The (sort of) Dark Mage (Waldo Rabbit)

by Nelson Chereta

“Well… I made something.”

  XXX

  It was well after sunset when Alice went to the room they shared. It was early evening and the common room was filled with customers eating, drinking, and laughing. The cook was complaining about her missing utensils and had been after her to get them back. Alice was also curious to see how things were going. So despite being busy she hurried upstairs.

  She gave a knock. “Darling? Can I come in?”

  There was no reply.

  Alice cautiously opened the door and stuck her head in. “Darling?”

  He was sitting cross legged on the floor. The cook’s things were scattered in front of him. He was holding one of the glass containers they had stolen from Roger. He was just sitting there staring at it.

  Alice stepped into the room and shut the door. “Darling?”

  He finally seemed to hear her and turned in her direction. Through their bond she could feel surprise, and underneath that, a sense of worry.

  “Alice? Are you done with your work? I hadn’t realized it was that late.”

  “It’s not; I just came up to see if I could return all those things to the kitchen.”

  Waldo nodded. “Yes, go ahead, I am done with them.”

  She took a couple steps closer and peered at what he was holding. “Is that it? Is that the love potion?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “What is that supposed to mean? Is it love potion or isn’t it?”

  “I don’t have the recipe with me, or even all of the proper ingredients. I had to improvise and use substitutes. What I made is something close, but not exactly what I was aiming for.”

  She put a hand on his shoulder. “Sometimes I had to make chicken stew with rabbit or squirrel; it tasted different, but was good in its own way. As long as it works that is all that matters.”

  “Assuming it works.”

  “It’s going to, isn’t it?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I used most of the correct ingredients, including your tears which are the most important component. I’m also sure I used the correct spell when enchanting the potion, but the fact is this is not proper love potion.”

  “What is it then?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You made it, how can you not know what it is?”

  “Simple, because no one has ever made this exact potion before. It’s impossible to know beforehand exactly what its effects will be. I think it will act like love potion, with the effects being slightly weaker or slightly stronger than with the base formula. However it could have a completely different effect or no effect. There’s even a very slight chance it could be poisonous for human consumption.”

  “It could be poison?”

  “It’s very unlikely. None of the base ingredients are toxic, but it’s possible to mix different herbs, that are all safe individually, into something lethal.”

  Alice could imagine the merchant woman gagging and clawing at her throat before falling over dead. She then imagined a whole host of guards dragging Waldo away to the nearest dungeon.

  “In that case shouldn’t we test it first? Maybe we could give it to a horse or something.”

  “You can’t necessarily tell if a horse is in love from simple observation. In any case, I don’t have enough mandrake to make a second dose.”

  “Darling, maybe we should just forget the whole idea.”

  “I’ll consider it, if you can give me an alternate.”

  Alice clamped her mouth shut.

  She had no trouble figuring out ways to raise enough money in just a day or two. The problem was they all involved letting strangers use her body or else using her Charm. During her years working for Elsa she had seen up close how people used each other.

  Alice never wanted to be that sort of person. She never wanted to use others just to get what she wanted. While she loved her husband and was ready to do most anything for him, Alice would not deliberately hurt innocent folk.

  “From your silence I take it you don’t have a different solution?”

  “No I don’t,” she admitted. “Just what do you intend?”

  “The gates to the Hill and the city all shut at sunset. I will want us to leave immediately, as soon as I have ownership. So I will invite her here early tomorrow to discuss the matter over some wine.”

  Alice did not like the sound of that at all. Even if it was just a ruse, it had a romantic note to it. She did not want him having wine with any other woman. “We don’t serve wine, only ale.”

  “I’ll buy a bottle and keep it behind the bar. You need to serve us and make absolutely sure the cup you give her is the one with the potion in it.”

  “Right,” though she didn’t like it, she would do her part. “If she doesn’t fall over dead, what then?”

  “Well, if this were normal love potion, she would fall in love with the first person she sees after drinking.”

  “What if she saw another woman?”

  “Then she would fall in love with her.”

  Alice’s eyes widened, even with her background the idea was shocking. “That must cause a lot of embarrassment.”

  “Not really, at least not where I am from.”

  Alice decided not to go down this road. “All right, say she drinks the wine, looks at you, and falls in love. Then what?”

  “Well it depends on how strong the reaction is. Even with the regular potion the effect can vary from one person to another. If her response is weak, she may still not give me the ogre, but there is a chance she would be willing to lower the price to something we can afford.”

  That was another thing she didn’t like hearing. “By that I guess you mean any amount we can actually pay? Even if it’s everything we have?”

  “That’s right.”

  He really has no respect for money. “Fine.”

  “If the effect is about what I hope for, she will be happy to do almost anything. I’ll ask her to give me the ogre along with whatever coin she happens to have with her.”

  “Wait! You’re going to rob her too?”

  “Of course.”

  “Isn’t it bad enough you’re basically stealing her ogre from her? Do you have to take her purse too?”

  “I’m not taking everything she has, and we’ve already met so she’s not a stranger. That makes it all right doesn’t it?”

  “No it doesn’t. Be satisfied with the ogre. Don’t you dare ask her for her purse too.”

  Waldo looked defiant, but didn’t argue with her.

  “There’s also the possibility that the potion may have a stronger effect than normal. In that case Carin may insist on some act of devotion on my part before she agrees to any favors.”

  “So what, she’ll want you to give her flowers or tell her that you love her?”

  “Well she might settle for that, more likely she’ll demand I physically pleasure her.”

  Alice stared at him. He could not possibly mean what I think he means. “What exactly are you saying?”

  “She may insist that I fuck her.”

  Her jaw dropped and she could feel her heart stop. “Wh… what?”

  “She may want me to fuck her,” Waldo said slowly and clearly. “You know, have sex with her, mount her, have my way with her, drive in the stake, make her fountain gush, put my sausage in her…”

  “I know what it means!”

  “Then why were you asking?”

  Alice shut her eyes and fought hard against the urge to reach out and strangle him. “You cannot be serious. Didn’t you tell me you were a virgin? You even said that when you kissed me that was your first kiss.”

  “What does my virginity have to do with this? I know the basics of the process, and if I need help I am sure she will assist me.”

  Alice just stood there.

  "Why are you upset?" Waldo asked.

  "You're joking, you're about to give your virginity away to some ugly old woman, just to get your hands on a monster, and you need to ask why I'm upset?"

&n
bsp; "Well... yes, so why are you?"

  "I do not believe this! So you're actually going to whore yourself to get an ogre?"

  "Did you not see how magnificent he is? I'd call it a small price to pay."

  Alice pressed both hands into fists and ground her teeth together before she could speak again.

  “Look darling, as your wife, it is not all right with me that you have sex with someone else. But it is especially not all right for your very first time to be with anyone but me.”

  “Alice, I am not saying I want to have sex with Carin, I mean you did see her right? I am saying that depending on how the potion works I may have to.”

  “So it would just be a huge sacrifice on your part?”

  “Exactly.”

  She stood there for a moment. “Turn around and face the wall.”

  “What?”

  Alice reached down and hauled him up to his feet. Grabbing his shoulders she faced him towards the wall and away from her. “Just stand there and don’t you dare move or look over here until I tell you to.”

  “You’re not going to suddenly attack me are you?”

  “Only if you turn around before I say.”

  Standing just a few feet behind him she took a couple deep breaths. Do I really want to do this? These were not the circumstances she had pictured for this moment. She had always imagined her husband carrying her to the bed, speaking tender words of love and devotion. Having him casually tell her he might screw a total stranger just to get his hands on an ugly beast, had somehow never entered her imaginings of her wedding night.

  Nothing about him is normal or what I expected, but I really love him.

  She slid off her skirt and let it fall to the floor. Next she unbuttoned her blouse and then removed her small clothes. Finally she stepped out of her shoes so that she was well and truly naked.

  Her knees pressed together and she instinctively wanted to cover herself up. She had to force her hands to stay by her side. It was so embarrassing.

  “You can turn around now.” Alice said nervously.

  When he did so his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “What… what are you doing?”

  The way he was staring her hands twitched and she had to make a deliberate effort to keep them where they were. “I swear, if you make fun of me or mention your mother I will kill you.”

  “Why are you naked?”

  “Oh, in Cannassa’s name! You need to ask?” Her eyes darted to the floor. “I love you and I don’t want another woman to be your first. I want to have our wedding night.”

  “You mean right now?”

  “Yes! Now!”

  “I thought you wanted to wait.”

  “I did, right up until you said you might be with someone else. I don’t like the idea of you being unfaithful to me, but given the situation I suppose I can forgive it, once. But I absolutely refuse to let the first woman you ever make love to, to be anyone but me.”

  He didn’t say anything. His feet were the only part of him she could see. He didn’t move or make a sound. As the moment dragged on she began to fidget.

  “Damn it! Am I ugly to you? Are my breasts too small? Does it sicken you that I am not human? Would you really rather have Carin or the ogre you kept ogling? Do you have any idea how many men would kill to be where you are right now? I’ve had brawls started just over who I should give myself to. Your wife is naked and willing and you just stand there! What do I have to do to make you look at me like you want me? Tell me!”

  There was another momentary silence, and then he answered her.

  “I am sorry.”

  Her eyes snapped up. “What?”

  His tranquil eyes stared back into hers. “I’ve hurt you haven’t I? I can feel rage and pain and despair through our connection. I’ve never meant to harm you, yet I have.”

  Through their bond Alice could feel his concern for her. There was no anger there, no mocking, all she could sense was worry.

  “I know you don’t do it on purpose,” Alice said. “But it would be nice if you could act normal once in a while.”

  “Honestly Alice, I have no idea what normal is. I have my own idea of normal, and the more time I spend in this world the clearer it becomes that my ideas are a world apart from everyone else’s.”

  He took a step towards her.

  “I will tell you something though; if I say things that wound you it is not my intention. You are more precious to me than anything. You are my treasure.”

  Waldo took a second step that brought him standing right in front of her.

  “When we first met you saved my life when any other familiar would have let me drown. You took care of me and fed me. You helped me with Roger even when it went against your beliefs. You faced an archlich and were ready to nearly die for me. You have stayed by my side and been there for me even though you were always free to leave, even though it would have been easier and safer for you to go.”

  He took both of her hands into his own. His tender words and the way he was looking at her made Alice fee as if she were going to melt. This was the gentle, kind side of him that she loved best.

  “I am not well versed with apologies, but I am sorry for hurting you. I think you are wonderful, and I truly thank you for all that you have done for me.”

  He let go of one of her hands and carefully placed it on the back of her head. He got up on his toes as he pressed her face towards his.

  He kissed her with his soft, warm lips. Through their connection she understood his feelings.

  He loved her.

  He never said the words, but that was all right. In his own way he had shown her what she meant to him. He was strange and full of weird notions, but she understood that in his own way he really did love her.

  That was all she’d wanted.

  XXX

  Somehow or other they wound up on the bed and his clothes ended on the floor.

  He might have been a virgin, but she quickly discovered he had a pretty good notion of what to do. His hands fondled and squeezed and he licked and kissed her all over her body. His touch was light and certain. His affection was patient and thorough and brought her mounting pleasure.

  When the key moment came he hesitated.

  “Are you sure?” He whispered.

  The concern in his voice made her happy. As much as he wanted it, he didn’t want to hurt her.

  “Yes darling, I am.”

  He paused, and then drove the stake in. She gasped at the pain, but it was not as bad as she expected. It very quickly faded into the background as pleasure began to fill her. She knew from stories that the first time wasn’t supposed to be this enjoyable for a woman. Alice momentarily wondered if it was because she was a succubus.

  She quickly stopped worrying about it and simply enjoyed all the things Waldo was doing to her.

  XXX

  “Ooooooooooooohhhhhhh!!!”

  All the men down in the common room were staring up at the stairwell. It turned out Alice was a moaner and they could all clearly hear her erotic cries. A few of the men laughed and made some naughty jokes. Many more were weeping tears of pure jealousy.

  The Innkeeper lifted a mug. “To the luckiest bastard on the face of the Earth.”

  “Yeeeeeeeesssssssss!!!” Came another shout from upstairs in seeming agreement.

  All the men lifted their mugs in salute.

  Chapter 42

  Women Make No Sense At All

  Waldo was lying in bed with Alice resting on top of him. His heart was just beginning to slow down. Sex was quite a bit more strenuous than he’d expected. It was also more enjoyable.

  With one finger Alice began to lazily draw little circles on his chest.

  “There is no way you were a virgin.”

  He noticed her voice was back to normal. It was too bad; he’d rather liked the sounds she’d been making before. “I assure you that I was.”

  “Not possible.” Alice planted a slight kiss on the side of his neck.

  Th
ey had shared a bed for a week now, but somehow he had never realized just how amazingly soft she was. The delightful feel of her moist skin sliding against his, had it always felt so luxuriant? How had he not noticed before? Just having her close to him like this was pleasant.

  When they performed the physical act of love… it had felt better than he had ever imagined it could. It was so much better than doing it alone. He could understand now why Walter had spent so much time with the sex slaves.