The Rise of the Spell Caster

"You would think the Night fae would be horrible and the Light fae glorious. But the opposite is true, isn't it? I can't seem to get past that in my head."

Grace lifted a long supple leg over Daniel's waist, reached between them, and guided his hard cock back to her entrance and pressed her hips and ass down, driving him all the way into her hot and wet depths. She moaned and rocked on him. Daniel's hands slid down her flanks and around to cup her firm ass cheeks and helped guide her motions. His cock slid into her well-lubricated pussy, still full of his recent orgasm. Grace offered her right nipple to his mouth and held his head in place as he suckled and nipped at the hard nub.

"I love your cock. It's perfect. Fuck me, Daniel, and stop worrying about the nature of the fae."

Daniel lay still under Grace, enjoying her efforts and reaping all the rewards. Her motions on him were practiced and so wonderfully perfect. She moved like a dancer, undulating and writhing, pulling pleasure from where they were joined.

Grace moved his mouth to her other nipple. "Would you question how a bird flies, or a fish swims? Why question the nature of the fae. It just is."

"I want to understand."

"Shh, just fuck me, Daniel Davies. I rarely get any alone time with you. We've only fucked three times so far today. I want a dozen more..."

"You'll be the death of me, one day..."

Grace rolled over and pulled Daniel with her. He only just managed to stay inside her, helped by her strong legs wrapping around him and holding him in place. He braced himself up on his arms and hands and looked down at her exquisite beauty. Her pussy was hot and wet, and his cock hardened even more inside her. Her dark, steamy eyes bore into his and he could see the open lust in her expression.

Grace wiggled her ass on the bed. "Now fuck me hard, Daniel. As hard as you can. I want my pussy bruised and sore! Fill me with your cum!"

"By the gods, I love you, Grace Gales."

Grace grinned up at him. "You're a right lucky bastard. Now step it up!"

Daniel growled and mercilessly began to fuck Grace as hard as he could, his thrusts pushing them farther and farther up the bed until her head banged loudly over and over on the headboard. Daniel didn't care. His world reduced to the feeling of his cock plunging into this exquisite female Night fae body.

"Harder!" she cried out, her nails digging painfully into his ass cheeks to pull him in harder against her engorged clitoris.

His mind returning to the present, with his girls still pressed against him, he wished they could return to their life in Whitehaven. Despite the rocky start to their stay there, the last year had been pure pleasure of learning and exploring what they could do as a witch circle. Each day had been a new discovery. He was now a spell caster. He was happily bound in a circle of three of the most powerful witches the Realm had ever seen. Together they were one.

Daniel never thought much about that these days. He was beyond happy for them all, but what he cherished the most was their love and friendship. After most of a lifetime being alone, Daniel could no longer imagine a solitary life. His relationship with all his friends had strengthened him beyond belief, but he also recognised it presented a potential weakness. He knew he would do anything to ensure their safety. Thankfully, they were all strong enough to keep each other safe. But he still worried. It was a constant in his life. Losing any one of his witches would be beyond devastating. He wasn't sure their circle could withstand such a loss.

He shook his head. He had three gorgeous women clinging to him in their sleep. Their combined body heat should have been too much, but somehow, through their bond, it only enhanced their commitment to one another. They were stronger through the closeness. They would always be strong enough. They had to be.

He tried to make sense of his feelings of love for these women. He felt he should be loving one more than the other, but he found it was not possible. He loved them all equally powerfully. Often, he wondered if it was the binding that made it so. When those thoughts occurred, he pushed them aside. It truly didn't matter to him. He loved that he loved them equally.

It was only when he thought of Grace that he felt any difference in his love. Grace was special to him in a way the circle wasn't. He loved his witches, the bond made it so he had no other choice in the matter, but he had found their love before their circle was formed. He knew it made a huge difference. He searched his own soul as best as anyone could and felt no trepidation. No concerns about his love for his girls. But with Grace it was different, and he realised he loved her for who she was, and not through the power of the circle.

Does that make it more real? he wondered for the hundredth time. Will I ever have to make a choice between the circle and the people I love outside it?

He mentally shrugged. He knew, if it came down to it, his only choice would be his circle. He hoped he would never have to make that choice. He never wanted to have to. It would never be fair to anyone.

No, I will defend all the women I love until my dying breath. No one will ever force a choice on me. Fuck them if they try.

Daniel felt a warmth pass through him. He was certain it was the magic of the phoenix that resided within him. If he didn't know better, it seemed she was pleased with those thoughts.

How about that?

A warm hand slipped over his mouth and pressed down, and Daniel jerked in surprise in the bed and started to react before Grace's smirking face appeared above his, looking down.

He relaxed and smiled up at her when she released his mouth.

"Hey, lover," she whispered. "Want to get out of here?"

Daniel nodded. "Sure, but how?"

Grace held up a gold key. "With this."

"What is that?"

"A key, idiot."

"I know that!"

"Then why ask?"

"Grace. Where did you get that and what does it do?" Daniel felt his ladies starting to stir.

"Oberon handed it to me the other day."

"Oberon? Why would he do that?"

"I don't know. But he said to say hello to my mother."

"Your mother? Why?"

"Good question. I intend to find out. Come. Wake your girls. The others agreed to let you have one last sexy time before we head out. I've been watching you four for three hours. You're welcome. It's amazing what you accomplished with your hands in manacles."

"The others? Where are they?"

"Waiting near the door this key opens. Come on. Get up. Wash the sex from your bodies. I can smell it and I'm hungry for my own."

Jasmine stirred on his chest and lifted her face from his shoulder, a thread of drool running from her mouth to Daniel. "Daniel, baby? What's going on?"

"We're leaving."

"Oh, goody..."

The gold key also opened the manacles and they had to be reminded by Grace several times to keep it down while they luxuriated in the feel of their freed wrists. For Daniel, he revelled in being able to access his magic again. He had missed it dearly. Magic was a constant in his life now and he knew it spoiled him. He didn't care. His magic was back and that was all that mattered.

It took an hour, but they finally cleaned themselves up, grabbed their belongings, left the room, and followed Grace through the twisted corridors of the Light fae residence. Daniel expected guards to appear at any moment and felt like he was on the edge of a knife. He trailed the others and kept glancing behind to make sure they weren't being followed. To his surprise and worry, Grace was moving down the corridors with hardly a care in the world.

Thirty minutes later, they met up with the others. Jason, Brian, Bitty and Jennifer were all kitted up and looking anxious. Their faces lit up in relief on seeing them. They all hugged quickly and then Grace stopped before a blank wall.

While Daniel watched, Grace took the gold key and to his amazement, watched her insert the key directly into the stone. A small ripple, like from a pebble in a pond, spread out from where the key magically sank into the stone. Grace turned the key and suddenly the wall disappeared to reveal an open archway with sunlight streaming through. Grace now held the key in mid-air.

From where Daniel stood, he couldn't see past the opening, but he could smell the rich smell of a forest and he could hear the distant chirping of birds. Jasmine had her mouth covered in surprise and was looking out through the opening. The others looked equally surprised.

Jasmine turned her head to look at Daniel. "It's beautiful, Daniel! So much forest! It's so vibrant and alive!" She held out her hand to him and pulled him closer when he took it.

Daniel looked out through the opening and saw a bright clearing of smooth rock surrounded by towering trees. Flowers and bushes surrounded the clearing. Butterflies and other insects swooped and danced in the bright sunlight. Through gaps in the foliage the sky appeared clear and blue.

Amy and Amber gasped and clung to Daniel. Bitty made a happy sound and was the first to step through, quickly followed by Brian and Jason, who pulled their weapons free. Jason marched past Bitty and turned his head to take in his surroundings.

Jennifer didn't look happy. "Next time, let those who can fight step through first, Bitty." She had her sword drawn and quickly stepped through the opening. Bitty didn't appear to be listening and had squatted to examine a flower.

Grace beckoned at the opening to Daniel. "Go on through, all of you."

Daniel and the girls stepped through together. Daniel was certain he felt a shimmer of magic as he stepped though. Almost like putting your hand in a basin of water. As he stepped though his ears popped a little and he stretched his jaw.

His head swivelled as he looked around the clearing. All around them were majestic trees towering hundreds of feet above them. They were the largest trees he had ever seen. The trunks were easily twenty feet across. When he looked back toward the doorway he watched as Grace stepped through, turned, and put the key into the opening and turned it again.

Without a sound the doorway simply vanished into thin air. Daniel gasped. He was certainly new to magic but seeing a doorway floating impossibly in the middle of the air and then watching that opening disappear in an instant, seemed crazy to him.

"I can't get used to this magic stuff..." he muttered under his breath.

Jasmine, who had heard him, nodded. "It's so wondrous!"

Amy was looking at the key in Grace's hand. "How does that work, exactly? I couldn't sense any spells or magic, but my eyes don't lie, do they?"

Grace looked down at the key for a moment and then tossed it to Amy. "Keep it. I already have one."

Amy comically failed to catch the key at first, and she knocked it up in the air, before she finally snatched it and held it tight. She opened her hand and stared at it. "Thanks!" Then she snapped her eyes up to stare at Grace. "What do you mean, you already have one? Could you have gotten us out at any time?"

Grace was looking around the clearing. "Don't think I've been here before..." She glanced at Amy. "What was that?"

Amy glared at Grace. "You already had a way out? All this time?"

Grace frowned. "Of course. But we had to learn things first."

Daniel was feeling just as peeved as Amy. "You have another key?"

Grace nodded. "Yup. How do you think I escaped the Night fae?"

"I just assumed you walked out," replied Daniel. "Who would stop you and how? I thought it was all just politics. Not actually escaping with a magic key."

Grace grinned, stepped up close to him, and kissed his chin. "You thought wrong."

Daniel smiled down at her and missed the adoring looks his girls shot them both.

"This way, I think," interrupted Jennifer. She was pointing in a direction.

Brian nodded. "Aye, lass. I agree."

Grace started walking where Jennifer was pointing. "Fair enough. Come on. Let's get moving while there's still daylight. We have a few hours. Best we head off quickly before Titania realises we are gone. She won't be happy."

Jason snorted. "That's an understatement."

"Wait!" said Daniel. "Where are we going?"

Grace turned her dark eyes on him. "To go speak to my mother."

* * *

Their journey was swift. Grace kept pressing them to move faster and only relented their pace when the landscape had quickly changed from a thick forest to fields, to rocky hills. Daniel's eyes were now locked on the massive mountains rising high into the sky ahead of them. The tops were covered in thick snow and ice and clouds obscured some of the peaks.

All attempts by the party to get Grace to tell them what to expect was met with stoney silence. Brian had pulled the others aside and told them to leave off on Grace. Daniel kept a close eye on Grace and could now see her worry lines. They travelled in silence.

Two weeks later found them standing before a cliff face. Scraggy bushes and plants clung to the rock and eked out a semblance of life. Daniel saw the frowns on his girl's faces.

"What now?" asked Daniel, watching Jasmine crouching beside a plant that seemed dead to him already.

Grace pulled out a gold key from somewhere and held it up. "We go in."

"What are we going into?" asked Daniel when it appeared Grace was not going to say anything more.

"The Unseelie Court," muttered Grace.

She stepped up to the cliff face and like she had done to escape the Light fae, she pushed the key into the rock and twisted it.

An open doorway materialised in an instant. Beyond the opening was pure darkness. Daniel felt an unease flow through him, and his hands reached out and found the hands of Amy and Amber. They squeezed his hands tightly.

"Daniel?" murmured Amy, stepping closer to him.

"It will be fine, Amy," responded Daniel, although he didn't believe his own words.

Jennifer stood beside Grace and looked inside. "This is the Night fae realm?" she asked.

Grace nodded and then looked over at Jasmine. "Stop that. Death is the natural cycle here. Your efforts are wasted here."

Daniel looked over at Jasmine and saw that the plant she had trying to nurture looked no better than before.

Jasmine looked up at Grace and they all saw the tears in her eyes. "It's in pain! Can you not feel it?"

Grace frowned and then huffed. "I've told you before. The Night fae guide life to death. You have to accept that. Inside the Night fae realm you will see much more suffering than one sorry plant. You need to steel yourselves."

Jennifer scowled. "It is not that easy for humans, Grace. You know that. We embrace life."

Grace raised an eyebrow at Jennifer. "Your god Syn understands what I am saying. So should you. Life and death are the world of humans. Your lives are brief sparks but like all life, death awaits."

Brian joined Jennifer, with Brian close behind him. "The same is true for all creatures who inhabit this world, Grace. I would think the Night fae, who long for the light and life, would better understand that all life fights to survive, no matter the cost."

Grace was about to say something more when a tall figure, easily seven feet tall, stepped through the opening in the cliff face. His skin was as white as alabaster. His clothes and hair so dark it seemed no light escaped them. Grace took a surprised step backward.

"Ah, Grace. So, you return," said the haughty figure. His black eyes scanned them all. "And I see you brought pets. How quaint."

Grace growled and Daniel stepped toward her. Grace looked up at the Night fae. "Pwyll de Dyfed," she hissed.

"Daughter," replied Pwyll.

"I'm not your daughter."

Pwyll sniffed and turned back to the opening. "Come along. All of you, I suppose. Grace, your mother is waiting for you. Don't delay." He stepped through the opening and disappeared into the darkness.

Grace swore but remained standing where she was. Everyone looked at her. She practically vibrated with rage.

Not knowing why he did it, Daniel moved quickly to her side and held her. She fought him, but Daniel held her firm until she stopped resisting.

"Whatever happens in there, you have us beside you, Grace. You are not alone. You are never alone now," he whispered into her ear.

She nodded her head into his chest and held him a moment. When she tilted her head back to speak, her mouth was met by his and they kissed.

In a moment, Jasmine joined them, followed by Amy and then Amber. They stood like that for a long moment until Grace growled again. They broke apart and found Brian, Jennifer, Jason, and Bitty looking worried beside them.

Grace sighed. "Come on. We need to get this unpleasantness behind us as quickly as we can. Follow me closely. Amy, or Amber, give yourself a light. The darkness inside the realm is absolute. Do not stray. Do not respond to anything you hear, smell, or see, no matter what it is. The Night fae realm is not for mortals. It will consume you and bring you to an early death. It's all it wants. It's all it ever wants. Do you understand?"

They hesitated and then they all nodded. Jasmine looked frightened.

"Grace! You're scaring Jasmine!" complained Amy.

Grace shot her a look. "Good. I'm not joking around. Stay close. Stay with me. Do not stray."

Amber created a ball of light and floated it above them.

Grace looked at Jason. "Take the rear."

Jason grinned and Grace rolled her eyes.

Grace walked into the opening, disappearing like she had submerged in a dark viscous oil. Daniel grabbed Jasmine's hand with his right hand and Amy snagged his left. Amber looked at them and through the bond, Daniel could sense she was wishing he had three hands.

Together they walked into the opening. Passing through it, Daniel felt like he had actually submerged himself in oil. It was unsettling and it clung to him until he was through. Amber's light barely seemed to pierce the darkness and he could feel her struggling to hold it through the bond. He sent power to her, and the light flared and expanded. Amber shot him a grateful look.

Daniel looked around the tunnel they found themselves in, just as Jason came through. Grace turned her key and the opening disappeared in an instant turning into a rough cave wall. The floor and walls were uneven and looked natural. It was pure black granite and already Daniel could feel a cold seeping into his bones. He shuddered.

A few paces in front of him, Jennifer raised a hand and muttered a prayer he couldn't hear. A warmth burst from her and enveloped everyone, banishing the worst of the cold.

"Thank you, Jennifer," gasped Amy.

"Syn's pleasure," replied Jennifer, her hand on her sword hilt.

Jason started to draw his sword, but Grace stopped him. "No weapons. It invites death. Do not fight in here."

Brian gawked at her. "Lass, it feels like death in here. Surely, we can defend ourselves?"

Grace shook her head. "You would lose. Weapons are the tools of death. Even carrying weapons invites that which we would best avoid. I trust my mother has opened the way to us. We should be safe."

"Should be?" asked Daniel.

Grace smirked at him. "Should be."

Daniel sighed. "Okay. We trust you, Grace. And we love you. Lead the way."

Grace blinked and looked quickly away. "Follow close. Your light should keep anything that defies my mother away. We should hurry."

They set off down the long tunnel. It wound and twisted. At times it rose steeply and in other areas it dropped quickly. Daniel was starting to hear soft scraping noises all around them, but whenever he looked toward a sound, nothing was ever there.

A profound sense of doom started to settle on them. When Daniel asked about it, Grace merely nodded and said nothing.

After an hour, Daniel felt the need to speak. The silence was making everything worse.