The Lampmaker Ch. 11

After several days of this (and at least one night of about eight gin martinis at the bar and sleeping it off in her car), she felt she had a good idea about the root of Rick's problem. But she was going to make sure so she moved on to the next round which was one on one sessions with the djnn and genies.

Jewel had her one on ones with everyone but she saved Lacey and Evie for last.

Lacey glided into the small meeting room like a queen. She was in her genie garb and decked out in enough jewelry to buy most of the Las Vegas Strip in one shot. She looked like sex made flesh and Jewel felt a pang of jealousy as she watched her move.

"The bar against scrying is in force. And Nicole and Ada have made sure no mortal bugs exist in this room (the room was actually in the "real world" part of the palace at Jewel's insistence). So we can begin. It's good to see you again Jewel, it has been a long time and I'm sorry we parted on such, poor terms."

"That's a nice way of saying "I'm sorry I nearly got your ass thrown out of your doctorate program over a $250 lap dance" Lacey."

Lacey's grin wavered a bit. "I am sorry Jewel. Back then was very young and stupid and jealous. I handled it poorly..."

"No shit? Really? The whole "Hey Lacey, see those two guys over there? They are in my program so be sure they don't call me over there or see me without a mask on" wasn't enough of a fucking warning for you?"

Lacey now had a bit of concern on her face and Jewel let her dance a bit on the hot coals before she snickered. "Heh, got you."

Lacey let out a breath. "Damn it Jewel, don't...fuck, I had that coming I guess. But still, it is good to see you again." Lacey held out her hand and Jewel instead walked around the table and gave her a hug.

"Okay Lacey. It turned out well, so I can't really be hugely mad at you. But that aside, we need to talk. I assume your little stripper talk hint about landing the big one meant Rick?"

Lacey nodded vigorously. "Yes. I was his first conquest. The sex was amazing! Still is amazing I should say, and you have been around our palace. You can see what we have! Everything! Anything in this world is ours for the taking!"

"Provided you can make Master Rick agree." Jewel said as she made a note on the pad.

"Oh I have a plan for that Jewel. And you are a key part of it."

Lacey stood and looked directly at Jewel. "I did not have a chance to speak openly earlier with you as Ali was scrying me when I met with you to set this up. I came to you because I needed your help and I trust you. Rick is sick in the mind as you well know. But more than that I have a plan that I believe will allow a select group of genies to exercise great influence and even some control over him. If you help we can help make the strong Master Rick persona gain full control permanently! That persona trusts me more than any other genie and has gradually, with a little bit of help from me, learned to trust Dominika, Lotus and Samantha over the others. We won't be rulers, but we will be his consorts with power equal to Master and Master will be exactly the type of man for us! A strong ruler who will, with our help make more genies and gain more power and eventually he, or his heirs, will rule this world with us as his queens! Anything we desire we will have, but in order to pull it off I need your help."

Jewel returned her stare. "Why? And I mean that several ways. Why do you need me? Why do you need to control your Master when he has given you all of this already? Look at your jewelry, its worth more than the crown jewels of England I'd bet! You already have everything, why more?"

Lacey smiled and then giggled as she strutted around Jewel and picked up a wine glass. She waved her hand and a bottle appeared and poured herself a glass. She then reclined onto a couch and looked at Jewel with a steady look. "Because I can. I have always wanted everything. With my looks and my wits I wrapped men around my fingers like rubber bands. I made strong men dance like puppets for me, and used them like a cash register."

Lacey sipped her wine and continued. "Master Rick was the first man to ever outwit me. Of course who would have thought he could use magic like this, but still I was impressed. He was smart, clever and made sure he had a great plan. But he began to slip up. In the end, they always do, carried away by sex, booze, pleasure, and decadence. Given my position it would be easy to help him along the path to self-destruction. But I quickly realized that if he completely destroyed himself I would be in a terrible position. Who would get my lamp, if anyone? What would happen if no one ever found the doorway and I was trapped for eternity? I could not let that happen. So I had to find a way to influence Master and make sure he has heirs to pass me to. Heirs I can influence as they grow and mold into strong power hungry men who will be exactly what I desire. With your help we can guide his mind, and once that is done, it is simply a few visits to a gala in Beverly Hills or the Cannes Festival to find some lovely young mortal women who Master Rick will seduce and ravish and make off with and then have children with. Then we send the women home with lots of money and lovely memories of wonderful sex and magical dreams, and raise the children here to be true Lords and Ladies."

Jewel kept her face expressionless. Inside she was boiling. "Of course Lacey would do this! She was never anything but a gold digging bitch that used and discarded anyone she felt like using. I knew she was that way then, and of course she is this way now. But joke's on you bitch, this time you are getting the short end of the stick."

"So you then went out and recruited Lotus and Dominika to assist you in this. With Lotus, you control his day, and with Dominika you control his body." Jewel said. "Samantha is just someone who thinks like you and you picked up once you realized you and her were two peas in a pod."

"Yes about Samantha, but only to an extent with Lotus and Dominika. He will obey her only if it's an order given to keep him physically healthy. Other than that, he owns her. Of course, what one can consider necessary for physical health is open to opinion." Lacey said with a dirty smile as she drank again.

"So I join your little clique and Rick makes me a genie. Then we together control Master and live as queens forever?" Jewel asked.

"No, together we shape Rick into a Master that is the Master we desire, and he makes us queens. That's the plan. I know you and I had issues in the past, but I trust you. You were dependable and always had our back in the club. I'm offering immortality, power, wealth, beauty, and sex that will blow your mortal mind into orbit, and it will last forever. What do you say?" Lacey said with an evil grin.

Jewel shook her head. "Lacey, you never did quite get to the stage where you killed the Golden Goose, but you are just about there this time. Rick has got a major problem. And you had best listen up if you want to survive it."

"I have told the other genies this and you need to hear it too. Rick's mental state is the way it is because of how all of you have interfered with his mind over time. The little changes each of you made have had a bad effect on Rick. He needs to be grounded, he needs to deal with mortals. Dealing with what, ten sex goddesses who simper and bow to his every command and provide pleasure beyond any mortal's dream is beginning to fragment his mind. In short he needs less time with genies and more time in the real world. If he doesn't get that, he will at the very least develop a split personality with multiple selves. Worse case is that he will lose his mind completely and go mad. As in raging, talking to voices in his head and seeing things mad, just like at the party. And since all of you have to obey him, well, think for a minute about how crazy it could get having a madman with ten genies and one djnn to makes his dreams reality and the ability to make more genies for even more wishes. That is not something even you could control. We need to get his life under control before we take control." Jewel said.

Lacey stared at her. Jewel could tell she was listening carefully and had caught the last sentence she had spoken. After a few moments, Lacey smiled evilly and stood. "You are wise Jewel, and have explained some important facts. Yes, Master must get his mind in order before we can take control. You will assist in this?"

"Yes, but you are going to have to listen to me and let me take the lead. Do not interfere unless you want a mad king as a Master." Jewel responded while wondering how the look on Lacey's face would be when she double-crossed her.

"You have my word, Jewel."

Lacey smiled and glided out. Jewel waited a bit and in glided Evie.

Evie sat down with a very neutral expression. Jewel picked up on quickly. "This one is keeping a poker face up. She's the first one to do that" Jewel's eyes narrowed. "She knows something. Something she isn't sure about how to use."

"Evie, thank you. You are the last genie to interview. The others have been very helpful and I think I know how to save your Master."

"From himself or from you and Lacey?"

Jewel blinked in surprise. "Come again?"

"Listen to me and let me take the lead. That's what you told Lacey when she asked you to help gain control of my Master's mind isn't it?" Evie said as she slowly stood up.

Jewel blinked. "Hold on, this place was proof against Scrying and spying, how did you hear that?"

Evie smiled an evil smile that could have been the twin of Lacey's when she was plotting and suddenly Jewel felt her arms and legs jerked back and bound. She opened her mouth and suddenly it was covered by a vine!

"Oh SHIT! The PLANTS! Evie was listening in via the plants!" Jewel realized as Evie patted a long flowing vine that sprouted flowers as her hand touched it.

"The plants liked you, you know. So did the animals. Kitten is going to be heartbroken when I have to tell him you are a plotter and a traitor to Master."

Jewel tried to spit out the vine but failed and Evie came in and looked her in the face. She held up a small old hand held tape recorder and smiled. "Bugs were swept for, but no one swept me. Why would they? Why would I bug my own interview?"

Evie sighed. "I liked you a lot. I thought you were a very nice mortal who was actually helping Master out of her own sense of duty and kindness. You are also strong, very strong. Master can wrap any mortal woman around his little finger in with a single look and smile, yet you resist him. You make him call you "Doctor" and have kept him at arm's length. You proved to be even stronger than me. But in the end you have fallen for him as well. It's easy for a genie to tell you know." Evie moved her hand in a little wave motion and a large violet looking flower sprouted by her hand. It snaked out and hovered in front of Jewel's face.

"This flower will put you in a blank state. Your "Higher Reasoning" functions will cease to work and you will simply answer any question asked. I've had the recorder on so everyone can hear how I didn't use this flower and then program you to parrot out some evidence against Lacey. Not that I need it. I have plenty now, gathered from some conversations by some very helpful plants. And some very talkative slaves who belong to the Grand Vizier who for some reason kept trying to give him wine even when he ordered them to stop."

"But with you, I can put that bitch Lacey in her place and we can find someone to truly help Master."

The flower puffed a stream of pollen into Jewel's face and she coughed. She blinked and for a few moments had the weirdest feeling as she felt her conscious mind literally seep away.

Evie sniffed. "Jewel, you will answer me truthfully. What was your plan with Master?"

"I planned to help heal his mind and make sure the old Rick, the kind one, was in charge."

Evie blinked and gaped. "Wait, what about what you and Lacey discussed?"

"I was going to double cross her. I am still mad about what she did to me. When I met her and talked with her I saw that all her beauty, power, and charm aside, she was still the spoiled little bitch that nearly ruined me and didn't care a damn bit."

Evie was now smiling. "Great minds DO think alike after all." She thought. "Jewel, you planned to make the old Rick become dominant. How?"

"Increase his time among mortals. He must interact with the normal world and see he is not a God. Even when he goes into the normal world it is in the company of a genie. That warps his thinking and his perception. He needs mortal friends and company."

Evie nodded happily. "Very good, very good. Once you did this, what was your plan?"

"To leave."

"Leave? Why? You do realize Master wants to make you a genie."

"I don't want that. I have fallen under his spell yes. I don't think a single mortal woman can resist him if he decides he wants her for long, but I don't want to be one of his genie slaves. I want to be his ONLY woman. I cannot have that, I will not settle for less, so I will go."

Evie was now looking very thoughtful. She waved her hand and another blossom, a Wide-A-Wake grew up and puffed in Jewel's face. Jewel coughed as the vines released her and she looked around for a second. Then she glared at Evie.

"That was fucking dirty pool Evie."

"Blame Lacey. I wouldn't have done it if I was mortal Evie and Master's fate wasn't at stake. You remember your answers yes?"

"Yes, and if you tell Rick about this I'll pee in your roses."

Evie blinked, and the vine twitched. And Jewel snickered and then started laughing and was soon joined by Evie.

THE NEXT MORNING

Jewel shuffled her notes and looked out at the assembled group. They were meeting in Rick's throne room and Jewel still had to shake her head at the blatant wealth and power Rick showed sitting on a throne of solid gold with expensive silks and furs cushioning it. The genies were all at various states of ease on the stairs, lounging on cushions, being fanned by household servants (pretty magical women dressed as French Maids), and served fine wines (no magical ones for this meeting). The only exceptions were Nicole who stood guard behind Rick and Lotus who sat behind her desk.

"Ahem, if I can have your attention please I can get started." Jewel said as she opened her folder and put on her reading glasses.

Rick clapped once and the servants bowed and left without a word leaving on Rick, Ali, and the genies. "Doctor, please begin." Rick said.

"I have interviewed all of you and Rick and have made some determinations and have several recommendations. First and most importantly, each of you has contributed to the decline of Rick's mental state. This was not done out of malice or intention, but was the product of magic impacting other magic. Simply put, after discussing djnn and Genie magic with Ali and with each of you I have determined that unless a specific wish is made to directly counter another wish, that wish cannot have an effect on the magic in place already. Each of you made subtle changes to Rick's personality and his core self when he wished for more skills, knowledge, or learning. Each of you have an ideal man, and each sought in your own way to shape Rick somewhat into that ideal. Since the wishes were limited, the amount of actual change you could make was limited. That was both good and bad. Good in that the effects are slow over time and were discovered before the breakdown. Bad in that the culminating effects of these changes will shatter Rick's self and his conscious. He has developed some multiple personas, the same person, but with completely different outlooks and motivations. When there is a struggle for control he turns into a raving madman and becomes completely paranoid, hearing voices, lashing out at anything and anyone. Given the power he commands the results could be horrendous."

Jewel paused for a minute to let it all sink in. Every genie, Lacey included had a look of shock and fear on her face and Ali actually looked pale. "Good, they need to be scared, especially that bitch Lacey." Jewel thought to herself as she went on.

"I have also determined that this problem will get worse the more genies Rick makes for himself. Even if ordered, the genie is going to make some subtle changes without meaning too, it's simply human nature, er, genie nature. For Rick to at least put the problem on hold, he would have to stop making genies for himself. His mind is already nearly at the breaking point, another uncontrolled slight change to his personality might push him over the edge."

Jewel looked at her notes again and focused. Rick nodded to himself at her focus and her obvious attention to her job. Crazy situation or not, she was fully professional.

"Releasing any current genies will not undo any of the current situation. A wish made cannot be undone by undoing the genie. You could cancel some of the wishes by other wishes, but you will need to make more genies for that and that will likely lead to a breakdown. Even without the wishes, the influence of supernatural sex goddesses is profound and will impact on his mental state."

Ali spoke up. "Good doctor, forgive me intruding but you sound as if there is no hope for our master. What can be done to help him?"

Jewel smiled. "I was getting to that. Contact with each of you brings out the personal part that genie imbued in Rick. Rick needs a balance. He needs to be among normal people more, treated normal, acting normal, interacting normally with society. The best cure would be for all of you to be sealed up in lamps and never again let out."

Jewel waved her hands as the outcry burst and Rick silenced everyone with "ENOUGH! BE QUIET AND LET HER FINISH!"

Jewel let out a breath and said "Thanks."

She gathered he thoughts for a minute and then started again. "Sealing all of you seems cruel to me and after talking to Ali it seems that it is an undeserved punishment. None of you asked to be made into genies, none of you were trying to hurt Rick, so cutting you off entirely like that is not justice. But a reduction in your interaction with him must happen. Dominika was correct in limiting Rick's sexual interactions with you, but more is needed. You must all be restricted to just a few moment daily for business. Ideally not here, and preferably in a professional manner and dress such as business suits, offices, and professional settings. We could allow all of you to see him on special occasions, but Rick needs to be in a place, mentally speaking, that allows him to NOT be under the thrall of genies."

Jewel sighed as she looked at the gorgeous women lounging on cushions around her. "Look, I don't know if any of you get this but you are all fucking bombs. I mean drop dead, more glorious than any supermodel, hotter than hell, and make the greatest lovers of all time seem like a 16 year old boy trying to get to 3rd base. You are not normal! Of course Rick is going nuts, how in god's name can a mortal man relate to anyone when he has you serving as his slaves? For crying out loud, your SERVANTS are all model hot and Rick never gives them a second glance. You are driving him insane from the pleasure you bring. If you care for him, you must, MUST, limit your exposure to him. Otherwise, he is going to crack and it's all over."

The throne room was silent for a long time as everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts. At length Rick spoke up. "Jewel, thank you for your honest work and recommendations. I need to ask you to step out for a few moments while we talk about this."

Jewel nodded and stepped back, noting the glare Lacey shot at her. "Suck it bitch, damned if I'm going to help you get control of him." She thought.

After the doctor left Rick looked at his genies and Ali.