CHAPTER 9

New Gyr was a smudge on the horizon behind her by the time Celia could think about anything but the joyous pure sensation of flight. Lauren was still only loosely guiding the pegasus, so Celia assumed the magical horse was still showing off. For Lauren’s benefit or her own, she couldn’t guess, but she was thrilled for it all the same.

She had made her choice. There was nothing holding her back from immersing herself entirely in the sea of clouds in the endless sky and the blurring speed each flap of Windstrider’s wings gave them. With conversation still mostly impossible, Celia was free to think back over her trip.

The things that had haunted her now seemed so small and silly. Gella’s desire to tame her was tempered by the mage’s professed wish to have Celia’s mind intact, so worrying about being made something she wasn’t hardly made sense. She had her insurance again, the dose of Sharpen Mind she hadn’t needed to take packed securely away in her truck. It was only with the faintest twinge of uncertainty that she found herself awaiting the return to Cair Dwemor.

Then, there was Lauren.

Wrapping her arms a little tighter around the priestess in front of her, Celia felt warm despite the cold. She wasn’t entirely sure what Lauren was to her now. She wasn’t a girlfriend. Maybe a lover? But one thing she knew for certain. She could call the priestess a friend. Lauren was kind, sweet, understanding, and had a good head on her shoulders, despite initial impressions. A head that may occasionally belong to Gella, yes, but a head that also got to fly when she wanted to. Literally and figuratively, considering the freedom she apparently had to be creative.

Celia’s train of thought broke into an excited cry as they suddenly pulled into a steep dive toward a highland lake, then leveled out hard, sending a scattering of water into the air. Windstrider hung low enough that Celia was covered in icy spray with each beat of his wings.

Then, the pegasus alighted on the opposite bank with barely a jolt. It was a high lake, somewhere secluded in the mountains, and even with the warm cloak over her shoulders Celia shuddered from the wind. It didn’t help that her body heat had been leached by being covered in water, either. The two women slipped off the horse, and Celia took the opportunity to help, enjoying the feel of the priestess’s warm body against hers. Windstrider trotted over to the lake and began drinking greedily, leaving Lauren and Celia shivering.

Celia wrapped herself around the priestess, who accepted the warmth gratefully. “I promised I would tell you,” Celia started softly. She had never told anyone about her past. Not fully. She could trust Lauren, though. She knew without doubt that the wonderful, gentle woman would never betray her. A priest’s oath like the one she made wasn’t something you did lightly. Under the cloak, Lauren took one of Celia’s hands and squeezed it.

“It’s not a long story,” she began, keeping her voice gentle. There didn’t seem to be any other people around, and she heavily doubted the pegasus would care. Still, this felt far more like exposing herself than it did when she had been naked. Lauren kept Celia’s hand held tight. She was safe.

“I was born way out in the eastern grasslands.” This part was easy. She could see her younger self in her mind’s eye. “We didn’t have much. It was a little farming village on the outskirts of our lord’s land.” She smiled wistfully. “I had a normal enough childhood, I guess. Kissed a boy.” She gave Lauren a quick squeeze. “Kissed a few more girls. Helped out my family where I could.” Her smile faded, and she braced for the phantom pain. But nothing, again. Just an echo.

“I don’t remember many details besides that. Not until… the smoke, and screams.” Her voice grew tight, and she unconsciously drew in on herself. Lauren held her tighter, and that helped. She pressed on. “Four years ago, I ran away. From… something. There’s this…” The memories were there, and she knew she could reach for them, but that Door she’d seen with the fae stood between her, imposing and malevolent, burning with an angry fire She shut her eyes tight. “It’s like a closed door. I know the memories are there, but I… I can’t… One minute I’m eighteen at home, then the next I’m on a road, covered in blood, and… and…”

She didn’t realize how tight she was squeezing Lauren until she heard a pained whimper, and she immediately loosened her grip in horror. The priestess grabbed her before she could run, gripping her tightly yet softly in return. “You don’t need to say any more,” she whispered soothingly.

They held that position for several minutes before Celia finally brought herself back under control. It felt like yanking an arrow free from her skin, only a thousand times worse. The memories cut deep, and at the center, the Door festered like an infected wound. She cried out, pushing it away, down and deep and dark. The old terrors eventually obliged, leaving Celia back in the chilly highlands, Lauren still hugging her tight. “Thank you. Again,” Celia sighed.

“You should talk to Gella about this, when we get back.” Celia blinked at the determined tone, looking at Lauren questioningly. This wasn’t how she spoke about Gella. Normally, it was reverence, or warmth. But her eyes were sad, her expression set.

“Lauren,” Celia began hesitantly, “did something…” She seemed so happy, so free, normally. The thought of something happening to her, something even a tenth as horrible as what she could remember bits and pieces of…

Lauren simply nodded. “Yes. When we get home, I’ll tell the whole story. It’s not easy to talk about.” She took a few deep breaths and looked out along the peaceful lake, in the direction they’d been traveling. Towards Cair Dwemor. “I normally have Gella’s hand on my mind, when I do. She helps.” A warm smile bloomed on Lauren’s lips. “When she’s close, I’m not scared at all. She gives me strength. She’s incredible at what she does, Celia. I’m positive she will help you too.”

Will, not could, Celia noted. Well, that was part of all of this, and she had made her choice. She trusted Lauren, and everything the priestess did only reinforced that trust. “I… Okay. I’ll talk to her about it. I promise.”

________________

A few too-short hours of flying later, and they were headed through the last of the passes before they reached Cair Dwemor. The whole valley was lit by the setting sun. Wand’s Reach was a patch of browns and grays, circled by a river that glittered like molten gold. They swooped low over the manor, and moments later alighted in the courtyard.

Gella was there, of course. Waiting by the manor doorway with an arched eyebrow and an insufferable smile. “You’ve returned, pretty little knight. You’ve made the right choice. You’ll see.” She waited for Celia to dismount, then gestured for her to follow.

Celia looked at Lauren, who gave her an encouraging nod. With a sigh, the warrior followed the mage into the manor. After a few turns, they arrived at a room with sigils on the door. Gella opened it, and Celia knew what the room was immediately, though she had never seen one before. A mage’s workshop.

It was a carefully ordered place, reflecting the woman who worked there. Tools and devices lined one wall, and the other was covered by several large bookshelves. Celia walked inside, and shivered. The room was several degrees colder than the hallway outside. Candles burned on the walls, providing the only illumination in the room. In that light, Celia saw that a bracelet and a contract, already laid out.

“How did you…" She trailed off.

Gella shook her head. “Lauren let me know you were on the way, once you were back in contact range.” She tapped her temple with a forefinger. “Mind to mind communication. She told you about it, yes?”

“You don’t… always use that, right? Like, conversations with all of you aren’t just you sitting quietly, sharing thoughts?” The image was unsettling, and she shuddered slightly. She could easily imagine everyone smiling at her, talking without words and leaving her in the dark.

Gella shook her head again, smiling slightly. “No, nothing like that. It takes ragira to send a message to and from. Not a significant amount, but it does add up. That, and the connections are complicated to establish, and get more complicated the more connections one already has. It’s difficult enough to establish that many connections for myself, and my girls aren’t going to make me play messenger.”

That word again. Ragira. Cassidy had mentioned it, too, hadn’t she? Lauren had called it the capacity to do magic. Energy. Celia took a seat, inspecting the silvery bracelet. If there was magic on it, she couldn’t tell.

“What is ragira?” She finally asked. Gella’s face broke into a wide smile at the question.

“Everything,” Gella breathed, almost reverent. “And understanding it will be useful, as you are to work for me. Tell me, Celia. What do you know of magic?”

Celia thought on that for a moment. “Well,” she started, “it can make fire, or heal, or move things, and a lot more than that. You make potions with it, and you need to speak a magical language to use it.”

Gella smiled patiently. “Mostly correct. But that, Celia, is what magic does. What do you know of what it is?” Without waiting for Celia to answer, she continued. “It is change. Action. It is placing your own logic above the logic of the cosmos, and demanding the world change to match it.”

This conversation felt so surreal. Mere minutes after she had gotten back, she was having a discussion about… what, the nature of reality? With someone who had gone from kidnapper, to jailer, to hostess, to patron. Someone that she could, at least tentatively, trust, and someone both interesting and charming. Charming? That thought had come out of nowhere, but the more Celia thought about it, the more it fit. Gella was extremely charming. Putting that aside, she thought over what the mage had said. “What do you mean, the logic of the cosmos?”

“Just that,” Gella nodded. “The world has its own rules, ones far beyond our capacity to understand.” She grabbed a pen, then let go, dropping it on the floor. “Why did that pen fall?”

“It just did,” Celia frowned. “Things just fall.”

By way of response, Gella picked up another pen, and intoned “croch.” This time, it hovered in the air, staying where she released it. “That’s correct. Things fall. But I wanted this pen to hang in the air, and now it has. I overruled the cosmos. But all things have a cost. This,” she gestured to the pen, “is drawing on my ragira. My capacity for change.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then the pen dropped. “And without my providing it, the cosmos return to their natural state.”

“So… it’s like a flame. The fire is the spell, and the… ragira…” She stumbled over the unfamiliar word, “would be the fuel?”

Gella considered that, then nodded. “Overly simplified, perhaps, but you have the right idea.” Her warm smile softened the sting of the correction. “The term for this – for applying my will to the world – is the arcane, and those who access it the Talented.” She gestured in the direction of the courtyard. “The most common type of magic, though, is the divine, like my dear Lauren uses.”

“What’s the difference?” She found herself enjoying this back-and-forth. Gella clearly cared for her craft, and was delighting in explaining it. Short of her brother’s return, this was the most genuinely unguarded she’d seen the silver-haired mage.

“The source, mainly. I have my own well of ragira, a pool that refreshes on its own over time. One could call it my willpower, and they would not be precisely wrong. Divine ragira, though, comes from the gods. It is not the caster’s will – it is a divine mandate, granted in small part to their devotees. We call those who receive it the Touched. Divine magic is often more powerful than the Arcane, but less flexible.”

“We actually met a mage in New Gyr. The alchemist who made the potion. She called Lauren Touched, too.”

Gella arched an eyebrow. “You did?”

“Her name was Cassidy,” Celia nodded. “An imperial mage who had escaped from Abania.”

Gella considered that, a smile creeping over her lips. “Interesting. The terms aren’t secret, but… At any rate, that is the basics of what ragira – what magic – is.”

Celia nodded, feeling a moment of fleeting jealousy for the abilities Lauren and Gella had. To be able to call magic to her aid, even something as simple as producing a flame from nowhere, would be incredibly useful. “I don’t suppose you can teach me any magic?”

Gella shook her head softly. “Your ragira would have manifested by now if you were Talented. I could teach you the magical language, but without ragira, it would just be words.”

Celia shrugged. “Alright. How long have you been studying magic?”

“About twenty-five years,” she mused. “Though I only have been actually practicing since my ragira manifested at sixteen, though.” She met Celia’s calculating glare, then rolled her eyes. “I’m thirty-five, Celia.”

Thirty-five? The silver-haired mage didn’t look it, at all. She would have put a dragon on the mage being close to her own age, despite the hair. “You’re beautiful,” she said, then suddenly clamped her hand over her mouth. Where had that come from? “I mean you should be, all your wealth means you could buy a ton of makeup.” She cringed at how dull that barb had been. Had she really warmed up to Gella so quickly?

Gella smiled enigmatically. “Thank you for the compliment, Celia.” She was so elegant, so perfectly poised and in control. “But enough about magic for now.” She tapped the contract, then slid it over for Celia to read. It was simple, and spelled out everything they had spoken of. Training, lodging, and length of time for the contract. Gella was only allowed to control her mind with permission, and had to record it in that case, or for the express purpose of rescuing her from the control of another. Celia had finished reading, and was about to sign when Gella held up her hand. “There is one more thing. From here on out, I intend to be completely honest about my designs for you. So allow me to correct an earlier lie of omission.”

Celia frowned, slightly on guard. Something else Gella had neglected to mention? It wasn’t in the contract. She had read it, and it spelled out its terms very plainly. Something from before, then?

“There were four enchantments on the collar. Three, you noticed. The one preventing you from removing it. The one that allowed me to find you. The one that allowed me to scry you. And…” Gella’s slate gray eyes seemed almost concerned. “One to prevent you from harming yourself.” As Celia began to move, Gella held a hand for peace. “You tried with your blade after I captured you, and I retrieved the spell scroll you carried at your hip. It was a nasty piece of work, and not even a particularly effective one. Did you know that it might not even have killed you, and left you wounded and in immense pain instead?”

Celia froze in horror. The spell had been her insurance against bandits. It had been practical to prefer that over whatever torture they would inflict on her. But if it wouldn’t even save her from that… And they wouldn’t have whisked her away to a palace, given her… the thought, the warmth of the manor, spiraled away beneath that cold fear. A soft touch on her arm brought her back to the present, and to Gella’s concerned look.

Celia shook her head, settling down. “You had no right,” she grumbled.

Gella shrugged. “Be that as it may, I suspect it may have saved your life. And what’s done is done. This bracelet has no such spell on it, and given you are accepting the contract, I hope you aren’t harboring any more thoughts about taking your own life?” She asked pointedly.

Celia shook her head quickly. It had been a fleeting thought, one born of fear and desperation. There hadn’t been even the faintest whisper of desire to harm herself since the collar had been removed. “No more secrets. Especially ones this big. Agreed?”

“Well I can’t promise that,” she chuckled. “I am a mage. Being mysterious comes with the territory. But I promise that I will be entirely honest with what I intend for you, though I will keep my own secrets as I please.”

Celia glowered at Gella, but reluctantly had to admit that was acceptable. She wanted to try for more, but could she honestly say she was being entirely honest with Gella? This was supposed to be a fresh start, a fair contract. She wasn’t happy about being enchanted without her permission, but she couldn’t do anything about it now, and she had promised not to do that again. “Fine. No more secrets about my training.”

“Or your taming,” Gella chided, and Celia sighed heavily. Her taming. Right. The word had lost a good deal of its sting since she’d first heard it. Sure. Being entranced could feel wonderful. Sharing pleasure with the beautiful girls here was far from the worst thing in the world. The training, she was already on board with. It was just something about that word. Taming. What about it put her so on edge?

The answer wasn’t forthcoming, it seemed, so she simply nodded at Gella. “Alright. Fine. I’m ready to sign the contract. It isn’t magic, is it?” When Gella shook her head, she added her signature at the bottom, then held out her arm for Gella to clasp the bracelet on.

The little click it made didn’t feel like a proclamation of doom this time. It might have been functionally identical to the collar – minus that one enchantment – but somehow it just felt better to be on her wrist. It marked her as Gella’s just the same, but not as her toy – as her hired warrior. She held it up, watching the candlelight play off its now-seamless surface. “Well, I’m officially your private mercenary,” she sighed. “When does my training start?”

“Right now, in fact.” She packed away the contract and quill in her no-space, and fixed Celia with a determined look. “I want to take you into a trance, Celia.” She paused, watching Celia’s reaction. “While you are under, I want to make it so snapping twice will no longer affect you.”

Celia blinked, trying to understand that. “What? You… want to take control to… give up control you already have?” She frowned as she tried to work out the reasoning behind the suggestion.

“I do. I haven’t earned that from you yet, Celia. I saw an opportunity with Samuel and Deborah, and I took it. But if I want you to trust me, I can’t just take when I see an opportunity.”

It was hard to believe this was the same mage that had done just that. Celia could see honest regret on Gella’s face. Did she actually feel bad about how it had played out so far? “Gella, tell me honestly. What did you expect when you first had me under your control, with your rapier?”

“I had a few ideas,” Gella admitted before standing up and beginning to slowly pace around the room. “When I first met you I thought you were just another guard, someone to neutralize as fast as possible. Then you refused my bribe, even though it would have made you a rich woman.” She glanced at Celia and shared a quick smile. “That piqued my interest. Most mercenaries would kill for that kind of lucky break.”

“I had a job to do, and to be honest, I thought you were lying. There couldn’t have been anything in that warehouse worth as much as you were offering.”

Gella laughed softly. “Oh, you are perceptive. And quite correct. The money I tossed to the guards was just copper blanks. Probably worth less than the armor they were wearing, all told.”

The warrior snorted. They had been poor guards to begin with. The mental image of them greedily abandoning their jobs as poor guards for a poor reward… “Hey,” she realized something, turning towards Gella with a frown. “Was the offer you made to me just as fake?”

The mage’s lips quirked.

“What kind of spell were you using, anyways? I was listening on the side of the road, and I believed every word you said at first. Especially the part about the gold.” She called to mind that memory, though it had lost most of its luster with the potion she’d taken. Gella had seemed ethereally beautiful, with a voice that commanded attention. She looked at the mage, seeing how little would be needed to accomplish the effect.

“A basic charm spell, creid. You were under the moment you saw me. What caught my interest was that you were able to throw it off. Most people don’t question those they trust that much. But back to my plans,” she said, giving Celia an appraising look. “When you and I crossed swords, that interest bloomed further.” She crossed over and looked down with those warm slate eyes. “You’re a very talented warrior. Clever on your feet, and without my magic you would have had no trouble doing me in.” She lifted her hand toward Celia as if to caress her cheek, then seemed to think better of it.

Celia couldn’t help but smile. “So, you just thought you would scoop me up, and I would happily agree to whatever you had planned?”

“Would you be surprised if I said yes?” Gella chuckled. “You told me you found women attractive, and I had an inkling already from how quickly you fell under the charm. I happen to know Cair Dwemor is better accommodation than anything you would find in this part of Remere, short of perhaps the royal palace. It would be a close thing. And I thought that, between showing off my Treasures like I did, and the luxury of a hot shower on demand, you would be more than just tempted.” She chuckled ruefully. “Though it clearly had the opposite effect.”

The thought of Gella’s snaps not having any power of her was tempting. But, a small, traitorous part of her whispered, I would lose the logic of the fire. I wouldn’t feel that again. Even the memory was enough to make Celia smile, to never again have the real thing…

Celia shook her head. “No.”

“No?” Gella arched an eyebrow.

“No. You don’t need to do that. We’re building trust. You trusted me to make my own choice about coming back, so I’m trusting you with this path into my mind.” Gella looked at her, nonplussed, before breaking out into a genuine wide smile so warm Celia couldn’t help but return it. She shook her head, trying to bring her expression back under control. “Just remember the rules. You ask first, and you record everything that happens when I’m under your spell.” She held out a hand.

Gella shook it.

________________

Was that really the smart choice? Celia thought on her way back to her room. It was a token gesture, in the end, but it represented more than that. Gella had several ways of rendering her spellbound, yes, so the snaps weren’t that important. The snaps just made it easier. So, it wasn’t important for her to have them. But if they were gone… for a moment, the fantasy Lauren had interrupted flitted by. Maybe, when she was sure she could trust the mage…

She froze as Tabby strolled into view. There were about twenty feet between them, and of course Tabby wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing. Her tail was lazily swaying back and forth and she had the biggest grin. “Sooo,” she purred, and instantly Celia hated that she thought of it as a purr, but the cat-girl was hardly trying to hide it. “I hear you’ve chosen to stay?” Tabby slipped one leg behind her and put a little more weight on her front leg, a stance that did wonderful things for her lithe body.

Lauren had warned her. It looked like it was time. Well, she didn’t have to get bowled over. The blonde warrior parted her legs and got into a defensive stance. “I have,” she replied with a smile.

“Oh? Are you expecting something?” The cat-girl asked, a wide grin splitting her face and a few faint ribbons of green energy swirling across her skin.

“My welcome pounce?”

Tabby’s grin just grew wider. In an instant, she moved, sending ripples of air along the carpet. Celia braced herself, but somehow Tabby pivoted, redirecting her momentum into a roll and then a vault over Celia’s head. The warrior tried to whirl, but Tabby was already in motion, and she felt a flurry of light taps strike all across her spine. She tried to turn, to bat her away, but strangely, her legs crumpled under her instead, as if they were made of jelly. She sagged, nearly falling before Tabby caught her and gently laid her face up on the carpet.

A moment later, feeling returned to Celia’s legs, but not before Tabby had straddled her waist. Heat poured off the gorgeous beastkin. She was so warm! She tried to put up her hands to stop Tabby from writhing against her, but they were inexorably drawn to the smooth and silky tan skin of her legs. “I… umm…" The words caught in her throat as Tabby’s sultry eyes caught her own.

Tabby leaned in softly, and gave her a quick peck on the tip of her nose. The cat-girl’s thighs pressed in just a little to Celia’s sides, in a way that was uncomfortable for reasons entirely unrelated to physical discomfort. She rested her weight entirely on Celia’s waist, and the warrior let out a tiny moan. Tabby purred in satisfaction, and gently licked Celia’s cheek. “Welcome,” she teased softly. Her sultry smile filled Celia with a kind of dread that she had rarely felt – the dread of knowing she was beaten, and at her opponent’s mercy.

Celia growled softly in delight. Her voice, her warm weight, the building scent of her desire… everything about her promised pleasure. And Celia couldn’t help but want it badly. She had wanted to hold and kiss and touch the feisty girl, since she first saw her in the kitchens. Those words swirled up from somewhere deep inside. She deserved to feel pleasure. And she wanted to share. Her hands trailed up Tabby’s back, and pulled in her close for a kiss.

Kissing Lauren had been gentle and sweet. Chaste, even. Kissing Tabby was, quite fittingly, a whole different beast. The cat-girl’s tongue fought with her own, and before long Celia found herself kissing back, desperately wanting more. Tabby’s hands found the back of her head, and softly pressed in, bringing them even that little bit closer. Celia shuddered, then relaxed into the other girl’s arms.

The next few minutes were a blur to the warrior. At some point they had moved to Tabby’s room, though the kissing had continued the whole time. The kisses practically burned away her mind, leaving just a haze of desire, in a way that was somehow both alien and entirely familiar. It wasn’t anything like Gella’s control, or even the fae logic. Tabby was just a roaring gale, and Celia couldn’t help but be swept along, concern lost in the wind.

________________

Slowly, reluctantly, Celia came down from the high. They were cuddled close, laying next to each other on the enormous pile of cushions that passed for Tabby’s bed. It was more like a nest, as disorganized and free as the woman who slept in it. Remembering Lauren’s words, Celia ran her fingers through Tabby’s short hair, eliciting a soft murmur that had no business being as cute as it was. “Consider yourself welcomed,” Tabby sighed, arching into the offered pets.

The contrast of her worries earlier with laying with a naked girl in her lap brought a rueful smile to Celia’s lips. It was one thing to hear about how sex and pleasure were the norm here, but it was quite another to experience it. She felt a bit of guilt, actually. She had just that morning shared her body with Lauren, and now here she was in Tabby’s bed having spent however long making out with the cat-girl. “It feels kind of strange,” she admitted mid stroke of Tabby’s hair. “To just… be with all of you. You don’t get jealous? At all?” She found that difficult to believe.

Tabby grinned, her tail flicking back and forth. “Nope! We have no reason to be!” She stretched all the way out, groaning in satisfaction, and flopped onto the warrior’s lap. Laughing softly, she continued scritching between Tabby’s ears. The cat-girl turned over, and Celia was given a very distracting show of taut muscles beneath smooth skin. “Pets all over please!”

Celia sighed, but obliged her, moving all the way down over Tabby’s spine. She kept her touch light and delicate. She would never have imagined she would meet a woman as beautiful as Tabby who had not sacrificed strength for that beauty, let alone have that woman naked in her lap asking for pets. Letting her fingers trail absently, she bumped into the base of Tabby’s swaying tail, drawing a delighted sounding “mrow!” From the cat-girl.

“Mmmm, the base of my tail is very sensitive,” Tabby murmured by way of explanation. Her soft tail shifted, brushing Celia’s arm with the tufted tip. Celia just batted it away lightly, shaking her head. “You’re insatiable,” she said teasingly.

The cat-girl rolled over so Celia could see her pouting. “How would you know? You haven’t even tried to sate me!” Her warm soft hand grasped Celia’s, bringing it to rest on her toned tummy. “Of course, you’re welcome to try…”

Celia swallowed and looked down at the cat-girl. To call the invitation open was to call the ocean wet. Every inch of Tabby’s tight, toned body was on display for her, and from the sultry look she had, she was more than eager for it. Still, Celia hesitated, drawing light, idle little circles around Tabby’s tummy as she thought. “I… I don’t know. It still feels so strange. I was just with Lauren…" She trailed off. After so long pushing these feelings down at every opportunity, talking so openly about it was difficult. What was she supposed to say?

Tabby rolled her eyes, then got up to sit cross legged on the other side of her bed. The warrior tried to keep her eyes from darting between the girl’s legs, but it was an uphill battle. Tabby didn’t say anything about it, but the satisfied grin on her lips was more than loud enough.

“You, Celia, are far, far too uncomfortable with the idea of sex,” she finally pronounced.

Celia frowned at that, pulling her legs up against her chest. “Really? Because you, Tabby, are far, far too open about it!" She snapped.

Tabby considered that, then mrred and shook her head. “Elsewhere? Maybe. But Cair Dwemor is a perfectly safe place for it. For us. For you. You’re perfectly safe to explore it.” She smirked, pointing to Celia. “Repeat after me. Lauren licked my pussy and made me hotter than a bonfire.”

“Tabby!” Celia gasped, feeling an embarrassed flush creep up her cheek. “There’s no need to be crude about it. That’s… that’s not…” She could appreciate the beautiful girls here, and sharing a bed with them was something she was growing to enjoy. But that didn’t mean she had to be so brazen about it!

“Hmmm. Alright. If that’s not it, then you tell me what you and Lauren did get up to this morning! Or else I’ll just have to ask her myself!”

Celia flushed. “Fine. Lauren caught me… touching myself… and-”

Tabby cut her off with a shake of her head. “Touching yourself? You can do better than that!”

Celia looked at her incredulously. “Oh, is something wrong with my wording?” She had kept a perfectly fine lid on these kinds of things, until the fae decided to play with her. It was hard to tell if they had given her a blessing or a curse. “It’s not exactly easy for me, Tabby!" She snapped.

Tabby’s warm form wrapped up close to hers. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, adding a gentle kiss to Celia’s cheek.

Celia shook her head, relaxing, and beckoned Tabby back into her lap. The lithe girl obliged eagerly, lightly nudging Celia’s hand with her head. Celia resumed her scritching, and Tabby relaxed more. “You don’t need to apologize,” Celia finally began. “You’re just trying to make me feel more at home here.”

Tabby let out a soft trill and nodded. “I like you, Celia. I want you to like it here.”

It was simple and honest, and it made Celia smile. There was no guile here. Perhaps Tabby didn’t have Lauren’s soft, patient understanding, but… she was comforting, in her own way. “I do like it… for the most part.”

Tabby giggled and nodded toward the door. “It’s Violet that’s bothering you, right? She’s such a stick in the mud!”

The warrior laughed happily along with Tabby. When she wasn’t entirely focused on sex the cat-girl was surprisingly easy to talk to. “No, Violet’s fine. A little…” She trailed off trying to find the right word.

“Elvish, Celia. She’s a little elvish.” Tabby supplied with a knowing wink.

“That’s speciesist, Tabby. But… yeah. Just a little.” While Violet might not have been as standoffish and aloof as the typical elven stereotype, she still had an innate air of superiority to her. “But she’s still, well… nice. As nice as all you devious servants of an evil mage could be. Robbed of your souls, and all that.” She was startled a bit by how easily she could joke about it. Had her tune really changed so quickly?.

Tabby rolled her eyes and squirmed a little when Celia’s finger’s scritched just the right spot. “Mmmrrrow! Do you always give such good head scratches to devious servants? And Vi’s only missing a bit of her soul, not the whole thing!”

“You’re the first one I’ve tried it on.” She continued in silence for a few moments, digesting the second part of the statement. “Tabby… you aren’t under the same kind of spell Violet and Lauren are, are you? I don’t know the details, but I assume it’s the glowing rune for Violet, and the eyes for Lauren… but what about you?”

“Mmmm…” Tabby purred happily. “That’s because I’m not under a spell, I think. That’s how Mistress explained it. She used a spell, but I’m not under one? We worked together to choose it. Being hers… it just makes me really, really happy.”

“Really happy? Are you saying that’s… that’s how she controls you?” Surely it couldn’t be something as simple as that.

“Just that!" The cat-girl tilted her head thoughtfully for a moment. “Like, Imagine you have someone you know is always going to take care of you, that’ll be there for you when you need them, hold you when you want to be held. That’s Gella.” Celia blinked.

“Huh. You can say her name?”

“Of course I can,” Tabby giggled. “I just said I’m not under a spell! I just like calling her Mistress. It’s… niiice,” she sighed. “She orders, I obey, and I feel amazing. Simple as that.”

“Yeah?” Celia frowned. “What if she gave you an order you didn’t like?

Tabby shrugged. “I might ask questions, but I’d probably still do it. She knows what I like to do and what I don’t.”

Celia grimaced. “But what if she told you to… I don’t know, jump off the roof?”

Tabby extended her arm, and faint green lines of energy flowed down her skin. “I would! I’ve done it before. It’s fun.” Before Celia could respond Tabby shook her head. “I know what you mean, silly. What if Gella asked me to hurt myself? Or, you know.” She drew the edge of her forefinger across neck and made a gagging sound. “I would refuse. That’s not doing what she needs. I can help her more if I’m by her side. And I’d want to know why she wanted me to. Easy as that.”

She let her arm rest, looking Celia in the eye. Her deep green eyes were so warm and sincere. So open. “I trust Gella, Celia. She cares for me. For Lauren, for Violet. And for you, too.” Celia opened her mouth to protest, but Tabby, quite unfairly, silenced her with a kiss. “She does. When she found out the fae had you, she was about ready to go tearing into the forest herself to get you back. She’s got deadlier things to fae than cold iron.”

That… that stirred all sorts of strange feelings in Celia’s stomach. Gella cared for her? Cared about her? With Lauren, that care had been obvious. She wasn’t sure if Lauren could not care for someone. The priestess seemed to love the world, and everyone in it. But… she couldn’t be like that. She hadn’t been like that. And… damn it, she wanted that. She wasn’t ready to bend the knee. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be ready to accept everything that came with being Gella’s Treasure. But the temptation was getting stronger and stronger. “She controls you, though. You and Lauren and Vi. I know, I know. Lauren told me she rarely uses it. She does use it, though.”

Tabby leaned in again, and kissed her sweetly. “She does.” She shifted to wrap her arms around Celia. “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.” Celia looked at Tabby with increasing worry, each scenario adding to her unease… and a tiny part of her she was trying very hard to ignore was strangely pleased by the thoughts. “She’s played with my memory – made me forget my name – made me forget everything outside the manor.” That shocked Celia even more. Having such a core part of someone tampered with was… was… Who am I to talk? Most of my life’s just blank. She shut her eyes tight and forced her way past the worry and the unease.

“Why doesn’t that horrify you, Tabby?” She half-whispered.

“Because you know what she did after?” Celia opened her eyes to look into Tabby’s green ones. “She put everything back exactly the way it was. She held me, and gave me pets, and called me her good girl. If I was worried or scared, she talked with me about it. Even if I wanted to hide it from her, I know it’s better to tell her. Because. She. Cares. About. Us.” She punctuated each word with a kiss. “Give her a chance, Celia. Let her into your mind. You’ll see how amazing it is.”

Celia searched inside for some rebuttal, some excuse beyond fear. Sure, Tabby and Lauren could have been just told to say these things, to remember Gella being as amazingly gentle with their minds as they claimed. But… Gella had, by her own admission, had Celia in trance with that mirror. And all she did was help her calm down, then release her.

Tabby frowned at the obvious conflict on the warrior’s face, then suddenly brightened up. “Talk to Damian! Ask him about how Gella treats us.”

“Damian? He’s her brother. Of course he’s going to be biased.” Still… it couldn’t hurt.

Further deliberation was set aside as her stomach growled. It had been a long time since brunch. Tabby glanced down, smiling brightly. “Perfect timing! I was just going to get dinner started.” She stood and stretched out, highlighting to Celia again just how tight the cat-girl’s lithe body was. How did she have all that muscle, yet still somehow was so soft and cuddly? It just wasn’t fair.

________________

Dinner had been excellent, of course. Tabby had taken even something as simple as beef stew, and made it fit for lords. Lauren, who had transformed her hair back into its strange pink color, was in high spirits. The only odd part to Celia was Violet’s absence. Gella had brushed it off as the elf scouting out something she had her eye on, but it was still odd to not see the demure woman at Gella’s side.

Her room opened with just a brush of her hand, and she took a step back in surprise. Violet was there, waiting on her bed. She was dressed in that same inky black skin she had worn with the fae. “Hello, Celia,” she said calmly. “I just returned, and thought we might share a bath together.”

It had been a long day, and the basic cleaning spell Lauren had used that morning could hardly compare to a real bath. And anyway, if she was being fair… Tabby and Lauren had already gotten their turns. “Sure, let me grab a nightgown.”

She did so quickly, then followed behind Violet toward the bathroom. That strange, non-reflective substance was odd to look at. Without light, it was practically just a silhouette. “That thing you’re wearing. Is it some kind of armor?” Celia mused.

Violet looked down and shrugged. “Essentially. It’s a kind of second skin I can summon that makes it easier for me to blend into the shadows, and it’s tough enough to block most blades. I can summon it over my head, too, if need be. My Lady had it crafted especially for me.”

Celia couldn’t miss the slight but sincere tone of fondness. “She treats you really well, doesn’t she?”

Violet sighed nostalgically. “Yes. It was a rocky road at first, between her and I. Eventually, though, we grew very fond of each other.”

Celia snorted. “You were under her spell, right? Couldn’t she have just snapped her fingers and made you love being hers from the start?”

“Oh, she did,” Violet chuckled. “My Lady learned her lesson quickly after that. Why do you think she hasn’t done it already? I was the first one she claimed, you know. She wasn’t nearly as skilled at her craft back then. That order made me into a lovestruck idiot, and one completely dependent on her guidance. Hardly the same as having me.”

That gave the warrior food for thought as they entered the bathroom. Gella could, quite literally, snap her fingers and have Celia eagerly want to be hers. The contract was stopping her, yes, but that was just a formality. If Gella truly wanted her, no piece of paper would stop that. But Gella had said she wanted her, not her body…

She continued mulling that over as she undressed, throwing her clothes into the hamper by the door. Violet’s inky covering receded, collapsing into the form of a simple black necklace. It left the maid entirely naked, and Celia couldn’t help but let her eyes roam over the elven beauty’s body.

Violet took a step toward a cabinet near the empty tub, then stopped. “How would you like a bit of luxury tonight?” She nodded at the shower they had used that first morning. “We clean up in the shower, and the bath is just to relax in.”

It sounded incredibly decadent, but Celia could see the appeal. Just a few weeks ago, such a luxury would be unimaginable. A few days ago, she would have resisted, not wanting to grow complacent. Now, though, she had made her choice. There wasn’t any reason for her to deny herself the pleasures of Cair Dwemor.

________________

The decision was worth it for this alone, Celia thought with a happy smile. The shower had been pleasant enough, and Celia was reminded anew of how even something as simple as clear, warm water on command could be decadent. The cleaning spell that Lauren had cast that morning was effective and thorough, but nothing could beat warm water and soap.

Lounging up to her chest in steamy bathwater though was simply divine. Violet had added a few drops of some oil to the water and delicate rose scent perfumed the air. “I can do this every night if I want?” She asked incredulously.

Violet, who was smiling serenely with her eyes shut on the other side of the tub, nodded. “There is more than just this, as well. Different oils, sachets of powders that can create bubbles… Between my Lady and myself, we have found a number of interesting bathtime additions.”

Celia chuckled. “And how many of them are mind affecting?”

Violet cracked open one eye, looked over at Celia, and shrugged. “Half or so.” She paused for a moment. “To forestall you dashing out of here, this rose oil isn’t part of that half.”

Celia chuckled a little more nervously at that. That trance in her room – in her old room, she amended – had been wonderful. Being hypnotized with Lauren was incredibly freeing and relaxing. “I wasn’t going to.” Violet cocked her head at that, inviting Celia to elaborate. “Lauren and I talked about how mind affecting stuff isn’t always about sex or control. She even put me in a trance while we were in the city.” That got Violet to open the other eye.

“She did?” Violet asked in mild amusement. “You let yourself sink for her?” Violet smirked. “Well, tell me how it went.”

Celia pushed off, drifting over to Violet’s side of the tub. “She was trying to help me make sense of Gella’s offer,” she began. “I think she was worried that I hadn’t gotten a fair show of things. And she… gave me a safe demonstration.” Celia’s smile grew as she remembered that wonderful sensation of floating, anchored by soft words and a caring hand. The priestess really was wonderful.

“It sounds like you two will be fast friends,” Violet smiled softly. “I’m glad you trust Lauren so completely.”

She really did. Lauren had been nothing but gentle and kind, willing to hear Celia’s fears about having her mind altered, and willing to stake her status as a priest to make Celia feel safe. She had shown Celiar that control, that trance, didn’t need to be scary at all. Her conversation with Tabby came to mind. She’d said Gella put her Treasures’ minds back when she was done. “What does Gella do, when she plays with your mind?”

Violet reached up and brushed her fingers through the glowing rune on her forehead. It was still pulsing softly, a beat that Celia assumed was in time with her heart. “My Lady’s control over me is… different from that of Tabitha or Lauren. I find it easiest to refer to my Lady’s methods as her Mark.”

“Your soul,” Celia realized, remembering Tabby’s words. “She… marked it?”

Violet blinked, looking at Celia with mild shock. “I… Yes. Yes, that is what she did. My Mark is obedience. My Lady etched the concept into my soul, and my soul shines through where she carved it.” She tapped the rune absently. “I can no more disobey a direct command from my Lady than the water can resist the tide.”

A chill crept up Celia’s spine. Tabby had provided a perfect example of control with limits. She could refuse and question Gella, and decide for herself how she wanted to act, even if it came back to the mage in the end. The way Violet had just confessed so openly that she couldn’t even do that… “Any command?” She asked with a worried tone.

“Yes, but not as you understand the term, Celia,” Violet explained softly. “My Lady has made it quite clear what I should consider to be a direct command. If she were to simply tell me to, say, fetch her a cup of tea, I could refuse.” She shook her head with a small laugh. “I would still do as my Lady asks, though. It feels wonderful to do as you are told.”

That phrase hit Celia somewhere deep, somewhere unexplored. It felt wonderful, hadn’t it? Being a good girl, doing as she was told. Lauren had shown her that, and how it could apply even without trance. She bit her lip, hoping that Violet couldn’t tell how she’d reacted.

“But if she said something like Violet, I command you, would it be different?” She asked in what she hoped was a good cover.

That prompted an actual giggle from Violet. “Something like that.” Her tone shifted to a more serious one. “If she were to make it a direct order, I would obey. I wouldn’t just want to obey, though I very much would. I would obey, like the sun will rise in the east. There is no choice, no decision. It is simply what I am now.”

The same worries she had spoken of to Tabby rose ominously in Celia’s mind, seeming much more relevant than they had before. Even… Violet had turned slightly, studying Celia’s eyes. “Yes,” she said softly. “Even that.”

Celia shivered. Violet extended an arm, and the warrior let herself be held. That… That was beyond slavery. Beyond the soft, warm play that Lauren had described. How could someone do that to someone else? To go so far as to mark their soul, turn them into a creature that needed to obey? She felt a sick stab of worry for Violet, and held the elf back tight.

“She never would.” Violet’s voice was solid. “I trust my Lady with my life, my soul, and my everything. She has earned it a hundred times over. She saw it as her duty for what she had done. I had said she wasn’t as skilled at her craft, and I meant it. She did not truly understand the consequences of doing what she did.”

She held up a hand, and whispered “clisgeadh.” The words were said deliberately, and felt like they hummed with power, but… nothing happened. Violet smiled sadly. “She had thought to gain control of an assassin skilled in the mage’s arts. But magic comes from willpower. Is it any wonder I can’t use my own anymore?”

When they parted, Celia was feeling better about things. That level of control still scared her. She didn’t think it would ever stop scaring her. But that wasn’t what she was signing up for. All three girls had made that clear. They all held Gella in such high esteem, and the idea that mage had programmed all of that seemed more and more far-fetched by the day.

Having Gella enchant her mind was still a terrifying idea, but less and less as time went on. She could easily imagine how caring the mage would be with her. Having absolutely no choice… that was still a step too far, a level of trust she couldn’t imagine giving anyone, let alone a mage she had known so briefly. That kind of power over someone was dangerous.

“My goodness, that really got away from us!” Violet remarked. “You just wanted to know what my Lady does with my mind, right?” Celia nodded, happy to be back on more familiar ground. Playing with her mind. That description was seeming more and more apt. Just… just games and fun.

“Mostly she will take us under her control, and give us a role to play. Like what she did after breakfast that first day, Celia. The glowing was more my Lady showing off than anything real. Think of it like the games of pretend children play, but with her control making it feel much more real.” Violet resumed petting along Celia’s back. She thought about protesting, just a little, but the touch was proving incredibly nice. And she’d already shared things deeper than this with the other two… A warm kiss pressed into the back of Celia’s neck. “I apologize too, for how I kept you still, even after you wanted to leave. I had thought to lessen your fear with a bit of dreamdrop, though it only scared you further.”

Celia thought back. It had been scary. Terrifying, even. But… it was just a mistake. She could forgive mistakes. And Gella had been the first to offer an apology, even if indirectly. “Apology accepted, Violet.” Then, her questions answered for now, Celia let herself relax into the comforts of Cair Dwemor.

________________

After their bath, Celia parted ways with Violet, surprising the maid with a hug which she lightly returned. Returning to her room, cleaned and lightly scented, she fell into the impossibly soft bed and curled under the covers. Alone for the first time since she’d made her choice, the warrior sighed contently. She had made the right choice. She knew it deep in her bones. Lauren, Tabby and Violet had all shared how it felt to be controlled by Gella. It all sounded wonderful, if she was being completely honest. Sexy fun games, Gella’s gentle hand making sure they were all safe, even from herself in Violet’s case, enjoying themselves without shame.

The final test would be Gella actually putting her under, she realized. Putting herself entirely at Gella’s mercy with only the contract to protect her. The thought wasn’t scary anymore – not entirely – but she still was hesitant. Gella didn’t want a slave, and for that Celia was grateful. And the mage had kept every bit of her word so far. Well, she had a year to decide things. There was no need to rush; she had plenty of time to see how it all played out. With that thought comforting her, she drifted off to sleep.

________________

Her dreams faded and melded, images and scenes flowing together before splitting apart. Something shifted, moved, and Celia could swear she smelled a scent like those pancakes Gella had brought her. She felt strangely aware, if not awake. No, being awake never felt so strange and surreal, so deeply relaxing. The smoke and fire that had for so long dominated her dreams was nowhere to be seen. She was in a cozily warm and dark place, and that suited her just fine.

She heard Lauren before she saw her, instantly identifiable by her flowing pink hair. She had the sweetest little voice, full of happiness and enthusiasm.

“Hey, Celia.” The priestess wrapped Celia in a hug that felt far, far too wonderful to be real. Celia smiled widely, letting herself melt into the embrace. In the dream, she could devote herself fully to blissful focus on her friend.

“Hello, Celia.” Violet’s calm, self-assured tone pulled the warrior’s attention away. The elven woman strode over to Lauren, slipping her hand under the pinkette’s chin to tilt it up. Lauren obligingly tilted her face up, gently kissing Violet while Celia watched, enthralled. Alone, both women were beautiful. Together, and sharing a kiss, it was easily the most enchanting thing she had seen. They parted, and without quite so much as moving, Celia was sprawled comfortably on a bed, Lauren on one side and Violet on the other.

Lauren ran her fingers along the warrior’s arms, slowly drifting up and down. “You’re so strong already, I can’t wait to see how you take to training here.” Celia smiled warmly at the sincere praise. Training here at Cair Dwemor was everything she could ever hope for. Lauren returned the smile, then leaned over to kiss her bare tummy. She hadn’t been naked, but through the strange ways of dreams, she was, as were her two gorgeous bedmates.

Violet nodded at Lauren, brushing her fingers along Celia’s forehead. “Indeed. Her mind as well. You’re a clever woman, Celia.” She bent down and gave a brief kiss to where she had just been touching. Celia had never considered herself particularly clever. Street smart, perhaps, but it was difficult to argue with the warm praise washing over her.

Lauren’s hand cupped Celia’s cheek, and gently pulled her into a tender kiss. This time, there was no collision. Her lips were so warm, and when they slipped apart, it was only by a hair’s breadth. Celia found herself gazing into the bright pink rings around Lauren’s eyes. She had found them so strange before, but here and now, she found they fit the cheerful girl perfectly. “We’ll teach you all about what it means to feel good, too,” Lauren breathed, before grazing the very tip of Celia’s stiff nipple with her fingertip. The contact sent a needy warm tingle all over her body, and she sighed in pleasure.

“And what it means to have someone to truly share pleasure with,” Violet countered, coaxing Celia’s head back toward her. Her kiss was light, ephemeral, but all the more alluring for its brevity. The shimmering rune on Violet’s forehead added a strangely beautiful aspect to her look, the sheer obedience it represented – dangerous, so, so dangerous, but still – magnified Celia’s growing pleasure with a dark, seductive thrill.

Violet’s eyes drifted down Celia’s body, and the warrior could feel where her gaze lingered. “To have someone you can trust, and admit your desires too.” Her desires. Something she had given less than no consideration to for the last four years. She had goals, sure. To improve her swordplay, improve her skills. To get enough money to live comfortably. But desires? While both girls kissed and brushed across her heated skin, she tried navigating her thoughts. They weren’t making it easy.

As if on cue, Lauren giggled, planting a kiss right above Celia’s belly button. “To have someone to hold you. You haven’t been held nearly enough.” The hugs, the cuddles, the soft touches each girl seemed so eager to give, all of them flashed across Celia’s mind. How nice it felt, how deeply she missed it. “You’ll never have to be without that here.” That pooled a different kind of heat in Celia’s body, a warm comfort, mingling and swirling with her growing desire.

Violet switched off as smoothly as a dance, bringing her fingertips down along Celia’s inner thighs. Her touch was maddeningly light, and every time she started to drift toward the growing heat between Celia’s legs, she would simply change direction. “Praise, as well. Someone to recognize your skills.” A kiss on one nipple, swiftly followed by the other. “Someone to call you a-

“Good girl,” Lauren finished, pulling Celia against her flushed body and kissing the warrior’s neck.

Celia felt a deep, needy thrum at the phrase. A good girl. Being held, and praised, as a “Good girl,” Violet whispered in her other ear, fanning the heat into an inferno of desire.

She was lost in heat, lost in pleasure. Both girls seemed to know just how to touch her, just how to keep her just on the very edge of release. She squirmed and writhed, kissing back without knowing who she was kissing. A finger dragged along the length of her pussy made her hips buck, a loving tweak on her nipple made her moan and gasp.

“You can trust us with your desire.” She heard both voices, one in each ear. Both girls were so careful with her, holding her and kissing her and making her feel so good. She swallowed and sighed.

“After all, you can trust Violet,” Lauren’s voice cooed.

“After all, you can trust Lauren,” Violet’s voice whispered.

Each girl’s voice redoubled and overlapped in harmony. She already trusted Lauren. Could she trust Violet just as much? She had felt so free from her constant worry once she placed her trust in the pinkette, and Lauren trusted Violet.

She writhed and squirmed, but each girl kept their touches so faint and teasing. She tried reaching down to give herself some relief, but her hands were tied behind her back, though they hadn’t been before. Tied by something softer than anything Celia had ever felt.

Tabby’s voice, faint as a memory slipped in. Ropes that were in my mind… And Celia knew that these ropes were perfectly safe, and would always feel just as soft.

“Good girls can ask for what they want from the people they trust,” Lauren purred into Celia's ear. She sounded almost like Deborah at that moment. Then that thought was washed away as the pinkette’s fingertip just grazed Celia’s clit and forced a needy whine from the warrior.

“Good girls ask for what their bodies crave,” Violet echoed on the other side, rolling a pebbled nipple between thumb and forefinger.

The flame within Celia bloomed and swirled, washing over her pride and stubbornness like so much kindling. She needed to ask, to be a good girl. A good girl for Lauren and for Violet. She trusted them. Trusted them both. “Please!” Her voice came out soft and desperate and drenched in need. “Please let me cum!”

The world unwound around her, sensations and pleasure and deep satisfaction mixing with the memory of a kiss from Lauren and warm hug from Violet.

Then, the dream resolved itself into reality, and Celia woke up, soaked in sweat, hand between her legs working herself into a frenzy. She had only a brief moment of realization before she crested and plunged into the awaiting ocean of bliss, which she accepted with open arms, luxuriating in the pleasure. She deserved to feel that pleasure.

Finally, once the aftershocks faded, Celia flopped back among the pillows with a contented smile. That had been a dream unlike any other she’d ever had. The particulars had already begun flowing away like sand through her fingers, but one thought remained. If this was how good a dream could feel, how much better would it be in reality?