Sisters of the Mists Ch. 08

Celes backed away from the still smoking pot where Ashley had worked her witchcraft. "According to the instructions in the book, we have to let these sit for a while before we can try them out. Marlena has been walking on pins and needles waiting for you to get home. She has something she wants to show us. She won't tell me what it is, though."

Letting out a little chuckle, Danica responded, "Well, let's go get her then. There's no way I'll be able to work if she's anxiously peeking over my shoulder the whole time."

"I'm here," Marlena said from the doorway. "Come outside the manor with me."

"You look like you're fit to burst, Marlena." Danica said and laughed. "Let's go outside and see what she wants to show us."

Danica and the three witches followed Marlena outside, the redheaded illusionist walking far quicker than her usual pace toward the front door of the manor. Once outside, she turned to Danica and asked, "Could you conjure up a shield?"

"Of course," Danica replied, and brought up a magical shield.

Marlena launched into spell casting, summoning up a large disembodied hand between her and Danica. When the fist sailed toward her, Danica poured her strength into the shield. The magical fist pounded on her shield, but could not penetrate.

"When did you learn the Crushing Fist?" Danica asked with a wide smile on her face. Her smile vanished a second later when the fist slipped through her shield as if it wasn't there, coming within inches of her. The runes scribed on Danica's skin flared to life, preparing to protect her from harm. "What the hells?" She laughed a moment later, when the fist uncurled and the huge hand waved at her.

Marlena banished the hand, raising her hands over her head triumphantly. "It works!" She then laughed and said, "I can duplicate nearly any spell I've seen cast with my illusions. The added power of the artifact and my gift make them so strong that they may as well be the real thing for anyone who doesn't know better."

"You certainly fooled me. The part where it pushed through my shield nearly made me pee myself," Danica admitted.

Marlena laughed and then said, "I want to try something a little harder. Since you know they're illusions now, I want to try a lightning bolt. Between your shield, your runes, and knowing it's really an illusion, it shouldn't be able to hurt you. I want to see if it still feels at all real to you."

Danica shrugged her shoulders and said, "Okay, I trust you, Marlena." Turning to Andrea, she requested, "Just stay close and keep that amulet handy?"

Andrea giggled and nodded her head.

"Let me have it," Danica said, spreading her arms wide.

Marlena cast her spell, and an immense bolt of lightning leapt from her outstretched hands toward Danica's shield. Approximately twice the diameter of a normal bolt produced by the spell, it certainly looked intimidating as it crackled against Danica's magical protections. When it slipped through a moment later, she could actually feel tingles from the magic, even though she knew it was nothing more than an illusion. Her runes once again flared to life, negating the spell the moment the electricity touched her.

Danica let out a surprised breath as the other three women applauded. "I could actually feel it tingling. I wouldn't want to be on the other end of that spell if I didn't know it was an illusion, that's for sure."

"I don't want to depend on it, but this can help me be more useful to the rest of you until I can learn more offensive spells," Marlena said as she walked closer.

Danica let her shield drop. "More useful than you think. Odd magic that is stronger than you anticipate is surprising enough, but when it seeps through your shield, it's really disconcerting. If someone has a strong shield that we can't penetrate, this might just be the trick that throws them off and causes the shield to falter."

"I'll let you all get back to work now. I just couldn't wait to try this," Marlena said, smiling so wide that her cheeks ached.

Celes shook her head and chuckled. "Aye, you need to finish those toys for the girls before they drive us all crazy. They ask about them every five minutes."

Danica nodded toward the manor and said, "Let's get back to work then."

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

After supper, Danica brought the girls to the lab to help knead the air out of the clay while she worked. Since her design was simple and functional, she was able to complete two of the toys before nightfall. The girls would have continued to work all night if she'd let them, their excitement building exponentially as they saw the toys take shape.

With the girls grudgingly ushered off to bed, Danica examined the two toys for any flaws before putting them in the kiln. About six inches long, the clay phalluses were mostly smooth, save for the flare of the head and a vein ridge along the length of the toys. Both also had a thin strip of clay positioned to stimulate the clitoris when the toy was fully inserted.

Finding no imperfections, Danica took the two toys to her kiln and put them inside, activating the magic of the device to fire her creations. She then walked to a shelf and retrieved a box full of balsa wood. Sitting this down on the table, she started crafting the models that would serve as the catalyst to create the cottages for Ashley and Edna. While nobody minded sharing a bed with Ashley, and Edna never complained about her sleeping arrangement, Danica knew that they would both be happy to have a place they could call their own once more.

Danica fell happily into her work.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

The image hovering before Ebonar said, "I have located the king of the goblins, Master."

"Excellent. Were you able to locate a dupe to charm?"

Nodding, the wizard ordered a goblin to walk within range of the spell. The creature stood with a blank stare next to Ebonar's black robed agent. "This one claims to have the favor of its king."

"Send it on its way, and we'll soon see the truth of that statement."

"At once, Master." The wizard concentrated, and the goblin walked out of the range of the magic.

"Report back to me tomorrow. Should the goblin prove to be the spy we need, I will provide your reward immediately and send another to take up your observation post."

"As you command, Master," the wizard said with a bow of his head. The image immediately vanished, freeing Ebonar to return to the attractive wizardess awaiting him in his bedchambers, seeking to gain his favor.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Zoraster put down the last page of rune-scribed paper with a smile. The structures appeared to encompass all he wished from them. The inclusion of two subtle chains of runes within the vast network of magical sigils didn't surprise Zoraster, and brought a chuckle to his lips. Designed as a sort of back door for those who knew the full web of the magical glyphs, the rune chains would have allowed such a person to break through the defenses.

Naturally, these would not make their way into the finished product. He would expect nothing less from the ruthless and cunning workers of Art he recruited. Had the men known that their work was for him, he would have sought them out and destroyed them. Attempting to gain an advantage over the virtually unknown Ebonar amused the Archmage, however.

Walking over to his wall of mirrors, Zoraster summoned up the power of one to show a dark-skinned man covered in intricate tattoos sleeping in a crude bed. Knowing the location, Zoraster let the magic of the mirror lapse and cast a spell. A moment later, he stood at the foot of the man's bed.

The tattooed wizard sat bolt upright when he felt someone breach his defenses. Upon seeing Zoraster, he backed away toward the headboard, cursing in his native tongue.

"My apologies for disturbing your slumber, but I have need of your services."

"Master Zoraster? We were told that you died, and another replaced you."

"Rumors of my death are unfounded, but intentional. Though Ebonar assists me in guiding my designs, I am still in control."

"How may I serve?"

Opening the teleportation portal once more, Zoraster answered, "Come with me. I have need of your keen eye, perfect memory, and steady hand. I will provide for all of your needs and desires, so we may leave immediately."

The dark-skinned wizard swung his legs over the edge of the bed, immediately walking toward the portal in response to Zoraster's command. A few seconds later, the portal closed when he stepped into it behind his Master.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

"Are you still up?"

Danica looked up after attaching the thin piece of balsa to the model in front of her. "I just wanted to finish this little bit before I went to bed."

"Do you know how late it is?" Ashley asked, walking into the lab in her sleeping chemise.

"I get caught up in my work. That just means your cottage will be done quicker. If it's so late, then why are you still awake?" Danica raised her eyebrows, offering a look of mock rebuke, but then smiling immediately afterward.

"I couldn't sleep. I went to get a snack and noticed the light still on in here."

"Do you want a sleeping potion? We always keep a few on hand," Danica offered.

Ashley shook her head in the negative. "I'll be fine." She looked over the model and said, "You have such artistic skills. This has such tiny details, and seeing one of the toys you finished earlier sent a shiver up my spine."

Danica chuckled and reached for something in her robe pocket. "Those are really pretty simplistic. I have to make a dozen of them, and if I spend too much time on detail, I'll never finish." She then spoke a command word, and caused the toy she'd pulled from her pocket to expand.

Handing the toy to a blushing Ashley, Danica continued, "This was the first magic item I ever made. It took me forever to finish all this detail, and it would still take me days, even now."

Turning the phallus over in her hands, examining all the tiny details of veins and ridges, Ashley said, "This is amazing. It almost looks cast from the real thing."

A crooked smile spread across Danica's face, and she spoke the command word that brought her toy to life.

Ashley let out a little, "Oh," of surprise when the toy took on the feeling of flesh, grew warm, and started to throb. The color in her cheeks deepened.

"Has it been a while?" Danica guessed from flashes of thought she picked up from the redheaded witch.

Ashley nodded her head. "A long while."

"I could make you one of your own as soon as I finish the girls' toys and your cottages. I've made one for everyone else. I should probably make one for Edna too."

Ashley laughed and made a face. "That's really odd to think about. Edna is almost like a second mother to me. The thought of her... Well, you know."

"I understand," Danica said with a chuckle. Nodding toward the toy that Ashley still unconsciously caressed, she added, "That can do a lot more than it's showing right now. You could borrow it, if you'd like. It might help you sleep." Her steadily rising passions caused Danica's voice to gain a husky quality of desire. "It can't replace the real thing, but it can certainly fill you up in ways your fingers can't."

Ashley took a couple of deep breaths, caught up in the passion in Danica's eyes, and then nodded.

Danica smiled and patted Ashley on the bottom, guiding the witch toward her room. Ashley walked toward the bed immediately upon entering, and shrugged off her chemise even as Danica closed the door.

Turning back to the beautiful witch, Danica licked her lips as Ashley bent to slide down her panties. Danica worked on the ties of her robe as she approached the bed, shedding it and her bra along the way. She stopped at the edge of the bed to remove her panties, and then reached into a drawer to retrieve another of her toys. Ashley moved to one side of the bed while Danica slid into the other.

Danica whispered the command words for her toy into Ashley's ear, and then guided Ashley's hand downward. The witch said the command word, and then pressed the tip of the humming toy against her sex with a shudder. A long, quavering gasp burst from her as she slipped the toy into her wet heat. Danica matched the sound as she activated the magic of her own toy, sliding the curved fingers up against the bundle of nerves behind her mound.

Though Ashley's eyes were closed as she stroked the magical cock into her depths with ever-increasing speed, Danica's eyes were locked on the beautiful witch next to her. As her own pleasure mounted, Danica licked her lips and watched the toy rapidly penetrate and withdraw from Ashley's pink nether lips, coated in an ever thickening sheathe of milky-white juices. The beautiful witch's hips rocked up off the bed as her climax approached, her free hand squeezing her breasts and caressing the stiff tips.

Danica slowed her hand, delaying her own climax as Ashley climbed her mountain. She wanted to watch the witch come, and didn't want to be distracted by her own orgasm. She kept up just enough pressure to hold her just below the point of no return. Ashley whimpered and gasped as she drew closer, and then arched her back with a squeal as she exploded into orgasm.

Danica pressed harder on the pearl button of her toy as Ashley writhed on the bed, quickly reaching her peak as well. Both women shuddered and jerked as their climaxes played out. Ashley pulled the toy free of her depths when she could no longer endure the powerful sensations, unable to catch enough breath to say the command word that stopped the toy's magic.

Saying first one command word, and then the other, Danica deactivated the magic of her toys. When both women settled down from their heights, Danica picked up Ashley's toy, handing her own to the witch at the same time. Both women licked the other's juices from the toys, and then shared a kiss.

"I have another toy," Danica said with an aroused smile.

Ashley's eyes opened wide and she gasped, feeling her juices start flowing in anticipation. She couldn't help but look surprised when Danica pulled the fascinating harness from the bedside table. She let out a purr a moment later when Danica pulled the harness up over her legs, the magical cock pointing toward the witch on the bed.

Danica activated the magic of her toy as moved back onto the bed, pulling Ashley's legs apart and bending them up toward the witch's chest with feigned roughness. Reaching down, Danica guided the tip of her toy between Ashley's lips, and then buried it in a single smooth thrust, the other shaft of the toy penetrating her at the same time.

Grasping Ashley's thighs, Danica rocked her hips to fuck them both, her arousal spurring her to quick, hard thrusts. Between the humming of the toy and the hot friction, both women soared toward their heights with astounding speed. A little more used to the toy after practice, Danica was able to maintain the speed and power of her thrusts even as her climax approached. She fully understood the roving of men's eyes over her body as she watched Ashley's breasts bounce from the power of her thrusts, the sight spiking her pleasure higher.

"Oh gods, YES!" Ashley screamed as she came, the toy gathering up her flow of juices and ejaculating them through the shaft into Danica's depths. Danica let out a throaty groan as she felt the hot splash inside her, and closed her eyes as she reached her peak a few thrusts later. Both women screamed as Danica's abundant juices spurted against Ashey's cervix through the toy.

Joined and quivering, both women fought for air with their eyes tightly closed. When Danica finally managed to flutter her eyes open, she let out a gasp of surprise, and hurriedly looked around the room.

Hearing the sound of Danica's gasp, which sounded nothing like pleasure, Ashley opened her eyes. She was no less surprised than the other redhead, seeing the room in muted colors, and hearing nothing except the sound of their breathing.

"What just happened?" Danica asked, her voice sounding distant, almost like an echo.

Ashley realized what had happened, and closed her eyes again, reaching for her powers. She felt Danica start through the toy joining them, and opened her eyes again to see the room as it should be. Sucking in a great breath of air, waves of pleasure still running through her body, Ashley said, "Sorry. I think my powers just expanded."

"So what was it?" Danica asked with a little chuckle, and then jerked when a wave of ecstasy shot up her spine, causing the toy to slip free of Ashley's depths.

Ashley yelped when the magical phallus slipped out of her, and then let out a satisfied moan before she answered. "I'm not exactly sure, but I felt like we were between seconds, if that makes any sense. It was like we moved outside of time.

Falling down to the bed, her trembling fingers working on the buckles of her toy, Danica chuckled. Still panting for breath, she said, "C-celes hasn't manifested a power when she was aroused yet. I'm half afraid we're going to wind up trembling in a t-town square somewhere halfway around the world when she does."

Ashley giggled while trying to help Danica remove the toy. Between the two of them, they managed to unbuckle the harness and slide it down of Danica's legs. Danica lowered the toy to the floor, too lost in her afterglow to care about cleaning it at the moment. She collapsed onto her pillow with a content moan, feeling the burn of her muscles from the unusual activity of thrusting the toy into Ashley.

"I guess I'll be practicing with a new power again," Ashley said in sleepy tones as she cuddled up next to Danica.

"We're all right here if you need us," Danica languidly responded, sleep creeping up on her as well.

Shortly thereafter, both redheads drifted off to sleep.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

The thief crept through the night, stealthily approaching his target. The unassuming little shop would appear a poor mark at first glance, but Halban was not one to judge a book by its cover. Between the fine barrels produced by the cooper, garnering great demand in the wine-rich region, and the finely detailed pieces turned out by the man's wife, the couple earned a great deal of coin.

In flatly refusing to entertain the guild's kind offer of protection, the couple had earned a place in this night's example for others so foolish as to do business without tithing blood money to the guild of thieves. Throughout town, others on the dodgy path stalked the night, the well-bribed town guardsmen busy investigating important matters far from the marked homes and businesses.

Halban shook his head and chuckled at the simple lock, which he defeated in a matter of seconds with a practiced hand and the right tools. The door opened soundlessly, and closed the same way a moment later. Searching the storefront and work areas with experienced efficiency, the thief determined -- as he already suspected -- that nothing of value was kept here. Creeping behind the counter, he picked the equally simple lock and moved into the couple's living quarters beyond.

It took even less time to determine that nothing of real value lay within the kitchen, common room, bath, or storage rooms. As Halban had assumed all along, the couple kept their coin in their bedchamber, the only remaining room in the home. Drawing his dagger, he moved back down the hall toward the bedroom door. A smile crept across his lips as he anticipated thrusting his dagger into the man, and thrusting something far more pleasurable into the beautiful young brunette.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Carolyn awakened, silently cursing herself for drinking so much wine after dinner. Her bladder felt fit to burst as she slipped out of the bed toward the chamber pot, doing her best not to awaken her husband.