The Apprentice Ch. 04

"That was the last time you messed with my plans, you red-haired bitch!" Master Cedrick hissed.

"By all means, try casting," he said, laughing "...but the blade is coated with Lenerium, so tough luck."

Fiona felt her legs collapse, and she slid to the floor, breathing hard, her eyes glued to her abdomen, where a growing red patch was forming on her dress...

"You stupid whore, you never thought the thief could have come from the palace itself. As soon as I stole the documents I made sure they saw your Apprentice leaving King's study. Then I simply evaded the guards and went to my chambers, going back to being Master Cedrick. It was perfect. Those documents are worth a fortune and I even had my revenge on that lout - your Apprentice... but you had to play smart," The Illusionist said venomously, spittle coming out of his mouth. He kicked her side viciously.

"As soon as your worthless life goes out, I will stab myself in the arm and claim it was just an ordinary assassin who attacked us, and claim that he is probably the one who stole the documents and then hid inside the castle... I might even be able to implicate your Apprentice, who knows," He said, laughing triumphantly with a high-pitched laugh. The doors suddenly opened.

Magnus walked in and turned towards the Illusionist, his eyes darting to Fiona's body that was twitching on the floor. As his eyes took in the dagger, the blood, and the whole scene, he froze. For a long, long second, Magnus and The Illusionist stared into each other's eyes, equally stunned and motionless. Then the second passed. Magnus's face twisted with rage and his hands came up on their own in the same moment as Illusionist's. Two lightning bolts were unleashed at the same time and both were deflected instantaneously. Magnus felt consumed by anger, by pure madness, as the scene of Fiona's twitching body kept dancing in front of his eyes. Taking his magical strength to the limit, he pulled immense power, casting several spells without even thinking about them. The illusionist's face went white and he barely managed to cast some kind of a shield, made of air and earth magic. The air in the room screamed, as spell after spell rained down on Illusionist's shield, not breaking through, yet eating away at the shield and taking large chunks of energy from it. After only a couple of seconds, the Illusionist's face started sweating from the strain. It was obvious the shield wouldn't last long. Grunting with effort, the Illusionist cast a kinetic push and another lightning, trying to surprise Magnus who was obviously going all-out attack. Even in his rage, Magnus's practiced reflexes kicked in, and he deflected the spells successfully. He pressed the attack once again, pushing with kinetics, raining lightning bolts, ice shards...

The shield was about to collapse, when in a desperate move, the Illusionist lashed out with kinetics, pulling a huge cupboard on top of Fiona's prone form. His angry trance breaking, Magnus was barely in time to execute a panicked counter with a kinetic push of his own, and the heavy cupboard crashed a couple of feet away from Fiona. Using the moment, the Illusionist once again showed his incredible agility and he darted towards the closest room exit, releasing one last spell to distract Magnus. Magnus countered it easily but the distraction had been enough, and the Illusionist was already out of the room, running through the corridor with amazing speed.

"I AM COMING FOR YOU!!!" Magnus screamed at the top of his lungs. "DO YOU HEAR ME!? I AM COMING TO KILL YOU!!" Magnus roared, running after the Illusionist. But even through the madness of his anger, one word, one name, managed to stop him, melting away his madness...

Fiona.

Magnus rushed back, kneeling next to Fiona and looking at her, despair clutching at his heart. He took out the dagger, gently, and threw it away, watching her pale face with a fear he had never known so far. Fiona looked at him, an attempt of a smile twisting her lips for a moment.

"...hold... me," she said in a barely audible voice.

Magnus put her head in his lap and gently caressed her face, his eyes glistening with tears.

"No...no...no..." Magnus kept repeating as Fiona's body twitched, every motion followed by small rivulets of blood coming out of her body. He pressed on her wound in a desperate attempt to stop the blood, only to find it indomitably gush through his fingers. Oh, the pain. His heart was being ripped apart as the person who had been his everything for the last five years was leaving this world. He cried out in pure anguish and once again he pressed on her wound and closed his eyes. Feeling his mind detach itself, feeling his thoughts work on their own, Magnus sensed a warm tingling in his eyes and after a moment, a stabbing pain in his temples. He gritted his teeth, and fought and fought against an unknown enemy, trying to ignore the pain, trying to ignore the bright, searing blades that attacked his eyes and temples. He pushed hard against it, the bright light in his eyes going even brighter for a second, only to dim almost instantly. Magnus slumped forward, his mind engulfed by complete darkness...

***

The rain drummed lightly on the tree leaves, creating perfect background noise that somehow felt quieter than complete silence. Rainy clouds traveled slowly across the sky, pushed by the light wind. The breeze fought hard to rustle the heavy leaves and make a sound of its own, yet the rain was merciless in its victory. The rain was falling everywhere, on the leaves, on the ground, and even on a lone man who was kneeling on the mucky ground, his raven black hair wet and splayed against his forehead. His eyes were fixated in front of him, never moving from the two written lines.

Sorceress Fiona,

A lover, a mentor, a friend.

The lines were engraved into a tombstone made of gray stone. The man reached out with his hand, tracing the letters with his finger like many times before. How did it come to this? How could he fail this much? How could he lose her... He reached down into his anguished soul and wanted to scream his pain out, he wanted to scream his defiance at the cruel gods who allowed it to happen, but most of all, he wanted to scream at himself, at his own failure... He took out his knife and placed its point at his heart. With a torturous howl, he pushed hard at the knife, its blade going deep inside his chest and piercing his heart. With his last thoughts, the man wondered at the absence of pain in his chest...

Magnus lifted his eyelids, his eyes seeing only white. Turning his head to the side, he noticed that not everything was white. The object he was looking at was mostly creamy white, its borders colored in beautiful dark red. His vision slowly clearing, he saw it wasn't really an object; it was a face... a face he knew so well, a face he loved... Fiona. He smiled at her, feeling warmth in his heart.

"We... we are dead, aren't we?" he asked, his voice sounding strange to him.

Fiona watched him for a couple of seconds and then chuckled.

"Hardly... but I did get close... very close..." she said, looking at him with love.

"We are alive? How..." Magnus asked, looking around himself for the first time. He was lying on a bed in a familiar room. It was Fiona's room in Charlotte's mansion. Fiona was lying next to him, watching him with curiosity.

"Yes... it is nothing short of miraculous. Congratulations, by the way. It took more than a decade for me to discover mine..." Fiona said, smiling.

"What are you talking about?" Magnus asked in obvious confusion.

"Your talent, of course."

"My talent?"

"Yes. You apparently have a very strong talent in healing..."

"What? How do you know that?"

"I told you how difficult and complex healing is... Not many mages can do it right and it takes a lot of time and effort to master it. You have only dabbed in healing so far, learning only the bare basics. Yet you managed to heal my mortal wound, knitting the flesh, repairing the nerves, and restoring proper blood flow to my body... I am only guessing now, but I assume you did it unconsciously. There is absolutely no way anyone could have done it except for the most skilled healers. And you are barely an amateur. That implies a very strong talent in healing, one that made you able to do it without understanding all the things you needed to understand..."

"Huh... I don't really remember much... but I can tell you one thing, though. Next time I face that son of a bitch, I will kill him. He crossed an important line, one I will not forgive..." Magnus said with solemnity in his voice. Fiona watched him, her face radiating warmth.

"Anyway..." she said, breaking the silence "...you managed to fuel the spell with your emotions... AGAIN!" she said, flicking his nose. "You are the worst Apprentice ever!" she exclaimed in exasperation. They shared a puzzling look for a moment and then burst laughing.

"I am just so happy you are here... I really thought I lost you..." Magnus said when their laugh settled down.

"You will never lose me, Magnus," she said, caressing his face. They held each other's eyes, so many things hovering unsaid.

"Well, I better have some food brought to us. We are expected at the palace as soon as we are both feeling well enough," she said, breaking the awkward silence.

***

Two days later, Fiona and Magnus stood in the King's audience room.

"...I want to thank you both for everything you did for your country," The King said, after a few welcome words.

"Thank you, Your Highness," they both said.

"We found the missing documents in Master Cedrick's... the impostor's room. I can only assume after his clash with you, the impostor, this Illusionist, ran like the wind thinking you were coming after him and he didn't think he could go and get the documents... Anyway, the documents are safe again and with them Vistania's security as well. Not to mention the fact that you rooted out a traitor... I should have suspected something when he said he was suffering from a throat ache for over twenty days while refusing to go see one of my mage healers here... Gods only know what happened to the real master Cedrick..." the King said, shaking his head. "Anyway, I would like to offer you a chance to join Royal Mages. You two would be a great addition to Vistania's magical resources," the King said after a moment. Fiona and Magnus shared a look.

"Thank you for honoring us, Your Highness... but I am afraid I must respectfully decline the offer... I like to be free to roam the world and choose my jobs as I see fit," Fiona said respectfully.

"I have to agree with my Mistress here... I want to see the world and learn all that I can... I am far from settling down," Magnus said.

"All right then, I expected as much. Either way, as a sign of my gratitude, I offer you access to my library of tomes of magic. You are free to visit the palace and study them at your leisure. You will also be considered friends of the Royal court and my doors will always be open to you," the King said.

"You are incredibly generous, Your Highness," Fiona said, both her and Magnus bowing in respect.

***

Fiona decided they were going to enjoy the hospitality of Lady Charlotte for some time longer as the opportunity to browse the royal library was too good to miss. They both spent several hours every day studying the books and learning new things. Fiona worked on improving her potion-making recipes and Magnus decided he was going to study and learn about his newfound talent in healing. Days went by in their research. Magnus couldn't help noticing that almost every day, his Mistress would leave the library for an hour or two and then return in a much better mood.

"There is some kind of a secret behind it... but she refuses to say where she is going. She must have found some new plaything...probably some cute servant girl," Magnus thought, chuckling. Yet his mirth was only superficial. There was a weight pressing on him, the weight of changes that were about to come, and he was feeling a conundrum of emotions that warred amongst themselves deep inside of him. And despite her outward good mood and sexual activity, Magnus saw the same burden in Fiona's eyes. She was doing her best to hide it, but he knew her too well...

Magnus closed the tome on healing with a sigh. He had found some really useful stuff in the library. Healing was a complicated and demanding magical discipline, but it all came down to understanding the process and understanding the way the human body worked. He felt he was progressing very well.

"Mage Magnus, sir!" a guard said.

"Yes?"

"I was told to pass the message that Her Grace, Duchess Beatrice, is expecting your visit."

"Eh... I don't think I've had the pleasure to meet the Duchess... nor do I know where she resides...?"

"Her Grace is staying here, at the palace. She is the mother of Her Highness, the Queen..." the guard said with a smirk.

"Oh..." Magnus said, surprised. He couldn't fathom what she would want from him. "Well, lead the way, please... There is no point delaying the visit, I suppose"

The guard nodded and turned on his heel, leading Magnus to a beautifully decorated wing of the palace. He knocked at a door and then left. After a few moments, a servant girl ushered Magnus inside the Duchess's private chambers. Magnus inclined his head to the Duchess.

"Your Grace..." he said, eying her up and down subtly. Duchess Beatrice was a mature woman in her late fifties, by Magnus' judgment. Her hair was almost completely gray. Yet Magnus couldn't help noticing how good-looking she was. Her body betrayed some really nice curves and her face was still pretty, despite her age.

"Magnus! So nice to finally meet you, my boy," she said, giving him a wide smile and ogling his body without much subtlety. "My granddaughter spoke highly of you... You know, we share certain tastes..." she said, giving him a lewd look. There was a bluntness to her approach that Magnus found quite disarming.

"Oh... Your Grace, I-"

"Just Beatrice while we are in this room, Magnus."

"Huh, all right... Beatrice, I can assure you-"

"My boy, your secret is safe with me, don't worry. I am not here to intimidate you or anything like that. I would just want to... get to know you better," she said, glancing at his midsection. Magnus squirmed for a moment.

"Ah, what the hell... I already had sex with King's daughter, so I can surely have sex with his mother in law..." Magnus thought, smiling at Beatrice.

"Well, you certainly are a beautiful woman, if I may say so..."

"Oh yes, by all means, say so," she said, chuckling and moving towards him.

Without much pomp, she knelt in front of him and pulled his pants down. His cock was already half erect.

"Well, the girl didn't lie, after all. This is a lovely specimen," she said, looking up at Magnus's face. Keeping eye contact, she licked his glans, making him moan. His cock completed its journey towards becoming a proper spear in a matter of seconds. He was still feeling awkward about the whole situation, but the Duchess' lips were tearing down his defenses rapidly... Beatrice engulfed his cockhead with her lips, sucking and savoring his taste. She flicked her tongue over his glans then sucked his head in, repeating the process several times. Magnus was already moaning with desire. In a moment of lucidity, he cast a sound barrier, just to be safe.

"Gods... The princess was very good at this, but this woman... If there is a goddess of blowjobs, her name must be Beatrice..." Magnus thought, feeling completely in the thrall of Lady Beatrice's magnificent mouth. It seemed that there was simply no limit to her ability to stimulate his cock. She deepthroated his cock without a problem, even if her granddaughter had struggled with it and ultimately failed. Beatrice's lips touched the hairless skin of his crotch, his whole cock lodged deep inside her throat. Looking up at his eyes with mischief, she even managed to reach out with her tongue and touch his balls.

"AGGGHHH!!" Magnus moaned, mad with arousal. No amount of concentration could make him withstand this otherworldly blowjob for long... Feeling his balls churn in anticipation, he started spurting his seed inside her mouth, his cock pulsing like a volcano. She expertly milked his cock with her lips and throat, swallowing his copious seed without any trouble.

"OHHHH GODS!!" he shouted as he spurted endless ropes of cum inside her mouth. Beatrice held his balls in her hands, trying to milk every bit of seed they could produce. When his cock finally stopped pulsing, Magnus sighed with relief, finally looking down at Beatrice. She smiled at him, licking her lips and showing him traces of his cum.

"Yes... That was exquisite indeed. I can't remember ever tasting something this good..." she said with a satisfied smile.

"I'll take your word for it, Lady Beatrice," Magnus said, chuckling. "...but since we are talking about the taste..." he said, removing his pants and smallclothes completely and then taking Beatrice in his arms. He carried her to the bed and gently put her down, moving to kneel in front of her.

"Oh, a true gentleman..." she purred with anticipation.

Following her lead from before, Magnus assaulted her pussy with his mouth without much subtlety. Her pussy was trimmed nicely, her gray-haired triangle a true work of art. Somehow, it made her pussy look more elegant. He licked her labia, enjoying the tangy and sweet taste.

"My turn to show oral skills..." he thought, and then gave her his full repertoire, stabbing deep and sucking her clit until she couldn't help holding onto his head and pressing it into her pussy. It didn't take long until she was screaming his name in the throes of orgasm...

Meanwhile, not so far from there, Fiona was reclining on cushions, while Princess Vivien worked her tongue on Fiona's pussy. They were having almost daily sessions now, the Princess worshiping Fiona and showing a submissive side. Fiona was thrilled to indulge the Princess, unsure if it was Vivien's incredible oral skills, her submissiveness, or the simple fact that she was a Princess of Vistania, that made Fiona enjoy those sessions so much. Under the assault of that exquisite tongue, she would manage to forget the anxiety of the upcoming changes... Maybe all would work out as well as she hoped, but her gut was telling her something else...

"Ahhhh, yes... Your Highness... I love feeling your royal tongue on my ass... I feel it really belongs there," Fiona teased, drunk with arousal and relishing the domination, while the Princess responded only by assaulting her ass even harder. Vivien was clearly enjoying all of it... Perhaps she was only discovering her true self with Fiona.

"Ahhhh!" Fiona moaned, gushing her fluids into Vivien's mouth, her thighs squeezing the Princess' face. Vivien licked her juices, savoring them and lapping at Fiona's clit, trying to make the orgasm longer and get more pussy juice for her thirsty mouth... She worked tirelessly as Fiona's body spasmed and gushed more fluids, trying to quench Vivien's unending thirst.

"Mmmm... I can't get enough of your taste..." Vivien said, looking at Fiona adoringly. Fiona was looking at her with affection as her body settled down after a shattering orgasm.

"Gods... I wish I could keep this gem somehow..." she thought with wistfulness in her voice.

"I think I should go now, Your Highness.... Same time tomorrow?"

"I will be looking forward to that," the Princess said, placing one last kiss on Fiona's pussy.

***

Weeks passed and they kept to their routine, mixing learning and pleasure at the palace, getting lost in the simplicity of such life and finding the distraction they both needed. But with every passing day, the moment was creeping near...