. I can already see them developing their own personalities, and it's only been three months."

Moving the bundle of bedclothes to a nearby nightstand, Celes stripped the bed while Danica bathed. "Selena disturbs me, though. All she seems to be able to think about are men and their poles. Hearing things like that in my voice, and seeing myself saying them, makes my skin crawl a bit."

Danica reached for a cake of soap to wash her sweat-soaked hair and responded, "Selena was luckier than the rest. The man Zoraster gave her to most often actually treated her well, and apparently thought of her pleasure as well. Your first experience with men and sex was horrible, hers was a lot nicer."

"It's just disconcerting," Celes said, dropping the last of the bedclothes into a pile. "I assumed I was just born this way, and that I was responding to what everyone else thought was right when I played around with boys, more than my own feelings."

"Selena doesn't mean you're wrong, Sara barely thinks about men, but she thinks about women all the time. It's just another example of how they're individuals, not just copies of us." Danica dunked her head then to wet her hair, starting to wash it as soon as she rose back up out of the water.

Celes finished making up the bed while Danica washed her hair. Pulling up a chair next to the tub when she was done, Celes asked, "So, what are you going to do?"

Danica concentrated for a moment before replying, "Tonda, Jaron, Rekhmire, and Tari are the ones who are in the most danger. I can't be sure that Zoraster didn't tell others about them, and they're living in his outposts. I think everyone else should be pretty safe, either because they can handle themselves, or because they're already hidden away like Carolyn, Heather, and Grant."

Celes nodded. "Sounds about right. So, go get them first thing in the morning. Just get them out of those places for now, and worry about where to set them up later. Maybe we'll all get some sleep again, that way."

"Speaking of sleep -- the girls are all asleep again, and so is Andrea," Marlena said as she walked back into the room. "I don't know how Andrea can sing so beautifully when she can barely stand upright because she's so tired. She sang a lullaby, and I made an illusion of a glade full of deer. Once the girls drifted off, I took Andrea to bed."

"Andrea is really working hard to learn about her powers. She's afraid of hurting someone with them," Celes offered.

Danica stood up and smoothed water off her body. "She's doing pretty well too. How are you coming along with controlling your powers, Celes?"

Celes smiled and turned toward a towel hanging near the tub. She concentrated and made a little gesture with her right hand. An instant later, the towel was in her left hand.

Danica took the towel and said, "I guess you're doing well with controlling your powers too. Better than I am, obviously, if I woke everyone up because of my dream."

Celes made a dismissive sound. "I have that one pretty much under control, but when I just try to just move something with my other power, I usually end up making a mess. Of course, that makes me mad, and I usually end up moving something else I didn't mean to move and add to the devastation."

Marlena yawned and stretched. "I'm going back to bed too. We've all been working hard. I think we need to take a break and relax for a while."

Danica finished toweling off and turned toward the other red-haired woman. "You're probably right. Between Celes and Andrea getting their family books, and the two of us having Zoraster's library to absorb, we've all had our noses stuck in books for three months now."

"The only breaks we take are to keep the girls out of trouble," Celes agreed.

Marlena glanced at Celes with a surprised smile, and then turned toward Danica to ask, "Did she just say what I thought she did?"

Celes snorted and went to sit down on the bed. "Bah, weren't you going to bed?"

Danica chuckled, "Celes has finally come around, yes. We should all probably get back to bed. I know I'm going to be busy tomorrow. Sorry for waking you all, and thanks for coming to calm me down. I really appreciate it."

Marlena asked, "Busy?"

"I'll explain to you and Andrea in the morning." Danica yawned, setting off a chain-reaction in the other two women as well. Danica yawned out "Stop that!"

"You started it," Marlena accused, getting caught up one more time in the circle and stretching. "Good night."

Celes watched Danica pull on her clean nightshirt, feeling her heart flutter and her sex tingle. "We've been too busy for other things, too."

Danica shivered and walked over to Celes, kissing her. "We definitely need to do something about that." She sighed, ran her finger down Celes' back, and added, "I don't know if I'm up to it tonight though."

"Truth to tell, I think I'm too tired too. I didn't go to bed much before Andrea."

They kissed again, and Danica said, "Get some rest then, we want to have plenty of energy when we do get a chance."

"Mmm hmm," Celes moaned and then left the room for her own bed.

Danica's dreams were much more pleasant when she drifted off to sleep again.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Standing in the throne room of Nightmare Castle, Ebonar brushed at a spot of imaginary lint on his cloak and asked, "So, Meckataur, this seals the bargain? I can count on you to continue under exactly the same terms as the agreement you reached with my Master?"

"If you hold up your end of the bargain, and this one casts the spell," the Demon Lord rumbled, pointing an enormous clawed finger at the wizard standing off to one side.

"Cast the Hellgate, Transk."

The wizard Transk nodded, and started the gestures to summon up the Hellgate. As soon as the portal materialized, Meckataur's maw split into a wide, frightening smile. "Enter, and bring your servants to the portal."

Transk glanced at Ebonar, who narrowed his eyes and nodded in irritation. The wizard glanced again at the Demon, and then the portal, before turning back to Ebonar, finding his master's eyes growing harder by the moment.

Swallowing hard, Transk stepped into the portal and summoned forth the demonic denizens of his personal realm. In the form of buxom women, they stepped from their hiding places and approached him, licking their lips and shedding clothing. Resisting the considerable temptation, Transk led the dangerous creatures to stand in front of the portal.

Upon reaching the portal, the looming form of the chanting Demon Lord filled Transk's vision. The creature finished its chant, and Transk felt a ripple pass through the dimensional pocket in which he stood. Panicking, he tried to close the portal, and found he could not. Trying to stumble away from the hulking form of the Hellspawn, he found that he was paralyzed as well.

Two extra arms sprouted with a horrible cracking and tearing sound from Meckataur's torso. Flexing his new fingers, the Devil snapped them through the portal to grasp all four of the demons cloaked in woman's flesh, pulling them up against the portal, through which they could not pass.

Sweat stood out on Transk's forehead as the wizard fought against the magic holding him. When Meckataur's eyes fell on him, the doomed wizard poured every ounce of his will into breaking the Devil's magic, to no avail.

Meckataur opened his maw wide, pushing through the portal to snap his jaws closed over the wizard's head. High-pitched screams erupted from the demons in Meckataur's grasp, and the creatures reverted to their natural forms as they writhed. The Demon Lord growled in satisfaction as the wizard's life force surged into him, and he felt the man's body go limp as it hung from his jaws.

The portal started to quiver and emit an ominous hum. Meckataur could see the world within losing substance, breaking apart. With a surge of power, he jerked the four demons and the wizard back through the portal into the real world. The portal collapsed in on itself, radiating bolts of black lightning from all that remained -- a spot about the size of an apple.

The Devil stiffened as the black bolts struck him, turning three of the demons in his grasp to ash. The fourth smoked and writhed before going limp, but did not disintegrate. At last, the portal vanished with a loud pop, staggering Meckataur back a step with the force of its implosion.

Letting the mangled wizard fall from his mouth, Meckataur snarled, "Bring the Fey." Dropping the remaining demon to the floor, Meckataur turned his attention to devouring what remained of the dead wizard.

Arleen, Meckataur's wizardess servant, towed an unconscious young elven woman toward the Devil on a magical disk of light in response to his order. She reached him just as he finished his grisly feast, and the Demon Lord picked up the limp form of the other demon when he noticed her.

Grasping the demon's hand, Meckataur squeezed the claws together with pops of snapping bone into a dagger-like point. He then smiled, the wizard's blood dripping from his fangs, and thrust the demon's claws into the elven woman's breast.

The elf female stiffened for just an instant as she died, even as the demon started twitching from her life force flowing through it. Steadily, the minor hellspawn recovered and stood, immediately devouring the woman as soon as it was able.

Meckataur's tongue slid over his teeth as he watched the other demon feed. The Devil would have preferred to devour the elf maiden himself, but he knew that only the life force of a virgin Fey had any hope of keeping his new servant alive outside the place of its spawning. Likewise, that life force should give the creature a power Meckataur desired very much, should Ebonar's suggestion prove true.

Thin and almost human looking, the feasting demon was a sharp contrast to the hulking Demon Lord that stood over it. It was the first of its kind to be torn from a Hellgate, the first to taste blood. The creature had lived on siphoned emotions since the moment it was spawned, but now it knew what a true banquet was.

The smaller demon finished its meal, going so far as to lick the blood from the magical disk until no evidence whatsoever of the elf woman's existence remained. As it raised its head and growled in satisfaction, Meckataur placed a huge hand on its shoulder and turned it.

"I am Meckataur, and you serve me now," The Demon Lord said in the dark guttural language of the underworld.

Sensing the immense power of the Devil, though it had never before encountered one, the smaller demon prostrated itself before Meckataur. "I am C'seka, Lord, and I will serve you willingly for eternity for more of these."

"Blood and life of mortals you shall have, if you serve me well. Oblivion awaits you for failure."

Ebonar interrupted, "I trust our bargain is sealed?"

Meckataur sniffed the air, searching for the slightest hint that this man who claimed to speak with Zoraster's voice felt fear. He found none. Only one other mortal had stood before him unafraid, and that was Zoraster Arias. It was both threatening and fascinating to the Devil at the same time.

"My hordes will rise up when the time comes. The bargain is sealed, Mortal."

Ebonar bowed and smiled. "I will leave you to your entertainments, then, Demon Lord."

With those words, Ebonar vanished in a flash of light; again giving Meckataur reason to be both impressed and wary of the man, for few could have teleported through the wards surrounding his fell castle.

"I do not trust that one," Arleen warned.

"I trust no mortal," Meckataur rumbled. "Tend to my spawn. The time draws near when they will come into their power. Inform me immediately when one transcends the barrier of their birth flesh."

Arleen bowed. "Of course, my Lord and Evil Master."

"My hordes will rise up, and once your enemies have been destroyed, so shall you, mortal. This world will be mine." Meckataur's thunderous, guttural laughter filled the crumbling Great Hall of Nightmare Castle.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Danica was the first to rise, anxiety to rescue those she had come to love awakening her early. The smell of coffee brewing and bacon sizzling drew the other three women from their beds shortly thereafter. Once fully awake and fed, they all turned to the task of preparing breakfast for the dozen clones they referred to as the girls. Six clones of Danica, and two each of the other three women, all dozed contentedly on the other side of the manor.

The four surrogate mothers left the clones to their meal, and the playtime that always followed, returning to the common room to talk while monitoring the girls by magical means. All things considered, the clones behaved well and needed little tending.

"Okay, now Marlena and Andrea know what you plan to do today. So, have you thought of a place to move them?"

Danica nodded. "Tonda and Jaron could live with the natives on Darkni's island. The culture and climate are similar, and neither of them has family tying them to their homeland. They could be happy there with each other, and they would certainly be well protected."

"Good idea. I doubt even Zoraster would have dared cross Darkniciad," Marlena observed.

"I don't think there is anyone Zoraster feared -- even his former mentor and teacher," Celes said quietly.

Andrea furrowed her brow and spoke, "I can't believe that there was such darkness in him. He always seemed so noble and confident when I spoke with him."

"We knew his other side -- all too well -- Andrea. He was mad and power-hungry," Danica said while shaking her head slowly. "The world is far better off with him dead. I think I'll move Rekhmire and Hathortari to the center of power. I think I can call in a favor with the Pharaoh, their King, through his sons. The population should be enough to mask them from Zoraster's minions. He was just starting to explore that area when he sent me there. I doubt he would have had much time to bother using magical means to track servants, regardless of my relationship with them. I saw no evidence of it in his memories at the end, at least."

"Sounds like you have it all worked out, then," Celes said and rose, "I'll watch the girls this morning."

"Did she just say, the girls?" Andrea asked with amusement.

Celes rolled her eyes and sighed, "Good, now you all have that out of your systems. You were all right, and I was being stubborn. It was Sara that convinced me. She saw me distraught and lost in thought, and just walked up and hugged me. I'd have never done that, but I could sense real concern coming from her. They're just as real as you or I, and I'm sorry I didn't see it before."