by Eden Redd
The lovers slipped into an alleyway and Nia pushed Trystan against a brick wall. Hands unbuckling his belt, the red head worked feverishly to open it. Trystan looked down with half closed eyes and then back at Nia. Belt undone, Nia worked to undo his pants and pull down his zipper.
“We are just a few blocks from the dorm,” Trystan slurred and wasn’t sure it came out the way it sounded.
“I need that cock,” Nia said with heat in her voice.
Trystan put his hands to her shoulders and held her for a moment. Nia struggled and squirmed but couldn’t break his grip. Glancing up, shyness overcame her.
“Stop staring at me,” Nia let out in a little whine.
“I have to stare at you. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known. I just needed to say that.”
Nia continued to squirm. Breaking free she straightened her clothes, “I feel vulnerable when you look at me like that.”
Trystan stayed against the wall, shadows covering his body, “It’s the truth.”
Nia looked Trystan in the eyes, “You are the most handsome man I have ever known,” Nia paused before continuing, “Now let’s get to your bed so we can fuck,” The fire mage said a little too loudly.
Nia stepped away and stumbled. The walls moved of their own accord and the mage was finding it difficult to keep her balance. A cold chill ran down her spine as she stepped to the mouth of the alleyway, one hand reaching out to help steady herself.
“Come on lover, we….,” Nia stopped when she turned around.
The darken alley was empty. Shadows streaked across the same wall Trystan was standing a moment ago. Nia turned around, eyes looking for any hint of him. Panic gripped her heart as she moved down the alley, her breath quickening.
“Trystan, this isn’t funny,” Nia said and her voice cracked.
Nothing moved. Only the distant sounds of the festival filled the air. Nia went to the wall and turned around. Eyes looking in every corner, her heart skipped a beat. Emptiness surrounded the mage. Hands moving, she cast a spell. Senses grew sharp. The sounds of the festival grew louder and the darkness pulled back but there was no sign of the blue mage.
“Trystan…..?” Nia said, her eyes filling with tears.
~Fin~
Blue Mage: The Witch Trial
One
A cold wind caressed Trystan’s face. Blinking, eyes took in orange leaves, blue sky and small puffy white clouds. The mage’s body was still as his eyes moved around, taking in his surroundings. Bird song filled the crisp autumn air. Trees swayed gently in the breeze and a small fire crackled nearby. Turning his head, the fire blazed its life-giving heat.
The mage tried to move his arms and soreness bit into muscles. Moving his legs, the biting escalated into an acidic gnawing. The warmth of the sleeping bag kept him in place for a long moment. Sitting up, the mage gazed out into sparse woods. Pushing at the sleeping bag, the edge rolled off and a chill touched him. Clothes disheveled, misty breath fell from his lips as he tried to shake away the mental cobwebs.
Emptiness filled his memories. The last thing Trystan could remember was being with Nia during the Pumpkin festival. They were having an intimate moment and then darkness. Try as he might, the only other memory to fill his head was the present. One moment he was in Stukarr and now he was in the middle of nowhere.
Mist flowed off Trystan’s arm. The mage watched as a blue siren formed next to him. Sylk was on her knees, webbed hands rubbing her closed eyes. Yawning, she turned to her master and opened her sleep filled eyes.
“Master?” the siren said as she finished her yawn.
“Do you remember anything? How did we get out here?” Trystan said as he opened the sleeping bag completely.
“No Master. I remember watching you and Nia talking before…..” The siren trailed off.
The mage was on his feet. Hands pulled at his clothes. His wardrobe seemed like it was put on in a hurry. Fixing himself up, the mage scanned the area. Through the trees he spotted a road.
Sylk stood up, “I feel confused. I can’t think straight.”
“I feel that way too,” Trystan looked down at the sleeping bag.
The sleeping bag was not his. The logs of wood in the fire were neatly placed. Aside from that, there was nothing else. There was no back pack, tent or supplies. The mage could only guess that he was left out here with just enough so he didn’t freeze during the night.
“Let’s walk to the road. Maybe we can find our way back Stukarr,” Trystan began walking.
“Yes Master,” Sylk said and yawned again.
Trystan could feel the emptiness sitting in his mind like a stone. The walk to the road was quick. Standing in the middle of the empty road, he looked in both directions. Sylk stepped out of the woods and stood by her master. Both sets of eyes took in the patches of woods, dirt road and pointed spires in the distance.
“Well, there is Stukarr,” Trystan shrugged and began walking.
“What do you think happened?” The siren sighed. The mental cobwebs were still there, slowing her down.
“I don’t know,” Trystan said flatly.
With each step, the weariness began to bleed away. The muscle ache was annoying but manageable. Trystan felt like he just woke up from a hundred-year sleep. Looking to his familiar, she seemed to be suffering the same effects. The mage let his senses touch Bella. The blue slime was still asleep on his skin, her mind quiet.
Master and familiar walked on. The mage again tried to remember anything but his mind came up blank. The more they walked, the more a burning sensation flared on his chest. At first Trystan thought it was just him waking up but the burning intensified. Scratching at his chest only made the burning burst with needle like pains. Trystan pulled at his shirt and looked down. Eyes grew to the size of saucers. Sylk looked over with concern in her oval eyes.
“What is it, master?”
Trystan pulled his shirt open to reveal the left side of his chest. Sylk stepped closer, a webbed hand reaching out. Fingers hovered as she stared. A jagged spiral was inked into the mage’s chest. Black lines with purple swirls ran along the spiral as it grew smaller toward the middle. Sylk touched it causing Trystan to wince.
“I’m sorry Master,” The siren said pulling away.
“It’s okay. It feels tender.”
The siren put her face close to the design, “I can sense powerful mana.”
Trystan opened his senses. The spiral felt like a living thing, moving slightly and pulsing with a faint heartbeat. Another cold breeze flowed over the mage and a shiver ran up his spin. He wasn’t dressed to be out in this cold air for too long. Letting go of his shirt, the mage pressed on.
Reaching the city entrance, the guards eyed him suspiciously. Trystan was ready to tilt his head down and keep walking when one of the guards stopped him.
“Are you well? You are very pale,” The guard leaned his spear against the city wall, ready to assist.
“Yea. The Pumpkin festival can get a little crazy,” Trystan said while trying to come off easy going.
“Pumpkin Festival? That was three days ago. You must have had one hell of a time,” The guard smirked.
Trystan tried to keep the shock from his eyes. Sylk felt the mental impact from her master and immediately stepped in.
“My master really knows how to party. He finally wore himself down. I’m taking him home so he can rest. No more parties for him,” Sylk smiled.
The guard looked from Trystan to the familiar, “Good thing. He doesn’t look well. You should be careful outside the city gates. Monsters still prowl the wilds. I don’t care how many civilized ones we have here in the city; we have to be careful of all the uncivilized ones still out there.”
Sylk put her arm around her master’s waist, “I will be sure to remind him.”
“On your way then,” The guard gave a half smile to the mage and familiar.
The two continued walking onto cobbled streets. City folk were starting their day. Most didn’t even
notice the dazed mage with his familiar. Trystan spent the moments trying to organize his thoughts but the shock whipped at him like an angry serpent.
“Master, three days? How could we have lost so much time?”
“We have to see someone about this.”
“Professor Hart or Headmaster and Headmistress?” Sylk held her master a bit tighter.
“No. We can’t go to them, not yet,” A sinking feeling pulled at his heart.
“Why?”
“We can’t get them involved. We don’t have any answers and I’m not sure how much they should know. If they use magical means to recover my memory, they might find out about the Libro Nocte,” Trystan said with a low voice.
The mage remembered the shadowy book. He only witnessed a few pages from it but icy tendrils dug into his mind with forbidden wanting. Trystan had made mental notes to find out everything he could about the book since it disappeared. After they stopped the Dead Mother from turning them into her undead slaves, the mage was going to divert some of his efforts to find out why a ritual from the book was important enough to send an undead army after it. He knew if he spoke of it to the Headmaster and Headmistress then they would stop his efforts. Something deep down hungered to know and the mage found it impossible to say no.
“But the book is gone and we lost three days. They can help……”
Trystan gave Sylk a hard stare, “I said no.”
Sylk’s eyes stared at her master’s and then lowered to his chest. Trystan’s hard stare melted away. He curled his arms around the siren and held her close.
“We have to keep this to ourselves. I don’t want to chance hurting people we know. You understand?”
The siren snuggled her face into her master’s chest, “I do. I’m worried about you. I’m worried about us.”
“My powerful siren is worried?” Trystan said playfully.
Sylk smiled, “I will always worry about you.”
“I feel the same. We will get through this. Right now, let’s keep it quiet until we know more.”
“What about Nia?”
A gloomy cloud surrounded the mage’s mind. He knew Nia must be worried sick. The whole college could be out looking for them right now. Trystan knew he had to do damage control if he was going to find out what happened.
“The old Ink Witch on Crescent street might be able to tell us what the spiral on my chest means. After that we can meet with Nia. Hopefully she hasn’t gotten anyone else involved.”
Trystan fished into his pocket and touched his cell phone. Taking it out, he tapped at the screen with no effect. The phone died and he had to recharge it. He dreaded to think of the messages left on his voicemail. Pushing it away, he had to focus on one thing at a time. Uncurling his arms from Sylk, the mage walked on.
Trystan reached Crescent Street. Sunlight was touching the tops of buildings from the East. Horses plodded along with carriages in tow. It appeared like a normal morning in the city. Sylk stayed close to her master as they ambled along. The mage quickly tried to work out a believable story. Knowing Nia, anything he said she would see right through it. With her he would have to be as honest as he could be.
Thoughts of the Ink Witch Bertha filtered into Trystan’s mind. The old Ink Witch had lived in Stukarr all her life. She liked to hand out small bags of cookies. Trystan saw her most days when he walked to work and would take a bag of her delicious cookies. They would even strike up conversations and she would pat his butt when he had to leave. The thought caused a small smile to bloom. The mage knew she had a lot of knowledge and she would be his best bet to find out more.
The Ink Witch sign swayed from a small pole. Trystan stayed positive as they approached. A list of questions formed when he reached the front door. His hand stopped at the handle when he noticed the smaller hanging sign under the bigger sign.
The small sign read “Under New Management.”
The mage hesitated to walk in. Doubt loomed as he wasn’t sure he should enter. Sylk looked to her master with concern. The mage took a deep breath. With little options left to him, he took hold of the door handle and pushed in.
A bell chimed as the mage and familiar walked in. Incense burned and blanketed the shop with exotic scents. Three reclining chairs sat in the back with a counter off to the right. Ingredients sat in jars while a shelf held thick tomes. Trystan could remember his first time entering the Ink Witch parlor back in Sapphire Cove. Warm thoughts of the Ink Witch spilled into his thoughts. It was only a few months ago but it felt like a lifetime had passed.
Hands pushed through a hanging bead curtain in the back. Trystan looked over and his heart skipped a beat. Sylk’s mouth turned into a broad smile. The siren raced forward, arms out. The Ink Witch stepped into view and a cheery smile flashed. She wore a steeple black hat with raven black hair spilling behind her. A small black shawl covered smooth shoulders. Tight black top covered large breasts but showed ample cleavage. Tight black leather pants adhered to her hourglass figure with leather boots completing the look.
“Gwen!” Sylk screeched as she hugged the Ink Witch around the waist.
“Hello little one,” Gwen smiled as she hugged her back.
Eyes drifted up to the startled mage standing by the entrance, “It’s good to see you Trystan.”
“Gwen? Gwen Azure?” The mage said dumbfounded.
“The one and only,” The witch smiled.
Two
Trystan took a shaky step forward. He couldn’t believe his eyes as the Ink Witch let go of Sylk and eyed the mage with a bright gaze. The mage thought back to when he first met her in Sapphire Cove. He was drunk and Nia forced him into her shop so he could finally get a familiar. Kindness floated around her as she spoke with him, trying to help him pick a familiar suited to his personality.
The mage stopped walking halfway to her. Memories of her in his dreams poured through his soul. He remembered how hurt he was. She touched his mind and healed him so he could continue on the very quest she set him on.
“Trystan, are you okay?” Gwen stepped forward, her smile fading into concern.
Trystan reached out and took hold of the counter edge, “Yea, I just need a moment.”
“You look like you’ve seen some trouble,” Gwen stepped close.
Trystan immediately noticed her jasmine perfume, “I wish I could tell you what kind of trouble,” Weakness began to seep into his muscles.
Sylk rushed to her master and took his arm. Gwen took the other arm and guided the shaky mage to one of the reclining seats. Sitting down, Trystan felt the plush leather against him and he sank further into the chair.
Gwen turned to the siren, “How long has he been like this?”
Sylk’s head tilted down, “Since this morning.”
Gwen looked down at Trystan, “Are your hurt? What happened to you?”
Trystan sighed and started to talk. Gwen listened as Trystan told her how he woke up in the middle of the nearby woods and the missing three days. When he finished, he pulled open his shirt and showed the spiral tattoo over his heart. The Ink Witch leaned in close, fingers touching his chest and sliding along the spiral edge. The mage looked down but his eyes wandered to Gwen’s smooth neck.
“I don’t want to alarm you but I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Gwen said as she stood back up.
Trystan covered up his chest again, “Is Bertha here? Maybe she can help?”
Gwen shook her head, “Bertha moved to Sapphire Cove. She said city life was getting too much for her. She wanted a slower pace so she could relax more. We had been talking for a while about switching locations. A week ago, we decided to do it.”
Gwen’s hand touched Trystan’s arm, “She told me what a fine and polite young man you are, spending time talking to her and asking for her cookies.”
Trystan could feel his face redden a little, “Um…yea….well she has great cookies.”
“Maybe one day you can try my cookies and compare,” Gwen said with a playful smirk.
Gwen crinkled her brow, “I can’t say for sure. It’s infused with a lot of mana.”
Trystan sat forward, “Can it be removed?”
“Since it is over your heart, I would not attempt to remove it. When magic like this is removed, it can cause a shock to the system. I fear there would be a chance it would stop your heart in the process. If it was anywhere else on your body, it would be safer.”
“Someone did this to me. I need to find out why,” Trystan said with a dark edge.
Gwen touched his shoulder, “I can help but it may take some time. For something like this to be inked into your skin, there must be an outcome or desired effect. I can research it and see if I can come up with something but you may have to sit tight for a while.”
Trystan tried to not let his eyes wander to Gwen’s cleavage, “For a while?”
Gwen squeezed his shoulder, “I haven’t seen this technique before. I will have to research it and see if there is a safe way to remove it. It will take time.”
The mage was silent.
Gwen continued, “I promise to do what I can to help you. See me once a week so I can keep an eye on it.”
Sylk leaned in close to her master, “Master, you don’t think Freya did this?”
Trystan turned to his blue haired siren, “I don’t know what to think.”
Gwen’s eyebrow raised, “Freya Kilborn? I remember her when I inked her two familiars. A rude young woman. Why do you think she had anything to do with this?”
“We dated,” Trystan sighed.
Gwen looked to Trystan’s defeated eyes and nodded, “What happened to the beautiful red head?”
“Nia is here in Stukarr. I have to get to her and tell her I’m okay,” Trystan could feel the worm of depression boring into his heart.