SexMagick

by ed. Cecilia Tan

  "Why did you have rope in your hands, Cousin Lil?" It struck Cassie as an odd prop, much less appropriate than a fan, or a bouquet. At that, her cousin turned on the chair, hands halfway down the braid she was making, and looked at her with an odd question in her eyes. "Do you really want to know, Cassie?" she asked.

  Something in Lil's tone made Cassie pause. She suddenly felt that her answer would change – something? everything? – but her curiosity drove her on to say, "Yes, Cousin, I do."

  Lil sighed, and said, "All right, then, I'll show you tonight. It's a family heirloom and tradition, and it's time for you to feel it. Now," she continued, in a lighter voice, "you come over here, and let me play with your hair for a while. Your cousins have been doing all sorts of weird things to theirs, and it's been a while since I had my hands in curls like yours, child; I want to see what it'll look like once I take these tiny braids out."

  Cassie obeyed, and spent the next hour having the dozen tiny braids she'd so carefully put into her hair undone. It had been years since someone had spent that much time focused on her hair, brushing it, massaging her scalp, then brushing it again, so that the longer locks fell in waves halfway down her back. Lil said little as she played with Cassie's hair, except an odd comment when she undid the last braid: "I was right – you've got that wild streak in you, child. It always shows up in the hair..." Cassie wondered about it, but the smooth strokes of the brush lulled her. Eventually, the sounds of Lil's foster children drifted up through the hallway, and the two women went back to prepare dinner.

  After dinner, Cousin Lil nodded at Cassie, and led her back to her bedroom, where she unlocked one of the vanity drawers and lifted out a leather pouch. "What do you believe in, child?" she asked abruptly.

  "I... I don't know, ma'am," Cassie stammered. "Mama raised us–"

  "Never you mind what your mama raised you, child. Just tell me, do you believe in magic, or has all your city living sucked that out of you?"

  "Truth? I don't know. I'm not supposed to – I mean, I'm a grown woman, and this is the late twentieth century – but there are times when I can feel something, and I don't know what it is, that runs through me, and through the air..."

  "What about elves? Or aliens? Or demons? Do you believe in any of those things still?"

  "I don't know. I want to say no, but I wonder, sometimes."

  "Good enough," Lil laughed. "Good enough, child. Now, you just come with me, and you'll touch the family magic tonight, sure enough. I knew your mama wouldn't have sent you here otherwise; she's no fool, and she didn't raise no fools."

  They walked out into the woods beside the house, away from the well-tended gardens and the steep driveway to the road. Cassie was struck again by how far the house seemed from civilization, recalling the curving mountainside road she'd followed to get here. Cousin Lil strode as if she'd often travelled the path, only using her flashlight in the darker parts of the woods, until she came to a small clearing. There she stopped, and knelt down to make a fire in a circle of stones that looked like it had been used for that purpose many times before. Cassie stood on the other side of the fire, waiting.

  "Cassie." Her voice was low and serious, throbbing with overtones of suppressed emotion, "You're gonna be all right. That's all I can tell you; all you need to know. Okay, child? I'll come fetch you later. These are the things you'll want, here... and when I come back, you can tell me if they're..." She flushed, then said, "Never mind, child. I'll know." She stood up, kissed Cassie on the forehead, then left the clearing.

  Cassie watched her walk away, then shook her head. She reached over to the pile of things Cousin Lil had left for her. "Family sure is strange," she murmured, spreading the blanket beside the fire; she sat, then looked at the remainder of the items. A bottle of what appeared to be one of Lil's cordials, though not labeled, a delicate crystal goblet, and a coil of rope.

  The rope was hand-made, she could tell even in the firelight, and felt oddly silky against her skin. She guessed that it was the same rope that Lil had held in the photograph, and began to examine it. It was thin, and lighter in weight than she thought it would be, considering the number of coils in her hands; she could see a number of colors in it: several shades of brown, auburn, and black, but the main color was an odd silvery white that seemed to shimmer when she looked at it. She touched it to her cheek, her arms, and to her lips, and decided that it was made of human hair.

  It was a warm summer night, and Cassie felt safe in the clearing, as Lil had said she'd be. On a whim, she shed her clothes, folding them up, then filled the goblet with cordial. Berry, of some sort, and spices, she figured, but couldn't clearly identify any of them; it filled her mouth with a delicate but intense flavor. After drinking half of what she had poured, she folded herself into the lotus position, and stared into the fire, waiting. If there was magic in the woods, she wanted to be ready for it.

  Some time later, she reached out for the goblet again, drank a few more sips, then poured the remainder into the flames. To her surprise, they began to burn silver, the same silver as the strands in the rope. She reached for the coils to hold, stroked them, and ran the length over her skin again, contemplating how the silver looked against the honeyed brown of her skin; finally, she stood up and began to play with it, wrapping it several times around her waist, then over her shoulders, crossing it between her breasts, and spiralling it up each arm, until she could hold sections in her hands.

  Her skin tingled, almost burning, where the rope touched it; she could feel her nipples tightening with excitement. She began to spin, arms outstretched, feeling the loops tighten about her ribs as she inhaled, seeing them glow with their own light, hearing the long ends whip past her wrists as she turned. Laughter bubbled out of her throat, as the stars whirled overhead – to be cut off abruptly as the ends of the rope pulled taut, vanishing past the circle of firelight.

  Cassie tried to pull free, but to no avail; she slowed her breathing, putting faith in her cousin's words. She had a sudden vivid image of how she would look to someone seeing her, and was stunned by how desirable she would appear...

  "...Yes," said a soft voice behind her, as cool hands placed themselves on her hips, "you are beautiful, cousin, as are all of your blood, but you... none have loved the rope as you do."

  Shocked speechless, she trembled as the hands slid along the sides of her torso to cup the undersides of her breasts, thumbs and index fingers holding her nipples. A shudder of delight went through her as the fingers began to caress her, brushing over the tips of the nipples, then circling the aureoles, with a touch almost too soft to be felt.

  The hands moved away, and she felt something silken brush against her hip. She shuddered again, closing her eyes, then felt hands against her cheeks. Gold eyes, like a cat's, gazed into hers; with a start, she recognized the tilt of them, and the winging arc of brow as the same ones that had looked at her from Cousin Lil's face, and that she saw in the mirror. "Yes, kinswoman," said the voice, "blood calls to blood, through the rope made of our mingled hair."

  A step back, and she could see him clearly. Wild silver hair, that curled and waved, falling to his thighs; her eyes, though gold rather than brown; full lips, curved in a sensual smile; a pointed, angular face; a long slender body, skin like light through ivory, with a well-proportioned cock flushed slightly pinker. She could smell her own arousal, and from the flexing of his nostrils and the dilation of his pupils, she guessed that he could, too.

  He placed the fingers of one hand on her forehead, and she could see how she appeared to him: rounded, voluptuous, with honey-colored skin, black curls at head and vulva, her mortality burning like a fierce flame through her flesh; alien, beautiful, and irresistible. He kissed her, biting her lower lip gently with sharp teeth; it was a moment before she felt the blood well up. He smiled again, then licked it away.

  "Who are you? What are you?" she whispered.

  "How do you see me, cousin? Elf? Incubus? Demon lover? What name would you give me?" he as
ked, pulling her to him, and stroking her back and ass with long fingers. They curled around her cheeks and toyed with the hair on her labia, then slid through her lubrication with cool fire. He began to lick and nip at her throat, then her breasts, laughing silently as she writhed with pleasure.

  He walked to the fire, and knelt with his back to her for a moment, then returned with the goblet full and lifted it to her lips. A little of the cordial spilled onto her breasts, and he bent to lap it up, then dipped his fingers into the goblet and coated one nipple with the rosy liquid. The cool moisture made her gasp, and she felt his laughter as his mouth closed over her breast, teeth teasing as his tongue roughly stroked her nipple. He did the same to the other breast, then repeated the process over and over until they were almost sore from the stimulation, and she could no longer hold still.

  When he knelt before her, spreading her legs to lick her pussy, she moaned. He lifted her thighs and placed them on his shoulders, cupping her buttocks in his hands. She pulled on the ropes crossing her palms without realizing it, arching her back as she came, and came again.

  He stopped, setting her feet down on the ground again, and stood, hands around her waist, supporting her weight as she caught her breath. Cassie shuddered, then looked up at him, her pupils reflecting the golden glow of his eyes. He smiled at her, then shook his head, letting his hair sweep across her flesh; it curled, as if of its own volition, around her arms and breasts, and brushed against her clit, causing her to moan. He stepped back, then ducked beneath her arm, letting the ringlets draw themselves away, each separate strand tingling like fire.

  Cassie waited helplessly, fingers clutching and releasing the rope running across her palms in time to her breathing. The feel of his torso against her back did not surprise her; she pressed herself against him, revelling in the cool silky texture of his skin, and sighing as his hands wandered over her body, sliding over and under the ropes around her torso, dipping into her pussy and out again.

  "You burn, cousin – your skin is like fire," he murmured into her ear as he licked the lobe. She pressed her buttocks against him, feeling hot and empty and wanting; as he lifted her to slide his cock into her pussy, she screamed, half with pleasure, half with frustration, wanting to be able to hold him. He moaned with his own pleasure, then began to fuck her, holding her waist in his hands as he stroked into her. She came once, feeling her muscles convulsing around him and sweat rising on her skin; he held her for a few moments, then slowly withdrew. As she moaned with frustration, he laughed again. "What do you want, cousin?" he teased.

  "I want..." she whispered, and then felt the rope loosening itself from her, as her unverbalized desires caught fire. She laughed, feeling the power flowing through her, then turned at his gasp, to see him lying on the ground, his own hair wrapped around his arms, pinning them above his head, and the rope spiralled about his waist and legs, holding them slightly apart. His eyes met hers, a little frightened, surprised, and amused.

  "Powers of Earth and Fire! Cousin, you are stronger than I thought," he murmured, "And now I am at your mercy." She knelt over him, and began to trace his lips with her fingers, sliding one into his mouth, letting him caress it with his tongue, then using it to draw moist lines down his torso. He sighed, and watched her, gold eyes glittering, as she bent to kiss him, fingers flicking at his nipples. She ran her nails down the sides of his torso, and laughed as he writhed in his turn.

  She played with him with curiosity and delight, rubbing her breasts against him, allowing him to lick at her nipples, then sliding them down his torso, nibbling at the sensitive skin of his armpits, then his nipples, stroking his thighs with her hands. She drew patterns on him with the cordial, and licked them off, feeling him writhe beneath her, then poured a little on the head of his cock and lapped catlike at it, before engulfing him in her mouth.

  As his movements grew wilder, she lifted her head, and slid herself over him, feeling his cock glide deep within her. With a mental gesture that she was scarcely aware of making, she released his arms and legs so that they could embrace each other. His hair flew about them as they fucked; beads of sweat spun off their skin, gleaming like blood in the firelight. She came, screaming, and seconds later, his voice joined hers; she could feel the pulsing of his cock within her, and knew that he could feel her pussy contracting in waves around him.

  She sat in his lap, cocooned in his hair, gently wrapping locks of it around her wrists and stroking it across her breasts, and asked again, "Who are you? What are you? And why do you call me ‘cousin?'" He laughed, and used his hair to hold her hands against his chest, so that she could feel his nipples rise beneath her palms, as he answered.

  "I am... what I am, cousin. Elf, if you like, elemental, or spirit of the woods. We are drawn to mortals with magic in them, fascinated by the fires and flavors of mortality, and the flavor of the children of the Earth. When your ancestors first came to this mountain, your beauty and your power drew us... and those of you who have the fire strong within you can draw us here through the rope that we braid together."

  He offered her the goblet and she sipped from it, then asked her next question: "Are there more of you?"

  "Of course, cousin. And you share our blood, and our magic, as you have for generations." Cassie trembled, wondering whether she would find herself bearing a child with gold eyes and wild hair in nine months; she put the thought aside, to deal with when she had to, though the possibility didn't upset her nearly as much as she might have expected it to.

  He kissed her again, then lifted her out of his lap, and sat her down beside him. She felt a slight tug on her hair, then saw that he held a lock of her black curls in one hand, and one of his own silver in the other. Without speaking, he began to plait the strands into the end of the rope, showing her how it was done, then guiding her fingers as she tried to follow his movements. It was easier than it looked, as if her hands knew the patterns from long ago; she wove the lengths of hair together almost to the end, then offered it back to him. He took it, finished the section, coiled it and laid it across her lap, then kissed her passionately.

  He took her wrist in his hands, and began braiding another lock of his hair around it, until she wore a shimmering bracelet. He murmured something, too soft for her to hear, as he tucked the last ends in, then plucked a single strand of her hair and wrapped it around his own wrist, murmuring the same sounds, then lifted his gaze and smiled at her again. She kissed him, stroked his hair, then watched as he rose and began to walk away.

  "Farewell, cousin," she murmured.

  "No. I shall see you again, kinswoman," he replied, and vanished into the woods. Cassie closed her eyes, then resumed the lotus position, laying the rope across her legs, and relaxed, mulling over his last words.

  Some time later, as the sky was starting to lighten, she looked up, unsurprised to see Cousin Lil sitting across the embers of the fire.

  "Well, child," Lil said.

  Cassie smiled, and said, "He was beautiful, Cousin Lil."

  "He?" Lil looked surprised, then laughed. "Ah, child, you surprise me. With your wild looks, I'd expected... well... for me, it was two of them, one male, and one female; for your mother, it was two women." Cassie's eyebrows shot up, and Lil laughed again, rocking back and forth with glee. "You don't believe that your generation invented sex, do you? Come on home, child, and after breakfast, I'll show you some of the other things in the family treasure chest..."

  CORA AND THE GOAT

  Linda Hooper

  Cora was just pulling out the last loaf when her mother heard her mutter, "I hate holidays. More work for me and I'm too young to have any fun."

  "Stop complaining, my little one," her mother said. "You've finished your work today, so now run off. I won't expect to see you until supper tomorrow. You are a good help to me. Don't spoil my good impressions of you with your sour words." And she gave Cora a little spank on her bottom as she scampered out of the oven yard to the threshing floor of the barn.

  Everyon
e was arriving for the harvest celebration. Cora dipped herself a cup of water and watched the men bring in offerings of fruits, vegetables, and meat to the tables. They were full of laughter and competition. They teased each other about the sizes of their beets and their "jacks." Cora watched them and grimaced in adolescent disgust. She knew that probably someday, she could be attracted to their rough masculinity. Her sisters had changed when they were just a bit older than she was now. But today, she could never picture herself enjoying the rutting with men that her sisters spoke of so proudly, with such enjoyment and knowledge. It was a mystery she could live without. She preferred playing with her girlfriends, though lately there were fewer girls her age. Her mother would wink and tell her she would grow out of this, "most girls do."

  She stood behind the crowd during the dedication of the harvest to the Goddess. She was too old to scamper about like a child, paying no attention, but she was not yet old enough to participate. She knew the songs, and sang along with the rest, but she was soon bored with the talk and games and teasing of the grown-ups, and when the dancing and music began, she slipped away to the barn. She had been working from dawn to dusk with her mothers and sisters, preparing the feast, and now, with no ritual adrenaline to sustain her, she needed to rest.

  She entered the barn, lit only by the dusky light from the last sun. The animals greeted her. Two cows, two oxen, a few milk goats, and the ram. She lived with a prosperous family. She thought she might climb up to the hay loft, and was walking toward the ladder at the rear of the barn, when the ram leapt his stall and ran toward her – and the still open door.

  In fear, thinking she would be blamed for loosing the ram, Cora shouted, threw her arms wide, and tried to catch the fleeing goat. But instead of shoving his way past her, he stopped, skidding into her sandals, and lay down before her, head down, in almost a bow.