The Sky Kingdom Ch. 11

Hello readers, this one is a little longer than usual as I am looking explain a few concepts. Please feel free to rate and review and I would welcome any private feedback you have.

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I quickly stepped from the room and headed over to the bathroom for a quick toilet break, a clean-up and to make myself look presentable. When ready once more I set off and in no time worked my way through the ship to Emily's cabin and mid knock the door burst open to reveal a panic-stricken Tamara.

"Tamara, are you alright?" I asked quickly as she grabbed my hand an pulled me into the room shutting the door behind her.

"No," she said on the verge of tears, "He came...the Sorcerer you told us about...he is trying to find Em!" She burst out.

"What did you tell him?" I asked seriously as I grasped her shoulders.

"Nothing, I swear. He went into every cabin along the corridor and had us all take his hand. He left frustrated but I was too worried that someone would be watching so I waited for you to come back."

I relaxed a little as I realised, he clearly didn't know who had released the wild magic earlier.

"It's ok, she is safe in my suite and my companion Scarlett is looking after her," I said reassuringly, "she has me to protect her now."

"Thank you, she means so much to me, I need to get her back home so her father can protect her," Tamara said while tightly gripping my hand.

"Who is her father?" I asked sternly realizing I was missing an important piece of information.

"It's too late to hide it anymore but her father is Lord Carrington. We grew up at one of his country estates as he always kept her hidden away. He is a good man and used to visit often and loved spending summers with her...he was kind to me as well," Tamara burst out.

"He is the Lord of the Western Reaches and a Sorcerer is he not?" I asked growing increasingly worried.

"That's him. He is hopefully powerful enough to hide her away and to find a way to control her magic," she continued as if she'd worked it all out.

"Emily didn't tell me any of this. She seems to have convinced herself that I should take her as my Font," I explained.

Tamara burst out her frustrations, "I love her but that girl has a complete mind of her own. She has always had these imaginative fantasies that I worry are stopping her thinking straight."

"What do you mean?" I asked wandering if I knew where this might be leading.

"Emily would murder me for telling you this but she has some ulterior motives. The house we grew up in was originally used as a retreat for pleasure slaves. The library had an eclectic collection of books and Emily grew attached to a particular saucy series about a young noblewoman who often finds herself in trouble. In her favorite one she pretends to be a slave and accidentally ends up being sold and trained as a pleasure slave. Since then, she has been fantasizing about it and we had a few incidents of her getting trapped experimenting. It is mostly harmless but I'm worried that she thinks that being a slave would be exciting when she has never been exposed to the realities of it!"

I blushed at her words thinking of a naked and bound Emily once more.

"That might explain quite a lot," I said guiltily.

"That girl will be the end of me!" Tamara exasperated.

"I know we've only just met one another but there seems to be connection between us, between our Magic. She has already found a special place in my heart and I want to help her. If that means evading the hunting parties to get her somewhere safe then I will do whatever I can."

"You really care about her?" Tamara asked earnestly.

"I do, I can't explain why but that is the truth," I said with genuine honesty.

"I just want her to be safe and I've no idea how to get her home with the little money we have left and the only method of travel is by air or sea. We'd have to go through densely populated towns and cities where we risk running into hunters or her having another episode," Tamara said with growing concern on her face.

"I've got plenty of spare gold if you need it," I offered.

"That's generous of you. But I'm worried that her best chance is with you."

"Why does that worry you?"

"Because it's probably the last time I'll ever see her," she said as she grimaced holding back her tears.

I moved to comfort her and she happily accepted my embrace as she tried to hold herself together against my shoulder.

"I need her safely at home with me. I wish I'd never let her persuade me to accompany her."

"Tamara, if she ends up with me why don't we find a way for you to be nearby. I know Emily wouldn't want to lose you either."

"Please call me Tam...and I don't understand?" she said as I released her and she stepped back.

"If the worst comes to the worst, why don't I buy you from your owner and then you'll never be too far from Emily."

Tam gave me an odd look, "If that might even work, I need you to know that I have none of the same fantasies as Em and have no interest in being a pleasure slave of any sort."

I blushed at her words, she was an attractive woman in her own right but I didn't feel the same burning desire I did in either Scarlett or Emily's presence. I tried to reassure her, "I wasn't thinking in that capacity at all. I am going to be moving into the Sorcerer's university accommodation with the hopes of training as a healer."

"You want to become a healer?" Tam said evidently surprised.

"I might as well make some use of my life."

"How noble of you," she replied with a more than a hint of sarcasm.

"Anyhow, there isn't going to be much space in my halls of residence but my family owns plenty of properties throughout the Capital and I reckon I could find a place for you in one. It might not be a dream job but you'd be close enough to visit and we can also come and stay. That way you can still be near Emily."

"You'd do that for us?" she asked unsure, "I could still stay near Em?".

"It's not an issue for me. I just want her to be happy with me."

"I hope we don't have to consider that but thank you none the less. If Em does end up with you then I'll need to return to Lord Carrington to explain things. He is still my owner and I'd be considered a runaway if I don't."

"That's ok. We'll find a way to make it work."

"Why don't you join us now for breakfast and we can make plans for getting you both off the ship this evening when we dock?" I said changing the topic to the matter at hand.

"I've already packed everything but I'm worried that if I leave then my disappearance might draw their attention."

"Why don't you just pop over quickly, I'm sure Emily is desperate to see you."

"Fine, but if I find that you've treated her badly, you'll have hell to pay!"

As we left Emily's cabin, I took the opportunity to go over our current plans.

"I haven't even discussed this fully with Emily but I asked the advice of a friend and he thinks the best way to get her off the ship is via the lower decks."

"Hang on...you mean through the slave quarters?"

"Exactly, they are searching for someone from amongst the passengers and not from the slave decks. If we can sneak her off then I thought you could collect her from one of the holding facilities outside the capital before lying low. After a few days or so we can arrange to meet and I'll hopefully have obtained everything we need."

"Do you still mean to help her escape or is this just a ploy to bind her to you?"

"That's really up to her but I figured planning for both eventualities would be more prudent."

Tam took in my words and thought them over.

"That doesn't sound unreasonable. If this is going to work, she'll need slave markings and attire and we'll need a lot more money than we have now."

I pulled out one of my small but still quite hefty coin purses and threw it to her as she caught it gracefully and opened it up.

"Will that be sufficient?" I asked.

"More than, but what about the markings?" she replied eying the gold coins.

"I have no idea...do you think that matters?"

"They are essential and serve as identification for slaves and she won't be allowed into the quarters without them."

"What can we do then?" I asked unsure what to do.

"I think we can fake them...I might be able to replicate my own tattoo's," she said as she took my arm to stop me before presenting the underside of her forearm to show me her a variety of symbols and numbers.

"These are mine, this is the marking of my current owner and his house as well as my status," she said while pointing at an elaborate set of symbols including a green circle, "and this is my identification number. These are all standard, but we probably won't need to do her neck as her hair would hide that anyway."

Having explained the tattoo's, we spent some time hashing out plans as we finished winding our way through the ship. Arriving back in the suite I entered first to find Emily investigating a book case humming to herself while dressed in a tight-fitting slave dress falling to just above her knee with just a single strap tied behind her neck and exposing her naked back.

"Did you find anything to your liking?" I asked startling her.

"Harry...I didn't hear you come in," she said looking up at me surprised as I noticed she was still wearing Scarlett's old collar. She began to bound over to me but stopped just short as she noticed Tam standing behind me.

"Tam!" Emily exclaimed as she threw herself into her companion's arms as they both clung to one another.

"Em, what are you wearing?" Tam said in a troubled tone as she then fingered Emily's collar who looked embarrassed under her companion's gaze.

Hearing the commotion Scarlett soon joined in an almost identical dress to Emily and politely introduced herself to a flustered Tam who stayed quiet just staring at me angrily.

"Master, while you were out, we ordered breakfast as well as hot water for showers and there should be plenty left over for you," Scarlett added.

Scarlett noted the scathing look Tam had turned on me and attempted to break the ongoing silence, "Please don't take this the wrong way but you look like someone who could really do with a hot shower."

She finally looked away from me, "You have a hot shower? I haven't washed properly since we boarded," Tam replied politely as her anger momentarily faded.

"Tam, you should go, I just had one and it was amazing," Emily added excitedly as Tam soon relented and followed Scarlett into the bathroom.

Emily then turned to me with bright eyes, "Thank you for bringing her here, Harry, it means a lot to me."

"I knew you desperately wanted to see her. But I'm not sure Tam approves of this though," I replied earnestly gesturing to her collar.

"I just wanted to wear one of your collars," Emily said a little sheepishly, "It is still up to me whether I choose to or not."

I smiled at her, "well it does make you look even sexier to me!"

Emily smiled back at my words holding her hand to the collar, "Should I take it off? Tam did seem a little perturbed by how I'm dressed."

"I think she is just being protective. I didn't fully explain what we've been up to and I think she is just worried that I am taking advantage of you."

Emily then gave me a strange look before asking, "I know she wants what is best but I don't feel like either or us actually knows more than the basics of what a Font is. Can you explain to me what being one actually involves?"

Her question put me on the backfoot as I was worried about frightening her too much but in the end, I felt that the truth was the safest course of action.

"Ok, but why don't we talk somewhere more private," I replied as I walked into the bedroom with Emily close behind me nervous about what was to come next. I sat down on the edge of the bed turning to face its centre as Emily cautiously sat opposite me folding her legs beneath her.

"I'll try and keep it as simply as I can but this might not be the easiest thing to hear," I said while looking her straight in the eyes, "my understanding is that once a gifted person is bound by the soul stone it basically creates something similar to a dam in their magical core. This is linked directly to the holder of the bond and prevents them having any control over magic leaving their body. While in close proximity the Font's magic feeds directly into the Sorcerer's core granting them a significant boost to both their magical strength and stamina.

"So, is that why Fonts are usually kept so close to their Masters?"

"Exactly, and is also the reason they are so sought after. In some cases, they can exponentially increase a Sorcerer's power, it all just depends on the Font's strength and whether they share a similar core with the Sorcerer.

"The binding is far from perfect though and any mana not being drawn builds up behind the dam with no way for it to be released by the Font themselves."

"Is that sort of like what happened to me yesterday?" she asked quietly.

"To some extent, you had a build-up of mana but were still able to release it into me and the surrounding room. With a Soul Stone bond the dam prevents the Font from doing this which can eventually become too much for the body to handle leading to burnouts that could prove fatal."

"So, how is it that Fonts don't all burn out?" she asked inquisitively.

"That is where the process of harvesting comes into play as this allows a Sorcerer to absorb the built-up mana into themselves and in doing so, they receive a momentary but powerful boost which can either be used then or released safely. Historically Sorcerer's used to harvest their Fonts before battle as the short-term gain temporary boost significantly outweighed having the font nearby."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Scarlett said innocently.

"It's the way the harvesting works that is the barbaric part," I added cringing at the next part, "For most Font's kept in close proximity with their magic being used regularly it is only needed every few weeks but it requires the Sorcerer to perform a ritual to work. The ritual requires some form of penetration so something as simple as kissing can pass on mana but that is extremely inefficient way of doing so. Many Sorcerers' use oral and vaginal sex but the harsher one's resort to the most effective and fastest method with subjugation magic which is what the plug is trying to prepare you for."

Emily gave me a horrified look, "You mean Scarlett was preparing for you to use my back end?"

"If you end up with me, we can make sure to avoid doing so," I said trying to be reassuring.

"But what if I don't end up with you? What would happen to me?" she asked looking increasingly troubled.

"Emily, if you were someone else's bound slave they could do whatever they wanted with no consequences. Given how beautiful you are most Sorcerers would want to...never mind. We don't need to discuss that." I said cutting myself off.

"They would want to what?" she asked very quietly.

"Emily, I think you know." I replied soberly.

"They would fuck me wherever they like whether I want it or not," she answered coldly with watering eyes.

I didn't know how to respond to that so simply stayed quiet as my silence confirmed her statement to be correct. I didn't want to explain the next part but knew she needed to know, "The binding process is what lays the foundation for the harvesting ritual. It uses complicated subjugation magic and requires penetration to work in much the same way," I said again cringing at my own words.

Panic spread across her face as she comprehended what I'd just said.

"From what I've read there are a few schools of thought but the process is said to require sodomy to guarantee the bond will form. That's why Scarlett is trying to help prepare you for something bigger."

She looked beyond frazzled by this point as the true extent of what she might soon be subjected to dawned on her.

"Emily...there are still other options, you don't have to be my font. I don't want to force you to do it. But if you want to be mine then you need to be prepared so it doesn't hurt you."

"I want to be yours...but I'm still a virgin, I don't want that to be how I lose my innocence," she replied desperately, "I thought I just had to be your pleasure slave and we'd have time to get used to things," she said taking my hand gripping onto me.

I felt a sudden urge to protect her and pulled her against my side hugging her.

"What's wrong? I felt your upset through our bond," Scarlett said as she joined us seeing Emily's evident worry.

"She hadn't fully understood what a font is required to do and I was just explaining things in a bit too much detail," I replied quietly as I still held Emily against me.

Scarlett came over and slipped in behind Emily rubbing her back caringly.

"What's wrong? Are you scared of what you'd have to do as a Font?" Scarlett asked kindly.

Emily nodded without looking around.

"You do know that it only has to be a part of it. If you belong to Master you can serve alongside me...just as we discussed. We can make sure it is always enjoyable!"

"But Harry said that I might need to be sodomized and that small one already hurts...I'm not sure I can cope," she mumbled fairly incoherently.

"Em, what do you think would happen if you are taken by someone other than Master?"

"Hold on Scarlett, there is no need to scare her."

"No, she needs to know. If she's scared of you doing that to her, she needs to understand what would happen if she is captured and bound to a different Sorcerer."

At this point Emily spun around to look up at both of us, "What does she mean?"

"Scarlett don't, I've explained this!"

"Are you sure you told her everything," Scarlett replied to me as she turned seriously to Emily.

"If you are bound to someone else, they may not even care about whether you are hurt or not. They will take whatever they need whenever they need it and your pleasure or pain won't matter to them. You would just be a valuable asset they will wheel out to drain, use and abuse before locking away again."

There was a long pause after Scarlett finishing speaking before Emily turned to me looking paler than before.

"Is that true Harry? Is that really how Fonts are treated?" Emily whispered.

"By no means are all Fonts treated like that...but many of those found when they go through testing are broken by their training and simply become repositories of mana void of any emotion. There are still some with spirit left but those wealthy or powerful enough to own a font typically just have harems of pleasure slaves to hand which often leads to their Fonts being seen as nothing more than a utility."

"How do I know that you would never treat me like that?"

I put my hand over hers as she pulled her knees into her chest.

"Emily, I think you feel the connection we share. I just want to protect you," I said honestly as the three of us sat there in silence.

Deciding that we needed a new topic of conversation I broached a separate topic, "There are still other options, Tam just told me all about who your father is, would it not make more sense to get you back to his protection? He is a Sorcerer as well."

"Please don't get him involved...I can't lose him as well."

"Wait," Scarlett said, "who is her father?"

"Lord Carrington," I replied offhandedly keeping my attention on Emily.

"That's not possible...he only has sons."

I was continuously amazed by Scarlett's knowledge of the nobility within the Kingdom. Emily then turned to address Scarlett.

"Those are my much younger half-brothers, he kept me hidden my entire life but I'm yet to find out why."

"Wait you are twenty-one right...is your mother, Lady Clara? Scarlett asked almost excitedly.

"Lady Clara was my mother...but she died when I was a baby," Emily replied sadly still snuggled against my side.