What Price Power? Ch. 01

His.

She might disagree.

But it was the truth. She was his student, his protege, his fuck toy. Currently she was kneeling and suckling his cock as if it were the only source of life for her. Maybe it was. He had selected her carefully, young, poor, lovely as the dawn. She had talent enough that fully trained and developed would rival any Archmage. But without the training he offered, she would wither, the mage core eating at her life essence. Even worse than the slow lingering death would be the fact that she was suited for no task up that of a whore. Men fucking her holes and abusing her even as the core drained her.

She had been just another war orphan when he found her. The spark of the mage core shining bright to his eyes.. in another time that alone would have been enough to assure her an apprenticeship. But that was before the war. There were a lot of untrained mage potentials now, he could make an army of them. But few were as lovely as Mina, the long hair he could twist about her throat, the delicate features, the sheer youth of her, barely an adult.

His eyes half closed and he groaned in pleasure, that tongue was damn near enough to make him keep her even if she wasn't one day going to be a very powerful pet. This was half the price she paid for each lesson. Today he almost wanted to cast aside the lesson and throw her to the floor and fuck her young body till she couldn't scream. Oh he had such fond memories of doing just that the day she had agreed to the bargain.

She had stood there trembling, a false bravery in her voice, "Yes. For each lesson.. " He had been running a hand over her, feeling her flinch and shy like an untrained filly. "Each time I enter this room I will come straight to you and pleasure you as you choose. Also for each lesson.. my body is yours for as many hours as the lesson. My time for your time."

He had stripped her as she stood there. her skin was soft, glowing , flawless.. slender hips, small high breasts, hairless, silken folds. He had pulled her to the floor, she was shaking, nervous, tight and dry.. a moment of mercy had his mouth on those puffy folds, his tongue finding her taste to be sweet, clean.. he had enjoyed it more than she had. So terrified of the deal she had made, more so as he stripped and his cock had stood throbbing at attention. She hadn't expected him to be so well endowed.

Even with his ministrations she was too tight, but he didn't care as he drove into her. She had tried so hard not to scream, but he wanted those screams. Wanted to feel her tighten and thrash. Wanted to make her fear him so much she would not rebel. Again and again he had pressed into her till his balls slapped against her ass and her screams had become moans of agony.

He remembered the look in her eyes as she realized her deal would not be simply putting her soft lips to use and laying on her back for a few moments to tire an old man out.

He felt that tingling tightness in his balls dragging him back to the present, oh the thoughts were so sweet, that tongue so damn talented. The memory of her laying on this very floor, legs spread and cunt leaking his cum, cheeks stained with tears. He grabbed her hair and began violently fucking her mouth, forcing his cock into her throat, she gagged and tears filled her eyes. He came in spurts, forcing her to swallow it, then clean his softening cock before letting her fall away.

Mina rose and went to the basin beneath the window, washing her hands and face. Returning to stand before him, her eyes were blank now, her expression neutral. Yes he wanted to again have her laying on the cold stone sobbing. But she had done her task, so a lesson in magic was in order. He was many things, arrogant, sadistic, lustful, violent. But he kept his word.

Besides she was his and he would make her strong.

~*~*~

How many times already?

How many more would it be?

She breathed evenly, settling herself, becoming still as she had to for the training. Emotions colored and ruled the magic. One needed to remain calm, in control, if she did not then the magic could form wildly and become deadly. And she wanted that so much right now. Wanted to set her Master on fire and hear him scream for once.

Her throat ached, and she fought to quell the nauseous feeling. She stood quietly, knowing at least for a time he would not make use of her body. Oh he would hurt her, drive her into exhaustion, make her furious. But he would at least teach her to control the thing that lurked within her. She understood that early lesson, without his training the mage core was a death sentence. With it, well one day she might have enough strength to never again endure a man's touch.

Once she would have been found as a youth, sent to a school to learn the beginnings, groups of the Magi would have tutored her through this part, she would have become one of several apprentices eventually. But the war had changed that.

The surviving Magi had changed that.

Now if your child had the mage core, you had to pay dearly or watch them die miserably. A powerful family might have enough influence to make it worth it for someone to train their offspring. But she had been born to lesser nobility, a family with little wealth, little influence, and even that was lost to the war. An orphan, a nobody, another starving kid in the camps.

But someone had seen something in her, no the old whore hadn't seen the mage core, she had seen delicate bones and silken hair, flawless skin and known that as she grew too old to make a living on her back the girl would grow to be lovely and worth a fortune. She had seemingly taken in the girl, mothered her, protected her began the process of making it almost natural to one day be a whore.

That was how he had found her, a chance encounter a mistaken identity. His lustful nature had wanted the pretty little whore, but his mage sight had seen the core. He had made her an offer, become a magi.. become powerful. All he wanted in return was for the time she was his apprentice.. she would also be his private whore.

She wondered if she would have made the deal had she known exactly what he would do to her body. And by the time she had known, she also knew why so many died screaming, withering away. That it would be her fate too. Unless she gave into his every demand, every whim, every cruelty, the core would devour her. Some nights she wished she wasn't a coward and could just slit her wrists and die quickly.

But he did teach her. After what ever perversion he demanded he walked to his desk and set the hourglass into motion. Her lessons could be simply lecture, meditations, they could be the start of casting spells, maintaining perfect concentration.

Those she hated, as he would do anything to shake her, from loud noises to stripping her, to the sharp strikes of a cane against her legs and ass. He never broke skin, it always seemed important to him for her to remain flawless.

Tonight's lesson was a blending of things, he seemed to be testing her ability to reason, to remember, to make connections, one moment he asked a question about theory, the next he demanded an answer about some half forgotten war hero. In between were the first spells one learned, over and over until her head ached and she could barely stand. She knew she had ceased answering even the simplest questions correctly. She worried he would become violent as she failed more and more to do as he asked. Instead he walked over to the desk and laid the hourglass on it's side, ceasing the flow of the sand.

She trembled and collapsed to the floor so exhausted she could not stand. She knew what always came next, turning the glass over and taking his payment. But he didn't come back for her, didn't turn the glass over, but left it on it's side and took a seat.

"You are getting better. Your core is growing stronger, it takes longer to exhaust it. No lesson tomorrow, instead I will send some books for you to read, no attempting to do the spells alone. You are depleted. Tonight you will bathe and go to sleep. Tomorrow I will have meals sent to your room as well, eat as much of each as you wish, but no matter how hungry you feel, eat nothing but what I send. "

He followed her gaze to the hourglass, "That will have to wait for another night. I don't want an unconscious rag doll. Maybe I will combine a few lessons worth and spend all day enjoying you as a reward for my generosity. Go. A hot bath is waiting for you, then straight to bed."

He left and she half crawled down the hall and to the bathing chamber. He was telling the truth a bath had been drawn, still painfully hot, scented oil shimmering in the water. She sank into the blessed heat and felt tension start to fade from her muscles. Her thoughts were racing with terror, a few hours of his attention was hard. A full day of it..

She sighed in resignationn she would endure it. In all honesty this was a better life than she would have had as a whore, a different man or men every night, desperately trying to make enough coin to survive. Here she lived on an estate, true her room was a narrow chamber smaller than some of his Lordships closets. But it was clean, a real bed, she had clothing brought to her, she was never cold, never hungry.

He kept his part of the deal well. A mage apprentice needed food, healthy food to keep the body strong enough until the mage core could draw from the ether. He never scrimped on her meals. Never shorted her on rest, another dangerous thing to do with a fledgling mage. Never refused any of her needs. He took care of her far better than most masters would their apprentices.

All he asked for was her body.

Mina began crying hunched over in the tub. A few more years and she would never be touched again.

Just a few more years.