The Sequacious Maiden and the Crafty Wizard Ch. 01

"What kind of virtue?" asked, feeling an increasing sense of dread.

"Obedience, my dear," he replied with a smug grin. "Whosoever wears this amulet can make any demand of you, anything at all, and you are spellbound to obey."

Tess shook her head. "That cannot be so. Free will cannot be taken by sorcery," she declared matter-of-factly, arms crossed to emphasize the point.

Arimus burst into laughter, so hard he snorted. "Where did you hear that, dear maiden?" he managed to ask between guffaws. Calohidh joined his master, chortling with glee and dancing around the table in obvious delight. Arimus composed himself and barked out a command in some guttural tongue that sent Calohidh scurrying to the corner of the laboratory. "It's perfectly true, Tess. Allow me to demonstrate," he said, and then slipped the chain around his neck.

At first, nothing happened at all. Then Tess felt something odd, like a moth fluttering in her belly, its frail wings beating furiously as it sought to escape through her throat. She opened her mouth, and out spilled these words:

"Thou speakest any wish or will
And I shall follow, lest my blood spill
Thy binding has left me unfreed
And I shall obey in word and deed"

She gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Why did I say that?" she asked between clinched fingers.

Arimus smiled, as treacherous as a snake. "Come with me," he commanded. Tess followed, without realizing she never made the conscious decision to do so. Arimus led her to his study, where she sat opposite him on a small leather couch. He seated himself in a well-worn chair and began stroking the well trimmed hair of his chin. It seemed to Tess that he was going through some perverse checklist, searching for the most offensive item. A thin smile parted his lips and he focused his gaze upon her. "Tell me, Miss Keeve, what is the color of your undergarments?"

Tess felt her jaw drop. No one had ever, ever disparaged her good name by asking such an untoward question. She couldn't imagine the audacity, the gall, of such a statement. She opened her mouth to reply with a sharp rebuke, but instead of a rebuke, out came these words, "White, with little red and yellow polka-dots." She gasped, but in her shock added, "And they're my favorite pair!" She gasped again, turning an impossible shade of red.

Arimus smiled. "How delightful!" He then held out is hand.

It took a second for Tess to realize what the wizard wanted, and then it hit her like a blow to the chest. "No!" she cried, "I can't, I won't! Master Arimus, it isn't proper, I'm a lady, a maid!" Despite her protests, she obediently rose to her feet. She bent forward and watched, helpless, as her hands went down of their own accord, underneath her dress and came back up to grab hold of the sides of her panties. "Oh gods no!" she whispered, "This can't be happening!"

Down they came, to her ankles, where one foot and then the other lifted up and they were off, scrunched into a tight little ball in the palm of her hand. Arimus beckoned her forward with a finger and reluctantly she obeyed, dropping the cotten garment into his waiting hand.

Tess hurried back to the couch and sat. What had just happened to her? Despite the long dress that covered her to the ankle, she felt completely exposed. She was powerless to stop her body from doing what he asked. What would he ask for next? The rest of her clothing? And how could she refuse? She watched in undisguised horror as he held her panties up to his nose, took in a deep breath and released with a long sigh. The garment then disappeared into one of his pockets.

What kind of man would do such a thing? "What do you want from me, Master Arimus?" she ventured to ask, terrified of the answer he might give.

Arimus turned his gaze upon her once again. "My pet, I wanted to demonstrate the power of the enchantment upon you, without being too obscene."

"I believe you failed in that regard, Master Arimus."

"Be that as it may, it is important for you to understand what has happened to you, so that you may come to terms with this new facet of your life. Obedience is normally something that requires choice; we can either obey a demand, or decline to do so. Not so with you, not any longer, that aspect of your nature is now within the charm, and the charm belongs to me. You must understand Tess, that the power of the Thonodrinne so complete that I can control your body in ways that even you cannot. If I were to order your heart to cease beating in your chest, it would obey."

Tess' eyes went wide as saucers.

"Not that I would ever do such a thing," he quickly added. "Upon the amulet itself are three rules which cannot be annulled. The first is this: you may never lie to me; you must always tell the truth. Second, you may never steal or harm the amulet, doing so would cause you harm. Third, you may never attempt to harm the bearer of the amulet. Beyond these three laws, I may also promulgate upon you any additional law I wish. In short, I am now your master, and you are now my slave. Do you understand, my pet?"

Tess was dumfounded. She didn't want to believe that it was true, that a person would do such a cruel thing to another human being, yet she knew in her heart that what the wizard said was true. She was now his slave. She nodded. Her thoughts quickly turned to her family. What would her father say? What would he do? And her sisters, what would they think of her when they found out that she was now the wizard's servant, his mistress? Even the thought of confessing the truth turned her stomach.

She stood and approached her master, kneeling at his side and looking up at him with big, violet eyes. "Master Arimus," she began, her voice quivering with raw emotion, "please don't take me from my family, I beg of you. They are my life, my entire world. My father has no one to run his house for him without me, and my sisters...what will they do without their big sister to look out for them? Please don't rob me of these things, my master."

Arimus stroked her long blonde hair with his hand. His smile was suddenly warm and caring; it surprised Tess and took her aback. "Miss Tess, I have no desire to cause you grief. I only wish to enjoy the company of the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. I would never take you from my family. Here...put this on." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold necklace with a tiny charm. He unfastened the clasp and put it around her neck. "You will find that most of the time I am busy and do not wish to be disturbed. When this necklace vibrates, you will know to come to me. Otherwise, you may stay at your own home and sleep in your own bed."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she nodded her assent. "Thank you, Master Arimus, you are kind to show such consideration for me."

"Of course, my pet. You may go now, but before you do, there is one more thing." Tess waited, still on her knees, for him to collect his thoughts. "Here is the first command I shall lay upon you, Tess Keeve. You may speak to no one about this, neither the spell upon your nor the amulet. No one. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

Arimus smiled. "Good. Now go, be with your family, my dear."

"Thank you, Master Arimus." Tess bowed and left.