The Magic Thief

Her eyes opened, and instantly focused on a small crack in the ceiling above her bed. Her silent alarm had worked exactly as it should, blaring in her dreams, and bringing her back to the waking world. Closing her eyes, she let her senses expand outward to investigate the cause of the alarm.

Her bed chamber was exactly how she remembered it, although, there seemed to be more dust than she remembered. How long had she been sleeping this time?

Assured that there was no danger in her immediate surroundings, she pulled back the thin sheet of material that had been covering her naked form, and sat up. Slowly, she let her eyes rove over the varied objects in the room, as she made her way to her feet.

Anyone else in this situation might have panicked. Being pulled to sudden wakefulness, in a chamber as dark as a tomb, with no idea why they had been awakened, or how long they had been asleep. But, this woman was not scared. Her vision allowed her to see into even the darkest corner of the room as if it was lit by the noonday sun.

Her head snapped towards the door as she caught the slightest of movement out of the corner of her eye. Someone, or a group of someone's, had entered her home uninvited.

A whispered word, hardly more than a breath, slipped from her lips, and a chill spread across her naked body as the spell took effect. This spell would hide her from anyone using magic to see heat. She whispered a second spell just as silently as the first, and another wave of cold washed over her. This spell cloaked her with invisibility. She had leaned long ago, that creatures with infrared vision could still see the heat of an invisible body, thus requiring the use of both spells.

Oh, there were still ways around them. If she was to walk through a cloud of mist, or even if she was to bump into something. She was invisible, not a ghost. She had meant, several years ago, to combine the two spells into one for quicker casting, but she could cast the two almost as quickly as one, so had convinced herself there was no need.

There! Movement right outside her chamber door again.

She strode across the room, her bare feet not making a sound on the cold flagstone floor. At the door she stopped and listened for a moment.

"Did you find anything yet?" a voice whispered.

A male to be sure, the woman thought to herself.

"Nothing. It looks as if the stories are true," answered a second.

A decidedly more female voice this time she thought.

"Then why are we whispering?" Asked the male.

"Because I want to be sure," said the female. "You know these mages are tricky."

"Look, no one has seen or heard from this mage in twenty years. And all this dust makes me think that they have not been here in at least that long," the male said back.

The woman stepped out into the corridor and looked in the direction of the voices. Her vision showed her two warm bodies examining the walls, presumably looking for hidden doors. Frowning in confusion, she tried to understand how they had made it this far without setting off her alarms sooner. They should have gone off as soon as they breach the front door.

"Nothing," the male said.

"There has got to be a hidden door here somewhere," the female responded sounding a little frustrated. "There were no spells keeping us out of here, the mage must have used spells to hide the doors to his library or something. It can't be just an empty tower."

Turning in anger the woman stepped through a black doorway that suddenly appeared behind her, then disappeared just as quickly. On the other side of that doorway was the entrance door to the tower. She laid her hand against door frame and let her senses wander over it.

The magic was there. Bare traces of it. The spell had not been forced or broken, it had simply faded away.

"Damnit," she growled softly.

She was forced again to wonder how long she had been asleep. Glancing up the stairs in the direction of her intruders, she started formulating a plan to find out, and maybe have a little fun at the same time.

She stepped through another of those black doorways, and stepped out in the basement laboratory of her tower. Knowing it would take the thieves hours if not days to find the entrance, she dropped her spells of invisibility and cast her hand out towards the ceiling. Bright white light filled the space, banishing the darkness to the far corners of the room.

The lab was exactly as she had left it. Her spells here, had kept away the rodents, and even the dust. Not a book or table top held a single speck of dust. Closing her eyes she focused on the spells she had laid over this room. They were still there, but very weak. She fed more magic into them bringing them back to their full strength. No need to make this too easy on the thieves. Better that they have to work for it a little.

Looking around the chamber, she made sure everything was in place. In the far corner was her workspace. Tables covered in vials, shelves full of rare spell materials, and spell books. The knowledge gathered here could make a mortal feel like a god.

On this side of the room, there were more shelves full of books. Mostly reference books and minor spell books. There was also a seating area with several comfortable leather covered chairs, and a small, but very comfortable cot in the corner.

In the exact center of the room stood, what looked like, an open fire pit. Long cold with lack of use, it was a six-foot by six-foot square, standing about three-foot tall. No seam could ever be found where the floor transitioned into the fire pit. It was as if magic had pulled and shaped the stone from the earth itself.

With a wave of her hand, the woman caused a large mirror to appear on a blank space on the wall. Waving her hand over its surface she focused her will on the mirror showing her the intruders. The surface rippled slowly, then an image of the two people still searching the walls came into focus. With another whispered spell, she changed the magic of the scrying mirror to allow her to hear what she was looking at.

"I'm telling you! No one is home!" The male exclaimed.

"Fine!" The woman growled.

She rummaged around in a small sack at her waist. After a moment of searching she pulled out a small object. Rubbing it between her hands, it started to emit a soft light. Once she was happy with the level of light, she cast the object up into the air where it staid, hovering just above the couple.

"You could have made it a little brighter," complained the male looking up at the light.

"What?" The woman said with a frown. "And let anyone outside that cares to look know that someone is in here?"

"Fine, fine... Let's just try and find a door to the next chamber, OK?" The male said soothingly.

The woman looking into the mirror smiled. This was going to be easier than she expected. These two, whoever they are, seem to be very inexperienced at this whole 'Raid the mages tower' thing. Maybe with a little creative thinking, she could have even more fun than originally planned. Passing her hand in front of the mirror again, the image of the two thieves was banished, and the mirror became just a mirror again.

Gazing at herself, the mysterious woman was mostly pleased with what she saw. She was completely naked, as was always the case. Her fire-red hair was disheveled from many days of laying in bed. That would likely aide in the deception she was planing. Her eyes were large, and deep liquid brown. She had full pouty lips that could bring any man to his knees.

The complexion of her face was flawless. Sadly that was going to have to change if she was to be convincing. A slender, delicate neck lead down to her smooth shoulders. Her large breasts and strawberry colored nipples rose and fell with each breath. She was always amazed at how her nipples reacted to the cold, even if she herself didn't feel it.

Her figure narrowed at the waist, then expanded out again at the hips, giving her the hourglass figure so many men, and of course, women craved. Her mound was covered in soft fur-like hair the same color as the hair on her head. Her legs were very shapely as well. Looking to belong to someone a little more athletic.

She found herself to be the picture of feminine beauty. Sadly that was about to change. Focusing on her own image, her hair became matted. Her eyes seemed to sink into her skull as her body lost mass. She kept her form, but wanted to look as if she had not eaten in well in weeks. Her ribs became visible as her belly shrank back to nothing. Her once proud breasts, were now saggy and deflated a little.

In the end, she looked to be nothing more than skin and bones. Nodding in satisfaction, she focused again, and large smudges of dirt appeared across her face, chest and legs. Bright red scars circled her wrists, as if she had been in manacles for weeks. For a finishing touch to her appearance, large angry red scars, in six vertical lines, appeared on both of the insides and outsides of her thighs.

She turned this way and that, examining the illusion she had created. Satisfied with her own work, the woman waved her hand over the mirror again and brought back the image of the two thieves. They were standing right outside her bed chamber now, and still had not discovered the door.

Shaking her head in disgust, she mumbled a spell under her breath that would diminish, but not remove the spell of concealment over the door. These two were taking too long. She was ready for the fun to begin. She cast another spell that would open a door in her bed chamber, and make it look as if someone just didn't close it correctly. Behind this door were the stairs leading to the basement.

Excited movement in the mirror showed her that the couple had finally located the hidden door. The female, it seemed did have some skill in the art. She waved her hands over the door several times, and finally the concealment spell vanished. They tried the handle only to find that it was locked.

The woman smiled to herself as the male knelt in front of the door and inserted a pair of lock picks. Satisfied that they would soon fine her, it was time to set the final stage. With a dismissive wave of her hand, the mirror vanished to be replaced with an open doorway. She decided not to conceal this door as the couple would probably never find it.

Glancing back at the work benches, the woman decided she didn't want the thieves to have anymore distractions than necessary. Holding up both hands she chanted softly under her breath. With a final word, everything on the benches and bookshelves vanish, leaving them bare and covered in dust. It was one of her strongest illusions. There would be no way possible this amateur mage could see through that.

Noise from up the stairs caught her attention and she smiled. They had found the stairs. Time to hurry.

She stepped through the open doorway into the spell chamber. Here, engraved into the floor, was a circle of magic warding. It could be used for many things, from binding creatures from other planes of existence, to a magical shield for testing new magics. Today, it would be her prison.

Walking around its outside edges, the woman chanted softly under her breath. The circle came to life, and pulsed with power. She had to make this was as real as possible. No need for some amateur mage to see through her deception. She twisted the magic into a field of containment and stasis. Anything inside the circle now could not escape unless certain requirements were met.

A long chain with manacles attached, appeared hanging from nothing in the center of the circle. The woman stepped back to the door, looking out just long enough to see the light slowly moving down the stairs. With a smile, she turned and stepped into the circle.

Quickly, she wrapped the manacles around her scared writs, then lifted them over her head. The magic did the rest, pulling the chain up tight and lifting her so that her toes barely touched the floor. Closing her eyes, she focused on getting into character. She let her body sag, and her head droop between her arms. It wouldn't be long now.

While the wait seemed to take forever, the woman knew that it was only her impatience. Finally, from the corner of her eye, she saw the soft light come closer.

"Well," asked the male. "Is there anything here that is worth all the time we have spent looking?"

"I'm still looking," answered the female. "I have found a few minor spell books. Nothing a true archmage would care about. Must be why they were left behind."

"There is another room over here," he called. "Maybe another library?"

The hanging woman made sure he couldn't see her face to know he was being watched as he stepped through the door.

"By the gods... Cara! Get in here!" He yelled.

The woman started as if she was startled awake, then let a panicked look fill her eyes as she did her best to back away from where the man stood. She yanked on the manacles causing a small stream of blood to run down her arm.

The man, to his credit, held up his hands and made calming noises towards the woman. The female, Cara, stepped through the door.

"My god," she whispered.

The two of them stood there, taking in the appearance of this tortured creature they had found, too dumbfounded to speak.

"Pl... please..." the bound woman croaked out. "Pl... please. No more..."

Cara was looking at the floor now, tracing the designs with her eyes. "John, don't cross the circle. I don't know what it does yet."

John was nodding his head, but never took his eye off the woman.

"Hello. Do you have a name?" He asked.

The woman looked back and forth between them, panic still filling her eyes.

"My name is John, and that is my wife Cara," he said pointing to her. "We want to help you."

"No more..." the woman mumbled. "Pl..please..."

Cara moved around the circle a little, and the woman did her best to pull away from the direction she moved.

"It's some sort of containment field," Cara said. "I have never seen anything like it."

She looked up at the woman, pity filling her eyes at the woman's appearance.

"I know you can speak, so that means you can understand. We are not going to hurt you," Cara said softly. "We really want to help you, but you have to help us too. Do you understand?"

The woman looked from Cara to John and back again. She kept the panicked look, but nodded slowly.

"Good. Can you tell me your name?" Cara asked.

"A... Anna," the woman answered.

"Anna," Cara repeated. "That is a beautiful name. Can you tell me who put you in there, or when they might be back?"

Anna shook her head no.

"Can you tell me how long you have been in there?" Cara asked.

"Years..." was Anna's response.

"Years... Yes, from the look of those scars you have been here a long time," Cara said. "It is the year 187 after the fall. Do you remember the year you were captured?"

The woman shook her head in mock disbelief. 187 AF? That means she had been asleep for nearly 40 years! No wonder her spells had failed.

"Anna?" Called Cara.

"So long... Can't be right..." Anna mumbled.

"Why?" John asked. "Why can't it be right?"

"My... My birthday... The year I turned 21...," she said as she looked up. "He took me... said I was just the right age..." Anna began to cry softly.

John looked at Cara with a confused look on his face. "The year she turned 21? Look at her. She is under fed, and dirty, but she can't be a year over 21."

"Anna," called Cara softly. "Anna, please. What was the year you turned 21?"

Anna looked up at Cara, tears streaking her dirty face. "102 after the fall..."

Cara and John both looked stunned.

"That... That's not possible," John said. "That would mean..."

"That would mean," said Cara holding her hand up to the edge of the circle. "She is 106 years old, and this is a stasis field."

"A what?" John asked.

"A stasis field," Cara answered. "There is no record of a stasis field being found in the last 200 years. They are relics from before the fall of the empire. Back when Arch Magi controlled much of the land."

So, Anna thought, amateur, but knowledgeable all the same.

"OK, so how do we get her out of it?" John asked.

Cara looked up into Anna's eyes. "I'm not sure that we can."

"There has to be a way. Look at her Cara, she needs our help," John said.

"It is not a matter of she needs our help John," Cara said with a sigh. "These fields were first created to aide in the storage of food. You see nothing inside a stasis field ages. Food, even raw meat, could be kept forever so long as it stayed inside a stasis field."

Cara started pacing around the circle again while she spoke. "Later, it was discovered that through the use of stasis fields, one could prolong a life. A soldier, wounded and on the brink of death, could be placed in a stasis field where all advancement of his injury would be halted, and time would be given for healing spells to take effect."

"That's incredible," John gasped.

"They truly are a marvel," Cara answered. "Sadly, according to the histories, only the strongest of Arch Magi could create and maintain them. And if you remember correctly, most of the Archmagi were power hungry monsters."

"Of course I remember," said John. "It's why the people rose up against them."

"Exactly, but did you hear what I said?" Cara asked as she came back around to stand by John. "Only the most powerful of Arch Magi could create, and, maintain a stasis field."

Cara looked at Anna accusingly. "That leads me to ask, where is the Archmagi to maintain this field. It would not have lasted over 100 years on its own. And according to the town, no mage has been seen around this tower for over 20 years."

Smart little bitch, thought Anna before answering. "I have not seen him in a long time, he... He tied the spell to my blood..."

"He did what?" Cara demanded.

"Blood magic he called it," Anna answered. "He tied the spell to my blood, and said the spell would last until my blood ran out."

"Blood magic is the darkest, foulest of the magics!" Cara growled. "How could anyone use blood magic on someone else!"

"There... There is more..." Anna said haltingly.

"My blood... its special..." Her face turned a bright red as she cast quick glances at John. "I have never... I mean I was young..."

"Your a virgin," gasped Cara in sudden understanding. "He used virgin blood to tie the field to the same virgin. So long as your blood remains pure the field will never fall."

Anna was nodding and looking at the floor.

"So, she is a virgin," John stated. "I am guessing from the look of the scars on her legs, the mage was using her as a source of virgin blood, and used the stasis field thing to make sure he had a never ending supply?"

"It looks that way, yes," answered Cara.

"But, if the field thing is supposed to keep her live and healthy, why does she look like that?" John asked.

"I don't know," Cara answered.

"I do," said Anna. "The magic of the field pulls its energy from my blood. My body creates the blood. I have not eaten anything... in years... The field is keeping me alive, but very slowly, killing me at the same time."

"We have to get her out of there," John said.

"How would you propose we do that?" Cara asked sarcastically. "Do you happen to know a powerful Arch Mage skilled in the use of blood magic? I know I don't."

"There has got to be a way," John answered.

"There are two ways..." Anna said softly.

"You know how to break a blood magic spell?" Asked Cara.

"I have had... a long time, to think about it," answered Anna. "The stasis spell is not what holds me here. It's these manacles. If they did not hold me, I could walk out of the spell. They have no lock, and only open with magic. I have hoped, that as I waste away, my hands would become small enough to slip out of them."