The Apprentice Ch. 03

"Arrghhh!!"

The sounds of pain and desperation echoed through the night, the blue-tinted light from the lightning bolts illuminating their panicked faces. Magnus released another set of lightning, hitting several warriors that barely appeared over the wall and sending them tumbling back down the wall. He sent a strong kinetic push, showing them all back over the wall.

"A mage! Run!"

A choir of panicked voices and the thumping of boots on the ground was all that could be heard until everything became silent. He stood there for a moment longer, trying to pierce the darkness. He finally summoned a light and saw the wall was free of enemy soldiers. He knew most if not all of the warriors he hit with lightning bolts were dead just outside the wall. Magnus gritted his teeth.

"I can't think about this now... I won't..."

"Sir Mage!"

Magnus turned to see a messenger riding towards him.

"The south side and the town gate!"

Magnus nodded and mounted the horse, spurring it towards the gate. Feeling the adrenaline surge in him, Magnus rode like the wind, the sound of battle becoming louder by the second. He arrived at the town gate and took a second to assess the situation. Captain Henrik was holding a couple of strongpoints, defending the archers from the enemy warriors that kept coming over the wall. Archers rained arrows into them, but they kept coming, pressing the defending swordsmen.

Magnus cursed. They were all too close together, so he couldn't use lightning bolts. He took a deep breath and once again felt the energies surge but in a different direction this time. This type of magic worked by sucking out the energy from its targets. Magnus released his spell, hearing some whooshing and faint crackling, feeling the chill that his spell brought. The defenders gasped, their swords stopping mid-swing, and finally backing away from the enemy warriors.

Enemy warriors weren't enemy warriors anymore, though. They were frozen statues depicting the strangest of positions. They looked like creepy works of art, only partly illuminated by the torches that were burning at certain places on the wall. Magnus closed his eyes for a moment and then used his kinetics to lift the frozen bodies over the wall. Lowering his hands, his eyes searched for Captain Henrik.

"Huh... Magnus, that was something... I almost crapped my pants when I saw them freeze on the spot. Your magic gives me the creeps... but it gets the job done I have to say," the captain said, sighing loudly.

"What is the situation on the western part?"

"I stopped a group of warriors that were trying to come over the wall, and then the messenger reached me..." Magnus replied.

"It feels weird, this attack... They could have sent much more to the west and to the south... I wonder if-"

"Captain!"

Magnus turned to see a man galloping towards them.

"The east! It is falling! There are so many of them!" the man shouted, almost breathless.

Magnus felt his legs move on their own and he jumped onto his horse, spurring it like a madman.

***

Fiona paced the yard anxiously, trying to walk off the tiredness from her muscles. Last night's sex with Sanela had been amazing and she didn't have a chance to sleep much...

"That body, that chocolate skin, those wonderful breasts... and she seems to enjoy my tease and denial games as well..." Fiona thought with a hint of a smile, noticing the air of anticipation among the defenders. The east wall had seen no action and she was wondering how others were faring.

"I hope Magnus is all right..."

As if in answer to her thoughts, a sound of thumping boots echoed outside the wall, and the next moment a thundering noise of many ladders being set against the wall pierced the night. A ripple of anxiety passed through the nearby defenders. The tower with archers was far enough so the attackers hadn't been noticed before they announced their presence with ladders. Shouts from the tower preceded a volley of arrows and finally, the enemy gave voice to their attack by shouting their battle cries. Fiona took a deep breath and prepared her kinetic spell.

Then they started coming over the wall. Dozens of them. Fiona's kinetics barreled into them as the archers kept releasing volleys of arrows, even if they were too far to be accurate. The first wave was slowed down, but as more and more ladders kept appearing, the enemy started pouring over a wide stretch of the wall, making it impossible for Fiona to keep up.

"You need to engage them!" Fiona shouted to the group of armored defenders that stood in guard of the tower. They shuffled, looking at each other hesitantly until the leader of the group started advancing, slowly. Fiona cried out in challenge, lashing out with a lightning bolt that sent several enemy soldiers to the ground, their bodies twitching in death throes. She prepared another lightning bolt but she was starting to realize the severity of the situation. All hell had broken loose. Dozens upon dozens of enemy soldiers were pouring over the wall, many of them setting foot on the ground inside the wall. Cries of anger and pain echoed through the night as sword met sword and shield. Fiona's lightning illuminated the battle briefly, showing grimaces of pain and fear as defenders started reeling back from the overwhelming number of attackers. She kept releasing lightning after lightning, push after push, giving her best to keep the pressure off the defenders and wondering what would happen if the attackers decided to rush at her instead...

Thankfully, the arrival of mounted defenders prompted an immediate shift in attention from the enemy soldiers. The small force stormed through the attackers, wielding their swords left and right and distracting them for a moment as the attackers tried to reform to meet the new threat. Fiona redoubled her efforts, hoping the combined attacks would make the enemy panic...

But there were so many of them, and they still kept coming over the wall... Seasoned soldiers as they were, they organized themselves with discipline and they tried to isolate the mounted attackers.

"Gods..." Fiona mouthed when she saw one of the mounted defenders being pulled down from the horse, his cries of anger being swiftly silenced by a sword through his neck... Then, another one went down. She cried out in anger, releasing a huge kinetic push that swept a large number of enemy soldiers off their feet. She was angry... but she was also becoming exhausted from continuous casting. The enemy was back on their feet again and there was no doubt that in a matter of minutes, the battle would be lost, the defenders dead or fleeing.

"New soldiers keep pouring over the wall every second...I need to stop them or there is no hope..."

She released a lightning bolt that arched to the top of the wall, striking a group of enemy soldiers. Their bodies twisted in pain, many of them falling over the wall outside.

"I am afraid this is hopeless... Gods help us..."

The sound of boots and armor from her right startled her from her thoughts and she turned quickly, seeing an angry face and the blade of a large sword rushing towards her. Her cry was caught in her throat as the blade descended, swiftly...

***

Magnus felt dread in his gut as he rode through the town, the dark contours of the town's houses streaming past him. Feeling the wind in his eyes, he held onto the reins, seeing the eastern wall come into sight. The whooshing of wind in his ears was soon overwhelmed by the loud sounds of battle, roars of defiance, and screams of pain and death. He could hear the clinking of steel on steel, the cacophony of voices, and the crackling sounds of lightning bolts.

"She is still there, casting. I am in time!" Magnus thought, riding into the scene of chaotic fighting. He took in the scene, his brain trying to process the chaos.

The enemy was coming over the wall in great numbers. There was fighting on the ground already. Archers were firing at the enemy soldiers, still defended by the armored swordsmen. The defender's mounted strike group was riding through the mass of enemy soldiers, trying to break them apart, but they were heavily outnumbered and they just rushed through, trying to cause some chaos, but some of them were being pulled down. In the midst of it all stood Fiona, casting frenetically, launching kinetics and lightning bolts. The enemy was so numerous. They kept pouring over the wall and there were too many of them to keep track. The defense was about to collapse.

Magnus saw Fiona casting, her feet firmly set. She wasn't going to run and leave the soldiers to their fate. As his mad ride was taking him closer to the scene of the battle, Magnus felt a hint of pride, seeing her fling her spells everywhere. With a jolt of panic, Magnus saw a group of soldiers emerge from the side, running towards Fiona and closing the distance fast. They knew they had to take her down to win. Fiona flung a lightning bolt at the wall, not seeing the imminent danger. The enemy soldiers swung their swords at her and she finally turned to see the sword come at her. Her face a mask of surprise and fear, she watched the sword come down... and then the soldiers were flung away from her with amazing force, their bodies crashing into the wall. Surprised by the kinetic spell she herself hadn't cast, Fiona turned to see Magnus arrive at the site of the battle, jumping off the horse and casting lightning bolts into the mass of the enemy. She felt a sudden warmth in her heart, and she joined the effort, exhausted as she was from the continuous casting she had to do.

Magnus felt overwhelming rage, realizing he had arrived barely in time to save Fiona from death. These enemy soldiers had come to bring death to the people he cared about. His hands worked on their own as he pulled a lot of power into his spells, causing instant panic among the enemy. He cast bolts where he could, and kinetics and frost spells where he needed some precision to avoid hurting his allies. He saw Fiona focusing on kinetics and assisting his efforts. The enemy needed to feel fear.

The lightning bolts kept flashing, illuminating the creepy scenes of fighting. Kinetics were being flung everywhere, and in the eerie and flashy blue lights coming from the lightning bolts, it almost looked as if enemy warriors were being pushed around by a giant tornado. Finally, the enemy broke, panic overtaking their hearts, their losses too big not to be noticed.

"There are two of them! Retreat!"

"Retreat! Back over the wall!"

The panicked cries of the enemy echoed through the diminishing night. As the first shy signs of the dawn showed on the horizon, Magnus saw his enemies retreat in panic, climbing on top of each other and trying to find safety by jumping over the wall. After barely a minute, there were no more enemy soldiers inside the wall... none living, at least.

Magnus breathed out, taking in the whole gruesome scene. There were bodies everywhere, killed by arrows, by swords, but mostly by lightning bolts. Several frozen statues were lying on the ground.

"All this death and misery thanks to one man's greed..." Magnus thought with bitterness in his heart. "Such people are behind most wars... and if they are successful, they are called great leaders, their names written in the annals of history with praise and reverence..." Magnus thought with disgust, turning to see Fiona's sweaty face stretch into a smile as she caught his eyes. He returned the smile, feeling some relief. For one dreadful moment, he thought he was going to lose her. He took her into an embrace, feeling her body relax completely. She was clearly exhausted, and she could barely stand on her feet anymore.

"Sergeant! I'd say they have retreated completely, but in case I am wrong, make sure the captain knows I am going back to the mansion and that is where the messenger can find me I am needed," Magnus said to a grizzly veteran he knew was in charge of eastern defenses.

"Yes, Sir Mage... I dare to say, you two did an incredible job here..."

Magnus nodded. Taking Fiona in his arms, he sat her on his horse, and then climbed into the saddle and rode back to the mansion. He carried her to their room and stripping their clothes off, he put her to bed, holding her in an embrace. As the weak gray light of the coming dawn started illuminating the room, they slept like logs, holding each other tight.

***

Tomorrow morning, there was another war council, and this one was being held at the top of the town gate.

"I have lost seventeen soldiers in total... But I am certain they have lost at least two hundred..." the captain said.

"So the attacks have cost them dearly... I wonder if they will try again..." Fiona said, pensive. Captain Henrik shrugged.

"I don't think they will throw away their precious army... and as you can see they are still here... If they are thinking to starve us out, they are out of their minds..."

"They must have some kind of plan though," Magnus said, watching the enemy camp. They seemed to have erected some bigger tents in their camp. Were they trying to give shelter to their soldiers? Their horses?

"Or they will be working hard to devise one..." Captain Henrik added.

"It doesn't change anything," Lady Rastok said. "We can only wait and see what happens... and hope the price of taking the town becomes too high..."

"Just make sure you have people observing their every move... even the hillside of the town. We can't let them catch us off guard," Fiona said after a while. The captain nodded.

"The carnage you created last night... It took hours for my soldiers to clear the bodies... but you saved the town. For the first time I believe we have a chance of defending it," the captain said.

"I'd rather not think about last night..." Magnus said with a solemn face. Fiona took his hand and squeezed it. Magnus threw her a grateful smile.

***

The next couple of days were surprisingly calm. There was barely any movement in the enemy camp. In the meantime, Magnus tried to grab a hold of normalcy, spending his time on walks around the town and practicing. Almost every other night Fiona went to Sanela's house to spend the night. She said she was researching some new potions, but he could have sworn there was more to it. He was definitely going to investigate that.

He was spending most of the day talking with townspeople and calming their fears. The poor people were at the end of their nerves with the siege. In the evening, he ran into Lady Tanya. He realized he hadn't seen her in a while. He had assumed she was mourning her father. But here she was now, wearing black, but some of her usual playfulness was still showing.

"Magnus... just the man I need," Tanya said, smiling at him. "With everything that has been happening, I am afraid to sleep alone..." she said playfully.

"Is that an invitation?"

"Oh, yes," she said, grabbing his ass suddenly. "I hope you aren't feeling tired..." she said, turning and walking away, but throwing him one last mischievous smile.

That evening, after Fiona decided she was spending the night at Sanela's house again, Magnus found himself knocking at the door of Tanya's chambers. Once inside, he walked to the bedroom, his way illuminated only by a dim candlelight.

"Violating the sanctity of a lady's bedroom..." said the soft voice coming from the side room.

"You are such a naughty boy, Magnus... Maybe you should be punished again..." Tanya said, coming into view, and smiling seductively. She touched Magnus's face, caressing his lips. "I feel so generous tonight, so I won't punish you... But I expect you to work hard to... satisfy me," she said, rising on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. Magnus smiled at her, staying silent. He watched the pretty brunette circle around him, touching his body everywhere as if testing the merchandise. He watched her slender body move with grace and felt a familiar stirring in his pants. She was wearing high-heeled slippers and a silk robe, but underneath it, she was completely naked.

"Ah, so 'Little' Magnus has better manners it seems. He is standing up in salute to me... I feel so flattered," Tanya said, her hand caressing Magnus's balls through his pants. Magnus grunted, finally taking Tanya by the hips and lifting her up, her legs instantly closing around his waist.

"Mmm," she purred, feeling his lips and tongue invade her mouth. Magnus carried her to the bed, kissing her and caressing her ass. He laid her down on the bed and then stripped out of his clothes. Tanya watched him with greedy eyes, her robe half open and showing a glimpse of her lovely body. She took off her robe and threw it on the floor. Feeling ravenous, Magnus started kissing her aggressively, biting her neck, sucking and biting her nipples, then kissing his way down her body. He took her feet in his hands and then sucked her toes, looking her in the eyes the whole time.

"Ohhh, so naughty..." Tanya sighed with pleasure, watching him climb up again, moving above her knees and kissing the tender skin on the inside of her thighs. He stopped at her bathed pussy and started blowing air at it, making her squirm and sigh. She pulled at his head, wanting to feel his tongue right away, but he was unrelenting in his tease. He kissed everywhere around, savoring the silky skin and relishing her scent. He put his lips an inch from her needy pussy and just breathed into it, making her go wild with anticipation.

"Please, Magnus... I need it..." she said in a pleading voice.

"I was never the one to say no to a lady."

He dove in, drinking her already copious juices, and exploring her pussy with his tongue, gently at first, but then, sensing her need, his tongue started working hard. She moaned with pleasure as he gave her his best technique, licking, probing, finding every sensitive spot, and bringing her so close without ever touching the clit. As her moans increased in intensity and her body started shaking, he sucked in her clit finally, flicking it and stimulating it and sending her over the edge. He licked the juices that gushed out in her orgasm and pushed his tongue deep inside, touching her special spot and sending her over the edge into another orgasm right away.

"Ahhhh!! Gods be praised!!" she cried out and gushed for the second time, her body convulsing from the amazing stimulation. Her hips shook with force, her pussy radiating pleasure through her body... And her juices kept flowing like a river. It took a while before her body started relaxing and before she found the strength to speak.

"Magnus... that was fantastic... You know, Lady Fiona said..."

"I bet she did..." Magnus said, sighing.

"Well, she said something to me... I already know how good you are with your tongue... but she says nothing beats the feeling of your tongue on her ass..." Tanya said, sending him a seductive look.

"Is that so?" Magnus said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes... so I was wondering..."

"If you could watch us the next time we do it? Sure, I don't mind," Magnus said, trying to keep a straight face.

"No! I want to feel it too!" she said in pouty frustration when she saw him grin.

"Sorry, I only do that to bad girls..."

"Oh? But I am bad! I am so bad! I am the baddest of them all..." Tanya said, showing a wicked grin.

"All right then, if you are truly as bad as you say..." Magnus said, faking a stern expression. He lifted her up and turned her over so her face was down on the pillows and her ass high up. He felt her whole body shudder when his tongue touched her tight rosebud. He kissed her cheeks, biting on them and leaving red teeth marks, and then going back to her lovely hole, probing it with his tongue.