Reluctant Host

by Robin Roseau

  “I’d rather avoid the one where I worked,” I said. “There are several inns. I wouldn’t recommend the Green Water. The clientele is rough, and they have a poor reputation. The best is the Golden Terrace. It is expensive.” I directed us, but from the street, I said, “No. We passed an inn three blocks back.” Yes, it was confusing when the goddess said something using my body, but I had mostly grown accustomed.

  “The Happy Dragon,” I supplied. “They host music in the common room most nights.”

  “Let us see if they have space for us.”

  They did. We got ourselves settled, and then I began to show Shi`nual about the town.

  An Education

  Shi`nual wanted to learn the city, and so it began the first afternoon. “Are there shopping districts?”

  “There are three markets,” I said. “There are two rows of various craftsmen. And then there are other shops scattered throughout the town.”

  “Let us begin with one of the markets.”

  “The nearest is near the largest of the village greens.”

  And so, I directed us, and we passed through the green on the way. I turned a circle several times as we walked, my arms out, and said, “This is pleasant.”

  The market was a square block with the small shops turned inward towards the center rather than outward. It was green and lovely inside, with several wide paths, and along the paths, smaller vendors had carts, small wagons, or even a few ragged shelters where they could ply their wares. I grew quiet, but the six of us roamed between all the shops and vendors. At the bakery, I bought sweets, and then we backtracked to one of the shops selling leather goods. Shi`nual then went to work, luring the shopkeeper’s daughter away from her duties.

  At first, when she realized Shi`nual’s intentions, the woman blushed, but I fed her the treats from my fingers, and when I offered them, she licked.

  “I have to work,” she whispered.

  “You close soon.”

  “No, we don’t close soon.”

  “You have a younger sibling who can take over for you.”

  She didn’t answer, but then she pulled away. I thought I was about to witness Shi`nual’s first rejection, but the woman disappeared for a minute, then reappeared with a younger version of herself. Ten seconds later, we were now seven, with the woman letting me hold her arm.

  We collected more treats from one of the carts, and mead from another, and then returned to the village green. There, we found a soft place to sit, and that was when I invited Mayolin to rub Seldissa’s lovely feet.

  We brought her back to the Happy Dragon, four of us, or five, depending upon whether I count, shared bodies and found pleasure together.

  * * * *

  In this way, I showed Shi`nual the town. For the most part, I simply directed her where to go, and a few times I explained what we were seeing, or answered questions. But for the most part, I sat quietly.

  The goddess seemed interested in some shops more than others. She spoke at length with each jeweler, talking about gems and metals. She spoke to the apothecaries, and spent hours talking to the spice vendors.

  Along the way, she seduced women everywhere we went, it seemed. That was a constant, if anything was. With some, there were just two of us who eventually made it to bed, but more often, she incorporated members of our troop. In the morning, she sent them home, and they never seemed upset it was only a night.

  But then she took to sending me to bed, as she put it, and I only knew that time passed while I knew nothing, but the one time I complained, instead of sending me to bed, she sent me to the grey room, and that was absolutely horrible. When finally, she came to me, I fell to my knees and begged her not to do that again.

  She pulled me into her arms, kissed me, and that was the end of that. But after that, I didn’t complain about being sent to bed.

  I entirely lost track of how long we’d been in Rosegrove.

  * * * *

  “Good morning,” I whispered. “I want to show you something, Jeraya.”

  “All right,” I said.

  I looked around. I was in bed surrounded by several bodies. Lal Keshia was awake, Burquiri in her arms. I was holding Alyidil. Filfoyss and Mayolin were facing the other way, their heads by our feet, both asleep.

  “Lal Keshia,” I said. “You will see to things here. You have perhaps two hours.” I looked around. “Perhaps let them sleep for a while longer.”

  Lal Keshia nodded, and I began to climb from the bed. Alyidil stirred, but I kissed her head and said, “Go back to sleep.” She curled up, partially wrapping around her sister. I stroked her back and pulled the covers up a little further, then went from one to the other, kissing foreheads, leaving Lal Keshia with a real kiss.

  I washed up and dressed and then headed for the closest market.

  Inside, I said nothing. I bought treats from the bakery and then sat, enjoying them. “Today, you may speak freely,” I said.

  “Should I be nervous?”

  “No. I am going to show you something wonderful.”

  “Are you going to tell me what?”

  “Magic.”

  “Seriously?”

  “There’s something Lal Keshia didn’t tell you. And I chose not to tell you until now. When I move to the next host, I leave a little something behind.”

  “More than interesting memories?”

  “Not pleasant memories?”

  “Those, too,” I said.

  “Yes, more than pleasant memories of very debauched sex.”

  “You do seem to enjoy debauched sex.”

  “You seem to enjoy debauched sex, too,” I replied. That’s really confusing, isn’t it. Fine. Shi`nual replied. “You’re a moaner.”

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Half the reason I do this is to pay attention to your responses, Jeraya. And you moan.”

  “I do?”

  “Part of the reason I pick so many different kinds is to see how you respond to them. And you seem to enjoy all of them.”

  “You are extremely talented,” I said. “I am fairly sure three quarters of our lovers don’t have a clue what to do, but you somehow help them learn how to please us, anyway.”

  “Ah,” she replied. “People come in every which combination. For this conversation, let’s talk about two attributes: a desire to be pleased, and a desire to be pleasing.”

  “Doesn’t everyone want both?”

  “Yes, probably, but some people only care if they’re pleasing if it helps them get what they want. Others truly enjoy being pleasing for others, whether or not there is a reward. That describes you.” I thought she was right. “It can be difficult to tell, just from looking, how different people feel until you get to know them better.”

  “Sure,” I agreed.

  “I am far better at telling than you are. It only takes me a few minutes to determine whether someone wants to be pleasing, or whether she does it simply for the rewards. It’s not something I can teach you.”

  “All right.”

  “When she uses the giving of pleasure as a tool, I give her enough to let her know there are possible rewards, but then I make her work.”

  I laughed. “Good.”

  “When she doesn’t care whether she is pleasing or not, I still make sure she has a nice time, but I make sure she sees the others around us receive more than she does.”

  I laughed again. “Good.”

  “She probably doesn’t learn from the experience, but I can only do so much. Jeraya, you probably haven’t been able to detect a pattern, but at least part of the reason I involve our companions is based on the woman. If she is the sort to be pleasing, then I decided if she would more enjoy the added available pleasures. But otherwise, I make sure some of our companions join us so that either way, we’ll find our pleasures.”

  “Oh.”

  “But even then, women who wish to be pleasing will be looking for clues, and I make sure they receive them. If she is doing something
I like, I offer encouragement. If she cares at all for my pleasure, she’ll figure out what I like. As I’m not at all choosy, it isn’t hard.”

  “Oh.”

  “And I am patient. She can be entirely without a clue, and it might take several hours. So, what if it does? I’m not in a hurry. It will be a very pleasant several hours, either way.”

  “Oh,” I repeated for the third time.

  “Of course, our companions let me train them and were quite cooperative about it besides. I think perhaps you have noticed.”

  “I think you might be right.”

  “However, this is not what I want to talk about today.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind at all. I love talking about sex and pleasure and joy. I love paying attention to your reaction when I’m doing something especially delicious.”

  “Is that for your pleasure or for mine?”

  She laughed. “Both. It has been so long, this is how I have become. I do not know if I do the things I do simply because I want to show you pleasure, or because building a reputation of showing pleasure means I have my choice of hosts.”

  “Oh. I suppose word gets around awfully fast.”

  “Even if it didn’t, I have been doing this for a long, long time. Word has definitely gotten around.”

  “I suppose it would. I’m sorry, I keep distracting you.”

  “Yes. I was talking about things I leave behind. This isn’t something I can prevent. I always leave a little something behind, but sometimes it’s only a little something, and sometimes it’s a fairly big something.”

  “What is that?”

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out a stone. I looked at it. “Quartz?”

  “Yes,” she said. “This is of average quality, which I like for what I’m about to show you.”

  “It’s pretty,” I said.

  “It is.” And then she spoke a word, and there was a flash of light.

  “What did you do?”

  “Just wait,” she said. “Hmm. We should have done this inside somewhere.” But then she cupped the quartz in her hands, and we peered between a gap in her fingers.

  “Is it glowing?”

  “Like the stone you used to read books.”

  “You just did magic!”

  “Jeraya, we just did magic.”

  “We?”

  “We,” she confirmed. “Magic requires two components: knowledge, which I have, and latent ability, which I brought to you, and now you have.”

  “Wait. I can do magic?”

  “Well, no, because you don’t know how. When I leave, Jeraya, I leave behind a little bit of magic. I can’t help it. What I can control is whether it’s only a little or quite a lot.”

  “Oh,” I said.

  She put the stone back in her pocket. “We’ll look at it somewhere dark, and I can show you why I prefer average quality. The same spell works with any sort of quartz, including amethyst.”

  “Amethyst is quartz?”

  “Yes, with impurities that make it that color. If you use amethyst, then the light takes on the same color. Sometimes I like to use rose quartz.”

  “I bet that’s pretty.”

  “I think so.”

  “How long will it last?”

  “I didn’t use very much magic, so a few weeks or so.”

  “I meant, how long will the magic you leave me last? I suppose it depends on whether I use it up.”

  “Oh, no, Jeraya. It lasts forever.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  * * * *

  We sat quietly for a while, and then we got up and she found a few more treats. She ate them slowly while I thought of the implications. Finally, I asked, “Shi`nual, are you offering to teach me?”

  “Only a little,” she replied. “I can teach you to make the stones and to make a few simple charms.”

  “Charms?”

  “Luck charms, health charms, maybe a few others. I won’t teach you anything that will hurt people.”

  “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

  “I promised you choices, Jeraya. We are in the town that was once your home, and before I leave, you’ll know how to make charms that no one else knows how to make. And you will be able to make stones glow, which should convince people you have some skill.”

  “Oh,” I said.

  “You could have a good life this way. People would pay you. You would need to be very honest. I would teach you very carefully.”

  “Is that what you think I should do?”

  “It is one choice. There are others.”

  “Such as?”

  “You could return to your old life.”

  “Or?”

  “Or, you currently are the only person on this entire world who can help Lal Keshia return home.”

  “Me? You said she needs a coven. I’m one person. Would you make me so powerful?”

  “No. She would need a coven, and she does not count, so there would be thirteen, not twelve. You would be one. She has a plan for the others. It will take a long time, but she will live for a very, very long time.”

  “Her wife will have forgotten her.”

  “No, but her wife will have made a life without her. I do not know what would happen when Lal Keshia returns.”

  “This is why you asked those questions before we left Deepwater.”

  “Yes,” she said. “We came here to give you choices, and to find somewhere to buy the things we would need so I may teach you. The only quartz I found in Deepwater was very poor, and I couldn’t find the spices and incense I need to make charms.”

  “I can’t imagine we have the same spices here.”

  “You don’t, but part of learning magic is learning to recognize the potential in what you find. That is partly training and partly simple experience, trial and error. Another part of learning magic is learning how to teach yourself. You may learn how to make other charms, even if no one teaches you. I may guide you to learn how to make lust charms without actually teaching you.”

  “I presume they do exactly what I think they do.”

  “Perhaps. It affects the wearer.”

  “So, if I want someone, I would convince her to wear it.”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t seem to need them, or am I wearing one and don’t know it?”

  She laughed. “I definitely don’t need them, and you don’t, either. Nor do our companions.”

  “Are you using magic on the people we meet?”

  “Only the magic any woman has.”

  “I am fairly sure most of the woman we take home have never shared a bed with another woman before.”

  “And I am fairly sure most of them have thought about it, even if they have never thought they might act on it.”

  “You can tell somehow?”

  “Only from how they respond to me,” she replied. “So. Choices. Of course, you have others, and we could discuss them if you like.”

  “Give me an example.”

  “Rather than living here, you could travel.”

  “A traveling charm-maker.”

  “Yes. You could find a nice man to marry.”

  “Yeah, keep going.”

  She laughed. “You could find a nice woman to marry.” I said nothing to that. “You are very bright. You could learn a different trade.”

  “Apprentice myself somewhere?”

  “Yes, I suppose. Or trade charms for instruction. There would be value in making your own jewelry. Some magic requires you to infuse your charms with magic when you make them, and in that case, you must make them yourself. That is the only way to make charms that are truly durable, and then they must be made for a specific person. You do not need to be a master jeweler, but if you are not, then you probably would need to work with a master, who would guide you, and a single charm could take you weeks to produce. However, you would probably be the only person on your entire world who could make that charm.”

&nbs
p; “And I could be compensated accordingly.”

  “Yes. So, if I leave you with the least magic I leave anyone, you probably can’t do anything more difficult than producing a dim glow in a piece of quartz.”

  “Does it, I don’t know. Does it diminish you to leave more?”

  “No. But if I do, then you must learn to use it. People with magic who don’t use it tend to become quite eccentric, shall we say. It isn’t at all healthy.” I stood up. “Let us buy more quartz, and I’ll teach you.”

  Farewell

  She taught me the light spell. It wasn’t hard, once she showed me. It wasn’t hard at all. Most of it was a matter of wishing to see the potential magic, and then knowing what I wanted. The word she had used simply meant, “Light,” in her language, and she said, “You may use any word that helps you to focus your intentions.”

  I couldn’t practice, as I was not in control of my body, but Shi`nual assured me that, while it might take me a little effort, I could cast the spell.

  And then she made me sleep.

  When I woke, I didn’t recognize where I was. There were three unfamiliar women with me, all of us naked, and we were doing such lovely things to each other. I was already moaning in my own pleasure, and the others were offering their own sounds.

  And then I realized they weren’t all unfamiliar. I knew one of them. But then someone else did something to me that was especially delicious, and I inside, I said, “Yes. There. Yes, please.”

  And yes, I moaned, inside and out.

  * * * *

  Later, I slept again. When I next woke, two of the women were gone, and it was bright daylight. I was holding Jessine, the woman I knew. My hand moved to her breast, and I began to play with it.

  Her eyes opened. “Jeraya,” she whispered. “Are you never satisfied?”

  “Are you complaining?” I asked.

  “No.” She laughed a little raggedly. “I’ve never done something like this before, and you didn’t exactly have that sort of reputation, either.”

  “I feel like a new woman lately. Complaining?”

  “No,” she said again. “I am definitely not complaining. I still don’t understand where this accent came from, though. I don’t remember you having one before.”