The brave Battlemage, Therobelin, joins with his closest allies, Xhaiden and Meghalen to fight the ancient magic of the Rainfall Cult outside the walls of Ghanton. What awaits the three companions is far more dangerous than anything they could have ever imagined.
The brave Battlemage, Therobelin, enters the town of Ghanton, seeking knowledge regarding the dark and mysterious Rainfall Cult. Discovering he may be in over his head, he calls forth his most able companions and prepares himself for the coming fight. (Part 1)
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This story is a little different from anything I’ve ever done. I’ve usually done things in the vein of Spells ‘R Us, of magic in the reality we exist in, but after writing several stories now featured on TGStories.com, I decided I wanted a break and a larger audience. Feel free to check out my works on there too and the few I have on my website www.asstr.org/~Tom_J_Hyde/.
As always, I welcome your input and comments. Write a quick review for me or drop me a line at [email protected].
Enjoy the story!
-Tom J. Hyde
Copyright 2006
* * *
It was raining hard in Juknip Province. Not that that was any different from any other day.
Juknip was known for its dismal weather, being in just the right spot to have almost constant rainstorms throughout the entire year. The residents of the Province’s main town, Ghanton, had learned to live with it. When my contact in the Imperial City had updated me on the threat in Juknip, he had warned me about the weather.
I thought I could handle it. I had always enjoyed a good storm, but I hadn’t expected this. The torrents of rain had soaked my horse and me only a few minutes past the Allaron border. I cast a minor warmth spell for both of us, but it wasn’t much. By the time I had reached the wall surrounding Ghanton, I was shivering slightly in the cool night air. I hadn’t intended to make my arrival in Ghanton at night, having set off from the Imperial City almost twelve hours earlier, but bandit activity on the roads had grown worse and worse over the last several months. I had been waylaid several times by creatures of various shape and sizes seeking to relieve me of my purse and occasionally my life.
A few fire bolts taught them the error of their ways.
I slid off my horse and almost fell flat on my face in the muddy mess that might once have been called a road. Cursing, despite the fact that I normally enjoyed the rain thoroughly, I managed to catch myself on my horse’s saddle and right myself before I came even further mired in mud.
I waded through the muck until I reached the gatekeeper, safe in a small shelter off to the side of the main gate. There was just enough room for him and me and when he motioned me inside, I was grateful to finally be out of the rain for the first time in hours.
“Greetings, traveler,” the man said in a swarthy tone common for the men in Juknip. “What brings you to Ghanton tonight?”
“I seek an audience with Lord and Lady Tapar, my good friend,” I said as I continued to shiver in the night air.
“And why would that be?” the man said, his curiosity obviously piqued.
“I have been told by friends in the Imperial City that the townspeople of Ghanton are under a terrible threat by a group of people called the Rainfall Cult.”
He had barely been paying me any heed when I walked into the shelter, but now I had his complete and undivided attention.
“You would be wiser to leave well enough alone, friend,” the man said in a low voice. “Many have sought to deal with those blasted sorcerers and none have returned–at least in any form you would recognize.”
I chuckled softly. Throughout my travels I have heard much the same from many people. Warnings of dire doom waiting in store for me if I dare to fight back against certain parties or creatures that haunt the land that I call home. And I was still here.
“Maybe you are unaware of my name, sir,” I said confidently–and probably a bit arrogantly. “I am–”
“Your name is irrelevant!” the man hissed. “Many would-be heroes have took up the struggle against those thrice-damned Rainfall bastards! People who seemed to be of great power and ability. Not a single one has ever returned the same.”
The man had succeeded in bringing a little sprout of doubt in the back of my mind, but I paid it no heed. I had conquered much worse than a group of sorcerers and shamans.
“I thank you for your warning friend,” I said firmly. “But I still seek an audience with your Lord and Lady.”
The man shook his head as if he was beholding a horrible tragedy. “I warned you, just like I did all the others. But none ever listen.”
He took a deep breath and nodded. “The Lord and Lady hold court at ten o’clock to around six at night, breaking in the middle for their daily meal. Until then, you can stay at the Three Goblets. It’s right inside the gate.”
The man shuffled out into the rain, muttering something about fools and delusions. I ignored him, returning to my horse and mounted her. Once the gate was open, I urged her inside and we were in the town of Ghanton proper. I did glance back once at the guard, who simply shook his head at me and closed the gate again.
The Three Goblets was indeed right inside the gate, off to the right. I nudged my trusted steed towards the small stable area and tied her up to the hitching post. I ducked under the hanging sign for the establishment and walked through the door.
I sighed with relief as a wave of warmth washed over me, even as my soaked robe continued to drip muddy water onto the dirty floor. I threw back my hood and glanced around the small inn. It wasn’t a bad-looking place, with several neat tables in the area in front of the bar with small candles in the middle, a roaring fireplace in the corner, and an attractive young woman behind the bar, looking at me with a warm and welcoming smile.
“Welcome to the Three Goblets, friend,” the woman said, her blue eyes bright and friendly.
“Thank you, madam,” I said. “It’s good to be out of the rain.”
“You look like you’ve been on a long road. What can I do for you tonight?”
“A warm meal and a comfortable bed would do me wonders,” I said as I approached the bar.
“Easily arranged,” she said. “I’m Talissa.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Talissa. My name is Therobelin. But you can call me Ther.”
“Therobelin?” she said as she brought out a small book, obviously a logbook for guests of the inn. “I’ve heard that name before.”
I smiled. It wasn’t uncommon for people to have heard my name. “I’ve been around,” I said cryptically. I was too tired for a more detailed explanation. She must of sensed my reluctance, because she let the comment slide.
“So what I can get from the kitchen for you, Ther?”
I thought for a moment. “Do you have any good venison?”
“I think I can whip something up for you,” she said with a grin. “If you’ll just sign here. It will be a deposit of fifty silver.”
After the great deal of adventuring that I had done, money was almost never a serious problem. Though the fee was a little steep, it was acceptable. I plunked down a half gold and tossed in ten more pieces of silver.
Talissa raised her eyebrow in surprise. “Feeling generous tonight, are we?”
“It’s nice to be in friendly territory for a change,” I commented as I approached one of the tables near the fire. A quick twist of my wrist and I felt my robe dry for the first time in hours. I then sat down, eager to relieve my aching feet from their torment.
I simply sat there for some time as Talissa prepared my meal, relaxing by the fire and enjoying the warmth. She reentered the main room about twenty minutes later, carrying a steaming tray of a good size hunk of venison, with the addition of potatoes and a few vegetables.
As she set it before me, I smiled up at her and tossed her a full gold piece, which she snatched out of midair.
“This is a little more than what I usually charge for this particular dish,” she commented. “I hope your not expecting something.”
“Honestly, my dear,” I said. “I would just like to sit, enjoy this fine looking meal and have some good conversation. It’s been some time since I could relax.”
“Fair enough,” Talissa said as she took the seat opposite from me. “But don’t try anything funny. If you wanted that kind of attention, you should have continued to the end of the road.”
“End of the road?” I asked after swallowing my first, delicious bite.
“This is your first time in Ghanton, isn’t it, Ther?” she asked. When I nodded she shook her head ruefully. “At the end of the road, there’s a rather large brothel…a result of…” she trailed off and studied the tabletop for a moment.
“The Rainfall Cult?” I asked, suspecting her answer. Her eyes shot up to mine.
“You know of them?” she whispered.
I shrugged. “It’s why I came here. An associate of mine in the Imperial City told me of a problem with a group of powerful sorcerers plaguing your city. I decided to see if I could help.”
“Oh gods, no!” Talissa cried. “If you value your life and the person you are, leave here and never return!”
I was startled by her vehemence. Jared had told me that the townsfolk of Ghanton had been harassed and kidnapped by these people for many, many years now. So why was it that I now had two people warn me off?
“Why?” I asked. “The gateman already told me to leave, but why?”
She sighed. “It is well known that sorcerers have many abilities. Abilities to harness the elements, to summon terrible creatures and to do amazing feats of all kinds. But the Rainfall…they have different powers than anything you have ever before encountered.”
“What powers?” I asked.
“They have the ability to reshape your body and your mind, overwriting who you are and what you stand for into whatever they choose.”
“Are you saying that they possess the power of transfiguration?” I said, more interested than scared.
“Transfiguration and mental conditioning,” she said, shivering as if she was freezing.
“And how do you know this?” I asked.
“Because every person at the Ghanton Brothel was once…a hero, a champion that went to fight the members of the Rainfall Cult. They were once powerful warriors and mages who believed themselves strong enough, but they failed. And as punishment for their arrogance, the Master transformed them into creatures that only craved the pleasures of flesh.”
“All the more reason they should be stopped,” I declared.
“They can’t be stopped!” Talissa shouted at me. She was so upset that she looked close to tears.
And then I realized what was really going on.
“What did they do to you, Talissa?”
Talissa stood and turned away from me. I gave her time, because there was no reason to be pushy. If she wanted to tell me, she would.
“My name has not always been Talissa,” she said, her voice breaking. “Many years ago, I was called Talis.”
“Talis?” I said, in surprise. I knew the name. “You were Talis?”
She nodded and looked at me. I could see it in her eyes: she was speaking the truth.
“You were the chosen to succeed Anthony Jaberiel as the Imperial Archmage, until you vanished…” I trailed off because the end of the sentence was too horrible to consider.
“Until I heard of the plight of these people and I decided to do something about it. I faced Master Ballan in magical combat. And this,” she said, gesturing to her curvaceous body. “was my reward.”
“But you aren’t a…a…”
“A whore?” she said. “I managed to keep my mind intact…for the most part. Some of my memories are conflicted with memories of a feminine life. But he still managed to curse me into…” she trailed off again and took a deep breath.
“Every time a full moon rises, I close up my inn and join the women in the brothel. For a full week, I become as they are, mindless fools desperate only for the touch of a man.”
I stood up, the last remnants of my meal forgotten. “Then let us join together and fight this Ballan and destroy him once and for all!”
Talissa shook her head. “I can’t. When Ballan transformed my body, he stripped my ability to wield magic. I am nothing more than a simple innkeeper now.”
I felt my blood began to boil in anger. How many people had lost their minds to this man and his cult of transformation? How many whores in that brothel screwing their hour-long lovers were once good and decent men and women with a calling for bringing justice to this mad land?
I had to put an end to it. But now I realized I could not do it alone.
Talissa looked into my eyes and knew my thoughts. I’m not sure if the thoughts once mirrored hers or not when she first decided to take the battle to Ballan, but I didn’t care.
“Talissa, I swear that I will find a way to restore you,” I said angrily. “I will summon my greatest and most able companions and we will strike down Ballan and his followers and I will find the source of this power they posses and bring it back.”
Even as she shook her head is disbelief, I continued to speak. “And then I will come back and return you and those poor souls to your true forms.”
“No,” Talissa said in a small, sad voice. “You won’t. If you’re lucky, you’ll just end up like me. If that happens, you are welcome to share my inn with me. If you’re not, I’ll see you when the full moon rises.”
With that last parting word, Talissa went back to the bar and tossed me a small key. “I’ve put you in the third room up the stairs on your right. Good night, Therobelin.”
And then she walked through the door behind the bar, not looking back
I shook my head as I climbed the stairs. Talis had been Talissa for so long without hope that she didn’t believe that her life as a woman would ever change. However, I was determined to prove her wrong and restore freedom to this province. Once I was in my room, I sent two messenger spells.
And tomorrow, I would face the Lord and Lady Tapar with my associates and we would win back this land.
***
Somewhere around nine o’clock in the morning, I was awakened from my slumber by the noises of laughter below me. I lay there in the bed for a few moments as I glanced around my room, now lit by the sunlight streaming in through the small window above my bed.
From the noises coming downstairs, the Three Goblets was obviously a very popular place for breakfast. While there really wasn’t any reason for me to get up at the moment, I wanted to try and solve my problems with Talissa. I felt so horrible that she seemed to have lost all hope of her restoration to her previous form.
I rose from my bed and donned my robe and threw on my sword belt. I had left my armor with my steed as I hadn’t wanted to be bogged down during my trip. The armor I had been using had been a reward from an Elvish smithy up north several weeks ago, enchanted glass armor. It was quite rare and I had to admit that I enjoyed the wondrous stares that I received as I walked by in it.
However, when it was not needed, it was packed safely in my steed’s saddlebags. And for more normal functions, I wore my woven robes.
There was a small mirror over the dresser in the corner. I glanced at my reflection for a few moments. To my dismay, I was still looking rather dirty from my trip to Ghanton. However, I had just the spell for that. A twist of the wrist and a bright flash later, I was clean and presentable, ready to meet the Lord and Lady. I fiddled with my dark brown hair for a short time before just letting it fall where it may and combed my dark goatee straight.
Several minutes later, I walked into the very crowded main room of the Three Goblets. I took a seat in the back corner and smiled at a waitress, who motioned that she would be with me in a few moments. I glanced around the busy room for Talissa and finally spotted her behind the bar, working like a madwoman to keep up with her morning rush.
She must have had special help come in for the meal times, because there were three waitresses scrambling around the room, trying to keep up with the constant orders of food and drink.
When my waitress came up to me and smiled, I asked her, “Is it always this busy in here?”
“Talissa runs a good business,” she said as she set down several utensils and a cup of juice. “Every meal time it is just this crowded or worse.”
“Must be some kitchen staff,” I commented as I glanced around at the fine-looking dishes before the hungry patrons.
“She has several fine cooks and a culinary sorcerer in her employ,” she said.
“A culinary sorcerer,” I said, impressed. “That speaks well to her business sense.”
When the woman asked me for my order, I asked for a simple dish of chicken eggs and bacon. She was only too happy to oblige and went over to turn in my order to the kitchen.
As I looked through the throng of people, I was impressed. If I had gone through what Talissa had, I doubt I could have handled it this well. She had almost everything stripped from her, her magic, her battle skills, even her gender, and she had fought to retain some manner of living. And from the look on the people’s faces, she was doing a wonderful job.
I wondered if once I conquered Ballan and the rest of the Rainfall Cult, she would want to be transformed back. She would probably want to be freed of the curse that took her every full moon, but the life she was now leading was not a bad one and it looked like it was quite profitable.
My musings were interrupted by the opening of the door. I grinned when I saw the two individuals who had joined the throbbing crowd.
“Meghalen! Xhaiden!” I cried out and waved.
The two men heard my shout, grinned and came to join me at my table. After a warm welcome, the warrior and archer sat down. Meghalen’s heavy steel armor banged loudly against the chair beneath him, while Xhaiden’s soft leather armor creaked slightly.
“I see you got my message, my friends,” I said warmly.
“When have we ever refused you, Ther?” the burly Meghalen said heartily. “And after you told us the challenge that awaits us, we could not resist.”
“So what more information do you have regarding this cult?” the Elvin Xhaiden asked softly, his purple eyes glistening in the candlelight of the table.
“Not much,” I said quietly. “From what I have been able to gather, they possess the power of transfiguration and mental control.”
“Impressive,” Meghalen said as he scratched the red stubble on his chin that he had for as long as I could remember. “I’ve never gone against someone like that before.”
“In fact, I have it on good authority that they have conquered many,” I said. “At the end of the road, there is a brothel that houses the people they have transformed.”
“A brothel?” Xhaiden said quizzically. “Why would the victims of this cult be in a brothel?”
I took a deep breath. I wondered if I should tell them about Talissa, but I felt it would be wrong. She had told me her secret in an attempt to dissuade me from my path and I was not sure if her true identity was common knowledge. I had certainly thought that Talis had simply disappeared some years back. But they needed to know the full extent of the Rainfall Cult’s powers, so I decided to tell them without mentioning Talissa’s name.
“Apparently, the cult, led by a man named Ballan, transforms those who challenge him into harlots without a thought in their head.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad!” thundered Meghalen. When both Xhaiden and I glared at him, he held up his hands. “I was just kidding, friends.”
“It’s not a laughing matter,” I said. “I’ve spoke to another victim who was luckier than most. He was once a powerful mage and now has been stripped of his skill in battle, his abilities for magic and his very gender.”
“Gods,” Xhaiden breathed. “How is such a thing even possible?”
“I do not know,” I said truthfully. “But I intent to find out and with you two by my side, we will stop this threat and restore the victims to their true lives!”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” roared Meghalen. “It’s been too long since I’ve had a good fight to the death!”
I noticed that several of the other patrons were now starting to glance our way.
“Keep it down, Halen,” I said to my burly friend softly. “I suspect that this is a rather sensitive issue to the members of this town.”
“Do you know of any connection of the cult to Ghanton?” Xhaiden asked. “I find it hard to believe that there could be such a dangerous cult practically on their doorstep and they haven’t tried to do something.”
After a quick glance to verify that the eyes had returned to their own tables, I shrugged. “I suspect that there is more to this than meets the eye. Hopefully, more will be revealed when we speak to Lord and Lady Tapar.”
“When do we see them?” Xhaiden asked.
“I believe they open their court in about an hour or so,” I said.
At that moment, my waitress returned with my meal. It had been a bit of a wait and my stomach had protested, but after seeing the business they were doing, I decided that it wasn’t a problem.
“And what can I get for you two strangers?” the woman asked with a smile–and a wink at Xhaiden, of all people.
My two companions glanced at me. I simply nodded, indicating that I would happily cover their meals. Meghalen ordered a gigantic breakfast of eggs, bacon and two ham steaks–rather typical for him. Xhaiden simply ordered a glass of apple juice and some bread. I had always admired him for his good eating habits; it must have come with Elvin metabolism.
Sensing that it would be unwise to discuss our quest any further in the tavern, our conversation moved towards mutual acquaintances and past adventures. But as I listened to Meghalen’s story about single-handedly obliterating an entire legion of vampires–embellished no doubt–my eyes went back to Talissa, still working at the bar. I could not stop thinking about the once great and powerful Talis and what he had become. I didn’t really worry about myself, because I was too confident in my own abilities for that, but I just found the thought of rewriting one’s mind and body so disturbing that it gave me shivers, even in the warm inn.
The threat had to be stopped. There was no question that I would be going into battle this afternoon. I would take the knowledge of this transformation magic from Ballan.
And after that, I would take his head.
***
We finished up our meal in short order and after going back outside to grab one of my steed’s saddlebacks, we went up to my room so I could cast my cleaning spells on my two companions. It was always a good idea to be in the best condition possible when facing royals. Meghalen moaned and groaned for a few minutes about the shiny state of his armor and clothes after I was completed. I don’t think he considered that a warrior should ever be clean from the dirt, blood and grime of battle.
Xhaiden and I chuckled as I donned my own enchanted armor, which sent faint blue prisms of light across the walls of my small bedroom. I made sure that Phoenix, my enchanted mithril long sword, was securely fastened around my waist and my wizard’s staff was on my back. We checked each other’s equipment, much like we had always done before going into battle and verified that everything was secure and in it’s proper place.
“Everybody ready?” I asked with a smile. When my two comrades nodded, I grinned and led the way down the steps and into the main room of the inn. At that moment the room went silent.
We were definitely an impressive sight. My translucent armor shone in the sunlight streaming from the windows, just as did Meghalen’s steel armor. Along with the lithe and powerful Elvin form of Xhaiden to my side, there was little doubt that we were three adventurers on a quest.
And I suspected that the people knew what quest that was.
My eyes met with Talissa for a moment, who simply shook her head in dismay and then turned away.
“Enjoy your meals, friends. And sleep well tonight.” I said to the throng. My pronouncement was met with only silence and a few bowed heads.
And we headed out the door.
Several minutes later, we were inside the impressive Great Hall of Ghanton. I announced my party to the guards, who told us that he would be back shortly to see if the Lord and Lady were ready for us.
I heard the voices coming from the other side of the door that led to the Throne Room. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but I hoped that we would be allowed access to the court. While there was nothing stopping us from dealing with the threat of the cult by ourselves, a royal blessing was never a bad thing.
In a few moments, the door opened and the royal guard ushered us in. In the middle of the room were two thrones seated quite close to one another. In the larger throne was a stately looking man who looked to be in his mid-forties. His piercing gray eyes looked over my group rapidly, sizing us up. I knew that I was in the presence of a cunning warrior from his knowing gaze. The Lady next to him was both graceful and elegant. Her raven black hair hung around her shoulders like a cape of the finest silk and her brown eyes smiled with her lips when she looked at us. I determined quickly that while her husband was the sword of the Province, she was the heart.
The three of us bowed deeply to the royal court.
“Thank you for taking the time to see us, my Lord and Lady,” I said. “I am called Therobelin. And these are my companions, Xhaiden and Meghalen.”
The Lord simply sat there for a few moments. “I know why you have come here,” he began. “The same reason powerful wizards and warriors have come to this Province for hundreds of years now. You seek to battle the Rainfall Cult.”
“The Lord is wise,” I said. “We seek your blessing as we go into battle.”
“My blessing?” the man said with a chuckle. “If every god in this realm gave his blessing to you, son, I still would not bet on your chances. The Rainfall Cult is powerful, more powerful than you can imagine.”
“With all respect, sir, I can hold my own with any battle.”
“I suspect you could against a warrior or a mage. But these people are far more than warrior or mage. They can tear out your mind and replace it with one that thinks only what they wish you to think. And usually, because of their perverse sense of humor, those thoughts only concern the pleasuring of any man in sight.”
“Sir, I can only guess what having such a great threat on your doorstep has done to your kingdom. I seek to alleviate that threat. I have spoken to several of your townsfolk and they are beaten and afraid.”
“You seek to tell me what my own people feel?” the man said angrily. “How do you think I feel? Our farmers and ranchers go missing for a time then new women appear, attacking the first man they see to sate their lust! Not a single person–man or woman–can leave these walls without fear that they might join those in the brothel.”
“Then let us put an end to this!” I said. “Sire, I swear that I will destroy these fools and bring the head of their leader back as proof.”
The man shook his head, even as he stared at me. “While your arrogance is much the same as all the rest who have attempted, I have only before met one other with a similar aura of power around him.”
There was little doubt that he was referring to Talis.
“I have spoken to the one who you speak of my Lord,” I said. “She has given up all hope of ever returning to what she once was. And I knew of the person she was and the thought that such a fine and noble warrior is at such an end boils my blood!”
The Lady suddenly spoke. “I do not believe that is the only reason you do it,” she said.
She stared at me with those brown eyes of hers that bored deep into my soul. I knew I had to speak the truth.
“For many years, my Lady, I have fought across this land and lands like it for justice and peace. It has been a long and hard journey for me. And I am beginning to tire of it.”
“So you seek one more great battle before you depart the battlefield for safer havens?” she asked, knowing what my answer would be.
“Indeed,” I said heavily, ignoring the stares of my companions. “I have known of the problem with Ghanton for many years as well. But I have never had the courage to come and try to face it. And now as I near the end of my glory days, I realize that if I can make this my crowning achievement, the liberations of this town and this land from the threat, then I can find myself a wife and raise a family, happy that I know I did well by the people and the gods.”
The Lord and Lady looked at each other for a moment.
Then the Lord spoke once more. “I have heard that desire before, son. From the one who was like you. And while I still think it foolish, I do grant my blessing for you to go forth and do battle. May you fare better than the one who preceded you.”
I bowed humbly. “Thank you, my Lord and Lady. I shall endeavor not to disappoint you or your people.”
The man only nodded with a hint of sadness.
And we were ushered out of the Great Hall.
When we were once more outside, I looked up into the sky and saw the storm clouds building. There was small sparks of lighting flashing between the dark and ominous forms in the sky. However, I did not worry.
“Did you really mean what you said about retirement?” Meghalen said. “You? Of all people?”
“Yes,” I said sincerely. “This is to be my last quest. I have been offered a position at the Academy of Wizardry in the Imperial City and I have accepted. I am to start in two weeks.”
“I worry for the fate of the land if you retire to a desk,” Xhaiden said.
“Bah,” I scoffed. “There are plenty more to continue my work, such as you two. You will do well, my friends.”
We began walking towards the city gate.
“Do you think the Rainfall Cult is really the danger that these townspeople think it is?” Xhaiden asked.
“Part of me wants to believe that they are simply afraid, but I know that this threat has been around for hundreds of years,” I said. “I suspect that the battle ahead will be long and hard. We might not come back the same people we once were.”
“Let them try to make me into some sort of harlot!” Meghalen sneered. “I’ll teach them the error of their ways.”
“Indeed,” I said. “We should be wary. We first must scout the enemy position. We need a better idea of what we are dealing with.”
I grabbed my horse from the stable, as did Xhaiden and Meghalen. As the gate guard let us out, we saluted the man with our weapons. We mounted our steeds and stood there, looking into the Talon Forest where the Rainfall Cult dwelt.
“We go forth into battle my friends,” I said. “Let us ride.”
And as we kicked our steeds, they leapt forward, hooves beating on the ground, sending us to our destiny.
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Therobelin and his two companions, Xhaiden and Meghalen, venture into the foreboding Talon Forest to face the Rainfall Cult, unprepared for the challenges that await them. (Part 2)
* * *
Here’s part 2 of the Rainfall series. I hope you enjoy the next action-packed tale of Therobelin and his companions. I do recommend that you read Rainfall: Arrival before you embark on this adventure.
As always, I welcome your input and comments. Write a quick review for me or drop me a line at [email protected]. And feel free to check out my stories at TGStories.com.
Enjoy the story!
-Tom J. Hyde
Copyright 2006
* * *
As the rain splattered on my helmet, I muttered some rather rude things about the gods to myself. Here we were, going on a quest to save the town of Ghanton and to restore the transformed men and women now residing in the Ghanton Brothel and the gods can’t even give me some good weather.
I was vaguely annoyed about the entire thing. The rain had started just as we had entered the Talon Forest, where the Rainfall Cult made their home. From what I had known from the past, they dwelt in an old fort that was once part of a network of defense structures all across Juknip Province. However, with the end of the Nation Wars, they had fallen into disuse and had eventually been abandoned all together.
We had been traveling for almost two hours now and hadn’t seen even the slightest sign of civilization. Every so often, I would swear that I would see movement out of the corner of my eye. That worried me and I suspected that we were being watched.
Finally, around noon or so, when the rain had become a little more than a sprinkle, I motioned my party to halt.
“I don’t like this,” I said to Meghalen and Xhaiden. “Something is very wrong.”
“I agree,” Xhaiden said as he peered into the forest. “We should have seen someone by now.”
“Do you sense anything?” Meghalen asked me as he kept his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Any sort of magical presence?”
“I’ve tried casting a life sign spell several times now, but something seems to be blocking it. I can’t get a clear reading ahead of us.”
“Ther,” Xhaiden said. “I’m beginning to think that we should have brought a larger force.”
“We don’t have a choice,” I said grimly. “Despite the fact that I can’t sense anything ahead of us, I can sense that something has blocked our path back, something that we cannot be victorious against unless we push forward first.”
“What do you sense?” Xhaiden asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said as I concentrated on the presence behind us. “Whatever it is, it is old…very old.”
“That does not bode well for us,” Xhaiden said as his eyes darted from shadow to shadow.
I sighed. “Yes, I know.”
“If there’s something behind us now…” Meghalen said, trailing off.
“It means that someone knew we were coming,” I grunted.
“A spy in the town?” Xhaiden asked.
“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe they just have well-hidden sentries posted at the edge of the forest. They may even have a magical detection grid, like the one outside the Imperial Palace.”
“If someone knows about our arrival, that means that they can bolster their defenses,” the elf said.
“You are quite right,” I said. “Still, we must continue forward.”
“We can’t just walk up to the old fort and knock on the door!” Xhaiden exclaimed.
“Why not?” Meghalen grunted. “A nice frontal assault will do wonders for my sword.”
“Against a legion of very powerful mages, such a force would be suicide,” I said firmly. “We need to think up another plan.”
“What about an invisibility spell?” Xhaiden asked.
I pondered his suggestion for a few moments. “Illusion magic has never been my specialty, Xhaiden.”
“Nevertheless, can you try?”
“There’s no harm in trying,” I said as I gathered the errant magical energies of the region to me. I was a little worried that such a spell to conceal all three of us would be noticed by the cult. But a frontal assault would be asking for death and without some semblances of stealth, we didn’t have any way to scout the enemy position.
I began to mutter my incantations softly. Xhaiden and Meghalen’s horses bucked a little, perhaps sensing the magical energies I was harnessing. My mount had been with me for many years and was used to a great deal of magic casting in my presence, so she did not even tremble.
After a good five minutes of chanting, I reached out my hands to allow the spell to begin. And from Xhaiden and Meghalen’s sudden disappearance from my sight and their
shouts of surprise, I knew it had worked.
“Okay,” Meghalen’s voice said from a few feet away. “Good job, but if we can’t see each other, then no good will come of it.”
Xhaiden only huffed with annoyance.
I chuckled slightly. The location spell for a friendly who was invisible was easy. It took only a moment of incantations before the two of them were once again in my sight.
“Is the spell still active?” Xhaiden asked as he glanced at myself and Meghalen.
“Yes,” I said. “I’ve only opened a small hole in the field so we can see each other.”
“Excellent!” Meghalen said. “Now all those cultists will know is that they’re suddenly being cut apart by thin air!”
“Not quite, Halen,” I chided. “Any sudden motion might remove the spell. Invisibility spells are quite delicate. We won’t be able to stay invisible for combat, only for reconnaissance.”
“Damnation,” Meghalen spat. “It would have been fun to see the looks on their faces.”
“I’m sure,” I said wryly. “Now we must move softly and quietly. While I believe we may have given our watchers the slip with this spell, the noise will give away our position just as much as our appearance.”
My two friends nodded.
“Let’s move out,” I said as we urged our steeds forward.
About a half hour later, we saw one of the cultists. She was definitely a woman, one with a rather stunning figure, even though it was draped in a heavy robe. We stopped for several minutes and just watched her.
The cultist was performing some sort of ceremony over a puddle of rainwater. I thought this was extremely strange, since I had never heard of any sort of ritual that required rainwater as a reagent. However, there was an unmistakable magical energy emanating from both the woman and the puddle. I motioned for my companions to dismount carefully. I knew that we were close and that we should go the rest of the way on foot. The horses would be too easily detected.
I whispered my instructions in my mounts ear, using my Horse’s Tongue enchantment. She understood, because she led the two other horses away. I was a little nervous about the presence I had felt behind us, but I was almost positive that the presence would do nothing to the horses, because it was waiting for us.
After some time, the woman stopped her chanting and took a vial from the depths of her robe. She carefully filled it with the rainwater and bottled the vial, placing it back inside her robe. When she began to move off, we followed.
During the next hour, we followed the cultist through the forest. It had begun to rain again and I heard Meghalen muttering under his breath for a few moments before I silenced him with a look. The oddest part was that when the rain had started in earnest again, the woman giggled and did a little dance in a small clearing, allowing herself to get soaked through to the skin.
I was beginning to suspect that the term ‘Rainfall’ in relation to these people was not just a comment on the local weather. These people had some sort of connection with the elements, specifically the rain. Doubt started to creep into my mind. If these people gathered their power from the rain, then we might be in trouble, as it had apparently been raining on and off for three months in the Province.
However, a short while after the clearing, I decided that we had no choice.
We had arrived at the Rainfall Encampment.
However, encampment didn’t begin to describe the threat that now faced us.
The towers of the old fort were now fully surrounded by the trees of the forest. It was a standard Imperial Fort, with four towers and a large base structure made out of stone. I also knew on fairly good authority that this structure was one of the larger ones in the area, with a massive underground complex underneath.
But what really worried me was the sentries.
On every balcony of the towers, there was both an archer and what looked like a destruction mage. In front of the massive gate at the center of the complex were at least four female warriors in full battle gear. In addition, there were roving patrols of mages and warriors walking around the structure.
The strangest thing was that while it was obviously built to be a fortress, it still looked like one. There was almost no sign of decay to the structure. I had fully expected to find a ruin, maybe a single standing tower, but this entire complex looked like it had been built only yesterday.
I scanned the building with my mind and I detected the signs of heavy enchantments. The entire structure had been enchanted back to its original state by some very powerful and very old magic. This did not bode well for us.
“By the gods, Ther,” Xhaiden hissed. “I was expecting some tents and half-standing walls! Not a fortified bunker!”
Even Meghalen looked nervous. “Ther, you know I’m always good for a fight, but this is even out of my league.”
I agreed. The fight was far too much for us. I was beginning to think that we might need to face the threat behind us, unknown as it was. And then I saw it.
On the right forward tower, there was a minute imperfection in the magical shield protecting the stone. Two perfectly placed shots could bring the entire tower down. One would have to be a directed dispel at the shield. The second would probably have to be some sort of explosive charge. I knew that Xhaiden never went anywhere without a very large selection of arrows.
“Xhaiden,” I said quickly. “Do you have any fireball arrows?”
The Elf shuffled through his pack for a few moments and then shook his head to my dismay. “No, the closest thing I have are some high-concussion arrowheads.”
“Concussion?” Meghalen asked.
“That might work,” I said as I made some rapid-fire calculations in my head. “Give me one of them and let me see if I can enhance it a little.”
Xhaiden handed the arrow over to me and with a few incantations, I could feel the power emanating from the arrowhead. It was unstable and it wouldn’t last for long, but it might just be enough for what we needed.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” I said and quickly told them my plan of attack. After I was done fielding several questions, I told them to take their positions. Meghalen moved off to the side, so that we could have a clear run at the main gate if my idea worked.
I only prayed to whoever was listening at the moment that it did, or else this would be a short offensive.
I nodded to Xhaiden and he prepared the arrow in his bow. I muttered my incantations and prepared the first shot.
“Everybody ready?” I asked as my hands continued to dance in circles, conjuring the bolt of magical energy that was required for this attack.
“Ready,” Xhaiden said firmly.
“Ready,” Meghalen echoed.
“Then let’s do this,” I said grimly and released the dispel. The bright green ball flew at the small imperfection rapidly. A moment later, Xhaiden released his arrow, which followed the ball straight and true.
What happened next was beyond my expectations.
The green dispel bolt slammed into the side of the tower, causing the entire tower to flash. It did just enough damage to punch a small hole in the tower, but nothing more, because that was what Xhaiden’s arrow was for. The arrow shot directly through the tiny hole and exploded.
The three of us covered our ears as a deafening boom came from the tower and gigantic cracks appeared throughout the stonework. It took only moments for the entire thing to come crashing down into a pile of rubble and dust.
Needless to say, the cultists were rather disturbed at this latest incident and every single one of them went rushing to the tower, just as I had intended.
I grinned and motioned for my team to move in. We swiftly moved through the trees, but slowly enough that the invisibility spell would still be active. About a dozen guards had stormed out of the main gate, leaving it ajar, which seemed a blindly stupid tactical maneuver, but I wasn’t going to argue.
Within one minute, we had slipped inside the Rainfall fortress. While I knew they would be on heightened alert, I was hoping they would think that it was true military force charging them and act accordingly. All we had to do was get Ballan alone and I was sure that we would be able to handle him.
We slipped along the walls of the corridors, glancing into rooms for a hint of Ballan or anything else. Most of the chambers were barracks with at least four beds. Several of them appeared to be lecture halls and dining rooms. I realized quickly that this could take a very long time if we didn’t know where we were going.
I pulled my two companions into one of the rooms and quietly closed the door right before a group of a dozen warriors marched by our position.
“What’s the problem, Ther?” Meghalen asked.
“I’m going to try and probe someone’s mind,” I said. “Maybe then we can figure out where Ballan is.”
Meghalen nodded. “Good idea. I don’t want to wander this enchanted fortress any longer than I have to.”
I took a deep breath and calmed myself, reaching outwards and seeking the minds of one of the warriors who had just passed in the hallway. I was very careful as I slowly began to read his thoughts because I didn’t want him to notice and possibly tip someone off.
What I found there disturbed me greatly. However, I realized that I needed the information anyway, so I searched his memories for the location of Ballan and after a few careful moments, right before he was out of range, I found what I was looking for.
As soon as I broke the connection, I fell to the ground, horrified by what I had sensed inside the poor warrior’s mind.
Xhaiden and Meghalen helped me back up to my feet as I shivered slightly.
“What?” Xhaiden hissed. “What happened?”
“I know where Ballan is,” I muttered. “But we have a complication.”
“What complication?” Meghalen asked.
“These people are not here willingly.”
“What?” Xhaiden said. “What do you mean?”
“Ballan adjusted their minds and bodies so that they would be able servants of the Cult.”
“They’re under a spell?” Meghalen asked. “A spell that forces them to fight for the Cult?”
“That’s not really it,” I said grimly. “Their memories have been altered so that they believe that they want to serve, but underneath all of that, the real person is there, asleep.”
“Gods,” Meghalen breathed. “What kind of monsters are we dealing with?”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Did you find out any more about how Ballan does the transformations?” Xhaiden asked.
“Yes,” I nodded. “He first incapacitates his victims and then brings them to the central chamber of the complex. In that chamber, there is a massive crystal formation, unlike anything I have ever seen. The victims are brought before the crystal and Ballan commands the changes to occur, erasing their bodies and minds and replacing them with whatever Ballan chooses.”
I took a deep breath. “He used to simply create powerful mages and warriors and the occasional whore for his amusement, but in the last several years, he’s started to create more of the whores. I’m guessing that he feels that his force is strong enough that he doesn’t need any more warriors.”
“Did you get any idea of what he’s trying to accomplish?” Meghalen asked.
I thought hard about the memories I had dug from the ensorcelled man’s mind, but they were fuzzy and vague. “I know that the crystal has something to do with his plan and the word ‘resurrection’ comes to mind, but I can’t give you more than that.”
“So it looks like we’ll have two targets,” Meghalen said. “This magical crystal and Ballan himself.”
“Do you know where the chamber is?” Xhaiden asked.
I nodded.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Meghalen asked.
“There’s one thing,” I said. “We cannot kill any of these people.”
“Tell me you are joking,” Meghalen said.
“They have no control over what they are doing,” I hissed. “I will not condone the murder of innocents just because they are being controlled.”
“What do you expect us to do if we are discovered?” Meghalen countered. “Ask nicely for them to stand aside?”
“I know you still have the Staff of Paralysis I gave you last year,” I said. “And Xhaiden never goes anywhere without his Arrows of Incapacitation.”
Meghalen sighed. “I can’t believe you’re not going to let me cut anyone up,” he groaned as he dug in his back for his Staff. After finding the two halves of the staff, he quickly muttered the incantation I had taught him to bring the silvery staff back together. Xhaiden quickly changed out his arrows with a minimum of fuss. I was lucky that I didn’t have to change any of my weaponry as I would just be using a different school of magic.
“I don’t think this invisibility spell of yours will last much longer, Ther,” Xhaiden said. “We should move out.”
I agreed. I could sense that the spell was very close to dispelling. I wasn’t exactly sure how long we had, but we had to move quickly.
Once we were sure the hallway was clear, we exited the room and I led the group quickly through the corridors and hallways. Occasionally, I could feel our invisibility shield flicker, but I managed to strengthen it just enough to make it past several sentries. I didn’t like sulking around and I knew that Meghalen hated it more than I did. I didn’t mind using stealth when the situation called for it, but the constant sneaking around just annoyed me.
However, several minutes later, as we were approaching Ballan’s chamber, we no longer had the option of using stealth. As we were passing a group of six guards, I felt the invisibility spell sputter and fail.
The group of guards and my party just stared at each other for a moment. They were obviously startled by our sudden appearance out of thin air. So without a word on our part, we struck.
Xhaiden shot out two arrows at one of them almost instantly. The man was quick though, as he brought his shield up to block the two blows. Three of them charged Meghalen, as he appeared to be the biggest threat, while I had two more on me. I fired off two stunning spells in quick succession at my targets.
However, I was surprised when the two guards conjured magical shields right in front of them. I wasn’t expecting that. When their hands began to glow red, I cursed. We might have been pulling our blows, but they certainly weren’t. As the two guards fired two very large fireballs in my direction, I rolled to the floor, narrowly avoiding the fiery blasts. I then blasted one of them with a concussion spell. He landed about ten yards down the hall, leaving me with one more at the moment.
I glanced to the side and grinned to see Meghalen grunting and groaning against the three large swords of his guards. He managed to block every blow the three of them were giving him and before I knew what happened, he slammed his staff into one of the guard’s chest. I was worried for a moment that it might cave in the poor man’s ribcage, but Meghalen knew what he was doing. The man simply froze and fell to the ground, his face stuck in an expression of surprise.
I fired off another stunning spell at one of his guards, even as I sensed my own guard winding up for another fireball. My spell smashed the man attacking Meghalen in the shoulder and sent him spinning to the ground, unconscious. By the time I had returned my attention to my own ward, another fireball was shooting up the hall towards me. I cast a quick teleportation spell and jumped out of it’s path. Apparently I had annoyed the man, because he came up at me, roaring, his sword held high.
In a moment, I had my own sword in his hand and parried the blow. I could hear my companions grunting and groaning next to me, but I was no longer able to concentrate on anyone but the angry man bellowing in my face. He struck as a cobra would, but I was just a quick with a blade as he, though I traditionally favored magic. I blocked every strike he tried to connect with my body. He was quite good, but he had let the anger get the better of him.
I gathered my energies even as I continued to fence with the man. But then he surprised me by giving me a sharp kick to the side. In my surprise, I dropped my weapon and fell to the ground. With a victorious cry, he lifted his sword and prepared to impale me to the ground. However, he had left himself vulnerable. With a flick of the wrist, I fired my stunning spell point blank into his chest. His eyes opened wide in shock as dropped his weapon and collapsed to the ground.
I picked myself up off the floor just in time to see Meghalen land his final blow on his remaining guard, who fell softly to the ground. Finally, with a grunt, the final guard fell with three arrows in his chest. I looked at Xhaiden in shock but he smiled.
“Just Arrows of Incapacitation, Ther,” he said as he tried to catch his breath.
“Good,” I said as I glanced at the heaving body of Meghalen. “Do you feel better now?” I said with a grin.
“Gods yes!” he cried. “Nothing like a good battle to get the blood pumping!”
“I’m sure we were heard, my friends,” I said as I glanced back up the hall. “We need to move out and finish this fight.”
“Agreed,” Xhaiden said.
From that moment on, we didn’t waste any time. We bolted down the hallways at full speed since we didn’t have surprise on our side anymore. At one point, a young woman exited a hall just as we were running forward. Xhaiden took her down with twin arrows before she ever knew what happened.
And then, we were at the chamber. The closed door to the chamber was massive and ornately carved. It depicted what looked like a woman breaking free from some sort of prison while she was being worshipped by other women. For some reason, the entire scene made me nervous. But what made me more nervous was what was in front of the door.
There were three heavily armored guards in front of the door. From what I could sense, I knew that we were no longer dealing with mind-altered minions. These people were true members of the Rainfall Cult. I could sense the magical energy pouring off them like a waterfall down a cliff. The two flanking the door were armed with vicious-looking polearms topped with three-pronged spikes. In addition, the polearms were obviously enchanted as they glowed a bright red color in the dim lighting of the torches.
The middle character looked to be the captain of the guard. The magical potential coming from her was nothing short of astounding. I have met members of the Wizard’s Council in the Imperial City that had less power than this single woman was showing. I couldn’t get a good look at her weapon, because it was sheathed, though from what I could see, it looked gigantic.
The most frightening part was that I recognized her armor. It was almost identical to my own enchanted glass armor I was wearing at that moment. The only difference was the color. While mine was a friendly blue, hers was a dark and foreboding crimson hue.
I was lucky that the group had not spotted us yet and we ducked around the corner to strategize our attack. I knew I would have to take care of the middle because of his raw magical power. I tossed Meghalen and Xhaiden two amulets of shielding which would protect them from the magical energies of the two others for a time.
“These people are true cultists,” I said. “So don’t pull any punches. They will not hesitate to destroy us.”
“Do you believe they have this transfiguration power?” Xhaiden asked as he glanced around the corner.
I opened my mind and stalked their thoughts. After several seconds, I shook my head. “No, I believe only Ballan has access to that power. And I’m not sure if it’s his power. It might be derived from this crystal I saw earlier.”
“Enough talk,” Meghalen growled. “It’s time to end this.”
I nodded and took a deep breath. Xhaiden nocked several arrows in his bow and made sure his Elvin daggers were within easy reach. Meghalen broke apart the staff and shoved it in his belt while he grabbed his claymore from his back. I unsheathed my sword and prepared my shield, calling forth my protection spells to fortify my armor and my mind for battle.
We all looked at one another for a brief moment, then finally, I spoke a single word.
“Go.”
The three of us came roaring around the corner with deafening battlecries that echoed though the hall. The three guards were startled for a moment. And then the female captain let loose a battlecry to match our own and rushed to face us.
The first strikes were ranged. Xhaiden let loose with his bow and six arrows were in the air within two seconds, two for each target. However, the two guards armed with polearms spun their weapon in a strange fashion, creating a shield that shattered the arrows before they could make contact. The captain fired off a defensive spell that froze them in mid-air after which they floated the ground softly.
We were now far too close for ranged combat. With a mighty shout, Meghalen brought his sword down upon the first of the secondary guards, who staggered under his blow, but was able to deflect it just in time. Xhaiden’s attacker struck first, but in an amazing display of speed, he tossed the bow onto his back and threw up his daggers barely in time to block the blow.
Meanwhile, the captain had unsheathed her sword and my breath caught just at the sight of it. It looked to be made out of metal I had never before seen and it glowed a dark crimson that matched the woman’s armor. I didn’t have further time to study it because within seconds, I was parrying her first massive blow.
I quickly shoved Xhaiden and Meghalen out of my mind as I knew all my concentration should be focused on the woman I was battling. Any onlooker would have simply seen two blurs of light, one crimson and one azure, striking against one another. I felt my battlelust rise as I reveled in the fury of battle and I fired off a lighting spell, which she deftly dispelled before it had the chance to touch her. In return, she shot off a firebolt, which I simply dodged, allowing it to slam harmlessly into the wall behind me.
Each clash of our blades caused a brilliant flash of light to illuminate the hallway. In those flashes I could see the determined look in the woman’s eyes as she fought for what see believed. I was surprised that I did not see madness. There was only a certainty that she was right and that because of that, she would be victorious.
When I struck first blood across her arm, I saw the first flicker of doubt. In response to my strike, she blasted me backwards with a concussion shot. I managed to cast a feather spell to help my landing, but it still hurt when I hit the ground. Almost instantly, she was upon me, trying to drive her sword into my chest. I narrowly missed her strike and kicked her feet out from underneath her. She swore as she collapsed, giving me just enough time to scramble to my feet.
My hand glowed with unearthly power as I struck. I felt the energy course through me as I drained her magic directly from her body. She cried out in pain as the bright blue beam of magical essence was ripped from her chest and ran into me. I could feel my battlelust rise once more as I reenergized myself from her power. While I loathe admitting it, I could feel a cruel smile on my lips as I drained her.
Before I could finish my draining spell, she managed to gather up enough energy to cast a shield before her to dispel my final strike. I cursed as she leapt to her feet, but I could tell from her movements that what I had done had cost her greatly. She was unsteady as she struck once more with her sword, now glowing dully in the torchlight. I easily parried the blow and made one of my own, striking her leg and arm in quick succession. She screamed out again and looked at me with pure venomous hatred in her eyes. In those same eyes, I could see her preparation for her last spell.
And I knew exactly what spell it was, because I had helped to create it.
I saw the dark energy begin to gather around her hands, combined with small ribbons of fire and ice. I saw the shadows gather behind her eyes as she prepared to throw her final strike at me.
From her weakened state, there was a strong possibility that the simple act of casting the spell, known as Death’s Hand, would kill her. But if she cast it correctly, even if she died moments later, there wouldn’t be enough of me to fill a thimble.
“Burn and die,” she growled as she threw back her arm and began to fling the death energy at me.
Before she could complete her strike, I said a single word that I had learned from my master many years ago. Instantly, a glowing shield appeared in front of me. Her eyes widened even as she released Death’s Hand. The spell shattered the shield, but it was deflected. She cried out in agony.
And I struck with no mercy.
Using dark magic that I rarely used, I ripped the magical energy from her. I ripped away her fighting skills. She cried out as I took her warrior’s spirit directly from her soul. And I took it all and absorbed it into my own.
And it was over.
The woman collapsed onto the ground. I could have killed her at that moment, but there was no need. I had taken her ability to fight and to use magic. Now, she was just the same as everyone her damn Cult had ever destroyed. I only left out the sex compulsions.
As I became more aware of my surroundings again, I could feel my newfound energy still coursing through my veins. And then I noticed that Meghalen had finally struck home with his target, who was now dying slowly on the ground, a great gaping wound in his chest. However, Xhaiden was not faring nearly as well. He was lying on the ground, blood dripping from his face and arms where the polearm had slashed him. The guard stood over my Elvin friend, ready to make his final strike that would separate his head from his shoulders.
With no hesitation, I attacked and used the exact same spell on the man as I just did on the captain. He screamed as I felt his energies flow into me, empowering me even further. As the energy flowed, I looked at my arm as it began to glow brightly in the torchlight.
The man didn’t last long under that kind of assault and collapsed before even thirty seconds had passed.
I cast a quick healing spell on Xhaiden, enough to bring him to his feet and cast one on Meghalen as well for any wounds I didn’t notice. Xhaiden grabbed a small vial off the side of his belt and drank it down quickly. I recognized it as one of the thousands of health potions available. It took a few moments, but Xhaiden was healed quickly by the combined effort of my spell and the potion.
“Let’s finish this,” I said confidently.
I strode up to the door and looked at it. It was obviously deeply enchanted with a powerful protection spell. However, with the fact that I had just drained two people of all their magical power and abilities, it didn’t pose a problem. With a single burst, I blew open the door.
A handsome man in his early thirties turned rapidly from an altar inside the torch lit room. Behind him was the massive crystal I had seen in the mind-altered man’s memories. But what startled me was what I saw inside the crystal. Beneath the glowing red surface was one of the most stunning women I have ever seen.
She was gloriously nude with waves of golden blonde hair. Her face looked like the face of an angel, even though her eyes were closed. Her breasts were large and matched her slim waist and ample hips perfectly. She was then finished off with two fantastically sculpted legs and dainty feet.
The man before the altar nodded as if hearing an invisible voice.
“Yes, mistress. He may just be the one,” he said.
“Master Ballan, I presume,” I growled as studied my foe.
“Indeed, Therobelin,” the man said slyly.
“I am here to make you pay for your crimes against the Province of Juknip and the Town of Ghanton.”
The man laughed. “Crimes? What a sense of humor you have, sir.”
I was not amused and I was still filled with the heady sensations of power that was still rolling around my mind. I lifted my sword and pointed it at his throat.
“First, you will explain the magic of transfiguration to me and your knowledge of the mind-control you have used on the people here, in the Ghanton brothel and on Talissa.”
“Talissa?” he asked. “Oh yes, Talis. The man who wasn’t strong enough to take my mistress.”
“Enough of your talking, Ballan,” I said. I was in no mood for games. “Surrender this knowledge to me and you might yet live.”
The man smiled. “I’m thinking…no.” Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light and as I fell into unconsciousness, I heard a woman’s voice speak in my mind.
“We have great things in store for you, Therobelin.”
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Synopsis: The captured Therobelin comes face to face with the warrior goddess Crystalia, who forces him to confront his true feelings about the state of the world he has sworn to protect. (Part 3)
* * *
I thank everybody once again for their kind comments regarding Arrival and Assault. I have to admit that it helps me greatly when I can actually see what people think of my works, so please take a few moments after you’re done with the stories and tell me what you think, either here, on FM or at [email protected].
The finale of the Rainfall series will be coming soon, so please stay tuned for more. I do recommend that you read Rainfall: Arrival and Rainfall: Assault before you read this story. It’s not going to make much sense otherwise.
And now, without further ado, please enjoy part 3 of the Rainfall saga, Rainfall: Resurrection!
-TJH
Copyright 2006
* * *
I awoke feeling very annoyed. The last thing I remembered was facing Ballan in the chamber and a bright flash of light. I cursed myself for not being ready for a group stun spell. However, I sensed that all was not lost. I could still feel the energy I had stripped from the captain and the guard flowing through me.
I tried to lift myself up, but I found myself bound to the altar in the center of the main chamber, before the crystal with the beautiful blond trapped inside. I looked up at her and felt a strange sense of foreboding even as I felt my arousal growing. I might be in the middle of very dire circumstances, but I could still appreciate a beautiful woman.
I looked upwards at a strange sight. I had heard of things called ‘skylights’ being very popular in the richer areas of Allaron, but I had never expected to see one so stunning. It was still raining heavily outside and I could hear the soft patter of it hitting the glass above my head. For a brief moment, I forgot about my current situation and just stared at the rain as it fell, never quite reaching the ground.
“I see you enjoy a good storm as well,” a man’s voice said behind me.
I twisted my head to see the smiling visage of Ballan. I glared at him. “Release me at once or else!” I roared.
“Or else?” Ballan chuckled. “I read your thoughts while you were asleep, dear Therobelin. You’ve intended to take my head ever since talking with your little bitch Talissa.”
I grunted in annoyance and changed the subject. There was no reason to demand my release anyway. Whatever Ballan intended to do, he would. I only had to get out of my bonds, then I could destroy the delusional fool.
“Where are my companions?” I asked.
Ballan gestured to the side where Xhaiden and Meghalen were chained to a wall. I felt a surge of fury rush through me and I tried to summon my strength–through magic or muscle–to rip free of my bonds. I groaned and roared incoherently as I tried to liberate myself.
“Most impressive, but there’s no use,” Ballan said with a chuckle. “Once someone is on the Altar of Crystalia, there is no escape until she says so.”
“And when will she say so?” I muttered after giving up my attempt to break free. The bonds were enchanted so deeply that I couldn’t even begin to break them.
The same voice I heard in my head earlier spoke again. “After we have our little talk,” she said, her voice now echoing sweetly off the walls. However, the crystalline woman’s lips never moved.
Ballan smiled as he busied himself around the chamber.
“Who are you?” I asked, genuinely curious. If I could determine who was really pulling Ballan’s strings, I might be able to do something about it.
“I have been known by many names throughout history,” the voice said. “But once Ballan found me and brought me to this place, he named me Crystalia. And I like that name, so you may call me by that name.”
“What are you?” I asked.
“She is the one who will wipe away the filth of this world,” Ballan said. “And bring forth a new existence of harmony.”
“That sounds nice,” I said sarcastically. “So what do I have to do with any of this? And why are you transforming people into your own personal army or into whores without a thought in their heads?”
“The soldiers are for our protection,” Ballan said. “As for the whores…those were…errors.”
“I don’t believe you,” I spat.
“Fine, fine,” Ballan conceded. “My men are lonely and good wenches are hard to find. So I help the men of the world by giving them a few more harlots to enjoy.”
“You’re a monster,” I said.
“He’s not the monster you might think, Therobelin,” Crystalia said. “Each of the people that now reside in your brothel were corrupted by their own lusts and fantasies. If they had been strong enough, there wouldn’t have been a problem.”
“I think you’re lying,” I said firmly and with conviction. “I think you enjoy transforming people into mindless sluts who care only for pleasure.”
Crystalia laughed softly and despite my situation, I couldn’t help but find the laugh nothing short of enchanting. “There is truth to your words. The cavorting of maidens often reminds me of a better and simpler time.”
I wasn’t sure what time she was speaking of, though it did ring a bell in the back of my mind. But I had bigger concerns at the moment.
“So what do you want with me?”
“Talissa was the result of a failed experiment,” Ballan said as he started placing strange-looking orbs in a circle around Crystalia and me. “Crystalia and I believe that you may be the component that we need to make the experiment work correctly.”
“What are you going to do to me?”
“Ah,” Ballan said with a grin as he placed the last of the orbs. “I will allow my Mistress to explain that to you.”
“All in good time,” she said. “Now, we must commune.”
“Commune?” I asked, worried. I didn’t want to commune with any creature such as this. “I refuse!”
“You’re refusal is immaterial, Therobelin,” Ballan said and then turned to the encased woman. “He’s ready Mistress. You may touch him whenever you like.”
“Thank you Ballan,” Crystalia said. “I sense that when we speak again, it shall be face-to-face.”
Ballan bowed. “As my Mistress commands.”
Slowly, the red crystal began to glow. As the light of the crystal increased, the orbs surrounding us began to pulse with a similar glow. I tried once more to fight my bonds, but there was nothing I could do.
Suddenly there was a flash and then nothing.
When I was aware of myself a few moments later, I was standing in a grassy field surrounded by a grove of trees. I could hear water trickling in the distance and the sounds of birdcalls coming from within the grove. I looked down to see myself in my wizard’s robes and as I glanced around, I saw her, smiling at me.
She was dressed in a simple white dress that did nothing to distract from the curvaceous form beneath it, a form that simply took my breath away. Her eyes were the color of raindrops and her smile was so dazzling I felt myself weaken in the knees. I tried to fight off these feelings, knowing full well that it was all part of some enchantment she and Ballan had placed on me.
“A man responding to a beautiful woman is an enchantment now?” she asked with a smile.
“I demand you release me at this moment!” I shouted.
She sighed heavily, which caused her chest to heave, much to my distraction.
“You are becoming annoyingly one-note,” she commented as she came closer to me. I struck a defense pose, not willing to allow myself to become comfortable in her presence. She was the enemy and I had to make sure that I kept my wits about me.
“You are a contradiction, Therobelin,” Crystalia said as if commenting on the weather as she came even closer.
“Your words are nothing to me,” I shot back as I moved away from the woman.
“All you have ever done in your thirty-five years is to fight against injustice, making sure that the strong protect the weak, instead of preying on them. You vilify power, saying that it should be controlled and monitored.
“What of it?” I asked.
“Yet all the while, despite what you said to the Lord and Lady Tapar, you secretly revel in the power that you wield over your enemies,” she said as her eyes bored into mine. “I could feel it when you struck down our captain and guard. You enjoyed ripping their power from them and infusing it into your own spirit.”
“I do what I must to protect the people of this land,” I spat. “How I do it is not your concern.”
“I see right through you, Therobelin,” she said. “Do not think that the crystal which holds my body holds my mind. I can see your secret desires. You’ve often wondered what it would be like if you were the one in control, instead of the fools in the Imperial City and the royalty in the Provincial Courts, who care only for their political maneuvering and lining their pockets with gold.”
“Lies,” I said firmly. “I respect those who I serve, both in the Imperial City and the Courts.”
“You might be able to fool the others and you might be able to fool yourself, my dear Therobelin,” she said with a smile. “But you cannot fool me. I can feel the ambition in your heart. I can feel the desire for control. That is truly why you are a Battlemage. Because it brings you pleasure to exercise your magic and your skills to control the world around you even while you know you can never control the minds of the people who cause such chaos.”
I tried to resist the poison in her words even as it filtered through my mind and my heart. I had always known that there was a darkness inside me. However, I had always resisted it, because that was what a person was supposed to do. I believed that everybody had a darkness inside of them. Some fought it and became stronger for it and some were consumed by it and lost their souls because of it.
Still, I felt another portion of my mind agree with her. There would never be peace in this land while the politicians could be bribed to look the other way.
I didn’t notice the look in her eyes. I didn’t realize that she was hearing every thought in my head.
“I can give you the power you desire,” she said softly. She was now only a foot away from me. I had become so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t realized she had come so close. Her nearness brought shivers down my spine. Despite the poison she was dripping into my mind, her beauty made my soul ache. I felt my manhood stirring in her presence.
“No,” I whispered. “I will not turn my back on everything I have ever stood for.”
“The fools in the Imperial City have already made a mockery of your moral stance,” she said. “By allowing bandits to operate freely among the lands of Allaron. Monsters and bandits roam the wilderness, preying on the weak. We can change all of that. Starting with Ghanton, we can create a paradise that will last for millennia.”
I shook my head as I felt my resolve shaking. She was echoing my thoughts from the past. I had seen so much betrayal and so much battle, wouldn’t it make sense to finally bring about a change?
“You know it is the right thing to do,” Crystalia said softly into my ear as she took my hand. “Join with me and become the liberator of Allaron. No more hypocrisy. No more bribery.”
I looked into her eyes, those raindrop-colored eyes that seemed to devour me with a glance. The fight that happened within me at that moment was incredible, something that I can never describe as my mind fought between my loyalty to the corrupt powers and principalities that I served and my desire to stop the corruption.
And finally, one of the sides won.
“I can’t do it,” I said. “I won’t betray the Kingdom,”
I was rather surprised when she smiled. “You see, Therobelin,” she said softly. “You don’t really have a choice.”
And then her hand slammed into my chest. I let out a shout as I could feel her twisting something within me. My entire body shook, echoed from the reverberations of my mind. I didn’t have a clue what she was doing to me until I could feel her cutting through my brain like a knife through butter.
“Stop…stop…” I cried, unable to do a single thing to defend myself.
“It must be done,” she said as the sky above us darkened with clouds. “I know you want to weed out the corruption in the land. But you have this annoying streak of loyalty to imperfect people that I find most distressing.”
As rain began to fall, I could feel my will being changed by her. I fought with all my mental strength, but there was nothing I could do. And I started to forget. I forgot why I had such loyalty to the King and to the Royal Courts. I could feel my desire for control and power grow like a dark seed in my mind.
For the briefest of seconds, I felt a wave of dizziness come over me and something shifted in my mind.
At that moment, I realized what she was truly doing to me.
She was releasing me from my bondage. She was allowing me to see the truth of the world around me, a world of darkness and corruption that could be cleansed if one had the strength to fight the good fight.
The rain was coming down hard now, soaking the two of us. My eyes met hers through the water and I smiled, knowing that she had been right all along. She slowly removed her hand from my chest and nodded.
“What must I do?” I asked, feeling empowered by Crystalia’s act.
“I cannot leave my crystal as I am now,” she said. “But if I join with another, another who is strong enough, I can help that person cleanse this land of all the corruption and darkness it holds.”
“You wish to join with me?” I said, flabbergasted.
“Yes, my dear Therobelin,” she said as she pressed her body against mine. “You alone are strong enough to help me in my mission to save the people of this land.”
I knew there was something she wasn’t telling me, but I didn’t care. I was too enthralled with finally allowing myself to shine in the sun once and for all. I had allowed the foolish politicians and the inbred royalty to make the decisions for too long and the people had suffered because of it.
I had allowed my true potential to lie dormant beneath the surface of civility when a stronger hand was needed to protect the people I had sworn to shield from evil and adversity.
I gazed into the woman who had handed me the key to my own liberation and smiled. Her body language was clear and I knew what must happen. I had to make her mine and I had to become hers.
I placed a gentle kiss upon her lips as she trembled ever so softly in my arms. I wondered at her shiver but then I heard a soft voice inside my head. There was no longer a need for verbal language.
“It has been so long since I have felt the touch of a man,” she said softly and sweetly. “I could only feel a shadow of what my transformed people felt when making love.”
“Then allow me to remind you what you have missed,” I whispered to her through my thoughts.
I pressed my lips harder onto hers, tightly grasping her lithe and supple body to my own just as the first strike of lightning crashed into the forest around us. The need to possess this mystical creature build inside of me and she knew it from where her hand was resting, slightly below my sash.
We broke for a moment and she smiled at me. She looked up into the rain, as if drawing power from it. Then, with a wave of her hand, her dress vanished as if it had never existed. My eyes widened as I took in her form. While I had seen it before within the red crystal, seeing the living form of a goddess was something entirely different. Her every movement drew my eyes exactly to the right places.
My reaction was obvious to her and she smiled again. Her hand waved once more, splattering raindrops in my direction and my own clothing vanished as completely as hers had. My eager member went to full attention as the rain washed over my naked form.
“Take me and become one with me,” she said over the rain and the thunder.
I didn’t need to be asked twice.
I grabbed her in my strong arms and wrestled her to the ground. For a few moments, she playacted resisting, but I knew it was all a façade. Soon, she didn’t even give the illusion of being anything but a very willing woman. My lips met hers as I ran my hands over her rain-slicked skin. The grass was soft and yielding beneath us as we rolled around a little, giggling like schoolchildren.
She moaned as I touched her legs and hips, softly caressing them in my desire. I swiftly moved up to her breasts even as I continued to kiss her lips, kneading the rainwater softly into her.
I brought one hand down to her sex, which was already wet with a combination of her own need and the beautiful rain falling around us. I slowly explored her interior to different degrees, delighting in the soft gasps and cries of my woman. Her hands ran along my back, caressing my muscles and my rear. She laid a river of bites and kisses down my neck and I quickly returned the favor.
I glanced into those stormy eyes of hers and realized that she didn’t need any more encouragement. With a quick adjustment of our bodies, I was within her.
At the first thrust of my member into her, she let out a cry that shook the heavens. I knew she had orgasmed just from that simple movement inside of her. Her hands grabbed at my back, leaving a small scratches in my flesh. I was a little surprised by her response.
For a brief second, lightning flashed overhead and it was reflected in her eyes.
“More,” she whispered desperately.
I obliged her.
I thrust into her with wild abandon as my lust grew. Her cries matched my grunts as I pushed her deeper into the soft grass. Our bodies slapped together nosily in the rain as it continued to pour on our heads, more now than ever.
Within sixty seconds, she was close to another thunderous orgasm. This time when she screamed, lightening flashed and thunder rocked the area in time with her cries. I could feel the raw magical power pouring out of Crystalia and into the area around us as it swirled around like a swarm of angry red fireflies.
“My turn,” she said hungrily.
With a motion that startled me, she flipped me on my back and within a few seconds, she impaled herself upon my rod once more. She thrust herself up and down upon me, grinning like a maniac. I was shocked when she began to glow the same color as the energy rushing around us.
“Yes!” she cried. “So close…”
I didn’t know what she was talking about and I truly did not care. My mind was only concerned with the delirious amounts of pleasure wracking my body. It didn’t even concern me when her eyes began to glow a soft purple.
“Are you ready, Therobelin?” she gasped as she continued to bounce up and down on me.
I knew that whatever she was going to do, she was going to do it now, so I simply nodded.
With a cry that shook creation itself, she gathered all of the swirling energy to her. Even as she moved faster and faster upon me, she began to glow so brightly I couldn’t look at her. Instead, I simply closed my eyes and allowed her to work her magic.
“Take my power!” she screamed to the heavens. “And become one with it!”
I could feel myself coming close to orgasm as I turned away from the blazing sun that I was making love to.
“Take my knowledge! Become one with it!”
I was bucking like a wild stallion, unable to think about anything else but the fantastic pleasure and the need for release. But something stopped me. I knew that I would release when the time was right.
“Take all that I am! And become me!”
My ears rang with the thunder and rang again with the echo of what she had just screamed. However, in the passion of the moment, I was unable to grasp what she had truly said in that single cry.
I let out a cry of my own as I felt her channel the full force of herself into me. My body shook wildly and I opened my eyes in shock to see a bright beam of purplish red light blasting from her chest into mine. I watched in wonder as my own body began to glow, shining in the falling rain.
And then I exploded into her, my member erupting in a powerful surge of ecstasy. I pumped my seed into her even as I felt my body began to shift and change. It wasn’t an unpleasant experience, but it was definitely an odd on.
Even as my member continued to twitch, I could feel the swelling on my chest as if two water pouches were being filled within my flesh. I felt my beard disappear into my transforming skin, along with the rest of my body hair even as my new breasts continued to expand. The hair on my head sprouted and I could see the golden streaks become wider over the course of several seconds, until my hair was the same lustrous blond as my lover’s.
I closed my eyes, gasped as I felt my wait constrict and my hips flare out, and moaned softly in a high and breathy voice as my legs were reshaped to match Crystalia’s. Finally, my breasts stopped their swelling and I felt the changes rush through my face. I knew at that moment that I was the mirror image of Crystalia, save for one detail.
I opened my eyes, brushed blond hair out of my face, and looked at the woman still perched upon my manhood. The beam of light coming from her chest had abated for the moment. She simply sat there and looked at me with a smile–a smile that told me again that she knew something I didn’t.
“Now that you have my form,” she said. “Take my mind.”
A beam of light blinded me as it blew out from her chest directly into my eyes. I was blasted back into the ground with the sheer force of the magical energy rushing through my mind. I screamed in confusion as I felt my own memories and knowledge begin to merge with Crystalia’s. I began to remember things that had never occurred to me: images of leading a great war against powerful forces, of living the sexual lives of hundreds of people vicariously through what little scrying power I had and ruling a vast empire long turned to dust.
I tried desperately to comprehend what was pouring into my mind as I drowned in the power that was Crystalia. However, something was wrong. I felt as if the woman I was joining with was trying to prevent me from understanding what she really was. For some reason I had to know, so I fought through the constant barrage of memories and tried to find the source.
I found it.
I cursed myself for my lack of control, for giving into a woman who had no intention of bringing light to the Kingdom of Allaron. She only had one goal, a goal that terrified me even as she realized that I had figured it out, she began to work her magic yet again on me.
She continued to pour her essence into me, tearing down my walls of mind and merging with my conscious thoughts. I fought with every bit of willpower I had, but the battle was lost the moment I had let her touch me in the field.
She dove into my mind and dug up all my repressed ambition and anger, my joy of control and my love of power, the feelings and thoughts that I never truly wanted to admit were there. However, just like any other man, I had my weaknesses. And one of those weaknesses was the fact that I knew I was quite powerful, both in magic and in skill.
They say that power corrupts. I have always agreed with that adage. However, I did my best to keep my corruption to a minimum.
That was not Crystalia’s intention.
She fueled my desires and my lusts as she insinuated herself into me. I could feel the corruption like a dark infection inside of me, growing at a fantastic rate even as I merged with this creature that was in no way human.
I felt my morals and my principles melt into the darkness that was enveloping my soul. And with the loss of those ideals, the man known as Therobelin was no more.
Now, there was only Crystalia, fused with the power and lusts of a man who lived a life of control and never truly released that control, for fear of the fact that he would never regain it again.
As Crystalia brought the full force of her power into my hands, I had a great epiphany the likes of which prophets have only dreamed. I saw my life for what it really was. I had been weak by using my power to defend those who could not defend themselves.
It had been a waste.
I had the power to rule, to correct the wrongs that had been done, yet I had sat idly by while those in power did whatever they wished.
No longer.
I was now the warrior goddess Crystalia, resurrected from the crystalline prison that had held me for five millennia. Therobelin was within me, everything he was and everything he was meant to be would now be channeled through the fusion of two souls.
Two souls that wanted revenge for the wrongs that had been done to them.
I looked around the field I had created to seduce the man that I had once been and smiled as the rain continued to fall. It was so idyllic and beautiful as the gentle rain caressed my soft skin.
It would be good when it began to rain in the Imperial City.
Suddenly, there was a brilliant explosion and I awoke.
I opened my eyes to see my dear Ballan cowering behind one of his silly little alchemic desks as small bits of red crystal rained down upon the chamber. They bounced off my feminized red armor with small pings that echoed faintly in the room.
“Mistress?” Ballan asked as he peered over the countertop.
“Rise,” I commanded, even as I sat up and hopped off the altar on which the man named Therobelin had been laid. I looked at the place that had once held my form. All that remained of my massive red crystalline prison was a half-meter high circle of burnt and blasted crystal. The rest of it had exploded and scattered around the room when Therobelin and Crystalia had become one.
I knelt down to the ground and picked up one of the larger pieces.
I knew that every man and woman who had been put before the crystal had found it to be fascinating, even though their defiance or terror, depending on the person. But to the part of me that was Crystalia, it had been a cage that had held me for far too long. However, now that I was finally free, I could not bear to leave it. Despite the fact that it had trapped me, it had also protected me from the ravages of time and the madness that might have consumed me. It had allowed me to stretch forth and summon Ballan and his followers to take me from the ancient ruins I had been held at and bring me here.
I studied the shard in my hand and smiled faintly while Ballan stared at me. I could feel the magical power coming from it like a bright fire in a starless night. I laughed just a little, for while the crystal had eventually helped me gain the power to summon help, the crystal had also absorbed my own power. The fools who had imprisoned me would have never expected that.
“Mistress, did it work?” Ballan asked nervously.
Part of me wanted to turn him into a toad for such a foolish question. However, he was the only one to heed my psychic call. I had promised him great rewards for his help and I intended to keep my vow.
“Yes, dear Ballan,” I breathed. The part of me that was Therobelin could not believe the high, breathy voice that came from my lips, nor the other normal female attributes of my new form. The part of me that was Crystalia was delirious with happiness at the simple ability to use normal speech again.
“Gods,” he breathed with a smile as I continued to study the crystal. The piece in my hand was a good piece and I decided that it would do well. After all, a lady such as me needed to look the part, even when she was going to go into battle.
With a wave of my hand, I conjured a golden chain and fused it to the crystal. Satisfied with my work, I donned the necklace and the red shard glowed brightly against my armor.
I turned to face Ballan again and smiled. Then my eyes lit upon the chained forms of Xhaiden and Meghalen. And I smiled much wider.
I sauntered up to the two men. They couldn’t tear their eyes away. I’m sure the transformation that they had watched as Therobelin and Crystalia had become one had been quite entertaining. I was even impressed with the results. I hadn’t expected my armor to change with my new body, but I had apparently underestimated my own power.
I didn’t underestimate this form’s power over men though.
“Ther?” Xhaiden whispered ever so quietly. “Are you in there?”
“Yes,” I said. “At least the true Therobelin, unfettered by rules and ideals.”
“The rules and ideals were who Therobelin was,” Xhaiden said firmly. “Without those, he is not the man he was.”
I laughed delightedly. “Do I look like the man I was?” I said as I stroked his admittedly handsome face. Before the joining, I never would have looked at Xhaiden in that way, but Crystalia’s feminine tastes had a definite influence and I found myself considering the idea of taking the two men on as consorts.
“How would you like to be consorts to a goddess?” I asked warmly. I had a suspicion as to what their answers might be.
“Therobelin,” Meghalen said, trying to ignore my curves that my armor only accentuated. “You need to fight it. Come back to us. We came here to stop these people, not to empower them!”
I laughed again and flipped my hair back. “You don’t seem to understand, my dear friends,” I said. “I’m sure you’re hoping that somewhere inside my mind, there’s a voice that’s crying foul, a voice that says that the agony of imprisonment must end.”
I smiled. “I’m afraid there is only what I have become. A fusion of the power and knowledge of two beings, one male and one female. Crystalia has granted me not only her form, but her magical power as well. And we will free this land from the tyranny of the King and those who follow him.”
The men’s eyes widened. “The King?” Xhaiden asked.
“What I truly desire is to avenge myself on those thrice-damned Sunrise fools,” I muttered angrily. “But they have long since past beyond the veil. So I am left with the descendant of the man who led the assault on my people and me, even after I gave him the offer of a lifetime.”
“I could have granted Allaron untold power to do whatever he wished, but he refused!” I shouted at the two men. “He turned away from what would have been the greatest empire this world has ever known. I could have given him immortality!”
The men–including Ballan–simply stared at me. I didn’t care.
“Allaron has long turned to dust. But his legacy remains as the kingdom that was named after him. The kingdom I intend to transform into the empire it should have been long ago.”
“You’re insane,” Meghalen spat.
I bristled with the tone he was addressing me in. “In the old world, I killed men for lesser insults. But now, I’ve found that the magic of transformation may be able to open your eyes. I was going to make you the consort of a goddess on this planet. But now, I’ve decided that you will do far better as the woman that Ballan has always truly desired.”
Ballan perked up, just as I knew he would. “Mistress? The women you’ve created for me have been more than sufficient.”
“I know, Ballan,” I said. “But you’ve always wanted something more suited to you personally. And I’ve never created that woman for you, because it was always to be your great reward. Now I shall create that woman for you, a woman of fire and passion who is loyal to her master through hell and high water. And you shall be that master.”
“I’d rather die first,” Meghalen said defiantly.
I giggled softly. “I’m sorry, but I’m not giving you that option.”
And my hands began to glow.
Meghalen struggled mightily in his bonds but there wasn’t a thing he could do. The bonds were magically enchanted to be unbreakable and as Meghalen had never had the aptitude for magic, he had no hope for escape.
As the glow increased, I looked into my friend’s eyes and for the first time that I could remember, I saw true fear. Meghalen had been a stalwart companion for many years now, but to be honest, I had always found him a little crude and obnoxious. I will admit that part of me wanted to keep him around in his current form as a masculine consort. But I knew that my friend could get quite dangerous at times and I couldn’t risk to leave him be, even with mental modifications.
It was regrettable, but I knew that Meghalen was set in his ways and he would never be brought over to my side by reason and the effort of changing his mind manually was too much for me at the moment for what I intended to do after my work with Meghalen was complete.
So as my hands became blindingly bright, I looked at Ballan and took the image of his perfect woman directly from his mind. It took only a few moments, but then I had enough to transform Meghalen into Ballan’s perfect companion.
“Take comfort in the fact that I will guarantee your happiness in your new life,” I said softly.
“Go to hell!” Meghalen roared.
At that moment, I held my hand to his chest and pushed forward. My friend let out a yelp as his body stiffened to the point of paralysis. Knowing he was contained, I broke the bonds that had held him and moved him away from the wall. I could see the fear magnified in his eyes, but he was no longer able to speak a single word.
“Watch carefully Ballan,” I said. “And see the birth of your companion.”
I knew without a doubt that I had his undivided attention.
I slowly began to whisper the words that had not been heard on this earth since my imprisonment as I began to cast the ritual of transformation.
The man before me glowed softly as my hands began to weave complex patterns in the air as tiny strings appeared between my fingers. I spoke a single word and his steel armor fell to the ground with a loud clatter. I winced slightly, not being prepared for the echo of steel on stone, but I continued the ritual.
And then the naked man before me began to change. The first change, because it had been the first thing on Ballan’s mind, was Meghalen’s chest. His nipples exploded in size and firm mounds of flesh quickly grew, erasing the chest hair that had once existed. Even as this was happening, his waist constricted and his body structure altered, expanding his hips outward. I glanced into his eyes once more and saw the defiance there, commingled with the fear. He was trying to resist, but there was nothing he could do.
When his hips had reshaped themselves, I sculpted his legs and extended their length in proportion to his body, then shrunk him slightly to match Ballan’s ideal. Apparently he had a thing for shorter women. When the height was correct, I returned my attention to the transforming man’s bust. The kind of bust he had wanted were quite large and I decided to strengthen the man’s back and spine to support the weight of the breasts I had given him. Now there was only one thing below the neck that was still male and I turned my attention to that last piece.
I held up a hand and sent a bright beam of energy at the man’s genitals. I could hear his protest in his mind even as his member shrunk to the point of non-existence and a moist slit appeared in its place. His nether hair readjusted itself to its new shape and took on a bright red hue. I was a little surprised by that, but Ballan did always enjoy redheads.
I looked into the man’s eyes and smiled.
“You will soon forget it all, Meghalen,” I said. “Do not be afraid.”
With a powerful surge of energy, I washed away his face. The beard stubble, broken nose and rugged features all vanished into oblivion, as did his gray eyes and small scars from years on the battlefield. In their place appeared the epitome of feminine perfection, with large emerald eyes surrounded by a perfect complexion that had never known the ravages of war or battle, even though I intended to keep the man’s warrior prowess intact. Ballan had never wanted a helpless woman, but a woman of fire and spirit. I intended to craft that woman from Meghalen’s warrior soul.
The final touch was the growth of his matted red hair. It sprouted until it fell to the middle of his back and tied itself into a tight ponytail. It gained a lush and vibrant sheen that demonstrated a woman who cared for her body as a woman should.
And then, it was over.
I released Meghalen from her spell and she fell loosely to the ground. It took her a moment to catch her bearings before she looked up at me and growled. I could feel the hatred pouring from her.
“You bitch,” she spat. “Transform me back!”
Ballan was obviously shocked from the expression on his face. I simply smiled as I reached down and touched the woman’s forehead. Before she could pull away, I spoke the words that were necessary.
“Mind, match the body you reside.”
The woman’s eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed backwards once more. I waited several moments before she once more opened her eyes and peered up at me and Ballan. The hostility and anger were gone, replaced by joy and happiness.
“Do you remember who you are?” I asked softly.
“Of course, Mistress,” the woman said in her vibrant and seductive voice. “I am Myhala, a servant of Rainfall.”
“Do you remember what just happened?”
“Yes, Mistress,” she said as I helped her to her feet. “I came to you because I believe I can help you in your cause to liberate the people of Allaron. I also came because I believe in your incredible power. When I pledged myself to you, you rewarded me by taking away the frailties of age and the injuries I had sustained in battle over the years.”
“Indeed,” I said with a smile. “You will serve us well, my dear Myhala.”
“What can your humble servant do for you, Mistress?” she asked as she shivered from on the cold floor.
I waved my hand and immediately an ornate green dress appeared over her naked skin. She smiled in thanks.
“Master Ballan here has asked if I might task you to him,” I said, gesturing to the handsome man behind me. “If you are willing.”
Myhala looked at Ballan and I could tell, as only a woman could, that she was quite taken with him. She confirmed what I believed by her following words.
“I would be happy to do anything Master Ballan asks of me,” she said in a breathy voice, her eyes not straying from the man. “Anything at all,” she added with a sly smile.
“It has been some time since you’ve been in the company of an approachable man, is it not, Myhala?” I asked.
“Yes, Mistress,” she said, her eyes not straying from Ballan’s form.
“Then please retire with Ballan to his quarters. At least, if that’s what you desire.”
“Oh yes,” she said as she approached him, her intentions clear in her eyes and her walk. “It is definitely what I desire.”
As Myhala pulled Ballan towards the door, he looked at me with wonder. I simply smiled at him and motioned for him to join his new lover. When the door was closed, I turned my attention to my other friend.
“You were rather quiet during that entire affair, Xhaiden,” I commented as I looked at him curiously.
“We both know that my magic was never a match for Therobelin,” he said. “And there is little doubt in my mind that the person you have become could best me as well.”
“Yet you don’t even struggle,” I said as I slinked my way towards him. “Have you given up hope?”
“There is always hope,” Xhaiden said firmly. “The man I knew as Therobelin may be no more, along with Meghalen. I may be no more after you do whatever you wish to me. But you must expect resistance to your plans. And as long as there are people willing to fight you and your corruption, there is hope that all three of us may be returned to what we truly are.”
“And what are you truly, Xhaiden?” I asked as I ran a finger along his jaw.
“Loyal.”
“Indeed,” I said with a laugh. “You have always been loyal. And that is why I do not intend to do to you what I did to Meghalen.”
“And what do you intend?”
“I need loyalty,” I said firmly. “I need it in those I command, but that is forced upon them. Only some have come here to give their loyalty freely. Meghalen killed one of them, which is a reason I punished him like I did. You’re loyalty to Therobelin runs strong and I believe it can serve me as well.”
“You are not Therobelin.”
“That is in the eye of the beholder,” I said as my hands ran down his leather armor to the bulge in his pants. I caressed it softly, enough so that I could feel it begin to rise. Humans and Elves may look different on the outside and have different skills, but the men of all races were remarkably similar, a similarity I was looking forward to exploring. As Crystalia, I had never been able to transform an Elf.
“I will not serve you,” he said.
“Indeed you will,” I returned with a smile. “And you will do so willingly and happily, both as a warrior and my lover.”
His eyes widened and I smiled. Moments later, I touched his forehead and force his eyes to close.
“Take your loyalty to Therobelin and feel it transform and connect to the woman Therobelin has become.”
“No…” he whispered. “I will…not….serve…”
“Feel your loyalty transform and become desire for the woman before you.”
The Elf moaned softly as I altered his thoughts, weaving a new conscience and a new way of thinking into his mind.
“Now awaken to your new life,” I said.
His eyes opened.
He smiled.
“My love,” he said. With those two words, I knew I had been successful. I undid the chains and Xhaiden took me up into his arms and kissed me deeply. I melted into him and felt the stirrings of my own need for him. I could feel his member pushing into me and I wanted it within me.
With a wave of my hand, our armor fell to the ground and we stood there in an embrace, exploring each other’s bodies with our hands. As he bore me down to the altar where I had become a woman, I rejoiced in the sensations that I had not felt in so very long.
Tomorrow we had much to do. With my resurrection and freedom from the crystal, it was time to move on my first target. It would not be difficult, for I already had forces in place that would make the taking of the town quite simple.
But tonight, as the rain continued to fall on the skylight above my lover and I, I would simply rejoice in the feel of Xhaiden inside me, thrusting deeply as only a skilled lover could.
The empire could wait one more day.
Synopsis: With the fate of Allaron in the balance, Ghanton is beset upon by the forces of the newly empowered Rainfall Cult even as an enemy within the town’s walls is unleashed by Rainfall’s new leader. (Part 4)
* * *
Author’s Note: I highly recommend that you read the rest of the Rainfall Saga before reading this story. They are named “Rainfall: Arrival,” “Rainfall: Assault” and “Rainfall: Resurrection.”
* * *
I awoke with the dawn. I glanced through the skylight above me and found myself disappointed that the storm had passed. Instead of dark clouds, there was only the sun shining through the glass.
I had always preferred the rain. Not many knew it, but when it rained, it helped to replenish the magical energy of the earth. Most acts of renewal did. And the thought of the acts of renewal I performed last night made my body tingle.
I glanced over to my sleeping lover, Xhaiden, and smiled. I had expected my first sex after five thousand years of imprisonment to be good, but Xhaiden had simply took my breath away. I stretched luxuriously, careful not to wake him even as I took stock of the room.
Sometime during our second run on the altar that had once held the man Therobelin, I had decided that the stone slab was a little too rough on my delicate female skin. So I had conjured up a very large bed on the other side of the chamber for the rest of the night’s activities.
I suspected that I would have to reconjure the bed if Xhaiden and I decided to use it again for any more sexual marathons. While I’m sure it could stand one or two more bouts of lovemaking, it was only tempting fate to go further than that. In my position, one never tempted fate.
I rose out of bed and conjured up a warm robe and a pair of slippers, so I wouldn’t cut my feet on the red crystal that still littered the floor. A moment later, I decided that I would rather just clean the shards up, so I simply waved my hand and in a few seconds, every single shard had been collected into a box on the altar. I nodded in satisfaction and hopped to my feet.
I decided to let Xhaiden rest for a bit. Last night’s activities had been quite strenuous and the events of today were likely to be even harder on us.
After all, one didn’t build an empire by simply sitting still.
I wandered the room for a short while and studied it. For so many years, I had resided in the crystal that had been the centerpiece of the room a short time ago. Though Ballan had found me, I didn’t even have that limited view upon the world. Before Ballan had found me, I had been buried deep within the Midnight Mountains, only able to magically spy on the lives of a small town called Clive about ten miles away.
It was in that town where I had found Ballan. At first, I could only speak to him in his dreams, where I appeared to him as a woman of light. I fueled his desires and ambitions over the years, giving him dreams of unparalleled power. Finally, I gave of some of my magical energy so that he might help me to rise from the ashes of my past. After enslaving most of his own townsfolk, he did. For the first time in a little under five thousand years, I could see more than a few walls of rock and earth.
Though I was still encased in the crystal, I was at least able to communicate directly with Ballan and those who followed him. For some time, we remained in the town of Clive, until we heard rumors of a cult of humans near the town of Ghanton who were plaguing people with bizarre mind-altering spells. It was a long trip from Clive to Ghanton, but when we discovered who the so-called cult really was, we knew the trip had been worth the while.
I smiled as I remembered the jubilation of the Rainfall Sect when we had entered the Talon Forest. These people were all that remained of the great empire that I had once ruled millennia ago. They now lived in tents among the crumbling ruins that had once been an outpost in the great war that had resulted in my imprisonment. They had been trying to recapture the power of transformation and mind control for centuries now and had done so in varying degrees of success.
That had been one hundred years ago. In response to the service that the Rainfall Sect had given me, I had given Ballan and his followers youth and power beyond their wildest dreams. Many had come to join us willingly and many had tried to remove us from this place.
But we were still here and our numbers had grown, either through willing volunteers or through a little mind-altering magic.
I sat on the altar for a few moments and considered the long path that now laid behind me and the much shorter path that lay ahead. With the discovery of Therobelin and our merger, the plans that had waited for five thousand years could finally be put into motion. However, I knew that it would be a struggle. Xhaiden had been right last night. There was bound to be resistance. Even with our forces here at the fortress and the warriors sleeping inside Ghanton, it would be a long road.
This time, however, the King did not have the services of the Sunrise Clan, the only other keepers of transformational magic since the ancient times. And without that power, there was little that they could do to stop us.
A soft knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I glanced over at Xhaiden’s handsome form. He turned over in the bed and snorted softly, much to my amusement, but remained asleep.
I stepped over to the door and opened it quietly. Ballan was standing on the other side with a rather silly grin plastered on his face.
“Oh Mistress,” he gushed. “She is everything I could have hoped for!”
I smiled and stepped out of the room into the drafty hall, not wanting our conversation to wake Xhaiden.
“So you approve of her?” I asked warmly. He had been such a good servant for so many years, even if he was remarkably thickheaded at times.
“Oh yes, Mistress!” Ballan exclaimed. “Most of the people we transformed ended up being an entertaining diversion between the sheets, but there was nothing behind the eyes. I know the reason why we did that to them, but it just got old after a while.”
“And with Myhala?”
“She’s eager to please, but she has her own needs in bed as well,” Ballan said. “It’s so refreshing to have a real woman in my bed instead of some mindless harlot.”
I giggled softly. I found it amusing Myhala had been just as transformed as every other woman Ballan had slept with. The only difference this time was that I had taken his desires straight out of his head. Myhala was the embodiment of everything Ballan had ever wanted in a woman, even if she used to be my old friend, Meghalen. I suspected that Myhala was happier with Ballan than Meghalen had ever been in his entire life.
Granted, it may be a programmed happiness, but I didn’t think that simple detail mattered in the end. Either way, it was irrelevant. Myhala would never again be Meghalen. She would serve Ballan and the Rainfall Sect for many years. During her transformation, I had given her the same youthful regeneration treatment I had given all of the Rainfall Sect’s members.
“I am pleased that you are happy, Ballan,” I said sincerely. “Now, in about an hour, I would like to roust the troops. Today is going to be a very important day.”
“Today, Mistress?” Ballan asked me. “Are you sure you don’t want more time to prepare?”
“No,” I said. “Crystalia has been waiting for this moment for eons and Therobelin is eager to test his newfound power. In two hours, I want the entire fortress ready to move out.”
“As you command, Mistress,” Ballan said with a bow. “You did say in about an hour, right?” he asked with a sly grin.
I smiled. “You may feel free to enjoy the company of Myhala for that time.”
“You are ever gracious, Mistress,” he said, returning the smile.
“Oh, I know,” I said as he walked off, with a bounce in his step that I had never seen before.
The smile was still on my face when I reentered my chamber. Xhaiden was now sitting up in bed, his soft blond hair shining in the sunlight. Even though I appreciated rain more than sun, I had to admit the effect was quite handsome.
“Do your plans go well?” Xhaiden asked.
“They do,” I said as I approached him. “And those plans include you, my dear.”
“I serve when it is needed,” Xhaiden said.
“I know,” I responded. “And you served quite well last night.”
Xhaiden blushed. I giggled softly as the Therobelin part of me remembered well how easily Xhaiden could be embarrassed. I was glad that I didn’t have to rewrite his mind completely because I would have dearly missed one of my closest friends. Now, all he remembered was that he had accompanied Therobelin in coming to join the Rainfall Sect, instead of destroying it.
“So what are we to do today?” Xhaiden asked as his eyes wandered over my body. I felt my nipples harden with the lustful gaze he was giving me.
“We have about an hour until Ballan awakens our forces for our march on Ghanton.”
“And what are we to do until then?” Xhaiden asked with a smile.
“I had a few ideas,” I said slyly. “But it will require your hair to be a little longer.”
“What are you talking about?” Xhaiden asked.
I waved my hand at him and cast a quick transformation spell. This one was not nearly as extensive as Meghalen’s had been yesterday, so it didn’t require nearly as much power and didn’t take as long.
Within sixty seconds, instead of the handsome Elvin male in my bed, there was now an extremely cute pixie-like Elvin woman.
“What did you do to me?” Xhaiden asked in wonder as she gazed at her new form, her voice now high and breathy.
“I thought I would show you how a woman experiences pleasure,” I said with a smile.
Her eyes shot up to me. “You want to experience me as a woman?”
“Don’t worry, lover,” I said warmly. “There’s no way that you’re going to be staying in this adorable form for very long. I just want to play around.”
Xhaiden looked down for a little bit at her smallish breasts that were now hanging out, her nipples hardening in the cool air.
“Who am I to refuse the future Empress of the land?” Xhaiden said with a smile.
“Who indeed?” I said as I jumped into the bed.
A little under an hour later, I had transformed Xhaiden back into a man after a very satisfying bout of womanly lovemaking. It had taken the man a little while to catch on, but Xhaiden was a quick learner. I actually regretted turning him back into a man, but a proper Empress needed a proper consort. It would be no trouble at all to change Xhaiden back into his feminine form after we had done what was required.
I was not very eager to get out of bed after I had transformed him back. The part of me that was Therobelin was still basking in the wonders of female sexuality and was eager to explore it further. Meanwhile, Crystalia had not had physical sex in over five thousand years and was obviously eager for as much action as possible. However, I knew that with my freedom from the crystal as Crystalia and the fact that I had departed Ghanton recently as Therobelin, I would have to move quickly. Ghanton would not be expecting an assault so soon after my departure from their gates.
As I smiled at Xhaiden warmly, I wondered at the person I had become. Twelve hours ago, I had been the Battlemage Therobelin, eager to seek one last great battle by destroying the Rainfall Cult where so many had failed. Even as powerful as I was, I had limited myself in the past by setting boundaries of what I could and could not do. I had put myself under such constraints that I hadn’t been able to do what was necessary to right the wrongs that had happened before my very eyes.
Now I was the warrior goddess Crystalia, reborn into a form that could walk again on the face of a world that had almost forgotten her. I had taken those boundaries and limits and thrown them away, embracing the enormous potential that had always been waiting for me. I had simply lacked the strength of will to grasp my destiny. That was no longer an issue.
It was strange to now have the memories of two lifetimes within my head, yet only one voice. As time went by, I could feel myself becoming more and more complete as a person, the personalities commingling even further. I wasn’t exactly sure what would happen when that was complete, but I was eager to find out.
First, I had to make sure that my base of power was secure.
I jumped out of bed and started to don my red glass armor. When Xhaiden began to put on his armor, I told him to stop.
“Why?” Xhaiden asked. “I can’t exactly help you if I’m naked. At least, not with your plans for Ghanton,” he added with a smile.
“Because that leather armor of yours was of the person you were before we came to this place,” I said as I adjusted my chest piece. “The soldiers in my army wear a different crest.”
Xhaiden glanced around the room. “I don’t see anything,” he said.
“Patience,” I commented as I seated my helmet on my head. I conjured up a mirror quickly to check my outfit. The soft red glow of the armor reminded me of the captain of the Rainfall guard, a woman who had been among the first to join Ballan in his quest to recover me. I was disappointed that she would be unable to fight alongside us, but it would take months of magical therapy for her to be able to even wield a sword again. She was lucky that Crystalia knew a little more about magical restoration than Therobelin did, or else she would remain as she was now, unable to lift a dagger or cast even the smallest of sparks.
Finally satisfied that my armor and weaponry were secure, I turned my attention to the nude Elf. I smiled as I gazed below his waist and spied the thing that had kept me company last night. I then shook my head and focused on the man as a whole.
I spoke a few brief words before waving my hand in his direction. Immediately, black glass armor shimmered into existence around his body. It was almost identical to my own, save the color and a tabard on the chest piece, showing three raindrops.
He glanced down at the armor set and nodded his approval. He tried a few quick movements to test its flexibility and was apparently satisfied with the results.
“It’s beautiful,” he commented as he gazed at the armor’s black sheen.
“Why thank you,” I said with a grin. “There’s only one thing missing.”
“What’s that?”
I tossed him something, which he caught effortlessly in midair. When he opened his fist, there was a small red shard on a silver chain. It was a piece of the crystal that had imprisoned me.
He glanced up at me. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “I made this especially for you. It will allow you to wield transformational magic. It won’t be to the same degree as me, but you’ll be able to use it in battle. I hope to take Ghanton without any bloodshed.”
“Will it allow me to alter people’s minds?” Xhaiden asked as he peered at the shiny shard.
“To a very small degree,” I responded. “You’ll be able to confuse them and to maybe render them unconscious. You won’t be able to entirely rewrite their mental history as I can.”
“Why give me this?”
“Because my most trusted companions must be able to use the magic that I use. The more you use this transformational magic, the better you will become at wielding it.”
“Hopefully you’ll be able to give me a few lessons down the road.” Xhaiden commented.
“You’ll receive a great deal of training in the days and weeks to come,” I said confidently. “I predict that you will become as adapt as I am with the power of transformation.”
“I am honored,” Xhaiden said with a bow.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” I called.
Ballan and Myhala walked into the door, both of them already in their black armor. They were obviously holding hands right until they actually passed through the threshold to my chamber. I smiled warmly and hoped only the best for the two new lovers. I could tell that the magic I had used on Myhala had worked well, as it appeared that Ballan had totally forgotten about the man she had used to be.
“The troops are prepared for your address in the main hall, Mistress,” Ballan said with a bow that was mirrored quickly by Myhala.
“Excellent,” I said. “Before we depart, however, I have two gifts for the two of you.” I tossed them each crystals of their own and quickly explained their purpose. Ballan already had some skill in transformational magic, but the crystal would focus his power greatly. Both thanked me profusely and I nodded in acknowledgement.
“Let us not keep our followers waiting,” I said.
The four of us marched out of the chamber and down several hallways until we reached the main hall. It had originally been used as a barracks for the legion of soldiers that had been stationed here millennia ago. There was a large stage at the forward section of it, where Ballan had placed a podium for me to speak from.
I gazed out over the assembled throng and smiled. Over two hundred and fifty strong, their black armors shone darkly in the torchlight. When I had cast the spell for Xhaiden, I had cast it for the rest of my followers.
I thought over the statement in my head again as I took my place on the stage. I realized that the part of me that was Therobelin very much liked having followers. As Therobelin, I had always been a lone wolf, rarely calling in support unless it was absolutely needed. Though I had always done my part for the guilds of Allaron, I had never made it a point to play the political game so that I might rise to leadership. Now, I was not only a leader of an army, but I was goddess reborn. It was a powerful sensation.
I took a deep breath and glanced around me. Xhaiden was to my right, while Ballan and Myhala were directly to my left. The tiny shards around their necks glowed brightly in the dimly lit room. It was time.
“My friends,” I said warmly. “We have waited for this day for millennia. Through the efforts of Master Ballan, we have finally found someone worthy for your goddess to merge with and become manifest on this earth once more. I stand before you as a fusion of the Battlemage Therobelin and the warrior goddess Crystalia.”
The entire group of people cheered loudly and I basked in their adoration.
“For too long, the fools in the Imperial City and the Provincial Courts have lorded over the people in the Kingdom of Allaron, ignoring the plight of their people as they are beset by bandits and monsters,” I stated. “We intend to change that fact!”
“Today, we will march upon the town of Ghanton, whose inhabitants were vital in my defeat over five thousand years ago. It is ironic that we should build our forces back in one of the great forts built to destroy me and everything I stood for. But now we will show them the error of their ways!”
The crowd cheered once more. I could feel the energy pouring off them. It was an amazing sensation. One the Therobelin side of me definitely could get used to, just as Crystalia had loved it so many years ago.
“But we do not seek to destroy these people. Their minds and bodies will be used to help fuel our campaign! Every man, woman and child will be transformed into one of the finest armies this world has ever known! So when we fight our way into Ghanton today, do not kill anyone. I have granted each of you the magical abilities and weaponry to stun your foes so that we might utilize them in our long march to the Imperial City.”
“Today, my friends, Ghanton will fall to the New Rainfall Empire!”
My followers went wild, cheering and hooting. I grinned as I stepped back from the podium and allowed Ballan to take the stage. As he gave the two hundred and fifty their orders, I knew nothing that could stop us.
Especially once I activated our hidden weapon.
I considered our tactics for a brief moment as Ballan gave his directions to our forces. The primary bulk of our forces would march with me directly to the town gate, while a smaller force of three dozen would secure the rear gate. Meanwhile, several groups of three would patrol around the town walls, to be sure that no one escaped through the various different passageways outside the town. When I had transformed various people from the town, I had gathered a great deal of information on the town’s defenses and exit routes. With the entire town in an uproar from our planned diversion, there was little chance of an effective armed resistance. And with the sentries in the surrounding terrain, I was confident that we would be able to acquire every soul in Ghanton.
The briefing took only ten minutes. Ballan made sure to emphasize again that non-lethal force was to be used at all times. I was sure that the town itself would pose little difficulty.
I was a little concerned about securing the Great Hall of Ghanton, however. One of the reasons I had decided that Ghanton was to be our first target, other than it’s proximity to the fortress, was that the Tapar family were the direct descendants of those who helped defeat me in the great war so long ago. I had managed to transform several Royal Guards that had been stationed within the Hall, but I was still uncertain if we would be able to cover all the escape routes from the Hall. I had most of the primary escape routes covered by teams of twelve, however, it was possible that there were a few routes that I was unaware of.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I would simply have to be confident in my forces’ ability to secure the hall and the escape routes. Nothing was going to stop me from getting my hands on Lord and Lady Tapar, as well as their only son, Count Redwick. It was as simple as that.
When Ballan had finished, he began to give the order to move out, but I stopped him.
“There is one final thing,” I said to the crowd. “In the Three Goblets Inn, there is a woman named Talissa. She is to be brought to me unharmed and conscious.”
My followers nodded their assent.
“Then let us march,” I said.
A short time later, I was at the head of our forces leaving the Rainfall Fortress. I paused for a moment and glanced back at the fortress that had been Crystalia’s home for so very long. Even the Therobelin part of me was disappointed to leave as well, for it was where he had become the person he had always meant to be. In some small way, I was sad to leave it. Perhaps after I secured the Imperial City, I would return and have my followers erect a shrine here, in honor of where Therobelin and Crystalia had become one. After several more moments, I turned my eyes away and looked forward, resolute on my new path that could only lead to victory.
When we were fifteen minutes out from the fortress, I motioned for the scout and sentry groups and the rear gate force to spread out through the forest. Their dark armor blended well in the shaded forest and it wasn’t long before all of them were out of sight. As we passed a tight grove of trees, I looked into the forest and dispelled the illusion that had forced Therobelin, Xhaiden and Meghalen to come to the fortress.
Crystalia had created a magical dragon that would appear to anyone who entered the Talon Forest when the person considered leaving. It primarily was designed to force people into range of the fortress so my people could capture and transform them. I had fortified it especially for Therobelin and I had watched from within the crystal as his mind had probed the creature, nervous that he would penetrate my deception. I had been lucky that Therobelin hadn’t inspected my magical dragon closer or else I might still be locked in that infernal crystalline cage.
Once I dispelled the dragon, I motioned for my troops to continue now that the way was clear.
An hour or so later, I stopped the group several hundred feet from the tree line.
Xhaiden, Ballan and Myhala approached me.
“Are you prepared?” I asked them.
“We are, Mistress,” Ballan said confidently.
“Good,” I said. “Because once I activate them, there will be no turning back.”
I glanced at the faces of my troops. I could no longer remember who of them had come to me willingly and who had been transformed into a follower. But it didn’t really matter anymore. Now, there was only one unified force under a single banner.
My banner.
“Then prepare yourselves, my friends,” I said as I began to gather the magical energy of the forest and the recent rain to me. My three companions backed away as my body began to glow. I stared at the great wall surrounding the town of Ghanton and as my eyes began to glow with my body, I could see past the town’s fortifications.
In my mind’s eye, I flew through the streets, ignoring the people going about their normal business until I reached what most simply called ‘the end of the road.’
The Ghanton Brothel.
It was upon that building which I focused all of my energies, even as I felt the raw sexual power emanating from the building. I fed upon that energy and felt my perceptions deepen.
I was aware of the clouds that had suddenly sprang into existence above our heads, but I paid it no mind. I could feel the wind blowing through the trees and smell the coming rain. It smelled of victory.
And finally, there was enough. I delved into the minds of the whores in the brothel and searched deeply for the hidden triggers I had placed in each of them. With a simple word into their minds, I activated the first trigger. As one, the entire compliment of whores stopped their lovemaking and stood, much to the consternation of their clients.
I sent the second word.
Immediately, black glass armor shimmered into existence around their naked forms even as their magical abilities and fighting skills returned. Where before they had simply been an army of women desperate for a man’s touch, now there were over seventy woman dressed in full battle armor with a singular mission.
They struck without hesitation, firing incapacitation spells at the men they had been having sex with only moments before. In an instant, every man in the building collapsed into unconsciousness.
The group marched out of the brothel and attacked every soul in sight. The guards went mad as they recognized their lover’s faces attacking the townspeople. They were completely at a loss of what to do as men, women and children were falling to the ground around them. Finally, the captain of the town guard rallied his troops for a counterattack.
I knew it was time for the second phase.
“Go!” I shouted to my entire assembly as the rain began to pour down around us. With a mighty roar, we launched ourselves towards the gates of Ghanton.
The gatekeeper that I had spoke to when I had arrived looked in horror at the massive force coming out of the trees for several seconds. I could hear the crackle of energy as my forces prepared their Staffs of Paralysis and Arrows of Incapacitation. For a brief moment, I thought of the irony of the moment. One of the first to fall would be the man who had warned me away from Ghanton, one who would have denied me my destiny.
I had to give the gatekeeper credit. He managed to recover his wits in time to shout a warning to the guards on the other side of the gate. I could sense them preparing to secure the gate from the other side, even as they were attacked from within.
That was definitely not acceptable.
An arrow shot by me and impaled the man directly in the center of his chest. He stiffened and fell over backwards. I nodded my approval to Xhaiden and prepared a spell. Within seconds, a massive concussion spell was blasting towards the great gate of Ghanton.
The impact was deafening as the doors blew open. The men who had desperately been trying to bar the gate were thrown backwards almost fifty yards. The doors rang loudly as they slammed up against the buildings on either side. With no opposition at the front door, my army poured into the town of two thousand people.
With their primary guard force distracted by the transformed whores, there was almost no resistance. A staff, an arrow or a spell immediately struck down every single person who looked even tempted to put up a fight. Within two minutes, we had the entire town’s complement of guards surrounded. The guard captain, a big burly man who looked like he had been in far too many barfights, growled at me in fury.
“Surrender,” I commanded as I laid my hand on the hilt of my sword. In the entire two minutes of battle, I never had the need to draw it.
“Burn in hell, bitch,” the guard shot back as lifted his sword high in the air and rushed at me.
Before he could take his third step, I had lifted him into the air with a telekinesis spell. He dropped his sword in shock as he looked at my smiling visage.
“I think you could use a change in attitude,” I said conversationally. “And a change in attire.”
The red crystal around my neck glowed as I cast a quick spell upon him. Within seconds, his armor dropped to the ground as it was replaced by a rather naughty-looking negligee. The image of the man in a negligee was rather disturbing, so I made another quick change. Within thirty seconds, where there once was a burly man, there was now a busty petite brunette.
I heard our captives gasp in horror at the transformation that had occurred right before their eyes. Everyone in Ghanton had known in theory about the power of the Rainfall Sect because of those who had come to the Brothel, but none had ever seen a transformation occur right in front of them.
I dropped the transformed man to the ground and she looked up, very confused. I had placed the basic whore mentality that I had used in the past. I thought about doing a little more mental work and transforming her into a proper solider, but I had more pressing matters to attend to. So I simply watched as she stood up and walked towards the brothel as if drawn there.
My forces laughed at her behavior and I joined in for a few moments.
“Let’s move,” I said as we marched towards the Great Hall, leaving behind a contingent of warriors to keep the prisoners in line.
Ghanton actually had two forces of soldiers within its walls. The first was the normal town guard, which was primarily made up of volunteers from the townspeople. The other group was the Royal Guard, assigned by the Imperial City to protect the Provincial Court. I was impressed with the Royal Guards’ coordination. Their captain had apparently seen through the attack by the women from the brothel and had organized a force blockading the entrance to the hall. My forces had the entire place surrounded in a great black circle of glistening armor. When my group of four approached, they parted to allow us access.
One of the sergeants spoke. “They have the doors barred from the other side, Mistress. I also believe that the court wizard is assisting with the defense, as our concussion spells will not work on the doors.”
“Don’t worry, solider,” I said. “We’ll handle this.”
The four of us approached the door and I nodded to my companions. Ballan and Myhala were still wielding their Staffs of Paralysis and Xhaiden had a full quiver of Arrows. I suspected for this battle that I would need my own sword so I finally took it from its sheath. I smiled at the glow of the mithril blade, now a bright crimson as opposed to the blue hue it had been earlier.
I probed their defenses with my mind and detected at least two dozen guards located directly inside, in addition to the court wizard. Surprisingly, I recognized the man as a retiree from the Mage’s Council from the Imperial City named Harok. I was a little annoyed with this development, as I had not known of his presence in the city. Harok may have been retired, but there had been few people in Allaron who were more skilled in destructive magic.
“Everyone stay back until we clear the way,” I said to the group surrounding the Hall. “I don’t want someone to get hit by friendly fire.” There was also the fact that the earlier fight had only wetted my appetite for battle. I was eager to have a real test of my skills and I believed that four against two dozen soldiers and a powerful destruction wizard would pose a suitable challenge.
I took a deep breath and prepared my first spell. But right before I released it, I decided to give them a chance.
“Surrender!” I called through the door. I knew that they could hear me. “You cannot stand against us!”
“Never!” an old man’s voice called. “I know what you are! And I know precisely what you will do to us!”
“Harok,” I responded. “You cannot win. Yield and I may show mercy.”
“Your kind of mercy is not one I will experience willingly,” Harok shot back with venom in his voice. “You shall not take this hall!” I could sense the defenses of the Hall strengthen and I decided that I had waited long enough.
A great green comet shot from my rapidly moving hands directly at the door. The impact was similar to the one that had occurred when I had launched my attack on the Rainfall tower. There was a bright flash as the magical barrier was dispelled. I could feel the rising panic of the guards inside. Yet, I sensed that they held their position. They were an admirably trained group of soldiers. They would do well wearing the Rainfall crest.
Before Harok could reconjure the defensive shield, I let loose a massive concussion spell in time with Ballan. The double doors actually exploded into a billion splinters when the spells struck home. The four of us shielded ourselves as best we could as the shards of wood blasted us. Those inside were lucky that the force of the spell had caused most of the splinters to be shot outward instead of inward, because if the direction had been reversed, there would be some very grave injuries on the part of our foes.
“Charge!” I commanded as the dust cleared and I glimpsed into the eyes of the terrified guardsmen. A slew of arrows were immediately in the air as Xhaiden sought to quickly incapacitate the guards. Myhala and Ballan ran forward with a roar and immediately engaged their forward forces while others fell from Xhaiden’s arrows.
I looked to the rear of the guards and my eyes met Harok’s. There was no doubt in my mind that he had spoken the truth earlier. He did know who I was short time ago. And I sensed he knew what I had become as well.
That explained the unbridled fury in his eyes as he launched his first fireball directly at me. I was impressed as it shot upwards over the guards and then adjusted course directly at me. Still, it wasn’t something I was overly concerned with. I cast a quick dispel at the fireball and it blew apart into a shower of tiny harmless sparks.
I once more gazed into my foe’s eyes and smiled cruelly as I felt the battlelust fill me. In that second, I could feel all of my ambition and power that I had previously held back building quickly. With a wave of my hand, I teleported myself only a few feet away from the man. When I struck, I didn’t hold back.
I cast a spell over my blade to incapacitate instead of wound and I came down upon him like a cobra. Despite the fact that he was an old man, he was still very skilled in the fighting arts. Before my eyes, he conjured an ancient wizard’s staff and blocked my blow.
The sounds of battle behind me quickly became unimportant as Harok and I laid into each other. I knew that my people could handle the others. I also knew that if I didn’t personally handle Harok, he would probably obliterate my forces.
Our movements were a blur. One moment, we were striking at each other with our weapons, the next we were firing spells back and forth. In the madness of battle, I could not keep track of the spells and movements that I naturally cast and countercast. The surges of energy between us were immense and I could feel the building shaking with the sheer power of our encounter.
Firebolts and frostbolts were deflected into the walls, scorching or freezing them instantly. Incapacitation and shielding spells bounced off the ceiling and into the fray behind us, stunning several of the guards desperately trying to prevent the others from entering the Great Hall.
What Harok didn’t know was the full scope of power at my command. There was the fusion of what had been Crystalia and Therobelin, but there was also the power I had absorbed during the rainstorm last night and the power I had absorbed from the women in the brothel. Against such raw and unfettered power, even the great Harok had no hope.
I think that he knew that his chances were nonexistent. He fought on anyway and he was to be commended for that.
However, there would be no mercy for the man once I beat him down.
Finally, I managed to strike his left arm with my blade. The stunning spell shot up his arm with a deep red glow and he cried out from the pain. He managed to keep his hands on his staff, but I knew at that moment that he was mine.
With a great stroke, I tore the staff from his hands. It flew end over end before landing near the doorway. I looked into my enemy’s eyes and smiled as my veins coursed with battlelust.
“Just get it over with,” the old man spat
“If you insist,” I sneered.
And I slammed my hand into his chest and started to rip his power directly from his soul. As Therobelin, I almost never used this ability. In fact, the two people I had used it on during the assault on the fortress had been the first in three years.
As Therobelin, I had always found the use of such dark magic to tear the very essence from a person’s body to be abhorrent. I would only use that ability in the direst of situations, such as what had occurred within the fortress with the captain and the guard.
As the reborn warrior goddess Crystalia, I didn’t have any such reservations.
I watched in pleasure as the man before me writhed and moaned as I stripped him of his magic. New spells and abilities flooded my mind as I took his memories and his knowledge. I could feel the power surging through me and I actually felt an orgasm rush through me from the sheer pleasure of the moment.
Before long, the man’s shape altered as I began to take his masculinity. With the rate I was feeding off him, it wasn’t long before there was a buxom young wench barely over nineteen years old at my feet.
With a cry of victory, I ripped my hand free of the new woman’s heaving chest. I looked down and grinned as my armor glowed with unearthly power. As I turned my gaze to my followers who had just struck down the last guards, I could sense their awe.
“Let us end this,” I said in a voice that thundered through the hall. It was the voice of a goddess.
We marched inside the Great Hall, my three companions to my back and the rest of my black-clad soldiers behind them. I smiled when I saw Lord and Lady Tapar sitting on their thrones. They looked at peace, but I could tell in their eyes that they were terrified.
Their son, Count Redwick, was not nearly as composed. He was staring daggers at me even as his eyes shot over my curves. His anger was so palpable that he looked as if he would start to foam at the mouth. I smiled at him serenely, confident in my plans. He actually rather handsome, even in his anger, and might make a good consort when Xhaiden wasn’t available. It was something to consider later.
“I’m a little surprised that you’re sitting right here,” I commented to the Lord and Lady. “I was expecting to have to ferret you out of some hole.”
“My guards informed me that all of our escape routes had been cut off by black suited warriors,” The Lord said angrily. “When Harok told me of the power he sensed from the leader of this invasion, I knew we could not hide. We are not cowards. So why have you done this, woman?”
“Because once upon a time, your blood attacked me and my kind,” I said. “It has taken quite a while–over five thousand years–but vengeance has finally come down upon you.”
“Five thousand years?” the Lady asked, her eye wide with shock and fear. “You cannot be Erya.”
“I do not go by that name anymore,” I said. “But I was once called that.”
“You were destroyed in the great war by Allaron and the Sunrise Clan!” she responded.
“I was only imprisoned,” I spat. “Entombed by the fools who would deny themselves power because they are stupid and afraid.”
“Enough of the past,” the Lord said. “What do you intend to do to us?”
“The same I will do to all of your citizens,” I responded with a wicked grin. “You will serve me as part of my army.”
“We would die first,” Redwick said furiously.
“I do not give that option,” I said as I turned my eyes to him. “Death is a waste of material. With a few spells, you will think that I have liberated you from the tyranny of the King and you will fight for me. It’s not far from the truth. You just don’t know it.”
I was suddenly distracted by incoherent shouts behind me. I turned and laughed. Two of my guards had Talissa between them. She was struggling mightily, but there wasn’t much she could do.
“Release me, you bitches!” she cried to the two women in black.
“And miss our little reunion?” I said with a smirk as I approached her. As soon as her eyes turned to me, she stiffened in pure horror.
“You…” she whispered. “What is going on here?”
“I am taking back what should have been mine so long ago,” I said firmly. “I decided that I won’t be joining you in that precious inn of yours after all. I found something better.”
“Therobelin?” she said in a hushed tone. “It cannot be!”
“Oh it is,” I said as I appraised her body. She would make an excellent concubine. “Crystalia showed me what I could become with the proper motivation.”
Her eyes slid over to Xhaiden at my side, watching the exchange. Her look of terror deepened as she glanced over at the redheaded Myhala. “What have you done?”
“Crystalia showed me that this world needs a stronger hand to protect the people. So I joined with her. As you were given the option to,” I spat.
“What?” she asked. “I don’t remember that!”
I touched her forehead and whispered a few soft words and then realization came flooding into her eyes. “You wanted to join with me as Talis!” she cried. “But I fought you, I resisted. In the end, you realized that you couldn’t turn me to your whims. I was too strong.”
“And more fool you,” I spat. “You could have become a goddess. Instead, you are now a simple innkeeper, devoid of power and skill. Useless in every sense of the word.”
I glared at the simple-minded fool before me.
“And now witness the power that you denied yourself.”
I spun and struck Lord Tapar with a transformation spell. The Lady screamed in fear as my guards held her fast to her chair while he was changing. The two guards on either side of Redwick also held him as he cried out his father’s name.
I watched with glee as the years disappeared from his body and he lost all of his rugged masculinity that must have turned many heads in his younger days. His body softened and soon two large breasts appeared on his chest as blond hair sprouted from his scalp.
The transforming man glared up at me.
“This isn’t…over…” he said as his voice changed octaves. His hips widened considerably in the time it took him to say those three words.
“It is for you,” I sneered.
And with that, his eyes glazed over and changed color from their steel gray to a soft blue. A few seconds later, there was only a beautiful blond with massive breasts sitting on the throne. She looked around, obliviously confused until I added the final touch.
She stood and immediately, the black glass and Rainfall crest appeared on her curvaceous form. She approached me and knelt.
“Mistress,” she said in a high soprano voice. “I am prepared to serve.”
I laughed at the look in the Court’s faces and then glanced downward.
“Rise, Elisa and joined your brethren,” I said warmly. She rose and smiled at me, then went back to join the others.
“You’re a monster,” Talissa said behind me. I spun back to face her.
“Perhaps,” I said. “But you will still serve.”
“Never,” Talissa shot back. Suddenly, the woman somehow slipped out of the grasp of my guards and launched herself at me. I was completely unprepared for her attack as she clawed at my face and neck, obviously trying to throttle me. It only took a few seconds for my people to haul her off me.
I looked up at her and growled. “You’ll pay for that, you little tramp.”
But strangely, she wasn’t even looking at me. She was looking at her hand. I glanced at it as well and gasped at the small red glimmer.
She had my pendant.
With no warning at all, every single person in the room save for Redwick and the Lady was suddenly blasted backwards. When I scrambled back up to my feet, I was shocked to see Talissa’s form glowing. I sensed a huge rush of power pouring into her. She was regaining the power she had as Talis. Somehow, that tiny shard of crystal was giving it all back to her.
“Impossible!” I screamed as I started to charge her. Before I could take two steps, I was on my rear again with Talissa glaring at me furiously as energy crackled from her hands.
“Get out of here!” the Lady screamed at Talissa. “Get help!”
My attention was distracted by the Lady’s cry and in that brief moment, Talissa threw herself at Redwick. She clutched the prince tightly and there was a bright flash. I cursed loudly in several ancient tongues as they had teleported away.
I roared in fury at this debacle.
“Find them!” I shouted at my guards. They scampered away to search the forest. The two of them couldn’t have gotten far.
Then I turned my attention to the Lady.
“They will stop you,” she said as I approached her. “They will find a way to kill the monster that you have become, Therobelin.”
“Nothing can kill a goddess,” I told her as I probed her mind violently. I wanted a weakness. She had distracted me from my goal and she would be punished. In a few moments, I found what I needed.
“I know you, Lady Tapar,” I said evilly. “You have always found the need for a brothel here despicable. The idea of constant sex is abhorrent to you as well as the thought of what those women did with each other while there were no men.”
Her eyes widened.
“I was kind to your husband,” I said. “He no longer remembers the man he was, just like I did for most. But for your crimes against me, I shall lock you away in a whore’s body and you will sit and watch as you commit every carnal sin there is.”
I struck out my hand and it slammed into her chest with a bright flash of energy.
Within seconds, Lady Tapar was no more. There was only the newest addition to my growing circle of consorts, Larka. However, I would be kind to the men–and women–under my command and I would share this one with whoever desired her.
After giving Larka to several of my soldiers and telling them to have their way with her, I strode out of the building.
Ballan approached me, looking nervous.
“Have you found them?” I asked.
He shook his head. “They seem to have vanished entirely, Mistress. I’ve expanded the search radius to include the Talon Forest.”
I considered him for a moment, but quieted my temper. It had been my own foolish overconfidence that had allowed Talissa and Redwick to escape.
In any event, I suspected that it wouldn’t be long before I saw Talissa again.
There was much to do before then. I told Ballan to begin the conversion of the townspeople. Soon the entire populous, save for who had been the guard captain, Harok and Lady Tapar, would wear the black glass armor of the Rainfall Army. Then we would march for the Imperial City, transforming all those who dared to stand in our way.
In two weeks, the rain would come for the King of Allaron.
And I would have my vengeance upon the world.
* * *
While the Rainfall saga has now ended, the story is far from finished. After I complete my latest project for TGStories.com and attempt to write an entry in BigCloset’s holiday contest, I will return to this universe and tell you folks what happened next in my next series for Fictionmania, Sunrise.
I hope that everybody has enjoyed their time in the Kingdom of Allaron and I ask that you take a few minutes to write a quick review of “Rise” and the other stories in the Rainfall Universe so I can know what you think. If that’s not the thing for you, you are welcome to send me an email with your thoughts at [email protected]. Thanks again to everybody who was kind enough to write a review of my previous works.
Once again, fell free to check out my stories on TGStories.com and I hope to see you all again soon in Sunrise.
-TJH
Copyright 2006, Tom J. Hyde
Permission is granted to post “Rainfall: Rise” or any other Rainfall story on any free archival site, provided that the entire story is posted in it’s original state, including this message and that the poster send me an email notifying me at [email protected].
* * *
Jerry Ruiz thought he had it all. However, when he asks his newest secretary out for drinks, he finds that the greatest gift is yet to come.
One Week Before Thanksgiving…
Nobody noticed when the young woman stepped through the wall into the bus station.
The woman glanced around for a few moments, wanting to make sure that no one had inadvertently spied her entrance. She did it in spite her new supervisor assuring her that a sighting hadn’t happened in over twenty years. When she was finally satisfied that no one had seen her, she flipped her blonde hair back, hefted her briefcase and strode towards bus seventeen.
The woman was not used to being around so many non-magical people at one time. She was having a little trouble keeping her bearings without the magical signposts that adorned the traveling locations that she normally used. However, she managed to reach the door of the bus a few moments before it pulled away. She was quite pleased with herself when she remembered to have her bus ticked out and ready to be verified by the driver.
For the most part, the population of the bus ignored the blonde-haired woman. A few men gave her appraising glances, but her conservative business suit dissuaded them from making any unwanted advances. However, there were a few other men who looked as if they might not take no for an answer. For those individuals, the blonde simply cast a few distraction spells on them and any potential problems were solved.
The woman sat near the back next to a pregnant black-haired woman who looked quite distraught. The black-haired girl didn’t even notice the blonde sitting down as she was too engrossed in studying the checkbook in her hand. The blonde glanced at the small book and cringed slightly. If the numbers on the checkbook were indicative of the amount of money that the young woman had, then she was in deep financial trouble, especially with a child on the way.
Then, much to the blonde’s surprise, the black-haired woman burst into tears. A few of the passengers glanced back at the two women. A good portion of them gave the two women dirty looks, annoyed at the interruption of their quiet bus ride. The blonde was a little shocked at how little the people on the bus cared for the plight of this poor woman.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked softly to the woman next to her.
“Not unless you can rewrite history,” the black-haired woman said through her sobs.
“What do you mean?” the blonde asked.
The black-haired woman looked at the blond for the first time. The blond was taken aback by the pain and anguish in the woman’s eyes. She sensed that the woman’s problems were far deeper than the amount of money in her checking account.
“The only way you can help is by creating a world where Jerry Ruiz doesn’t exist,” she said as tears continued to pour down her face, ruining what little mascara she had on.
“Who’s Jerry Ruiz?” the blond asked. “And what did he do to you?”
The blond could sense the other woman’s hesitation. Obviously, what affected her was deeply personal. But the blond also sensed that whatever was plaguing the young woman also had her quite scared. Remembering what her supervisor had told her during her interview, the blonde made a decision. She cast a gentle trust spell on the other woman.
“I might as well tell someone what really happened,” the black-haired woman said after the spell had started to take effect.
The blond listened carefully to the woman’s entire story and found herself appalled. She found herself wishing that individuals like Jerry Ruiz didn’t exist in the reality she had chosen to call home.
Finally, when the black-haired woman was done, the blond gave her a gentle hug, then smiled at her warmly. The bus came to a halt a few moments later. The blond glanced out the window and realized that she had arrived at her stop.
The blond stood and glanced down at the black-haired woman.
“I’ll see what I can do about Mr. Ruiz for you,” she said.
The black-haired woman looked up at the blonde. “What? How?”
“Don’t worry about it,” the blond assured her. “But rest assured that your Christmas wish will be granted this year, at least for a time.”
As the blond walked towards the front door, the black-haired woman simply shook her head. At least she felt a little better. Maybe this Christmas wouldn’t be so horrible after all.
The Week After Thanksgiving…
Jerry Ruiz careened through the streets of Capian City, cursing at the groups of families around the local mall. He was already late for work–again–and he didn’t want to listen to the Senior Partner bitch again.
Jerry was having difficulty these last few months with the increased stress and workload. Since Jerry had a reputation of being willing to do anything to reach the top, including betraying those who worked with him, he couldn’t trust anyone to delegate his work to. He was too worried that someone would try to ruin him in and act of revenge.
Jerry slammed his horn at another family that was trying to get to the other side of the street. He glared at them as they jumped back onto the sidewalk and he ran the red light, splashing slush onto them as he sped by.
“I hate Christmas,” he muttered to himself as he neared the office complex. Everywhere he turned people where far too happy and singing those inane songs all day long. In his little corner office, he had told his secretarial staff that the first one he hears playing any Christmas music would be out on their rears instantly.
Finally, Jerry arrived at the underground parking lot, swiped his access card and sped into his spot. He quickly grabbed his briefcase and jumped out of the car, being careful to lock the late-model Lexus securely before jogging to the executive elevator.
He slapped his access card to the plate again and waited for the elevator to drop down to retrieve him.
The only good thing that would probably happen today was the arrival of his new secretary, Tracy Davids. Jerry had to admit that he hired her more for the way she filled out her outfit than her typing skills. She would definitely make an excellent notch on his bedpost. He knew that he was getting older, having already passed his forty-seventh birthday two months ago, but he also knew that he still looked good. Jerry always made a point to do a good morning’s workout everyday, though he had been letting that slide in the last several months.
The elevator door opened and Jerry stepped into the empty room. He did his best to ignore the Christmas music being piped though the tiny speaker above his head and returned to his thoughts about the gorgeous Tracy. He knew he had a bad reputation with the ladies. Therefore, if he ever wanted to have some fun with someone in his little corner of the office, he had to do it quickly before the other people could warn off his conquest.
Jerry decided that the best course of action was to keep Tracy so busy that she didn’t have time to speak with any of the other girls.
The door before him dinged softly and opened up on the fifteenth level of the Keller, Waterman and Rockfield Building. Jerry strode out of the door and hoped that no one would recognize his tardiness. If he managed to get to his office, he wouldn’t have a problem, because his secretarial staff would never be so foolish as to rat him out.
Jerry was lucky this morning. No one saw him as he threaded his way through the offices and cubicles until he finally reached his own small office. He nodded to the head secretary, Marlene, who merely gave him a glance. Marlene had been one of the first secretaries he had ever bedded and managed to keep a relationship going for a few weeks before he got bored with the redhead.
“As soon as Miss Davids gets in, send her into me,” Jerry ordered.
Marlene looked at him with something that bordered on pity. “Yes, sir,” she responded.
“And no extra comments to her,” Jerry reminded her. “We don’t want to have to suspend you before Christmas.”
Marlene glared daggers at him. “No, sir,” she practically spat.
“Thanks, Marlene,” Jerry said in a sugary voice. “You’re the greatest.”
Marlene simply ignored him and went back to work.
Jerry grinned and stepped into his office. After putting on a pot of coffee on the small credenza next to the window, he sat down at his desk. He took a few moments to gaze at the accolades and accomplishments that lined his walls. Many of them were newspaper clippings about cases he had won.
In the entire room, there was not a single photograph that involved anyone else but him.
Jerry took a deep breath, powered on his computer and started his work.
He was deeply into the details of the Jacobs case when his intercom buzzed. Jerry blinked a few times and then slapped the response button on his phone.
“What is it?” Jerry growled into the phone.
“Miss Davids is here,” Marlene said over the intercom.
Suddenly his annoyance was gone. “By all means, Marlene, send her in.”
The intercom clicked off and Jerry set his computer into standby mode.
A few seconds later, the door opened and in walked one of the most stunning blondes he had ever seen. Jerry stood and came around his desk as his eyes once more ran over the curves that were accentuated by the woman’s business suit.
“Miss Davids,” Jerry said warmly as he took her hand. “It is wonderful to see you again.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ruiz,” Tracy said a bit shyly. “It’s an honor to work for you.”
“Yes, it is,” Jerry said with a grin. “Why don’t you take a seat? Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
“Yes please,” Tracy said as she took a seat on the couch near the window. “Two sugars.”
“Of course, my dear,” Jerry said as he complied with the woman’s order. A few moments later, a steaming cup of coffee was in the woman’s hand. Jerry sat down next to him and surreptitiously ran his eyes over the woman’s curves.
The two of them spoke for several minutes about Tracy’s personal life and her reasons for joining the firm. After that, they spoke for some length about her duties as a junior secretary for Jerry.
“I’m afraid that all of the new girls often get quite a bit of work dumped on them,” Jerry said. “It’s just the nature of the business. As you move up the ladder, things will even out.”
“I understand, Mr. Ruiz,” Tracy said.
“Please, call me Jerry,” he said as he softly put his hand on her leg.
Tracy looked down for a brief moment at his hand, but she didn’t protest. Mentally, Jerry chuckled. He knew that she was already halfway into his bed.
“Okay, Jerry,” she said shyly.
Jerry nodded happily then stood. “Well, I don’t want to keep you any longer. I know that you’ll have a lot of work to do.”
“Thank you, Jerry,” Tracy said as she followed his lead and stood.
“It’s not a problem. Marlene will have your duty list for the day.”
Tracy nodded and headed out the door. Jerry made a point to enjoy the view of her departure. When she closed the door, Jerry sat down in his chair and realized that today wouldn’t be such a bad day after all.
The hours rushed by for Jerry. He managed to keep himself occupied with work for the most part, but his mind kept wandering to the mental image of Tracy in a slinky outfit on his bed. He suspected that she would be quite entertaining between the sheets. In his experience, the ones who were quiet in the outside world were tigers in the bedroom.
Finally, closing time came and Jerry paged Tracy to his office. When he heard the knock on the door, he mentally reviewed the story he would give to Tracy. When Tracy opened the door, he spied Marlene looking inside. She noticed his annoyed look and quickly turned away back to her desk where she was finishing some paperwork.
“Yes, Mister Ruiz?” Tracy asked.
“It’s Jerry, remember?” he said with a warm smile. “Why don’t you come in for a moment?”
Tracy nodded and shut the door. Jerry saw Marlene give him another quick look before the door closed.
“I’ve looked over your work for the day,” Jerry began. “And I think you have a lot of promise.”
“But it’s only been one day, Mist…Jerry.”
“I know,” he said. “But when you’ve been in the business for as long as I have, you pick up certain things. Especially on the people underneath you.”
Tracy smiled shyly.
“So, I was wondering if you wanted to go out for drinks tonight so we can discuss where you intend to go in this company.”
“I don’t know…” Tracy said, glancing down at the floor.
“I will be a perfect gentleman,” Jerry said, then mentally added, “Until we get to the bedroom.”
“Do you ask all of your new employees out to drinks?”
“Yes, I do,” Jerry said, knowing full well that he had her cold. “In fact, some of the men have complained.”
Tracy laughed lightly.
“Well, I don’t see the harm in it,” Tracy said.
“Excellent!” Jerry proclaimed. “I know a great little club down on Sullivan Street. Now grab your coat and we’ll get moving.”
As the two of them departed the office, he simply smiled at Marlene. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were boring into him. Jerry chose to ignore it.
A little after seven o’clock, the two of them were comfortably seated in the Wellington Club, a ritzy social club that catered to the powerful of Capian City. Jerry had made sure that Tracy was well supplied with as many drinks as possible. And since Jerry knew the bartender well, he knew that the drinks were a little stronger than normal.
“So enough about the firm,” Jerry said after fielding questions about some of the cases he had worked. “Tell me about yourself.”
Tracy flipped the hair out of her face and smiled at him. “Nothing real exciting to tell there,” she said. “My parents worked for the government for years and they’re retired now. They do the occasional consulting bit, more to stave off the boredom than anything else.”
“Any siblings?” Jerry asked.
“Well, there’s Alicia, my younger sister. She’s puttering through college in Forest Cove. And I have an older brother, Jeffery. He’s currently working in the government in a position similar to what my parents used to do. He’s the good one, married a few years ago to some girl he met on assignment.”
“What about you? Any prospects right now?” Jerry asked. Jerry felt himself tense a little. This question had a tendency to make or break the evening.
“Me?” Tracy asked, looking a bit startled. “Oh no. I’ve always been a bit of a free spirit, much to my parent’s annoyance. Right now, I’m just trying to enjoy life. I’m too busy to get tied down.”
Jerry was starting to think all of this was too good to be true. Not only was she gorgeous, but she considered herself a free spirit. This was going far easier than his past few conquests.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a free spirit,” Jerry said. “I know I’ve enjoyed a few flings in my time.”
“I’m sure you have,” Tracy said with a rather silly grin. Then suddenly, her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands. “Did I really just say that out loud?”
Jerry laughed delightedly. “It’s okay. I know I have that effect on women.”
“Oooh,” Tracy teased. “Aren’t we cocky?”
Then Jerry took out his best woman-killing smile. “I’d like to think that I have good reason to be.”
When Tracy took a slight but noticeable breath at his smile, he knew that his work was done. “I think you do,” she said.
“You know,” Jerry said conversationally. “I’m starting to get tired of this place, Tracy.”
“Oh?” Tracy said. “And what would you rather be doing?”
“Taking you back to my place,” Jerry said, knowing that at this stage, the best approach was the direct one.
Tracy responded even better than he had hoped. “How about taking me back to my place?”
“We can do that,” Jerry said with a grin.
A half-hour later, Jerry pulled his Lexus up to an upscale apartment complex in the south end of town. He turned and winked at Tracy, who simply smiled demurely at him and stepped out of the car, then took a moment to stick her head back in.
“Why don’t you join me for a cup of coffee?” Tracy said.
“I’d love to,” Jerry said.
In a few moments, Jerry was inside her apartment. However, there was something strange about it. It looked as if it was only partially lived in. The two-bedroom apartment was large, but one of the bedrooms was completely empty.
“Do you live alone?” Jerry asked as Tracy bustled in the kitchen, making the coffee she had suggested.
“I’m actually looking for a roommate right now,” Tracy called. “I have a few prospects right now, but nothing definite.”
“I see,” Jerry said as he glanced into Tracy’s bedroom. It was decorated tastefully in a feminine style, exactly as he expected from her. His favorite part was definitely the King-size bed that dominated the room.
“Why do you ask?” Tracy asked from the kitchen.
“Oh just curious,” Jerry said as he took a seat in the living room. “I want to make sure we aren’t interrupted this evening.”
“Don’t worry,” Tracy said as she brought in two cups of coffee. “I won’t let anything spoil our evening.”
Jerry grinned happily as he took the cup of coffee. Knowing the routine quite well, he took a single sip.
“Excellent blend,” Jerry commented.
“Thanks,” Tracy said with a smile. “I got it from a special friend of mine.”
“Special friend, huh?” Jerry asked as he took another sip. It didn’t occur to him that in all the cups of coffee he had in situations like this, he had never taken a second sip.
“He’s fairly good at getting hard-to-acquire items,” Tracy said nonchalantly.
“Hard to acquire?” Jerry repeated as he took a deeper drink of the coffee. “Did he smuggle this in from Colombia or something?”
“Nothing so mundane,” she said as Jerry quickly downed the rest of the coffee. Then he decided the moment was right.
Tracy smiled at him as he started to lean closer to her, ready to give her a soft kiss that would only make her beg for more.
He made it about ten inches before he collapsed.
The Next Morning…
Jerry awoke with a pounding headache in a room that seemed vaguely familiar. He groaned as he turned over in the bed, seeking to snub the sun for a little longer. However, when he turned, something seemed wrong. He ignored it for a moment, taking it as a sign that he had far too much to drink last night and flipped over onto his stomach.
And then he knew something was wrong.
He pushed himself up on the bed and looked downwards. Then he screamed. A very loud and very feminine scream.
He heard footsteps pounding outside the door to the room and suddenly the door was thrown open. Tracy came in with a worried expression on her face.
“Jamie?” Tracy asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Who the hell is Jamie?” Jerry shouted as he scrambled up to his feet. He then glanced downward again and saw more than the breasts he had woken up to. He saw fairly wide hips and a thin waist, all wrapped in a soft green nightgown.
“What do you mean who the hell is Jamie?” Tracy asked. “You’re Jamie!”
“Listen,” Jerry said. “My name isn’t Jamie! It’s Jerry! Jerry Ruiz!”
“Who?” Tracy asked, looking utterly befuddled.
“I’m the man who took you to drinks last night and drove you home! I’m the man you work for!” Jerry said in a panicky voice.
“What are you talking about, Jamie?” Tracy asked, her eyes wide in confusion. “The only person I went out for drinks with was you when you finally decided to move in with me!”
“No,” Jerry insisted, feeling like his hold on reality was slipping away. “I’m Jerry Ruiz! And I’m a forty-seven year old man! I took you out to drinks last night and we hit it off! We headed back to your place so we could spend…a little more time together.”
“Jamie, you really should lay back down,” Tracy said.
Jerry did what he was told. In truth, he felt like the entire room was spinning. He glanced at the mirror on the wall for a second before turning away and looking through the feminine bedroom. That’s when he realized it. He was in the second bedroom of Tracy’s apartment. And if he was still in Tracy’s apartment, that meant that she had done something to him.
“What the fuck did you do to me, you bitch?” Jerry snarled.
Tracy stepped back a few feet, shocked at the vehemence in Jerry’s voice. “What are you talking about?”
“Yesterday, I was a successful partner at Keller, Waterman and Rockfield,” Jerry said accusingly. “Now I’m a twenty-something girl!”
Tracy looked at him as if he was out of his mind. “Jamie, we’ve been friends ever since college five years ago. We both moved to Capian City together, looking for work. You stayed with your boyfriend for a few years before you broke up and I suggested you move in with me.”
“That’s not possible,” Jerry said firmly. But something inside of him told him that Tracy was being completely honest with him. She seriously believed the words she was saying.
“Just the other day, we both landed positions as junior secretaries for Dominic Ashburn.”
“Ashburn?” Jerry whispered. “That fool who was stupid enough to let me destroy the Haley case right from under him?”
“What?” Tracy said. “We just met the man the other day!
“But…that’s not right…I’m Jerry…” he muttered softly.
“I’ve never even heard of a man named Jerry Ruiz. And I’m pretty sure that I know my best friend, Jamie Richards.”
Jerry felt something inside of him shift. Suddenly, the memories that he was sure were his became less important and he found himself remembering the events that Tracy was describing. For a brief moment, Jerry became dizzy and felt himself fall onto the bed.
“Jamie!” he heard Tracy’s voice call.
Jamie looked up to see Tracy’s worried expression a few inches above her face. She shook her head softly.
“Are you okay now?” Tracy asked.
With Tracy’s help, Jamie managed to sit up.
“Everything still feels so strange,” Jamie said quietly. “I feel like there are two sets of memories inside my head.”
“Well, unless some guy jumped into your head last night at the bar, I don’t know what to tell you.”
Jamie looked at Tracy with an annoyed glance. “Oh yeah, some guy just dumped his memories into my head for the hell of it.”
“Well, what do you expect me to think?” Tracy exclaimed. “You wake up screaming and claim to be some guy named Jerry Ruiz!”
Jamie was at a loss to explain her behavior, but she knew that a few minutes ago, she had thought of herself as this Jerry Ruiz person. She could remember when Jerry had gotten hired at the firm, when he had received his first promotion and the anticipation he had always felt before trying to bed his newest secretary.
However, from what she could remember, Jamie realized that Jerry had not been a nice man at all. Coworkers and underlings were only stepping-stones to the top of the firm. She knew that Jerry hadn’t had the easiest life, but she hoped that when she was in her late forties, she was nothing like Jerry.
Then again, she also remembered Jerry’s hopes and dreams after he had been hired on at the firm. They were ambitious dreams, but they never involved the cheating and scheming that had hallmarked the memories of this fictitious person that Jamie had somehow created within her mind.
“I think you might want to lay off the drinks for a while, girl,” Tracy said. “I don’t want any more strange people popping up in your body.”
Jamie laughed warmly. “I think that can be arranged,” she said.
“Okay, enough of this silliness,” Tracy said firmly. “We need to get our butts to work. I am not going to be late on the second day!”
Tracy stood and left the room, leaving Jamie alone. She walked up to the mirror and glanced at herself. It was the same face she had always had. Her soft and pretty features were all intact, along with her brown hair and blue-green eyes. Her modest breasts were still intact and the simple, yet beautiful form she worked on every other day in the gym was still there.
So why did she feel like she was seeing herself for the first time?
A few hours later, Jamie watched as Tracy swiped her card to get into the underground parking complex of the firm. When Tracy immediately pulled right and started to search for a spot to park, Jamie had to bite her tongue and not protest that they should have turned left into the executive parking section.
As Tracy finally found a spot, Jamie shook her head and wondered why these strange memories were still in her head. She could not find any way to explain it. But people didn’t just have two lives. So once again, Jamie pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and tried to concentrate on the moment.
Tracy unlocked the doors and the two women stepped out of the car, grabbing their purses on the way out. Tracy led the way to the normal employee elevator and the two waited for the elevator.
“Tracy, I feel like I’m really losing my mind here,” Jamie said quietly as a few other employees approached them.
“What do you mean?” the blond asked.
“These weird memories of this Jerry guy won’t go away. When we were pulling in, I had to stop myself from telling you to turn left instead of right.”
“But the left side is for the executives,” Tracy said reasonably. “Are you telling me that you were an executive with the firm or something?”
“No!” Jamie said a little too loudly. The others waiting for the elevator glanced their way for a moment before returning to their newspapers and coffee. “But why am I remembering someone else’s life?”
“Like I would know,” Tracy said with the slightest hint of annoyance. “Listen, Jamie. You might want to keep a lid on this whole ‘previous life’ thing. I don’t think it will endear your to our bosses if you go around claiming to be an executive. Or a man for that matter.”
Jamie took a deep breath when the elevator dinged and they stepped forward. As the elevator began to fill with bodies, Jamie knew that it would not be wise to speak any further of this.
“I suppose you’re right,” Jamie said softly. “Consider the matter dropped.”
Two Weeks Before Christmas…
“This is excellent work, Miss Richards,” Dominic Ashburn said warmly after perusing the file she had just handed him. “It’s beyond excellent. I have trouble believing that you’ve only been here two weeks and you’re already putting out work of this quality.”
“Thank you, Mister Ashburn,” Jamie said, blushing slightly. She had worked for so long on the files for the Valdez case. She was delighted that her boss thought so highly of her work. She just wished that he would stop looking at her just as an employee and more as a woman.
As Dominic continued to check on the files, Jamie laughed a little inside her head. Two weeks ago, she had such a crisis, thinking that she was someone else. And the idea still nagged at her a little, because she knew things about the firm that she shouldn’t have known. However, the strange memories that had popped into her head after she had moved in with Tracy hadn’t always been right. There had been inconsistencies.
Once again, she mentally laughed. Of course there were inconsistencies. Because in those memories, she had been a man named Jerry Ruiz.
“I can’t find a single mistake in here,” Dominic said, bringing her back to the present. He looked up at her with that smile and Jamie felt shivers rushing through her spine. She watched his eyes carefully and smiled every so faintly when his eyes made a quick drop to look at the rest of her.
“I’ll send the rest of this to be processed right away,” Dominic said as he neatly put the large file in a tray on the left side of his desk. “Why don’t you head home for the day as a bonus?”
“Really, Mister Ashburn?” Jamie asked, a little stunned. She knew from the office gossip that Dominic only let people go home early if he was extraordinarily pleased with their work.
Dominic laughed. “Yes, really. You’ve done some fantastic work and I hope to see more of the same.”
“Thank you, Mister Ashburn!” Jamie said with a grin.
“You’re welcome, Miss Richards,” he said.
Jamie turned to head out the door, but just as her hand touched the doorknob, Dominic spoke once more.
“By the way, I like that perfume you’re wearing today, it’s wonderful,” he said.
Jamie felt another little shiver pass through her. She decided that she might as well make the next move.
“I’m glad you like it,” Jamie said warmly. “I got it for someone special.”
Jamie glanced backwards to see Dominic looking at her with an intrigued expression. “Anybody I know?” he asked.
“You know him quite well,” Jamie said with a slightly mischievous grin. Deciding that that was enough for the day, she quickly exited the room. Marlene looked at her and upon seeing the expression on her face, her eyes lit up.
“He noticed?” Marlene asked quietly. “And he said something?”
Jamie nodded quickly and happily.
“You are something else, Jamie!” Marlene said. “I’ve seen all sorts of women go after that man and he rarely comments on anything like that!”
“I know!” Jamie said, grinning. “And he said I can go home early!”
“You are so in!” Marlene said. “Get your butt home and tell Tracy!”
“Yes, ma’am!” Jamie said with a soft giggle. She glanced back at the office door with a smile then practically skipped to her desk, collecting her items before heading to the elevator.
A half hour later, Jamie was happily retelling her story to Tracy, who had taken the day off due to the flu. The two of them were like giggling schoolgirls.
“You did fall awfully hard for him, Jamie,” Tracy said after her roommate was done.
Jamie had a dreamy look in her eyes as she thought about her words. “I know, but he is gorgeous!”
“You do always fall quickly for them, don’t you?” Tracy said teasingly.
“Pfft,” Jamie scoffed. “Like you’re any different! But I think there’s something special about this one.”
Suddenly, Jamie let out a brief cry as a splitting headache descended on her. In an instant, she found herself reliving several of Jerry’s memories. What was strange was that all of the memories were of Dominic.
The memories went by so quickly before her eyes that Jamie had trouble keeping up with them. Apparently, Jerry Ruiz had once been Dominic’s partner. However, Jerry had decided to let Dominic take a very high profile case on his own and had secretly damaged the evidence files, so that when the case finally went to trial, the judge made a fool of Dominic.
And all of it was because Jerry thought that Dominic was doing too well. He felt that Dominic was a threat to his ambitions. So Jerry destroyed the man’s career.
When Jamie’s thoughts returned to the present, she found herself shaking uncontrollably, though only a few seconds had passed. Tracy leapt to her side and held her. The simple embrace of her friend was enough to make Jamie stop shaking, but the horrible memories of what Jerry had done to poor Dominic were still there.
“What happened?” Tracy asked quietly as she slowly stroked Jamie’s hair.
“It was another of those memory flashbacks,” Jamie said in a trembling voice. “And it was about Dominic.”
“What about him?”
“In whatever reality he existed in, Jerry betrayed him. He stabbed him in the back.”
“Literally?” Tracy said, sounding horrified.
“No,” Jamie assured her. “He damaged evidence files regarding an important case that Dominic was working on. He was cashiered out of the firm because the Senior Partners saw it as a lack of preparation.”
“Oh my,” Tracy said.
“Tracy…why won’t these strange memories go away?” Jamie pleaded. “Am I living a past life in these thoughts? Am I just plain crazy? I’m imagining things happening to the man that I…” Jamie trailed off.
Tracy didn’t miss it. “That you what?”
“That I think I’m falling in love with,” Jamie said quietly.
“Really? Like real love, not just ‘Jamie-wants-a-good-time’ love?”
Jamie nodded.
“Well, that’s something I never expected.”
“Maybe that’s why I’m falling for him so fast,” Jamie said. “Maybe I’m trying to atone for a previous life or something.”
“I don’t know,” Tracy said. “All I do know is that you just need to live out your life and not some imaginary person’s life.”
Jamie fell quiet for a moment. “Do you think he’s falling for me too?”
Tracy smiled. “A wonderful person like you, how could he not be?”
One Week to Christmas…
Jamie bit her lip as she glanced around the employee lounge. It was quiet in the lounge, as it usually was right before the lunch crowd came in. In fact, there was only one other person in the room. The person she had been lightly flirting with for the last week.
However, that was all it was. Jamie didn’t know if Dominic actually felt anything for her or if he was simply engaging in playful banter. She hoped that it was real. She didn’t know if she could take it if it wasn’t.
She looked at his handsome figure, reading the morning newspaper and sipping on a cup of coffee, obviously enjoying the quiet in the heretic place they worked. She knew what she wanted to say. She had even gotten permission from Tracy and her brother for what she was about to propose.
Her preparations were complete.
But she was still so scared. Her mind began to think of all the ways he could turn her down. A second later, Jamie forced herself to stop it. It was only a question. There was nothing wrong with asking a question.
Jamie steeled herself and walked to Dominic’s table. It took him a moment to realize she was there, but when he did, he smiled that smile that made her knees shake.
“Hey there,” Dominic said. “You care to join me?”
“Thanks,” Jamie said, all too aware that her hands were shaking. As she sat down, she tried to calm herself. She hadn’t been this nervous since the Sadie Hawkins dance in high school.
Dominic noticed her discomfort. “Are you okay?”
Jamie nodded weakly. “I’m just…just trying to…”
“Trying to what?” Dominic asked. His attention was now fully on her.
In one quick rush, Jamie blurted it all out. “Do you want to have Christmas dinner with me?”
She froze for a moment, not wanting to look him in the eyes. The world stopped for a brief second as she waited for the man’s answer.
Dominic’s laugh brought her eyes to his. To her immense relief, he was smiling. “Sure,” he said. “The rest of my family is going on a Christmas cruise, but I can’t go because of the Vanderbilt case.”
“Really?” Jamie asked, then immediately slapped her hands over her mouth and went beet red with embarrassment.
Dominic laughed again. “Yes, Jamie, I’d love to.”
Jamie felt her head spin. Not only had he accepted her proposal, but he had actually used her first name.
“Well, it wouldn’t really be just me,” Jamie said nervously. “Tracy and her brother and his wife will be there.”
“I’m sure it won’t be a problem,” Dominic said as he gently put his hand on hers. Within seconds, the trembling had stopped, only to be replaced by a warm shiver running up her arm.
Jamie let out a sigh then smiled happily at him. She would have to make sure to get a very large sprig of mistletoe.
Christmas Eve…
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Tracy said as she came into the living room. Jamie was sitting comfortably on the sofa next to the Christmas tree, wrapped up in a blanket and drinking hot chocolate.
“Sure!” Jamie said cheerfully. She had been walking on air since Dominic had agreed to have Christmas dinner with them. She had spent over an hour picking out just the right piece of mistletoe to hang above the door.
Tracy sat down on the couch opposite of her with a look of trepidation on her face. She was obviously worried about something.
“What’s wrong, Tracy?” Jamie asked. She didn’t want her friend to be upset about anything, especially on Christmas Eve.
“It’s time for the truth, Jamie,” Tracy said reluctantly. Her eyes were fixed narrowly on her shoes.
“Truth? What truth?”
Tracy took a deep breath and then managed to pull her eyes up to Jamie’s.
“I’ve made a decision about my Christmas wish,” she said.
“Christmas wish? What are you talking about?” Jamie was completely at a loss.
“You see, it’s tradition for sorceresses to grant wishes for Christmas. The wishes usually start right after Thanksgiving and last until Christmas Eve. However, the wish that I got was a little more complicated than most.”
“Sorceress? Wishes? Have you been drinking too much eggnog?”
Tracy sighed. Then her hand shot out and in the middle of the room, a large black panther suddenly appeared from nothing. Jamie let out a scream and scampered up the couch, her hot chocolate spilling to the ground unnoticed.
A second later, Tracy gestured again and the panther vanished. Jamie lowered herself to the cushions only to have a fresh cup of hot chocolate appear in her hands, the puddle from the previous one gone as if it had never been there.
“I met a young woman named Kelly on the bus right before Thanksgiving. She told me of a man named Jerry Ruiz who she used to work for as a secretary. The two of them slept together a few times and she got pregnant. He hadn’t wanted the scandal, so he forced her out of the company. The black mark ruined her chances of getting another job. What’s worse, she was unable to afford a procedure she needed so that she could have her child. Without that procedure, she and the child would die in childbirth.”
Jamie sat there stunned. “Do you mean…”
“A little under a month ago, you were a man named Jerry Ruiz.”
“No!” Jamie cried. “That’s impossible!”
However, even as Jamie protested, she had to admit that the entire affair made sense. She simply could not explain that she had the full memories of a man who did not exist. While it horrified her to think of it, what Tracy said could very well be true.
“You just saw that I can indeed do magic. It took a lot more effort to change reality and recreate you as my college friend, Jamie Richards, but I did it with the help of a few friends.”
“You can’t just rewrite reality!”
“We did,” Tracy said reasonably. “And I think everybody is better off in the world without Jerry Ruiz. Dominic Ashburn, instead of being cashiered out of the firm, is now a successful Partner who will most likely make Senior Partner sometime next year. Kelly Ashwin is now working for the firm and is engaged to be married to a gentleman in accounting. A lot of people are very much happier.”
Jamie sensed that there was more, so she simply sat there and listened.
“But the term of the wish is up and it’s no longer Kelly’s prerogative.”
“So, what are you going to do to me?” Jamie said fearfully.
“I intentionally left the memories of Jerry Ruiz in your mind so that you would realize what you had done in your previous life. You have several options. Option one is that you continue exactly as you are, as Jamie Richards with the memories intact of your life as Jerry Ruiz. The second option is that you give up your previous memories and forget that Jerry ever existed, leaving you free to live your life however you see fit. Option three…”
“Yes? What’s option three?”
Tracy sighed heavily. “You can go back to being Jerry Ruiz, with all of your memories of your month as Jamie.”
“I can turn back into a man?” Jamie asked.
Tracy nodded. “That’s how wishes like this work. The one most affected by the wish gets to choose their fate in the end.”
Jamie was silent for a long while as she pondered her options. It was almost a half hour later when she finally spoke again.
“I want to be Jamie. And I want to forget that the horrible person known as Jerry Ruiz ever existed.”
Tracy smiled. “Easily done!” she said happily.
“But,” Jamie added. “I want to keep my memories about the firm, so I can continue to impress Dominic.”
The blond woman laughed. “I think I can sneak that in.”
“So what do I need to do?”
“Just close your eyes,” Tracy said. “And embrace the new life you’ve been given.”
Christmas Evening…
“You did wonderfully, little sister,” Jeffery Webb said as he looked at Dominic Ashburn and Jamie Richards under the mistletoe. The two of them were simply staring at the sprig and each other. It was rather comical to watch.
“Why thank you,” Tracy Webb Davids said.
“You were far more generous than I or the Old Man would have been,” he said. “If one of us had done it, she would have been happily screwing away at the local brothel.”
“I felt that the problem needed something a little more thoughtful,” Tracy said.
“True enough,” Jeffery said as he glanced back at the couple as they slowly moved closer to one another. “Did you actually…”
“Cast a love spell on them?” Tracy finished for him. “Nope. That was entirely them. I think Jamie was right when she said that maybe she was trying to atone when she fell for him.”
“Perhaps. It’s a good little mystery and in this city, who will notice one more.”
The brother and sister smiled when Dominic and Jamie finally kissed.
“So why did you choose this life for young Jamie?” Jeffery asked.
“Because in the end, my dear brother, the greatest gift anyone can ever receive is a second chance at life.”
“And at love?” Jeffery said as he glanced at his wife, Jessica.
Tracy smiled happily. “Especially at love.”
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