A Dream of Empire Ch. 008

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Tatiana Vittori

Redstone, Imperial Kingdom of Tardia

1^st of Sunfall, 1282 D.f.

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The month of Sunfall opened with chilling rains and lightning over the City of a Thousand Towers. Rivers of rainwater threatened to flood the city's sewers this dark day, and bolts of raw energy pummeled the many red towers of the city. Fortunately, most of these towers were fitted with tall, metallic channeling rods; these directed the raw prowess of the storms to the ground, or allowed some of the many sorceresses of the city to harness the magic of thunder.

Redstone is the oldest of all human cities in the Empire. Founded at least a thousand years before the Dragonfall, the City of a Thousand Towers was once the beacon for all human settlement in a brave new world, and thus attracted the adventurous and the sparked to its gates for many a century.

The city's nickname, while apt, was unfortunately far out-of-date. It now seemed each sorceress of Redstone had to own her own tower at one point of her life or another, and thus the city was now host to over two-and-a-half thousand towers instead, monopolizing both the skyline of the city as well as the sunlight. Furthermore, it seemed inevitable for that number to rise instead of fall, as the city hosted the second-largest College of magic in the Empire.

One of those towers, rising only two stories from a walled estate near the western gate, held a young sorceress who cared not for the inclement weather outside. She was instead perched casually on her plush black chair in front of a roaring fireplace, far away from the world's troubles within confines of an enchanting tome. Her black cat had rested lazily on her lap for most of the morning now, receiving the occasional pet from the sorceress between pages. The circular room was shelved with hundreds of thick tomes all around its circumference, and only held two small windows on its walls for reading light.

It was this sort of vicarious living and learning that Tatiana Vittori enjoyed most in life. With twenty-four years of age, this particular sorceress had been a graduate of the College for almost half a decade now. Her family's wealth ensured a life of luxury and sloth for that smiling sorceress, and her vocation ensured her hand would never be asked for to seal a political alliance.

So, Tatiana kept herself busy by doing what pleased her most. As a master-class teleporter, she was capable of porting instantly to any location she had once visited. As a conjurer, Tatiana could also port out-world as well, although she hardly bothered with such anxious travels as of late. Books kept her busy, and her kitty made her happy; the travel was primarily taken to visualize the places that she had read of, and Tatiana had perused many a book.

Her vicarious lifestyle took her to Hesperia today, following the adventures of one particularly salacious sorceress named Rose. Tatiana had read this book thrice so far; she appreciated its brevity where details weren't needed, and the lustful depth it displayed when she absolutely wanted it to. Rose had written only of her sexual adventures rather than those magical, after all, describing in detail all the throbbing pricks and delicate buds that her lifestyle of depravity entailed.

Tatiana shifted uncomfortably in her chair with a pout, suddenly feeling her cat's presence unwanted. She shut the large black tome with an impressed flower on its cover, and lifted herself from the chair. Her cat, Dusk, woke from his nap and hopped to the floor silently.

Well, he had been silent, until Tatiana shooed him hastily towards the door. He mewled his displeasure, staring at the sorceress with wide, pitiful eyes.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Tatiana pouted as she guided her whining cat to the door. "I know you don't like it, but if I let you stay you'll only stare at me creepily when I-"

Tatiana paused abruptly, opening the door. Dusk stopped a foot from the door, meowing again with another pitiful stare. "Well... you know what I'll be doing," she blushed, somehow embarrassing herself as she shooed him through the door. "Go, Dusk, mess with mother for a while. I'll find you soon."

Tatiana smiled as she watched Dusk scamper through the door after another second of mewling complaints, then shut and locked the door after him. The sorceress sighed and glanced back towards her chair, pacing half the distance of the room before nervously wondering if she'd locked the door. She checked it again, making a mental note this time that she had.

Now. Where was I?

Tatiana already had the laces on the sides of her skirt untied by the time she returned to her plush reading chair. She slipped her thumbs under the black silk, then hastily pushed the garment down her smooth legs. The sorceress already had a thumb slipped into the top of her black panties by the time she plopped down onto her throne.

That's right. Tatiana gently shut her eyes, dreaming once more of that perfect, moon-lit beach on some unknown coast of Hesperia. She imagined laying in those sands as alluringly as she could, resting on her side and smiling sultrily for her man approaching her. She wore only a sheet of black silk over her body, rippling gently in the calm wind. The thin fabric failed to hide the curves of her hips, the contours of her thin waist, or the excitedness of her nipples.

Tatiana slipped two fingers into her black, laced panties as she imagined the chiseled chest and broad shoulders of her man. She moaned sultrily, beckoning him towards her with a curled finger. Tatiana imagined those fearsome eyes of his, only an undeniable lust and an irrevocable love visible in their gaze.

Tatiana rubbed her clit slowly and sensually, imagining her man stripping her of her modesty when he neared. He devoured her naked skin with only his gaze at first, before devouring it with plentiful and loving kisses just after. He even neared her womanhood and kissed her there as well, drinking her and her moans as he did.

"Oh..." Tatiana sighed, rubbing against her button faster. She slid her other hand to her breast, pinching her nipple as she pleasured herself quicker. Her man would part her walls with his tongue at first, ensuring her innocence was well-lubricated for his massive manhood.

Because of course he has a massive manhood, Tatiana thought with a lustful sigh. She imagined him bringing her to orgasm with just his mouth alone, then declaring his undeniable and eternal love for her before kneeling by her legs. Tatiana splayed out further on her throne, parting her legs further in the present. She thrust two of her fingers into her drenched cunt, fucking herself sensually as her thumb offered the occasional sparking vibration against her clit.

"Mmm..."

Her man would part her legs just like this, but only after asking if she were completely prepared for him. She was, of course... she'd waited months for this very moment. Take me, she thought, imagining his muscular hands gripping her waist, making her feel almost dimunitive underneath him. She would feel his gargantuan bell against her maidenhead soon after, and beg for him to take her innocence.

Tatiana hastily removed her fingers from her pussy, focusing entirely on her clit as she pleasured herself faster. Her man would dominate her completely, fucking her wildly after the initial penetration. She would moan his names into the heavens...

"Fuck..." Tatiana groaned.

She would moan his name into the heavens as he slammed into her, all while keeping their eyes fixed on one another's. He would drink her pleasure in as he took her innocence forever, knowing now that she was his until the end of time...

Tatiana moaned his name aloud as her fingers quickly brought her to climax, a jolt of passion forcing her lower body to spasm atop her chair.

"Yes! Talos!" she cried with eyes clenched shut.

-=-=-

A bath separated Tatiana's morning in two parts; from one of lust, to one of hope. She had convinced herself in the bath's warm waters that today was finally the day when she would see the man who haunted her dreams for the past season.

The sorceress had casually granted a gift to that man three months ago when they had parted; a small, black amulet, which had originally been worn around Dusk's neck. It would seem purely innocuous to any other soul but her. Just a friendly memento, really.

She had told that man to keep her amulet close, as it wasn't a standard keepsake at all, but a teleportation sigil instead. The sigil allowed Tatiana to locate the man and travel to him in an instant no matter where he currently trode, without the requirement of needing to visit the area first. Tatiana hoped he still had it with him, especially since he wasn't aware of any of that.

If she were thinking critically, she would realize how wrong her intentions were. Tatiana knew the man was with an elf, after all, and knew he had something in Catriona keeping him there. But, Tatiana was not thinking critically as she threw her travel gear into her large black-furred backpack, and only dreamt of 'what-ifs' instead.

She soon reached out to that dreamy man along their shared string, only to find her projection terminating abruptly before reaching him. Tatiana figured instantly that Talos was currently protected by a ward; she would have to walk some of the way to locate him. She sighed, but the disappointing discovery only drove a sorceress on further this day. She sat down at her black-oak desk laid against the wall of the room, bringing her attention to a full-length mirror beside her as she picked up her hairbrush.

Tatiana brought it to her long, jet-black hair, stroking it straight as she gazed in the mirror. Her hair, falling freely to her back, had naturally been wavy and brown before she had transmuted it years ago. She figured this color better matched her wardrobe.

Her hair wasn't the only part of her visage perfected through magic, although she never admitted otherwise. Her pale, smooth skin was now unblemished in any form, save for an intentional beauty mark beside her mouth. Her lips had been changed as well, plumped and pushed together just enough to give her mouth a perpetual pout. Her nose had been smoothed, curved, and made smaller until she settled on it's present form, just a cute button. Her dark brown eyes had been enlargened, set just a hint deeper, and now twinkled ever so innocently in the light. She'd even gone so far as to flatten her eyebrows, only to enchance her innocent charm.

Tatiana, again, would never admit any of this to another soul. Her family knew of course, but she wasn't close enough to any one else where they would suspect a thing.

She practiced her smile in the mirror, lessening it gently when she accidentally displayed a hint of teeth. Her lips pursed after a moment or two of failed self-seduction, wishing her smile were as alluring as it was in her dreams. It will have to do... for now.

Tatiana dropped her brush when she was adequately pleased of the smoothness of her hair, then reached for her makeup kit consisting of blush, kohl, and liner. While the sorceress had spent many hours in front of a mirror perfecting her look with magic, she always appreciated enhancing it further with the luxuries of the mundane. She figured any sorceress would do the same, if given the chance.

Another twenty minutes passed by before Tatiana was pleased with her eyes and brows. She closed her kit then threw it in her black-fur travel pack, scanning the room for her next task. Clothes, she thought.

Tatiana wasn't entirely sure where she would be porting to today. The ward Talos was currently enveloped by hid his present location, but the sorceress could at least deduce that he was in the wilderness, simply by the direction their string was laid.

So, she settled on her typical travel attire for today. Long-sleeved black cotton shirt, a black corset above that, black leather travel pants, black calf-high boots, black cloak, black gloves. All were equipped within two minutes, and the sorceress was soon criticizing and inspecting herself in front of the mirror once again. Oh!

Tatiana almost forgot her black choker, a thick strand of silk which held a chocolate diamond at her neck. She secured it onto the soft, pale skin of her neck a moment later. Now, what about tomorrow...

Tomorrow would be the keystone to her scheme, she knew. If her plan were to succeed, Tatiana would need to abuse every trick in the tome, but only after ensuring she were in the clear to do so. She figured a man as worldly as Talos would appreciate a sorceress baring a little skin, and decided to peruse her closet for an outfit seductive enough for the task. The sorceress bounced up her stairs to the second story of her tower, then strode over towards her wardrobe to scan all the clothes it had to offer, the entirety of which were black as well.

Tatiana pouted upon her sudden realization that absolutely none of her clothes flaunted any skin. If only she had known yesterday she would find her courage today! Shaking her head sullenly, Tatiana almost turned away from her closet before her gaze caught the skirt at the back.

She pondered, grinned, pondered again, then pouted, all in the span of a moment. She pulled the skirt out of her wardrobe anyway, running her fingers along its soft cotton. Tatiana hadn't worn this skirt since one raucous party back at college, having been dared by her friends at the time to do so.

Surely she were too mature to wear such an garment now, right? Surely Talos would see far too much...

But that's the point! the sorceress thought to herself with a grin returned. Tatiana courageously packed it, as well as a pair of black lace stockings which would accentuate the paleness of her legs laid bare. She smirked as she pondered how fortunate she was for having the foresight to transmute the hair off of her legs years ago.

With her pack secured, Tatiana knew the hard part was next. She slung her black-furred pack over her shoulder, then trudged downstairs and towards the door of her tower to make her way to her family's estate downstairs. She would need to tell her mother to watch after Dusk, knowing the cat would stare just as creepily at she and Talos when they... made love... or whatever.

Tatiana was an oddity, even for the strange city of Redstone. Sorceresses typically did not remain with their families after graduation, as the gifts of magic usually led them to a life of independence. Tatiana had never found a reason to leave her family's estate; her father was undeniably rich, and his fortune catered to her every whim, even to the point of constructing Tatiana's small tower on the south-side of the mansion.

And now that Tatiana was a sorceress, there would be no hope of her bearing any children. The reality of infertility precluded any need to wed her off to another noble, like Tatiana's younger sisters were destined. Furthermore, just having a sorceress in your bloodline was prestigious enough for her father to agree to sating her desires.

Still, Tatiana felt fortunate that her father would already be off working at the royal court today; she still felt nervous when conversing with the man, as intimidating and strong-willed as he was. Her powers of teleportation came in use there as well, knowing she could flee any conversation at the drop of a boot.

Tatiana's chest pounded as she neared the opulent dining hall downstairs, hearing the shrill voice of a woman she didn't recognize conversing with her mother. Tatiana didn't appreciate strangers in the slightest.

She entered the hall anyway, having to talk to her mother. Two pairs of eyes shifted to the sorceress in black when she cleared her throat, and Tatiana felt an immediate anxiety build in her chest. Just tell her you're leaving!

"Ah, Tatiana," her mother greeted warmly, glancing towards her friend wearing a dress so ostentatious Tatiana wondered how it were legal. "Esmeralda, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Tatiana. She's a... trans... tyran... what manner of sorcery was it, honey?"

"Transmutation, mother," Tatiana replied under her breath, getting two nods and a polite smile from her audience. The sorceress blanched, wanting to flee from the exchange already.

"Ah yes, transmutation. Tatiana, this is Esmeralda Marino, first cousin to the King."

Tatiana attempted a curtsy, then grimaced awkwardly when she realized she was wearing pants. "H-how do you do, Esmeralda?"

"Just fine, dear. A pleasure to meet you," the woman greeted, politely and unreadably, just as Tatiana feared she would. She never appreciated the political type; or any type, really. Tatiana quickly glanced towards her mother.

"Mother, can you ensure Dusk is fed for the next couple suns? I'm heading off elsewhere," she stammered, arching a thumb over her shoulder. Tatiana's mother tsked and shook her head, pointing to the chair beside her.

"But daughter, we have company! You ought to enjoy her presence for at least a little while."

"M-my apologies to you both, but I'm needed in Catriona today for a lecture," Tatiana lied, hoping it was convincing enough. Her mother would know she weren't speaking the truth, but she would expect a lie to excuse herself from present company.

"Oh, of course," her mother replied, glancing towards Esmeralda with a proud smile. "My daughter instructs the occasional teleportation lessons in Catriona and Villjord, for quite the pay too."

"Oh, that's marvelous!"

Tatiana nodded, already tip-toeing out of the conversation. "Yes... well... I have to go," she muttered under her breath, failing to retain eye contact with the stranger. "Pleasant to meet you, Esmeralda."

"And you, dear."

Tatiana nodded again, bounding out of the hall and up the stairs a moment later. She soon reopened the door to her tower with a comfortable sigh, then wondered why she'd come back at all. She could teleport from any location she wanted.

Tatiana clenched her eyes shut and extended a gloved hand before she could convince herself otherwise. She patted the strap of her travel pack to ensure it were still on her shoulder, finding that it was, then dreamt of her teleportation sigil's imbued memory; the warm fireplace of a non-existent castle, flanked by ebony statuettes of lions, tigers, and bobcats. She willed herself to port wherever the thought would take her.

Tatiana reopened her eyes after a second's hesitation, when she felt the rippling flames of time had disappated around her. She gasped at first, finding that she now stood atop a hill far off in the wilderness, overlooking a small valley with monolithic granite fascades on either side. The valley was no more than a mile in width, yet held half-a-dozen waterfalls just in view. The thickly-wooded valley extended out-of-view and around the peaks to her west.

Tatiana moaned softly, knowing it would be quite the trek to track down Talos this day. At least he were here, in a wild and romantic valley, rather than somewhere boring. Tatiana also knew that her present facing indicated the direction she must travel to find the man.

One boot in front of the other, she thought to herself with a smile.

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Tatiana found herself following the winding river nestled on the valley floor for several hours that day, her gaze fixed skywards towards the many waterfalls and granite cliffs she passed by. Her mind had wandered off soon after her adventure began, pondering how she could romance a man as formidable as Talos. She figured the scenery would at least make things easier for her, provided the man wasn't here with his elf.