by Raven Li
Sasha winced. “I was always told that only the nobility could receive Osan’s blessing.”
Anger simmered in Elodan’s frown, but it was not directed at her. “Arath was always an elitist of the worst stripe. And no doubt the nobles liked hearing that they were special, blessed above all others. Why give the lower classes any avenue to better themselves if you can keep all the power for yourself instead? Damn them!”
Something in the way he spoke gave Sasha sudden insight. “You were not born to nobility yourself, then?”
A faint smile twitched the corner of his mouth. “No. Or at least, I highly doubt it. I was a foundling, left on the Order’s doorstep. The mages raised me from infancy.” He sighed and shook his head. “You must understand, Sasha. My views were not radical ones when I was young—many, many others felt the same way. But Arath was the son of the First, and hungry for power. We grew up together, but we were never close, for even as children I could see the warped nature growing in him. Sycophants of every kind flocked to his side, knowing that he would someday rule over the Order. The erosion of our old ways began slowly, small changes that did not cause any of us undue alarm. But sadly small changes gradually accumulate into large ones. When we realized what had happened, it was already too late. Even so, we did our best to rebel and turn the Order back to what it had once been. Although I was their leader, I was not the only one who stood up to Arath by far.”
“You were betrayed,” she remembered.
He nodded unhappily. “Yes. So when I faced Arath for the final time, I was still very weak and ill, and all the advantage was his. Now I return to find that Arath’s depravity has only grown in the intervening years. It sickens me to think that no one has opposed him in all that time. The villagers I don’t blame—they have little hope to stand up against magic. Arath would destroy them, their families, their homes, everything. But the other mages...it is a sad day.”
Sasha twisted her hands together uncertainly. Although she didn’t think he meant his condemnation for her, she wondered suddenly what she would have done if she alone had chanced upon the scene they had just left. Would she have spoken out and protected the boy? Or would she have accepted Arath’s decree that killing him was the right, the just, the holy thing to do?
“You did the right thing, saving that boy,” she said at last.
He flashed her a smile that made her heart catch in her throat. “Thank you. I noticed that you failed to run and hide as I instructed.”
She flushed and looked down. “I...didn’t want to leave the boy in danger,” she mumbled.
“Of course.” Although his tone was neutral, she wondered if she didn’t detect some disappointment hidden in its depths.
And I couldn’t leave you, not when you were doing the right thing, she thought. But she couldn’t quite bring herself to say it aloud.
Chapter Ten
They traveled as far as they were able that night, knowing that no one from the Order would dare set foot outside once the sun had set. Even so, they were forced to seek shelter around midnight, as their steps began to stumble with exhaustion. Sasha awoke to the dawn, aching, tired, and dirty. For a moment she missed her bed back at the Order’s castle—it might have been hot and empty, but at least it was soft.
Elodan sat on a rock near her, watching the sunrise. Hearing her stir, he turned, a brilliant smile lighting his face. “The spell I cast yesterday has already borne fruit,” he said in obvious excitement. Holding out his hand, he showed her one of the small, white birds made only from light that he had released from the glade the day before.
“Who returned it?” she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and wishing heartily for a bath.
“An old friend by the name of Githsed. He has been living in the guise of a prosperous merchant ever since my downfall, and has managed to escape detection by the Order.” Elodan came to sit by her, grasping her hands in his. “I was so afraid that everyone who knew me had been killed. This truly gives me hope.”
She had to smile at his excitement. “I’m glad for you.”
“The good news is that he lives near here. We can be there by sundown.”
* * *
Githsed’s house was a large, though modest, structure on the very outskirts of town. A tall wall enclosed it, pierced by a single high, iron gate. Through the bars of the gate, Sasha could see a neat brick house surrounded by gardens and trees.
They were clearly expected—even as they approached, the gates swung open and an old man rushed out. Although he leaned on a cane, he moved quickly, and a happy smile stripped years from his face.
“Elodan! Dear Goddess, I can’t believe it’s really you!”
The two men embraced, clapping each other on the back. Then the merchant pulled away, taking Elodan by the shoulders and studying his face with a look of wonder. “You haven’t changed at all.”
“One of the consequences of being stuck in limbo, my friend,” Elodan replied sadly.
“Indeed? You will have to tell me everything. Come in, come in, and let me introduce you to my family.”
Elodan nodded, then turned and took Sasha’s hand. “Githsed, this is Sasha, the brave woman who freed me.” His mouth twitched in a wistful smile. “However unknowingly.”
Githsed bowed as low as he could while maintaining a grip on his cane. “Thank you. We all owe you a great debt.”
Flustered, Sasha could only nod her head. As Elodan had pointed out, she hadn’t realized that she was setting the Dark Mage loose on the world once again. Indeed, if she had known at the time, she would not only have left him in limbo, but reported him to Arath.
It hurt her heart to think of what might have happened then. I care about him, she admitted to herself. Despite the upheaval of the last few days, she was no longer sure that she regretted anything that had happened.
Although the interior of Githsed’s house was not ostentatious, he clearly had done well as a merchant. There was only a single servant, a man who had been with Githsed for many years and was privy to all his secrets. Githsed explained that his son was away on a trip, but that his granddaughter would join them at dinner.
After giving them an opportunity to wash some of the dust from their faces, he conducted them to a large dining room. A host of delicious smells wafted to Sasha from the dishes already set out on the table, and her stomach complained indelicately. The lone servant stood ready against one wall, and a young woman rose from the end of the table to greet them.
“This is Alyce, my granddaughter,” Githsed said proudly. “She lives with me, as she’s not yet wed, and her father hopes that she’ll someday take over the business.”
Alyce smiled and held out her hand to Elodan. She was a beautiful woman, Sasha realized. Golden hair tumbled loosely around a perfect face, and her breasts strained against her bodice. Clear blue eyes fixed on Elodan’s handsome features, and she smiled at him with lush, full lips that looked as if they had been made for kissing.
“A pleasure,” she murmured in a throaty voice.
Elodan returned her smile and accepted a seat beside her. Fuming silently, Sasha sat beside Githsed. Although the food set before her was delicious, she barely tasted it.
Elodan told his story over the first course, explaining that he had been freed and was now fleeing. After the incident of the night before, he felt certain that the Order would be looking for him, and that he would have to keep moving to evade them.
As he spoke, Alyce kept her eyes fixed on him. She let out little gasps at the correct times, and touched his arm lightly in a gesture of concern. Sasha’s dislike of the other woman grew by the moment.
Once Elodan had finished, Githsed related his own tale. “I was one of the lucky ones,” he admitted, a sad look passing over his lined face. “As you can imagine, your defeat was a crushing blow to those of us rebelling against Arath and his vision of the Order. Most were caught and killed. I managed to disappear, until at last the search for us died down. I think Arath didn’t want it
to seem like he was less than omnipotent, and couldn’t admit that some of us had continued to evade him. When I deemed it safe, I began a new life as a merchant. I fell in love and got married, and after that I didn’t dare speak out against Arath for the sake of my family.”
Sasha stifled her gasp of horror. Githsed had admitted to the sin of romantic love—and had done so without any appearance of shame. She searched his face for signs of guilt or remorse, but saw only sadness.
He seemed so nice, she thought, confused. How could he admit to such a thing? Elodan claims that love between a man and a woman is a gift, not a curse. Of him, I would have expected such a thing—he is the Dark Mage, after all. But it seems that others believe it as well.
Talk turned to other things over dessert. Sasha watched in annoyance as Alyce leaned over every time she spoke to Elodan, exposing large amounts of breast. At last the gathering wound down, however, and Githsed suggested they all go to bed.
“Shall I show you to your room?” Alyce asked Elodan, all but licking her lips as she did so.
“That won’t be necessary,” Sasha snapped. Rising from the table, she took Elodan’s hand possessively in hers. “I’m sure we can find it with no trouble.”
An amused smile played around Elodan’s lips as the servant offered to show them to the room he had prepared. The Dark Mage kept his peace until they reached the room, which was on the upper floor. Wide windows let in the moonlight, and a host of candles of all shapes and sizes further illuminated the chamber. An enormous four-poster bed dominated the room, its canopy drawn back to reveal a mountain of soft comforters and pillows. Sumptuous curtains, held in place by silk sashes, framed every window in a profusion of lace. A small vase on a table held an arrangement of flowers, which perfumed the air with their light scent.
As soon as the servant shut the door behind him, Elodan began to chuckle.
“I don’t see anything amusing,” she snapped.
“Ah, my Sasha.” He slid his arms around her. “You have nothing to be jealous of.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“So you said at the inn earlier,” he murmured, lowering his head. His hot breath touched her skin, and she felt his teeth graze her earlobe. “I don’t believe you. Admit that you want me for yourself alone.”
She closed her eyes, shocked that something as simple as his playing with her earlobe could be so erotic. “I won’t,” she whispered.
“I let you get away with that lie before, but not tonight, I think,” he murmured.
At the playful note in his voice, she began to wonder what he had in mind. “Really? How are you going to make me?”
He drew back and flashed her a wicked grin. “You’ll see.”
Going to the window, he leisurely untied one of the silken sashes that held back the curtains, then returned to her. Holding the sash outstretched between his hands, he lightly ran it over her face, down her neck, and over the exposed tops of her breasts. It felt cool and soft and smooth, and she sighed in pleasure.
“Take off your shirt,” he instructed softly. She complied quickly, and he ran the silk over her nipples, making her arch her back. The sash slid over them, down to her belly, back up again, and then down one arm, where he gently looped it around her wrist. Before she knew what he had done, he had bound it there.
For a moment, worry flashed through her. But then she realized that she trusted him, as insane as it seemed. So when he tugged on the loose end, drawing her to the bed, she went willingly.
He pulled her down on the bed, then tied the loose end of the sash to one of the posts. Then he went back to the windows and retrieved three more, one of which he immediately used to bind her other wrist to the other post. Kneeling over her half-naked body, he ran his hands over her skin, tweaking her nipples so that they tightened.
“Beautiful Sasha,” he whispered, then grasped her skirt and slid it down and off. Using the other two sashes, he bound her ankles to the bedposts as well, then moved back to admire his handiwork.
Sasha tugged experimentally at her bindings, but they gave only a little. She lay spread-eagled and helpless before him, but the feeling of vulnerability that gripped her was startlingly erotic. Her heart beat faster, and she could feel her juices starting to flow between her opened legs.
He took a moment to admire her, his eyes dropping to her spread thighs. Very deliberately he leaned over and looked at her there, then slid his fingers into her. She whimpered, hips grinding, wanting more.
“So wet. Are you ready to admit that you want me just for yourself?”
“No,” she gasped, becoming aware of the rules of the game they were playing.
“Too bad.” He removed his fingers from her, leaving her whimpering in frustration. Very slowly, he stripped off his clothes, the candlelight revealing his magnificent body. Standing close by her head, he stroked his hard cock with one hand. She moaned and tried to shift nearer, wanting to touch it, but it remained just out of reach.
“Poor girl,” he teased. Climbing onto the bed, he rubbed the head of his cock over her breasts and belly. Turning his attention to her cunt, he stretched out and languidly began to play with her clit and labia with his fingers, stroking her just enough to intensify her excitement without letting her come.
She moaned in frustration, bucking her hips helplessly. “I want you.”
“Do you? For your very own?”
It was hard to hold out, but she did. “No.”
“Then anything might do instead of me, hmm?”
Before she could question him, he rolled off the bed. There were a number of unlit candles stationed around the room, and he selected two, one thin and one thick. He ran his fingers over the candles, checking their smoothness as he returned to the bed. Crouching between her outspread legs, he placed the thin candle against her opening.
She gasped as she realized what he meant to do. Then the candle was sliding in, parting her just a little, as if a long finger invaded her. She groaned, arching her back as he pumped it in and out a few times—then pulled it out altogether.
“How wet you are,” he said, holding up the now-slick candle for evidence. Then he lowered it again—only this time, its slippery surface pressed against her anus.
She felt it pushing against her and tried to wriggle away, but she was bound too tightly. Slowly the thin candle invaded her rear entrance, opening up the tight ring of her anus. The feeling was strange, but also oddly pleasant. Torn between admitting that she was enjoying such an act, and denying that she could, she only whimpered.
Leaving the thin candle in place, he picked up the thicker one and began to slide it into her cunt. Sasha moaned as it opened her wider; it felt only a little slimmer than Elodan’s phallus. Between the two candles, she felt opened, stuffed. Both openings gripped their invaders tightly, while her swollen clit throbbed with the need to be touched.
Elodan leaned back to admire his handiwork, leaving the thick candle lodged in place. “Frustrating?” he asked.
“Yes,” she moaned. “Please, at least move it back and forth!”
“But it looks so lovely,” he teased. His fingers gave her clit a quick pinch, not enough to get her off, and she moaned. “I love seeing you stretched and stuffed. It excites me.”
Indeed, his cock looked almost painfully stiff, the head flushed a deep purple. With another wicked smile, he straddled her body. His hands cupped her breasts, pushing them together, and he slid his cock in between them and began to pump slowly.
“Oh, yes, that’s better,” he moaned.
Sasha groaned in frustration. The sight of his cock sliding between her breasts enflamed her further, but the candles stuffed in her couldn’t bring any relief. Desperate, she flicked her tongue out and licked the tip of his cock as it thrust nearer.
“Good girl,” he said, and let go of her breasts. Clasping her head between his hands, he lowered himself into her mouth. She sucked frantically, eagerly at his cock, the salty taste of his precome filling her mouth. He gru
nted and began pumping, fucking her mouth while her cunt begged for him.
“Shall I come in your mouth?” he gasped, face glazed with lust. “Perhaps I should, and leave you tied up as you are after, so that I can pleasure myself anytime I want.”
The thought was incredibly erotic, and she would have groaned if her mouth hadn’t been filled with his organ. With a gasp, as if in effort, he pulled away.
“Do you want me?” he demanded, stroking his cock with one hand.
“Yes! Oh Goddess, yes!”
“Do you want me just for your own?”
She couldn’t stand any more teasing. “Yes! I want you just for myself! I want you to fuck me and no one else! I want your cock in me and yours alone!”
With a wild growl, he crouched between her bound legs and pulled both candles free. Before she could even cry out at the emptiness, he was shoving his cock into her. She started coming as soon as he did so, her cunt clenching hard even as he pushed inside. “Elodan!” she screamed.
“Yes!” He gripped her hips, lifting her off the bed, and began to pound into her. She wanted to wrap her legs around him, but she was still tied and helpless, unable to do anything but let him take her, let him have his way with her, let him do anything to her body that he pleased...
They both cried out at once, and through the blaze of her own orgasm she felt him thrust deep inside her, his cock seeming to spasm as jets of come filled her.
As Sasha gradually came back to herself, she felt him untying her. As soon as she was free, they curled up together, the soft sheets drawn up around them. “See? I knew you were jealous,” he teased sleepily.
She thumped him lightly on the shoulder. “Doesn’t it get boring, being right so much of the time?”
He chuckled and kissed her gently. “No. Never.”
Chapter Eleven
