by Nichols, TJ
Naked, they were soon on the bed, stealing first kisses. Touching, caressing. Their legs tangled. Angus was hungry for release without games, and he didn’t care how he got it. He wrapped his hand around Terrance’s long shaft and stroked.
The older warlock groaned and thrust into Angus’s hand, before grasping Angus. His touch was firm and sure. “Do you want more?”
“Just keep going.” The words were mumbled against lips, but the need burned within him. He wanted simple, easy. He realized that as much as he liked Saka, what they had was all about the magic. They worked together because they had no other choice.
He closed his eyes as his breathing quickened. His fingers slicked with Terrance’s precome. The kisses deepened as lust pushed harder. Then the climax rolled through him.
Terrance groaned. His cock hardened further, and then he was adding his come to the mess between them.
For a moment they lay there, catching their breath.
He’d needed that. He needed the human connection and to feel like he was something other than a warlock only good for magic. He sighed. Without either of those things, Terrance would never have looked twice at him.
Magic had invaded every part of his life. As much as he had never wanted it, maybe magic was his life.
Terrance kissed him again, slower this time. “I’d ask you to stay, but I know you won’t.”
“I might have.” He knew he wouldn’t have. He wanted to go back to his room and untangle what had happened. Maybe he’d have quite happily fucked anyone who’d wanted a bit tonight.
“I like you. But I’m going to run out of things to teach you fast. Your other teacher is better.”
Angus looked at the man in bed with him. Saka couldn’t help him pass the theory because what Saka taught him wasn’t what was being taught. “It might be nice to do stuff that doesn’t involve magic.”
It might be nice to have a friend. Unless this was just a job for Terrance and he was more interested in Saka than Angus.
“We could do that. Movie?”
Angus nodded and smiled. “Yeah. That would be good.”
Terrance was someone who understood what it was like to be caught between the underground and the college. For once Angus wasn’t alone.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Saka reappeared on the top of Lifeblood Mountain. Mages turned to look.
“Apologies for the interruption. My warlock was rebalancing.” Saka held up the vial of shimmering blood, then walked to the bloodstone and tipped Angus’s offering down. It would’ve been nice to stay for longer. He wanted to know who Angus’s friend was. There was a tension between the two of them, and while Saka wasn’t jealous, he knew not everyone could separate love and sex from sex magic. Humans especially had issues. He faced the gathered mages. “He won’t interrupt another meeting.”
“How do you know that?” someone said.
“Warlocks can be taught.” Saka firmly believed that.
“If you lower yourself to being summoned like an animal.”
Saka recognized the speaker as a vampry who wanted blood on the sand.
“There is no shame in teaching the humans or rebalancing the magic that is taken. Perhaps if more of us took that risk, they would have a better understanding.” Saka took his seat in the circle. They had been debating what to do next, arguing about drastic action now versus the level slow approach.
An older mage stood. “I have a warlock. I have for many years. He is what they call at college a lecturer, and while he holds firm to their ways, he listens. He refuses to do anything, though, because he has a family to protect.”
“Mages shouldn’t have family, as it weakens their commitment to the greater tribe.”
“We know that. Humans are different.” The old mage sat.
Guda stood. “My warlock works at the college and is in the underground. She is trying to make changes from the inside. But where we are equal after our initiation, they have other power structures. It is the people above her who don’t want change because they seek to protect their position.”
“Can we not remove those warlocks who seek to worsen the damage? Can the humans not do something? Surely they must see what is happening to their own world? Why are they so blind?” The mage spread her hands as though she couldn’t understand why anyone would put themselves above an entire world.
Saka stood again. “How can we complain about them when so few of us are willing to take a warlock and teach? We all feel when a warlock is searching for a new demon. Each one of us has the power to answer that call. If we did we could control the flow of magic.”
“We could be killed.” A mage jumped up. “My warlock has threatened me many times. She wants information. She will ask about this meeting. I would be better dead than betraying those of you who have warlocks. All I can do is make believable mistruths.”
“We have said no names,” Saka said. He was sure that only Guda and Miniti knew Angus’s name. He would have to warn him. “You have not betrayed us yet.”
“I will die first, but they keep records of who has what type of demon. They know that there are mages. It is the lower warlocks they keep this information from.” The mage who had outed herself as an unwilling traitor sat.
Saka was still standing. He knew there were a few others with warlocks, but none of them would speak now. No one would want a warlock connected to the college as the risk was too high. It was a danger that the warlock a mage took might not be as open as Angus and would use the mage as a spy. Now was the time to offer his idea. There was an alternative.
He glanced at Lox and then Becha. “College warlocks are a danger because they are being misinformed and are afraid of those in power. However, there are plenty of wizards—magic users without demons—in the underground. They would be willing to learn. To come here and learn.”
The vampry stood. “And how would they go home… or do they offer their souls?”
This was the two sides, then. Somehow Saka was now speaking for all level demons.
“There is no point in teaching if they do not return to share their knowledge and spread it… but while they are here, I’m sure they would be willing to participate in nonlethal rituals. As for going home, the underground would arrange their retrieval.”
“You want to deepen ties with the humans who want to destroy us.”
“No, I want to mend the bridge across the void so both worlds survive, and I do not think that the mass slaughter of humans is the way to do it. Human slaves offer a bandage. Taking wizards and training them, here, offers a long-term solution.” He hoped it would anyway. If the mages voted against this idea, then the rivers would flow with human blood.
“And the underground would send their wizards? They trust us not to kill them?”
Guda stood. “The underground will send ten wizards on a trial for five days. That means we need ten mages willing to take a human apprentice—not the same as taking a warlock. Many wizards find the idea of needing a demon for magic as weakness.”
His old teacher had cleverly phrased it in a way that some would find hard to avoid. Teaching was a duty. He had avoided taking a demon apprentice, but he had taken a human one. As a teacher he was very happy with Angus.
There were a few mutters of disapproval.
Usi stood. Saka swallowed the groan. She would argue against him, he was sure.
“I am the second mage to Saka. I saw his human. I saw the result of the day and night that the human was left here by the unwritten rules. And I saw the oasis that Saka created after spending an evening with his warlock. I told him one oasis wouldn’t be enough.” There were mutters of agreement. “I am glad that we are getting human slaves, we need them.” She paused. “But if Saka can create one oasis after one night with one warlock, perhaps his idea has merit.” She shook her head. “Saka and I agree on little, but we both know things have to change.” She sat.
That could have been worse. It had been clear that she didn’t like agreeing, and that he had
a good idea.
“If we give this idea a chance, how long do we wait?” A purple-skinned mage stood and sat just as fast.
It could take years to have full effect. To heal Demonside and remove the taint from the college. But they didn’t need years. All he needed was time to prove that the idea worked. The human slaves had bought him that time. “I propose we teach the wizards until the next gathering. It would not be a bad thing to have humans committed to learning and coming to this world on a regular basis.”
Conversation swelled.
The vampry mage crossed his arms, not happy with the way this was going. No doubt he’d wanted souls to sacrifice, not teach. Saka stood calmly. On the inside he was tight with anticipation. Now he had to wait while people talked, debated, and tried to find as many flaws as they could in his idea. There were plenty, but he hoped they would see that there were also many benefits.
Eventually the conversation hushed as decisions were reached.
“Before we vote I want to know if we have ten mages willing to risk their life teaching humans.” The vampry seemed pretty sure that there wouldn’t be.
If anyone stood, they would be identified very quickly as not supporting the vampry’s desire for bloodshed.
“Ten would be the start,” Saka said. There was no point in hiding the truth. “Unless the ten mages would be willing to take on more than one human apprentice. After all it’s not like humans can stay here for the full year while they study. They need to return to their side.” Those humans would be trusting that the demons wouldn’t kill them. He wasn’t sure that Angus trusted him.
“So the mages would be responsible for teaching others too? How many humans will be coming to visit?” The vampry liked this idea less and less. The mages with him were also looking more hostile.
Saka was beginning to feel like he was out on a very fragile branch over a very deep gorge. He’d gone too far to crawl back to safety.
Lox stood. She paused for a moment before speaking. “There is no harm in trying something before resorting to blood. If the humans we train are happy to be used to rebalance while they learn, then I am happy to offer myself as a teacher.”
Becha stood. “Only if they agree to rebalance.”
“That is what the underground believes.” Guda stood again, this time Saka noticed that she didn’t spring up as easily as she used to. “The wizards in the underground have refused to take a demon because they disagree with the college. They know magic has a price. Many would love the opportunity to learn here. Are there ten who will teach?”
Lox and Becha remained standing, and another couple of mages followed quickly. Some would be interested in learning more about humans, and that was fine as being a teacher was also a chance to learn.
After a few more heartbeats, there were fifteen mages volunteering. More than enough. If it went well, then others would join in.
The vampry looked unimpressed. “You would waste a year on this? A year while our world dies?”
“You are calling the idea a failure before it has started. Your mind is closed.” Saka looked away as though there was no one to argue with. A few of the other mages did the same.
In his push to discredit Saka’s idea, the other mage had embarrassed himself by admitting he wasn’t even considering the idea. A good mage always looked at both sides before deciding. Sometimes that meant voting in a way that was in the best interest of the greater tribe even though it personally grated. Saka wasn’t the only one who didn’t like the idea of human slaves but couldn’t find another option that provided such a quick fix to a very pressing problem. If his idea went well, then they wouldn’t need human slaves for long.
The vampry sat.
A vote was called, and every mage turned around, fists closed or open behind their backs. Saka and another mage counted open hands, open meaning accepted.
Two thirds in favor of a yearlong trial. Next year they would assess both the use of slaves and the training of wizards. Saka sighed and relaxed for the first time that evening.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Angus didn’t expect his father to be so suddenly friendly. They met for tea on campus, and his father asked how it was going with the tutor. It was going very well… although Angus didn’t go into details about how well. He was looking forward to going to the movies and pretending that magic didn’t exist for a couple of hours. His father wouldn’t want to know that. It was unnerving that his father wanted to know anything at all.
“I should get going, or I’ll be late for history.” Angus picked up his bag.
“You can get the notes. Walk with me.” His father stood and headed toward the exit.
It was then Angus noticed the two men who had also been enjoying morning tea had stood. His father hadn’t come alone.
The old fear of his father returned like a punch in the gut.
Softly he started drawing magic to him. He didn’t know what he was going to do with it, but it seemed like a good idea. If they all summoned demons, he was going to have to run.
“I do need to go to class. I don’t want to get behind when I’m just catching up.”
“We need to talk about your demon.” This time there was no question in his father’s voice. That was an order.
Angus crossed calling Saka off his short list of people who would help if things went bad… no they were already bad and getting worse. The warlocks had wanted to kill Saka after he’d snatched Angus the first time, thinking that Angus couldn’t control him. They obviously preferred animals to mages. In that moment he knew why.
A mage could spread information that the college didn’t want known.
“I have him under control. Everything has been going great.” Angus smiled and hoped his father would drop it and move on, even though in his heart Angus knew that his father would never let the issue go.
“Your demon is a dangerous mage. He is a threat to our world.”
Your way of using magic.
Angus shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“He takes your blood. That is wrong. You know it is.” His father turned to face him while the other two men stood nearby. Bodyguards for his father or guards to arrest Angus for not cooperating?
Angus looked his father in the eye. “He has taken no blood.”
That was the truth. Angus had freely given his blood to pay for the magic he’d used.
For a moment his father said nothing. “Come to my office, where we can discuss this in private.”
“No. I have to go to class.” Angus took a step back.
“That was an order, Angus, not an invitation.”
The two men drew closer, leaving Angus no choice but to follow or make a scene. If he made a scene, people would ask why, and given that his father was well respected and he was the idiot snatched by a demon, nothing was going to land in his favor.
So Angus followed his father across the road and into the headquarter office. Thick carpet and lots of polished redwood gave it a very opulent feel. Very different to the cheap laminates found in the student areas of the college. Angus had been in here as a kid. Back then he’d been impressed by the high ceilings and the hush as though any noise might distract very busy warlocks from their very important jobs.
The building was still impressive, but the silence was oppressive.
His footsteps were silent on the carpet as he followed. His stomach knotted, and his skin was doing that sweaty, clammy thing. As a kid he’d revered his father. By his early teens, it had become something closer to fear. After being retrieved from Demonside, it was most definitely fear. This man cared more about protecting the college than his son.
His steps faltered, but there was nowhere to run and running would make him look guilty. At the moment there was no proof he’d done anything wrong.
His father opened up the door to a large office. There was a small family photo on the wall, almost lost among the framed certificates and awards.
“Have a seat.” His father sat on
the other side of the table. He looked at the two men and nodded.
The men who’d followed stepped out of the office and closed the door. Angus guessed they were right outside in the corridor. At least he could talk to his father in private.
“Tell me about your demon.”
“He’s a red-skinned, common black-horn demon.” Angus shrugged. “I’m sure my demonology teacher has told you that. I’m pretty good at using the magic.” Angus smiled. “The theory was my weak spot, but that new tutor is starting to make sense. I think.” He didn’t want to sound as though he knew what he was doing or that he was close to Terrance. He doubted his father would like the idea that the tutor he was paying for had slept with his son in a moment of demon-induced lust. Angus wasn’t sure if they were friends and occasional lovers, or if last night had been an aberration brought on by magic. He wasn’t sure what he wanted or what would be fair.
If he was tangling with Saka, Terrance deserved better. But then what he had with Saka was just magic. Wasn’t it? Didn’t he deserve more?
It was all too complicated.
“Show me your arms.”
Angus pulled up his sleeves. There wasn’t a mark on him. Anywhere, not that he wanted to strip and prove that. “What is this about?”
“I have intel that suggests your demon is far more dangerous than we first thought.”
You have no idea. But Saka was only dangerous to the college, not Angus.
Angus frowned. “Really?”
His father sighed. “He took you to Demonside. We were lucky to get you back from them. I don’t want it to happen again.”
“I don’t remember.” Would his father tell the truth? He doubted it. If his father was lying, so was he.
“He did something to your mind. It would be best if you summoned him so I can take care of him and you can get a new demon. Something safer.”
“You want to kill my demon? What about all that talk about connections made across the void happen for a reason? That the demon revealed a lot about the warlock?” Terrance had tamed a scarlips with his blood. What did that say about him?