Sisters of the Mists Ch. 18

The creature's wings snapped open and it leapt toward them, jaws agape.

"No!" Andrea cried out, thrusting her hand toward the demon. A straight-line wind rushed from her palm, sending the demon tumbling head over heels into a stone wall. When it tried to rise, she narrowed her eyes and called her powers to bear again.

The demon's red skin turned blue as the air around it dropped instantly below freezing. It made a horrible, gurgling noise, and then exploded into bits of goo.

Turner's eyes were once again as wide as saucers when he turned toward her. Fear clenched her heart like a fist as she saw the shock in his expression. Afraid of what he might think, she hadn't yet revealed that she was a witch.

"How?" He glanced back toward what was left of the demon. "What?"

"It... It was a demon."

"A demon? But what..."

"Turner, I have to tell you something. Promise me that you'll listen and try to understand."

"Uh... Okay. I promise."

"I stopped it. I used my powers."

"Powers?"

"I'm a witch. Not a bad one. I use my powers to stop evil things like that."

The fist around her heart tightened as he stared, not speaking. Tears welling up in her eyes, she said, "Say something. Please."

"I... I don't know what to say." A smile broke out on his face. "That was amazing."

It felt as if someone had lifted a mountain off her shoulders. "So, you're okay?"

"It beats getting eaten by that thing." He gestured behind him and laughed. "I think I should have hid behind you."

A shout sounded from behind them. "The bloody hells?"

The couple turned toward the Duke, who had emerged from the keep with a massive sword in hand and several soldiers behind him.

"It was a demon," Andrea explained.

"Looks like was is the important word." The Duke lowered his sword and scowled at the demon goo spattered all over the walls and door of the keep. He then looked at Andrea, smiled, and snorted. "Don't suppose you can magic this demon snot off my walls?"

Andrea shrugged apologetically.

"Oh well. Get somebody out here with some buckets," he instructed one of the soldiers. "Gonna have to find some way to talk you into hanging around here. Whatever you did is damn quicker than carving those things up."

She squeezed Turner's hand and said, "I think I might have a reason to spend time here."

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

"Interesting..." Ebonar muttered as he watched Andrea and her beau wander off to a more sheltered portion of the grounds. A touch of the mirror allowed him to see the weave of magical energy in the scene, confirming his suspicions.

"Very interesting indeed."

The only question now was how to seek greater advantage in the blonde witch's little love affair. At least in this, he had a choice. In the more concerning matter of his Master's distraction, no such option was available.

The mirror darkened as Ebonar stepped away, caressing his chin in thought. He risked much by shielding his thoughts from Zoraster -- if the Archmage was even interested, which was doubtful at this point. It was a necessity, however. His course was clear, and established well before Zoraster's current distraction.

This small disobedience served the greater goal of Zoraster's design, and he would do whatever was necessary to see it come to fruition.

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

Edna examined the red crystal shards, her expression as intent as that of the girls when they gazed into the whole ones within the cave. Celes was beginning to get nervous when the older woman finally looked up from her inspection.

"So, what do you think?"

"The shards still resonate with a bit of the magic." She paused and pursed her lips. "The energy is dark, but not necessarily evil. It feels more like a warning than malice."

Celes snorted. "Not how I felt about it when it blew up in my face."

The old witch smiled. "I would imagine not. The girls don't seem interested in the red ones, though. They were going to the cave for pleasure, not fright."

"True. I'm of a mind to let them go. Watching them, it felt right for some reason."

"You should have Andrea and Ashley go with them. See if they feel the same as you." She pointed at the shards. "The magic in these is witchcraft. Or rather, it's the pure magic from whence our powers come."

"You're saying that those weren't enchanted by someone? That they're natural?"

"In this valley -- yes."

Celes narrowed her gaze. As usual, Edna seemed to know far more about this place than she let on.

The old witch chuckled and reached out her hand to pat Celes'. "When the time is right, I'll tell you more."

"When will that be?"

"When I know it."

Celes threw her other hand up. "I don't understand."

"There are many things that I know -- when I need to know them. It's been that way since I was a little girl." Her eyes grew distant for a moment, and she chuckled. "It drove my parents to distraction."

"Your powers?"

"No, I don't think so. When it happens, it's as if I've always known these things, and they've been waiting for the right moment to come out where I can get a hold of them. If it's any consolation, often times, I'm just as frustrated by it as the rest of you. There have been many a time when I wished these things would have come to me sooner."

Celes nodded, accepting the answer. "So, you think it's safe for the girls to go?"

"My heart tells me it's right. Have your sisters go with them, though. Between the three of you, your instincts are better than any wisdom this poor old woman has to offer."

"I don't know about that, but I will."

"The first key to unlocking your destiny is believing in the bond you share without question, Celes. Once you can do that, the three of you can work wonders. That much I know without anything hidden in here," she tapped her forehead.

Celes nodded and turned her palm upward to give the older witch's hand a squeeze. "I'll let you get back to the girls. Who knows what sort of mischief they've gotten themselves into without a minder."

Edna stood and made her way back to the other side of the manor, leaving Celes alone in the lab. It was a rare thing of late, with all the work they'd heaped upon themselves. No pots full of questionable ingredients brewing. No one with her nose buried in a book, mouthing the words of a new spell. She looked around, feeling lost and a little lonely.

It started as the slightest tingle -- barely there -- but steadily grew. As Edna had said, she was never truly alone. At Blackhawk, Andrea and her lover had gone beyond kissing, and Celes could feel the building arousal of the young blonde. Then, she could feel Ashley as well, slowly coming awake as her body reacted to her sister witches.

Knowing that the redhead wouldn't be sleeping before long anyway, Celes stood and headed toward her room. Relaxation was probably just as important as sleep, and she knew a fine way to relax her beautiful friend that neither of them could likely resist.

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

Danica and Marlena walked away from the old man sitting on the edge of a creek with a line in the water. With nightfall approaching, Danica had finally mastered walking with her strange new appendage, and Marlena said that her walk was not only acceptable, but actually quite enticing.

More importantly, the old fisherman knew the exact location of the village they sought.

The fringes of the nation were poor, and people rarely traveled beyond the nearest village. The elderly man had once been part of the army, and had thus seen a great deal of territory. He was easily twenty years older than the bulk of the people they'd encountered, and considering his former occupation, he was a fortunate man indeed.

Once out of sight over a rise, Danica pointed to the north. "We should see it within a few minutes of walking. I thought we were never going to find it in time."

"I was beginning to wonder myself. It's sad how poor these people are -- how isolated."

Danica nodded. "Let's go see the village, and then find somewhere out of sight and off the beaten path to set up the tent." She paused for a moment. "I think we should probably take a few extra precautions tonight. I don't want to be this close and have something go wrong at the last minute."

"I'll watch for any good spots along the way."

Even though it wasn't necessary with nobody around, Danica maintained the swagger she'd adopted in her disguise as she walked. Any time she didn't concentrate, she slipped back into her normal, flowing gait that no doubt looked positively ridiculous with her current appearance. Sticking with it was the easiest way to avoid making a mistake when it mattered.

After a couple of minutes, Marlena asked, "How are we even going to get close to the Emperor? Never mind what we're going to say if we do."

"I'll think of something. If worst comes to worst, I'll send my thoughts straight into his head. If nothing else, that should stop him in his tracks. I'd rather figure out some way for us to speak to him in person -- and alone -- though. There just isn't time to come up with anything sophisticated. We don't know how many guards he has, or how much he isolates himself from other people, or anything."

"I suppose I shouldn't worry. You always seem to find a way."

"By the skin of my teeth, most of the time," Danica quipped. "I'm going to try to feel him out a bit with my powers before we talk to him. That may give us an idea of how to approach him."

Marlena looked off toward the horizon at the setting sun. "I hope it's not much farther. It's getting dark fast."

They neared the top of a small rise and Danica stopped before cresting the hill. "Wish granted. There it is. It looks exactly as that fisherman remembered, even though it didn't take us as long as I expected to get here. I guess he probably walks a little slower."

"It looks like every other village we've passed."

The small collection of homes was little more than a hub for several farms, and indeed looked little different from any of the other poor communities along the way. "Except for that," Danica said and pointed.

Marlena followed her gaze and saw a large statue that appeared to be made of marble near the entrance of the village. "That probably cost as much as everything in the village," she said with disgust.

"Probably more. Considering the poverty in his own Empire, it doesn't speak well of the man. I guess we'll know for sure when we talk to him. It could be functionaries taking on the daily tasks and keeping him out of the loop."

"I hope so."

"Me too. If he's that self-centered, convincing him to call off his army isn't going to be easy. We'd better find a place to set up the tent." She pointed the direction from which they'd arrived. "That way, somewhere off this path. Maybe back in those trees."

Marlena rubbed her legs, which ached from so much walking. "I'm hardly going to argue with that idea."

"I know how you feel. We're getting soft from popping back and forth everywhere we want to go with magic. Speaking of which..." She held out her hand.

Danica cast her spell, and they appeared at the edge of the trees in a puff of brimstone smoke. They held their breath and moved as quickly as possible away from the odoriferous by-product of the spell and into the rapidly darkening woods. There seemed to be no trail where they appeared, which suited Danica perfectly.

The two made their way through the trees and found a clearing just big enough for the tent a short distance inside. It wouldn't take long to leave the woods in the morning, but there was ample foliage to hide them, though Danica had no intention of leaving that to nature alone.

A single word set the camp for the night, but many more were required to weave the warding magic around the clearing. Finally satisfied, Danica said, "Let's call home so we can finally relax a little."

"Do you want me to turn you back?"

Danica grinned. "The look on their faces when they see me will probably be well worth waiting."

Marlena covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a snorting laugh. "I hadn't thought of that."

Growing used to her unnaturally large fingers, Danica was able to cast the spell without incident. However, when she saw the lab at the manor, it was empty.

"That's strange," Marlena remarked.

"Well, let's try the kitchen. Maybe they were wrapped up in things and dinner's late."

Danica shifted the focus of her spell to find the kitchen dark and abandoned. The baths were the same. Not wanting to startle the girls, she skipped that wing of the manor and tried Celes' bedroom. It was just as empty as every other room, and the bed was made. Andrea's room was the same.

Bow knitting, she shifted the focus to Ashley's cottage and sucked in a gasp.

Celes leapt from between Ashley's legs with her hand raised in a gesture common to using her powers. She froze when she noticed that the intruders were only magical images, and that one of them was Marlena.

"The bloody hells?" Celes asked. Her face glistened from the tip of her chin to her nose with Ashley's juices. The redhead trembled and twitched, obviously still in the throes of orgasm as she tried to sit up.

"Sorry," Marlena quickly apologized.

Celes and Ashley both looked absolutely delicious -- naked and visibly aroused despite the interruption. Danica felt the alien thing in her pants growing larger. "You did tell us to call every night."

The dark-haired witch violently shook her head for a moment. "Danica?"

Danica held her hands out to her side and smiled. "We needed a disguise."

Ashley pulled her legs together and shivered. "H-how can we see an... An illusion through..." An aftershock silenced her and caused her to curl up.

"Marlena used her powers to make the illusion real," Danica explained. "I needed to walk like a man, and I thought having all the parts down there might help."

A haunted look appeared in Celes' eyes, and she glanced back toward the bed for a moment. In an uncharacteristically shy gesture, she lifted an arm and covered her breasts. Danica didn't need the benefit of her empathic powers to guess what was wrong.

Celes was almost never intimate with another woman unless Danica was present. Their relationship was a bit more complicated than just friends and lovers. So many years sharing Zoraster's prison had made them more than that.

"It's okay, Celes," Danica assured her. "I'm happy to see you doing anything that doesn't involve potions and books. Ashley certainly looks like she's enjoying the evening."

Color rose in Ashley's cheeks. "Evening?"

Realizing the time difference, Danica rolled her eyes and said, "I keep forgetting how far east we are. Sorry to interrupt. We just wanted to let you know we were okay before we bedded down for the night."

Celes still looked embarrassed and troubled, indicating that she and Danica needed to take some time out to talk in the near future. They'd both agreed some time ago that their relationship hadn't reached that level yet, but this was the first time Celes had strayed.

Hoping to lighten the mood and encourage her friend to enjoy herself, she smiled and twitched her eyebrows. Not knowing how it looked on her strange face, she added a wave of her hand toward the pair. "Pick up where you left off. I'd hate to think that I ruined the moment. We'll call in the morning -- and keep it to the lab. If we don't see you, I'll send something through the message bowl."

Celes nodded. "Take care of yourselves, and come home soon."

"I hope so. Love to you both."

"From me too," Marlena added.

With that, Danica offered a wave and dismissed the magic.

Marlena said, "That was awkward. I've never seen Celes look so bashful."

"She'll be fine. That's the last time we peek in on bedrooms, though. No matter how enticing the thought is." The awkward appendage in her pants twitched, once again trying to attract all of her attention to it.

The steadily growing level of arousal she felt from Marlena wasn't helping, either.

"Let's go inside. We need as much rest as we can get, and you never know what the night might bring."

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

Rexxus stiffened, feeling a magical noose tighten around his neck. Throughout the world, the demons that had poured through the portal at Meckataur's command likewise felt his control over them solidify.

The devil growled, shaking out his muscled form as the sensation faded -- though he knew the noose remained. The very air thrummed with power, even though the portal loomed deep beneath his feet in the caverns below Nightmare Castle. In a flash of thought he vanished from the castle, to appear at the entrance of the great, vaulted cave housing the rift to the hells.

Meckataur the Destroyer stood before the portal, having grown at least a foot in stature from the power gained in mastering the demons infesting the world. He turned -- hellfire flickering about his entire body -- and loosed a chuckle that echoed throughout the cavern.

"Rexxus... The time is ripe. My spawn come. Bring them before me."

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

Hope you've enjoyed this chapter, and as always, my apologies for it taking so long.

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