Tales of the Apprentice 01 Ch. 05

"How big is it?" he whispered.

"About the size of a small horse."

"In a way it's a good thing," Serana said softly, looking out from behind the flap of her little tent. "Nothing will share a dire wolf's territory. We should be safe from anything else around here."

"But what about tomorrow morning?" Galen whispered.

"We'll be alright. Dire wolves only come out at night," she replied. "They hate the light. They're never seen by day."

"True," Raven said softly, his voice barely audible. "What worries me more than that, though, is that there haven't been any dire wolves here for as long as men can remember. Until recently, that is. And this is not the only dread beast that has been seen in these lands of late. I have heard tales of manticora and griffins, of trolls and goblins, and of less savory creatures. At first I dismissed them as unfounded rumors, but lately I have sighted some of these things myself. Yet no-one seems to know what has brought them forth."

Galen sat down again, resuming his watch, but not before he had tossed some fresh wood onto the fire. When Serana relieved him he rolled himself in his blanket, but he did not sleep much that night. The howling continued, close by, until the sky in the east began to brighten.

They continued through the hills, the land growing more and more steep and rocky as they went, but although they kept themselves alert they encountered nothing threatening. It was getting toward the end of the afternoon when they spotted a small village ahead of them. Galen's first impression was that there was something wrong with it, but it took him a few moments to realize what it was.

"It looks completely deserted," Raven said with a tone of surprise in his voice.

Serana nodded.

"It is."

Galen agreed. There was no smoke coming from any of the chimneys. Nor was there any other sign of life anywhere.

"I wonder what happened there," he said softly.

"Nothing good, I'm sure," Raven said. "We should avoid this place."

"Maybe we should have a look first," Galen suggested.

"Galen is right," Serana said calmly. "At the very least we need to find out what caused this village to be deserted. We have enough daylight left. We can decide what to do when we know more."

"Very well, my lady," Raven said. "But be on your guard. Even if only some of the rumors I have heard are true, this place is likely to be evil."

They rode on with Raven in the lead.

"Could he be right?" Galen whispered to Serana.

"Possibly," she said softly. "But we have to know."

Galen nudged his horse forward. His riding skills had improved considerably, and the pain in his hindquarters had diminished to the point where it was only a mild discomfort.

"What have you heard?" he asked when he had caught up with the mercenary.

"A lot of stories," Raven answered curtly. "They have grown in the telling, I'm sure."

"What kind of stories?"

Raven was quiet for a few long moments.

"More than stories, perhaps," he admitted then. "I have seen some things with my own eyes as well. It is as if a dark curse lies on certain parts of the land. Crops fail. People die of sudden and inexplicable outbreaks of disease. Lords fortify their keeps in preparation for battle. It looks like something is brewing, lad. I don't know what, but it is evil. And that's not all. I have heard more than once about soulless creatures roaming the land. Those who fall prey to them are never seen again. They keep to the dark; they avoid the light. They cannot be killed by ordinary means. They are like walking dead."

Galen shivered. He glanced over his shoulder at Serana, but she looked calmly back at him. Yet he was sure she must have heard the mercenary's words. Suddenly he felt convinced that what Raven had said had been no news to her.

The village appeared to have been deserted quite suddenly. Here and there doors were standing open. A cart was standing on the dirt-packed surface of the single street, still loaded with turnips, as if it had been abandoned only moments ago. Behind the house next to it there were still clothes hanging on the washing line. It was in every respect a normal display of daily life that could be found in any village in the land, except for the people. There wasn't a single living creature to be seen: no people, no dogs, not even a mice or a rat.

"Could it have been a plague, maybe?" Galen asked, his voice hushed.

Raven shook his head.

"If it was, then where are the dead? Or the survivors who buried them?"

They slowly advanced, exploring small side streets, looking into open doorways and windows. They saw no sign of life inside or outside. At the center of the village there was a two-story building that appeared to be an inn, but of a better quality than the average roadside establishment. It looked like it had been painted fairly recently, and the owner had obviously taken considerable pride in it.

"I wonder if we shouldn't spend the night here," Serana mused, glancing at the setting sun. "Obviously there's no-one here. It should be fairly safe."

Raven shook his head.

"I must advise against that, my lady. Whatever caused these villagers to disappear might come back for us."

"There's always that possibility," she admitted. "But I can think of only one thing frightening enough to drive off the whole population like this. And if I'm thinking what you're thinking, light will keep them away. As long as we keep the lights burning in and around this building all night, we should be far better off than camping out somewhere with only a fire for protection. If they can come back for us here during the night, that means they are still around. That would make this the better option."

Raven thought about it for a few moments, then slowly nodded.

"I see your point," he agreed. "Very well, my lady. Let me inspect the building. Please wait here. Shout if anything is amiss."

He reached back over his shoulder and drew his sword in one smooth, practiced gesture. The huge blade made a metallic sound as it slid out of its sheath. Despite its massive construction and obvious weight the mercenary handled it as if it were a toothpick. He pushed the building's imposing front door open and entered the building. He returned after a few minutes.

"It's empty," he said, sheathing his sword. "Let's hope the same goes for the rest of the village. We don't have enough time to search all of it before we lose the light."

"That will not be necessary," Serana said. "This will do nicely."

The inn's interior was surprisingly luxurious, especially given the fact that it was located in so small and unassuming a village. But then, Galen supposed, it had the benefit of being the only such establishment within many leagues. A dining room and a large kitchen dominated the ground floor, while the second floor boasted spacious rooms with decent furniture and large, clean beds. There were several bathrooms, all fitted with a small furnace to heat water. The stables at the back of the building offered similarly comfortable shelter for the horses.

"Oh, this will do very nicely," Serana said, eyeing one of the bathrooms.

"You'd say that even if the rest of the building had been in ruins," Galen chuckled.

"One has to have certain priorities, Galen," she said with a great show of dignity.

"There are other priorities as well, though," he replied. "Let's see what food they may have left behind. I'm starving. I hope they didn't take all of it with them."

Galen's concerns proved unfounded. The pantry adjacent to the kitchen was well stocked. A supply of firewood was also on hand, and it wasn't long before Galen had a good fire going in the large kitchen fireplace. Serana looked over the available supplies with a speculative look in her eyes, then came back with beans, carrots, potatoes, turnips and a side of bacon.

"I think a quick stew is probably our best option right now," she said as she selected a cooking pot from the rack on the wall. "Galen, fetch some water from the well outside, will you? We'll need more than we have here and you might as well get it before the last of the light goes."

Galen did as she asked, and about twenty minutes later a large pot of stew was bubbling away on the fire. The smells coming from the pot made Galen's stomach rumble.

"There seems to be a fair amount of lamps and candles available," Raven said as he stepped into the kitchen. "Hmm. That smells good."

"Dinner should be ready in an hour or so," Serana told him. "Just enough time for you to fill some of those lamps and put them outside around the building. I think I saw a supply of lamp oil in the store room across the hall. Indoors the candles should do, at least on the ground floor."

"Very well, my lady."

"Galen," Serana said once Raven had left, "Why don't you go upstairs and light a fire in one of the bathroom furnaces to heat up some water? Since we have such excellent facilities here, it would be a shame to waste them. We definitely can do with a bath, and then there's your training which we have been forced to neglect. I'm sure you're about to burst at the seams by now."

Galen chuckled.

"It's not quite that bad," he said with a smile. "But I shall be fully at your disposal, my lady."

She raised the spoon that she had been using to stir the stew.

"Don't give me any of that, young man," she said. "I'm getting enough of it from our heroic escort out there. Don't you start as well."

"Yes, my lady," he said with a smile before fleeing the kitchen.

After dinner Serana went to the bathroom upstairs, while Galen and Raven lingered at the table in the dining room.

"I've refilled all the large lamps I could find and hung them on hooks around the building," Raven said. "If we have no bad weather they should burn all night. Even so, I think I'll be sleeping here, downstairs."

He glanced at his huge sword, which stood leaning against the table.

"There were hooks in all the right places on the walls outside," he continued. "And I can't help wonder why the people who lived here had so many lamps on hand. It's almost as if they used them for the same purpose as we do now. And that worries me."

"Why?" Galen asked.

"Because if they did, it clearly didn't work."

Galen let that sink in for a moment.

"These... creatures you mentioned. You said they can't be killed?"

Raven shook his head.

"I said they could not be killed by ordinary means. Or at least that is what I have heard. A sword or knife thrust to the heart doesn't seem to have any effect on them, and they don't bleed. Cutting off their limbs will incapacitate them, but even that will not kill them. For that you need to cut their heads off. Or so I have been told."

"You haven't seem them yourself?"

"No. And I can't say that I miss it. If even half the stories are true, these creatures, whatever they may be, are best avoided."

"The lights should at least help," Galen said.

Raven shrugged.

"We may hope. All the same, I'll sleep close to my sword tonight, right here. With the doors and windows barred as they are, we should at least have sufficient warning if anything tries to get in. You don't have a sword, do you, lad?"

Galen shook his head.

"No, and I wouldn't know how to use it if I did."

"And yet you and the lady were traveling alone. You must be very brave."

"I'd have hated to put you out of a job," Galen said with a smile.

Raven chuckled.

"How considerate of you. Well, good night, lad. Let's hope we will all sleep without being disturbed."

Upstairs, Galen found that Serana had finished bathing. He followed her example and when he came out of the bathroom, she was waiting for him in one of the spacious rooms they had selected.

"I feel rather bad about using this place like this," he said. "I know the owners aren't here, but taking advantage of them like this seems wrong."

Serana nodded.

"I agree. So I'll leave money for them, in case they ever come back. Which brings up a point. We need to know what's going on around here. Do you feel up to some exercise? It'll go a little beyond what we've been doing so far."

"That sounds interesting," he said. "What do you have in mind?"

"A few days ago I told you how a mage can let her mind travel without moving physically," she said. "I'm thinking the two of us should do that tonight, together. Now that I've told you about it, I'd better show you as well. In any case we'll need to see if there is anything going on around here that we need to be aware of, and we might as well kill two birds with one stone."

"Those creatures Raven told us about..." Galen said slowly. "That wasn't news to you, was it?"

"Not entirely, no," Serana admitted. "Ayden mentioned them when I spoke with him. What he told me was disturbingly similar to what Raven described. So for the moment I'm inclined to believe that there is at least some substance to these rumors. But there's nothing like finding out for ourselves, and what I have in mind will be a fairly safe way to do just that."

"Fairly safe?"

"There is always some sort of risk associated with magic, Galen, be it sex magic or any other form. While magic is not sorcery, it is powerful, and mistakes may very well carry a high price. But if you do exactly as I tell you, we should both be safe. Much safer, at least, than if we would encounter any of these strange creatures in the flesh."

Galen nodded.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked.

She smiled at his trust in her. She was grateful. Inexperienced as her young apprentice might be, he did have the right attitude and he always took these things seriously.

"Alright," she said, business-like. "We're going to do this together. We'll both build up our Energies to the point where we'll be able to achieve a simultaneous Release. Just before the point of Release, I'm going to merge our minds. We've done that before, but this time it will be even more intimate. Then I'm going to take our joined minds out of our bodies. At that point it is absolutely vital that you remain passive. Hold on to me mentally, and I'll show you how to do that, but other than that, do not act. I'll take care of everything from that point on. And keep in mind that I'm not going to let anything happen to you, so don't be frightened. It can be a little strange at first, but if you leave everything to me it will be fine."

Galen nodded.

"I suppose I can manage that."

"I know you can," she replied. "Just keep a clear head and don't lose your focus, and everything will be alright. Now get naked."

She gave the example by removing her own clothing, and a few moments later they were both dressed as sex mages who are about to embark on a magical working.

"Lie down on your back," Serana instructed. "We have done this before, as I'm sure you'll remember. It's a great way for a couple of sex mages to bring one another to orgasm simultaneously. We're going to have to time this carefully, so that we both have our orgasms at exactly the same moment. Don't worry, I'll make sure we'll get it just right."

She knelt on the bed next to him, facing his feet, and lifted her leg across his chest. Then she carefully scooted backwards until her pussy hovered over his mouth. She slowly spread her legs, a little at a time, lowering herself until she felt his lips touch her nether folds. She took his flaccid cock in her hand, carefully pulled down his foreskin to expose the head, and she gave it a playful lick. Meanwhile she felt his exploring tongue begin to probe between the lips of her pussy, returning the playful lick she had given him with considerable interest. He was really getting good at this, she thought, as she bent down and took the head of his cock between her lips. Her fingers caressed his balls while she held his shaft with her other hand, and within moments she felt how his cock began to swell in her hand. It grew longer, thicker and harder with every beat of his heart. She ran the tip of her tongue across what she knew to be his most sensitive spots, and the result left nothing to be desired. Before long his cock was hot and rock-hard under her touch; the engorged head filled her mouth and she felt his hips move in response to the magic that her fingertips were working on his balls.

Galen, meanwhile, tackled his end of the job with great eagerness. Licking along the slit of her pussy he felt her body respond. It was subtle at first: a slight warming of her nether lips, followed by a gradual swelling as they slowly became engorged, but it wasn't long before he felt her flower open under his ministrations. He continued to lick her there, his tongue sinking deeper into her opening as her pussy lips continued to part, and soon he tasted the first traces of her nectar.

Serana could not help but be delighted at both his enthusiasm and his ever-improving skills. She continued to work on his hard cock, feeling it strain with the pressure of the life inside it. She relished the feeling of his hot blood pulsing under the skin that covered his hard length, and the swollen head filled her mouth in such a wonderful way. She began to bob her head up and down so that her slick, wet lips slid back and forth across the crown and the sensitive region below it. Thank the Great Mother the lad was uncircumcised. A sex mage needed all the sensitivity he could get, and that silly custom of hacking off a boy's foreskin for no good reason removed far too much of that. Caressing that smooth, delicate region of exposed inner skin with her lips and tongue for all she was worth, she mercilessly drove him up the slopes of sexual arousal.

Meanwhile Galen gave as good as he got, using his tongue and fingers to make sure she would ascend those same heights right along with him. He had moved his hands slightly upward so that his fingertips could reach the lips of her pussy and gently pull them apart to slide one of his fingers between them. With the thumb of his other hand he carefully pulled up the hood of her pleasure button to fully expose the sensitive little pea that lay hidden there, noting that it had already grown much larger and harder under the tip of his tongue. A few long licks across that smooth, taut little nub were enough to make her shudder with pleasure, and when he started to flick the tip of his tongue across it again and again he felt the muscles in her thighs begin to tense up. His fingertip ventured deeper into her opening until he found that little soft spongy bump right behind her pleasure button. He began to rub it in small, slow circles, lightly at first but gradually applying a little more pressure.

Experimentally, he closed his eyes and directed his attention inward to visualize his Energies. Somewhat to his surprise he found it much easier than before. At first it took some effort, but soon he managed to divide his attention and awareness between the cloud of blue-white light that was growing rapidly inside him, and the work that his tongue and fingers were doing on her most sensitive spots. At the same time he could still feel the amazing things that she was doing to him: her lips sliding back and forth around the head of his cock; the incredible feelings that her fingertips were sending through his balls, and the tension in the skin around his shaft when she pulled down on it in just the right way... Great Mother, she was so good at this.

Serana felt his cock begin to swell up and grow even harder in her mouth and hand, and she realized that he was getting very close to orgasm. She slowed down a little to give him some more time, but she knew he wouldn't need much. That wonderful tongue of his was playing her little pleasure button like a lute, and she was almost there herself. She directed her awareness inward and saw that the Energies building within her had almost reached the levels she required.