Thaumatology 08 - Ancient Page 5

  They met Twill at the bottom of the stairs. She was standing on the balustrade, tapping her tiny foot, one eyebrow raised. Ceri tried really, really hard to straighten her face. ‘I thought we were being invaded by a horde of demon teenagers,’ Twill said.

  ‘Sorry, Mom,’ Lily said, her voice a little muffled by her position slung under Michael’s arm. Ceri burst into a fit of giggles.

  ‘I can see I’m going to get no sleep tonight,’ Twill said.

  Ceri bit her lip long enough to still the giggling. ‘Well, if you wanted to join in, Twill, you just had to ask.’

  Bright pink splotches of colour flickered around Twill as she rose into the air spluttering. ‘I was not… I didn’t mean… You used to be such a sweet young thing!’ Vanishing into a ball of blue-white light, the fairy fled up the stairs.

  ‘That was mean,’ Lily said, giggling.

  ‘I’ll apologise in the morning.’ She started up the stairs, followed by a werewolf lugging a bundle of half-succubus, and determined to avoid the same fate. She came to a stop in the bedroom door; the light was on and Twill was sitting on the pillow looking a little sheepish.

  ‘Well… since I won’t be sleeping anyway…’

  Grinning, Ceri summoned her power for the growth spell. It was going to be a really wild night.

  ~~~

  Ceri smiled as she came down the stairs; Twill was singing in the kitchen again. The scent of coffee was another massive drawer, however. It had been a really wild night and Ceri had a feeling that she had not managed quite enough sleep.

  The singing broke off as Ceri poured herself a mug of coffee. ‘I must admit,’ Twill said, ‘that you were quite magnificent last night, Ceri.’

  Warm, brown, beautiful nectar of the gods slid down Ceri’s throat, accompanied by the firing of neurons and a sudden ability to comprehend the world in real time. ‘I was?’

  ‘You were. I admit I’ve never really been one to find submission arousing, but the way we just fell into it… Why are you blushing, dear?’

  ‘I… hadn’t really realised… I didn’t think about… It didn’t mean to… It just kind of happened.’

  Twill zipped across the room to hover right in front of Ceri’s nose, an action which always resulted in Ceri’s eyes crossing, even if she tried not to do it. ‘I enjoyed it. Why are you apologising?’

  ‘Well…’ Why was she apologising? If Twill had enjoyed it… ‘Because… It’s supposed to be consensual. Lily just goes with it whenever I do it and Michael’s happy to once in a while, but we’ve sat down and sorted out the details. He’s even got a safe-growl. I didn’t ask you. I could’ve done something you didn’t want…’

  Twill reached forward and tapped Ceri on the nose. ‘Don’t be silly. I trust you. You don’t think I’d be stupid enough to say nothing if things got out of hand?’

  ‘Well, no…’

  ‘Exactly.’ The fairy swept backwards with a beat of her wings. ‘I am pleased to see that you take it seriously. Lily is in good hands.’

  ‘Um… thank you.’ Twill floated over to the cooker, the fridge opened, and food began to assemble itself. Ceri stood and watched, sipping coffee and feeling slightly bemused.

  After a minute or two Twill said, ‘And for future reference, my safe word is “flower blossom”.’ Ceri suspected her head might explode.

  Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 8th

  Lia van Daal was waiting for them when they got off the train. Tall, lithe, blonde and tanned, despite it being only early spring, she was a pretty woman with narrow hips and substantial boobs; a fairly perfect figure for an ex-prostitute and porn actress. The cropped T-shirt, short skirt, and thigh boots added to the look, but somehow the beaming smile and expression of someone meeting long-missed friends made her look more like any other girl waiting on the station concourse.

  Lily wrapped her in a hug as soon as she got close enough, only letting go so that Lia could kiss her on the cheeks, left, right, left, which seemed to be the Dutch custom since Ceri could see others performing the same ritual. Then it was Ceri’s turn.

  ‘Lia, you remember Cheryl Tennant, don’t you?’

  The Dutch girl smiled and moved forward to give Cheryl the same greeting. ‘Of course, though not so intimately. Welkom in Amsterdam. Which hotel are you staying at? Ceri didn’t know when she called.’

  Juggling an overnight bag, Cheryl managed to pull an itinerary sheet from her jacket. ‘Uh, the Intercontinental?’

  Lia nodded. ‘I know it. I’ve done… you call them out-calls there. We’ll take the subway and get you settled in. Then, if you aren’t too tired, we can come back this way and have a couple of drinks, see the Amsterdam night life.’

  ‘Try stopping us,’ Lily said.

  Lia laughed and headed out through the doors to the subway. ‘You’ll love it, I think. My home town was built on tourism. Well, hedonism anyway. Hasn’t always been that way, but the rebuilding after the Shattering concentrated pretty heavily on the service industries.’

  ‘Not too late though,’ Cheryl said as they descended the steps. ‘We’re going to be busy tomorrow and we have got tomorrow night too.’

  ‘Yes, Boss,’ Ceri said, grinning. By the time they got a couple of drinks in her, she would be far less worried.

  April 9th

  It was almost two in the morning and Cheryl was looking distinctly rosy cheeked as the four women rolled into what they had decided would be the last bar of the night. It was beside one of the canals, very bright, with music which was not horrendously loud. It also had largely naked men and women dancing in cages dotted around the room which was entertaining.

  ‘Are you working at the moment?’ Ceri asked Lia as they sat down with their drinks.

  ‘Right now, no, but I’m starting a job next week. Legitimate acting too! I’m only some slasher killer’s third victim. He nails me with a kitchen knife in the shower. I mean, it’s nude, but not porn.’

  ‘Moving up in the world though,’ Lily said. ‘I did a couple of things like that. Bit parts, but real acting.’

  ‘I still haven’t seen this thing you did with Ceri and Lily,’ Cheryl commented. Ceri’s cheeks coloured.

  Lia grinned. ‘I’ve got a copy at my flat. Tawni says it’s selling well.’ She gave Cheryl a fairly fake timid smile. ‘We could watch it tomorrow night, if you want.’

  From the look Cheryl returned, half horrified and half anticipatory, she had bought the timid look hook, line, and sinker, and was reading plenty more into the offer. Ceri was pretty sure Cheryl was not seeing anything that was not there though; Lia was extremely open about her sexuality, she would bed anyone she found attractive.

  ‘We’ll see how it goes,’ Cheryl said, hedging her bets.

  ‘Are we actually in the red light district?’ Ceri asked, trying to change the subject.

  ‘Not the proper one, it’s a few streets over.’

  ‘You used to work there?’ Cheryl asked.

  Lia nodded. ‘It’s still a back-up option if the gaps between film gigs are too big.’

  ‘I honestly don’t think I could do that. Mind you, I don’t think I could do it on camera either.’

  ‘Ceri said the same thing,’ Lia said, grinning, ‘about the cameras anyway. It’s not quite the same thing as in Britain. It’s legal. You pay taxes. There’s a mandatory monthly health check with a witch who takes care of contraception and checks for any other health issues. You know, sex workers in Nederland, um, in the Netherlands, have the lowest instance of fatal breast cancer in Europe. It’s a job. With health benefits and a pension.’

  ‘I guess it’s an attitude thing.’ Cheryl was getting her professor on; you could tell by the musing expression. ‘I grew up thinking of sex as something special.’

  ‘It is,’ Lia replied, ‘when you’re with someone you care about. You learn to dissociate the physical act from the meaning, or you get out of the business before it destroys you. That’s what I think anyway.’

  ‘Well,’ Ceri said, ‘
I used to think it was something that happened to other people.’

  ‘And now she has a half-succubus sub and a werewolf mate,’ Lily said, grinning happily.

  ‘And appears in popular porn movies,’ Cheryl added.

  ‘You were really good as a Domme, Ceri’ Lia commented. ‘I’ve met better, but most were professionals. I mean, I’ve met some very good dominants, but not so many who could act it for the camera as well as do it.’

  ‘She’s got better,’ Lily said, licking her lips.

  ‘Better?’ Lia licked her own lips and dipped her eyes pensively.

  Ceri got the impression that they would probably not be leaving Lia’s flat the following night.

  ~~~

  There was the impression of falling. Tumbling through darkness. It seemed to go on for a long, long time, but Ceri was not really sure since there was nothing to judge it by. There was no wind, so she could not tell how fast she was falling. All there was was the lurching shifts in her stomach as she turned.

  A spark of light appeared below her, growing rapidly, but for some reason she felt no immediate sense of panic over it. As it got closer she covered her face with her arms…

  And she was stationary. There was light. Lowering her arms she found herself standing in a tent she recognised, and dreaded. Outside there would be a copse full of sleeping demon werewolves and men in combat gear. Soon they would come in and…

  The tent flap opened and five men entered dragging a woman with them. Ceri blinked; she was looking at herself! Naked, bruised, but it was her hanging limply in the men’s arms. The man leading the group turned his head. His name was Phelps and he managed to speak even though his throat was a ruin. ‘The werewolves and the succubus are dead. This one’s still alive, but she won’t talk. What do we do with her?’

  Ceri opened her mouth, but the words which came out were not hers, even if the voice was. ‘Tie her down. Your men deserve some R and R. That’s virgin arse. Use it.’

  This had not happened! What the hell was going on? As she watched herself being tied to the table legs, Ceri struggled to move, but nothing she did brought her closer. Her voice was silent, her limbs immobile. As the first of the men unbuckled his belt and stepped between her double’s spread legs, Ceri felt tears on her cheeks. As he stepped forward, pushing the other Ceri’s buttocks apart and ramming himself in, the pain seemed to sear up her own spine. There was screaming, but Ceri did not have that relief. All she could do was watch her own rape.

  ~~~

  The pain was gone, replaced by emptiness. She looked up at the high, blue sky above her and felt… not calm, it was not calm. She felt nothing. Nothing aside from the cool breeze on her face and the hard stone she was sitting on.

  In the sky above, huge shapes wheeled and twisted, exulting in the freedom of flight. It took a second for her to realise what they were; dragons, hundreds of them. Now she felt something; pride flooded through her at the sight of her children resplendent in their victory.

  She looked down at the skyline. The city below her was burning, fire reaching up to meet the winter sky. The humans had resisted, of course, but they had been no match for the dragons. She had offered them terms, some had even accepted, but the rest had continued their futile resistance…

  She felt the chain shifting in her hand and yanked on it. There was a sharp cry as her pet was jerked off balance and collapsed at her feet. ‘Draw attention to yourself again, pet,’ she said, her voice a harsh whisper, ‘and I’ll be forced to remind you not to.’

  ‘Sorry, Mistress.’

  ‘You know I don’t like hurting you.’

  ‘Yes, Mistress.’

  ‘It’s the only thing you seem to understand. It’s almost as though you want to feel the tawse on your skin. Perhaps it would be better education if we used the whip, the barbed one.’

  ‘No, Mistress. Please, Mistress.’

  She pulled slowly on the chain, drawing her pet closer until she could look down into its face. Those beautiful dark eyes, one of them ringed by a purple bruise, looked anywhere apart from directly at her. Reaching out she ran a finger gently over its chin. ‘I don’t like to hurt you, but it’s for your own good. You make me do it.’

  ‘Pet is sorry, Mistress. She won’t do it again.’

  ‘Do what, my pet?’

  There was the look of confusion. ‘Any-anything, Mistress.’

  ‘If you don’t know what you’ve done wrong, how can you stop yourself?’ Reaching out, she lifted a long, leather whip from beside her throne. The end of the snaking weapon had long, silver barbs sticking out every inch or so. ‘It’s for your own good.’

  And there was the fear, the terror. That was what she had been waiting for. ‘No, Mistress. Please!’

  Ceri smiled. ‘It’s for your own good.’

  ~~~

  She could not move. There was a weight on her chest and she could not seem to draw breath. She was dying. Her body felt bathed in sweat and she could not even move her eyeballs. There was something on her chest, a presence, something…

  The sensation of something sitting on her faded, the paralysis with it, and Ceri drew in a shuddering breath. She lay still, trying to regain some feeling in her limbs. Her head was full of fluff and fear, and she could not seem to concentrate. The dreams kept running through her mind. Her dreams usually faded, becoming barely remembered nothings soon after she woke, but these were staying with her. The pain, the dread, the feeling of absolute, terrible power…

  Struggling up onto an elbow she looked across at Lily. The half-succubus was asleep still. Normally she would wake when Ceri did, in the middle of the night anyway. Getting her out of bed in the morning was never easy, but when Ceri’s sleep was disturbed she normally… ‘Lily. Lily are you awake?’ There was no answer and Ceri reached out to touch a bare shoulder. Still no reaction.

  Slipping from the bed, Ceri went to the bathroom. She ran water into the sink until it was ice cold and then splashed it into her face. The shock seemed to cut through the fug in her head for a second, but then it was back. She ran water into a glass and drank, her eyes falling on the mirror. For a fraction of a second she seemed to see someone else there; a woman with her face, but dressed in a black gown and wearing an iron crown… She shook her head and the image was gone; a remnant of her nightmare.

  Nightmare. Something about nightmares. The paralysis on waking. Something… Why couldn’t she concentrate?

  Lily was still asleep, despite the light in the bathroom and the moving around. It was not like her. What time was it? She found the clock beside the bed, the glowing numerals spelling out five minutes to six. Far too early. She should go back to bed, but she knew sleep was going to be impossible. And Lily was still sleeping. She would go back to the bathroom, brush her teeth, maybe take some painkillers since she could feel a fatigue headache settling in. Then… Well, there were notes and plans on the ley line to go over. She would do that until Lily woke up.

  ~~~

  Ceri woke up with a start and the feeling that something was stalking her from the shadows. Except that there were no shadows. Light was streaming in through the curtains and Ceri had fallen asleep at the room’s little desk, leaving a vague impression of a nipple smeared over the screen of her tablet. That would need cleaning. The fatigue headache she had feared was coming on was in full effect, but at least she had not had more nightmares, and her brain-fog seemed to have diminished.

  Turning in her chair she saw that Lily was still asleep, completely unmoving in the bed. Worried now, she went so far as to check for a pulse. It was there, strong and regular, but that still did not wake her. She tried shaking and Lily’s eyes snapped open, sparks or red in her eyes and a sudden wash of heat indicating that she was alarmed.

  ‘Damn,’ Lily said, ‘I had some weird dreams last night.’

  ‘You too?’

  ‘You were in a cage, and I couldn’t get to you. You looked frantic. And then I was chained to the bed. Not in a good way.’

&nbs
p; ‘I couldn’t wake you. I got up around six and you didn’t wake up, even with me walking around. I had to shake you awake. Almost like you’d been…’

  ‘Enspelled?’

  ‘Yeah. I had nightmares. Maybe your dreams were a reflection of that. You felt my discomfort, but you couldn’t wake up to help.’

  ‘You usually don’t get nightmares when I’m with you. Where’s your amulet?’

  Ceri reached, unconsciously, for a chain around her neck which was not there. ‘I haven’t worn it since before we went to America. I wasn’t having the dreams and I’d got used to not wearing it again. It’s at home.’ She frowned. ‘One of the nightmares felt a little like those dreams. The other was just… well, Stonehenge with added terror.’

  ‘Added terror?’

  ‘It was me ordering my torture.’

  ‘Oh. There were others?’

  ‘One…’ Ceri faltered, but told Lily about the other dream as best she could remember it. She was afraid it might affect her ability to be Lily’s mistress and needed to explain why.

  ‘Head games,’ Lily said when she was finished. ‘Some subs get off on that kind of thing, though it sounds like the physical violence level was a little over what most of them would accept.’

  ‘Some, but not you?’

  Lily shook her head. Reaching out, she put her hands over Ceri’s. ‘Look, whether we play it out all the time or not, I’m yours. I’ve given myself to you. You’re my mistress, I’m your devoted slave. I trust you with my life because I know you’d never do anything to hurt me. In a way I won’t like anyway. You don’t need head games to make me obey you. I don’t need them to make me feel like a sub.’ She smiled. ‘And it was a nightmare, that’s all.’

  Ceri grimaced and slapped herself on the forehead. ‘I am so dumb this morning. It was a Nightmare. Damn it, Lil, it was a Nightmare.’

  ‘Yes, just a…’ Her eyes widened. ‘Oh, you mean a Nightmare nightmare.’

  ‘You in a deep sleep I couldn’t wake you from. The terror and paralysis when I woke up. The clarity of the dreams, and the feeling like my brain’s been sucked out. It was! The damn things siphon energy out of your mind.’