The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 12

"This is killing me a little bit," he said as he stood from the table, and laughed his way to his desk in their bedroom, returning with a small stack of perfect white paper. Without a word, he set the paper on the table in front of Karen, before resting a standard ball-point pen on top of the small stack.

Karen fought the crumpled piece of paper for a few more seconds before finally sighing and pushing it away from her in defeat. She smiled at Andrew and shook her head as she centered a sheet of clean white paper in front of her. Lifting the ball-point pen, she focused on the paper for a second, before deftly drawing a complex and intricate design on most of the sheet.

The ward was marvelous and intriguing, many if its lines and shapes seeming reminiscent to Andrew of aspects from other wards and spells. Whatever arcane language or rules that governed those designs had a mysterious pattern that seemed to beg Andrew to be understood.

Andrew asked, "Are you sure you have enough Astral Ink?" while he studied the large design.

Karen shook her head, and wondered the same thing. "If we can draw it small enough, perhaps."

Joyous laughter filled the room as Sara leaned across the table, and slid a fresh piece of paper in front of Andrew, and another in front of Karen. "Yay! It's time for a sketch-off."

They shook their heads and tried to protest, while Sara just interrupted them with the simple statement, "Sketch-off," each time they tried to speak. By the time Sara found a pen and placed it in front of Andrew, her two mates had given up their struggle, and had resigned themselves to her game.

"OK, here are the rules," Sara began, while she rubbed her hands together. "You each have one minute to draw the smallest, most perfect ward you can. Whoever draws it smallest and best, wins."

Andrew looked at Karen and admired the excited gleam in her eyes. She had several lifetimes of practice on her side, and Andrew suspected that he stood no chance in this competition. She smiled at him, and was eager to see if her suspicions about his powers were correct.

Sara gave them a chance to draw a few practice lines to ensure that their pens were primed and ready, before she counted them down. As the match started, Karen's hand worked with a measured pace that saw her making good time. She knew the size that she was comfortable drawing, and after forty seconds, she completed her design and looked at Andrew.

He was focused on his paper, his eyes following the line that flowed out from his pen. His design was close to Karen's in size, taking up about a third of the top left corner of the paper. He finished about five seconds after Karen, but instead of looking up, he studied his drawing for a second and then began again, this time working to make it smaller.

Sara held her phone in her hand, and watched as the timer crossed the minute threshold; but instead of calling out the end of the game, she focused on Andrew and what he was doing. Thirty seconds later, he finished his second version of the ward, this one almost half as large as the first. Again he studied it, looking closely at the lines, before he started once again.

This final design rested on the bottom of the sheet, directly in the center of the available horizontal space. To Sara and Karen's amazement, it was about the size of a postage stamp, the distance between the closest lines exactly the same as the width of the lines themselves.

Sara studied his handiwork, her acute vision following the intricate curves and sharp turns that wove through the ward. There were hairline feathers of ink that seeped through the fibers of the paper, blurring the otherwise crisp edges. As she compared his small design to the original that Karen had drawn, she could find no difference.

Karen lifted his paper, placing it beside her own, and marvelled at how exact the wards matched. She expected there to be minor differences in the shape of the lines, but everything she checked was picture-perfect. If anything, his lines were more crisp and consistent then hers. It was as if the lines had been drawn by a machine, with no shake or wobble anywhere. Even the pressure and speed of the pen had been perfect, ensuring a clean and crisp line.

"Well, damn... I think we have a winner," Karen said, while holding up Andrew's paper.

"By the rules of the game, you won fair and square." Andrew leaned across and cupped her face as he kissed her softly, his lips giving her tender affection. Andrew smiled as he sensed Sara's presence, turning to see her leaning on the table with her elbows, excitement and joy written across her face.

He brushed his fingers across her cheek, and winked at her before settling back into his chair.

"So, do you have any normal ink for that pen I can use to test with, before we start on the real thing?"

Karen slid the fountain pen and the small jar of ink across the table. "Here you go. The good stuff is still in my bag." She looked down at her large bag for a moment, and then mumbled, "Somewhere."

Andrew and Sara laughed, which caused Karen to blush as she looked between them. "Hey, my system works perfectly!"

It didn't take Andrew long to unstopper the jar and figure out how to draw the ink into the pen's internal reservoir. The pen felt strange in his hand, its tip so odd with its curved edge and long metal point.

"Man, this is weird," he observed, as he drew several test lines on the paper, admiring how the lines' shape and contour changed depending on the angle of the pen. Nothing as dramatic as a calligraphy pen, but he knew that he would need to practice for a while before he would be able to ensure that his lines were uniform and exact.

Karen and Sara drank their tea and talked about one of the poems from school, their love for the material showing as their voices raised in tone. Andrew had to fill the pen a couple of times, the paper becoming a hectic battleground of chaotic and intermingled lines. As he filled the bottom of the page, his lines had finally found a uniformity that caused him to smile with pride.

"Okay, I think I'm ready," Andrew stated, as he slid the sheet of paper over to Karen, who studied the small ward he had created on the bottom corner of the paper. The feathering of the lines was more pronounced with the fountain pen, but his ability to maintain a consistent width was impressive. The design was a bit larger than it had been with the ball-point pen, necessitated by the increased width of the lines, and the danger of bleeding that threatened to connect them together.

Karen shook her head as she set down the page, admiration beaming out from her smile; he was more gifted than she had expected. While she searched through her bag, Sara came over and draped her arms over Andrew's shoulders from behind.

"Do you think this will work?" she asked, concern about the ward palpable within her words.

"It has to, kitten. Otherwise Karen will be left exposed, and we may have to move so that we can remain together."

None of them wanted that, their anxiety intermingling as it flowed out through their bond. The one thing they all knew was that splitting up was not an option, and that if one of them was forced to leave, the rest would follow.

Andrew flushed the ink out of the fountain pen, and had a fresh piece of paper by the time Karen had found the tiny crystal bottle that held the small amount of Astral Ink. The fluid appeared midnight blue through the clear crystal, a beautiful color to be sure, but left Andrew and Sara feeling deflated. Neither of them had known what to expect, but the dark blue ink was somehow disappointing. Karen watched them for a moment before she laughed and asked, "Were you expecting something more grand?"

Andrew chuckled and nodded before he responded, "Well, yeah... I thought it would be glowing, or sparkling... maybe irridescent, or pulsing with magical energies, or... I don't know, something."

Sara shook her head and blew a raspberry towards the small crystal jar, making sure it knew how she felt about its lackluster appearance. Andrew laughed, the reverence of his anticipation dashed upon the shores of reality. He unstoppered the jar and saw just how little ink remained.

Andrew looked at Karen with worry behind his eyes as he asked, "Wow, this is going to be close. Are you sure you want me to do this?"

Sara squeezed Andrew from behind, while Karen reached out and caressed his cheek. "You are the only one who can. I can't draw the ward as small as you can, not without a few attempts, anyway."

He pressed his face into her palm and closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of her warmth. For a few seconds they remained like that, Sara caressing Andrew's arms and chest, while Karen's thumb traced his cheek.

Andrew smiled and sat up, shaking out his arms and limbering up. Sara let him go and returned to her side of the table, and while Andrew prepared to perform his task, his two women continued their earlier conversation about poetry. They knew that what Andrew needed most was to be surrounded by comfort, swaddled in the warm trust that came from their playful conversation, and they were right; as their laughter and jesting voices carried through the room, Andrew centered himself, and soon, was ready to start.

He had drawn the last of Karen's Astral Ink into the fountain pen, and while it looked like plain, dark-blue ink, Andrew could feel its presence within the writing implement — it was as if the ink was eager to be used. Andrew visualized the ward in his mind, imagining how it should look across the open plains of the stark white paper.

As the pen came down, and the ward began to be drawn, Sara and Karen's speaking slowed. Despite their efforts they struggled not to watch, the importance of this act demanding their attention. Andrew started on the longest line of the ward, which also had the furthest distance from any other line. Karen knew that Andrew was testing the ink, while not wanting to waste any of it; he was judging just how it reacted to the paper. Would the lines be wider? Would they bleed out more than the traditional ink?

To Andrew's amazement, the ink was far truer than any ink he had ever used. The line was perfect, as if it sensed what he was doing, and worked with him to become what he desired. The line was thin, and had no feathering whatsoever. Realizing the value of the ink, and the tightness of the lines it drew, he shortened the initial line, recalculating the design so that he could take advantage of the ink's properties.

Sara and Karen continued their conversation, watching out of the corner of their eyes. Andrew's hand worked in concert with the rhythm of their conversation, and they could see him smile as they joked and laughed. The happiness within the room drove Andrew through his creation, and he was grateful for the wonderful women who gave him the trust and comfort to work on that design without the added pressure of their persistent gaze.

Like with the practice designs, he was finished within forty seconds, and the resulting ward was just a hair smaller than a postage stamp. Karen studied the design, and knew that Andrew had replicated it perfectly. She had been worried about the initial line, which Andrew had shortened to make the design smaller, but to his credit it was perfectly straight, which had led to his last-second adjustment.

"This is amazing, Andrew!" Her voice was full of awe as she studied the small design. Even the original version she had received from her contact had been at least three times as large, and had contained several shaky lines. The perfection of Andrew's drawing was nothing short of miraculous.

Andrew leaned back in his chair, feeling the ward on the paper pulling at him, the magic of the ink begging to be used.

"It was my pleasure."

His voice was distant as he gazed at the ward. Something about what he had just done was nagging at him, but he failed to put his finger on what it was.

Karen kissed him on the cheek, and reached out to take the paper. Andrew was broken from his introspection by the sight of her action, and with incredible speed, he gripped her wrist, preventing her from grabbing it. He could not sense the ethereal tendrils which he had felt from the hourglass and moonstone, but still he did not want to take any chances.

Andrew's tone showed his concern as he asked, "Is this like the Vitae Tempus? Will it activate the moment you touch it?"

Karen smiled, sharing his emotions through her gift and their bond, and knowing how much he cared. "No, my sweet boy. Unless you have somehow changed it, I will need to touch and focus on it before it will activate. Once active, I must then be careful, and sever my connection before it drains me fully."

The tension in the air was thick, each person concerned about the outcome of the ward, and the terrible toll it had taken the last time Karen had used it.

"Let me try it first," Andrew offered. Karen and Sara began to protest, but Andrew waved his hand and laughed, stopping their concerned statements short. "Karen is the only one of us who can heal or tend to me if I faint, and if I begin to be consumed by the ward, she may be able to sever the connection."

They wanted to prevent him taking that action, but knew he was right. What he proposed was the most sensible way to proceed, no matter how much they hated Andrew putting himself in danger. Sara laughed, drawing the attention of her two mates.

"What? I was just thinking that SD here always has to put himself in the path of danger."

Andrew and Karen laughed, realizing she was right.

"What can I say? Everytime I wake up in your arms, I am treated with the best view." The grin on Andrew's face was priceless as he winked at Sara.

"Okay, so what do I do once it's active?"

Karen thought back to the one time she had tried to activate the ward, and remembered the description she had been given by her contact. "Just focus on how you want to appear, and the ward should make it happen. Once the Glamour is in effect, you should no longer need to concentrate on it."

Everyone held their breath as Andrew took the page in his hand, tracing his fingers over the dark blue lines that rested at the center of the large sheet of paper. He focused on how he wanted to appear, and looked within his mind in preparation to connect himself with the ward.

He could see it there, floating in the air before him, the midnight blue of the intricate design staring back at him, dull and lifeless. The ethereal tendrils were not there, and he did not feel the nagging pull of the ward trying to draw energy, though he could sense its desire to be used. As he focused his will to pull a thin stream of energy from his core, he couldn't help but wonder at where the ward in the glade got its power, since it didn't seem to get it from him.

As he felt the sudden draw of energy from his core, he could feel his skin tingle as the ward performed its work. The draw was intense, and had Andrew not possessed such tremendous reserves, he knew that it would have been far too great. As it was, he was pleased when the tingling stopped, and the draw decreased to a very timid pull.

Opening his eyes, he saw the stunned looks on his women's faces. The design on the paper radiated a dim white light, the lines shimmering on the page. He looked at his arm, and was surprised by the dramatic difference. A smile spread across his face as he sprinted out of the room with a speed he had not possessed a few days ago. Looking at himself in the mirror he was amazed at what he saw.

Andrew knew that he had changed over the last week and a half, but the degree to which he had changed had never been as clear as it was then. The face that looked back at him seemed so foreign; his cheeks were more rounded, seeming somehow less chiselled, and his eyes were dull and timid when compared to what he had grown used to. Twisting his arm, he saw the smooth soft skin that he had known so well, but that now looked strange as he failed to see any small wiry muscles pop up with crisp definition.

He felt strong, and knew he was still fit despite what he was seeing, but all the definition he had worked so hard to achieve the last week was gone. He had been reverted to what he was before he had bonded with Sara. Taking off his shirt and boxers, he realized how extensive his changes had been; his dick, while about the same size, seemed thinner and less defined.

He had never realized it, but his balls were different as well. "Wow..." he mumbled to himself, as he reached down and shifted his cock and balls. He could feel the strong meat within his hand, knowing that his dick was actually semi-hard, and his large testicles were still there, eager to be emptied. The weight of his sack was surprising, as he cupped and lifted his testicles. His eyes grew wide as he realized how impressive the illusion was.

Karen and Sara came up beside him, and watched him as he explored his body. Wherever he touched he could feel his actual body hidden beneath the disguise. Karen and Sara ran their hands over his body, and he could feel the draw of the ward grow in strength as their hands glided across his soft skin.

"I can't believe this," Sara said.

"I know, he feels so fragile," Karen agreed, her eyes narrowing as she struggled to make sense of what was happening. She could see his soft and frail body, the pliable skin under her fingers confirming what her eyes were telling her, yet her gift could sense the strong muscles and abnormal health that were hidden beneath the illusion. Never before had Karen realized how much her gift had been folded into her sensory experience of the world; the conflicting information from her senses was starting to give her a headache.

Andrew could feel their soft hands running over his firm muscles, and realized what was happening. While the draw from the ward had increased, it was still far from threatening to drain his vast reserves. He estimated that even with the increased drain, he could sustain the ward for a few hours, and that without it, he could power it for a couple of days.

He withdrew his stream of power, and the illusion faded within a second. While his body returned to normal, Sara and Karen marveled as they again felt his muscles and firm body shift and move under their fingers. The difference in Andrew was staggering, and without that sudden display, they would never have known how much he had changed.

He moaned as their hands moved down his chest. Karen leaned down and kissed his neck, while Sara shared a deep and passionate kiss with their man. Andrew enjoyed their attentions, but knew they had more to figure out and do before they could enjoy themselves. If Karen was going to go home before school, they did not have enough time to pursue those actions, so with a tremendous amount of will, Andrew pulled back and gasped against his urges.

"Damn... You two are so amazing, and we have to be together tonight, but not now."

Sara pecked him on the lips before smearing some of her thick, slick fluids across his mouth. "Tease," she said as she sauntered out of the bathroom and back to the dining room table.

Andrew licked his lips and savored her tingling juices, as they washed over his senses and sent waves of erotic anticipation across his body. He looked into Karen's eyes, and could see that she was struggling to break free from the sexual demands of her body.

He pulled her into his arms, and swaddled her sprite with comfort and relaxation while he said, "I know, my dear woman, it's difficult. We will be sure to make this up to you later, I promise."

Andrew was unsure if it was his words or the gentle support he was giving to her sprite, but between the two acts, she had been able to come out of her arousal and focus on what was happening. Karen was amazed by how powerful Andrew and Sara's erotic influence was, and by how quickly the young couple could switch in and out of lust at will.