The Sharp Edge of the Veil Ch. 02

Good God How It Hurts to get Kicked in the Nuts

A few days passed. I spent most of my time in the laboratory trying to extract the essence of Luna's missing mother from the lock of hair I had been given.

It was going slowly. For some reason, the lock of hair refused to yield its essence to me. There was more here than met my wizard's eye, that much was very clear. I didn't want to go back to the office until I was done. I cast a spell to change the message on the door to the office so my clients wouldn't think I had just forgot about them. Which had happened, more than once.

Out on Important Magical Mission, the sign now read. All appointments will be rescheduled to a later date.

It was at times like these that I wished that I had a secretary. But the last ones I had summoned had behaved so badly towards the clients that I had lost more business than I had gained. I did at one point consider hiring a mortal secretary, but I'm not really apt on the human resource side of things. Especially as I am of the firm standpoint that secretaries shall be female and too much mind control makes a woman soft.

It was on the fifth day of my research that I heard the outer door open. I froze. No one ever came to visit. Not in the daytime. I put my things in order and locked the laboratory behind me as I headed out into the lobby.

The lobby of the old mansion is a very fine place where paintings of seventeen generations of Af Truls hang on the walls lit by intricate lighting. A large split stair goes up to the second floor and it was from this vantage point that I saw the new arrival. And what I saw made me stop in my tracks.

Inside the open door stood a woman that looked strikingly like the ghost of the woman I had lain with last night. And then night before. And the night before. But outside was sunlight. The light cast a long shadow of the woman onto the velvet clad staircase. I took my pocket watch out. Ten past one. In the afternoon I supposed, and the sun was still high in the sky. Christine had never manifested earlier than sundown as long as I had known her and it was very, very uncommon for ghosts to manifest while the sun was still up.

The woman looked up at me. I slowly walked down the stairs towards her, watching her intently as I went. I opened my wizard's eye and looked behind the veil. She was mortal, that much was certain. Not a ghost. Mortal.

"Who are you?" the woman asked.

Her tone was as cold as her eyes. That at least was a difference from the Lady Christina. I composed myself and bowed slightly.

"Jakob Jeshuia Hieronymus Alexandrite Hermeticus Schwartsmüller Gyllenborst, wizard extraordinaire, at your service, milady."

The woman stared at me.

"So. You're the squatter."

I was taken aback by the disdain in her words and put my hand over my heart.

"I am no such thing. And who are you, if I may inquire?"

"The rightful owner of this house."

I looked at the woman and then up at the painting of the Lady Christina. The resemblance was striking.

"You look just like ..."

"Like what?"

I scrambled for words. Then I pointed up at the old painting of the Lady Christina behind her on the wall.

"Like her."

The woman turned around and looked up at the painting. She studied it for a long moment before turning back to me.

"I do, don't I?"

"May I know your name, milady," I said trying to steer the conversation in a different direction from the one she had intended.

"I am Sophia af Truls. This is my house. You're a squatter. You should leave. Immediately. Before I call the police."

"Now wait a minute."

Sophia raised her hand and even though I was pretty sure she hadn't cast a mute spell, I went quiet.

"Get. The fuck. Out."

I threw my hands in the air. I was going to have a hard time arguing that a centuries dead woman was my landlady and had promised me to live in the house as long as I wanted as long as she was allowed to ride my cock whenever she felt like it.

I looked at Sophia. She kept glaring at me with those blue eyes. I wove a mind control spell and settled it over her mind.

"On your knees and suck my dick."

The kick came swift enough that I didn't even have time to formulate a simple shielding spell.

"Aaaggaaahhh," I wheezed as I slid onto the surprisingly cold stone floor.

I had never studied the floor tiles in such detail as I did then. The stones were rough but had been worn soft by a thousand feet walking across it. They were dark, almost black. A clear sign that my brain was doing all it could to shift my thoughts away from the pain.

I do remember some more yelling and another kick or three. In the end I managed to drag myself out to the Mustang and drive off. I drove folded over into Eslöv where I got some ice packs and a few beers. After downing one of the beers I focused my mind and settled on my course of action. I could still barely breathe, and my mind was reeling. Why hadn't the spell worked on Sophia? I had done it right, hadn't I? My nuts were hurting like they had been split in two. A sudden shiver of fear ran through me. What if my nuts had actually split in two?

I needed some serious power for a healing spell. There was only one place to go where I could find that much anger, fear, and misery in the middle of the day.

*

I stepped in through the door of the student loan office a few minutes past two in the afternoon. Or stepped in was the wrong word. I crawled in and drew more than a few suspicious glances as I pulled myself up into one of the armchairs. The room was packed this early in the semester. I saw more than one person crying and the oppressed air suited my needs perfectly. I closed my eyes and drew in from the emotions in the near vicinity, mainly the anger. That works well for healing spells. A few minutes later I was charged up and started mumbling the words of the spell, not caring how it looked. A few seconds later the power of the spell coursed through my body and for the first time in hours I could draw a proper breath.

"That's more like it!" I said opening my eyes wide.

A roomful of eyes stared at me. I looked back at one in particular, a tiny blonde thing with glasses.

"Just got my loan granted in full. Money's already in the bank."

Everyone nodded and got back to worrying about their own problems. I felt with my hand on my balls. They didn't hurt anymore. I looked at the girl with the glasses. She looked back. I just had to make sure. I walked over to her, weaving my mind control spell as I went, and squatted next to her where she sat.

"What's your name?"

"Sara," she said shyly.

"And how old are you Sara?"

"Nineteen."

Perfect. I'm an asshole, not a criminal. I settled the spell on her mind and looked extra closely for that slight dilation of her pupils. Yes. I leaned in and whispered into her ear.

"Why don't you join me in the restroom and give me a blowjob."

I looked at her as the words settled into her muddled mind. Then she smiled and nodded. I felt a wave of relief. For a while there I thought that I had lost my powers. But that wasn't the case. The young college girl followed me into the restroom and soon she was on her knees with my cock in her mouth. She was a pretty little thing that looked up at me adoringly through her glasses as she blew me. I looked in the mirror. I looked like I always do, pretty darn good.

I haven't always had the fortune to look as I do now, but the very first thing every wizard that learns how to modify his body does is to make it look good. So had I. There are of course exceptions, but they only do it to make a statement. I have rugged good looks and a hairline any forty-five-year-old would die for. I have settled my age at around the mid-forties as that is where I think that men, at least the good-looking ones, look most powerful. I have a slight touch of grey at my temples in my otherwise dark hair. A chin you can break rocks on, and steely grey eyes.

"Be a good girl and swallow," I told the coed.

She nodded and kept looking at me with those adoring eyes. Maybe I had overdone the pleasure side of the mind-control this time. I had just been so eager for it to work. Now I just had to figure out why it had done nothing to that bitch. And I needed to get back to my lab. Or at least get in contact with Andy again. But I couldn't go back to the mansion, that meant that the lab was out of question, at least for the moment. Andy would likely leave a message at the office so the natural next step was to go there. God damnit, I hated that bitch! I looked down at the coed.

"This may be a tiny bit uncomfortable."

Then I grabbed the coed's head and started roughly facefucking her, imagining it was Sophia. The coed gagged and almost threw up, but I kept going until I flooded her mouth with cum. She started swallowing my cum like a possessed, her adoring eyes still looking wide-eyed up at me.

I had definitely overdone the pleasure part.

*

I pulled up to my office just after three. It's in the same house as a car mechanic in an out of the way street on Gastelyckan. The guys always say hi as I go by. I think they're pretty impressed that a man like me can keep an old car running as well as it does. I've been very honest with them and said it's just magic and they always laugh at that. Sometimes honesty really is the best way to go. Sometimes. Just not that often.

My office is on the other side of the building facing the fields. I have a great view out over the southern plains and there is only a cul-de-sac leading up to my door. I should have noticed the black car parked on the other side of the road at this point. But I didn't and I blame Sophia for this as well. It would have been really easy to spot since no one ever parks there. But again. I didn't.

My office was empty and there was no one in the reception area. There was a letter stuck in under the door. It was addressed to The Esteemed Wizard Gyllenborst, in large flowing golden letters. I sighed. Picked it up. Sighed some more. There was only one person who addressed me that way. Johan Bohman. The recruiter for Ordo Astartes.

"Fucking amateurs," I cursed and then I threw the invitation letter in the bin and went into my office.

The real Order. The Ordo Hermeticus didn't even bother with amateurs like the Ordo Astartes. There were hundreds if not thousands of orders of wannabe wizards in the world and as long as they kept to stage magic the Order was fine with that. And once anyone with actual talent turned up, they were quickly turned into the fold, or executed, depending on the mood of the Order judiciary at work that day.

It was probably the tenth time that annoying prick Bohman had invited me to join their order. The only reason why I hadn't turned him into a pig set for slaughter already was that he had a lot of pull in Lund and if he did turn into a pig everyone would know it was me and that would make things ... complicated. The only thing I hate more than amateur mages are complications.

There was a knock on the door. I was pulled out of my musings of how to cause Mr. Bohman pain without him knowing it was I. I sat up in my chair.

"Enter."

The door opened and there stood Luna. She looked genuinely happy. That fact made me extremely wary and I sent a questing spell over her to make sure she wasn't possessed. It had happened before. But she wasn't. She was just happy.

"Mother is back," she said, sitting down in the armchair opposite my desk. "So you can stop ... whatever it is you do."

"She's back?"

Luna nodded.

"How?"

People didn't just disappear and reappear. It didn't happen. At least not when people seriously looked for them.

"I went up to her room. And she was there."

And especially not like that.

"How did she get in?"

Luna shrugged.

"No one saw here coming back?"

Luna shook her hair. The she frowned.

"Why do you care? She's back. Your mission is done. And now you stay the fuck out of my business unless I say so."

I had barely even started. But whatever. I reached into my drawer and brought the pile of cash out and put it on the desk. At least it would feel good to get rid of it.

"Keep it," Luna said with a wave of her hand.

I hesitated. Then I let it lay on the table.

"I said. Keep it."

Her eyes locked with mine. She had very pretty eyes. Very crazy, pretty eyes. Mobsters, said something inside me, not something that I want to be involved with. Then on the other hand. Not something I wanted to piss off. I took the cash and put it in the drawer again. Luna studied me intently for a long moment. If felt a little too much like being studied by one of the judiciaries. I hate those guys.

"Do you really know magic?"

I felt relief flood through me. So that's what she wanted to know. I couldn't help but let a little smile appear on my lips. I nodded.

"Show me."

"I don't do tricks for show," I said shaking my head.

At least now I was back on solid ground.

"You don't want to displease me."

She had a point there. I felt the smile drain from my lips. I squared my jaw.

"Can you make me fly?"

Damnit! Why does everyone always want to fly? Fucking popular culture and their fucking flying superheroes.

"Theoretically−"

"So you can't make me fly?"

I groaned.

"I can but−"

"But what?"

Stop interrupting me you fucking bitch!

Thankfully I didn't say that part out loud. Instead I drew a breath and forced a smile onto my lips.

"Flying takes a lot of power. And it is not my area of expertise."

"What is?"

"Body modification. Summoning. Mind control. Affecting gravity is not my cup of tea."

Luna seemed to consider this for a moment.

"So you can make me do anything?"

The last word was loaded with more sexual innuendo than a harlequin novel.

"About right."

"Show me."

I hesitated for a moment. Then again. She asked for it. I wove my web and gently settled it onto her mind. Part of me was terrified that it wouldn't work. No matter how well I had done with the coed. This was different. The spell locked into place and I felt the tangible bond between us. I had to be careful. Even though she would still feel like she had wanted to do whatever I told her to, there were limits. And I had to make sure I didn't piss off her entire family in the process.

"Stand up and take of all your clothes for me."

She did. A moment later she stood stark naked in front of me and damn, wasn't it a sight. If her tits had been perfect that was just a prologue to the tale that was Luna's body. Every curve was intricately shaped as if by the Lord himself. Her hips were the smooth ivory of a Michelangelo statue. Over her sex sat a perfect, pitch black triangle of hair that pointed down towards the prettiest little pussy I had ever laid eyes on. I had to focus not to rupture the spell as my cock grew. I cleared my throat.

"On all fours, ass towards me and pull your asscheeks apart for me. Eyes on me."

She obeyed immediately and as her wonderful ass opened up for me thought I would perish. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever witnessed. Luna's emerald eyes were still locked on mine.

"Holy Lord above," I breathed and let the spell unravel.

Luna blinked. Then she smiled back at me.

"That was ... interesting," she said, nodding. "Truly interesting."

Her hands still hadn't released her ass cheeks and my flesh seemed about to burst out of my pants.

"Are you just going to stand there?" she said raising one perfect eyebrow. "I thought you were a man."

I fumbled with my pants and moments later I sank my rod into her heat and the pleasure was almost unbearable. I had to put a slight calming on myself not to ruin the whole thing by lasting only a few seconds. That way I was able to relish her warmth for at least a few minutes before climaxing.

With a roar I emptied myself into Luna's wetness. It felt like my body would implode and would be sucked into her and I didn't care one bit. I still held her ass tight, my fingers digging into her flesh and tried to force my member just one more inch deeper into her.

Luna smiled back at me and got up from the floor, turned around on her knees and took my still semi-rigid member into her mouth. I stood there for a while as she slowly blew me. I thought my mind would shatter. Then she stood up, got dressed and walked towards the door.

"We'll meet again," she said and closed the door behind her.

I stumbled onto my feet.

"Whoooee! That girl's hot, hot, hot!"

I froze and turned around slowly. A hat was floating in the air above one of the armchairs.

"For fucks sake Andy!" I said pulling my pants up. "Do you want me to kill you? Because that's how you get killed. Sneaking up on mages like that is not good for your health."

"Whatever," Andy said, and a cigar was picked up out of its tray and snipped off. "I got info for you. On her."

I swallowed my pride and sat down behind my desk.

"Give it to me."

"Payment first. Always payment first."

I nodded and reached into one of the desk drawers, making sure to unweave the ward I had placed on it, and brought out two flasks containing a slushy black fluid.

"Licorice?"

I could hear the revulsion in Andy's voice. I nodded.

"Can't you make like strawberry or something instead? I loathe licorice."

"No can do, buddy. Licorice is the absolute best you'll get. You wouldn't want to taste it in its natural flavor. You would be throwing up for a week."

There was a long sigh. Then the two flasks were picked up and disappeared from sight. I still had no idea how Andy did that. It should only have been his naked body that was invisible, but through what I had learned, it seemed that he could bring things into his invisibility field at will. I had asked him about it, but he has always been very vague about that part.

"So. This is what I've got. This chick. Luna. Her real name is Lauma Ozolina and she's the current head of the Latvian mob in Skåne. Real nasty crew."

"Damn," I said shaking my head. "I knew she was bad business."

The hat nodded. If it just hadn't felt so damn good fucking her that I would have sold one kidney to do it again. Maybe both.

"Drugs. Prostitution. Robberies. They do it all. And they've just won big against the Vietnamese gansters."

"There are Vietnamese gangsters in Malmö?" I said incredulously.

The hat nodded again.

"Bad bunch. Even worse than the Latvians. Anyway. Up until last summer Luna's dad ran the family, but he died in a hit and everyone expected his brother to take over. But up steps Luna and the uncle is nowhere to be seen."

"Presumed dead?"

There was a noise which I guessed was a shrug. Andy still doesn't remember that I cannot read his body language.

"Now Luna runs the show with the help of her two older brothers. She's the brain they're the brawn."

I sighed. Latvian mobsters at war with Vietnamese mobsters and me in the middle likely. This was not going to end well. I would probably to best to stay the fuck out of it as Luna had suggested.

"And the mom?"

"She used to be the brain in the family but after Luna's dad was offed, she sank into depression. Didn't talk to anyone but Luna. And it seems that Luna cares for her dearly."

I nodded. It made sense. Now the question was just who took the mom. And who returned her. But Luna had made it clear that she didn't want further investigation into the matter.

"No clues to the whereabouts of the mother while she was gone? You heard all Luna said I assume?"

The hat nodded, then turned from side to side. That was a no then. I drew a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. There was still the issue with her mother's hair. There was just something there I just couldn't let go.

I had barely sat down behind my desk after Andy had left when there was another knock on the door.

"What?" I said, throwing my hands up. "Is everyone going to come here today of all days?"