The Young Mage Ch. 02

"Something is happening!" the Queen exclaimed, rushing outside. Everyone else, along with Magnus and Lanaya, followed suit. Once they were outside, the shouts and screams became much louder.

"It is coming from the square of the Goddess!" Lanaya exclaimed and took off, quick like the wind. Magnus ran after her, struggling to keep pace. He ran, his eyes glued to Lanaya who was pulling away. As they approached the square, Magnus felt a change in the air. The day became... darker, somehow.

"Gods..." Magnus said, rushing into the overwhelming scene. The square was filled with Elves who were shouting, crying, screaming.... Some of them were on the ground, holding their heads, some were on their knees, but there were some who managed to remain standing. Magnus saw Lanaya give some orders to a couple of Elves. He followed her eyes, looking up... and then he saw it.... saw HER.

"SO NICE OF YOU TO JOIN US, HUMAN!" the familiar voice said, and Magnus felt ice in his veins.

Somna.

She was up in the air, an apparition wearing a huge black cloak with tattered edges. The darkness seemed to emanate from her cloak and the square looked like dusk had settled on it, even if it was the middle of the morning. The only thing distinguishable on her cloaked face were two shiny, red eyes.

"WHAT, YOU THOUGHT YOU GOT RID OF ME?! ARROGANT PUP! YOU ONLY MADE ME COME OUT, AND I AM HERE TO COLLECT WHAT IS MINE!" she said, her icy laughter spreading like a layer of cold. Magnus looked around to see some elven warriors finally arrive, carrying bows. They were nocking some strange-looking arrows with glinting arrowheads. To Magnus' eyes, it seemed like they were made of silver, as absurd as that seemed. Volleys of arrows were being loosed from the ground, many hitting the target, yet they were only making Somna angry...

"YOU THINK YOUR PUNY METAL CAN HURT SOMEONE LIKE ME?! WORTHLESS WORMS! I WAS OLD WHEN YOUR RACES WERE MAKING THEIR FIRST FEEBLE STEPS! I AM THE LADY OF DREAMS... THE LADY OF NIGHTMARES!" Somna screamed, motioning towards the warriors. They clutched their heads, shouting and screaming, many falling to the ground.

"FEEL MY POWER, FEEL MY DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES, AND SOON YOU WILL BE FEEDING ME WITH YOUR LIVES!" Somna exclaimed, her terrible laughter settling over the square once again.

Magnus took a deep breath, getting a grip on his thoughts. He cast a lightning bolt, and he saw it fly true, hitting Somna in the chest... yet, to his disappointment, he only saw her flinch...

"OOOHH, I LIKE YOUR SPIRIT, HUMAN! SHOW ME HOW POWERFUL YOU ARE!" Somna said, mocking him.

"Damn it, that worked on the dogs..." Magnus thought and then started casting every spell he knew. Fireballs, ice shards, kinetics... they rained on Somna, yet to no effect... Only lightning bolts seemed to provoke any kind of reaction from her... He glanced to the side and saw Lanaya fire from her shortbow with a frenetic pace. One by one, he saw the remaining Elves fall to the ground, overwhelmed by Somna's nightmares. Only a couple of them were left standing, among them Lanaya who kept firing her bow relentlessly, and the Queen, who was leaning on the statue of the Goddess and looked like she was praying...

"She is too powerful... but there has to be a way... there has to be something I can do.... Damn it, why do my spells have no effect?! Well, lightning has some small effect... but why? I feel... I feel there is an answer there, but for the life of me I can't grasp it..." Magnus thought, his mind working feverishly. He knew he didn't have much time before people started dying. Suddenly, he felt his mind being flooded with horrible images. Scenes of him stabbing Fiona, stabbing Lanaya, slitting the throats of his parents... Magnus gritted his teeth in pain.

"WHAT IS IT HUMAN?! ARE YOU FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER? DON'T WORRY, IT WILL ALL BE OVER SOON," Somna exclaimed, raising her cloaked hands.

"NO! I can't let this happen...How, how do I fight a demon of dreams and nightmares..." Magnus thought as he struggled to think coherently while under assault by a constant stream of nightmarish scenes.

"We... we need to wake up... Ohhh!"

An idea was forming in his head. He cast a spell and a sound of trumpets resonated throughout the square. Somna flinched, her creepy eyes settling on Magnus once again. The next moment, Magnus finished casting a second spell, and a bright light appeared high in the air...

"I WILL RIP OUT YOUR SOUL, HUMAN! YOU WILL KNOW TORTURE LIKE NO OTHER, I GIVE YOU MY WORD!" Somna screamed, her voice betraying anger and pain. Her cloak started emanating more darkness and Magnus' light started wavering.

"No, you will not!" Magnus roared, pulling energy with all his magical strength. Bright light and noise... the things that would always wake every soul from their dreams. Magnus screamed in defiance as the trumpets sounded, silencing everything else, and the light he cast became as bright as the sun itself...

"BEGONE, YOU FOUL CREATURE, AND NEVER COME BACK!!" Magnus screamed from the bottom of his lungs as he pulled energy into his two spells, his head pounding from the strain. Somna released a terrifying wail, louder even than the trumpets, and then in a huge burst of red light, she disappeared from sight...

Magnus stopped his spells, breathing hard and putting his hands on his temples. The silence lasted only for a second before moans of pain and sighs of relief sounded throughout the square.

"By the Goddess! It is over..." Lanaya said, leaning on her knees. Everywhere around, Elves were climbing to their feet, their pained looks betraying the torture they had been exposed to.

"Magnus! I think you banished her to her own plane... Thank the Goddess," The Queen said, coming closer with an unsteady pace. Magnus nodded, taking deep breaths and waiting for the stabbing pain in his temples to recede. Ironically, his healing magic couldn't help him with the pain that came from overdoing magic...

"How are you?" Magnus said after several moments, turning to Lanaya who was approaching, still gripping her bow.

"Better than most, I would say... but at least, the nightmare is finally over..." Lanaya said, giving him a timid smile.

***

Magnus spent the rest of that tumultuous day mostly avoiding everyone. After the incredible events that had happened, he became the center of attention in the elven community and he tried to avoid it as much as possible. That evening, he was finally told that the Seer would see him in the morning. Magnus felt elated at the news, even if he knew that his stay in this incredible place was coming to an end...

"The search for Lina is all that matters... Once I find her, I will start thinking about other things," Magnus thought. He was lying in his bed, trying to get a grip on his emotions. His mind was still in a state of shock after all the traumatic events he had been through. The things he had to do... The undeniable attraction between him and Lanaya, and the strength of his emotions for Fiona that had caught him completely off guard were also weighing on his mind, and sleep wasn't coming easily. In truth, he had to be satisfied with the fact that he had helped these people... He wondered if their stance towards humans would change now.

Tomorrow morning, Magnus was walking through the settlement, on his way to finally speak with the Seer. He watched Sela's graceful figure as she led him to the edge of the settlement to a simple stone house.

"This is it," Sela said, giving him an encouraging smile.

Magnus nodded and took a breath. He was apprehensive of what the Seer might tell him about Lina.

Entering the house, Magnus saw an elven female sitting on a simple stool. She had a pretty face and she was smiling at him, motioning at the chair close to her. For the life of him, Magnus couldn't tell her age, not even roughly. She seemed both young and ancient at the same time.

"Welcome, Magnus," she said simply.

"Thank you... Seer," Magnus said, unsure how to address her.

She nodded kindly.

"You are probably anxious and full of questions..."

"Yeah... I suppose I am."

"I understand. You have been through so much..."

Magnus watched her for a moment.

"You knew, didn't you? You knew what was going to happen?" he said finally.

The Seer took a deep breath and smiled weakly.

"Not exactly, my dear Magnus... The Goddess shows me only glimpses of the future, some small pieces of what could happen... All I really knew was that your presence here would help my people. I didn't know any specifics... If I did I would have warned you... and everyone else," the Seer said, sighing.

"Is there anything you can tell me about my sister, Lina?" Magnus said after a long moment. He had been gathering his courage to ask.

"Once again, I have seen only a glimpse... All I can tell you is that you will find more answers far to the west... Go to the Wildlands and find the slavers at the seaside. They will have answers about your sister..."

Magnus released the breath he was holding. He had been hoping he would hear she was alive, and dreading to hear she was dead, yet what he had gotten was neither. At least he had a place to look for. It would have taken him years and years of search to even consider going that far west.

"Thank you, Seer," Magnus said solemnly and got up to his feet.

"May the Goddess light your path and guide your steps, Magnus," the Seer said, rising and taking his hand. Her face was full of compassion. Magnus nodded and gave her a weak smile.

Walking back to the main square, Magnus thought about his next goal... It would take months to get to the seaside. But he wasn't going to quit his search because of the distance, that much was certain. He looked up towards the palace. An audience with the Queen was next on his agenda for this morning. He chuckled, remembering how his first audience went. He entered the palace, nodding to the guards at the entrance. As he walked down the long corridor, he noticed that except for the guards at the entrance, the palace was empty. He came to the throne room, wondering if he should just enter since there was no one to announce his arrival. After a moment's hesitation, he pushed inside cautiously... The Queen was sitting on the throne and apparently, she was alone.

"They probably consider me trustworthy now..." Magnus mused, his steps echoing in the large room. The Queen rose from the throne and descended to meet him.

"Magnus!" she exclaimed, smiling kindly at him. Magnus remembered her hostility when he first came to the elven lands... A lot happened since.

"Your, err... Highness," Magnus said awkwardly. He had heard the Elves call her 'Great Mother' but it felt weird to call her so. The Queen chuckled at his awkwardness.

"I am so glad you came..." she said, stopping just a few steps away from him.

"Of course," Magnus said, inclining his head.

"My people owe you a debt of gratitude... and I owe you an apology."

"No apology is needed-"

"Please, hear me out... My people suffered for a long time... Our beliefs, our way of life were shaken to the core... And I felt responsible for it all since I was the one who had been pushing for more interactions with humans. I was so angry... so desperate. My people were dying, slowly... my own brother died..." The queen said, emotions taking her for a moment. Magnus was watching her with sympathy.

"...and it was in that anger that this resentment towards humans started festering... I wanted you to be guilty so bad... because then, our punishment would have had some sense, it would have been an understandable, if incredibly harsh punishment from the Goddess... Yet, she showed me once again how blind and vain I am..." The Queen said with tears in her eyes.

"It must have been so hard to feel abandoned by the Goddess..." Magnus said with compassion.

"Oh, Magnus... Even after all the time spent here, I doubt you can truly understand how much our lives are influenced by the Goddess, from the moments we make our first steps... The feelings of despair and emptiness we shared during this troubled time can't be put into words. But The Goddess is wise and forgiving, and she shows us once again never to doubt in her guidance. The irony that it was a human who delivered us from ruin, isn't lost on me. We will once again start communicating and dealing with human kingdoms and I am almost convinced that it was for that exact reason that Somna had been summoned to plague us. Who did it, and why did that person or persons want to stop the cooperation between humans and Elves I do not know... but I do intend to put every effort into finding out," the Queen said, resolve and anger showing on her beautiful face.

Magnus nodded, thoughtful. The Queen hesitated for a second and then moved closer and embraced him tightly.

"Thank you, so much..." she said, her voice full of emotion. Magnus stood awkwardly for a second and then returned the embrace. It was an emotional moment, yet he couldn't help feeling the touch of her breasts on his chest, the warmth of her body, and her arousing scent. Despite himself, he felt his loins stir. The Queen ended the embrace that lasted somewhat longer than necessary. Both of their faces were slightly flushed.

"So... I remember you ruined your sword somehow while being in the... dreamland?"

"Eh, yes... I stabbed an enormous dog when I was in that place, and the sword just melted..."

"Excellent!" The Queen said, and seeing Magnus raise his eyebrows, she chuckled.

"That gives me a perfect excuse to give you a gift, Magnus," she said, walking back to the throne and taking something... a sword, apparently.

"This is for you... It belonged to my brother, and I wish you to have it."

"Your Highness, I..."

"I am not accepting any rejection!" she said firmly, unsheathing the sword. Magnus saw the blade was bright and shiny... it looked like it was made of silver. The Queen noticed his hesitant look.

"This blade is made of searite, a metal only Elves know how to process and shape. It is as hard as the finest steel but lighter, and it can hurt demonic creatures.... Well, lesser demonic creatures, at least. This one won't melt the next time you stab a demonic beast," she said, handing him the sword. Magnus took it and tested its balance and grip. He swung a couple of times and then nodded approvingly. The craftsmanship and the balance were extraordinary.

"Your Highness... I accept although I feel this is a priceless gift."

"Searite weapons aren't common even among us since it takes so much time and skill to craft them, and I doubt more than a few humans ever possessed one. But you are deserving of it, that much I am certain of. I want you to know that you will always be considered a friend to my people," The Queen said, taking his hand.

"Thank you, Your Highness... I feel honored. I must say I enjoyed my stay here very much. Your people are so free and spontaneous..." Magnus said, hesitating with words for a moment as he remembered his sexual episodes with Sela and Lanaya. He remembered Voron's words about how casually Elves regarded sex. The Queen had apparently read his thoughts and she gave him a playful smile and started caressing his hand, the hand she was still holding for some reason...

"Yes... Sela speaks so highly of you... and your skills," the Queen said, watching him blush suddenly. She chuckled at his embarrassed face.

"No need to feel embarrassed, Magnus. We see sexual intercourse as a beautiful and natural act. Nothing can bring more joy to the Goddess than celebrating life and passion," she said with conviction, her hand moving to caress Magnus' arm.

"She is flirting with me... What is it with royalty and me lately..." Magnus thought, feeling warmth on his face, while the Queen continued to caress him. He felt both aroused and hesitant, his human reasoning worried about disrespect... The Queen leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the lips. Magnus felt her warm body tremble in anticipation and he felt his restraint crumble as he finally pulled her into a sensual kiss. She moaned with appreciation, feeling his hands on her body and savoring his lips. After a minute, the kiss became much more aggressive, their tongues clashing as they explored each other's lips and mouths. Their breaths became heavier, and Magnus started squeezing the Queen's shapely body, his cock already going hard. The Queen broke the kiss finally and pulled him towards the throne.

"Come..." she said, giving him a lustful smile. She walked towards the throne, shedding her clothes and swaying her body seductively. Magnus followed her example, but he let her move away. He stood and watched, enjoying her seductive walk and assessing her body. She was much curvier compared to Sela and Lanaya and her figure was fuller, and Magnus found himself licking his lips with anticipation. He needed to taste that body. He saw her sit on the throne and recline slightly, her hands caressing her breasts.

"Damn, she looks like a goddess of sex," Magnus thought, feeling the urgency of his arousal. He climbed towards the throne, stopping at the last step. The Queen parted her legs only slightly, teasing him... Magnus took the last step and then knelt in front of her, putting his hands on her thighs. She shuddered in anticipation and then laughed heartily.

"Oh, Magnus... you are such a strange man. Not so long ago you were ready to fight to the death in order to avoid kneeling, yet it seems all I had to do was spread my legs..."

Magnus laughed.

"Well, my former Mistress used to say that it was almost impossible to force me into doing something, yet that I could be seduced into doing almost anything..."

"A wise woman, no doubt... Now, I am burning with desire to feel your lips..." The Queen said, parting her legs suggestively. Magnus moved in, kissing the shapely thighs and giving her small love bites. She moaned, her fingers entwining themselves in Magnus' hair...

"Ahh!" she moaned when she felt his tongue touch her bathed pussy.

"Exquisite..." Magnus thought, savoring the heavenly taste and scooping the juices that were leaking copiously. He explored her pussy, taking his time. He saw her clutch her breasts and knead them, firmly in the grips of her arousal. Magnus put his tongue to work, penetrating deep inside her pussy and caressing her sensitive spots. He licked and sucked, feeling her body respond and her orgasm building. She started bucking, squeezing him between her legs and he licked her with abandon, caressing her clit with his thumb.

"Ohh!... OOOHH!!" she cried out, her orgasm exploding on his lips. She was spurting so much juice and he drank it all, never stopping his tireless tongue-work. Her thighs were locked around his neck as her hips ground against his face, relishing the amazing orgasm...

"Goddess! Sela was right..." the Queen said, settling down slowly after her orgasm. Magnus was still nursing on her pussy, taking care not to stimulate her sensitive clit.

"Let's switch up..." she said, pulling him to his feet. He sat down on the throne, and she leaned forward, bending her flexible body and putting his cock in her mouth. Her playful smile was so telling. She was sucking his cock without kneeling. Magnus wanted to laugh, but found it challenging as her mouth was doing wonders on his cock... She sucked him for a while, her tongue caressing his cock and making him mad with arousal. She gave him one final kiss on the glans and then sat in his lap, facing him and sheathing his cock in her pussy.

"OOHH!" They both moaned as their bodies coupled, her legs going around his back. She started moving her hips slowly, seeking his lips and kissing him vigorously.

"Gods... If anyone ever told me I would be having sex with an Elven Queen on her very throne..." Magnus thought, kissing her tasty lips and running his hands all over her, feeling her soft skin. He broke the kiss and moved down with his lips, kissing her breasts and taking her nipples in his mouth, sucking them aggressively... She moaned loudly, her hips working faster, impaling her pussy on his hard cock. Their breaths became more urgent, her hips working faster as Magnus' lips and teeth kept doing their magic on her lovely nipples. She shuddered with arousal as his hands roamed all over her body, finally settling on her voluptuous ass, squeezing it, and helping her hips move with even more speed and urgency.