Brightening flame
#14 of Business Venture in Seeds
Note, the NC tag is not on this but it does have a breif sex scene that is NC, it is in no way embelished or described and I doubt anyone would enjoy it. I will leave the tag off because its used to warn or attract people to a story involving that as a central theme.
The old ferret was right, it was honest hard work and over the weeks we were on the trail I started building muscle with all the good food and exercise.
Of an evening, when all the others were settling around the fire, Harry taught me how to read and to write. It was something I was apparently good at as he exclaimed a few times, so when I had mastered the common trade language he began teaching me other languages, first some similar to common then one or two very different.
It was one night, reading a particularly tough book written in a long dead tongue that I and everyone else in the caravan apparently, fell asleep, even the watches.
I was groggy to wake, every limb felt too heavy, but I could hear a voice, very rough but vaguely feminine, unusual because I was the only female on the caravan, "... start with this one." I heard fabric ripping, "The rest of you sit right there like good little slaves until I am ready for you."
Leaning over, muscles still not responding I saw the creature, it resembled a very beautiful female bat except it had huge taloned feet and where it should only have had arms that doubled as wings, this one had a huge set of leathery wings on its back in addition to the normal membranous bat arms.
Being as quiet as I could, still shrugging off the sleep I saw it straddle one of the men and start to couple with them, not that the man was taking it laying down, he was screwing as hard as he was being screwed, but when you had a succubus in your lap there was not much else you could do.
Reaching to my belt I pulled the small knife that was a necessity out in the wild and stalked slowly up behind it.
The man saw me, a huge smile creasing his drooling lips as he moaned out under the ministrations of the demon.
Ducking between the now stretched out wings I got right in behind it, "Oh, your just about done my little one? So soon? Oh well, there's plenty mo-" the succubus began but was cut short, literally
My knife, dark with its blood had worked half way around its throat before it managed to respond, trying to scream and scrabbling at its throat with its arms, all thought of the man underneath it gone.
To my horror while I watched its neck started to heal up and I franticly worked at it with my knife, desperate to end the creature. Realisation that it would just keep regenerating the knife wounds set in and I knew I would have to sever its head completely to ensure its death.
Making one last slice with the knife I leaned in and bit hard with my jaws, tearing and grinding with my teeth until I felt its spine break apart under my attack.
The reactions were instant, it collapsed to the side and off the now comatose man even as the others woke from their charmed state.
I blinked a few times, something tasted odd, it felt like... fire.
The whole world went black.
-
I woke thinking for sure I was dead but, almost reassuringly, I still felt the iron ring at my neck.
I opened my eyes to see I was inside one of the wagons, Harry watching over me.
"Your awake at last pup, that's a good sign indeed, there are many who would not survive having a succubus' blood enter a wound let alone swallowing almost half a pint of it. You and me need to have a talk later pup, but right now rest, your throat will be a bit raw at first, I had to use a lot of magic to save you, it has left its mark on both of us I fear." he said, and as he mentioned it I did notice he was looking a little more run down than usual.
I felt heavy all of a sudden and the darkness returned.
-
No movement this time, and it felt like I was on something really soft, sudden realisation hit that I was on an actual bed. For the first time in my life.
"Ah, the rest spell has finally worn off, you should be able to talk again now. How do you feel?" Harry asked.
I tried to talk, growled a bit at first, but after a few tries sorted out my throat muscles, "I feel like I have slept a week, where are we sir?"
"You have slept a week, we are back in our home city, it has taken that long for your body to heal this far." he told me, "But its time we have the conversation I mentioned, now you see a succubus' sleep spell is an interesting thing, it affects females the most, they will pass right out and only wake when the creature wills it or is killed." I tried to cut in but he waved me down, "A man is only out for a short time and will wake completely dominated by the sucubi's will. Yes, even mages like me." he paused a moment before continuing, letting that all sink in. "There is another reaction, one where the subject will wake shortly after passing out, and not be under the control of the demon at all," he paused and looked right at me, "as you did, that is the response of a female mage."
In shock, I lay there looking not at him, but blindly off into space, how could I be a mage? I have never been taught, I was not from a fami... then it hit me, I might be from a family with mages in it but I would never know.
The old ferret got my attention by clicking his digits loudly, "You with me here Flinta? Tell me, when I do this," he gestured, but it wasn't his paws I watched, it was the amazing flare of colour that sprayed off to the side, even turning my head to watch it, "... never mind, I guess that answers whether or not you can see magic being cast. Well then, the question now is, do you want to learn how to use it?"
He was talking, but I was still watching the play of the magic he had woven as it spun and played out in the air. Reaching one paw up I skimmed a digit here or there, making a swirly pattern in the last bits of it.
Suddenly a ball of flame flickered in mid air and puffed out quickly.
"Well, I am taking a rough stab in the dark Flinta and saying you want to learn how to do that?" he asked.
I turned my head back to him, "I would love to." then it all came crashing down as I felt the iron collar at my neck settle, "But, I can't! I'm just a slave!"
"My dear, you may be a slave but you are the slave of the cities most powerful mage, and you have saved his life, it would be but the barest of recompense for me to train you in your power." he told me, leaving me laying there stunned.
Despite the soreness that still lingered, despite not having moved a muscle in a full week, I managed to lean forward and wrap my arms around the old ferret, drawing him close in a hug, tears streaming down my eyes. "Thank you" I said, just once, but I was reminded of the time when he confirmed Steel's safety.
I drew back slowly, "Sir." I prompted, "Would I be able to meet Steel, if she wants to that is?"
He chuckled, "When she found out you were back in the city I almost had to fight her back with magic, she is downstairs." he got up and made for the door, but when he opened it she was there, and like me I could see she had put on muscle tone, easily dwarfing the skinny old mage with her large leopard build.
"You damn wolf, what the hell did you get mixed up in?" she said running to the bed, leaning down to hug me. As she drew back she noticed the collar, "I had heard, about the fashion accessory and the... change. How are you sister?"
Looking back up into her worried eyes, seeing her strong and healthy, I lost it completely and started crying with joy.
She dove back into another hug, asking what was wrong in quiet words over and over. Eventually I managed to tell her about the 'adventure', trying to steal fruit for her, getting caught and put into slavery, being Mod'ed, about the trip and the succubus. "Yeah, I heard about you killing a demon, even about how you tore its head off with your own fangs. That old guy went through a lot to save you, heck you probably didn't even recognise yourself in a mirror, I-" she began but cut off, "He hasn't shown you yet?"
I shook my head, she walked over to the dresser and grabbed a small mirror from there and brought it over, at the last moment tilting it so I could see.
My dark brown coat of fur, was bleached white over the right side of my muzzle, fading to a soft red-pink on the left. I ran a paw over the fur to make sure it was real. "Its..." I began.
"Its still you sis." Steel said with a grin.
The tears threatened again, but I held them back and was just happy to have her there.
-
We both trained hard over the following years, she in the style of swords, shields and generally hitting things a lot and me in weaving the very fabric of power into the air. The way magic moved it was intoxicating, I loved just weaving patterns and letting them float on the air, even mastering making the power flows animate into moving pictures that left my master stunned in amazement. That isn't to say I didn't learn all the practical things too, including the transformation spell that had been used on me in the slave pens.
He told me there were now three mages in the city who could weave that spell, the stoat who had woven it on me, him of course and now me. "That little spell can make you quite a bit of money if you use it well. Now tonight will be the usual magi meeting, but you will be coming, they wish to test you before accepting you as a member."
My eyes were wide. Me, in the magi society? A slave?
"Don't look like that, you are as proficient a mage as most on the magi council, you have every right to be there. But one thing that will have to change..." he tossed a piece of paper at me.
As I reached down to pick it up and read it I felt my collar move, not in the usual way.
There was a few thumps as if large pieces of iron had hit the floor and a weight was suddenly removed from my neck. Looking down at the papers, they were indeed slave freedom pages.
"Harry..." was all I said, pulling my old teacher into a tight hug.
When we finally pulled back he said, "Right then, you need to get into your formal robes and then we are off." he saw me start to state that I didn't have any when he smiled, "They're hanging inside your door, now go!"
I ran off laughing madly, feeling the power flow around me, almost pouring from my body, as it does when I get in a really happy mood. I watched the streamers and ribbons of power flow out, they were not a problem of course, without any manipulation it was just wasted energy, but it was still pretty none the less.
I took everything off and slid into the robes, they were soft and warm inside, but unlike my regular clothes they had no spells inlaid in them yet, I was about to start with some of the basics when a note slide out to the floor.
Don't put any spells on these yet, a novice must go in plain robes to the council to be raised a magi!
Shrugging I opened my door and went down the stairs, "Come on come on or we'll be late, and that won't be tolerated." Harry said.
We rode in the buggy to the library where they held their meetings, entering I was daunted to see all the other magi present were robed and had their cowls pulled up tight, just as I realised my master had.
"Who comes here before the Council?" a loud voice intoned.
Realising that was my cue I said, "Flinta, trained of Harold, I come to stand as a mage!"
"Then you shall be tested! First, the test of Water!" it intoned again.
A huge ball of fire appeared, the heat radiating off it nearly singing my fur. I pulled on my power, weaving and chanting, wrapping water in a pocket of air and surrounding the fireball all at once, opening a hole at last for the steam to leave the explosion via a high window.
"The test of Earth!" thousands of stones rained down, at first I was puzzled, but as I let my power flow between them, around them, feeling every surface, I smiled widely. Pulling power and rocks together I fitted the pile of stones back into one single block, fusing it with pressure.
"The test of Air!"
This seemed simple, there was a large boulder and a big circle drawn on the wall behind it, I was about to push on the rock with air to move it when something felt, wrong, the rock felt too light. Carefully, I drilled a tiny hole into the rock only to have air start rushing from it. With a grin I punched a bit bigger hole in it, exactly opposite where the target was, the compressed air made the rock take off and slam into the wall, causing the walls to shake a little.
"The test of Fire!"
This should be easy, fire was my element of choice. I saw it then, a little wild fox was trapped in a wooden cage. I realised what was expected of me, I wasn't to create the most impressive flame I could, I would need to control this very carefully. I walked over to the cage and reached a paw through, the little fox sniffed it and made a happy little sound. Very slowly, keeping all my senses not controlling the magic focused on the animal, to be aware of any distress, I burnt the wooden cage away, not harming a single hair on the fox.
"The test of Soul!"
I had heard of this, I knew the spell, it was a binding spell, used by a mage to create a familiar. I reached out and picked up the friendly little animal and began to weave the spell, not with my hands of course, soul magic didn't work that way, I wove it with my conciousness.
Slowly at first I became aware of the fox's mind, felt its touch, every bit as inquisitive as it had been with my paw. Then the spell clicked and I felt the link establish. That little creature looked up at me and let out a little, "yiff!"
"You have passed all trials, welcome to the council!" as the last words sounded all the magi removed their cowls and the voice became known to me, it was Harold of course.
What passed was a semi-formal meeting where everyone let everyone else know what they were doing, how business was going in different areas.
At one point a man with a face I remembered, older now, but still recognisable, came to me and asked, "I have a job for you. Your master, well, our master, told me some of the amazing things you can do with raw power, creating moving pictures, I have an idea on how to make them more tangible, would you be willing to work with me, after all that has happened?" the mage asked, the same mage that had been responsible for me being female now.
I looked up at the stoat, sighed, and said, "I got over what happened a long time ago, I was young, stupid, and paid a price. Now I am hopefully less so on both counts. When would be a good time for you?"
His smile was astounding, "Lets say tomorrow? At about midday?"
I nodded and we got to talking about the spell that he had wrought on me back then, of course since we were two of the only three in the city who could cast it.