by Eden Redd
“Is this the only way?”
“For now, yes. I can continue searching but since the tattoo has changed, I feel like we may be running out of time.”
Trystan was silent for a long moment, “When do you want to try?”
“We can do it this evening after we set up camp. I have to warn you; you must open your mind completely to me. If you hold back, then it will make the process that much harder. I know your uncomfortable with me seeing your thoughts and memories but I promise to be professional. Anything I see will not go beyond us.”
“Thank you, Gwen. I don’t know how to repay you for all your help.”
“Let’s see if we have any success first. Then we can discuss payment,” Gwen smiled.
The hike North went on without incident. The sun moved through the sky and the four marched with even purpose. Trystan spent most of the time trying to get his thoughts in order. He could feel the specter of worry hovering over him. The thought of having someone in his head was bad enough but to have Gwen searching through his mind set the mage on edge. Try as he might, he pushed away every seductive thought out of his mind only to have them rushing back. Secret desires and lurid fantasies played out and a few times the mage felt his cheeks flush red.
Gwen continued on, walking alongside Lori, discussing possibilities when they reach the ruins and courses of actions. Aznara continued to float behind them, the gloom over her growing more and more. Trystan tried every meditation trick he could remember but it was no good. Unfortunate acceptance curled around the mage’s mind as he finally gave up. The Ink Witch was going to see his thoughts and he simply had to be okay with it.
The sun dipped low and the four companions stopped their trek. In a small clearing they set up their camp. Lori and Aznara walked off to gather firewood, leaving Gwen and Trystan alone as they prepared the fire pit. When they were done, Gwen went to her tent and pulled out a rolled-up blanket. Trystan could feel himself grow more and more nervous. Thoughts spilled from fantasies to the block of darkness shrouding the corner of his mind. The mage felt deep down he didn’t want to unlock what was hiding there. It slept like a beast, making small sounds and licking its lips. Trystan knew it would not be pleasant but he must do something. The mage had to trust his friend, even with the secrets of the Libro Nocte.
Lori and Aznara walked back with bundles of sticks in their arms. Trystan jumped to his feet and helped them. A short time later, a fire burned bright. Aznara and Lori sat down, ready to eat their meals. Trystan was about to sit with them until Gwen silently put a hand on his shoulder.
“Lori and Aznara, keep an eye on camp. Trystan and I are going to patrol the area. We may be gone for a while so don’t wait up,” Gwen commanded with a gentle tone.
The druid and mage nodded but their eyes turned to each other for a moment. Trystan could feel the hand on his shoulder curl into his jacket and the mage was gently pulled to the woods.
The witch and mage walked for a long while, the sun setting to the West. They reached a small clearing, the tops of trees taking a calming orange glow. Gwen unrolled the blanket in the middle of the clearing and set it down. Sitting down with legs crossed, she beckoned the mage closer. Trystan walked over and sat on the blanket across from the ink witch, fingers fidgeting.
“Take a deep breath and calm your heart and mind. I will be doing all the work. You just have to sit and open your mind to me. Don’t concentrate on anything but the sound of my voice.”
Trystan nodded.
Gwen moved a little closer, her knees touching Trystan’s. Pale hands reached out, one touched his neck while another touched his chest. Gwen’s eyes closed and lips parted. Trystan took a deep breath and let his body relax. He treated it like he was going to the healer’s office. Gwen was just going to poke around and see what was wrong. Then she will give him a prescription and he will be on his merry way. Despite the internal pep talk, Trystan felt his heart beat just a tad faster.
Gwen started a humming chant. The vibrations from her throat were low but they grew with each passing moment. The hum was hypnotic and Trystan found himself mentally swaying to it. On and on it droned, flooding their senses and bringing them to a state of openness. The mage could feel wisps of energy reaching out and touching him. At first it tingled but soon tendrils caressed his own mana. The outside world fell into a wavy darkness. Trystan felt like he was under water, sinking lower and lower until he reached the bottom. There he swayed to the currents, lost to warm vibrations and gentle caresses. A pair of hidden eyes opened. Something pushed along his mind and finally dived in.
Trystan floated like a leaf on the breeze. The mage opened his eyes to a purple sky. Lifting his head, he could see his body floating along tall grass. With a mental push the mage was on his feet and searching the yellow field. A shadow pushed through the tall grass. The mage stared as it took shape. A feminine form coalesced with a steeple hat on her head. Gwen lifted the rim and smiled gently, stepping closer and closer to the mage. Trystan could not take his eyes off of her. Hips swayed as she walked to him. Hands reached up and took hold of his waist. Looking down, the mage saw he was naked.
Gwen eyed him, pressing her body against his. Another shadow rose behind the ink witch to form another Gwen. Trystan looked passed Gwen’s inviting lips to the other Gwen who smiled.
“The image you are touching is from your mind. I’m the real Gwen.”
Trystan looked to each Gwen in confusion. Hands slid around his waist and touched his back. Gwen walked over and stopped a few feet from Trystan. The Gwen touching Trystan cooed and pushed her body against his.
Gwen tilted her head, “She is stopping me from getting closer. Or better yet, you are stopping me.”
“I’m not doing anything. I’m just here,” Trystan said and the Gwen on him kissed his lips.
Gwen pressed her body, clothes slipping away to nothingness. Breasts touched Trystan’s bare skin and blood began to rush. Gwen watched as her false image took hold of the mage whispering in his ear to lay down.
“Trystan, you’re blocking me and you’re using her to do it. Send it away,” Gwen said with a commanding edge.
Trystan shook his head, “I don’t think I can send her away.”
From the tall grass rose another feminine form. Trystan turned to see red hair and a sly smile. Nia stepped closer, hands out. Trystan could feel an edge of panic. Embarrassment coiled around his mind. Trying to break from the false Gwen, the image only held on stronger. Nia stepped close, breasts pressed against his arm. The mage was having difficulty breathing as his temperature skyrocketed.
The true Gwen stepped closer, “Let me into your mind.”
Trystan tried to untangle himself but Nia and the false Gwen held him tighter. False Gwen slid to her knees. Trystan looked down and could see he was hard and throbbing. Nia took hold of his member and pressed the head to false Gwen’s lips.
True Gwen reached out and touched Trystan’s head. False Gwen let his cock slide between her lips into her wanting mouth. Moans filled the area as both female images moved their bodies against the naked mage.
Spikes of mana pushed through the mage’s skull. Trystan tried to relax but the Gwen on her knees happily sucked his member. The mage let the spikes dig deeper and deeper. Gwen placed her hand on his other cheek and let her mind push further into his. A black book appeared and disappeared behind true Gwen. The mental cages rattled as the Ink Witch bore her way through. Mana surged as walls broke down. Trystan wanted to let himself be free but a terrible hunger raked claws against mental bars. Nia tried to pull true Gwen’s hands free from Trystan’s face. The Ink Witch held fast and the red head’s eyes turned demonic.
“You are going to let this bitch inside you. I thought you loved only me!” The image of Nia growled.
False Gwen pulled Trystan’s cock from her mouth, “He can’t love another. He only has feelings for me. He pleasures himself to this body. He wants me and cannot deny his urges.”
“Trystan, ignore them.
I can touch the darkness. I can feel it cloaking itself in your mind. Push them away and let me cut away the shadows,” Gwen said as her eyes rolled into her head.
Webbed blue hands touched Trystan’s bare chest, “Master belongs to me,” The siren said seductively.
Trystan’s emotions ran off the rails. In the purple distance, tidal wave hundreds of feet high swept towards them. The mage looked up as it blocked out the purple sun and ate up tall yellow grass. Gwen held tighter, digging deeper. The darkness felt the witch and growled deeply, claws flashing.
“Almost there….” Gwen whispered.
The wave was over them, the top cresting. Trystan gazed upward with helpless eyes. The darkness let the ink witch in a little closer before slashing outward. Gwen grunted. Nia and false Gwen were on their feet and attacking true Gwen. Trystan let out a yell before the wave came crashing down. The force was enough to slam the mage down and hold him in a vice.
Trystan and Gwen opened their eyes. The mage’s lungs burned as he held his breath. Gasping, the mage took in a long inhale of clean evening air. Gwen sat back, her hands on the blanket and arms holding her up. A sad disappointed look creased her brow.
“I’m sorry,” Trystan said as he gulped in air.
“Take slow breaths. Calm yourself,” Gwen said.
“I….I didn’t know…I didn’t know you could go that deep. It felt like you were touching my soul,” Trystan said as he slowly calmed himself down.
“In a way, I was. Your anxiety made it very difficult to part the darkness in your mind. I managed to touch it but only barely.”
“I’m sorry you saw that,” Trystan said as his eyes pointed down.
Gwen’s eyebrows arched upward. A hand reached up and touched the mage’s cheek, “Trystan, you have nothing to be sorry about. Would it help you feel better if you knew I had my own fantasies about you?”
Trystan’s eyes widened, “You have?”
The Ink Witch nodded, “There is no shame in it. You speak to me about your desires but I have my own. I……cannot deny my own wants.”
“I feel selfish for having so many feelings. I love Nia but I have feelings for a few people. They speak loudly and I feel I must spend my time chaining them up.” Trystan brought his knees up and placed his arms on them.
Gwen looked down, “You have feelings for me and I have feelings for you. I wish I could give any answer that would satisfy you.”
“What do we do now?” Trystan asked.
“I will need time to think over how we can overcome your mental blocks. You, my dear mage, will have to work on calming yourself and accepting me into your mind.”
“How do I do that?”
Gwen looked to the mage, “I will teach you some meditation techniques and breathing exercises. Maybe with a little time, your mind will be calm enough to let me in.”
“If you think it will help. When do we start?”
Gwen smiled, “We start now. Tomorrow we reach the ruins and we will have to capture the green version of Bella. Once we complete the trial, we can try again to part the darkness in your mind.”
Trystan listened as Gwen began explaining the exercises. The night air grew cooler but the mage continued to feel warm. Listening to the ink witch only made his heart beat with a heated glow. Crickets played on in the background as the crescent moon took its place in the night sky.
Ten
Trystan placed his bedroll into his backpack and closed it. Standing up, he saw the others finishing packing up. Birds chirped around them and the sun appeared from behind the horizon. The mage felt better after a good night’s sleep. The aches seemed a little less from their travels and the spirit was alive. Memories of last night played out as the mage remembered the meditation exercises Gwen showed him. Before he fell asleep, he ran through the techniques and blissfully fell to sleep.
Aznara glanced over at Trystan as he stared off, lost in his head. The succubus smirked as she admired him but only for a brief moment. A pang of guilt snaked into her mind and her eyes saddened. Closing up her back pack, she stepped to the fire pit, ready to kick dirt and ash on it.
Gwen let her mind float. Showing Trystan her techniques only made her heart grow fonder. A battle of emotions raged on but the Ink Witch soothed them to complacency and locked them behind iron doors. The temptation was too much and she knew she could not fall into it, not again. Despite her best efforts, the wide-eyed mage pushed at her resolve and she felt it was only a matter of time before she succumbed to it. The witch felt so strong in many ways but her heart whispered weakness to her listening ears.
Lori turned to the forest and pretended to not notice her three companions caught in some silent struggle. The druid often wished she wasn’t so nosey. The trees and animals whispered everything that had happened. They told the druid about the discussion between the mage and the succubus. They told her about the secret meetings between the mage and the ink witch. The druid couldn’t understand the appeal personally. The mage was handsome and good natured but hardly a man worth fawning over. Still the druid remained quiet and refused to interfere. Better to listen then to get involved. With a half a day’s hike ahead of them, she had to be sure they reached Gray Peak Mountain safe and unharmed. Once they completed their trial, she would return them safe to the train.
The druid stared out to the forest, planning their path when a cold chill ran up her spine. At first Lori thought nothing of it until another ran up her spine. Spreading out her senses, she searched. The druid asked the trees but they were strangely quiet. She reached to the birds but they sang on, almost like they didn’t hear her. The druid mentally touched upon rodents but they burrowed deep as if they were trying to get away.
Dark realization spilled over the druid as her senses touched hearts. Their beat was steady and filled with purpose. The druid called up spells and spoke louder to the trees. The trees did not answer back, as if something was keeping them quiet.
Trystan walked up to Lori, “So, do you think we will get there by noon?” Trystan asked.
The druid remained still, eyes wide.
“Lori?” Trystan asked again with a raised eyebrow.
“Trystan, we are surrounded,” The druid whispered.
Trystan instantly became still, his own senses spreading out. He could not detect anything beyond the normal forest sounds and rhythms.
“They are masking themselves. Turn around slowly and tell the others,” Lori whispered out the side of her mouth.
Trystan silently turned and moved to Aznara. The succubus looked up with a small smile on her lips. It quickly faded when she saw Trystan’s grave expression. The mage reached to his belt and unscrewed his canteen top, placing the top in a pocket. Aznara noticed his action and readied spells in her mind.
“We are surrounded,” The mage said and turned toward Gwen.
The succubus called up air spells as she slung her back pack over her shoulder. Trystan continued to walk as normal as he could. The Ink Witch saw him, her eyes then darting to Aznara and finally Lori. Trystan was halfway to her when the witch nodded her head. Eyes spoke more than words and all four prepared for the unknown.
Lori let her senses touch the ground and trees around her. It was her ears that heard the pull of a bow strings. Foul breath drifted on the wind and black eyes glistened in the shadows of trees. Everything stopped and all waited for the world to breathe again.
A roar pierced the calm morning air. Arrows from all sides rained down on the four companions. Aznara acted first, calling a wind wall spell. Clawed hands moving, mana shot out and took hold of the very air. Like a thunder clap, the air whipped around them in a protective shroud, knocking every arrow out of the air. Lori spoke to the dying wood in the arrows and pleaded with the air spirits. Where Aznara’s spell forced the air to her command, the druid asked for the spirits to help.
Arrows rose back into the air, turning their sharpened points away from them. The druid whispered thanks and the arrows shot out. Sharp points struck shield
s, trees and earth. The force striking the shields caused the attackers to be thrown to the ground. Lori sniffed for blood but not a single drop was shed.
Trees rustled and massive shadows moved. Emerging from their hiding places, hulking green skinned monsters stepped into view. Pointed ears and protruding teeth gleamed in the morning light. Black hair covered some of their heads as Mohawks or long braids. Others were shaven and covered in tribal tattoos. The four companions backed up, backs to each other as more and more monsters surrounded them.
“Orcs,” Lori said with staff in hand and determination in her eyes.
“Surrender and you will not be harmed,” An orc with a long single braid stepped forward, curved sword in his meaty hand.
“We are on an expedition from the Elemental College and the Druid College. We mean you no harm and respectfully ask you to leave us to be on our way,” Lori said with conviction.
The orc gave the small druid a hard stare, “We know why you are here. The volley of arrows was to test your strength. You passed. We are to escort you to Gray Peak Mountain to meet with Lord Dubok.”
“The witch and mages are under my protection. This will be your last chance to leave us be,” Lori remained steadfast.
The orc lowered his blade, “Tell me druid, how many orcs do you see?”
Lori remained tight lipped. Trystan could count about twenty. Aznara licked her lips as she readied for a fight. Gwen whispered something quietly.
“I will tell you. You see twenty but there are thirty more ready to let loose another volley. Even if you four possess some expert skill at your various crafts, I doubt all will survive if I lift my sword up. Fifty orcs are ready to lay their lives down to escort or kill you. If I was in your boots, I would take the escort,” The orc finished with a sardonic grin.
Gwen put her hands up first, “We will go quietly.”
All three turned their heads to the witch in disbelief.
“Gwen, orcs haven’t been known for their kindness,” Trystan said with a spell ready.
