by Nichols, TJ
“Yes, it is. Why do think only mages can do it? When you have made a new stone, we will practice with small distances. Pick a new stone and start again. This time use only the magic around you.”
“Can I draw it up?”
Saka smiled. “Of course. I’m surprised it took you this long to think of that.”
“Maybe because I didn’t want to do it in front of the other trainees.” Which was a lie. It hadn’t occurred to him that he could do his own little ritual to draw up the magic that was around him. All that time spent with Saka, learning about sex and blood magic, either for rebalancing or healing or whatever Saka needed it for, and Angus could’ve done it for himself.
“They will be in the field tonight, helping to raise the magic. Are you going to be trainee or apprentice? You cannot be both.” Saka stood in one smooth motion.
That was the reprimand. He either acted like he was an apprentice and didn’t worry about the trainees, or he did only what they did. And they weren’t learning anything fun.
Norah was disgusted by the idea of sex magic, though she was interested in blood magic. Lizzie was curious about both. She liked magic and power and understood that, to bring down the college, wizards needed to be powerful. They needed to prove that magic didn’t require demons. She asked far too many questions about what Angus had learned.
“Wash and get ready for the rite.”
His heart gave a hard thump as he got up. If everyone was going to be there, what kind of power raising would it be? “How did you know I tried to contact someone?”
“I felt you reaching out. Plus, I do not think there is a mage who did not get their telestone working and try to use it straightaway. One or two killed themselves trying. Magic is dangerous, and you know enough now to do damage to yourself and others if you do not remain in control.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was dangerous to use the stone.” He wanted to know how the others had died, but wasn’t brave enough to ask. He was already having thoughts of brain ruptures and dying in a pool of his own blood. He would never cheat again.
“You have not harmed me. Only yourself. It is a lesson we all must learn.” Saka pulled down some of the orbs that were strung from the roof. “You’d better hurry as sunset is approaching.”
If Angus concentrated, he could feel the change in the air. He wasn’t going to disappoint Saka again by being late to the crop growing.
The whole tribe gathered and formed a loose circle around the area they’d planted. The mages were evenly spaced along the perimeter, with their trainees next to them. Lizzie seemed to be excited, while Norah was more wary. She seemed to fear magic as much as she was fascinated by it.
Angus glanced at Saka. Already there was a level of excitement, a slight vibration. It was nothing as sharp as an approaching storm, but something close. Maybe it was his own anticipation.
Saka was watching Miniti, who stood in the middle of the circle. She made a full turn and took in her whole tribe, one at a time. Was she looking to see who was absent? Then she completed the turn and faced Saka. With each step she clapped. Saka responded by clapping his hands.
After a few more steps, the other mages joined in.
Another couple and the rest of the tribe started to clap. Someone played the drums that Angus often heard around the village. Then he also clapped in rhythm as Miniti made her way over.
If Angus didn’t know better, he’d have thought that Miniti and Saka were going to need a room by the end of the night. But Miniti didn’t participate in rituals like that. She was the leader and was there because it was clearly a whole-tribe event.
Everyone needed to eat.
Everyone knew what to do because they’d done it so many times before—except the three humans. Maybe Lizzie and Norah knew what to expect, but Saka liked to let Angus stumble around and find out on his own.
Miniti took her place on the other side of Saka.
The music became louder, no longer just drums.
Any riverwyrm that had been close would swim away before it got a migraine. As one, the tribe moved and made the circle around the crops come to life. Saka hadn’t stopped clapping, but it was clear that his focus was not on his hands. It was on the circle. As everyone danced, lights blossomed in the field. The orbs that Saka had brought began to gather up the magic.
While it was nothing like the ritual that Angus had been part of on top of Lifeblood, there was magic drawn up in every step. When someone started to sing, others joined in. It was more joyous than what he’d seen mages do in the past. They celebrated as though the crops were already grown, and they sang about feasts and family.
While he didn’t know the words, he hummed along.
The magic surged through his blood as though seeking a way out. He wanted to pour magic into what was going on, but he didn’t. Instead he reached out into the night, into the ground, and drew the magic to the circle.
Saka took his hand. His gaze met Angus’s for just a moment. Then he lifted their joined hands high. Other couples linked hands. But not everyone. The lights in the field burned bright, and the magic tasted like earth—or maybe they had kicked up sand and it had gotten into his mouth.
Saka dropped his hands.
The music stopped and energy crashed down. Angus was sure that the ground rippled beneath his feet. The orbs went out, and his eyes didn’t adjust to the darkness fast enough. The circle was gone.
But people were moving into the field. Laughter danced over the air. In the starlight couples kissed and touched. It wasn’t just the magic within him that was awake. He glanced at Saka. Their fingers entwined, and Saka pulled him into the field.
The ground was alive beneath his bare feet, as though all the living things in there had suddenly woken. Were there more of those larvae or beetles? He didn’t have time to think about it, and Saka didn’t seem to care. He drew Angus close, his black horns glinting and his eyes bright.
“It has been too long,” Saka murmured against Angus’s lips.
Angus didn’t use words to respond. He slid his hands under Saka’s shirt so he could feel the heat of his skin. As much as he didn’t want his eyes to lose their color again, Angus wasn’t convinced that was a good enough reason to avoid all sex. “We can work this out.”
Saka nodded and drew Angus to the ground.
“What about the seeds? I don’t want to damage them.”
“You won’t.” Saka kissed him hard and with a heat that Angus had missed. Saka could make his bones melt with just the tip of his tongue.
He moved over Angus. With his tail he traced up the inside of Angus’s leg and over his hardening length. If Angus closed his eyes, he could almost pretend that they were back in the tent. Was it part of the ritual? There was no circle. Saka pulled open Angus’s shirt, and his tail found its way into Angus’s pants and wrapped around him. His breath caught as he gave in to the caress, and he moaned against Saka’s lips. That wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind. They were in the open where everyone could see them.
The worst bit was that the sand beneath Angus’s back was definitely moving. He pulled away and gasped for air. “We could go back to the—”
“It’s tradition that couples celebrate in the field.” Saka glanced up. “This is what you have been waiting for. You can let some of that magic out tonight. Rebalance. But you must be careful. I will be careful.” He brushed his lips against the scar on Angus’s stomach and went lower. His horns gleamed in the moonlight. “I have been waiting.”
“So have I.” They could have sex without Angus rebalancing the magic taken from Demonside. He was sure of it. “We could try. I can control it.” But he wasn’t sure he would be able to when lust took over.
“Not tonight.” Saka undid Angus’s pants.
The heat of his mouth closed around him, and Angus’s hips jerked. Maybe it was the magic in the air or that it had been weeks, but all he wanted in that moment was to grip Saka’s horns and keep the demon there until he was done
. He settled for cupping Saka’s head, thrusting into his mouth, and reveling in the ministrations of Saka’s tongue.
They weren’t the only people in the field. He could hear the others—the moans and panting—but he could only make out vague shadows. All around them, people did their own bits of magic as they celebrated the planting.
Saka swept his tongue around the head of Angus’s cock and drew a shiver of pleasure from him. It would be so easy to let go, but he didn’t want it over that fast. He missed the way Saka would torture him and make him wait until lust burned through every cell of his body, until there was no other thought. Their intensity and closeness couldn’t be matched by anything else.
Saka drew back onto his knees and tugged Angus’s pants off the rest of the way. Angus sat up to help Saka get free of his and Saka’s thick cock jutted forward. Saka guided Angus down.
With his ass to the sky, Angus licked along Saka’s length and then took only the smooth head into his mouth. Saka had no reservations about getting what he wanted. He thrust deep into Angus’s mouth and threaded his claw-tipped fingers into Angus’s hair. For a moment it was all Angus could do to breathe and make sure he didn’t choke.
The burned-honey taste of Saka’s precome coated his tongue. Saka pulled him away and took his breath with a kiss that had nothing to do with magic. It was purely about need.
Angus stroked Saka’s cock. His skin wasn’t as smooth as a human’s, and Angus anticipated the way it would feel inside of him—stretching him. When Saka had told him to wash and get ready, Angus had made sure that he was very ready. He was glad Saka hadn’t walked in on him making good use of the oil Saka kept near the bed, although Saka probably would’ve smiled and approved. Maybe Angus could do something right.
Saka tipped back and dragged Angus with him. They ended up in a tangled mess on the sand, with Angus on top. They weren’t mage and apprentice. They was something else, something he could get used to. He leaned over Saka, kissed him, and ground his hips against Saka’s. His heart hammered against his ribs, and hunger crawled through his veins and scratched at the walls.
“Do we have to wait and raise magic?” he whispered against Saka’s lips. He didn’t want to wait.
“No.” Saka caressed his cheek. “Better you don’t resist too much, in case too much is rebalanced.”
Angus hadn’t forgotten that. He could let go, but not too much. Every time he had sex in Demonside, a little magic slipped free. He needed to learn how to control that flow, but he had no intention of practicing right then. All he wanted was Saka.
The kiss deepened as Saka’s tail brushed the inside of Angus’s thigh, the underside of his balls, and then along the crease of his ass. For half a moment, he almost expected the tail to probe deeper, but no matter how much he moved, it didn’t. The tail continued to tease his tight hole.
It would be easy to keep going like that. The friction was almost just right. Saka’s cock was pressed against him, and the heat of his body seeped into Angus. All around them, magic moved through the ground and the air. Even though Angus wasn’t trying to raise it and draw it to him, it was happening.
The ground was still alive with magic, and he was part of it—part of a world where everything was possible, where he could be whoever he wanted, and where no one looked down on him for wanting to learn everything about magic, including the bits that were forbidden.
Unable to take the teasing anymore, Angus sat back and guided Saka’s thick cock into his ass. Saka gripped Angus’s hips, thrust up, and breached him in one smooth motion. A shudder raced through Angus, and lust and magic sought release.
A groan slipped past his lips as he started to move. Saka’s claws dug into the skin of his hips, and Angus eased his legs farther apart to deepen each stroke. He moved until Saka’s cock rubbed that spot deep within him, and that was all it took. Angus didn’t bother to fight or resist. He tipped his head back to the stars as he came. His breath was nothing more than short pants, and every part of him was too sensitive to touch.
Saka thrust into him and drew out the sensation of falling apart. For a few heartbeats, Angus was one of the many stars. But he remembered not to revel for too long in the feeling of letting go. He didn’t want the magic to hemorrhage out of him and leave him close to death. With a wrench of will, he dragged himself back to his body, to the feeling of Saka inside of him and the roughness of Saka’s skin.
Angus glanced down. Saka’s lips were parted, and the stars were reflected in his black eyes. He was lost in the moment, and for once, he was doing nothing but fucking. Saka thrust up hard and growled. The heat of his come filled Angus. Then Saka gave another few strokes and lay back to catch his breath.
His touch gentled, and he smoothed over the indents his claws had made. Then he drew Angus close for a kiss. “Plantings are always pleasurable.”
“Yeah.” He could see why. But it wasn’t the first planting Saka had attended. Angus was tempted to ask who he usually took as a partner, but it didn’t matter.
Angus collapsed next to Saka, still in his arms, content to watch the stars and feel the breeze on his skin. Around him, seedlings pushed through the sand.
Chapter Nineteen
It was never a good omen when Saka was called to Miniti’s tent. If she had questions or concerns, they were covered in a conversation that took place wherever they crossed paths. That she was summoning meant something serious had happened.
Saka walked into the tent and hoped he looked calm, but his insides were knotted. One guard stood by the door. Miniti didn’t really need guards as no one would attack a leader they had chosen and who was doing a very good job at managing the tribe and their travels.
A lot of that was because Saka managed the water and liaised with her on a regular basis. His successes were hers. That he had high standing on the council of mages meant that she enjoyed a higher status among other leaders. They were seen as a powerful tribe. People wanted to join them. Tribes fell apart when they got too big, so Miniti allowed only very careful growth, unlike some other leaders.
The tribe was bigger than it had ever been. Because of the other two mages, Miniti had allowed other demons to join. Saka was fairly sure the tribe was at capacity. Any more, and it would stop being a whole. It would fracture. Any more, and finding water and growing crops for all would become a problem.
Usi sat on the floor of Miniti’s tent. The knots in Saka’s stomach drew tighter, and his heartbeat quickened. Usi had arrived first and spent time alone with Miniti. That was a bad sign.
Miniti rested on a couple of cushions. She gestured for Saka to sit. Like Usi, he was given no cushion. Miniti was treating them as equals. His worry doubled in size. This was no ordinary meeting.
Miniti leaned forward and glanced at both of her mages. It wasn’t a general meeting of mages, or Tapo and Wek would be there too. “Head Mage Saka, you are being accused of putting your human above your duty.”
What had Usi been saying about him? When it came to politics, Usi and Miniti were close. Saka’s position was always more dependent on his success. Usi didn’t want trainees. Like some of the other mages, she wanted blood. Those mages wanted to snatch humans and animals from Humanside to rebalance with blood and souls.
But the void couldn’t be opened from their side, so they were at the humans’ mercy. The unwritten rules had come out of the last war between humans and demons.
Humans couldn’t kill demons for magic. Demons couldn’t kill humans in Humanside, only in Demonside, and only after they had waited a day and a night to see if the humans would be retrieved. Many weren’t retrieved. Only those of value were taken back. Angus was lucky his father had once considered him valuable.
Had he put Angus ahead of his duty to the tribe? He didn’t think so. Had he disobeyed Miniti in looking for ways to contact other demons? Yes, but she didn’t seem to know about that. His tension eased a little, but he wasn’t naive enough to think he was out of dangerous waters.
“My human is my
apprentice, and I have been treating him as such.” He was glad Angus wasn’t in Demonside at the moment. If anything happened to Saka, it wouldn’t go well for him or the other humans. Usi would make sure their blood was spilled.
“Explain why the humans need to learn about telestones,” Miniti said.
“Communication is an important job of a mage.”
“They aren’t mages,” Usi interjected.
Saka glanced her way. She lacked the composure a mage should have, but that wasn’t the time to point it out. If she challenged him directly, there would be a reckoning for whoever lost. One of them would lose status and bleed. If he were still head mage after, he might actually take pleasure in seeing Usi in pain. No, he wouldn’t. That wasn’t the kind of mage he was. But he would give her no pleasure either, and she would give him none. He’d tasted her blade enough times to know what she was like.
He did not want to lose his position.
“Are we discussing Angus or the trainees?” He looked at Miniti. “Angus is being trained as a mage, as was agreed by the council of mages.” Miniti didn’t have the power to override that decision, but she could make things extremely difficult.
“Angus. For the moment.” Usi received a sharp glare from Miniti.
They would get to the other two humans later. Usi had been watching—not because she was interested, but because she was looking for ways to undermine him. Some people would rather pull down others than lift themselves up. It was a sorry situation when a mage sank to those levels. He would make his own report to the council, regardless of the outcome.
“Angus, like all apprentices, has been learning to make a telestone. I wasn’t sure if the human mind was even capable. He has been successful. The other two have not, as yet, but I believe they will be successful.”
“And you have been rebalancing?” Miniti watched him closely.
