Spell, Crook and Handle Pt. 07

"I don't know what to say," I replied as her arms went around my waist and pulled me to her.

"A perfect response to the situation," she moaned. "I want you to become my lover."

"What exactly would that entail," I asked feeling the fear rising.

"Sssh... I am not going to hurt you," she whispered. "You have nothing to fear from me."

"The dark magic," I gasped and her kiss on my neck confirmed it. "I have tasted your soul."

"As I have tasted yours," she moaned. "I will teach you dark spells in exchange for your lust. I am incapable of love but I can feel physical needs."

I turned around and kissed her. The psychic explosion of her lust blazed in my mind and nearly consumed me utterly. She was all-consuming and unlike any other being I had ever experienced. Despite the setting and the partner I was madly in lust with her. She was beauty and power incarnate and I had dared to for the briefest of moments drank of her essence. I should have been burned to ash but here I was dreaming about her. Was this just a dream? I broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. I was searching for the truth in this moment. Was this just some fantasy I had fashioned? I didn't know and for the moment I didn't care. I cast away my doubts and just let it all unfold.

I was jarred awake by a voice from outside the column of water. I opened my eyes and there was a smiling Jon looking on. He waved and I waved back. He made a gesture and I felt my body drifting down until my feet touched the bottom. The process reversed itself and I altered my lungs back to normal as the water retreated. I began to apologize when he shook his head.

"It is okay, how do you feel?" He asked.

"Refreshed," I replied. "I was dreaming when you arrived."

"You are a fucking monster," Jon said laughing. "I looked in on the girls and all four of them are wrecked completely and utterly. I am a fan and so are the twins. They want you to stay but I know you have business elsewhere. I want you to understand something. This is your home. I want you to have a key to the manor and an open invitation. We are family and I want you and yours to feel at home here."

"Thanks Jon," I said feeling the intensity of his words. "I will tell them and accept on their behalf."

"Excellent," Jon said. "Now let me show you how this baby works."

Jon showed how the tank functioned and explained how he had managed to replicate the minerals contained in the obelisks. Sure it had taken centuries to perfect but it was well worth it. Jon shared any and all data I asked him about. He was eagerly generous and I felt he wanted to make up for not being in my life earlier. I returned in kind and told him about my skills and abilities.

"Wait, you can shape shift," Jon asked.

"Yeah, I've been mastering it for years now," I said.

"I bet that is handy," he said.

"Gabrielle likes it," I admitted.

"I have to ask since you brought it up," Jon said smiling now. "What part does she like so much?"

"Oh hell, I put my foot in it," I said. "It is easier just to show you."

I took on Gabrielle's favorite form, the curvy albino. Jon's eyes lit up as I stood there naked in front of him. I sat down on the grass and we continued our talk. He kept getting distracted so I shifted back. He asked me what it was like fucking as a woman. I told him technically I hadn't. I had only been with Gabrielle in a female form. He understood but I could see that look in his eye.

"Aren't you curious about actually doing it as a girl," Jon asked.

"I have used toys and the like but I am hard wired as a guy," I said. "I am just not comfortable going much further."

"I get that," he said. "I'm not sure I could do certain things either. So when are you leaving for Japan?"

"A couple of days at the most, Kat is heading back stateside the day after tomorrow. So I will probably leave the same day."

"Can I ask a favor?" Jon asked and I nodded. "Becca would like to go with you, but I am afraid she is too shy to ask."

"Wait, I thought her and Charlie were an item."

"They were an item," Jon said emphasizing the word were. "The rejuvenation has changed the entire relationship dynamic. I think some time away would be good for them both."

"They might miss each other so bad it will heal the breach, or prove that things are really done." I said.

"Exactly, do you mind?" Jon asked smiling.

"Well, if I have to, sure I'll take her." I replied grinning like an idiot.

"She does suck a mean cock though," Jon said.

"I know right."

We spent the next hour or so sharing stories about the women we had been with. My stomach rumbled and that ended the conversation. We headed downstairs for an early morning snack. I rummaged through the fridge and threw together an impromptu meal. I had cooked for my family on any number of occasions. The scent of the cooking bacon was my downfall. Soon I had five hungry women to feed as well. I set out the food I had cooked and returned to the fridge and grabbed more supplies. Becca grabbed an apron and joined me at the stove. While she fried eggs I started a pot of coffee. I kept glancing over at her bare ass since the apron was all that she was wearing. The two of us fed the others and then ate last. In turn the twins did the dishes and cleaned up.

"I need a traveling companion," I said leaning in close to Becca. "Ever been to Japan?"

"Jon's been running his mouth again," she whispered back. "I'd love to, under one condition."

"I am sure we can come to some sort of agreement," I said and she leaned closer still.

"I want to get to know that fine cock of yours better," she whispered in my ear.

"Agreed, I will cover your travelling expenses," I told her.

All was well until the scent of cooking reached the queen of the kitchen and she arrived in a flurry of movement and curses. Jon intervened and told her we only wanted to allow her to sleep in. To make amends the cook took a complete inventory and Jon and I went to the store to restock her supplies. We laughed the entire time to the store and back.

Wind of the Time Sword:

Kat left later that very same day. She departed with a kiss and a promise. I spent a lot of the day watching the ever growing story about the explosions of the prisons back in the states. There were no survivors at any of the facilities. Engineers, Cyber Security Experts and a dozen other types of specialists were looking into how each facility had been destroyed. They did agree on one thing, each site had been attacked in ways unique to bring them down. It would be months if not years before a concise report on all the sites could be compiled. The other prisons were being assessed for weaknesses and a flood of requests to review thousands of cases for non-violent offenders.

The remaining concern was the lawsuits being filed by the privately owned prisons against the government asking for compensation for the attacks. The initial reaction by the government in the form of their spokesperson was simply this. It is highly likely that said lawsuits will be thrown out and the private organizations will have to absorb the loss as a cost of doing business. In other words, screw you we aren't paying you for your lack of security. Jon plopped down at one point and he watched the screen quite intently. He seemed shaken to be honest.

"I went shopping at Old Man Corvinus," I said trying to take his mind off of the news. "He said you bought a Victorian Era case."

"Yeah," he said looking at me. "I think I still have it on my dresser. I can't remember exactly."

"I bought one too and it ended up saving my life," I told him.

"You are talking about Professor Griffin's medical kit. The one the Inquisitor used on you."

"Yeah, I think it's odd that we both bought similar things." I told him.

"Let's go upstairs and I'll show you what I got."

We went to the room he was using as a bedroom. I stared at the bed and then at him. There was only a frame with some strange looking machinery located inside the frame. But there was no mattress, box springs or hell even pillows were absent.

"Give it a try," he said.

"Give what a try," I asked.

"It's a bed, it works on repulsor technology. The array on the bottom detects movement, weight and position. Go for it."

"Here goes nothing," I said as I tried sitting on the edge of the frame.

The bed picked up the movement and there I was sitting on empty air. I rolled backward and a moment later I was hovering in midair supported by the bed's repulsor technology.

"Oh man this is so cool," I said.

"I know, you got to check out the sonic shower," he said excited again.

"Seriously, you have a fucking sonic shower," I said and rolled off the bed and poked my head into the bathroom. "It looks normal enough."

"Don't be a pussy, give it a try," he said.

"Fine... I guess it couldn't hurt," I said and stripped down.

I climbed into the glass walled shower. The translucent glass gleamed with an odd oily pattern to its internal surface. I wonder if that was some sort of sound absorption material. The entire thing was automatic as I stood under the multiple shower heads. There was a slight buzzing in my ears but the tingling sensation of the shower was unmistakable. It was like a combination of massage and shower. I wanted one real bad. The more stuff I saw the more spoiled I became.

"I told you," Jon said from the bedroom. "The girls actually fight over using it. I suspect they like the way it makes their nipples feel."

"I bet it does... oh you are just evil, okay hold on," I said as I shifted to my female dark elf form. "Oh yeah that feels amazing. It's like a freaking all over vibrator. A woman must have designed this."

"That is a new voice," he said.

"New body, new voice," I told him.

I reluctantly left the shower and showed him the dark elf and his eyes went wide in surprise. I see how women felt like a piece of meat. I almost found myself saying, my eyes are up here. I decided to get it over with and show him the other ten female forms I had created. His smile just kept getting bigger and bigger. I went back to the bathroom and retrieved my clothes. I reverted back and he seemed disappointed. He held up the leather case he had gotten from Convinus'.

"I remembered something," he said as I opened the case. "Someone bought this for me and even left a picture of me and the day I would be by to collect it. I never did learn who picked it out."

"Weird, a cigarette holder, a cigarette case and a monocle," I said looking at each item.

"The monocle is pretty high tech actually. I never looked at the other two to see what they did. I got distracted."

I picked up the monocle and put it up to my eye. I shrugged until he told me to push the buttons on the dark metal frame. The top button activated some sort of built in scanner. When I looked at Jon it displayed his name, body temperature, and the extensive modifications that had been done to him by the A.I. named Sterling. It worked on the bed and any other machine it was aimed at. The second button changed the spectrum of light it viewed. There were twenty or so individual options. It reminded something out of a Predator movie. There was also a lever on the top of the monocle that acted as a focus or zoom depending on what you were looking at.

I returned it to the case and picked up the bejeweled lady's cigarette holder. It was an elegantly wrought and examined it carefully. I laughed and picked up the monocle again. I switched it on and looked at the holder. It indicated a micro power converter, a hidden slide and an activation switch. Jon chuckled and told me to give it a try. I pointed the holder at the wall and pushed down on the jewel that acted as the on button. I flinched when the piercing noise filled my ears. I grimaced but nothing happened.

"Did you hear that?" I asked but Jon shook his head. "Let's try something else."

I aimed the business end of the holder at a water bottle on the end table. When I pressed the button the water in the bottle began to swirl counter clockwise. I raised the holder until it was trained on the cap of the bottle and it began to unscrew. I let go of the button and it stopped. Jon was clapping his hands together and pointed at the case. I returned the cigarette holder to the case and picked up the silver cigarette case. I used the monocle again and once more it showed a power source. It wasn't until I actually opened the case that the monocle went crazy. There were a myriad of colored icons pointed out by the monocle. I looked for the activation switch but no matter what I pushed nothing happened.

"I don't get it," I said looking over at Jon. "There is a ton of icons but none of them appear to be an on switch. What the hell are you?"

"I am a data collection and retrieval system," responded a gender neutral voice.

"Whoa," Jon said as surprised as I was. "Ask it to display an entry."

"Display last entry item," I said and an image appeared in the monocle.

It looked like a crowded pub and the clothing was either from a steam punk convention or the late nineteenth century. I handed Jon the monocle and he smiled. He told me it was a popular pub that burned down eighty years ago. I handed him the cigarette case and he viewed over a hundred images before he stopped.

"That brings back some pleasant memories," Jon said and placed both items back in the leather case and closed it. "I can't wait to peruse the entire data base. There could be some very interesting historical images in there. Nice trick with the monocle there. I'm not sure I would have thought of that."

"Glad to be of help," I said. "Well, with Kat gone I think I am going to pack and get going. I will swing back this way before I return to the states. I have to check in on Lily and see how she's doing."

"I understand," he said. "Don't be a stranger."

I fired off an email to Lily. I didn't want to call and maybe wake her up. She needed all the rest she could get. I told her to call when she got it if she felt up to it. My biggest concern was her health and told her so in the email. I was about to call for a cab when Feng showed up driving what appeared to be a late model burgundy Bentley. I got in the front seat next to her. She took me to the bed and breakfast and I collected my things. The widow was disappointed that I had paid her so much money and yet spent so little time in her home. I promised we would have tea when I made my return visit. I told her I had discovered I had family in London and that was all she needed to hear. She glanced out the window at the Bentley and cried out.

"Is that yours," she asked her voice reaching a shrill.

"No, it is a loaner from my uh... family," I responded. "They let me borrow it."

"Who is your family," she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Um... well... the Duke of Exeter," I said and winced.

I stuck my fingers in my ears when she screeched. I watched the color drain from her face and then a rush of scarlet filled her cheeks. She wasn't clutching her chest so I assumed she wasn't having a heart attack. While I attempted to calm her down Feng saved the day. She went upstairs, packed my clothes and brought down the luggage. She was grinning as she went out and placed the bags in the trunk of the Bentley. She took her place behind the wheel and retracted the roof. It was a convertible, sweet! I kissed the widow's hand and that was enough to silence her and I left her there flustered. We needed to find a nice country road and take in the countryside. I guess the city would just have to do. Maybe it was my apprehension that was taking over. I was still nervous as hell about returning to Japan.

"Fuck it, let's head for the airport," I said and Feng smiled.

"Shall we pick up Becca beforehand?" She asked.

"Shit, okay, let's get her and then off to the airport," I said. "How the hell did I forget her?"

"You vitals are slightly elevated. I suspect you are focused on the past and not the future."

I quietly sat next to her as we took the long way back to the manor house. We reached Wind Sword and Becca was outside waiting. I glanced over at Feng and she grinned. I got out, once we parked, and placed her luggage in the trunk. I opened the door and she sat in front with Feng. I plopped down in the back as we headed for the airport. Becca plugged in her mp3 player and fired up some classic songs. Before I realized it we were all singing to an amazing selection of Beatles, Metallica, The Doors and many others. Her listening range was as least as extensive as my own. We reached the private air strip and actually sat in the car waiting for Bohemian Rhapsody to finish before we got out. I carried the luggage to the jet while Feng made arrangements for the Bentley to be returned to the manor house.

While our luggage was loaded on the plane the eager young Londoner drove off with the radio blaring. I allowed Becca to board first and took Feng's holographic sphere and held onto it until I could charge it. I got onboard and sat next to Becca. I was a little surprised that we weren't alone on the flight. The blonde in the back was cute, drunk and belligerent. Well, two out of three ain't bad, I thought to myself. The jet was sealed and after a short wait we took off. I found an outlet and placed Feng's sphere next to it. She could recharge as long as it was close enough to a power source. Becca and I opened a bottle of champagne and that seemed to piss off the already loud mouthed blonde.

"Too fucking stingy to share," she called out from the rear of the jet.

"Nope, you are too obnoxious to acknowledge," Becca fired back. "Why don't you sleep it off?"

"Bitch, you didn't just say that," the blonde growled as she staggered to her feet.

"Magic time," I muttered as I stood to confront her.

"What are you going to do you pussy whipped..."

"Silence," I whispered as I brought the spell to bear. "Now listen to the lady and sleep it off."

The blonde's eyes rolled up and she fell backward into her seat. She was snoring before too long. I moved to her and made her comfortable and put her seat belt on. I shook my head and returned to my seat. Becca handed me my drink and we toasted blissful silence. Becca asked me to teach her that trick and I told her I would think about it. We made small talk and I offered my lap for her head. Smiling she adjusted her position and was soon looking up at me. We closed our eyes since we had many hours until we reached Tokyo. I stroked her hair and she was asleep in no time. It took me a little longer to drift off.

If I dreamt I don't remember. When I opened my eyes Becca was still asleep. I shifted a little that's when I saw the dark red stone floating in my champagne glass. The weird part is that there was no alcohol in the glass. I picked it up and looked at the impossible gem as it floated, glittered and simply defied the laws of gravity. I reached in and took ahold of the stone between thumb and forefinger. It was cold to the touch and I looked at it with great curiosity. I held it up against one of the overhead lights and saw the distinct flaw at the heart of the gem, a black hourglass. Then suddenly she was sitting across from me.

"Hello Louis," the Weaver purred. "Is she your new plaything?"

"Traveling companion," I corrected.

"I keep my promises," she replied.

"I don't understand," I said looking at the ruby in my grasp. "What is this?"

"You could call it a kind of arcane tome."

"But we never... or did we?" I asked and she smiled. "Did you wipe my memories?"

"It seems to be a habit with you. I decided I would do the same. If you stop that practice I will return your memories to you, fair enough?"

"Fine, I will stop making them forget," I promised.

"Excellent," she said. "Now be a good boy and wake up."

My eyes snapped open and I knew something was wrong, but I just didn't know what it was at that moment. Becca was still asleep and the ruby hadn't mystically appeared in my glass, pity. I noticed the annoying blonde wasn't snoring any longer. I carefully got up without waking Becca. I looked at the back of the jet and cursed. The blonde was awake and her eyes showed no sign of being drunk. In fact there was a disturbingly keen intellect blazing there instead. I glanced into the astral hoping I wouldn't see what I expected.