by Eric Vall
“I tried to get them to come back,” another Defender added. “I said we had food for them and beds they could recover in, but they just kept walking faster.”
I was already turning for the door with Aurora close behind. “Which way did they head?”
“Toward Magehill,” the Defender called after us, and we broke into a run as we came to the lane.
I trained my ears to pick up every sound in the vicinity, but none of the hundreds of conversations taking place in Falmount stuck out as strange or plotting. No one was screaming or sounding like they were being attacked either, and when we made it to Magehill, I gestured for Aurora to split off and circle around the opposite edge.
We scanned every lane winding up amongst the houses, but there was nothing but the usual young mages and a few Defenders wandering around. No one suspicious stuck out in any way to me, but everything the Defenders had told me in the infirmary sounded too odd to ignore, so I sparked my Terra Magic as I met Aurora around the other side of Magehill, and we ran onward toward the train station next.
The platform was deserted as well as the stables, and I seeped into the soil as I began scanning the foothills.
“They must have left the village right away,” Aurora guessed as she eyed the forest ahead of us.
My pulse quickened anxiously at the thought, and part of me didn’t want to find the missing mages at this point, because there were only two directions they could have gone if they left Falmount. One was toward Serin and the Oculus, and the other was to the Master’s fortress, and I couldn’t decide which would be worse.
I told myself they could have been heading to see their families in Serin, but my gut didn’t believe a word of it, and unfortunately, my gut was rarely wrong these days.
So, I steadied my breathing as I continued scanning, and I slowly worked my way south and east, but no one was on the road to Serin. I scanned it twice just to make sure, but when I finally sensed something to the east of me, I zeroed all of my focus in on this direction.
That’s when I picked up a group of hurried footsteps making their way through the woods, and not only could I tell that there were five of them in the group, but they were undeniably headed straight in the direction of the Master’s fortress.
“Shit!” I cursed, and I whipped around to run back through Falmount as fast as my legs would take me while Aurora followed after. We came to a panting stop in the infirmary, and the Defenders I’d spoken with dropped what they were doing to come over.
“What did you say to them?” I demanded. “I need to know every word.”
“I just told them what the healer said,” one of them answered uneasily as he glanced at Shoshanne. “That they were safe now, that the branding was removed, and that we wanted to talk to them about what they’d seen if they felt up to it.”
“Fuck!” I cursed, and I clutched my hair.
“Why?” the Defender asked as his eyes widened. “Where’d they go?”
“Straight back to the Master’s fortress,” I replied as I glanced at Urn, but the burly mage just ground his jaw and looked away. “Now, they know we can remove the runes, they know we’re using the mages to get information, they know this is where we’re doing the procedure, and they fucking know there’s no guards at the entrance. Shit!”
“Wh-Why would they go back there?” one of the Defenders asked. “Why would they--”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Aurora snorted. “Because their loyalty lies elsewhere.”
The Defenders’ expressions darkened as they shifted the hilts of the swords on their belts, but Aurora shrugged.
“It’s not impossible to imagine,” the half-elf said. “Abrus fully supported what the Master had in mind, so why shouldn’t there be others?”
“Don’t say a thing to these last few mages,” I ordered. “We need to limit what’s said from now on.”
“I agree,” Shoshanne said, “I’m sorry I didn’t think of it sooner. I just assumed … ”
“So much for keeping a low profile,” Aurora muttered.
“We’re not going to Jagruel,” I decided on the spot, and I continued before Shoshanne could argue. “There’s no way I’m leaving you here after this. There were five mages in this room just now who support what the Master’s working toward whether or not they’re runed, and you could have been the one standing here when they woke up. No way.”
“Yeah, but they could have attacked the Defenders, and they didn’t,” Aurora pointed out, and the Defenders nodded their agreement.
“They just left,” one of them said. “Didn’t seem too friendly toward us, but none of them had summoned their powers.”
“Shoshanne would have been fine,” Aurora assured me, but I shook my head.
“Mason, please calm down,” Shoshanne said firmly. “You’re not thinking clearly, and you’re not even breathing at a normal rate. Just listen to what I have to say.”
“Nope. End of discussion.”
“Mason, that wasn’t a discussion, it was you freaking out,” Aurora muttered.
I took a ragged breath because I really was pretty wound up, and between Keris’ dead Ignis Mage wife and the five missing mages, I wasn’t too surprised. So, I tried to appear as calm as possible as I nodded, despite the fact that I was fighting the urge to lock all of my women up in the house.
“I wouldn’t be alone here,” Shoshanne reminded me, “and you know this because you’ve done everything possible to make sure of it already. Urn even told me you asked him to keep an eye on me, so don’t deny it. We’ll add two guards at the door as well as on the tower, keep five Defenders on the first floor at all times to assist me, and double Big Guy’s patrol of Falmount. I’ll limit what is said when they first wake up, and anyone who leaves will be traced by Urn to see where they go. In the meantime, if those mages are heading to the fortress, they’ll have to get through the snatcher first, won’t they?”
I couldn’t deny all of this made a lot of sense, but I stubbornly remained silent as I crossed my arms.
“We’ll give you some privacy,” Urn said as he cleared his throat, and I could have sworn I saw a smirk on his face as he led the two Defenders back up the stairs.
Then Aurora nudged me, and I glanced over to see a coy smile on her face.
“You’re sweet when you’re ready to abandon all of your plans over us.”
“Don’t be cute,” I muttered as I fought the grin twitching at my lip. “This is serious.”
“Yes, it is,” Aurora laughed. “The ogres seriously have no one to help them survive, Mason. You’re the only person willing to go west, and you have to go soon before the Master gets them all. If he’s about to find out what we’re doing, then so be it. We can still save dozens of mages before he can do anything about it, but you’re the one who has repeatedly said he would find out eventually, so don’t let it derail you. Stay focused on the next task, alright?”
“Ugh,” I groaned as I braced myself on the table beside me. “Stop sounding like me, it’s impossible to argue with you when you do that.”
“Well, don’t worry,” Shoshanne said as she forced a serious frown, and I narrowed my eyes when I realized she was trying to do an impression of me. “We’ll make sure every last detail is taken care of.”
“Yes, this situation calls for strict organization,” Aurora added as she stifled a giggle. “I’ll draw up a few sketches.”
I sighed and turned toward the stairs, but Aurora burst out laughing as I dragged both of them along with me.
“But I’ll fix this!” the healer shamelessly giggled. “Just give me more than an hour to work on it, and I’m sure I’ll come up with something.”
I would have flicked both of them off if they knew what the gesture meant, but they didn’t. So, I let them giggle as I kept a firm grip on their arms, because I suddenly felt more like going against the grain and purposely getting nothing accomplished and maybe disregarding a handful of important details. Just to prove them wrong.
Neit
her of them seemed to notice the pair of chains that draped themselves in the crook of my arm as we went, and when we continued up the staircase without stopping, Aurora tensed in my grip.
“Wait, that was the second floor you just passed,” the half-elf chuckled, and I nodded.
“Yeah, well, Sebastian’s not the only one who needs some life affirming sex today,” I told her as I sent her a stern look, and I steered the two women to the deserted third floor of the infirmary.
Then I sealed off the entrance and windows as Aurora let a few amber flames curl around her fingertips, and complete silence pressed in around the three of us.
“Take off your clothes,” I ordered. “Both of you.”
Chapter 9
“Please tell me you brought some chains,” Aurora said breathlessly as she immediately wrenched the red silk of her bodice open, and I nodded before I leaned back against a table and crossed my arms.
I could hear the half-elf’s pulse quicken under my gaze as she slid the silk down over her hips to let the garment drop at her feet, and then Shoshanne got on her knees to peel the woman’s stockings off for her.
The dim flicker of flames dancing in the air around Aurora illuminated every curve of her in the darkened room, and she turned around to give me a view of her perfectly toned ass before she brought herself behind Shoshanne.
The half-elf held my gaze over the healer’s shoulder as she roughly tore Shoshanne’s blouse open, and then she slowly undressed her while I raked my eyes over every inch of her supple flesh. Once they were both completely nude, the two women stood obediently waiting side by side in the fire light, and I pulled the chains from the table at my back as I strolled over.
“Get on the table,” I commanded, and as Shoshanne laid herself out for me, I broke off just enough of one chain to form two shackles. Then I secured her wrists to the table above her head.
“But I need one hand,” the healer murmured, and I shook my head.
“No, you only get to watch and wait this time,” I told her.
Shoshanne let out a little groan as she sent me a pout, but I didn’t yield on this one. I pulled her legs up instead, and I let the cold chain slide across the back of her thighs to make her shiver before I secured it to the table so her legs were restrained behind the knees.
“Wait here for me,” I growled in the woman’s ear, and then I turned to where Aurora already laid watching me from the next table.
“I don’t need my hands,” Aurora informed me as she rolled onto her back, and she sent me a coy grin as she raised her arms above her head for me.
I chuckled and shackled her to the table before I chained her legs up just like Shoshanne, and by the time I finished getting my own clothes off, the half-elf’s breaths were coming impatiently as her emerald eyes bored into mine.
I wasn’t going to give her what she wanted just yet, though. Apparently, I’d been outdoing myself by making sure my women had everything they needed today, so I decided to take my sweet time taking everything I wanted from them.
Starting at the top.
Aurora moaned her approval as I lowered myself on top of her and began trailing my tongue down her neck, and when I abruptly gave her a punishing bite, she gasped as her legs strained against her chains.
“You’re gonna make this hard for me, aren’t you?” she muttered as I slowly continued my trail.
“Oh, I’m already hard for you,” I murmured against the soft crest of her cleavage, and the half-elf groaned impatiently.
“You know what I meant,” she tried to say, but when I bit lightly at her nipple, the words hitched in her throat as the chains jolted. Then her attention was fully distracted as I began to swirl my tongue around her taut pink bud, and I didn’t stop until she was squirming for more.
When I finally pulled her nipple into my mouth to suckle at her, the half-elf let out a ragged sigh, and I teased her other nipple with my thumb just to drive her to the brink that much quicker.
I could hear her heart pounding heavily in her chest as her breaths quickened, and when I finished teasing her like this for another few minutes, I started blazing a trail down her slender belly to the mound between her thighs.
Then Aurora looked down at me with her emerald eyes burning. “But I need you now. Please? I’m more than ready.”
“I know you are,” I said huskily, but I didn’t stop.
Aurora bit down hard on her lip as I flicked my tongue across her clit, and when I pressed my lips against her more fully, the half-elf let out a long, feral moan that echoed around the room.
Then I slid my tongue into her moist entrance, and Aurora gasped as she began to quake beneath her chains. I took my time enjoying the sweet taste of her arousal, and as I moved my tongue in a slow, methodical rhythm, I started tracing circles across her clit with my fingers.
The wetter she got, the deeper I delved my tongue to lap up every drop, and when Aurora suddenly bucked against me and let out a screech, I could tell she was on the verge of an orgasm.
“Not yet,” I warned in a low voice.
Aurora whimpered as she fought to keep from climaxing while I kept plunging my tongue in and out of her, and her legs trembled from the effort. Only when the half-elf’s whimpers turned into desperate moans did I finally bring myself up onto my knees above her, and I looked down on her flawless form while her arms strained against the shackles. Her blue hair draped across the table as her pink nipples contrasted vibrantly with her creamy skin, and there was an eager glint in her emerald eyes as she waited for me to finally penetrate her.
I could hear Shoshanne’s heart slamming in her chest now as her breaths came quicker beside us, and I glanced over as I started to slide the tip of my cock along Aurora’s slick entrance. The healer’s face was deeply flushed while her eyes hungrily watched me tease the half-elf for a little while longer, and I could tell the slow torture was almost as painful for her as it was for Aurora.
Aurora was at her breaking point, though, and when I looked into her eyes, she looked ready to ignite from how badly she wanted me inside of her. Her pussy felt like it was a thousand degrees while I continued to enjoy the sensation of her velvety lips against the underside of my shaft, and when she finally gave a violent jolt against her chains, I let out a chuckle.
“Please?” Aurora begged. “I need you now, I can’t wait any longer.”
I stooped to brace my arms on the table as I kept myself poised against her entrance, and I could feel the heat radiating from every inch of her as her breaths became ragged in my ear.
“If you insist,” I growled before I firmly thrust my full length into her, and the woman cried out as an orgasm instantly overcame her. The wait only made it that much more intense, though, and I watched her slender body spasm and roll beneath me as the pleasure overwhelmed her. She shrieked so loudly I had to muzzle her with my hand so no one downstairs would hear her, but I only kept driving myself deeper as her prolonged orgasm spurred me on.
With the half-elf’s legs splayed for me against the chains, I could use my full force as I gripped the edge of the table, and Aurora grinned with a sinful satisfaction as the rattle of her chains filled the room. Both she and Shoshanne were moaning now, but one was from enjoyment while the other was from longing, and the combination sent a surge of desire coursing through every inch of me.
I turned to watch Shoshanne writhe in her restraints while she watched me pound into Aurora, and as the half-elf jolted beneath me, I could see the healer’s fingers clutching desperately at the shackles above her head until her knuckles were white.
Her arousal was palpable while she remained locked there and unable to pleasure herself, and as I watched her ample breasts rise and fall more rapidly, I gradually quickened my thrusts.
Aurora hadn’t stopped moaning for a second, but now her moans were turning into breathless whimpers as she neared another orgasm, and the sound of her enjoyment made Shoshanne bite at her lip and squirm against her chains.
Then I lo
cked my hold on the table’s edge as I thrust with all of my strength, and as Aurora gasped and shrieked from the force, I felt her spasming through another climax as I let my seed gush into her with a deep, throbbing ache that made me cry out nearly as loudly as Aurora had.
With my full weight crushing down on her, every inch of Aurora was like fire against my skin as she quivered with ecstasy, but I wouldn’t release her yet. Our bodies seemed to melt into each other’s as I emptied the last of me deep into her womb, and when I met the half-elf’s fiery gaze, a wicked grin curled at the corner of her lips.
Then I slowly slid myself from Aurora’s taut center as my cum seeped out of her and pooled on the table beneath her, and when I left her there, she was panting and limp in her restraints.
“Don’t forget the chains,” Aurora sighed hazily.
“Who said I was done with you?” I asked as I climbed onto the next table, and in the firelight, Shoshanne’s thighs were spread to reveal a glistening wet pussy waiting for the same treatment.
Her caramel breasts were heaving as she trembled with anticipation, and I chuckled as I braced myself above her to slowly trail my lips down her slender neck.
“Your turn,” I growled, and I started back at the top as Shoshanne let out a velvety moan of relief.
The caramel beauty had a dewy sheen of sweat on her now that glittered in the firelight, and her face was flushed a rosy red while her lips puckered from the effort of trying to slow her breaths.
I rarely made Shoshanne wait so long for me, and I’d never gone so far as refusing to let her pleasure herself while she did. So, I decided to reward her by giving her exactly what she liked, and as I cupped her heavy breasts and drew a deep red nipple into my mouth, I pulsed my tongue against the bud until her back arched into me.
Then I slid one hand lower to her splayed thighs, and I slipped two fingers into her despite how tight she was.
Shoshanne couldn’t still her breaths now even if she tried, and as I forced my fingers deeper, I increased the pressure of my tongue against her nipple until she let out a long, trembling moan. She didn’t fight against her restraints like Aurora loved to do, though. She weakened from the strength of my grip as her legs instinctively spread themselves wider, and I tightened the chains to make sure they stayed that way.