Sufferance Ch. 06

This was too dangerous. This had to be the last time.

"Agreed," I said huskily, releasing his face and dropping my hands to my sides. "I'll not molest you or tease you at all so long as your intelligence to any Red Sister is the complete truth as you know it."

My Consort nodded immediately. "Yes. Agreed. Thank you."

I stepped back from him. Time to go.

I was probably going to regret for the rest of my life that there wasn't a win-win way to fuck him.

Before leaving, however, I asked him, "Do Consorts have names?"

My eyes detected an energy flare in his face in the dark, even if his expression hadn't changed much; he'd still had a strong emotional reaction to the question. "Yes. But it's different with every House we're given to, and only those in that House can know it."

How many ways the Priestesses controlled everything they could, even a Consort's identity.

"Well. I shall call you Auslan, if it's all the same to you," I said, mostly on impulse.

He blinked those fine eyes. "Auslan" referred to uncovered treasure in our language. He nodded. "As you wish, Red Sister."

His tone lacked both apathy and displeasure, though I knew it hadn't contained delight or satisfaction either. I wondered what emotion he'd just felt, being named in secret yet again?

This time not even the Priestesses knew it.

*****

Though I had taken my time leaving House Itlaun with care so as not to be seen, with the distance grew my frustration and the ache between my legs. I could blame my Consort for it; he never had to admit he would have me, if it were possible. He could have kept that gorgeous mouth shut.

I didn't care to return and give my report just yet; it could wait. I wanted cock first; real cock, not another Sister, not the Feldeu.

I decided it was time to visit Callitro and see his progress on my request if he wasn't already finished. I even risked wasting another pregnancy-prevention draught by swallowing it along the way, since it would take me some time to get to the Tower even through my Sisters' channels.

I had already been delayed or preempted numerous times even trying to see him, or to begin my search for the invisible wizard. D'Shea had been "training" me most of my sleep periods with her Feldeu, making me wear it and increasing my endurance and my control of it, bit by bit. It was very slow going right now.

At this time, I did not like it as much as some Sisters did. True, it was beyond pleasure that I felt when it was bonded to me, but I wanted nothing more than to direct the pace, to wallow in the heat and moisture, to see to my need...and D'Shea wouldn't allow it. After the first time, I did not get the opportunity take her, to force the penetration when I chose, and to fuck her that willfully, as I had the first time.

I believed that she knew I would take the opening if given it, but only while wearing the Feldeu. Unsettling images came into my mind every time we coupled. Sometimes I thought I wanted to test that composure of hers, to see how it held up under certain acts... such as a rough drilling between her buttocks perhaps, like the Surface Elf who Jaunda had speared. I wanted her presenting to me on her knees.

She often spoke well of my flexibility, but what about hers?

D'Shea had asked once whether I wanted to borrow the large Feldeu. "To use on Gaelan, perhaps?"

I'd been quiet for a long time, conflicted. The pleasure versus the loss of control, the fact that I could easily breech the boundaries of my deal with Gaelan without realizing it. I could easily do something I'd wish I hadn't later.

My Elder'd had to remind me to answer her: "Yes or no, Sirana?"

"No."

She'd noted the reaction and nodded, but didn't probe me about it.

I knew nothing of how this kind of training may or may not differ from that of other Red Sisters under D'Shea's hand. I did not even know if D'Shea had introduced all of them to the Feldeu or not, as she had with me. She'd only made it clear that the way it affected me was not typical, thanks to the encounter with the Deurgar.

The Priestess Lelinahdara had worked with just D'Shea and me a few times since my first time wearing a Feldeu. In spite of what my Elder had said about the other Sisters understanding what had happened in the wilderness—about each of them having their own tale—she hadn't yet made it widely known to them. She had asked me to wait and keep it to myself for now. I figured it was likely the Red Sister Prime knew but she gave no indication, and neither did Rausery or anyone else.

Lelinahdara tried to bring the imprint to the surface, even exorcise it, and get that knowledge about the Duergar that we wanted. It had not worked yet, and I was not enjoying those trials. I could agree to cooperate while conscious, I could even open my legs and don the Feldeu to "open the connection," as the Priestess said...but it changed drastically when she worked her magic on me in that alternated state in which my self-control was greatly weakened anyway.



I was only lucky D'Shea believed Lelinahdara when she said that it was the nature of the imprint, that it was not willful disobedience. Apparently the Duergar that I had killed had had significant willpower and stubbornness as qualities of his nature.

"The divine magic is not softening the resistance when I can sense it, and I can only sense it when she wears the phallus," the Priestess had said quietly, wiping her forehead. "I think we are using the wrong kind of energy. We may need a psion, Elder."

Finding one of those on our side in the Underdark would be like finding diamonds encrusted on a living spider. As far as I knew, D'Shea and Lelinahdara were still "researching." As for me, I could wait. I did not want to obsess about a memory.

I still felt completely myself when I did not wear the magical phallus; there were no dreams or reveries, no impulses or thoughts that seemed alien to me. It was only when I wore the erection and was flooded with its magic that I became confused, and so far, I'd worn it only with D'Shea. I noted, after the first failed attempts to clean out my head, that she did not offer to let me borrow the Feldeu again.

I could still allow penetration of myself, though, anytime that I wanted.

And after my too-revealing meeting with Auslan, I wanted Callitro as a reasonable, much safer substitute. I was going to the Tower; hopefully I wouldn't be interrupted like the first and only time I'd been there.

I'd been doing a little more research about the place since becoming a Red Sister, for obvious reasons perhaps, but also because I finally noted that wizards had been a rarity at Court. Yet there were last counted to be one-hundred and twenty-three of them in the City, all with permanent quarters at the Tower.

This was a clear contrast to the females who developed a talent for magic. They studied at Court or sometimes with a private tutor at their own House. There were two-hundred and forty-six of them in the City at last count.

The school and dormitories for male wizards was commonly called the Tower because it loomed over all but the Palace which also housed the Priesthood. It could be called free-standing, I supposed. It had been built into and around a gigantic, natural column, where a stalagmite and stalactite had met in the middle of the cavern's floor and ceiling. There were many levels, all basically circular in floor plan, though the largest few floors both at the base and the crown of the structure contained only either twenty or so individual quarters or three to four larger functional rooms, such as a kitchen or cleaning room. The center levels were smaller than that, and I knew there had to be room made for libraries and archives, in addition to the large set of Drow wizards with their many specialties.

I understood the male wizards were functionally a very solitary group, eating, sleeping, and studying alone for a better portion of their time. It didn't mean, however, that they didn't receive "customers" or gossip amongst each other in different parts of the Tower, or have some of the largest sets of pointed ears catching all that was whispered whenever they had a purpose for leaving it.

Hoarding knowledge was their basis for living, after all. If any single, male-oriented group could ever pose a threat to the Valsharess, it would likely be the wizards—assuming they could work together for long enough, which wasn't likely. But it was still one reason they were not allowed to come to Court without invitation, and were not allowed free-reign to wander the Drow City unescorted.

Some Drow chose to trade that tighter leash for the knowledge and practice of magic, and some simply demonstrated the proficiency while young and were forcibly relocated. I had a standing bet with myself that my invisible wizard had been of the latter category. He had not behaved as if he had willingly moved into the Tower.

Callitro, on the other hand, had gone willingly. He'd told me during our first visit. I was allowed to see him because the Red Sister Prime knew and approved, and Callitro's own headmaster, Phaelous, also knew. This was the one area where I was required to have my comings and goings noted; even a Red Sister wasn't exempt.

On the whole, I thought, not many Red Sisters visited this place unless they were on assignment for straight execution, with a document signed by the Valsharess. Phaelous could not bar the Sister entrance, but there were simply no stealth-killings of wizards in the Tower. Unless it was from among their own.

"Sister," the headmaster acknowledged as I approached the first gate, which had no physical guards. "Your name and purpose?"

I'd heard his voice on the air when I passed the first ward signaling my approach.

I thought back the answer as it began to get harder to step forward over the mushroom field leading to the second gate. *Sirana, to receive an update from Callitro in person.*

I heard an amused grunt. "You've taken an infertility draught?"

I rolled my eyes. *Yes.*

"Proceed. The constructs will let you pass."

The second gate was guarded by two of the same kind of pale-skinned giants that had guarded the main chamber leading to the Valsharess's throne room. I was glad I didn't have to speak to them the way D'Shea had, but I tensed, ready to move fast if they did.

As the elderly wizard had said, though, they just stayed still and let me pass without looking at me.

I wondered, since my invisible wizard had said my name in that chamber all those months ago and I would need to identify myself every time I came here, whether he already knew very well that I had purpose here.

Possibly. If he did, it would make it harder to identify him if he decided to hide.

The stone double-doors parted as I approached; they didn't open wide, but only enough for me to slip through. Phaelous stood on the other side in an otherwise empty and sparsely decorated lobby. He had very nearly solid blonde hair; it implied at first that he was older even than the Valsharess, but then I looked at his eyes. He was not as old as She, probably by a few centuries if I hazarded a guess, but his life and the magic he practiced had taken its toll. He was pre-maturely gold, but still respectfully aged.

He smiled at me, which surprised me just like it had the first time. I did not know why except that it showed creases and fine lines that I simply was not used to seeing. His eyes may be younger, but the lines around his eyes and at the corners of his mouth were far deeper than the Valsharess's.

"Welcome, young Red Sister. As you are not here with an executive order then the rules of preservation apply on these grounds."

"I know. No maiming, disfigurement, poisoning, or any action that would debilitate a wizard lastingly in applying his trade."

"Thank you for your understanding. Callitro is still on the seventeenth level, room five. Please do not deviate from your path."

Phaelous had lost whatever mystique he ever held for the Red Sisters long ago, I saw it in his eyes, although there was absolutely nothing wrong with his manners. It was just as well that we spoke frankly. He lived on the bottom floor and managed a lot of the Tower from there; the entrance to this place was solid, warded, protected.

It still made me wonder what "fail-safes" the ruling bodies would no doubt have. This place couldn't be impregnable to all females or it wouldn't be allowed to exist. Still, at this point in time, I wasn't sure how I was going to find a way to identify the wizard from my trial, certainly not if I couldn't wander around the place, or even get in without a reason.

Fortunately my primary purpose this time was to get my favorite toy between my legs. Nice and simple. I could do that.

A body passed from level to level, and sometimes around a level, via teleportation circles; aside from the small windows coiling around the Tower and allowing one to look out over the City, the place was sealed into compartments. I supposed stairs were impractical, as was cutting consecutive holes in each floor through which to levitate. The former was slow and potentially dangerous, while the latter was a literal bottleneck if many needed to move at once, and could compromise the sound construction.

I did not need to actively use magic to use the circles; it would work for any of Drow blood who made it past Phaelous. I went from the base to level seventeen in a heartbeat and a slight surge of stomach upset. I could immediately smell spice and eclectic components, old fiberstalk parchment and burning candles. There was a very small stone pressed into the wall about every ten feet which glowed magically, but very mellow. My eyes adjusted and I could see the hall bending around the curve on both sides of me. Because of the light, I could see the door to my left was labeled "17-1" and the door to my right was labeled "17-12". Callitro's room was just across from me, if I could walk through the center support column.

I was aware of at least one door sliding open slightly as I walked past, and I said without looking back, "About your business."

The door immediately closed again.

Suppressing a smile, I reached 17-5 quickly and placed my gloved hand on a smooth piece of polished stone on the right side of the door.

"Who is there?" I could hear Callitro's muffled voice through the thin stone.

I took my hand off the soundless door-summons. Phaelous could have given him warning; interesting that he hadn't. "Guess."

My eager battle mage managed to open the door very quickly and was consciously pressing his lips together, remaining silent until I could step inside and have the door shut behind us.

"Red Sister, a pleasure to—"

"Take off your robe."

He blinked. "I...um—huh?"

I closed the space between us, starting to tug at his wizard's belt as I said to him, "Are you finished with my ring? Yes or no?"

"Um, no, that's what—"

"Then we fuck now. If we have time later, we'll talk."

Callitro nodded, his eyes wide as it struck him that perhaps he should begin to get in the mood, right now. He looked down at my hands just as I released the cinch on his waist. "H-here, let me—"

He took his own belt lined with pouches from me and placed it very gently atop a low array of parchment on his workbench. He removed his rings from his fingers and an amulet from around his neck. His study robe was different from his battle one in that it opened in front and folded over itself, the dark skin of his chest showing only in a thin "V." I seized it once he'd removed his belt and magic items, taking hold and pushing it open like a set of drapes.

Some lithe flesh was revealed, but there was another knot securing the robe at his waist on the inside, and I plucked impatiently at that to tug it loose. Callitro smothered a snicker in his throat.

"I heard that."

"Apologies, Red Sister. Do you want me to—?"

I slapped his hand away. "I have it."

I unthreaded the knot in reasonable time and found myself staring at a rather heavy-looking package as my hands went by feel to his shoulders and pushed the fabric off him, where it felt to his sandaled feet in a heap. I saw his cock jump once, his testicles contracting slightly in the abrupt change in temperature but quickly recovering as his erection started to grow.

"You're staring."

Fortunately for him, he didn't sound completely casual or teasing—I could hear just enough nervousness that I didn't feel the need to put the fear of the Red Sisters into him just yet.

And I definitely was staring. By all appearances, he thought it exciting enough. He wasn't as graceful or as beautiful as Auslan, but he would do quite nicely.

I looked upwards, happy to see a reasonably high ceiling and various plants and parts drying on ropes hanging from hooks.

"You have a spare few of those, I expect?" I asked, pointing up at the suspended spell components.

He glanced up, looked at me slightly bewildered but nodded.

"Set one up, then wrap the rope loosely around your wrists and hold on to it. Your hands will remain above your head every moment until I say otherwise."

Based on this second hesitation, I was beginning to suspect that Callitro probably hadn't gotten out of the Tower a lot, and when he had, those he may have served had been...well, I wasn't sure. Regardless, they hadn't made him do this, or at least not this quickly, without any playing or flirting.

It was amusing to think he'd invited me to approach him so openly at the worship ball, excited and dazzled by my outfit, not really knowing what he was submitting to... although I supposed my impulsive kiss after the fight with the Illithids had definitely confused the matter. What did he think, that I would just embrace him in full uniform again, or allow him the same? Neither of us could afford to be that stupid a second time.

I waited impatiently, tense and letting Callitro see the hunger on my face, my gaze raking him again and again as he retrieved a longer strand of rope with a clip-link on one end. His erection had diminished but I knew that was only temporary; I was doing plenty to make him nervous. His hands shook slightly as he stood on a chair to snap the link in place on an open hook. He tested the hold and stepped off the chair again, pushing it out of the way. Glancing at me again, he began winding the rope several times around his wrists, until it was short enough to be over his head, his arms at a bent and relaxed angle.

"Is this...satisfactory?" he asked.

I nodded. It was. I could see his hands, complex gestures were beyond him, and he was completely naked but for his sandals.

I finally pulled off my gloves, tucking them at my waist, and stepped forward to begin caressing his body. He gasped softly and his erection slowly began to harden again. As I kneeled down to remove his sandals for him, I smelled the rich scent coming from his groin; on impulse I nuzzled the trimmed fur at the base of his cock and he made a small sound which he had tried to swallow.

He helped push the sandals out of the way a moment before I opened my mouth and engulfed his member, wanting to taste him now. My tongue flicked madly, my lips were tight around him and he went completely rigid; he would have gargled in his throat if I hadn't just heard him swallow. I was still in excellent practice thanks to the Sisters and massaged and manipulated his sex with my mouth, my lips and tongue, even with my teeth. I teased the soft spot on the underside of his shaft, applying pin-pointed pressure with my tongue, and sometimes I used my thumb and forefinger to tug and roll at the bit of loose skin just beneath the tender ridge on which I nibbled in between longer strokes.

Callitro began to whimper in helpless abandon as my treatment got more intense and I saw him shaking his head when I looked up; he'd been doing it for a while. I slowed and took another look at him; his wrists were still loosely bound by the rope but his hands gripped the slack, the tension very apparent. His eyes were closed and his teeth were gritted.