CHAPTER 34

Celia thought she’d known what the word drained meant. There had been long forced marches while training with Krysk, days of hard fighting where she had nearly collapsed afterward, and even the constant rejuvenation experiment she had done with Lauren while under Aversa’s influence. And none of that came close to how depleted she felt as she rose from the depths of dreamless sleep.

Her limbs felt like they were filled with warm sand, and her muscles felt entirely too loose and limp to even attempt to move them – even opening her eyelids felt like lifting a boulder. But she prevailed, and managed to take in the room around her.

She was dressed in a simple, pale blue nightgown and laid in an absurdly massive bed – easily big enough for five or even six human-sized beings to share. It had pale, cream-colored sheets, and the room was spacious with large windows that were currently blocked with curtains. Dim magical lights provided an even, soft illumination. What it didn’t have was even a hint of personality, with no decorations on the walls or anything on the bedside table.

A shifting warmth against her side highlighted that the room did contain something of note, and it made Celia smile happily. Tabby – her tawny skin on full display as usual – and Lauren – dressed in a pale, pink nightgown – were snuggled up on either side of her. It was a titanic effort, but Celia was able to get an arm around each of them and pull them into a light hug.

Tabby roused with a graceful arch of her back and an adorable trilling noise. Her emerald eyes flared wide when she saw Celia, her tail suddenly swaying wildly. “You’re awake!” She yelped, trying unsuccessfully to keep her voice down. Slipping her warm, light body over Celia’s waist, the cat-girl leaned in for a kiss.

Celia desperately wanted to press a passionate kiss to the adorable beastkin girl’s eager lips – wanted to hold her, pull her close, and savor every bit of earnest passion Tabby could provide. But her body protested, and the warrior had to settle with just leaning forward to return the kiss as sweetly as she could. It seemed to make no difference to Tabby, who was grinning in between kisses. “You’re back,” she said softly.

“I am,” Celia quietly said, looking into Tabby’s adorably excited expression. Flopping back against her pillow, Tabby eagerly followed, lay out along Celia’s body. “I feel like I just ran the length of Remere,” she breathed out, already feeling a tiredness creep into her from that small exertion.

Lauren stirred beside them, waking up with considerably less grace than Tabby had. She sat up and blinked blearily, though her exhaustion seemed to vanish the moment she saw Celia was awake and sitting upright. There was a wordless cry of joy before Lauren’s arms were wrapped around Celia, the pinkette’s head nuzzling next to Tabby’s on Celia’s chest.

“They’ve hardly been apart from you since our Lady brought us here,” Violet smoothly said. The elven woman – dressed in her spotless maid’s uniform – came gliding in from the door, and placed a tray with glasses and a pitcher of water on the bedside table. Once she took a seat on Tabby’s side of the bed, she reached over and carefully encouraged the cat-girl to switch places with her. She leaned in with more restraint than either Lauren or Tabby had managed, and placed a single kiss on Celia’s lips. “Welcome back,” the elven woman said with more tenderness that Celia had come to expect from her.

Laying on that massive bed with all three of them sent a strengthening balm on Celia’s soul. Closing her eyes, a tantalizing memory teased at her from the depths of her mind. Goosebumps prickled over her skin, and an unbridled grin spread over her lips. “Gella! She accepted me,” Celia blurted out as she looked at Lauren’s beaming smile, Violet’s subtle nod, and Tabby’s eager grin over Violet’s shoulder. “Right? I didn’t just dream that?”

The door opened again and Celia could feel Gella approach. It was faint, a barely noticeable tug deep in her chest, but there.

The silver-haired mage looked fantastic. She was dressed in a tight black blouse that displayed plenty of pale skin, and a black skirt swished enticingly around her legs, leaving Celia’s eyes stuck to her as she strode close to the bed. “Not a dream, my lovely Treasure,” Gella quietly said, slipping onto the bed on Lauren’s side.

The pinkette eagerly shifted around to cuddle with Violet and Tabby, while Gella knelt by the reclining Celia. Her hand cupped Celia’s cheek, and it felt so right and wonderful. Closing her eyes, she nuzzled into the offered touch. “Good girl, Celia,” Gella breathed out softly. Warmth bloomed over the warrior, an ethereal tantalizing heat. Hearing that felt so… perfect in a way she couldn’t have imagined before. “There are some spells I want to cast, training I want to slip into your mind,” she teased, and Celia sighed as the warmth hit deeper and slightly more insistent. “But in all the ways that really matter? Yes – you are mine, Celia Evergleam.”

The silver-haired mage closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to Celia’s in a kiss that was both soft and careful. Celia’s head swam with joy and belonging, and she was left grinning after the kiss ended, simply gazing deeply into Gella’s gorgeous eyes. “Yours,” she repeated.

“Mistress’s lovely knight,” Lauren chimed in with a giggle.

“Our Lady’s beloved Treasure,” Violet mused with a playful edge to her voice.

“Her gorgeous pet,” Tabby added with a throaty purr.

The happiness in their voices wrapped around Celia like a blanket. Only when Gella’s thumb passed under her eyes did she realize she was crying as well. Reaching one of her own arms feebly toward her face, Gella shook her head to still her. “You can cry here, Celia,” she allowed with an understanding nod.

She hardly knew what was forcing the tears free, but it only took a cursory recollection to send her back among her memories. The absence of the protective bulwark Gella’s magic had provided scared her momentarily, like a brief jolt, but that was nothing compared to the shock of just why it was gone. For the first time in years, her past – the good, the bad, and the painful – was entirely open to her.

No ominous red door sealed them off, and although it brought pangs of pain and melancholy, she could recall all of it. The horrible events of that day, the exhilarating and terrifying surge of her own magic, and– She felt her tears flow again, and this time felt the sadness press in on her like a heavy fog. Her parents.

Part of her must have always known, she decided. Some part of her had made its peace with it. The grief was heavy, yes, but it had a familiarity to it. She had grieved for them before, and in a cathartic way, could grieve for them again now.

Gentle hands brushed through her hair, squeezed her hand, reminded her that she was with four women that cared for her deeply. “So… I have magic?” She asked, taking a deep breath and pushing herself past the grief.

“I long suspected,” Violet confirmed. “And I shared my thoughts with our Lady. We thought you might have had the barest inkling of Talent – a magical curiosity, perhaps.”

Turning her head to look at the maid, Celia frowned in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why did you think I had magic at all?”

Violet gave her a faint smile. “The magic devices in our home. You could hear their hum.”

“I thought… Doesn’t magic hum like that to everyone?” She had never even thought twice about it. The mage’s guild tower in New Gyr hummed all the time, and when someone cast a spell, she could hear the difference in the magic words. “I… I was hearing magic this whole time?”

Seeing the nods of her Mistress and sister Treasures, a faint blush crept up Celia’s cheeks. “My Shadow continues to impress me,” Gella said with a nod to Violet. “Yes, Celia, you’re Talented – like myself, and like Electra and Clara. When we get home, I will begin training you,” she said with infectious excitement.

Smiling back despite her growing fatigue, Celia looked around the room. “Speaking of home, where are we? This isn’t Cair Dwemor, right?” With a shake of her head, Gella slipped off the bed and approached one of the curtains. Wordlessly pulling it to the side, the mage gestured at the bright scene outside.

Despite the incessant protest of her weary body, Celia turned and gasped at the city that spread out beyond the window. Grand didn’t begin to describe it – wide bustling streets with leafy green trees, and sturdy buildings made of the kind of brick she had only seen used for the largest houses in Astoria. Every facade she could see was perfect, and every roof gleamed in the sun. “This is Amourot, Celia.” Gella said, evidently pleased by Celia’s reaction.

“Wow,” she said quietly, staring out at the city in wonder.

“It really takes your breath away, doesn’t it?” Lauren asked from behind her. “I thought Violet was joking when she described a city with over a million people living in it.” The pinkette eased Celia back so she could rest against Lauren’s body while still admiring the view.

“Over a million people,” Celia muttered, astonished. She didn’t know exactly how many Astoria had, but for all the Remeran capital’s grandeur, the city was cramped and dirty. Out there, everything looked pristine.

Gella unlatched the window. Footsteps, the sound of hoofbeats on cobbles, and a slight, fresh breeze all wafted in. There was only the barest hint of all those people on the air. New Gyr stank even on the best of days, and her few visits to Astoria weren’t much better. “This can’t be a real place,” she quietly said.

“Oh it is,” Gella confirmed, returning to the bed. Tabby eagerly crawled forward, laying her head in the mage’s lap. Careful fingers ran though the beastkin’s hair, petting her idly while Tabby grinned. “It’s not all as lovely as that of course,” she said with a small shrug. “The industrial quarter has all the smoke and smell you would expect, and the outer rings of the city do certainly have that lovely aroma of animal manure.” A small smile formed on Gella’s lips as her eyes met Celia’s. “But I wanted to show you the nation you’ll be serving in its best light, first.”

Giddy anticipation gathered in Celia’s chest, followed by just a tiny stream of worry. Of course, being Gella’s knight and champion would mean serving her nation instead of Remere. There was guilt, but to Celia’s surprise it was minor. “So I’ll be an Adampora citizen?” She asked, faintly.

Gella’s fingers paused, causing Tabby to trill questioningly. Behind her, Celia heard Lauren make a small discomfortable noise. “That is… complicated, Celia.”

The leaden exhaustion only seemed to double from their reaction to what Celia had assumed was a simple question. She pushed forward, through the yawn that escaped her lips. “What do you mean?” She asked with a touch of wariness.

Gella resumed petting Tabby, who had turned slightly to smile encouragingly at Celia. “You remember what I told you in town, Celia. That I am a slaver?”

The memory was warm and sweet. The shock of the knowledge, then Gella carefully using her magic afterwards. When she woke up, it just didn’t seem to bother her as much. That awful day with Vorgrim loomed, and a frown darkened Celia’s mood. He had been a slaver too – had reveled in that fact, she remembered with a cringe.

Lauren’s arms wrapped around her, her sweet lips on Celia’s neck. The cringe faded, and the gloom was pushed aside from Lauren’s simple presence. “I remember.”

Gella looked from Tabby who lay curled up in her lap, to Lauren and Celia cuddling together, and finally to Violet, who reclined patiently with a look of mild interest on her face. Then, she took a deep breath. “Legally – here in Adampor – you are my slave. Along with Tabby, Lauren, and Violet.”

“It’s true,” Lauren said just loud enough for them all to hear. “I don’t like thinking about it – Mistress’ term for us is so much nicer,” she breathed sweetly.

“It’s a holdover from before Councillor Stretta’s rule,” Gella said, an apologetic tone slipping in. “But, this isn’t anything like what that awful priest was going to do,” she continued with slightly more haste than usual.

Celia sat in Lauren’s embrace, pensively staring out the window at the beautiful city. A beautiful city in a powerful nation that apparently endorsed slavery. A complicated mix of emotions swirled in Celia’s stomach – enough to push away the tiredness, if only to replace it with nervous energy. “Explain it?” She asked.

“For one, slaves have a codified bill of rights in Adampora society,” Gella firmly said. “You have the right to health and wellbeing in your service, you have the right to object to consistently dangerous treatment, and you have the right to leave your owner if they fail to uphold their obligations.”

“You asked me once, what would I do if Mistress asked me to” – Tabby made an exaggerated gagging noise while dragging her thumb across her throat – “and I said Mistress never ever would, because she loves us,” that got her a gentle smile from Gella. “I guess I probably should have said the whole laws thing too, but my reason was way better.”

“So I can be a knight and be a slave?” Celia asked, trying to fit the two ideas together in her head.

“Of course,” Gella said, casually. “In Adampor, being a slave is nothing to be ashamed of. Many of the older houses have bound knights,” the smile returned to Gella’s lips, and she took one of Celia’s hands in her own. “You would be House Sadran’s first, though,” she said with a pride that Celia felt radiating into her soul.

She let her imagination carry her from being clad in the ornate, magical armor that Gella had gifted her, to kneeling to the mage, and being allowed to serve her. It thrilled her, made her yearn for it. A moment later, she grinned. No need to yearn for what is already in front of me, she happily thought.

“I don’t mind being your s–slave, Gella,” she said softly, getting a confident nod from the mage. “You’ve been… You’ve been the best thing that’s ever happened to me, I still think I prefer Treasure, though,” she said, to a cheerful giggle behind her and an approving grin from Tabby. The disquieting storm of emotions began to settle, leaving only a deeper exhaustion behind.

“Rest, my Treasure,” Gella tenderly commanded. Celia managed a small nod, letting herself be positioned by Lauren and Violet. Their loving hands were already blurring into one pleasant buzz of sensation by the time Celia’s eyes slid shut and sleep demanded her surrender again.

________________

The room was much darker when Celia next awoke. The lights of Amourot shone through the window, casting the room in a dim, intimate glow. Turning to her side, she saw Gella, dressed in black nightgown, reclined beside her and staring in rapt fascination at… something in her hand. It was a wavering, insubstantial thing. She tried focusing harder on it, only for it to remain tantalizingly vague. “What is that?” She asked.

Gella looked at her in mild surprise. “You can see what I’m looking at?”

Scooting to sit up, only barely noticing she was naked, Celia shook her head. “It’s almost something. I can’t make out any details.”

“You are full of surprises, my knight,” Gella said warmly, causing a drop of pure delight to saturate Celia’s mind for a moment. “You’re very nearly using mage sight.”

“I am?” Celia asked. She certainly didn’t feel like she was using magic – the only hum she felt was the distant background of all the magic devices around them.

“I’m almost positive, but I have the perfect way to check,” she pressed the thumb and middle finger on her free hand together, and Celia took in a sharp breath.

She knew what Gella meant. A deep, profound ease settled on her, but she still wanted to ask. If only to hear the truth from Gella’s lovely lips. “You’re not going to ask first?” She asked, failing to keep the excitement from her voice.

“What do– Oh!” Gella said after a moment. “My lovely knight,” she said, and the undertone of authority in her voice washed over Celia like a warm wave, leaving her feeling so soft and pliant. “You are mine now.” Gods, it felt so wonderful to hear Gella just declare that. She belonged to the mage. Heat bloomed in her, bolstered by the mage’s deep gray eyes pulling at her own. “I don’t need your consent; you will open your mind to me when I command it. While our contract said otherwise, that was between a free woman and her patron.” Gella shook head and gave Celia a proud look. “But you’re not a free woman anymore.”

“I’m not a free woman,” Celia softly repeated, the words already on her tongue without her willing it. The heat crept forward, settling in her tummy and slowly brushing up her spine.

“And I am not just your patron anymore.” Gella promised. “I am your Mistress, your Lady, the woman that owns you.” Each word danced in that gathering heat, painting it all over Celia’s body. “You don’t have to use any one title,” Gella knowingly continued. “Because – in your mind – you know that you. Are. Mine.” Gella’s fingers snapped twice in quick succession.

The whirl of Colors opened in Celia’s mind – Green and Blue and Purple. Correctness, safety, and pleasure – all utterly inescapable. Celia was already so wonderfully comfortable and eagerly let the Colors steal her away, the waking world falling so far beneath her. She mewled, savoring her sensation as she never had before. It felt like love. Love that pulled her, that demanded she obey – not to force her, but to lead her. And she so loved to obey.

She closed her eyes. Then she was in the endless sky, wrapped up in Gella’s Silver voice – the voice that made her feel so Blue. Silver smoke teased her skin, just enough to send pleasant Indigo tingles sparking along her nerves. Stronger Silver rope bound her. Loosely for now – a single loop around each wrist – but with the potential for so much more restriction. Breathing out, Celia felt all the tension in her body flow out with that breath. Here, she was safe, cared for, treasured.

“That was a fantastic reaction, Celia.” Gella’s voice was close, right next to her ear in the real world. The mage’s voice was a whisper, tantalizingly close while at the same time all around her. “One that you and I will savor together many, many times,” Gella continued. The enthralled warrior simply existed in Gella’s power for a long moment, light gasps testament to just how much she was enjoying herself before the mage asked, “how are you feeling?”

“Relaxed,” she replied softly. “Submissive,” she continued with a flush of heat that slipped just along the edge of her pussy. “Turned on.” Thoughts flowed, and another sensation made itself known. “Yours.”

Celia felt the smoke that was Gella kiss her forehead. “Good girl,” that simple phrase sent a strong jolt of desire right to Celia’s clit, making her squirm delightedly in Gella’s power. “You look beautiful like this, Celia,” Gella sweetly said. “Naked, bound in my power with the most adorable little smile on your lips. Relaxed, open, and eager.” The words themselves hardly did justice to just how exquisite each word actually felt.

Relaxed was for sitting down after a long day, not this utter passive warmth that made her muscles feel completely powerless.

Open didn’t begin to describe how vulnerable she felt. All of her was Gella’s to touch at her leisure, and that alone made her mewl. She had nothing to hold back, Gella had seen all of her – depths the warrior herself hadn’t known – and had loved Celia anyways.

Eager might describe how she’d felt about digging into a celebratory meal at the Ravenswood Company hall. How she felt about Gella was far beyond mere eagerness. It was more like… avarice.

Living at Cair Dwemor had been one exploration of pleasure after another, each varied and wonderful. Some of what she’d tried, she had utterly adored – others, she could simply enjoy. Words that had been etched into her mind by weeks of repetition reminded her that she deserves to feel pleasure – and Ishara above, did she ever. Her body ached for some friction to sate the tempting heat coating her folds in slick essence, while the power Gella held over her keeping her limp and docile satisfied her in an entirely different, but no less amazing way.

Gella’s hand brushed down Celia’s body. Starting at her cheek, it passed her neck. It went down her chest and cupped one breast – one finger traced along its edge, spirling closer to Celia’s stiff nipple. “I was planning on helping you with your magic just now,” Gella mused aloud with desire heavy in her voice. “And I did promise myself I would wait until you were entirely mine to share my body with you,” she said with a kiss to Celia’s ear. “But I think we can spare a little moment to indulge.” Her real lips, soft and warm, meshed with the Silver feeling of control and power in her mind. She swore she could feel a little Silver smoke drift into her mind, turning everything in front of her a slight Silver tint.

Fantasies rushed forward along with another wave of liquid desire. Her whole mind in lovely Silver, nothing about her untouched by Gella’s control. She groaned, feeling the deeper, more dangerous, heat drag her temptingly further into bliss. “Something my knight wants to share?” Gella asked teasingly, the pad of one finger slowly shooting sparks of delight from Celia’s nipple.

“My wh–whole mind… Si–ilver,” Celia mewled, riding the hard, visceral sensations before she sank back into the diffuse pool of enthralled bliss.

“I’ve shown you the maps I make of my Treasures’ minds,” Gella’s voice, laced with a dark desire that made Celia’s pussy quiver. “It’s not just for keeping their lovely minds safe and sound. It’s so I can push them with my control.” Gella’s hand moved down to Celia’s tummy, palming the warm muscles there. “Cover them in silver, as you just said.”

Tabby’s purr rose in Celia’s memory, itself adding a lovely extra dimension to the molten need slowly infusing every part of the warrior’s body. The promises that – at the time – had scared Celia far more than they aroused her now refreshed themselves in her mind. She’s bound me with ropes that were in my mind. She’s taken away my voice. She’s made it so I could barely think – I was so turned on, the echoes of that day were loud in her mind. She’s played with my memory – made me forget my name – made me forget everything outside the manor.

She wanted it – all of that and more; she wanted to wrap herself up in Gella’s power, and open herself entirely to the mage. “Yes!” She hissed, smiling in the depths of trance. “A–All of that.”

Soft lips replaced the finger at Celia’s breast, drawing the stiff tip up and between Gella’s teeth. Pleasure washed over her, syrupy and warm and so very wonderful. “In time,” Gella said eventually, kissing across the gulf between Celia’s breasts. “For now, my lovely knight, just enjoy,”

Fingers curled into Celia’s heated passage, drawing gasps and moans from the blonde woman’s lips. Thoughts, plans, and any consideration other than the electric sensations Gella was coaxing from her refused to form. Celia didn’t know if it was Gella’s commands, or the mage’s own skill, and – at the moment – she couldn’t bring herself to care. She could only savor it – luxuriate in how carefully the silver-haired mage’s fingers slipped over and between her folds.

Heat and desire slowly boiled higher and higher while Celia’s body trembled and shivered. The skyscape within her mind turned a deep, pleasurable Purple, sending jolts and sparks all across her thoughts. Even as pacified and controlled as she was, she felt her muscles clench, as her release rushed forward.

It hit her like a wave, washing her mind clean in a heated burst of love and desire. Wet, slick sounds – her own moans and cries and Gella’s approving kisses – all melded together. The sounds of desire, of surrender, and of passion all mingled until Celia’s orgasm slowly faded, and the enthralled warrior was left floating the warm afterglow.

“That was wonderful, my knight,” Gella said warmly, once again close enough to whisper in Celia’s ear. “You’ve served me wonderfully,”

Green swirled within the Purple, warming Celia with an entirely different heat. Pride and satisfaction, the joy of doing what she was meant to be doing. Just how she had served Gella escaped her, but that wasn’t important. “--welcome,” she said softly, the thrill and energy lent by pleasure ebbing back into the tranquility of trance.

“Ready to focus on your magic for me?” Gella encouragingly asked, as if she hadn’t just bathed Celia’s body in pleasure.

At the warrior’s nod, Gella helped the blonde woman up to sit cross legged. “Focus on your inner flame, Celia.” The Silver mist flowed away – present but less distracting – leaving only the strong cord to focus Celia in whatever direction Gella commanded. Her inner flame was easy to find, of course. Burning in the center of her mind, it was her courage, her strength, her determination. “Now, search that flame Celia. You have a different kind of power. You’ve called on it before.”

Red speckles formed around her. Her magic was dangerous and– Gella’s silver flowed over her. “Relax, Celia,” the mage soothed. “Calm, quiet, controlled. Breathe in.” Celia reflexively followed the rhythm Gella set, breathing slowly until the Red faded, and she was again feeling perfectly tranquil. “Very good, Celia. Your mind and your body – they belong to me.” Celia nodded slowly, feeling a faint but supporting echo of pleasure. “So, your magic must also belong to me.” Celia nodded again, easily following the logic. “Your magic is calm now. Quiet and controlled. Like you.”

Celia drifted in that perfectly safe lagoon. Her magic obeyed her, and she obeyed Gella. She was calm, quiet and controlled, so her magic must be as well. Her inner flame thrummed, smaller than usual but otherwise perfectly ordinary for her. Then she felt the stirrings of something else. A mote of color within the bright Reddish Orange. A brilliant Blue. “Blue…it’s Blue,” she whispered.

“Just like your beautiful eyes, Celia,” Gella encouraged. “Now, draw it out.”

Celia’s hand rose toward the sapphire flame. It shuddered, slowly shifting. Then – moving as if through thick mud – it inched towards her hand. She didn’t worry – he was calm, quiet, and controlled. Every breath and every heartbeat brought the sapphire flame closer, until it finally cleared the main body of her flame.

Floating into her perception, the sapphire flame burst in a shower of sparks. Some returned to the central flame while the rest spread far and wide in Celia’s mind. A new sensation came over her – not a rush of uncontrolled power like the last few times, more as if she were waking up to a new sense.

It was sound without hearing – seeing things beyond what ordinary vision could account for. The world had shifted, just a bit. It wasn’t quite immutable anymore. There was a realization, a sudden understanding;he could change the world around her. Not with the power of her muscles or mind, but this new strength. “Magic,” she felt her lips form the word.

“That’s right,” Gella coaxed. “You can see it, too. It takes a tiny sliver of ragira, but it’s less than any spell. Feel the magic in you, and see through it.”

It was both instruction and command, and they both made Celia smile drowsily. Opening her eyes sent the dreamy skyscape away, but Gella’s proud look more than made up for it. She had pleased the mage, done well, and the feedback drip-fed her pure happiness. When Celia did as she was instructed, and called upon her magic, the Blue flame answered her, shedding the smallest part of itself to enhance Celia’s vision.

Celia could now see that the once-fuzzy shape in Gella’s outstretched hand was a brilliantly complicated shape. Its multi-faceted surface sparkled in the dim light like ice, and the inside shone in an entirely different way. Silver – pure silver – shot though it like veins. It folded in on itself, always moving and shifting just when Celia was just about to get a handle on it. “It’s beautiful,” Celia calmly whispered.

“Awaken, Celia,” Gella suddenly said, and the haze lifted from Celia’s mind. She felt present in her own body once more, and the sensations of the world returned. The slight chill on her still slick folds and the lingering musky scent of sex mere minor things compared to the spiraling shape she could still see. “Do you want to know what it is?” Gella asked, moving closer to pull Celia into an embrace with her free hand.

The crystalline shape was familiar to her, somehow – no, not just familiar, but important. Despite that, no matter how much she studied it, no revelation came to her. She nodded her head, eager to learn.

“It’s your soul, Celia,” Gella whispered back.

Celia’s jaw dropped. The mage was holding Celia’s soul in the palm of her hand. She’d never imagined what being soulless would feel like, but… She couldn’t imagine not noticing it. Daray and Hayer had both been very clear about the importance of souls from what she could remember. “I…” She trailed off. She trusted Gella, and the mage certainly seemed comfortable holding Celia’s soul like that. “Did you take it while I was sleeping?”

Gella gave her a confused look, then quickly morphed into a knowing smile. “It’s not your actual soul, Celia,” she explained with a patient sigh. “Just an image of it.”

Celia smiled along with Gella, returning her attention to the image. “I have a very pretty soul,” she decided. “Why are you looking at it though?”

“I’m looking at the damage your magic did, in a way,” Gella began, kindly. “After you defeated Aversa, I suspect it rebounded back on you. With nothing else to attack, it began attacking your soul instead.”

“My own magic attacked me?” Celia asked, feeling suddenly wary of this new power.

“Yes,” Gella confirmed, still speaking in that gentle register. “But it was an extraordinary set of circumstances – one that has been thoroughly dealt with.”

Looking inside herself, Celia felt her magic. It didn’t feel dangerous right now. It was faint, just enough to feel the strange – but not unpleasant – sensation. “And you’ll help me figure all this magic stuff out, right?” She asked, hopefully.

“Of course,” Gella said eagerly. “But, back to your soul,'' gesturing at the image, Gella tapped at her own chest. “Soul magic isn’t my specialty. In fact, there are only a few mages on the whole of Eitheris that do specialize in it,” she said with obvious pride. “One of them is my liege lord.”

Thinking back, Celia gasped slightly. “The Lord Sorcerer was casting spells on me?”

With a good-natured sigh, Gella shook her head. “That’s not his actual title, you know that.”

Thinking back, Celia nodded quickly. “Councillor… Streeta?” She attempted.

“Close.” Gella said happily. “It’s Ster-et-a,” she continued, carefully enunciating the name. “And yes, he used a bit of my soul to heal yours. That’s what these silver threads are, I believe.”

Celia gasped, holding Gella close. “Your soul?” She asked.

Gella nodded, sagely. “A small piece, yes. My lord thought it was the only way to save your life.”

“Didn’t it hurt, having your soul pulled apart like that?” Celia asked quietly.

Gella smiled softly, turning and pressing a kiss to Celia’s forehead. “It hurt, yes,” she calmly said. “Lord Stretta is an expert in this, though. His spells drew the tiny bit of it out from me, and used it to seal the wounds in your own.”

The captivating image still hovered in front of them, showing the ever changing crystalline form decorated with delicate veins of silver. It really was beautiful. And she felt good about it. Love… Love was about sharing yourself with someone else. “What does this mean, us sharing a soul like that?”

“This is unexplored territory, even for Councillor Stretta. He, Lauren, and the Ministry priests looked us both over though, and we’ve got a clean bill of health,” Gella quietly said. “But whatever the consequences, you are worth it.” Warm, lovely lips pressed another kiss to Celia’s forehead.

She was worth it. That, above nearly everything else, made Celia’s heart sing. Gella, Lauren, Tabby, and Violet, they all wanted her. The contentment flowered into a drowsy, peaceful warmth. Stretching out, the exhausted woman yawned, and curled up with Gella. Smirking slightly, the mage drew up the sheets, letting Celia slip underneath them. “Goodnight, Gella,” she whispered.

“Rest well, my pretty knight,” Gella replied softly, slipping under the sheets along with her.

Tiredness stung her eyes, but looking at the beautiful woman that shared her bed and heart, Celia forced herself to stay awake just a little longer. “Thank you, for everything.”

Gella nodded at her, silver hair gliding over the pillow. “You’re welcome.” Shifting forward enough to press a light kiss to the warrior’s lips, she quietly said, “good night, my Celia.”

Celia’s eyes finally fluttered shut, and she sank gratefully into sleep.