Sisters of the Mists Ch. 17

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Marlena opens up about her past - and in the present.
12.6k words
4.82
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2

Part 17 of the 20 part series

Updated 11/27/2022
Created 07/08/2007
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Darkniciad
Darkniciad
1,244 Followers

Author's Notes:

This story is erotic fantasy, set in a world of magic. I reserve the right to be listed as the author of this work wherever it is posted. If found anywhere except Literotica.com with this note attached, this story is posted without my permission. © Darkniciad 2011

The villains in this story are truly evil, and their actions prove it. Some scenes may be disturbing for some readers.

I make use of modern weights and measures quite often in my work, because those are the weights and measures of my fantasy world. I know many fantasy readers prefer more archaic terms, and I hope those readers can overlook my use of miles, feet, and other such measures.

Please note that the form of witchcraft in my world is not meant to be true Wicca. Nor is it supposed to follow "Charmed" exactly. No offence or confusion is intended.

You should read the preceding chapters of this story in order to know the characters and what is going on. You will find that reading Book I of this story, Danica, will give you a lot of insight into the characters and the continuing storyline.

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

He emerged from the long shadows of the trees, his black-robed form darker than the moonlit night.

He crossed the graves at a determined pace, thoughtless of the peace of those who rested beneath the earth. His eyes that glowed red with the fires of hell fixated upon a mausoleum ahead — his goal.

A few gestures and words in the spidery language of magic dissolved the wards protecting the crypt as he approached. The lock on the door snapped as if a twig from a single twist of Thanatos' wrist. The demon cast aside the lock, chipping a nearby tombstone, and pulled open the heavy iron-bound door.

Stale air tinged with the perfume of death rushed from inside, and light violated the dark resting place of the dead for the first time in many years. Twin stone sarcophagi nearly filled the small space, the fine lines and detailed carvings bespeaking great wealth.

Thanatos approached and swept aside the dry, brittle remnants of flowers that decorated the lid of one sarcophagus, revealing the inscription, and confirming what the demon already knew.

The runes of warding were no match for his magic, their angry red glow impotent to prevent the desecration to come. Nor was the weight of the great stone lid any impediment, though it had taken six men to set it in place. Thanatos grasped one of the handles at the base of the arched stone cover in a long-fingered hand and lifted. The lead seals broke free and the lip slipped from its groove, allowing the demon to push the lid over the edge, where it hit with a resounding crack upon the polished stone floor.

The stained wood of the coffin within looked as if it might have been placed there only days before, rather than years. Only a thin layer of dust marred the beauty of its surface, which the demon completely ignored as his nails elongated into claws, giving him purchase into the thin seam of the coffin lid.

The body of the woman had not endured the years so well. Dull, dry blonde hair formed a halo around the darkened, desiccated flesh clinging to her skull. A voluminous gown of now yellowed white could not hide the bony protrusions of the body it shrouded. A single deadly touch of the demon's claw caused the garment to dissolve, completing the work of decades in seconds, while leaving the body untouched.

Thanatos laid his hand upon the body's shriveled breasts, and once again called upon his hellish powers. Even as his touch could cause corruption and death, so too could it reverse the ravages of decay and give a semblance of life to the shell of a mortal's remains.

The woman's skin lightened and plumped, the flesh undulating as it regained elasticity. Features emerged in her face, replacing the horrifying visage of a leering skull. Eyelids grew to cover the empty eye cavities, sprouting long, luxurious lashes. The breasts beneath his hands swelled many times over, rising firm and proud.

The demon lifted his hand and admired his handiwork. The woman within the coffin little resembled the husk that had resided there only moments before. Instead, a blonde woman of stunning beauty and ample curves appeared to sleep within.

Thanatos reached into a pocket of his robes, seeking the tools of the Art. The mere semblance of life was not enough to complete the task given him. He would have to reach into the very realm of death and the echoes of the past with necromantic magic to finish his masterpiece.

Then, he would have his reward.

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

Andrea let out a little moan as her lips parted from Turner's. "Hope to see you soon."

"Kronk'll see ya out," The big half-orc standing nearby declared, and then gestured toward the stairs.

Turner said, "Really soon, I hope."

"Me too," Andrea responded, color rising in her cheeks.

She watched him walking with Kronk toward the stairs, and her heart soared when he turned around for one last look at her before descending.

Kronk paused as well and said, "Bath's all ready."

The door to the Ducal chambers opened just as the pair vanished into the stairwell, and Christi emerged wearing nothing but a light shift and a satisfied smile. Right behind her came Ashley, similarly dressed, sleepy-looking, and with her hair completely disheveled.

Andrea bit her lip to hold back a giggle when she noticed the streak of dried cum that decorated her sister witch's leg from the shift down to her knee.

"Have a good..." The Duchess paused and twitched her eyebrows before finishing, "Night?"

"Mmm hmm," Andrea answered. "Guess you did too."

Ashley laughed and rubbed her eyes. "Oh, I need a bath."

"Fun making the mess though, wasn't it?" the sultry Duchess teased. "Kronk will have the bath ready. He's good about that when things get loud at night around here."

Christi started toward the door to the bath, and the two witches fell into step with her. Just before they reached their destination, Marlena emerged with Brandon from her room, caught his hand before he could walk away, and kissed him.

The Duchess gestured toward the door, and led the two witches inside. Marlena and Brandon were still kissing the whole while. As soon as they were all within the room, Christi tugged on the sleeve of Andrea's robe and said, "I hope you can sew bridesmaid's dresses, because I think you'll be needing them before long."

"I think so too," Andrea agreed as she untied the belt of her robe.

Marlena finally walked in as the other three women settled into the bath. She looked absolutely radiant and greeted everyone with a cheerful, "Good morning," as she untied her robe and let it fall to the floor.

Everyone greeted her as she ascended the steps and then sat down with a relieved sigh in the warm water. "How's everything at home?" She asked after leaning back to wet her hair.

"Going well," Ashley answered while she washed. "Danica told us that you both finished your spells."

The illusionist nodded. "I'm excited about going and putting them to use, but I think that I could use another day to relax."

"Brandon probably wouldn't be worth a damn for a week, after another day of relaxing with you," Christi suggested with a sly smile.

"I'm not sure that I would be either," Marlena responded with laughter in her voice.

"You know that you're all welcome any time," The Duchess said. "Hate to be rude, but I've got to get washed up, dressed up, and go be Duchess. Cerebus was stuck with it yesterday, so it's my turn."

Ashley shrugged and sighed. "We probably shouldn't linger either. We still have a lot to do."

Andrea and Marlena made small sounds of grudging agreement and turned to the task of washing away the evidence of the previous night's bliss.

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

Danica was still tingling from a wonderful morning orgasm on Celes' fingers in the bath when she walked toward the kitchen at the witch's side. She grabbed her friend's bottom, offered a sexy growl, and then laughed when Celes twitched her eyebrows in response.

The pair put aside their playful antics upon entering the kitchen, as the last thing that the girls needed was any encouragement in that direction. Two of the copies of Danica — Danila and Denise — stood at the sinks washing dishes, and said hello upon noticing that they weren't alone.

Denise said, "Breakfast is over there on the stove," while scrubbing an iron skillet with a wire brush.

"Thank you, Denise," Danica responded, and then asked the other clone, "Still doing okay?"

Zoraster had manipulated the clone through both an aborted pregnancy and magic to lactate in abundance. Edna had fortunately discovered a spell in her book that helped to counter the magic. It had taken some time to convince the other girls that suckling their clone sister was making her uncomfortable by keeping the milk flowing, no matter how much she enjoyed it at the time. That part of the magic still lingered, making Danila experience powerful orgasms whenever anyone was drinking from her springs of mother's milk.

"Okay," Danila answered. "They only leak when I..." Her cheeks turned bright red, and she finished in a rush, "When I get really excited."

"Just remember how heavy they were and how much they ached. That should help avoid temptation," Danica suggested.

Still embarrassed, the auburn-haired clone nodded her head and returned to the dishwashing.

"Come along, now," Celes said. She already stood in the doorway, holding the two plates left for them. "I'm famished, and you still need to give me my copy of your new spell."

Her stomach rumbling, Danica walked over and took her plate.

A quiet mental chime and a flash of light from within the room alerted the pair that someone had teleported into the manor. Since the numerous wards and runic defenses hadn't activated, they were fairly confident about who had just popped in.

"Welcome home," Celes said upon seeing Andrea, Marlena, and Ashley reorienting their senses after the translocation. "Not sure if the girls saved any more of breakfast."

"I'll just have some fruit later," Andrea said, and pointed toward the center of the manor. "I want to go check on the Dragon Tongue."

"Pears sound good," Ashley agreed. "I'm going to go fetch some. You?" she asked Marlena.

The illusionist answered, "I'm actually craving celery for some reason."

Andrea called back from the hallway just outside the door. "I'll bring some back from the garden. Bring me some of the golden apples, Ashley?"

"Okay," Ashley answered as she followed the blonde out of the study.

Danica took her seat and asked, "Craving celery? You're not pregnant are you?"

Marlena laughed and answered, "Oh gods no! I cast my spell every time. I'm not ready for that."

"I was only teasing," Danica said as she pulled the cloth off her plate and picked up a fork.

"Well, I'm not teasing when I say I'm going to tweak your ears if you don't hand over my copy of your new spell," Celes warned while uncovering her breakfast.

"Okay. Okay." Danica laughed, put down her fork, and pulled the rolled page from a pocket of her robe.

Celes sat the page off to the side of her plate, weighed down the edges with a large chunk of white crystal and an empty inkpot, and then proceeded to read while she ate.

Once Danica put aside her plate a few minutes later, she asked Marlena, "So, are you ready for a long walk through a strange land?"

"I'm actually sort of excited. I haven't really traveled much, let alone to anywhere so different from what I know."

"I've done my fair share of seeing the world, even if it wasn't my own idea," Danica remarked.

"Ye can say that again, Dearie," Celes agreed.

Danica stood up and said, "I just need some time to put a few things together. Leave in a couple of hours?"

Celes tapped her copy of Danica's spell. "This is going to keep things like the farspeak spell from getting through to you, isn't it?"

"As it is right now — yes. I'll probably perfect a version of it that lets some things like that work eventually, but I just thought it was too much to try on a brand new spell."

"Hmm... I don't know about this."

Danica smiled and offered, "How about if we give a call home every night and every morning, just to say that we're fine, if nothing else? The spell won't block our magic from reaching out, but it should still keep anyone from following the spell back to us."

"Fair enough. We don't hear from you, and I'm going to come find you somehow."

"Fair enough," Danica echoed with a wink. "I'm going to go get ready. Meet me in my room when you're ready, Marlena?"

"I'll be there in a bit," the illusionist acknowledged as she stood up.

Ashley had finished her breakfast as well, and tapped a spoon on the edge of her potion brewing pot. "Back to work, girls."

Andrea and Celes groaned in perfect unison.

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

Pebbles cascaded down the rock face as Danica and Marlena appeared in a burst of brimstone smoke several turns higher on the switchback trail than where they had stood only moments before.

Marlena instinctively took a step away from the abyss, despite Danica's magic depositing them a safe distance away from the long drop. She then waved a hand in front of her and made a face. "Phew!"

Danica nodded, still holding her breath. Unfortunately, the stench still lingered when she relented. "Believe me, I know." She closed her eyes for a moment and then said, "My spell is still working."

The illusionist nodded her head. "Mine too. How much walking do you think we just saved?"

"Two hours, at least. I guess the trail meandering back and forth like it does makes sense if you're actually trying to climb the mountain, but walking so far out of my way isn't my idea of fun."

"I'll just be glad when we're on the other side," Marlena remarked after leaning forward a little to peek over the edge.

"The view will be better on the other side. That should make it a little more bearable. Besides, you have feather falling enchantments. It's not as if you're going to do more than drift down to the last bend in the trail."

Marlena laughed. "Doesn't help."

Danica's eyes followed the trail to find that it passed out of her sight and into what looked like a crevasse. A look upward revealed no more switchbacks. "Looks like we're walking for a while. I really don't want to risk flying unless we have to. The winds are too unpredictable."

Marlena nodded emphatically in approval of that decision, as she wasn't all that comfortable with the height even with her feet on solid ground. The prospect of sailing above that emptiness made her stomach clench. A sudden burst of hot wind sweeping up from the desert below to whip her hair and robes didn't help the feeling any.

"If that crack is deep enough, we might be across sooner than I thought. No way of knowing until we take a look, though." Danica nodded toward the bend in the trail and started walking.

As soon as the pair turned the corner, Marlena let out a sigh of relief. The trail followed a cleft between two sheer walls of rock stretching upward into a V shape. Though boulders that had tumbled down littered the floor of the valley, indicating a need for caution, the illusionist felt a great deal more at ease without any visual point of reference telling her how high up she was.

Most of the conversation during the climb had revolved around the goal and destination, but to help calm her friend's nerves, Danica changed the subject. "So, how's Brandon? Getting along okay at Blackhawk?"

Marlena smiled at the mention of his name. "He loves it there. He just fits in with everyone."

"I haven't been there that often, but I can guess why." Danica chuckled, and the intensity of the echo from the sound startled her a bit. She lowered her voice and said, "Maybe we should keep it quiet. I've heard of loud sounds setting off avalanches, and I'm not in the mood to test whether it works on rocks, too."

Marlena nodded. "I feel torn. There's so much going on, but all I want to do is spend time with him. I haven't felt this way..." Her cheeks reddened. "Well, in a long time."

Danica had a flash of something from Marlena's thoughts come to her unbidden, but it was indistinct. The only impression that she derived was of a man in robes before she snapped shut the connection, not wanting to pry.

She stroked Marlena's back for a moment. "There's time. We certainly need you, but we don't need you to be unhappy, either. Besides, making him pine for you every once in a while will keep him from taking you for granted."

"You're right, of course."

"I'd imagine that he's rather enthusiastic when you've been away for a while, too."

Marlena twitched her eyebrows. "So am I."

The crevasse curved to the left, making it obvious to Danica that they weren't going to emerge on the other side of the range. The switchbacks were simply moving to a different face of the mountain. She unconsciously slowed as an odd sensation swept over her.

"Wait," Danica abruptly whispered, and then grabbed the sleeve of her friend's robe. Marlena froze in her tracks.

Danica slipped into the second sight, and immediately saw what had caused her to feel uneasy. "Wards on the trail," she whispered.

"I see them," the illusionist agreed. "What do you think it means?"

"I don't know, but I'm not going to find out the hard way by setting them off. Keep your eyes open while I try something."

The discipline of spell weaving originated in the creation — and unraveling — of magical wards, and was uniquely suited to what Danica wanted to attempt. First, she examined the magic and determined that it had only one purpose, which was to detect living things of a certain size crossing its boundary.

With no threat present in the ward itself, Danica gathered up strands of the world's magical energy, spinning it into a thread of her own. This she carefully slipped into the weave of the ward, feeding it back to its source. Within seconds, she knew where the magic originated.

"There's something alien about this pattern," Danica observed while glancing in the direction where she could sense Marlena. She was too deep in the second sight to actually see her friend, but she could feel the illusionist at her side. "Make us invisible."

Marlena began her spell chant, and Danica went to work on the strands of magical energy that stretched from wall to wall of the crevasse. Breaking the ward would have been simple, but Danica knew from experience that the person who had created the magic would feel that. Instead, she carefully moved the threads of magic, manipulating them until she formed a door just large enough to pass through.

Once the gap in the magic was wide enough, Danica snatched up another errant strand of magic and outlined the doorway in a thin band of pinkish light.

Marlena said, "I see it. I used my most powerful cloaking spell."

Danica let her vision slip back into reality. She wasn't at all surprised that she could see Marlena. The illusionist had such a command of the magic that she could overcome the usual limitations where a person using invisibility magic couldn't even see themselves.

"We may as well check this out. The source of the magic is along the way." Danica drew a little circle in the air in front of the glowing pink outline. "Just don't touch the circle."

Marlena nodded and went through first, without incident. Danica followed, and then pinched a tail she'd left exposed on her pink doorway. A little tug started the slow unraveling, which would close the opening, leaving the ward as it was when she found it.

After only a few steps beyond the ward, Marlena slowed and held out an arm to block Danica's path. "Someone is using powerful illusion magic ahead. I can sense it."

Darkniciad
Darkniciad
1,244 Followers