Sisters of the Mists Ch. 11

Hundreds of feet below the world above, Zoraster's vast personal laboratory spread in all directions. Bright magical lights illuminated the immense library, the center of the underground lair. Hidden amongst the shelves were doorways leading to dozens of chambers, each with its own purpose. Angry runes of warding glowed above many of the doorways, and the sense of power Ebonar felt let him know that even he would be barred from entering some of those chambers.

Caterina shivered as she stepped into the room that would house the necessities of Zoraster's cloning magic. A half dozen animated corpses, the horrible wounds that had slain them plain to see, placed the last of five chambers upon the pedestal prepared for it. Five more pedestals awaited their own chambers, which would arrive as soon as Ebonar replaced the wizards that now functioned as undead pack mules. Zoraster refused to allow any other to live with the knowledge of even the preparatory spells of his cloning magic.

Zoraster released Caterina's hand and moved to examine the nearest chamber. With both the naked eye and his Art, he carefully searched for even the slightest imperfection. A similar inspection of the other four chambers followed, culminating in an amused laugh from Zoraster as he clapped his hands in satisfaction.

"Excellent. I should be able to begin in mere days. You have done well, Ebonar. I trust you are prepared to take action in Normandal?"

"Of course, Master. Even now, Egoria's troops cross the border and seek a suitable camp. Our agents are in place."

"Maintain my empire as I regain that which was lost," Zoraster ordered by way of dismissal.

"It will be done, Master," Ebonar responded as he gestured to the six undead wizards. As soon as the walking corpses gathered around him, he vanished.

Zoraster walked to a large glass tube atop a rune-scribed pedestal and stroked it with his hand. "Come Caterina, we shall begin." He then walked to the edge of the room and the large stone table there as his assistant followed.

Pouches, bowls, and boxes covered the table, surrounding a silver bowl covered in spidery sigils of magic and a small glimmering knife. Zoraster took up both bowl and knife, and then turned back to Caterina.

The blonde shed her silken gown and took a deep breath as Zoraster held out the knife to her. She heard the sound of approaching footsteps, but did not turn to see who approached. She knew it was either a clone servant or one of the dead. As she accepted the knife, Caterina took a deep breath to calm her nerves. The footsteps ceased, and she could sense the presence of someone behind her. To her relief, she didn't smell the corruption of death.

Zoraster nodded and reached out to stroke the swell of her left breast above the nipple. "Fear not, my magic will ensure that the blade leaves no mark upon you. The momentary pain will fade immediately in the ecstasy of the magic."

"I am ready, Master."

"Good," Zoraster responded, and then fell into his magic. The spells he cast were far beyond her capability, so he had no fear of her hearing the words and seeing the gestures. She could never know that, however. The fear that she might meet an end such as those of the six corpses that had just vacated the chamber would keep her tractable.

Motes of magical power, puffs of smoke, and crackles of energy emerged from the bowl as the Archmage added the necessary ingredients and worked his Art. Finally, only one element remained to bring the spell to completion.

Caterina took up the knife even as Zoraster moved the fog-filled bowl beneath her breast. She swallowed, and then drew the razor sharp blade over the swell of her breast.

As the blood flowed across her smooth skin, Caterina's hands dropped to her side and the blade fell to the floor from her nerveless fingers. She shuddered and gasped as the clone servant behind her thrust his arms beneath hers to support her. Her blood dripped from her now stiff nipple into the bowl, each drop causing an eruption of the swirling fog within the container.

Caterina's head snapped back to thump into the muscled chest of the clone and she cried out as the ecstasy of the magic overwhelmed her. Untouched, she climaxed — her juices dripping from her nether lips even as her blood trickled into the bowl.

At last, the fog in the bowl took on the crimson hue of blood, and Zoraster passed his hand over Caterina's breast, whispering words of magic. As his hand covered the wound, a flash of brilliant red light emerged. Caterina let out a sharp squeal as her body shuddered in climax once more.

When Zoraster moved his hand, the wound had vanished, leaving her skin smooth and unmarred, but still stained with her blood. Leaving his assistant still lurching from the magical orgasm in the clone's arms, Zoraster swiftly crossed the room to the glass tube.

More words of magic passed Zoraster's lips as he held the bowl over the tube, tipping it as soon as he completed the chant. Though the bowl could not possibly hold enough liquid to do so, it impossibly filled the large glass container with swirling, ruddy liquid. A final word from Zoraster completed the magic, causing the liquid to lose its bloody color, becoming clear as water.

The runes on the base of the tube glowed with brilliant yellow light, and the liquid within bubbled. Zoraster returned the now empty bowl to the table in front of the still gasping Caterina, and then retrieved the box Ebonar had delivered from his robe pocket.

He stroked the box containing hairs from Danica, Celes, Andrea, and Marlena. Once all the apparatus in this room were enchanted, those hairs would provide the necessary catalyst to clone the women. "I will possess you again," he growled, and then laughed.

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

Danica doggedly concentrated on her work, creating the elements of Edna's cottage from tiny pieces of balsa, and then fitting them in place. She cast the necessary preparatory spells as required, and the cottage quickly took shape. On the other side of the table from where she worked, Ashley's cottage sat ready to accept the whole of Danica's Art. She had finished it earlier, and the feeling of accomplishment had helped her tremendously.

Her focus on the magical crafting helped Danica push her troubling thoughts to the back of her mind. She didn't run from them, but instead let her subconscious mind mull over the unwelcome revelation that had crashed down on her earlier in the day. The technique had served her well during her enslavement to Zoraster, and she prayed it did so now.

Danica knew that Celes had managed to pass word to her friends back at the manor, letting them know that she needed solitude. Edna kept the girls busy, while Andrea, Marlena, and Ashley took turns making sure that Danica always had a full cup of water and some fruit to snack on at her side. Marlena also assisted in keeping Danica's stores of spell components prepared so that she didn't need to leave her worktable.

Each silently let her know that understanding ears were available if she needed to talk. Danica's empathic powers enhanced the smiles and small gestures of friendship to remind her that even though she sought solitude, there was no need for her to face anything alone. The strong desire to help her in any way touched Danica each time someone visited her for a few moments as she worked.

With her emotions quiet and her passion for creation filling her, Danica continued her work in peace.

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

Celes could tell from the looks on Nara and Mara's faces that the sisters had fared no better than anyone else in their quest to learn more about Mache.

Nara smoothed back her long dark hair and sighed. "The man has remarkable resistance to the powers of the mind. I can discern nothing from discrete touches, and if I push harder, he notices."

"He is just as sensitive to magic," Nara added.

"I don't think we're going to find out anything without him knowing about it," Celes grumbled while tapping her nails on the table in front of her. "I think we're just going to have to accept the risk in confronting him directly." She then turned toward Janelle and asked, "Have you talked to the Commander?"

"He trusts our judgment," the blonde archer replied.

"At least we don't have to worry about stirring up waves there, then." Celes slapped the table to punctuate the statement.

"How is Danica?" Janelle asked.

"She'll be fine. She's been through far worse, believe me. I talked to Andrea, and she said that Danica hasn't left the lab. She's hard at work, which is how she gets through things like what she's struggling with."

"So what do we do?" Bear asked, shrugging his massive shoulders. "Even with the Commander's approval, it isn't going to look good if we just walk up and start accusing a trainee of being a demon."

"We need to get him away from everyone else," Celes suggested.

Janelle cocked her head for a moment, having thought she heard her child. When she heard nothing further, she said, "I could call in some favors."

Celes yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Maybe we should all just sleep on it. He's obviously going nowhere. I'll have another chat with Edna and Ashley. Maybe they've come up with something new. They know far more about the craft than I do."

Murmurs of agreement sounded from the gathered friends, as the hour was growing late.

"Off to bed with us all, then." Celes stood, stretched, and then smoothed out her robe.

A wail from down the hall brought a chuckle to Janelle's lips. "How did I know that was going to happen?"

Bear kissed his wife and stood. "Go lie down. I'll change him and bring him in to nurse."

"You are such a dear," Janelle sighed.

Celes hugged the lithe blonde as Janelle rose to seek her bed. She then bid farewell to the remainder of her gathered friends and rode the wings of magic back to the manor.

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

Danica sat back with a satisfied sigh, knowing that she couldn't keep working tonight. She was simply too tired to continue the detailed work without making mistakes.

With Edna's cottage half finished, Danica thought that she could probably finish it tomorrow, enchant both of them the next day, and then move on to the girls' toys. She chuckled when she realized it was but a fraction of the list she'd filed away in her head of magic items she wanted to make. Even with Damian taking on some of the projects, she still had a lot of work ahead of her.

"You have been busy," Celes called out from the doorway of the lab. She walked over and sat down to examine Ashley's completed cottage. "I'm surprised you're using balsa for such strong enchantments. I'd think that you'd need to use something more substantial."

"It's the paint. There's a fortune in powdered gems and precious metal dust in there."

Celes let out a conspiratorial chuckle. "Good thing we took everything we could carry when we thumbed our noses at Zoraster."

"I think I can finish Edna's tomorrow if I keep up this pace. I want both of the cottages done before I enchant the girls' toys. I think Edna will probably need somewhere quiet to escape to."

"You surely have the right of it there. They're excited something fierce, and I know what your creations can do." Celes shivered and smiled.

Danica laughed, knowing that Celes' reaction was absolutely honest. She then took a sip of water and sighed. "Did you find out anything today?"

"Just that we're not going to find out anything without tipping our hand. I think we're going to have to confront him. Janelle has some ideas. How are you?"

Danica shrugged. "Okay. I think I need to stay focused on my work for a little while longer."

"As long as you need — you know that. I have Janelle and the others to back me up, if I need them."

Danica yawned and stretched — almost too far. "I think I need to get to bed."

"Can't argue with you there, Dearie. Get along with you. I'm going to go catch up with what else has been going on here. I've got a second wind."

Danica nodded and stood up. She almost immediately winced and rubbed her backside. "No matter how comfortable a chair is, you can still sit in it too long."

"Have a soak before you go to bed," Celes suggested as she rose. "I'll see you in the morning before I leave."

The two friends bid each other goodnight and went their separate ways. Celes glanced over her shoulder at Danica before continuing toward the sitting room where she heard the sound of conversation, and pursed her lips in concern. Danica did look better, but she certainly hadn't recovered from her emotional turmoil just yet. Give her time.

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

A soldier poked the campfire to stir up the flames against the deepening darkness and remarked, "Not much of a war so far."

A gruff laugh preceded the second soldier's answer. "We just crossed the border. Fuck, we ain't even made it to a town yet. The goblins are all up north."

The first soldier groaned and stood up. "I'm losing the battle with the chuckwagon, I can tell you that. I'm off to the latrine."

"We may as well tell the watch to bed down. Nothing with a nose will come within a hundred miles of us by the time you get done stinkin' up the place."

"Well then, we won't need a wizard when we get to the war. I'll load up on beans and beer and blow every goblin straight to the hells." He laughed and walked off to the latrine, hidden behind some bushes.

A minute or so later, the sound of grunts and groans emerging from the bushes grew urgent enough to draw the second soldier's attention. "Gods, Wessel — are you dyin'?" He waited a few seconds and noticed that the sound ceased. "Wessel?"

Wessel emerged, synching up his belt, just as his fellow soldier stood to go check on him. "That's got to be some sort of record," he quipped and patted his stomach.

The other soldier shook his head and sat down. "I hope the wind don't change."

Wessel plopped down with a laugh. "If it does, you'll be dead before you can worry about it."

The pair shared a chuckle and made ready to bed down until their shift on watch.

Beyond the bushes, the dried husk of a man vanished into the darkness.

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

"Glad to see someone managing some relaxation." Celes sat down with a thump on one of the benches surrounding the heated tub where Andrea and Ashley lounged.

"Do you want to join us?" Andrea asked, "You look like you could use a soak to wind down."

Celes shook her head. "No, I'm going to go practice with my powers while I'm still irritable."

Ashley smoothed water out of her dark red hair. "We didn't really find anything new today."

Celes nodded in understanding. "Edna told me. I think we're just going to have to poke him and see what happens. We're sleeping on it so that we can think about it fresh tomorrow."

"How's Danica?"

Celes shrugged her shoulders in response to Ashley's question and offered a sad smile. "She's better, but she needs some time to work through this. She still has a lot of demons, and I'm sure that I don't even know them all. What I know is bad enough."

"Sure you don't want to join us?" Andrea asked again.

"No, I'm off to toss rocks around and irritate the wildlife. I need to get a good grip on that power. Wake me if I don't get up in time to help with breakfast."

With that, Celes walked toward the rear entrance of the manor to struggle with her telekinetic power.

Ashley straightened as Andrea sighed. A quick glance at Andrea revealed the reason for the sensation she felt. "This water is getting a little warm." She nodded toward Andrea's fingers, which the blonde was absently teasing over her right nipple. "Exactly what are you thinking about?"

Color rose in Andrea's cheeks as she sheepishly looked down at her hand. "I was hoping Celes would relax a little. I hate seeing her so stressed. When I started thinking about that — well..."

Both women started as a warm current swirled around their bodies. "Is it supposed to do that?" Ashley asked.

Andrea shook her head in the negative. "Not that I know of."

A curious "Hmn," slipped from Ashley's lips as a possibility dawned on her. "Did I happen to enter into any of those thoughts you were having when the water was heating up?" Her voice carried just a hint of amusement, mingled with a touch of sultry suggestion.

Once again, the water warmed noticeably, and a current of water curled around Ashley's body, seemingly paying a lot of attention to intimate portions of her anatomy. Andrea's twitch indicated to the redheaded witch that the blonde had experienced much the same thing.

"Andrea, I think it's your powers — arousal and embarrassment. I don't think they're just triggering your powers this time, though. I think they're guiding them." The redhead slid closer and whispered, "Concentrate on it."

Ashley gasped as a strong swirl of warm water caressed her folds and actually pushed up on her breasts. Andrea leaned forward and opened her eyes wide in surprise at nearly the same moment.

Andrea let out a sharp, high-pitched moan and bent one of her knees, parting her legs. She then drew in a deep breath and licked her lips. With the water pushing against her with growing pressure, Ashley leaned back and spread her knees wide.

The water of the tub roiled as Andrea's power worked upon it, forming whirlpools on the surface that aimed conspicuously into the V of both women's legs. The heat increased, but not uncomfortably so, adding to the sensation of the water jets.

"Oh yes," Ashley gasped as her arousal built. The stream of water rushed against her folds, causing her labia to quiver. It pushed upward on her hood, exposing her clit to the onslaught as well.

Next to her, Andrea whimpered as every inch of her sex tingled from the relentless flow of warm water. On impulse, she sat up and turned until she could press her lips to Ashley's. The redheaded witch passionately returned the kiss, moaning into it as the whirling water drove her toward orgasm.

Andrea pulled away from Ashley's lips with a gasp and closed her eyes to pant from the building pressure of her own impending climax. The water now whirled in the tub so quickly that Ashley couldn't even see below the surface. A few seconds later, she too closed her eyes and opened her mouth in a silent scream as the itch and pressure in her loins reached a crescendo that took her breath away.

The strength of the watery phallus overcame both women's resistance, penetrating them with pulsing thrusts of energy. Ashley wriggled and writhed, and yet the water targeted her sex without fail. She felt full, and yet a thousand tingles stimulated every inch of her.

The redhead finally gave voice to her ecstasy as the tightly coiled energy within her released. She let out a squealing blast of air, followed by a series of gasping breaths and whimpers as the water relentlessly teased her sensitive flesh.

"A-a-a-andrea," she managed to articulate as the continuing stimulation threatened to overwhelm her. She had no more than forced the word past her lips before a second, equally strong wave of orgasm contorted her body.

The blonde didn't hear her cry, however. On the verge of an explosion as well, she too writhed in the water, her powers directing the water subconsciously. Her teeth clenched and she groaned from the itch within her, which had transformed into an electric buzz of building energy. The blonde thrust her hips toward the liquid column, triggering her release.

The tub erupted like a massive fountain, spraying steaming water all across the room in a cascade as Andrea screamed in orgasm.

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

In a dozen places at the remote edges of the Egorian army's camps, Ebonar's wizards replaced their carefully chosen targets with Zoraster's Arians. Ebonar had selected each man from the possibilities presented to him by determining which were the least remarkable. All were of average skill, average looks, low rank, and had few connections outside the men in their units.