The Sequacious Maiden and the Crafty Wizard Ch. 02

[Welcome to the second episode of this multi-chapter tale.

Special thanks to LoveDrewandEmmett for her invaluable help editing this story. Couldn't do it without you, beej.

Please take the time to comment. Thanks for reading!]

The Sequacious Maiden and the Crafty Wizard, Part 2

Tess didn't remember the walk back to the farm, the questioning stares of her neighbors or the whispers that passed between them. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions, a tangle of doubts and worries. She wondered what she would tell her father and sisters, what she would say when she suddenly had to leave for no reason she could explain. Then there was Arimus. Now that he had her under his thumb, what would he do? She dearly hoped he didn't have immoral intentions, but after what he had just done, she was certain he did. Could she refuse him if he demanded her innocence? She considered going to Greta for advice, but the mere thought of confiding her secret made her face go white with nausea. She remembered the wizard's parting words. If she could tell no one of the enchantment, how could she seek a release from it?

As she turned from the dusty lane to the narrow path that led to the farmhouse, she heard a shout of glee and looked up to see her little sister Margaret racing across the yard to meet her. "You haven't been turned into a toad!" the girl exclaimed as she leapt into her arms.

Tess squeezed her tight and spun her around. "No, my little pixie, I haven't."

Naturally, her family immediately surrounded her as soon as she stepped in the door and bombarded her with questions. She begged for a moment's rest and made a quick prayer to the Mother for a sharp wit and a smooth tongue. Her father questioned her very carefully, but she revealed nothing of the spell, saying only that she must at times go to the manor to attend him. Every time her mind turned to the enchantment, even for a second, her stomach turned sour and her throat tightened, and she knew for a certainty that it was impossible for her to reveal it to anyone. And so at last her father released her from his interrogation, unsatisfied with her answers but unable to get more from her.

That night, as she lay in bed with Margaret's arm sprawled across her stomach and her soft breathing in her ear, Tess' sleep fled. She had very little experience with men, no real understanding of them when it came to things of an intimate nature, and Arimus was more peculiar by far than any man she'd ever met. He was certainly good looking, charming in an odd sort of way; he was mysterious, wealthy, powerful, all qualities that many women found attractive. She couldn't fathom why the man would resort to sorcery to gain a lady's company. Why take by force that which could be given freely?

No matter how she turned it over in her mind, her situation looked dire. If she couldn't speak of her enchantment, she couldn't seek outside help. That left only two people who could remove the spell: Arimus and herself. Neither prospect held much promise. She briefly fantasized that Tomas would discover her plight and challenge Arimus for her honor, but that train of thought quickly led to the much more likely scenario of her father finding out and challenging the wizard, an outcome that could only end with her sisters as orphans and her enslaved to her father's killer. No, she had gotten herself into this, and only she could get herself out.

But how? She knew nothing about magic, even what little shethoughtshe knew turned out to be mistaken. Still, Arimus had created the amulet; maybe he had a secret word that would release her. He would have books and notes, maybe even a journal of some sort. If she had enough time, she could learn to undo the magic he had wrought upon her.

Tess frowned. Her learning to wield magic was even less likely than Tomas coming to her rescue. But a slim chance was better than none at all, and she couldn't stand the thought of waiting idly until Arimus decided to bed her.

Of course, Arimus could undo the enchantment with ease. All she had to do was talk him into it. She remembered the way he watched her as she slid out of her panties, the way his eyes crawled over her body. She'd been objectified; a sculpture to be admired or, heavens forbid, an illicit indulgence to be enjoyed and discarded. The only way he would ever return her free will was if he started to see her as a human being with feelings of her own. He had to see her as a person, not a possession.

There was one final solution to her problem, one that she shuddered to consider: Marriage. If Arimus refused to release her, and she could not find a way to free herself, then the very best she could do is sanctify their union before gods and man. It would be a permanent solution to what she hoped would be a temporary problem, but if he insisted on forcing himself upon her, at least her reputation and her family's reputation would be upheld. She wouldn't be a woman of ill repute.

Tess had precious little time. She had to act before Arimus used his amulet to get her in his bed.

The next day, Tess finished her chores as quickly as she could, and by late afternoon excused herself to return to Arimus' manor. She realized as she walked the gravel path to the wizard's abode that her mere proximity could hasten the very thing she sought to avoid, but there was no way around it.

Calohidh opened the door with a look of surprise. "The master was not expecting you, Miss Tess."

"I know," she replied as she walked past him into the manor. Deciding that a hot meal would be the best way to soften her master, she headed directly to the kitchen. Shooing Calohidh out of the room, she set about putting the kitchen in proper order (it looked as if it were run by a goblin). Just as she was about to start on supper Master Arimus entered. He was wiping some thick red fluid off his fingers with a towel. She hoped it wasn't blood.

"Miss Tess," he began, "this is an unexpected pleasure. I'm afraid I'm not prepared to receive guests."

Tess hadn't given any thought to what she would say in defense of her intrusion of his privacy. Now that she was put on the spot, a lump caught in her throat. "Why...Master Arimus, I'm not really a guest...not anymore. I thought you might enjoy something other than Calohidh's eclectic tastes for dinner."

From somewhere behind her master, Tess heard a low "humph!"

For a moment Arimus said nothing, and Tess feared she'd made a serious miscalculation, but then his lips curled into a thin smile. "Very well, I'm too busy to converse, however, if that was your intention. I'll take my dinner in the laboratory." With that he turned and left.

Tess did exactly as she was told. Master Arimus ignored her and Calohidh begrudged her presence, but that was victory enough.

The next day, she returned. This time no objection was raised by the goblin, who likely realized that the more Tess did, the less he was required to do. Again Master Arimus briefly questioned her before ignoring her completely. By the third day, her visits became a part of the routine, and instead of immediately ignoring her, Arimus asked for tea, and then ignored her. By the end of the week, her master began to anticipate her daily visits, and started taking time from his schedule to engage her in conversation, even playing the occasional game of chess. Tess hoped it was the first part of her plan taking root; that Master Arimus was starting to see her as something more than a desirable body, he was starting to see her as a human being.

Of course, her daily visits to the manor did not go unnoticed by her father. It just wasn't proper for an unmarried woman to be alone in a house with a man. In fact, it was positively scandalous. She feared that he would forbid her to go, which would cause all sorts of problems when she was impelled by the amulet to go, and it took all of her powers of persuasion to convince him that what she was doing was for the best, appearances be damned. Only reluctantly, and with great faith in her word, did he consent.

The second part of her plan would be a little trickier to pull off. Somewhere, likely hidden, were the notes her master used when he created the amulet. Of course, Tess wasn't sure of this, but it only made sense, and if she was ever going to undo the magic placed upon her, it would start with getting her hands on those notes.

Three possible locations quickly came to mind: the laboratory, the study, and the library. The laboratory would be the most difficult to search; Master Arimus practically lived there. The study was closest to the kitchen and therefore the easiest for her to reach, so that's where she started. Finding no success there, she moved on to the library.

Of all the rooms of his house, it was the library she found most appealing...and the most daunting. He had hundreds of books, all neatly arranged. The spectrum of topics boggled her mind. Many were in languages she couldn't read, but most were in the common tongue. Some were profane, even heretical, but Tess only assumed that that was the business of wizards: dealing with things other men ought not. There were literary classics too, and great works of poetry. She stood in the center of the dusty room, mouth agape, and wondered. If his notes were indeed there, it would take her ages to find them.

It took Tess three days to find what she was looking for. In a stack of papers on the corner of the desk, she found a diagram that perfectly matched her amulet. The page was filled with notes, all written in Arimus' careful script, explaining at length the purpose of each rune engraved upon the charm.

"Do you like what you see?" Arimus asked. He was standing at the doorway earnestly looking at her.

There was a second of sheer panic before Tess realized what he was talking about. "Oh I do love books, Master Arimus. I've never seen so many!" She carefully slid the notepaper behind the larger stack, blocking it from his view.

"They can all be yours, Tess, if you want them."

She looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?" On the desk was a thick, careworn treatise on arcane terminology. Tess pulled it near and discreetly slid the paper inside.

He shrugged. "This library, this estate, all my material things. I've little use for them, save a few of the more obscure tomes, and of course my laboratory."

"But Master Arimus, this is your house. I have the farm to worry about-"

"Not always, Tess. Your life is changing, and your place is here."

Tess nodded and cradled the book in her arm. "Then may I take this home to read, Master Arimus?"

To her surprise, he chuckled. It was the first real mirth she had seen in him. "Are you thinking of taking up wizardry yourself, Miss Tess?"

She shook her head. "No master, but I do want to have at least a passing familiarity with what you do. Maybe in time I could even become your assistant."

The smile faded, but the kindness in his voice remained. "Perhaps, Miss Tess, perhaps."

***

Tess stayed up deep into the night trying to match phrases from his notes to definitions in the tome. It was a long and frustrating process that only served to illustrate the chasm between his wisdom and her ignorance of the subject. But she was not one to give up easily. Night after night she returned to the task, hoping to glean some little tidbit of knowledge that would lead to her freedom.

Her frustration only increased during her daily visits with Arimus. For every pleasant and engaging conversation, for every friendly game of chess or cards, she would notice little signs that her master still bore illicit thoughts about her; his eye upon the curve of her breast when he thought she wasn't looking or lingering on her gait longer than polite society would allow as she walked away from him. She had no reason for confidence, no reason whatsoever, and time was running out.

As the days passed, the townsfolk began to talk. Tess found that the ladies of the market no longer spoke to her, whispering to one another when her back was turned. Then Tomas refused to speak with her, instead turning his attention to Cecilia, the cobbler's daughter. It was no surprise; she knew he would only react one way to her apparent slight, still she was crushed. He would never approach her now, never take her hand. She had anticipated his reaction, steeled herself for the moment he stepped out of her life forever. It was the betrayal of her friends that took her by surprise, that cut her more deeply than anyone.

These were the girls she had grown up with, that she had known all her life. She didn't expect much from them, especially since she couldn't divulge her reasons for the daily interludes to the wizard's estate. She knew how scandalous it was to be alone with a man, a man whose reputation was not held in high regard, but she expected more from them than the ladies at the market; she expected to be given the benefit of the doubt, in the very least a withholding of judgment until the details of her plight could be exposed to the stark light of day. But no, the court of rumor and gossip was held among her circle of friends and the verdict was unanimous: guilty. Every cold shoulder, every sneer, every judgmental stare made it abundantly clear to her, she was now outcast, a woman of ill repute.

So Tess took solace in her sisters, took comfort in the mundane chores of farm life, poured out her heart to the Mother every dawn at the temple, and discarded those whom she once called friends, thankful that now at least she knew them for what they were.

***

Two weeks after Arimus laid the enchantment upon Tess, her charm began to vibrate for the first time. By now, she had just about forgotten about the charm, and she nearly jumped when it began to hum between her breasts. Her father cocked a brow, asking if she was well. Tess nodded and quickly excused herself. By this time, Conrad had accepted that her visits to the wizard's home were going to be a regular part of life. Her heart raced as she quickly covered the distance between her farmstead and the manor, her time was running out, and she wasn't any closer to discovering the key to unlocking the amulet than when she began.

At the manor house, Tess found Arimus waiting for her in his study.

"You called for me, Master Arimus," she said, crossing her legs at the ankle as she sat across from him on a small velvet couch.

Arimus looked up from the book he was reading and smiled broadly as she sat down. "Ah yes, my pet. Tonight you shall entertain me. Calohidh will show you to a spare bedroom where I have laid out a dress for you. You will wear what has been laid out, and only what is laid out."

"Yes, Master Arimus," she replied, and followed Calohidh out of the study.

In the bedroom Tess found three things: a red velvet dress, a pair of black leather heels, and her favorite panties with the red and yellow polka dots. She pushed Calohidh, who was lingering near the door, out of the room and shut the door behind him. She quickly changed, only to discover to her dismay that the dress revealed far too much cleavage and had a slit that was much too high for her comfort. Reluctantly she returned to the study.

"Ah Tess, you look absolutely stunning," Arimus declared as she stepped into the room. "You are without a doubt the loveliest creature I have ever laid eyes on." He was not discreet in his scrutiny of her body. His eyes lingered on the hint of her leg revealed by the dress then casually rose to savor her exposed cleavage.

Tess tried to ignore his open stare. "You are too kind, Master Arimus. If it please you, I would like to wear a different dress tonight. This one is not to my liking."

Arimus frowned as his eyes met hers. "Tess, you must learn not to be ashamed of your body, it is truly a gift from the gods, my pet, and it is time you learned to use it. You were not born on this earth to work on a farm. Pour us a glass of wine, it will calm your nerves."

Tess did as she was told, and resumed her seat at the edge of the couch, trying her best to reveal as little of her flesh as the dress would allow. The wine was delicious, she had to admit, the best she had ever tasted. Soon the glass was empty, and Arimus instructed her to fill another while they made polite conversation. When that glass was drained, Arimus cleared his throat and signaled for her to stand.

"The dress you were came from a country far to the south, in a desert land. It was made for women who are trained from the time they can walk to dance for the pleasure of those who watch them. I'd like the pleasure of watching you dance tonight."

"Master Arimus, I cannot dance, I've no training at all, and besides, there is no music."

Arimus smiled, as if he had anticipated the objection. He made a strange motion with his hand and to Tess' surprise music began to come from an ornately carved wooden box sitting on a shelf next to her. "Allow the music to move you, my pet. Don't think about it, just let the music guide your body. Dance is an innate ability in all of womankind, you just have to let yourself go."

Tess opened her mouth to object to what was clearly a misinformed, misogynistic point of view, but instead rose to her feet and moved to the center of the room, directly in front of Arimus. "Master Arimus," she whispered, "I'm not sure-" and then her hips began to move, slowly swaying to the rhythmic sound of the music. She felt her face flush with embarrassment, yet her body acted of its own accord, enslaved to the whim of her master. She turned her head but still could feel his eyes upon her, lustfully watching her every move. Then Tess was lost to the music, carried away by the rich, exotic melody of the magic box. She could feel the chill of a desert night, the faint warmth of a fireside. The fragrant scent of sandalwood and cinnamon filled her nostrils. The present faded away, leaving only the thrill of the dance, the empowerment of holding her audience captive with every step. So carried away was she by the dance that she never noticed as the music slowly changed, became more erotic in its tone, more carnal.

Minutes later she opened her eyes and realized to her horror that she had lifted her dress well above her knees and was thrusting with her hips to the steady beat of the music. Arimus was on the edge of his seat, watching her every movement. "Master Arimus!" she cried. "Please, I must stop, I'm afraid I may collapse if I continue!"

Reluctantly Arimus nodded and she was released from the spell of the music.

She quickly sat down and covered her thighs with her dress. Her face was bright red, and to her great shame she could feel the heat of arousal between her legs. She poured herself another glass of wine.

"Tess," said Arimus, after she had composed herself, "tell me a secret, something you have never told another soul."

Tess took a sip of her wine and brushed a stray hair from her face. "I'm afraid I haven't any secrets, Master Arimus, besides the one you commanded me to keep, and that you are very well aware of."

He held her with his gaze. It seemed that he was peering deep inside her, peeling away the layers of privacy that she had constructed about herself. "There must be something. Something you have never even confessed to your sisters."

She found herself searching her memories, her mind striving to obey his wishes. She was certain there was nothing she did that she kept from her beloved family. Then her mind settled upon a single thought, and she began to panic. "Master Arimus," she said with a tremor in her voice, "there are things a lady occasionally does, when she is alone, that she never confesses, especially to a man. It isn't proper."

He smiled knowingly. "Tell me."

Tess' gaze went to her lap, where her fingers fidgeted with her dress. A nervous sweat broke out on her forehead. She tried with all her might not to confess her one and only secret, but she could not resist the power of the enchantment.