by Zack Finley
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Chapter 9
Allo was thrilled to see us back, rubbing against our legs and demanding we cuddle her. Argon picked up and held Allo while I relieved myself in the head. I had difficulty reconciling these advanced bathroom facilities with the chamber pot available in our hotel room.
I didn't linger knowing Argon had similar needs. She handed Allo to me and disappeared into the back. Setting Allo on the table, I pulled out the maps again. The continental map was larger than the one in the book. I located all the cities on Shala's list. About half were along the western seaboard, and the rest were in the east. I hugged Argon, pulling her gently against me when she returned from the head.
"Where are we now," I asked, pointing toward the map. Maps based on distance and not travel time were new to her, and I felt her struggle.
"I don't know. When one travels by teleport, especially based on a referral, I can't always tell where I am and certainly not on a map such as that," sighed Argon, unhappy at being unable to help.
Using my direction sense, I reached for the map and selected an area south of Klee near the middle of the continent.
"I think we are about here," I offered. "I'm going to have to travel to more places to be sure, but now I have a map and should be able to get a better picture."
Over an afternoon snack, Argon answered a barrage of questions about things I'd seen. Many mundanes purchased magical appliances, so they weren’t just for mage use. There was an entire industry dedicated to providing and servicing these devices for mages and mundane use. Argon was sure Klee had plenty of pricey inns with less primitive facilities we could have used. She said most mages didn’t bother. Instead, they rented a cheap room and teleported back and forth to their home base instead.
The ostrich-like chrrts only pulled light carts through city streets. Long-haulers used barntas, a much larger relative of the basas. There was no magical ground transportation, but some barges used magic to travel upriver, and a few ships used wards to increase speed.
Most mages traveled only by teleport, on foot, or by basas. Some mages traveled extensively, collecting referral teleport locations to sell to other mages. Many of these worked for mage communication and shipping companies. These companies usually maintained extensive teleport networks to transport goods, messages, and people.
Such firms prized mages with higher amounts of force magic. Force magic limits how much a mage can teleport. The material being teleported also affects that limit. Metal and stone are the most challenging while living and former living items are the easiest.
Two or more mages can combine efforts to teleport more as long as they have precisely coordinated spell casting. Argon was eager for us to determine our teleport limits as a couple; she believed together we could lift much of the contents of a long-hauler if we had to.
Most mages used a derivative of an ancient teleport spell handed down from generation to generation. It was relatively easy to learn and had robust protections to prevent you from materializing inside anything solid. It would shift you up or down and from side to side as needed to avoid obstacles. If there was too much in the way, the spell aborted. Good practice required someone to teleport to a site before bringing in a big load to make sure the area was clear. Pushing the limits of the abort function was risky.
Most people teleported into controlled areas to minimize potential conflict. Teleporting into a crowded plaza or street was discouraged. This was why many mages rented inn rooms for a teleport base. Sites like the temple yard Shala had shown us also worked. The mage guild probably had areas set aside for teleporting. We agreed to check these out during our next visit.
Mage companies in the transport business used proprietary teleport spells for much of their work.
Argon handed me one of her new books to study; it was a primer on enchanting. It introduced new mages to this career path. She then stacked primers on force, mind, health, and elemental magic on the table beside me.
"While I can instruct you on how to do things," Argon said, "It will be better if we can accompany hands-on training with some theory and basics. It will allow you to understand some of the limits and some of the untapped possibilities in using magic. We will prepare you for combat, but that will not be enough to build and hold a keep."
She then pulled me to my feet, announcing it was time for more combat training.
We teleported to our desert training site, and I pulled out my map to orient us. We were still inland along the mountainous spine that ran the length of the continent, but we were far to the north. Ylee, one of the cities on Shala's list, was on the coast directly west of us.
Argon was amused at my need to locate us on the map but said nothing.
"Let's work on subduing several targets with non-lethal force," she said. We ran through a series of paralysis and stunning spells. Unlike the other types of combat we’d been practicing, I got little feedback on how well the spells worked. Rock and force magic blasted the battle dummy in a very satisfying way. These less obvious forms of magic provided no tactile reaction.
About an hour before sunset Argon was satisfied with my control. She teleported us to the edge of a clearing surrounded by forest. A pack of brunfers was lounging in the shade of the lone tree in it. Brunfers reminded me of large mere cats, but with spears and rocks.
"Go practice your non-lethal skills, these brunfers should give you plenty of feedback," Argon said aloud, pushing me toward the pack who were already reacting to the sound of her voice. “This colony has become much too aggressive and needs to be reminded to leave its neighbors alone.”
I went into combat mode, knocking down the ones closest to me; then those throwing rocks; I conjured a smoke screen as I shifted to pick them off one by one. During the action, two rocks bounced off my force shield, but none of the brunfers got near enough to latch onto me with their sharp teeth.
By the time I could breathe evenly again, more than 20 brunfers were lying stunned or paralyzed on the turf. The babies were tucked safely into a small enclosure, uninjured but bawling piteously. They were tan colored balls of fur pushing up against the enclosure fence.
"Well done," Argon applauded. "Why don't you release the mothers so they can succor their young?"
I didn't ask which ones were mothers because by then it was obvious. They had placed themselves between their younglings and me. I soothed the minds of the distraught mothers and released them one-by-one. Each freed mom ran to the youngling enclosure immediately before whirling around to glare at us. The younglings swarmed them as they came into range, apparently not caring whether it was their mother or not. The moms had so much to do just to calm the younglings down; they made no aggressive moves in our direction.
Argon called to the pack. "We will release you and be on our way. Do not make it necessary for us to return or we will not be satisfied with non-lethal measures." Argon and I freed the immobilized males, two at a time.
A few of the more aggressive bucks started moving toward us. I prepared to knock them out again and let them wake up later. Just as I prepared to cast the spell, they turned back. I wasn't sure if it was our warlike stance, the bawling younglings, shouting mothers, or shouts from other males that made them back down.
"Brunfers are very warlike," Argon said. "While most colonies confine this combativeness to other brunfer colonies, we need to remind them from time-to-time to leave Jaloan villages alone. They pose no real threat to mages, but mundanes can be killed especially younglings. I've had to destroy entire brunfer colonies that became too aggressive, and it is much better to avoid that."
When it was clear none of the brunfers were seriously injured, we teleported back home.
I checked my force magic level, and it was lower than before we left for combat training, but not alarmingly so.
"Why don't you shower first," Argon offered as she stacked her weapons and armor in the hallway. She didn't put them away since we intended to check our inn room for intruders before going t
o sleep.
No word from Alanna; so much for a quick response.
I showered and joined Argon and Allo in the kitchen, sliding my arms around Argon as she was cutting something up for the evening meal. She leaned back, turning her head to meet my lips for a languid kiss. She put down the knife and slid into my embrace. When I pulled her hips in to meet mine, she resisted.
"I need to put this dish on," Argon protested. "And I need a shower before we make love again. And you need to study." With that, she pushed me toward the books on the table.
I sighed in protest, but was assured by Argon's mental messages I would not have long to wait and she was as ready as I was. I resolved to plow through the primers as fast as possible.
I started with the force magic primer. I practiced with force magic all afternoon, and the feel of it was fresh in my mind.
The primer was fascinating. While the wording was dry, the concepts and principles were not. I had no idea how versatile force magic could be. My current understanding reminded me of the adage about four blind men describing an elephant based solely on the part they had touched.
With enough power, force magic could move a mountain; push a boat, car or plane; stop a bullet; it might even cushion a fall or help a person fly. In theory, it could make a blade so infinitesimally thin it could slice anything in half. I suspected there were limitations I hadn't thought of, or no mage would ever carry a metal blade.
Argon joined me after her shower, dropping a kiss on my cheek but avoiding my automatic reach as she settled into the chair beside me with a book of her own. I saw it was the primer on health magic and grinned. "I guess I'm not the only one who needs grounding," I said.
She just nodded, already engrossed in the text. She included me in her loving bubble of thought. Allo hopped into my lap, and I felt the love expand to include her.
I was only halfway through the primer when Argon jumped up to serve dinner. She put my dish of vegetable stuff on the table between us and settled back into her chair with a dish of her own. Her first bite burned her tongue, so I set mine aside to cool. I noted with interest that she had healed her own tongue.
"I guess you will be able to heal any bites you deliver, tonight," I teased. Argon sent a little flick of air magic to tickle my ear in response. She laughed when the sexual jolt it caused sent a wake-up call to Happy and the Boys.
I felt her settle back into her book and began considering ways to use force magic to expand our sexual pleasure. Interesting to consider, and it would fall under the auspices of training.
As we put our armor back on and prepared to return to Klee, we settled on the next day's activities. If Klee became our base of operations, we needed to see more of it than a few places in old town. Taxi service was available outside of the city's central core, and we'd get a recommendation for one from our innkeeper.
I believed in reconnaissance.
We needed to locate and hire some associates. Finding the right people was critical to start this enterprise rolling.
"Why don't we ask the guild librarian?" asked Argon. "He has a lot of experience, and I think he finds retirement boring." She indicated their spirited negotiation had been more amicable than I realized.
"Ask him," I responded. "I certainly haven't run into someone to ask. Alanna rubs me wrong, and we didn't talk with Goran enough for me to get a read on him."
Argon would approach the librarian first thing. Even if he wasn’t interested, perhaps he knew someone who might be.
When we 'ported into our inn room we were not alone. I hadn't expected the trap to work; I was surprised.
The mage plastered against the barrier was not happy. He must have struggled before we arrived because the wards holding him in place were weaker than when we set them. They were still too tough for him to break.
Argon and I teleported our captive to the chamber Shala had brought me to. The wards on the room were strong, but Argon added a new one, preventing anyone teleporting in or out of the room but us. Unless we teleported our captor out with us, he would die here.
The paralyze spell glued our captor to the floor. Been there, done that.
Argon sent to me, "I intend to empty this guy and learn why he is after us, who his associates are, and just about anything else I think might be useful. I may need to pull on your magic, depending on how tough he is but there is no way he can resist the two of us."
I agreed.
Jarus, our captive, was a private investigator, Jaloan style, and a mediocre mage. Alanna hired him to investigate us in the name of the Klee Mage Guild. He broke into our room to have a look around when he found the weakness we'd left in the ward.
Jarus had planned to dissect our wards to learn more about our skill levels. Alanna had warned him about the strength of Argon's mind magic. Alanna believed Argon was the stronger mage and I was her muscular companion with unknown magical abilities.
"Alanna thinks I'm your boy toy," I sent.
"Aren't you?" Argon asked, flicking an airburst at my ear.
In some ways, I guess I was.
Jarus provided a wealth of information about the guild leadership. There were the basic allies and enemies; then there were allies who acted like enemies and enemies who acted like allies. The mental jumble was too confusing for me to process but Argon was in her element. Jarus considered the guild librarian to be unimportant.
If Jarus admired someone, it was a good indication they were unscrupulous, but if he thought someone was too old-fashioned, we might consider them potential allies.
Alanna was Jarus' biggest single client. He billed a lot of hours to the guild on her authorization. Jarus considered Goran a lightweight, in part because he frequently disagreed with Alanna's snooping. More often than not, Alanna kept Goran in the dark about clandestine operations.
Alanna hired Jarus occasionally to check out visiting mages, but his main assignments were to snoop on her rivals in the guild. We got intel on several new mages in town.
We got the lowdown on everything from the harbor to an array of businesses across town, including fences for stolen goods and businesses that could acquire anything for a price.
He had general knowledge about the chamberlain and the leaders of the king's guard. He had detailed knowledge of several guards who were on the take and others he had been unable to buy. Again, potentially useful lists to have.
I knew Argon detested this type of interrogation. She considered it an unpleasant but necessary evil. Reconciling my very sensitive lover with this stone-cold interrogator was hard. If we'd learned Jarus was a murderer as well as a sneak, she would have killed him with the same level of coldness.
"What are we going to do with him," I said pointing at Jarus who was now lying unconscious on the floor. "I'm tempted to leave him here, but someone would eventually miss him."
"Definitely tempting," Argon agreed. "I think I need a shower after pawing through the sewer of his mind. I'll plant some false memories and leave him sleeping in Avia's temple. I can just imagine what he'll think waking up there. You head home, and I'll drop him off."
We returned home, and Argon wasn't kidding about her shower. She came to me straight from there, and we made love on the floor beside the books. This time I used a little of my force magic to amplify some sensations and provide support for her. Argon retaliated with her own brand of magic.
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Chapter 10
I awakened abruptly, briefly unsure where I was. Argon's soft murmur reassured me as her gentle mental presence settled over me. I rolled toward her, tasting her lips and making them mine. Through our bond, I felt the sharp awakening of arousal as I drew her to me. This felt like an extension of last night's feast, and I slid my length into her slowly, savoring the gasp she exhaled into my mouth.
We began the ride slowly, eking out each warm sensation as my hips and tongue maintained the same rhythm. No magical play this morning; just the intimate stroke of sex and tongue.
I sensed she was nearly th
ere and picked up the pace, delivering us to the edge and over it with a series of thrusts. The juddering delight swept through me as we were as one.
I spread gentle kisses across her lips and neck, as we lay in the afterglow, before easing out of her, both of us replete.
As much as I wanted to lie with her, we had places to go and people to meet.
I suddenly felt the urgent need to pee. With an apologetic sending to Argon, I got up and sprinted to the head.
Argon had made chee and was putting out some fruit in the kitchen as I hurried in, having taken a quick shower. I rubbed up against her back and planted several kisses on the sensitive place on the side of her neck. She handed me a cup of chee and disappeared into the bathroom with a saucy look.
I sat at the table and started the primer on mind magic, drinking chee and eating one of those red fruits.
Once Argon finished her shower, we were ready in minutes to return to Klee. We had debated leaving the overt weapons and armor at home but keeping them seemed the best option. By looking tough and prepared, we might avoid trouble. This time we left the packs at home.
Our inn room was clear, and we headed down to the lobby for a discussion with the innkeeper. He suggested several taxi candidates at the nearest inner-city gate plus a few recommendations for places to visit if we had time.
We strolled to the mage guild entrance, killing a few minutes until the library opened and checked for people who might be interested in us.
Last night Argon questioned Jarus extensively about the three mages who had followed us, but he didn't know who they were. We were alert and would recognize them if we saw them again.
We agreed to avoid Alanna on this trip and went directly to the members-only lounge. Argon got directions for the public teleport locations in the guild. There was one, next to the lounge, for guild members and another near the atrium for visiting mages. We decided to check the atrium location before we left. It would give us more teleport options.
