Sisters of the Mists Ch. 19

Marlena said, "That look on your face isn't promising."

Still listening to the Emperor's thoughts, Danica said, "He's only here because his advisor said he needed to show his generals what happened. That's who all the other warriors are. He has one general from every conquered region of the empire and his hand-picked generals. Some of them don't want to go to war."

"But he does."

Danica nodded. "He's been looking for any excuse to go to war. He knows the attack here was meant to instigate it, and knows about the desecration of the tomb as well. He doesn't care. He's even more excited to march his troops into the desert after seeing the treasures the shadow warriors brought back from the tomb."

"Did he send them?"

"I don't think so. It doesn't seem like he knew in advance. He doesn't trust the shadow warriors because they're from a conquered region."

"There's no reason to try to talk to him, is there?" Marlena guessed.

Danica tore away from his thoughts and shook her head. "No. He wants this more than anything. He's going to make a show of mourning the dead and then have the people tell his generals what happened here. I'm going to see what I can learn from the generals."

The column rode into town, and the warriors split off, allowing the people to see their Emperor. While he addressed the headman of the village, Danica sifted through the thoughts of his war leaders.

The Emperor's hand-picked generals were easy enough to determine. They were all as ready to go to war as their leader. A few of the regional leaders were hesitant, and fearful of how their warriors would perform in the unfamiliar, desert terrain. Most expected their protests and warnings would go unheeded, however. They were hoping for help from the palace. One general in particular knew it was all a ruse to bring about war, and he was livid about the shadow warriors who had desecrated the tomb, though he had heard only rumors.

Danica turned to Marlena and said, "There's nothing we can do here, but maybe in the capital. The Emperor puts a lot of trust in his advisor. He also has advisors from each of the regions, and a wife or concubine from each one too."

"You think maybe we can change some of their minds?"

Danica shrugged. "It's worth a try. Some of the generals are hoping for it, anyway."

"How far away is it?"

Danica collected her thoughts — or rather the thoughts she had been sifting through. "The Emperor and his men have been riding for four days, but stopped well before dark each day. They have a camp a couple of hours ride away, out ofsight of the village. There are people from the palace there, and soldiers to guard them. Maybe one of them knows something I can use as a teleportation pattern."

"So, do we start walking?" Marlena asked.

Danica didn't need her empathic powers to know the illusionist wasn't particularly enamored of the idea. Neither was she, really. Normally, she would have used a fly spell and followed the road because the camp was just off the side of it. Marlena's fear of heights eliminated that choice.

"The camp is next to the road," Danica held out her hand. "If you don't mind holding your nose, I think we'll go in jumps."

A relieved Marlena took Danica's hand, and a few seconds later, they vanished, leaving behind a sooty black cloud of smoke.

****

The three sister witches jumped back and ducked when a thick, slate-gray mushroom cloud filled with crackling amber sparks exploded from the potion pot.

Andrea stood up, waving a hand through the billowing smoke, and wearing a sheepish expression. "Sorry."

Ashley coughed and said, "It happens. I didn't react fast enough to let you know that pinch of crushed elf ivy was too big."

"I should have been paying more attention," Andrea apologized.

"It's okay," Ashley assured her. She then brushed her fingers through her hair, just below her ear. "Looks like you got something in your hair when it went poof. Right about here."

Andrea reached up, and the moment her fingers brushed the congealed dollop in her hair, she knew it wasn't from the potion. Her already warm face turned an even brighter shade of red.

"Something tells me that isn't potion goo," Celes teased.

Andrea explained, "I barely had time to take a quick bath in order to get back here on time, and I didn't wash my hair." She located a cloth and dipped it in some water to try to remove the semen in her blonde locks.

"Believe me, we knew you would be in a rush," Celes said. "We could feel it. Made it a bit hard to concentrate."

Ashley winked at the dark-haired witch and said, "I doubt we were the only ones on the receiving end of that feeling."

Celes blew a raspberry. She had come to grips with her divided affections to some degree. Enough, at least, for Ashley to return the favor and give her an amazing orgasm.

"That's sort of why I'm distracted," Andrea said. "I've told Turner that my ring's magic can tell me when it's safe for him to come inside me, but he always pulls out. He's never... Well, come in my mouth either."

"Probably just likes watching it splatter all over you," Celes said, and then rolled her eyes.

Ashley shrugged. "Celes could be right. Some men like watching it happen. He doesn't always want to come on your face, does he?"

Andrea shook her head. "No. It's usually on my butt, or my tummy, or my boobs." She pointed at her hair. "This was an accident. It went off a little harder than he expected."

Celes said, "If it's bothering you, tell him. Men are as dense as granite. You can hint until you're blue in the face and they don't seem to understand."

"I can't argue with that," Ashley said, and then chuckled. "Let him know what you want. Don't suggest. Tell him."

Andrea took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll talk to him."

"Well, while we're waiting for the smoke to clear," Ashley said, "Have the two of you been working on the spell for the Jihark?"

"A little," Andrea answered. "I've never tried to do anything like this."

Celes said, "Rhyming's not my strong suit, but I've written a couple of lines."

"I've got a little something too. Why don't we trade what we have and see if it inspires us? With a demon like the Jihark, we're going to need a crystal cage, a spell, and a potion to vanquish it."

"And survive, apparently," Celes added.

"Did you have to remind me of that?" Andrea asked while hugging her arms around her and shuddering.

"It's something we all need to keep in mind, no matter how frightening it is," Ashley said. "Our spell needs to be able to protect us as much as vanquish the demon."

Celes said, "Just the same, I'll be shielding us in the Art, too."

"I won't complain," Ashley said. "Every little bit of protection could make the difference."

"Mine's in my room," Andrea said. "Should I go get it?"

Ashley nodded. "I have mine with me. If you don't mind using your magic to make copies, Celes, that would be helpful."

"Not a problem. I'll go get mine, and I've got a little something for Andrea as well."

Andrea paused in the midst of turning to go to her room and asked, "For me?"

"Aye. A little something I came across in my mother's book." Celes shooed her sister witch along. "Go get your rhymes. I'll explain after I've made the copies."

That sent Andrea hurrying to her room, full of anticipation.

Ashley ignored the last fitful sputtering of the failed potion and dumped it out. As always, she marveled at the magic of the basin emptying whatever was poured into it. She had just finished adding the right amount of water to the pot to restart the potion when Andrea returned. Celes wasn't far behind her, and carried three candles as well.

The three witches laid out the lines they'd written for the spell, and Celes prepared to work her magic to make copies. Rather than starting the chant, she turned toward Andrea when a breeze tickled her hair. Ashley giggled and did the same.

Celes rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Well, there's no way I'm going to be able to concentrate to cast this if you're that excited. May as well give these to you first." She then pushed the three candles across the table to Andrea.

Andrea picked up one of the candles and sniffed it. Even unlit, she could smell the spice and flower oils Celes had used to make it. The candle had bands of color, starting with white on the bottom, then green, then blue, and finally red-orange at the top. There was a clear, defined line at each color change.

"Thank you. They're beautiful, and they smell wonderful," Andrea said.

Celes pointed at the candle and said, "Ah, but that's not all. Light it."

Andrea flicked her finger toward the wick of the candle, calling upon her powers. A merry little flame sprouted, and within seconds, the scent of the candle filled her lungs — stronger, but not overpowering.

"Give it a moment," Celes said, and then counted down a few more seconds in her head. "That should be long enough. Now, try to light one of the other candles."

Though a little confused, Andrea did as her sister witch asked. When she flicked her finger toward the wick, nothing happened. Her brow furrowed and she concentrated. This time, the candle took the flame, though it sputtered briefly first.

Celes smiled. "Aye, it works for you too. I already tried it, and my mother had perfected it before me. My mother's power was to read minds. There were times when she couldn't turn it off. Hearing what everyone else was thinking made it hard to do her own thinking. She came up with the idea of using her candles to fix that. They suppress your powers — just a bit, mind you."

Because she was as connected to Andrea as Celes, Ashley knew the purpose for the candles as soon as Celes explained what they did. "So if you light one up before you're with someone, you don't have to worry about accidentally setting something on fire when you come."

It had been a worry from the moment Andrea's powers had fully manifested and she knew what they were. It had always delayed her orgasms — at least a little. "Thank you so much, Celes."

"You're welcome, dearie. I'm making more. I think we all could use some, just in case."

Ashley nodded. "Ever since I put Danica and me into no-time, I've had a little trouble too."

"Gods know what's going to happen when I manifest a power while I'm coming," Celes agreed. "I'm sure Edna can use them for the same reason as my mother, too."

"Your first personal magic of the craft," Ashley said.

"Bah, I just followed my mother's recipe with a few tweaks."

"It's the first step into greater understanding of the craft," Ashley countered. "Candles are used in our magic anyway, so you could very well be on a path to making all our magic stronger."

"Hmm. Hadn't thought of that," Celes said.

"I wonder if I could do the same sort of thing with flowers," Andrea wondered.

"You should try," Ashley said, "Read Celes' book and find out her mother's formula. It might give you some ideas. But for now, we need to get those spells copied, and get back to potion making."

And with that, it was back to the wiccan grindstone.

****

Danica and Marlena appeared just below the crest of a small hill. They hurried upwind through the tall grass to escape the brimstone cloud created by the magic, which brought them to the top of the hill.

After a look at their surroundings, Danica pointed at a peculiarly shaped tree just off the side of the road. "We're close. A couple of people took note of that wind-twisted tree, and it wasn't far from the campsite. I guess we walk from here. As much faith as I have in your magic, I don't know if even you could conceal the stink from that teleportation spell."

"I can't argue with that," Marlena said, and then plucked at her robe. "I'm not even positive it can hide the smell of it clinging to our clothes."

Danica nodded. "It's a good thing we packed plenty of changes of clothes. Even cheating with magic, it's not easy to get the smell out." She looked down the road and pointed. "Let's walk along that ridge. It looks like it parallels the road for quite a while. Stay alert, because it's a likely place for them to put sentries, and we don't want to bump into one of them and ruin your magic."

It was only a brief walk to the ridge, and after all the time spent in the mountains, the hike up to the top felt like nothing to the two women. Once there, they had a wonderful view of the countryside. Rolling hills surrounded them, covered in a sea of grass. Here and there, the sparkling ribbon of a creek or small river split the landscape. In the distance, they could see the edge of a vast forest that stretched across most of the horizon.

After a little over a mile of easy walking across the level top of the ridge, they spotted the camp. Low, angled tents marked the outer perimeter. One would have to crawl inside, and they surely weren't suited for anything more than sleeping. Within that outer ring were the round tents that Danica assumed belonged to the generals.

In the center of the camp was what was surely the Emperor's canvas palace. Rather than a single tent, it was a complex of several, all facing each other, leaving an open area in the center. Some of the tents were joined by canvas-draped walkways as well.

All in all, the camp was half the size of the small village the Emperor was visiting.

"There's another bad sign that we may be wasting our time," Danica said. "Look at how much luxury he's providing for himself. Even his generals must have to spend time helping to set that up."

"He certainly seems full of himself."

"Well, we're here, so we may as well head over there, sneak down, and see what we can find out up close." It took another few minutes to reach the camp, and as expected, they encountered a sentry atop the ridge. He never even blinked when the two women passed by only a few feet away, thanks to Marlena's powerful illusion magic. The ridge continued on, and Danica assumed there was another sentry on the opposite side of the camp as well.

The two women made their way down the hill, and then approached the camp. They stopped a little outside the ring of patrolling soldiers.

"I may as well get the lay of the land, so to speak," Danica said, and then tapped a finger against her forehead.

Marlena smiled, nodded, and then gestured toward the camp.

The moment Danica relaxed the mental controls that kept the thoughts and feelings of everyone around her from driving her to distraction, she was slammed with a wave of emotions from a single woman.

"Danica, are you okay?" Marlena asked as she steadied her reeling companion.

Danica groaned as she fought back against the wave, blocking enough of it to stop the sudden headache it had caused. "I'm... I'm okay." She pinched her eyes closed and further concentrated. "There's a woman in anguish, and it kicked me like a mule."

Marlena cradled Danica's arm in hers, providing an anchor that allowed Danica to concentrate. After a few seconds, she began to sort through the woman's racing thoughts.

"She... The Emperor saw her while passing through her village a couple of days ago," Danica explained. "He asked her to come with him, and she knew what it meant. She also knew that saying no wasn't an option. She was a virgin, but that only lasted until that night when the Emperor took her."

Marlena whimpered in sympathy. "The poor girl."

"She's engaged, and now she's worried her husband-to-be won't take her back. She's not even sure she'll be allowed to go back. Apparently, this is a common practice here. Every girl is told how to act if the Emperor or some other high-ranking official takes a liking to them. She's been putting on a pretty face, doing everything he asks without question, and faking orgasms. The worst part for her is that she didn't fake it last night. He made her come, and she feels dirty because of it."

"Is there anything we can do?"

It reminded Danica all too much of her time as Zoraster's prisoner and pawn — especially the unwanted orgasm. "We're going to find out."

With no small amount of effort, Danica blocked out enough of the woman's pain to seek other minds around her. The Emperor had brought two of his concubines on the trip. One of them was jealous of the girl, but the other had apparently entered the Emperor's service the same way and sympathized.

They were both hoping for the same solution for completely different reasons.

Danica put back up her mental walls and opened her eyes. "There's a way out for her. If she starts her period before they return to the palace, it's considered a bad omen, and the Emperor won't take her as a concubine. She knows that, but it's only been a few days since her last. Unless they really dally, she's not going to start her cycle in time. The Emperor follows the tradition too, because his two concubines have seen it happen before."

Before Danica could even suggest it, Marlena said, "I can make it seem like she's started with my magic."

"Exactly what I was thinking."

"I'll need to be able to see her, though."

That presented a problem. No matter how good Marlena's cloaking magic was, Danica didn't like the odds of making it through the whole camp and into the women's tent without bumping into someone. A brief snippet of thought from one of the concubines that she'd all but ignored previously popped up in her mind, providing an opportunity.

"They were planning to go bathe anyway," Danica said. "Let me see if I can nudge them to go now."

Danica homed in on the two concubines. She was surprised with how easily she managed to block out the younger woman's roiling thoughts and touch the other two simultaneously. Having such a desire to help the distraught woman was allowing her to focus in ways she might not normally be able to.

She thought about the acrid stench of sweat, the feeling of greasy hair, and the hot, sticky, uncomfortable feeling of sweating beneath her breasts. She sent it all to the two concubines, and felt them reacting. Within a couple of minutes, the one who had been with the Emperor the longest told the other to fetch the guards to lead them to the nearby creek.

Danica broke into a wide smile and said, "They're getting ready to go. The creek is over this way."

Marlena followed, and Danica spotted a place where the creek widened and had a rocky bottom. It was close to the camp, and perfect for bathing. She and the illusionist waited nearby. A few minutes later, the three women and a half dozen soldiers approached. Sure enough, they headed directly for the widened spot in the creek.

The soldiers took up positions on both sides of the creek, facing outward. Danica caught snippets of thought letting her know that it was forbidden for them to see the Emperor's women nude. None were foolish enough to let their desire overwhelm their common sense and scanned the surrounding countryside for threats, doing their best not to think about what was happening behind them.

"She's the younger woman, isn't she?" Marlena asked. "The one in the middle?"

"Yes, that's her. Go ahead and cast the spell."

For any other wizard, it would have been impossible. Casting another spell would have disrupted the invisibility hiding them. Marlena managed it with ease. She called upon the power of her artifact and worked her magic. Just as the women were stepping into the pool, it took effect.

Only a minute or so later, all three women noticed. The two concubines were elated. The one because she knew the younger woman was free. The other because it meant one less woman to be competition in the harem.

The subject of the spell felt something entirely different. She was confused at first, and then frightened because she knew she shouldn't have started her period for weeks. Danica intervened, sending calming thoughts and reminders of what the bleeding meant for her servitude to the Emperor. Slowly, but surely, the woman relaxed and hope flickered to life in her heart.