CHAPTER 20

The moment broke with a single nod from Gella. “Everything seems to be humming along nicely,” she said, turning to shift a few pieces of ink-covered parchment from her workbench. Turning back to Celia, she opened her hand to reveal a crystal set on the end of a leather cord. “I apologize for the crudeness of this, Celia,” she said in disdain. “But I didn’t have anything better on hand.”

Celia took the crystal in her hand, holding it up to the light streaming in from the windows. It was a faint reddish color and about the size of her thumbnail. It was pretty enough, though she couldn’t see anything special about it. “Thank you,” she began, “but what’s it for?”

Gella smirked. “Can’t it be a simple gift for a woman I admire?” Celia blinked, feeling suddenly self-conscious about her question – a feeling Gella dismissed with a knowing smile. “I’m teasing you,” she admitted. Before Celia could respond, the mage closed Celia’s hand over the stone with her own hand on top. “That is what will power the spells for now, since I don’t expect you to be by my side at all times.” The mage shut her eyes for a moment, and when they both moved their hands, Celia saw that the crystal was now faintly glowing.

Gella looped the crystal’s cord around Celia’s neck while the image playing across her mind of being Gella’s shadow – always by her side and constantly at the mage’s beck and call – sent a curious mix of feelings through Celia’s mind. She would get to spend more time with the intriguing woman, and that was something she was finding she was quite eager to do. However, that position already seemed to be filled by Violet. Yet another option presented itself when she reminded herself of Gella’s original pitch. Violet might be her Shadow sometimes, but I could be her champion.

Gella’s hand on her cheek stopped the train of thought dead. The mage’s deep gray eyes were suddenly all Celia cared to look at. “What I wouldn’t give to see your thoughts chase each other,” she observed. “What are you thinking about?”

Celia barely heard Gella’s words. A sense of vulnerability welled up in Celia, growing stronger the longer she kept gazing into Gella’s eyes. Part of her wanted to look away, while part of her yearned to relax more into Gella’s touch. Her pride won out, and she glanced toward where the map of her mind was, or had been. “You aren’t reading my mind now?”

Gella followed her gaze and then shook her head. “I wasn’t reading your mind when I had that projection going,” she said, stepping away from Celia. “Reading minds is mostly reserved for the sorceries of gods, angels, demons, and virtues – not the magics of mortals.” The loss of the mage’s warm, soft hand on her cheek brought the yearning back for just a moment.

“And she didn’t go snooping while I had you nice and distracted, either,” Lauren brightly chimed in.

Celia smiled back at Lauren. The sight of the priestess brought another memory to the front, Tabby. “Oh! Tabby!” She exclaimed, feeling a little guilty for forgetting about her friend. She looked from Lauren to Gella, the intimate moment put aside.

“I left her in a trance in her room, so I'm quite sure she is alright,” Gella thoughtfully said. “But we can go attend to her. This might even be instructive to you Celia,” she said while walking out of the room, with Lauren following her. Unable to think of anything else to do, Celia brought up the rear.

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Tabby was sprawled in her nest of pillows, a thin blanket draped over one thigh. One window had been opened letting in the welcome fresh breeze from the mountains. Celia followed in, sitting cross-legged by the unmoving girl just as a few strands of her dark hair caught the breeze and shifted.

Tabby was just as enticing as ever – her tanned, smooth skin flowed over her toned body, and the colorful paint that covered her only added to her exotic appeal. Her expression was one of complete peace, and Celia had no doubt that her eyes would be glowing green under her eyelids. “She knows we're here?”

Gella nodded, matching Celia’s posture and likewise sitting cross-legged, right beside Tabby. “She can hear us, certainly smell us, and she knows we are safe,” she said, gently.

Lauren sat down right next to Celia, resting her head on one shoulder. “Mistress always takes such care when we are like this for her.” Celia heard the note of longing in Lauren’s voice and swallowed when hints of possessiveness and jealousy rose from within her like bile. That was forced down, hard. She knew that Gella was intimate with all of her Treasures – the mage had admitted as much the first day. But that longing sigh in Lauren’s voice made a tiny part of Celia clench, and she resolved to ask Gella about how she dealt with those feelings in her Treasures, soon.

Before she could ruminate anymore, Gella began tapping her lip, thoughtfully. “Hmmm. Lauren, I will need some of your ragira to keep Celia’s spells going while I work.” Lauren nodded at the mage, not even shifting from her spot against Celia. She lifted one hand and extended it palm out. Gella mimicked the gesture before saying firmly “traoghadh.”

Lauren let out a soft, pleased sigh while a light suffused her entire body, glowing faintly under her own nightgown. The light flowed slowly toward the priestesses' outstretched hand, and then, to Celia’s surprise, it flowed out into the air beyond her. The ribbon of light stretched out until it met Gella’s palm, where it went rigid. Tabby’s room was bathed in soft, golden light for a few seconds, then the effect ended as quickly as it began.

Lauren languidly slipped down until she was laying on the carpeted floor, with her head in Celia’s lap. Looking down at her, Celia watched Lauren’s lips curve up into a goofy grin. “Celia is a pretty girl, and I’m in her la–hap,” she mumbled with a sing-song drawl, followed by a soft giggle. Taking one of Celia’s hands in her own, she guided it to her hair. Obliging the adorable woman, Celia began running her fingers in the river of silky soft strands.

“What did you do to her?” Celia pointedly asked.

Gella shook her head. “Nothing intentional. I drained some of her ragira to provide power to the spells on you – it just leaves her a little more susceptible to the Pink spell. Now I can use my own to help Tabitha, though. Like so.” She focused on Tabby and Celia felt an excited anticipation bloom. The spell “tha d’inntinn mar chrè,” left Gella’s lips, and a pale nimbus of light formed around Tabby’s head.

The cat-girl gave a twitch that ran from her ears, down her spine and finally ended with a flick of her tail. “I will admit to this being overkill,” Gella said softly, holding her hands a foot apart and gazing at the space between intently. “But I want you to see how I manage my treasures’ minds.”

Whatever she could see, to Celia it simply looked like empty air. “What does that spell do?”

“My Pretty Kitty’s mind is much like clay, right now – and that makes my will the potter’s wheel.”

Celia gulped. Gella had said it so casually, and the logical part of Celia knew that – to the mage – it probably was. But to have all of Tabby’s mind like that, soft and malleable beneath Gella’s fingers… The thought trailed off, mingling with fear and a powerful desire. It dripped down her spine like boiling syrup, landing in her tummy and igniting a seductive heat. Thankfully, Lauren either didn’t see the flash of emotion on her face, or simply didn’t comment, and Celia was able to focus past the enticing feeling.

Gella looked up from whatever the magic was showing her so she could briefly cast the spell to display an image, and resumed her intense focus. The magic coalesced to show the same hazy cloudscape dotted with glimmering lights that Gella had used to show Celia her own mind, now picked out in emerald green. Most of the lights hung suspended in the green mist, unmoving. Others circled sluggishly, while a few zipped and whizzed around.

The image captivated Celia. She didn’t understand the meaning of the lights, or their patterns, but some small tickle of understanding brushed past. “Most of the lights aren’t moving because she is in a trance right now, right?” She guessed.

“Very good, Celia,” Gella praised, sending a smile across Celia’s lips. “And if I shift over here…” The image blurred to a different set of lights, separated from the rest by what Celia could only describe as–

“Is that a paintbrush?” She asked, looking at the vague shape made of a pink-ish haze. It was moving back and forth, connected to a few lights. Every sweep would corral the mass of lights behind it, safely away from the rest of Tabby’s mind.

“Yes and no,” Gella supplied, slipping into an excited tone Celia was coming to expect when the mage got to expound on her magical interests. “It’s representative. In a way it’s Lauren’s hypnosis, reinforced with pleasure and strengthened by Tabby’s trust. With layers upon layers of deeper meaning and symbology, of course.”

“And you’re just going to pull the paintbrush away?” Celia asked, staring at all the lights being separated. Lauren had been very specific about what she had been sealing away when creating Amalia, and she wondered which of the twinkling lights were the cat-girl’s real memories.

Gella looked thoughtfully at Celia. “A straightforward response, and at first a logical one,” she agreed. “But if I did that…” She trailed off and the brush vanished, leaving the mass of lights to aimlessly trickle out. “Tabby would recover in time, but it would be terribly confusing and perhaps even frightening for her,” she continued with a sour look. “And my lovely pet deserves so much more than that.”

Lauren nodded and giggled again. “Mistress is soo sweet like that.” She looked around in a pantomime of observation and added in a stage whisper, "I think she might love us!”

Gella broke away from her spellwork to give Lauren a fond smile. “I do at that, my Dreamgirl.”

Lauren giggled, sounding so perfectly relaxed. Her eyes slipped shut while her lips bore a contented smile.

Celia looked from priestess to mage, and sensed she had just witnessed something incredibly intimate. “Dreamgirl?” She asked softly while her fingers returned to petting Lauren.

Gella looked at her without a trace of embarrassment, if anything there was pride in her expression. “Yes, a pet name.” Her eyes flicked down at Lauren for a second, then back up to Celia. “It’s her story to tell, though.” A mix of respect that Gella allowed the Treasures to keep their secrets as they wished, and frustration at her curiosity likely not being sated any time soon bubbled up in Celia. She would have to ask Lauren later.

The smile on the mage’s face widened a fraction, and she returned to her work. “Getting back to my Pretty Kitty – just removing Lauren’s control would confuse the poor girl. I could just have Lauren reverse, it of course.” Lauren only gave a sleepy nod and drowsy giggle in response. “But I want to show you this, Celia – how I make sure my Treasures' minds stay whole and safe.” Gella’s smile shifted to a knowing smirk while she reached into nowhere and retrieved a large multifaceted polished gemstone.

With a gesture from Gella, the crystal left her hand and hovered near enough to Tabby’s head that the pale nimbus of energy engulfed it as well. Above their heads, the conjured image rapidly shifted, with another near-identical one superimposed over it. Celia could tell at once that while some parts of the new image were identical, many were not. And all of them were motionless. “You actually have a… a what? A map of her mind?” Celia asked, feeling dumbfounded.

Gella nodded. “Map is perhaps an oversimplification, but the idea is the same. A useful thing to have on hand, wouldn’t you agree?”

Celia nodded silently and watched while the lights began to shift, moving slowly to match up with the static image. Not all of them, she noticed, one section that looked filled with a whole swarm of lights had no counterpart in the static image. “What is that part?” She asked, gesturing to the empty spot.

Gella shared an approving look, adding another spark to the growing happiness drifting warmly though Celia’s mind. “Well spotted. For lack of more exact language, that is where Tabby’s memories are.”

“Don’t you need to put them back too?” Celia asked, worry creeping into her tone. “Lauren, you made Tabby forget a lot, right?”

The priestess in her lap giggled a little, then stopped when she saw the serious look on Celia’s face. After shutting her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, Lauren sounded considerably more put together. “I didn’t make her forget anything, not really,” she said warmly, turning to look at Tabby adoringly. “I kept her from remembering while she was playing her role, is all. Like when I had you as my model, you didn’t actually forget anything about yourself, right?”

Celia smiled warmly at the memory, how everything had faded back in after Lauren released her. She let out a breath and relaxed, shaking her head at the pinkette. “Actually removing memories is incredibly tricky, Celia,” Gella added. “It’s not something I do lightly, and I know none of my Treasures would even try without my permission.” At that, Lauren shook her head with such insistence that Celia couldn’t help but believe the mage. “Our memories form a very large part of what makes us who we are,” she continued firmly. “Unless I have a very good reason, I leave memories alone.”

Celia watched in contemplative silence while Tabby’s mind was slowly brought in line with its template. Lapsing back into her own past, she marveled again at how clear Gella’s magic had made it. The thorns and danger had been cleared away, leaving only time to dim her memories. Right up until it suddenly stopped. One moment she was getting up for a market day, and then the next she was waking up in Krisk’s camp for training.

Everything else – and she knew it had to be at least months worth of memories – simply weren’t available to her. It didn’t even feel like a loss. She simply jumped from one part of her life to the next.

“And all done,” Gella announced, making both Lauren and Celia look up. The mage returned the mind map crystal to her no-space, then ended both the spell projecting Tabby’s mind and the spell that was letting her alter it. Tabby blinked and opened her eyes, immediately moving into a lengthy full body stretch.

She pulled up short, looking at the three women in the room with her before she broke out into a playful grin. Without a word, she resumed the stretch, moving slowly and languidly. Obviously showing off every bit of her lithe flexible body for them, Tabby finally ended with a full split and a sultry smile.

While Lauren gave a soft little clap and Gella nodded appreciatively at the gorgeous painted beastkin, Celia stared at her in near awe. Lauren she loved cuddling up with, Gella she was starting to fantasize about kissing and serving, but Tabby… Tabby pulled at a deeper, more primal desire – a desire she had spent so long pushing away. The tawny beastkin exuded raw appeal, and Celia swallowed again while her heart sped up.

The heat Gella had been carefully building flared to a point, focusing on the curve of Tabby’s thigh, toward the soft bare sex between her legs. From the corner of her vision, Celia watched Gella get up and guide Tabby to her. “Welcome back, my Pretty Kitty.”

Tabby’s seductive grace and poise melted in an instant. She beamed brightly, wrapping Gella in a tight, affectionate hug. “Mistress!” She said brightly, nuzzling into the mage’s body.

The heat dissipated some, watching how excited Tabby was to be back in Gella’s arms. She took a few deep breaths, not forcing the desire back but focusing past it. There would be time for that later, she felt certain. There wasn’t a twinge – not a single speck of hesitation to the idea either, Celia noticed with a satisfied grin.

After a long moment enjoying the embrace, Tabby finally parted from Gella. “Sooo, you missed your kitten?” She asked, earning a nod from Gella. “Maybe enough to help get this paint off?” She purred plaintively.

Celia watched Gella study Tabby for a long moment before a small intrigued smile crossed her lips. “Oh yes. Lauren, I will need your expertise with this as well. I think I will… supervise,” she decided in a way that teased Celia’s imagination wonderfully. The mage turned to Celia. “You are welcome to join us of course,” she added with just hint of smolder in her voice

Tabby and Lauren both looked at her eagerly with wide hopeful smiles. “Come on Celia! Please please please!” Tabby begged excitedly. Feeling caught in the gaze of all three, Celia froze. She was tempted – sorely so – by Lauren and Tabby. Then she tried to fit Gella in as well. The smoldering desire suddenly burned far too intensely. It was too much, new and old desires coming right on the heels of having Gella so deeply in her mind.

She tried to speak, to somehow articulate how she felt when she didn’t even know how to make sense of the contradictory feelings, desires, and needs herself. Her cheeks started to flush, a slight flutter of embarrassment at locking up joining the turmoil.

Gella’s look shifted slightly, and the smoldering attraction was replaced with understanding. “On second thought, it has been an eventful day for you, Celia. I know Damian is up if you want to go spar, or maybe take a walk to the village?” The mage offered, and Celia gratefully accepted the out with a nod.

It took a little maneuvering to stand up with a lapful of Lauren, but she managed to get the priestess and herself to her feet. “If you want some company, I could ask Mistress if I could stay with you?” Lauren offered, though Celia could hear the conflict in her voice.

Celia shook her head. It was obvious that the cute pinkette wanted to spend time with Gella and Tabby, and from the look Tabby was giving Lauren’s body, it felt selfish to deny that to her friend. “Go on, go have fun,” she urged sincerely.

Lauren beamed back before quickly darting in to give Celia a light yet lovely kiss. She lingered just long enough for Celia to savor the warmth and softness of Lauren’s lips before moving to join Tabby in Gella’s arms. “If you do go wandering, Celia, be back before dinner. I have something I want to give you before then,” the mage said with a wink. Lauren and Tabby both shared a confused look with each other, and then with Gella, only to get a wink of their own in response. “Come along, girls. I think I want to enjoy this masterpiece of yours for a while, Lauren.”

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The three women had graciously let Celia take a quick shower ahead of them. After getting dressed in a clean pair of leggings, a loose blouse, and her underwear, Celia slipped on her boots and went out into the warm noonday sun.

The Heralds weren’t out drilling, and given the excitement of the previous night, Celia didn’t blame them. She suspected the only reason she was feeling so energetic was Gella’s magic. As she walked slowly across the hard-packed dirt, her boots crunching the gravel accompanied by the wind in the branches and occasional birdsong were the only sounds she heard. Letting her feet guide her, Celia let herself slip back into her memories. It was a strange feeling, like she was rediscovering a part of herself that she thought was lost forever.

As Celia walked through the manor's gates, she took in the scenery around the path. The trees were tall and majestic, their leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. The grass was lush and green, and the flowers were in full bloom. It was like a little piece of paradise, tucked away in the middle of nowhere.

For just a flash she was back in the copse of woods near her home, eight years old and armed with a stout stick for defense. The woods here were different of course, and the happiness of her memories was joined by a vague longing. That little village wasn’t her home anymore, but it had been once. Could she go back for a visit, at least? Gella had no issue with her traveling, it seemed. It was one more thing to talk to her about.

Away from anyone that might see, Celia smiled at that. Gella and Celia had started off as rocky as a relationship between two people could be, yet here she was smiling at the thought of spending time with the mage. If only she weren’t so damn confusing, she thought with a sigh.

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Celia spent the next several hours exploring the wooded groves and shaded glens between the manor and Wand’s Reach. It was a little disorienting at first, once she got ten paces beyond the road, the trees simply swallowed up the walls of the manor and the distant sounds of the village, leaving her feeling completely transported.

At first the thought of Deborah or Samuel finding her weighed on her. She had been well beyond the village walls in the other direction when she first ran into them, but there was nothing saying they couldn't be out looking for her. It was a feeble worry though. I wouldn’t be in any danger with them, but it would probably swallow up the whole day, she thought with a small smile.

A few minutes of searching had produced a serviceable tree branch. It was about the same length as her sword – even if it didn’t feel quite as stout as the sticks of her childhood – and that had become her weapon on her journey. The more she walked and smiled, the more she felt the absence of something that had been with her for so long. That hesitation, that driving need to keep her thoughts in the here and now? It was gone.

Her small smile widened. She didn’t need to constantly be on the lookout in her own mind anymore. The passing scent of pollen reminded her of a similar scent from her childhood, and she could simply let the memories come. While it wasn’t complete freedom from the weight like she had felt under the influence of Gella’s Pink spell, it was so much less now.

That Pink had been magical, both in the arcane and mundane sense of the word. It was obviously magic; spellcasting from Gella was hardly a novel idea. But it had also been a different magic. The magic of a child’s mind, devoid of worry and unburdened by the ugliness of the world. Even as she reveled in the thought of how much Gella had restored to her and how much happier she would surely be because of it, she felt a faint sense of yearning for that Pink she had briefly felt, which laid far beyond merely feeling good.

The shadows lengthened and eventually hunger and thirst drove Celia to abandon her explorations. Finding the manor again was simple enough, she just had to follow the hum of magic. Soon she was passing back through the gates of Cair Dwemor. The sky above was just beginning to turn the brilliant colors of sunset, and she was feeling a level of peace with the world she would have thought impossible.

And then she saw Violet.

The elven woman was waiting by the open door to the manor in her usual black and white maid outfit with her head slightly bowed. Standing next to her was Gella, now dressed in a black breeches and a tunic picked out in blue. Of course the mage looked stunning, and Celia’s smile flashed in spite of Violet’s presence.

Walking up to the open door, Celia wanted nothing more than to slip past Violet, ignoring her completely. Of course it couldn’t be that simple. Gella stopped her once she was inside with the slightest touch on her arm. Celia looked down at the two fingers on her arm and felt a warm contentment. “Let’s go talk, Celia. You, me, and Violet.”

Celia sighed heavily. She could shove the elf away – Violet deserved so much worse. But Gella was looking at her with those deep gray eyes. They were so much softer and deeper than she remembered them. “Fine,” she relented, glaring at Violet. “But if I see so much as an inch of needle I am punching her in the face.” Gella nodded her head with a twinkle in her eye and gestured for Celia to follow her and Violet.

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Gella’s room was by far the most elegant bedroom Celia had ever seen, even accounting for those of the other Treasures. Even calling it just one room was inaccurate. It had its own small living room, a bathroom complete with its own shower, a kitchenette, and even a small library in addition to an elegant bedroom. Everything was picked out in dark colors, with little streaks of silver or white for contrast.

The mage took a seat on a cozy looking couch with a small table in front of it. “Sit with me, Celia,” she said warmly. Nodding happily, Celia slipped in next to Gella. “I wanted to talk with you some more about the game, and about Violet.”

The elven woman took a few steps closer and stopped, keeping her head bowed. “Celia,” she began, her usual aloof tone absent. It was a reserved, softer tone that continued. “I was overzealous. I saw an opportunity to test my Lady’s defenses against an unusual threat, and took it without considering how it would affect your impression of my Lady or your stay here.”

It was heartfelt, Celia was fairly certain. Looking into Violet’s purple eyes, she couldn’t see any attempt at deception. Then her eyes were drawn to the softly pulsing rune and she sighed heavily. She turned to Gella, only to find the mage smiling with a finger held up. “You were going to say something like the person that controls you should be apologizing as well or similar, right?”

Celia was left feeling adrift. Gella had spotted her objection in an instant. She nodded, looking at the mage curiously.

“I want to apologize, too,” she said smoothly, looking right into Celia’s eyes. “Violet was following my orders, and I didn’t take the care I should have to ensure you didn’t get wrapped up in something this elaborate before you were ready.”

Celia looked from mage to elf and back. Her eyes pointed at the little table but her thoughts were conflicted. She wanted to believe them, or at least Gella. Violet… She hesitated. The elf had been a bitch, a lying snake, but she was also the most tightly controlled of the three. “Violet, why not just ask me to join in on this? Why did you go through all the effort of… of…” She trailed off, trying to find the right words.

“Linking how you felt about Lauren to how you felt about me?” Violet supplied, igniting a flash of irritation in Celia.

“Yes!" She snapped. “Lauren was sweet and gentle with me – let me trust her at my own pace.” Celia leveled an accusatory finger at the elf. “You tried to fucking steal that! For a test!” The anger rose like bile, and her other hand clenched. “For fuck’s sake, Violet! How on Eitheris do you expect me to ever trust you again?”

Gella’s hand brushed Celia’s clenched fist. She turned and gasped softly. With only a subtle shift, the warm soft gaze Celia felt she could fall into was instead pinning her in place. “Deep breaths,” Gella commanded firmly, taking in a deep breath of her own. Celia swallowed and copied the mage. Her focus collapsed around the silver haired woman, timing her own breathing to follow the slow deep example Gella was giving her. The anger cooled, lessening its grip. “Very good Celia,” Gella said softly. “You want to know a very good reason to trust Violet after all this?”

Celia nodded, still feeling locked in place by Gella’s gaze. The mage’s eyes seemed to pull her flame down. She could almost feel it, the roaring fire settling into a hearthflame. Useful and strong, but controlled. She smiled a little. It was beginning to feel very nice. “Violet obeys me utterly, Celia. And one of my most central commands during these tests is that no one I care for gets hurt. That includes you, Celia.”

A giddy warmth spread through the warrior. The mage returned her smile with a slight nod before blinking once. Without the gray pools to pin her down, Celia felt her awareness return to the rest of the room and a faint blush colored her cheeks. She took another deep breath to center herself. “Did you cast…” No, she thought while lapsing into silence. She hadn’t heard any spells, that was just Gella. She looked back into Gella’s eyes, finding the interested and curious eyes of a mage instead of the gray gaze that could pin her soul.

“I didn’t, but I think you knew that, Celia,” Gella responded before gesturing at Violet. “Let’s let her finish explaining herself.” Celia nodded quickly, enjoying the subtle warmth even such a simple agreement could provide.

“I didn’t ask you because an enemy agent wouldn’t. At first I thought to simply condition you, as my Lady left you without her usual safeguards in place. Then you met Aversa, and I altered my test to assess your creativity and problem solving. Both of which you performed admirably in.” That did earn Violet a small smile from Celia.

“You being able to get into Aversa’s room at all is a mystery, and one I dearly want to explore,” Gella continued. “You are quite intriguing, Celia.”

Just thinking of the imposing, beautiful demoness made Celia flinch. The winged woman hadn’t asked to touch Celia’s mind. The memory of her deep gaze – the power it contained – invoked enough mixed tendrils of fear and desire that Celia drew her legs up and hugged them. “I really don’t want to talk about Aversa right now.”

Gella nodded once. “We will need to talk about it.” Celia grimaced, hugging herself tighter. “However, I can hold off on it if you wish.” Celia nodded firmly, feeling a surge of gratitude toward the mage. “I want you to be honest with me, knowing what you know about Violet now, how do you feel about her?”

Violet stood still, expression neutral while Celia subjected the elf to a searching gaze. She was still effortlessly beautiful. Soft purple eyes, delicately pointed ears, long flowing purple hair, the rune on her forehead pulsing as evenly as it ever had. Celia took a deep breath, trying to force past the sharp prickle she felt looking at Violet. “She…” Celia sighed. “She was following your orders.” Before either woman could speak further Celia barreled on. “Was that all it was, though?” She challenged. “Just following orders? No part of you enjoyed just fucking taking me like that?” She barked, voice rising.

“Celia,” Gella’s voice said soothingly, and the warrior felt herself drawn imperceptibly to look into the mage’s eyes. Gella wanted her to calm down, and the hot tight feeling was already feeling sharp in her throat. She nodded at the mage, letting Gella guide her breathing. It only took a few breaths to let the razor sliver of anger melt away. “My Shadow,” Gella said, turning to look at Violet. “I command you. Be completely honest with Celia for the rest of the evening.”

The rune on the elven woman’s head glowed briefly brighter. “I obey,” Violet said in a dull voice, her eyes blank. She blinked once, animation and life returning to her voice and eyes. “You want to know how I was feeling, following my Lady’s orders for you, Celia?”

Celia let herself relax, seeing the control Gella wielded over Violet. It was exciting, and far too tempting to imagine Gella’s voice binding her own will so easily, stealing away her ability to lie. “Yes,” Celia agreed with a nod

“I was proud to serve my Lady, of course,” she said with a slight smile to Gella. “And worried about how lax she was with you at first. Then once I had my plan in place I was happy I would get to help shape your experience here.”

“My experience here?” Celia repeated, frowning. “What, being used in a game?”

“Yes and no,” Violet provided. “I sincerely wanted you to enjoy this. So I kept my direct touch light, left you with a considerable amount of autonomy, and had Lauren close at hand for you.” Purple eyes met Celia’s own. “Can you honestly say you hated it?”

Celia’s only answer was a frustrated grunt. She tried to turn away, to let the question just die in silence, but Gella again pulled Celia’s attention back. “I want you to be honest, Celia.” She could tell there wasn’t magic involved. No outside force pushed the truth to her lips. It was just Gella’s expectant look.

She could easily throw it in Violet’s face that she hated it. And it would be an awful lie. She hadn’t hated it. She'd been confused, certainly. Shocked and even a little scared at the end. But being Violet’s knight, her champion, had felt amazing. Violet hadn’t made her do anything she regretted, and she had let her feel so damn good. “No,” she finally sighed. “I didn’t hate it.” Her eyes went to her lap, fingers toying with the hem of her shirt.

“Celia, there is no shame in enjoying being submissive with people that care about you. I promise you’re in good company here for that,” Gella said soothingly.

An irritated little noise escaped Celia’s throat. “And Violet cares about me?” She huffed.

“Without a doubt,” the elf said, instantly pulling Celia’s eyes back up. “It would take a direct order from my Lady to stop me from doing everything I can to help you thrive here.

Celia could only stare at Violet. It had to be the truth, Gella had commanded her. She let an unguarded smile play out on her lips. “Thank you, Violet.” She took a deep breath, letting out the frustration along with it. “I forgive you,” she said after an introspective silence. It was hard to just let the anger go, but it had already turned into a spiteful thing – anger for its own sake.

Violet bowed her head low. “Thank you Celia.” Straightening back up she gestured to Gella. “But my Lady and I discussed it. I overstepped, and in doing so violated the spirit – if not the letter – of your contract with her.”

“And to make amends, I want to give you something special,” Gella said, rising from the couch and moving to a small pendulum clock on the wall. Celia watched the minute head tick over to mark six o’clock. “Until six o’clock tomorrow evening, Violet and I are both yours to do with as you see fit.” Violet walked to Gella’s side and they both dipped a curtsey.

Celia couldn’t believe her eyes, it had to be a magical illusion. There was no way Gella – the mage that had admitted to Celia’s face that she was taming her – was now dipping a curtsey. “I… You…” She swallowed and blinked, trying to force the situation to make sense though willpower alone. “You what?!”