A little update…

Dear Reader,

I am aware that that some of you are waiting for an update on my stories, especially the Annabelle series. I read your comments and your emails, and trust me, I hear you! I also know that some were excited about my addition to the Christmas exchange, and I am really sorry that I did not post anything. I was almost finished. I have also not read and commented all of your stories that you gifted. I don’t know if anyone noticed that, but I’m sorry for that too. I like to show appreciation for people who participate in the exchange. I feel bad, peeps. I really do. But I have my reasons, and I don’t really want to go into serious detail about this, but I’ll try to explain.

Part of what distracted me before Christmas was that my father was ill, and because of that I tried to work from home. I wanted to help him with stuff he normally does around the house when my mother is at work, and I walked the dog for him as he couldn’t walk much. I also didn’t want him to be alone in case something happened. I was really worried, and I had difficulties focusing. He had some blood work done, and one of the values was a bit off. He needed a CT scan. I don’t really want to go into detail around that, but let’s just say that I was mentally preparing to hear that my father was dying, and I was not ready for that. He just retired. Luckily, it wasn’t as bad as we thought, and he is now on the mend. He is much better now. I just wanted to explain what happened to make me miss my Christmas deadline.

I still had plans to post my story, though. I thought I might make it by new year. I know I said I was almost finished, and that was totally true! It is almost finished. However, my number one reason that I am not as visible now is that I am working towards a very important deadline. I have a lot going on right now, and I have many smaller deadlines until the big one. This means that I will be pretty busy until the summer. This does not mean that you won’t see any updates, but I cannot give any guarantees. I don’t want to promise you anything.  I will try to post the third part of my Leda and Eylion series that I promised for Christmas soon, but it will definitely not be next week.

I have been under a lot of stress lately and so my stories have not been much on my mind. Please don’t think that I have given up on them, because I haven’t. I am just in a place right now where there are other, more important, things that need my attention. So please be patient with me.

Ash

 

Leda and Eylion – part 2

Link to part 1

The morning after Eylion’s attack, Leda found herself in the kitchen making them both breakfast. Eylion had tried to help, but she had gotten firm instructions to sit down and rest. Then younger witch swore that she was fine, and she probably was, since she had slept for fifteen hours straight; however, Leda didn’t want to take any chances. The girl had been seriously fatigued when she helped her into bed the previous day, but she did seem to be in much better shape this morning.
As promised, Leda intended to pay Eylion’s landlord a visit after breakfast and give him the money for her rent. She had initially planned to make Eylion stay behind, but the younger woman would not have it.

“No way! If you show up in that part of town, dressed in those clothes, he’ll try to make you pay more. You need me.”

“I can take care of myself, young lady.” Leda huffed.

“Trust me on this one. You’re not street smart, I can tell.” Eylion gave her a knowing look.

Leda sighed, but then she thought about it, and she knew the girl was right. She was brilliant at magic, but she was entering unfamiliar territory. “Are you feeling up to it?”

“Yes, I feel fine.”

“Oh, alright then. I suppose you do know that part of town better than I do. I haven’t really spent any time there.” She gave the younger woman a smile. “But make sure to eat well before we leave.” She said, unnecessarily as Eylion was eating with gusto.

“Oh, I will! This is great!”

Eylion was used to not having a lot to eat, and even when she ate well, it was nothing like the food Leda served her. It was heavenly. She was so glad she’d be staying there for a while, being fed several times a day, because Leda had told her she needed her to stay at the manor while she worked for her. At first she felt it was a bit of a waste to pay rent for her house if she wasn’t going to live there, but at the same time, she needed a roof over her head once she was done. It would give her more time to figure out what to do if her father didn’t come back. But he might come back, and then he’d need a roof over his head too. She still hadn’t given up hope.

*

After the breakfast they set off towards the village. Through much debate, Eylion had gotten Leda to change into something less expensive. “We’ll be a lot safer if you don’t look so wealthy,” she said. “You’ll draw attention to yourself wearing that.”
Leda wanted to argue that being a rather powerful witch, going into a mainly mortal part of town, safety wasn’t really an issue; but she didn’t think it a good idea to get herself into a situation where she had to use magic on someone who couldn’t use it back.

“So where exactly is your house?”

“It’s in the Pigpen Shambles,” Eylion replied, and when seeing the confusion on Leda’s face, she added, “It’s what the locals call it.”

“Why?” Leda asked, puzzled by this interesting name.

“Well there used to be a big pigpen there, many years ago, right behind the pub. And we call it the “Shambles” because of all the mismatching and oddly shaped houses. It makes the street look disorderly.” She grinned. “It’s not really just the street that is disorderly.”

“I can imagine,” Leda said, catching herself sounding like a snob, however, Eylion only laughed.

When they finally got to the “Pigpen Shambles”, Eylion took Leda down the street, to her landlord’s house. Leda now understood why it was thought disorderly. The entire street looked completely random, yet it somehow had a charm to it. It was nice, she thought, taking the oddity of it and embracing it by giving it a nickname.
Eylion stopped outside a big red house that was placed bang in the middle of a green and a yellow house, that both were much smaller in size. It stuck out like a big red thumb. She knocked on the door, and they waited. After a while, she tried again.

“Maybe he’s asleep?” Leda said, thinking maybe they could go away and come back later.

“No, I don’t think so,” Eylion said, looking suspicious. Something felt off. “Hello?” she called and knocked again, hard.  “Is anyone home? Hello?”

A windrow creaked open from the house across the street.

“Ee, ain’t there, kid,” a shabby looking man with facial stubble said.

“Where is he?”

“Dunno. Packed up and left.” The man scratched his chin. “Heard there was a fight at the pub last night. Think summat bad happened, and next thing you know, ee’s packing up wife and kids and leaving in the middle of the night.”

Eylion just stood there, mouth open. It was a lot for her to take in.

“What about the houses he rented out?” Leda asked, politely. The man looked her over, realised she was of worth, and immediately started speaking more politely.

“Oh, I reckon they’ve been burgled, mistress. If the kid wants her things, she better hurry. There might be some stuff left.”

“Thank you, sir,” Leda said. The man, closed the window, probably to go back to sleep.

Leda approached Eylion and put a hand on her shoulder. The poor girl looked completely defeated.

“Eylion?” she tried. ” Honey?” But Eylion just looked at her shock. She felt tears pressing, but she would not let release them. Leda put her arm around Eylion’s shoulder, and gently guided her down the street. “Let’s find your house and see what state it is. We can’t be sure anything is taken,” she said, trying to think positive.
Eylion came back to it, looking sceptically at Leda.
“Oh, please. Like Big John wasn’t part of it.” She closed her hand in an angry fist. “He might not know where Mr. Bigs went, but I’ll bet anything he was part of the gang that looted the houses he owned. Bloody scavenger.”

“Well, let’s go and see anyway.”

They did, and it was as Eylion had suspected.  The front door was ripped off its hinges and placed up against the brown house wall, and the house was completely trashed inside. Anything of value was gone. Well, anything that had been visible to the looters. Eylion waded through ripped wallpaper on the floor, and went into the kitchen. She crouched down, and opened a loose floorboard. She pulled out a small, wooden box. She opened it up to check its content. Inside she found a little bit of money (but not enough to pay the rent), her grandfather’s war medal and her mother’s brooch, the only two objects her father would never even consider selling to pay for his bad habit. Her tears started falling, before she could stop them. Big, fat drops of warm, salty water.

“Now, now,” Leda said, pulling her into an embrace. She felt completely out of place, standing in this filthy dump, that Eylion had called her house, but she pushed those feelings aside, and tried to comfort the younger woman as he sobbed into her shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’ll work out.”

“How?” Eylion cried. “My house is trashed, my belongings are gone, and my dad is gone. I’ve got nothing, and I am nothing.” Her crying was heart breaking to Leda. It was the sound of a person who had completely given up on herself.

“Let’s go back to my place. We’ll figure things out.”  She gently pushed Eylion off her shoulder, and wiped her tears away with her thumb. “There, that’s better.”  She smiled at the girl, and stroke her hand gently on her cheek. “Bring your box. Is there anything else you need?”

“There is nothing else,” Eylion said, miserably. As they got outside, she stopped for a moment. “But what about my dad? What if he comes back here and he can’t find me?”

“Ee ain’t coming back,” said an old lady, next-door. She was sitting on a porch, smoking a pipe. “When are yer going to realise it, girlie? You know ee ain’t coming back.”

Leda straightened her back, thinking the woman very rude, and she was just about to say something to the lady, but Eylion cut her off.

“If he does, you’ll tell him I’m around, won’t ya, Grammy-Sue?”

“Course, I will, baby. You know Grammy-Sure is looking out for yer. Yer like one of me own grandbabies.” She took her pipe out and winked. “Say, you don’t have a coin or two for an ole lady, do yer?”

“Is it for your health,” Eylion asked, checking her pocket for Grammy-Sue, knowing the lady was not long for this world.

“Nah, hun. I’m almost out of tobacco.”

Eylion fished a couple of copper coins out her her pocket, and went over to the porch. She handed the old lady the coins and kissed her on the cheek for the last time.

“Bye, Grammy.”

*

On the way back, Leda guided Eylion towards the nicer part of town; in other words, the wealthier part of town.

“Where are we going?” Eylion asked, wondering why Leda was even taking her home now that she didn’t need to help her pay the rent. Eylion didn’t need the rent money, and so Leda didn’t have to feel like she had to give her work.

“We’re going to see my tailor.”

“You need another outfit?” Eylion stopped, rolling her eyes.

“No, not for a while,” Leda said. She gave Eylion’s backside a swat, to keep her walking. “We need to get you some clothes now that you’ve been burgled.”

“Me? But… I can’t afford new clothes! Especially not from your tailor.”

“I’ll front you the money for the work you promised to do for me,” Leda said, thinking that should give Eylion a reason to stick around long enough for her to teach her to use magic responsibly.

“But we can buy much cheaper clothes,” Eylion argued. Yes, they would be much simpler, but Leda’s clothes were pricy. It would take a while to pay off that kind of loan. “I know a second-hand shop.”

Now, Leda was the one stopping. She turned to Eylion and gave her a serious look. “Eylion, honey, do you want the world to see you as a respectable witch?”

“Yes, I guess.” Eylion frowned, half knowing what she was about to say.

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but the you’ll need some proper clothing.” She gave the girl a sympathetic look. “First impressions matter. Before you show people what you can do, before you even open your mouth, you will be judged. People will make up their mind about you based on how you are dressed, and once they have made up their mind, it is hard to change their mind.”

“Are you saying that if I dress like you people won’t treat me like I’m trash?”

“In essence, yes.” Leda gave her a weak smile. “Well, not like me. We’re not the same, you and I. I’m a fully-qualified witch, and I’m a lot older. We’ll get you a couple of outfits that witchlings your age wear.”

Eylion sighed. “Okay, let’s get these expensive clothes then. I’ll just be your slave for all eternity to pay them off.”

*

Leda’s tailor, Monsieur Henri  measured Eylion up and down. He was a wizard and therefore he could have the clothes finished while they were waiting for them.

“Oh shee as a very guud figure, Mistress Clagarian,” the man said with an accent. “A little thin, but very guud shapes.”

“Hmmm… yes, perhaps make the clothes a little bigger than her current shape. She’ll probably gain a little weight now that I cook her meals.” She winked at Eylion, who blushed slightly.

“Tzat will be no problem,” he said grinning. “I will also make it a little longer, shall I?Unlike mortal women, witches also grow a little in height in their twenties.”

“That would be good.”

“D’accord. I make it so that it fits her now, and when she needs it to be bigger, you only need to let it down a little.”

Monsieur Henri waved his hand and rolls off fabric came out from high cupboard in his work studio. Eylion let Leda choose which fabrics would be best as she had no preference. She only nodded when asked about he colours. She had planned to step away when it was time to pay, so she didn’t have to hear the price, but Monsieur Henri just said, “Shall I put it on tze tab?” She had no idea what the outfits would cost her, but she preferred to remain oblivious.

As they walked home together, the clothing neatly wrapped inside boxes, floating behind them. Eylion thought about asking what the clothes would cost, but she decided against it. Now that she had nowhere to stay, working for Leda for a while would at least secure her a roof over her head and some food. It might not be as bad. She grinned thinking about the meals, and she playfully thought that if this was what it was going to be like, perhaps she should offer to work as an indentured servant. She’d have the food, the shelter, and the clothes, all on the fancy side of town.

“What are you grinning about?” Leda asked, smiling.

“Oh, nothing,” Eylion replied, smirking to herself.

“Nothing, huh? Well, I’m glad you’re in a better mood.”

“Yeah, well, I was thinking about food so…”

Leda laughed. “Well, I suppose we’ll have to eat something when we get back.”

“Nice!”

“Yes, and then work.”

“Oh. Yes, of course.” Eylion’s heart sank a little, wondering what kind of jobs Leda would have her do. She wasn’t great at cooking or cleaning, but she supposed these were skills any person could learn, if they had to. “What do you want me to do?”

“Well, first I think I should teach you a little bit about controlling your powers. You can’t keep having little accidents when you lose your temper. Then I was thinking I should teach you to make a potion.”

“You’re going to teach me? I thought you said work?” Eylion felt a feeling of excitement in her tummy. Would she finally be able to learn how to use her magic?

“Well, I might need you to make some potions for me. You need to know the basics of potion making.” She stopped at a sudden thought. “Do you know how to read?”

Eylion gave her an annoyed look. “Of course, I know how to read.”

Leda blushed. “Sorry, but I didn’t want to assume, seeing as your education is eh… well… lacking.”  She coughed. “I have some books for you to study. You can’t make potions by yourself until you’ve familiarised yourself with the ingredients and their uses. Today I will make it with you and explain.”

“Do you have other books I can read? Maybe about spells? I’ll be very careful with them.” She looked up at the older woman with eager, pleading eyes. Leda smiled at her eagerness to learn.

“I do have some spellbooks you can read. I’ll just have to go through my library and find some that are appropriate for you.” She gave her a mock-stern look. “We wouldn’t want you to try spells that are too advanced or dangerous for your level, do we?”

Eylion shook her head in agreement. Finally she’d be able to read a proper book about magic. She would never have been able to afford one herself, and you couldn’t borrow them at the local library. Spellbooks were for witches exclusively, and they weren’t cheap.

*

When they got back, Leda brought the clothes with her to the room Eylion slept in the previous night. She informed Eylion that that would be her room, causing Eylion to feel even more exited as she had never had a room like this. It was quite spacious, with a big four poster bed, and an en suit bathroom. Back home, she’d always slept in a tiny room, decorated with nothing more than a small, old bed that was slightly uncomfortable, and a tiny dresser for the few belongings she had. Even then, she’d been appreciative, because she knew she was better off than a lot of people in the Pigpen Shambles.
Leda drew Eylion a bath and left to make lunch, while Eylion soaked in the warm bubbly water. When she was squeaky clean, she dried herself off with the biggest and softest towel she’d even seen, and then put on a brand new outfit. She looked at herself in a big, framed mirror and hardly recognised herself. She looked very presentable, and this was just her casual outfit. Leda had also purchased an outfit for more formal occasions. She wore a sea green tunic decorated with beads, and a belt around her waist, and brown leather trousers, and brand new boots. She looked like an apprentice. She pulled her dark blonde hair into a bun at the back of her head, letting strands of hair stick out, before she went downstairs to the kitchen to find Leda, and the food.

As she came into the kitchen in her brand new clothes, Leda turned and smiled.

“Have we met before?”

“No, I just broke in to get to the food I smelled,” Eylion said, sniffing the air. Lunch smelled amazing. Leda had something in the oven, and she was lightly toasting some bread with garlic and oil on the pan. “Is all of that for just the two of us?”

“Ah, about that,” Leda said, just remembering something. “I won’t be able to teach you this afternoon.”

“Oh,” Eylion said, unable to hide her disappointment.

“I’m really sorry, but with everything that happened yesterday and this morning, I completely forgot that my friends, Gwen and Aisling, are coming over. They’ll be here any minute.”

“Right.” Eylion scratched her neck awkwardly. “Well, I suppose I should make myself scarce.”  Her tummy rumbled hungrily.

“Don’t be silly,” Leda reprimanded. “We’ll all eat together.” She brushed a stray hair from Eylion’s face behind her ear. “But then after lunch, I have to talk to them in private. We have some things to discuss.”

“Okay.” Eylion nodded. “Then what should I do?”

“Whatever you want.”

“You don’t want me to work?”

“Do you want to work?” Leda raised an eyebrow, looking amused. “I suppose I could find a boring chore, if you want…”

“I want to read a magic book,” Eylion said determined. “Please,” she added, more politely.

Leda studied her closely. “Wait here,” she said, taking the now finished garlic bread off the stove.

Eylion stood still, waiting. She was a little disappointed that Leda cancelled her plans to teach her magic, but she understood that she had plans with her friends first. And she supposed that she also understood that Leda wanted to be alone with her friends, without her. This was her house, after all; her life, and Eylion had just randomly come into it by coincident. Leda was showing her great kindness letting her stay. She didn’t have to. She could have let Eylion fend for herself, but instead she was determined to make sure she at least knew how to control her powers before she sent her on her way. Maybe in the future someone would even take her on as an apprentice now. “Oh get a grip, Eylion,” she thought and rolled her eyes. “You are soooo far from being apprentice material. You can paint a donkey, but she’ll never be a zebra.” She looked down at her new clothes feeling sad all of a sudden. She knew what she was and what she wasn’t, and she would never be like those girls she met yesterday. They were from good families, they were brought up in a completely different environment, they were primed to be great witches from birth. What was special about her? Nothing. And new clothes wouldn’t change that. She would always be that girl from the wrong side of town; raised by a drunk in the Pigpen Shambles.

She heard a knock on the kitchen door before it opened. A tall, brunette walked in, followed by an even taller blonde. “Hi, we went in the ba….”  The two looked at her surprised. “You’re not Leda,” said the brunette, looking like one giant question mark.

“Good observation.” Eylion couldn’t help but give a little cheek. She didn’t look anything like Leda. The older witch was a beautiful, tall, red-head, with green eyes and a slightly tan skin that had a bronze-like glow.  Eylion was just… well… Eylion. Blue eyes, and boring dark blonde hair. Her five-feet-eight made her tall compared to a mortal, but apparently, as she had learned from Monsieur Henri earlier that day, witches grew even in their twenties, and Eylion was only just twenty. This would explain why she suddenly found herself the shortest woman around, which was a completely new experience.

Deciding to be nice to Leda’s friends, even though they were the reason she wouldn’t have a private magic lesson with one of the most powerful witches in town, she smiled and reacher out her hand.
“I’m Eylion,” she said, shaking their hand in turn.

The two women, still not sure what she was doing there, introduced themselves as Gwen and Aisling. They both looked like they were about to open their mouth and ask who she was, when Leda came back into the kitchen, holding a book.

“Oh, you’re here. I didn’t hear the bell.”

“Sorry, Leda.” Aisling gave her a hug. “We came through the back door today. Gwen nicked some of your herbs.”

Leda gave the brunette a stern look.

“Hey! I let you borrow my…”

“Yes, but I asked,” Leda informed her, cutting her off before she could come up with her excuse. Gwen had always “borrowed” things without asking, ever since they were both apprentices.

“Thanks for throwing me under the bus, hun.” Gwen scowled at her partner.

Leda sighed, and put the book on the table. “Well, I suppose I can’t expect anything else from you, can I, Gwendolyn?” She gave the brunette a hug and kissed her on the cheek. “You’ve been taking my stuff for the past seven decades or so. I should be used to it.”

“Seven decades??? Are you, like…a hundred?” Eylion had a look or pure amazement, her eyes wide.

There came a snort from both Gwen and Aisling, as Leda went red-faced.

“I am ninety-eight, thank you very much,” she corrected.

Eylion gave a whistle. “You look good for your age. Ya know, Grammy-Sue, the wrinkly old lady that we saw earlier? She’s much younger than you!” She grinned.

Gwen and Aisling burst out laughing.

“She’s younger than you guys too,” Leda argued.

Aisling patted her gently on her shoulder. “I take it you have befriended a mortal, Leda, hmm?”

“Oh, Eylion is no mortal, she is…eh…” she trailed off as she looked at the worried look on the younger witch’s face. “She’s not from around these parts.”

There was a look on the new guests’s faces that said that they didn’t quite buy this explanation, but they didn’t go on about it. Instead they all sat down by the kitchen table and had lunch together. Normally Leda would entertain guests in her dining room, but Gwen and Aisling were like family, and the kitchen table was that kind of table, for familial conversation. They often sat there, depending on what day it was.

Eylion was not shy and so she got to know Gwen and Aisling a little better. She had already guessed that they were a couple, but apparently they had been together for sixty years, which to Eylion seemed unbelievable. She learned that Gwen specialised in potions and Aisling was more of an outdoorsy witch. They asked her some questions, but Eylion dodged those with ease. She was very good at answering questions satisfactory without giving up too much information. To the question “So, you’re not from around these parts?” Eylion replied, “No, but I am just in awe of this area, it is so beautiful,” and somehow she managed to get them talking about the forest and all the useful plants witches could find there. Gwen even offered to take Eylion with her to harvest the next day.”

“Thanks,” Eylion said, gratefully. “I’m going to have to check my schedule, but I am definitely interested.” She looked at Leda, knowing that she was the one in control of her schedule. There was also the tiny little problem of Eylion not knowing anything about potion’s ingredients.

“Oh, I think you have time,” Leda said, winking at her. “I’ll come with. We could all go.”

“Sounds good to me,” Aisling agreed. “We’ll pack some delicious food and make a day out of it.”

“It will be hard to beat this delicious food,” Eylion said, praising her Leda. “Thanks for the meal, chef. It was lovely.”

“You’re welcome.”

Eylion stood up and started clearing the table. Gwen and Aisling looked her her confused, and Leda with sympathy.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, hun.” Leda patted her gently on her arm. “I’ll take care of it. Why don’t you take the book I found to your room and study?” She smiled encouragingly.

“Eh… yeah, okay,” Eylion said, reminded that she was supposed to leave Leda alone with her friends after the meal. She took the book left the room feeling a little disappointed that she had been dismissed.

“Eylion?” In the hallway, Leda caught up with her. She spoke quietly, so the others wouldn’t hear. “The book is for you to read, and read only, do you understand?”

“I’m not sure,” Eylion said, confused. “You mean… I can’t try the spells?”

“Not without me being there, no you can’t.”

“But… Leda, come on, I need to try them,” Eylion argued.

“And you will, but I don’t want you casting spells that you might not be able to control. It could be dangerous.” She have her a sympathetic look. “I know you are eager, but familiarise yourself with the material first.”

“Okay,” Eylion sighed in disappointment. This was not what she had expected. She had expected to be able to read and practice casting spells, and now she was told to only read until Leda had time to supervise. That sucked.

*

“So what’s going on?” Gwen asked, as Leda came back into the kitchen and closed the door. Their plates had placed themselves in the sink and a dishwashing brush was now cleaning them with soapy water. “Who’s the girl?”

“She’s very good at dodging questions,” Aisling said amazed. “It took me ages to realise she hadn’t answered one single question I asked her.”

Leda sat down, a glass teapot with amber coloured tea floated in the air behind her, and as teacups touched gently down on the wooden table in front of them, it started pouring the hot tea.

“Well, I suppose I can’t keep this from you, though I know she wants me to keep quiet.” She picked up her teacup and blew on it. “When I said she wasn’t from these parts, I meant… well… she’s from the other side of town. She lived in some shamble part. I forget.”

“The Pigpen Shambles?” Gwen asked.

“You know of this place?” Leda asked, surprised.

“Yeah, I used to go there all the time as a kid when my mother left home. I don’t know about now, but back then even a kid would be able to get a stronger drink.” She winced a bit at the stern look her partner gave her.

“You were a drunk as a child?” she asked, sceptically.

“Not a drunk,” Gwen corrected. “I just… well, I liked to do the things a kid wasn’t supposed to do.” She smiled, remembering her childhood. “I was so much alone, it was the only thing that made me happy, I suppose.”

“That’s just sad.” Leda shook her head. “But at the same time, not that hard to believe.” She raised her eyebrow and took a sip of her tea. “Well, Eylion grew up there. Her mother was a witch, but she never really knew her, and her father is a drunk who’d never be able to afford the education she needed when she first started developing powers, which is why she can’t do much magic. Also, growing up in that area, I think she tried to hide them from people. She can’t even control her powers. Yesterday, she got in an argument with a girl from the Oswold family, her and two other idiots, and Eylion’s magic burst out, triggering quite a brutal attack.”

“Oh my, what happened?” Gwen asked, looking concerned.

“They were quite ruthless, I’ll tell you. I intervened quite early, but by then they had bruised her pretty badly, broken a rib and her ankle. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened if I didn’t stop the last curse from hitting her.”

“That is completely out of order!” Aisling blurted out angrily. “Did you report them?”

“What do you think?” Leda asked, looking stern. “Her grandfather is a magistrate, we know what would have happened. The case would have been dismissed before it even got started, and they would have claimed she started it. She did hit them first, and it would have been hard to argue the point that she lost control of her powers, especially at her age.”

She took another sip of tea and helped herself to a biscuit. The other two sat in silence waiting for her to continue.

“I’m going to teach her how to control her powers,” she said, dunking her biscuit into her tea. “This can’t go on.”

“Are you finally taking on an apprentice?” Gwen asked, amazed by the prospect. She never thought that would happen.

“No, that’s not what I said. I said I would teach her the basics. She needs to know, and hopefully, once I have trained her a bit, I’ll be able to find her a suitable mentor.”

“But aren’t you a suitable…” Aisling started.

“No,” Leda cut her off. “I’m really not.” She looked to Gwen. “You remember, don’t you, Gwen? All those years ago at the Winter Festival, we both swore we’d never have an apprentice.”

“Yes, but that was decades ago, Leda,” Gwen argued. “We were so young, and you had just “babysat” me.” She rolled her eyes. She would still blush at times, remembering how Leda was left in charge while their mentors left town. Gwen was twenty-one at the time, and she had gotten quite upset that she wasn’t allowed to be home alone for a couple of days.  “That was a completely different experience. I seriously doubt that this girl can be any trouble at all compared to what you went through that time.” She giggled, remembering. “You were trying to prove to Andromeda that you were ready to graduate from apprentice to a fully qualified witch, and I tried to sabotaged you.”

“Yeah, you did,” Leda reminisced. “But then I did say those horrible things to you.”

“And then I turned you into a donkey.” Gwen closed her eyes savouring the moment of nostalgia.

Aisling snorted as she tried to hide a laugh, while Leda went red-faced again.

“Which was the most irresponsible thing you have ever done”, she said, dunking a biscuit into her tea with such force that she dropped it and warm water spilled onto the kitchen table. She looked at the other two, glowering. “You two just stop. It wasn’t funny.”

“It totally was,” Gwen whispered to her wife. “She made donkey noises for hours.”

*

Eylion was lying on her tummy on the four poster bed, studying the spellbook that Leda had borrowed her. It was wonderful to finally have a text in front of her that explained spell work, and how she could cast spells herself. She already felt confident that she was getting better. This book told her everything she needed to know about controlling the elements, which was very basic magic. It told her how to control water, for example. She could shape it, levitate it, freeze it, and even steam it. But being a magic book for those at a very elementary level, it also had very clear caution notes. An unskilled witch should never, for example, attempt to dry herself by evaporating water, that could lead to nasty burns. She could see how some of these spells should be practiced with an older, more skilled witch around, however, some of them seemed very simple.

“If I draw a magical symbol where I want a flame to occur, I should be able to control where it appears,” she muttered. “That makes sense. Conjuring a flame without it might make it harder to place it exactly where I want, so I’m guessing the symbol will function as an aid.”

Eylion opened the door to the hallway, and stopped to listen for a moment. It didn’t sound like anyone was upstairs. She then crossed the hall and opened a cupboard door in the wall. In the cupboard she picked up a metal bucket, which she brought it back to her room. Carefully closing the door, she placed the bucked on a chair in front of her, and she proceeded to pick up a piece of paper. Holding the paper over the bucket, she drew a triangular symbol on it with her finger, focusing her powers. As she drew the symbol, tracing her finger on the paper, she felt a tingling sensation in the tip of her right index finger. Once she had finished the symbol, she removed her finger and watched as the paper started smoking, and before she knew it flames were eating up the paper in her hand. She dropped it into the bin, feeling exited. She had done it!

Feeling proud she went back to the book she had left open on the bed, looking for something else she could do on her own. At the bottom of the page about fire, she saw a spell that would allow a person to cast fire. She looked at the bucket. If she filled it with a little bit of paper, and stood a couple of feet away from it, she should be able to light it using this spell. Of course, at this point, an alarm bell would have rung for most people, reminding them not to get carried away if they didn’t want their misdeeds to be discovered; but unfortunately, Eylion’s confidence boost meant that her head was flying higher than her broom, and she decided to ignore all warnings.

She placed the book on a desk, keeping it away from the bucket to make sure she didn’t accidentally burn it. She was being responsible. She then threw paper into the bucket and stood a distance away from it, but making sure the bucket was at a lower level so that she could see into it. Seeing the target of a spell was always useful. She held up her hands, focusing her magic.

“Dreiki logi eða viðr logi,” she said, quite loud, thinking she had a better chance of making something happen if she used more power in her voice. What happened next was quite unexpected…

To be continued.

 

Leda and Eylion – part 1

Leda Clagarian sighed heavily as she looked at another stack of letters with fancy wax seals with family crests on them.
“They never give up,” she muttered, as she opened the first one. “Let me guess, they want me to apprentice their daughter.”  She looked down at the letter, completely unimpressed by the expensive stationary.

Dear Mistress Clagarian 

The Oswold family would be honoured if you would consider taking on my grand-daughter, Clarissa Marion Oswold, as your apprentice witch. Clarissa is a good student and she received good marks at Heiderbridge Academy in Dragonsdale. The Oswold family only chooses the best to apprentice our young magicians, and your are our number one choice. Gold is not an issue, we would be happy to compensate your for your time.

Yours truly, 

Sir Arthur Oswold.
Magistrate 

“Oh, I’m the number one choice?” Leda shook her head in annoyance. “When are these people going to realise that it is the mentor who chooses, and you can’t buy a proper apprenticeship!”

She crumbled the letter and lit it on fire by snapping her finger. She really wished people would stop asking her to apprentice their little brats. She was not so ignorant that she didn’t know why. In her lifetime she had managed to become one of the most powerful witches and best healers, and this was widely known among the magical community. She also came from a high-status family and a long line of powerful magicians. Most young witches would give an arm and a leg to train under a witch like Leda, but she always said no. She had, on several occasions, been advised to apprentice someone, especially since her old mentor moved out of town. “You will get lonely in that big hours all by yourself,” her friend, Gwen, had told her. Gwen didn’t have an apprentice either, but she had her partner Aisling. And Leda did feel lonely at times, but she didn’t think taking on just anyone would make things better. An apprenticeship was a big commitment.

“It will work out in the end,” she told herself, and she burned the rest of the letters without even reading them properly. She simply opened them and glanced at the paper to make sure it really was an apprentice proposal, and then she turned them into ashes.

Of course, the problem didn’t go away simply by burning letters, oh no, it followed her wherever she went. Only a week had passed since she burned the letters, when she was approached while walking in the village with Gwen. This time an elderly woman, matriarch of her family, approached her, demanding she take on her great-granddaughter as an apprentice. When Leda refused her, the woman said, “Don’t you know who I am? You have everything to gain from training her.” But Leda stood her ground, and repeated a firm “NO.”

“You know, this problem would go away if you took someone on as an apprentice,” Gwen said, amused, as Leda looked grouchy. “Then they would see you as taken, and they’ll back off.”

“You don’t apprentice anyone,” Leda pointed out, scowling. Entitled people really ticked her off. All they cared about was status, not chemistry. She felt sorry for the young witch who had to grow up in such a family, she had once been in her shoes.

“I haven’t even been asked by anyone,” Gwen said, grinning. “I don’t come from a good family, remember?”

“Status isn’t everything,” Leda commented, knowing it wasn’t quite the truth. She was sure many of the wealthy families in the village would never approach Gwen, no matter how talented she was; and Gwen was an excellent potion maker.

“Uh huh,” Gwen raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “I was also a lot of trouble when I was younger. Those wealthy matriarchs have long memories.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, it’s been eighty years. They need to let that go.” She gave Gwen a sympathetic look. “You’re lot much trouble now, are you. Not since you married Aisling.” She gave her a wink. “She stills warms your behind for you once in a while, doesn’t she?”

“Leda!” Gwen blushed and looked around.

“Well, your arrangement really worked out for you, didn’t it? Last time you were in serious trouble was when you tried to experiments with your potion making six months ago.”

“Yes, well Aisling has been eh… giving me maintenance attention.”

“Ah, so that is how you stay out of trouble. She nips it in the bud, or should I say butt, before you manage to get yourself into trouble. Very clever.” Leda smirked. “I suppose she’ll have to give you another one before her trip. How long will she be gone?”

“Three weeks,” Gwen said looking unhappy. The couple were rarely away from each other for more than a couple of days.  “I’ll miss her so much.”

“Will you be able to stay out of trouble?”

“Leda, I am not a young witchling anymore, I can stay out of trouble.”

“Hmm… I should probably talk to her and offer to pay you a visit if you start slipping up.”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Goddess, you do need an apprentice to boss around, if only to get your off my back!”

*

Eylion was in a fowl mood. Her father had disappeared, she hadn’t seen him for almost two weeks. She was running out of things to sell to keep herself fed, and getting money was becoming a real problem as nobody would hire her. Her father had completely trashed her reputation in the village, and she was getting desperate. Maybe it was for the best that he was gone. He probably wouldn’t have improved the situation if he was there, he’d probably make it worse, but at least she wouldn’t be alone.

There was a knock on the door.

“Yes?”

“Open up kid, I’m here for the rent.”

Shit, the rent. She had nowhere near that kind of money. She was struggling just to feed herself. The house they rented was small and humble, and on the poor side of town, but it was a roof over their head, and Eylion had her own room, which was a lot more than some of her neighbours had. Just down the street lived a family of eight, all sleeping in one room. She calmed herself down, and opened the door. Outside stood a big, ominous looking man that looked like he was chronically grumpy.

“Hello, Mr. Bigs. I’m really sorry, but my father is not in. I promise to tell him the minute her comes back.” Eylion only held the door open wide enough for him to see her face. She didn’t want him to come inside, not when she was alone. The landlord had never done anything to hurt her, but she didn’t trust him.

“I’m hearing rumours that your old man has left town, kid,” he said, with a grumpy look.

“Only rumours, sir. It is true that he is out of town, but he’ll be back any day now.”

She felt sparks coming out of her fingers, and she hid them behind her back. She was freaking out on the inside, and her magic was out of control again. She hadn’t learned to control it. What if Mr. Bigs kicked her out?

“Can you guarantee that he will be back before the weekend?” The tall man, looked around the room over her head.

“Oh, yes sir! He’ll be back anytime now.”

“Alright kid. I’m going to take your word for it, but only because I don’t feel like looking for someone else to rent to. You have until Sunday to get the rent money, or you and your old man are out, you hear me?”

“Yes, Mr. Bigs,” Eylion replied seriously. “We’ll get you the money before next week.”

Mr. Bigs grunted and turned on his heals. Eylion quietly closed the door, breathing out.

“Okay, Eylion, don’t panic. You only have try extra hard to get a job,” she told herself.

Only get a job? Nobody would hire her, and even if they did, there was no way she’d be able to even make a quarter of the rent money by Sunday. Her dad might be a filthy drunk, but he always found ways to get money.  She didn’t want know know where the money came from, the most important part was that he got it. Even if he spent most of it on alcohol, he always made sure to give Eylion the rent money and for expenses. There had been a couple of incidents in the past where he had spent all his money and not had enough to feed his daughter, and he had learned from that mistake. He was not so selfish that he didn’t want to take care of her. Of course, Eylion was a grown woman now, she did try to help out, but every time she had tried to get a job her father’s reputation had gotten in the way. But now he was gone, and there were all sorts of rumours around town about what could have happened. People would loudly speculate even when Eylion was around, not caring that his daughter heard their conversations. It was really unfair, she thought, that nobody would even give her a chance when they didn’t even know her.

Walking through the village she might hear, “I heard he made some enemies and ran town. Didn’t even have time to bring his daughter;” or, “I heard from someone in Dragonsdale that he bought some mushrooms from a shady guy over there, and died. They buried him before the authorities found him, didn’t want his body on their record.” Nobody seemed to even spare a thought for the person waiting at home for any sign of life, and little by little, Eylion lost hope that he would come back. It was not like her father to disappear for weeks on end. A couple of days, yes, two weeks? No.

Whatever the truth was, the reality was that Eylion now had no one. Her mother died when she was still a toddler, her grandmother who had raised her died when she was ten, and now her father, and only remaining relative had disappeared, and she was about to be kicked out on the street. On top of that, she was struggling to control her magic. A witch like her should have had some training by now, but they had never been able to afford tuition to the academy that taught the witches and wizards that were just starting to develop their powers. This would have been fine if she had someone in the family to teach her, but Eylion got her powers from her mother, and her father never realised how powerful she was. She always hid it from him, so he wouldn’t feel guilty about not getting her a magical education. She had also always assumed she’d have no takers for a mentor, and she had accepted the fact that she would never be a great sorceress, even if that is what she wanted to be. Who would want to apprentice her? They’d probably pick a witchling from a good family. No mentor would take in a penniless nobody and the daughter of the town drunk, would they? She would just have to practice controlling her powers so they didn’t get out of control.

*

“Gwen, have you finished the potion that I asked for?” Leda was talking to Gwen through a communication spell. She could just see a grey outline of her friend in a glowing ball of smoke in the air in front of her.

“No, not yet, Leda, I’m sorry,” Gwen said from the other end. Her voice, through the spell, sounded different, like an echo from far away.

“Really, Gwen, I was supposed to have it yesterday. What has gotten you so busy?”

“Uh…” Gwen hesitated.

“She’s been busy getting her bottom spanked!” Aisling joined the conversation.

“Honey! Don’t spank and tell!”

Leda giggled and rolled her eyes. Those two!

“Punishment or pleasure?” she asked, teasing Gwen.

“Oh, it started as punishment, didn’t it, honey?” Aisling said. “She gave me some real cheek, Leda, you should have heard! I think she needed some attention before my trip.”

“Uh huh.” She knew it. Gwen would, of course, act out before Aisling left. Anyone could predict that.

“But then…” Aisling trailed off. “Well… I’m leaving for a while, ya know,” she said, hinting at some other activity they had been doing together.

“Honey, Leda doesn’t need to know about that.”

“That’s true, Aisling,” Leda agreed. “I don’t want too many details on that front!” She smiled at the thought of their relationship. She was happy Gwen had found true love, even if it, apparently, wasn’t in the cards for her. “Though since we’ve known each other for so long, I know Gwendolyn is capable of getting into a world of trouble, even at her age! So just know that I am willing to rein her in if she gets in trouble while you’re away. She knows I can make good on that promise.”

“I’m not… Leda!” Gwen sputtered in protest, unable to form a complete sentence. “I don’t need… you just. Argh!”

Laughing, Aisling thanked her for the offer, and they ended their conversation before Gwen said something that would get her into trouble again. Shaking her head, Leda got up from her comfy chair. She heard some disturbance outside. She went to her window, and outside, down the hillside, she could see four young witches. One of them stood alone, facing a group of three, and it did not look like they were having a friendly chat.

“Uh oh, what is this now?” Leda mumbled to herself, deciding to pay attention in case things got ugly. They looked old enough to know about the code of conduct for witches, set in place to make sure that any witch did not abuse her power, but she wouldn’t put it passed a young witchling to overlook the code. She would intervene if it was necessary, but she did not see it as her responsibility to teach them right from wrong. If she knew their mentor, she would send them a letter and inform them of any misdeeds.

*

“You shut your face!” Eylion was facing a group of three girls. She had been on her way to the forest in hope of getting work, when the gang leader, Clarissa, had loudly insulted her father, repeating the rumours from the village. Eylion was red-faced and fuming as three girls were laughing at her. It was clear that their intent was to make fun of her for their own entertainment.

“Or what?” Laughed Clarissa. The platinum blonde looked haughty, and she wore the latest of fashion in the best quality fabric. Eylion felt dressed like a peasant in comparison. She had always had very simple clothing, and her shoes had hole in them. It was clear that they came from different parts of town.

“I will curse you!” Eylion’s skin tingled as she felt herself lose control. She knew this was an empty threat. She didn’t technically know any curses, and she had very little control over her magic. She would just occasionally release raw magic, sometimes without meaning to. She did have some control, she could levitate simple things, and set things on fire. She tried to use magic to do simple things in her everyday life as she felt like she had more control over her powers the more she used them. On days when she hadn’t used magic for a while, emotional instability could cause an accident. Her magic was like energy, building up, and if not spent, it would spill over. A witch not practising magic was not an option, the magic would find a way out.

“You couldn’t curse toadstool let alone a human. We know all about you and where you come from, trash.”

Clarissa’s gang laughed with her. Clearly they were her minions, social climbers who only cared about her status and how it looked to others if they were friends.

“You’ve never had any formal training, and you never will. Nobody trains people like you. You have nothing to offer, you ARE nothing.”

Eylion felt a searing rage inside. Hearing a person telling her to her face that she was nothing, confirming how she felt about herself sometimes, raw magic spilled from her, she couldn’t stop it. It went for the girls in the shape of an electric shock.

“Ouch!” The group shrieked out as they felt the pain of the shock. They were all were taken by surprise, and one of the girls even fell to the ground.

“You will pay for that, you peasant,” Clarissa shouted.

Oh, shit, Eylion thought. Now she was done for. She didn’t know any protective spells, she had never had any training. She threw herself to the side as a curse flew towards her. It narrowly missed, and a her body hit the ground, she willed her magic to go towards the others. A stream of flames went towards them, but the blonde girl easily waved it away with a shielding spell. A big, glowing, red circle with magical symbols formed in front of her, causing the flames to bounce off. It was seriously cool, and Eylion felt jealous she would never be able to do the same.

Focusing on Clarissa, Eylion suddenly felt an excruciating pain, as a spell hit her. She had completely forgot the minions, and it seemed they had more skills than only laughing at their head bitch’s stupid jokes. She only had time to feel blood trickling from the corner of her mouth when she was hit by another spell. The blast caused her to fly backwards, hitting the ground hard, knocking the air out of her. It was hard to locate all of the injuries, her entire body hurt, but she definitely knew her ankle was injured. She could see the group leader, readying a spell. Any spell that took time to form would be a bad one, and  Eylion, struggling to get up, crawled towards a tree, hoping she had time to take shelter behind its trunk. However, the girl sent the spell flying, and Eylion, who had no energy left to cast a spell, closed her eyes and waited for it to hit her. However, the spell never hit. All she could hear was a thundering sound, and a flash of light.

“That is enough!”

Eylion opened her eyes to see a tall, red-headed witch stand in between them. She had conjured a glowing, green shield between them, protecting Eylion from their spells which now bounced off and fizzled out.

“Looking away from the fact that you girls used magic to harm other witches, which is against the code unless in life-threatening situations, would anyone explain this cowardice? Three against one?”

“She started it, Mistress Clagarian,” the blonde one started.

“No, I didn’t, ” Eylion argued.

“Quiet!” Leda gave them all a stern look that had them all cower.

“I’ve been watching from the window, young ladies. I saw what happened. You three clearly instigated the argument, and you also used brutal magic against a witch you knew to be much weaker than you.”

“Hey! I am not…”

“Shush!” Leda gave Eylion a look that kept her quiet. She turned back to the mean girls. “I will be writing to your families explaining what you have been up to.”

“But…”

“I would have considered reporting it to the authorities, but seeing as your grandfather is a magistrate, Clarissa, I am not so naive that I think we’d see any justice. Had you been fully qualified witches, this kind of behaviour could be more than enough to have you arrested. It is a very serious thing that you have done.”

“But…”

“I do not want to hear anymore. You will leave now.”

The girls turned to leave.

“Wait a minute,” Leda said, holding her hand up. “Please relay a message from me from your head of house. Tell them I will not be taking any of you on a my apprentice.” She gave them all a cold smile.

Glowering, the blonde one turned around, her nose facing upwards. “Let’s go, girls. I mean, it’s not like we wanted to be her apprentice anyway.”

As the left, Leda stood looking at them with an amusing look. Eylion tried to get up, but failed miserably and fell back down.

“Ow, oww!” She winced.

“Let me help you, dear.” Leda approached Eylion, who was lying on the ground staring at her leg as if it had betrayed her.

“I’m fine,” Eylion said sharply. “I just need to catch my breath.”

“I don’t think it’s your breathing that causes you problems, young lady,” Leda said seriously. “You need medical attention.”

“No, that’s okay. Most things heal with time.” Eylion wiped blood from her mouth with the back of her hand, and tried to get up again. When she once again struggled, Leda took matters into her own hands.

“That’s enough, dear. It’s okay to be proud, but let’s not be foolish.” She waved her hand and Eylion felt her body levitate from the ground. She stopped struggling as Leda took her inside and into the kitchen. She carefully placed Eylion down on the kitchen table, and started unbuttoning her shirt.

“Whow there!” Eylion protested, grabbing Leda’s wrist.

“Oh, relax,” Leda said, raising her eyebrow. “I’m just examining your body.” She took off Eylion’s shirt, revealing big bruises on her torso. She placed a warm hand gently on Eylions rib cage, closing her eyes as she concentrated. “Oh dear. You have a broken rib. No wonder you’re in pain.” She shook her head as she removed her trousers too. Eylion resisted a little, but she quickly realised that Leda would do what needed to be done.

“Ow!” Eylion gave a little shriek as Leda touched her ankle. “Please don’t touch.” She whimpered and her lower lip quivered.

“It’s alright,” Leda said in a soft voice. “I’m going to fix it.”

“Nooo… you’ll hurt me.”

“Why would I hurt you? I just said, I’ll fix it.”

“But it’ll hurt.”

“No, it won’t. Don’t you know who I am?”

“No,” Eylion said, truthfully, shaking her head.

“Really?” Leda, looked up at her a little shocked, but saw in Eylion’s eyes that she was telling the truth. ” You honestly have no idea who I am?”

“Sorry,” Eylion muttered. “I don’t usually hang in the fancy part of town.”

“Don’t be sorry, it’s actually a little nice not to be recognised for a change. I get to start with a clean slate.”

“Well, then you don’t want to start with hurting me.”

“I’m not going to hurt you, girl.” Leda gave Eylion a little smile, and patted her thigh. “I am Leda Clagarian, and for your information, I am probably the best healer around here, and the best at charms. You’re in very good hands.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I’ll be the judge of that, Miss Leda Clagarian.” Eylion gave her a sceptical look. “I know all about people who claim the be the best. Usually they’re just after your money.”

“Does it look like I am in need of money,” Leda asked, tempted to point out that they were in a mansion that she had inherited.

“No, you look a bit wealthier than the people I usually talk to,” Eylion admitted. “And I have heard of you, I just didn’t know that you were, well, you.”

Leda chuckled as she turned her attention to Eylion’s ankle again. “Okay, young lady. This is what’s going to happen: I will first cast a spell around your ankle, numbing this one area so you won’t feel anything. Then I will cast a spell that will mend your bone.” She smiled. “Does that sound okay?”

“You promise I won’t feel anything?”

“Yes, I promise. Mending bones can be painful, but that is why the first spell will numb your ankle, keeping you from feeling anything. If you want, we can test before I cast the second spell. I will do the same to your broken rib.”

“Okay,” Eylion agreed. “Let’s do it.”

Leda cast the first spell. A web of green light, formed around Eylion’ ankle.

“Can you feel this?” Leda asked, tapping her knuckle lightly against her ankle.

“No, nothing.”

“Good. See? It’s working. Now let’s fix that fracture.”

“Mkay,” Eylion said nervously, closing her eyes.

Leda cast the second spell, mending the fracture in Eylion’s ankle. Then she repeated the same spells, fixing her rib. When she was done, she took a wet cloth and gently washed away the blood from her face and checked her teeth for any damage. Then she cleaned a deep cut on her arm. While she did this, a tiny glass bottled flew out of a drawer and soared towards Leda, who caught it. She uncorked it and poured some of the liquid inside on a cloth, which she used to dabb over the cut on Eylion’s arm.

“Ahhh! That hurts!” But then, as she was watching, her skin regrew over the cut, leaving her with only a pink stripe where there had only recently been a deep wound.

“You know, you really should know better than to use your powers against others,” Leda said, sternly as she turned to get something else from a cupboard.

“In case you didn’t notice,” Eylion said crossly, “they left without so much as a bruise. I’m the one with broken bones.”

“I am not defending them,” Leda said, returning with another, slightly bigger glass bottle. “Fighting three against one is really low, but you used magic against them first, I saw it from my window.” She looked into Eylion’s deep blue eyes. The younger witch had a looked annoyed.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. It just… it just happened.” She looked back into Leda’s green eyes, noticing confusion.

“Just happened? Explain.”

“I was mad, really mad. You’re a witch, you know how it is.” She shrugged. “Sometimes it just gets too much, and you can’t really help it.” She looked down, embarrassed. “It just came out, ya know. That girl, Clarissa or whatever her name is, she is so mean, she said horrible things.”

Leda looked at her with sympathy. She knew what it was like to lose control of her powers, but she had learned to control that when she was much younger than Eylion. Usually, young witches were given a basic education in magic and how to control it when they first start showing signs of it. Most had a parent to teach them, and for those who could afford it, there was the academy in Dragonsdale. The families who wanted their children to have the best of education, preparing them for their apprenticeship later in life, would also send a magician to school, or they would hire a private tutor. But Leda didn’t want to make the girl feel bad about being behind when it came to controlling her powers, so instead she said,

“Don’t you have anyone to teach you how to control your powers?”

Eylion shook her head. “No, I don’t. I got my powers from my mother, but I never knew her. My dad is a regular mortal, so he was no good in teaching me. But I’ve got it under control, or… I will.”

Leda picked up a spoon and poured a healthy dose of a liquid on to it. She decided to drop the topic of magical control for now, but she kept the thought at the back of her mind for a later discussion. They were not done talking about this. The girl would have to learn controlling her powers.

“Okay, young lady. Time for your medicine.”

“But you just healed me,” Eylion said, wrinkling her nose.

“I healed your bones. Your body is still seriously fatigued. Now, be a good girl and swallow this.”

“But…”

“No use arguing, I will get you to take it one way or another.” She raised an eyebrow, showing Eylion that she meant business. “Now open up.”

Eylion reluctantly opened her mouth and let Leda spoon feed her the medicine. It tasted horrible!

“Ewww… yuck! What the hell is that?”

“That is a secret.” Leda winked at her. “But it will make you feel a lot better in a bit.”

“Thanks.” Eylion jumped off the table and landed in front of Leda. “I should get going. Thanks for patching me up.”

“I don’t think you should leave just yet. Your body is seriously low on energy. It needs time to recuperate.”

“I’ll be fine,” Eylion said, dismissing her worries. “I have to go.”

“Hmm… I don’t know.” Leda was concerned. She knew she couldn’t force the girl to stay, but she didn’t think she should let her go. “Is there anyone I can get for you?”

“No.”

“Nobody?”

“I haven’t got nobody.”

“You mean you haven’t got anyone.”

“That’s what I said.”

“But…” Leda looked at her sceptically. “Everyone’s got someone.”

Eylion gave her a look as if she felt sorry for her, and she shook her head. “That is a very naive thought,” she said, smiling weakly. She gave a big yawn and rubbed her eyes. She felt dizzy.

“Okay, you know what. You’re staying, you have to rest,” Leda said, concerned.

“I can rest when I’m dead. I need to get to the forest. I already lost a lot of time.”

“Why? What are you doing there?”

“Someone told me they need workers hauling trees. I can use my magic.”

“Didn’t you just hear me? Your energy is seriously low, your magic will not be any good. You just suffered an injury, you can’t haul anything.”

“But I must. I need that job, nobody in the village will hire me. I know they’ll find me useful once they see that I can utilise my magic.”

“But you can’t control your magic,” Leda argued, and she almost winced at the look the younger woman gave her. She knew she had struck a nerve. She sighed. “Why? Why would a young witch like you be so desperate to haul trees in the woods?”

“It… it’s personal.”

“Is it about money?”

“Why would you just jump to that conclusion?” she said, defensively. She frowned, lines forming on her forehead. She looked proud and unyielding like a rock.

“Well, I can only assume that it is. Why else would someone be so eager to haul tree in the forest? And you are in no fit state to do that kind of work.”

Eylion looked down at her feet, her eyes started to glaze over. Leda looked down at the girl, with a pained expression.

“Why do you need to go today? Why cannot it not wait?”

“I… I need to make some money to pay our landlord.”

“Our?”

“I live with my dad. But he’s disappeared, and the landlord gave me until Sunday to come up with the rent.” Her voice cracked a bit as she said this, and she could feel tears running down her face. She hated crying in front of others, and she tried frantically to wipe the tears away.

“Where was your father going?” Leda asked, with a concerned look.

“I don’t know. I usually comes and goes. It is not unusual for him to be gone for days, but he’s been gone for two weeks. He usually give me the money we need for rent and food before he leaves. The rest he usually spends on alcohol. I think that is why he leaves, because he doesn’t want me to see him like that.” She yawned. She was so tired. “People in the village says he probably took off, leaving me, but I can’t believe that. They don’t know him like I do. ”

Leda thought for a moment.

“Tell you what, you can work for me. I’ll front the money, and I’ll pay your landlord tomorrow morning.”

“Really?” Eylion eyes went wide. “But… what can I do for you?”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll find use for you. This is a rather big house, you know. There are plenty of chores you can do for me.” She pushed the younger woman’s chin up with her index finger, so that she looked straight into her eyes. “But be warned, I have rules, and you will obey me in this house. Understood?”

Eylion nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

The truth was that Leda really didn’t need any help. Any chore she would be able to do with magic, but she knew the girl would never accept the money as a gift, no matter how insignificant the sum was to a wealthy person like Leda. At least this way the girl would stay put, so that Leda could make sure she healed properly, and she would be able to teach her how to control her powers. Leda would make sure that when Eylion left her house, she would know how to use her powers responsibly, and she would have useful skills any witch should have. It would probably take a couple of weeks, but she felt determined. Leda was up for the challenge.

To be continued…

 

Gwen and Aisling – When Lovers Match

Alexis rummaged through her potion cabinet looking for the ingredients she needed. What was usually a well-organised cabinet looked like a mess. She made an annoyed noise as she took out a bag of dried chickweed placed next to some pumpkin seeds. “What is this doing in the seed shelf?” she grunted, as she replaced it in the right section. This was extremely annoying, and she knew who to blame. Gwen knew perfectly well that each ingredient should be shelved according to category, and that they should be placed in alphabetical order. It was not that difficult!
“Oh, frog spawn!! Where’s the fireweed?” She continued going through her potion ingredients, reorganising, until she came up with a list of missing ingredients. She then went outside where she found her apprentice working in the garden.

“Gwen, you’re in big trouble!” She raised her voice as she approached the younger woman. She came to a holt in front of her, folding her arms.

“Huh?”

Gwen was sitting on her knees in the herb garden, wearing a wide brimmed sun hat. She turned around and looked up at her mentor. She squinted her eyes as her hat fell off, holding up her arm to cover her eyes from the sun. “What do you mean? I’m doing my chores like you told me.”

“You know you’re supposed to let me know if you notice we’re running short on ingredients.”

“Oh… yes.” Gwen scratched her nose nervously, smudging her nose with dirt. “I forgot to tell you. We’re out of bindweed, hemlock, mandrake and chicory.”

“Yes! And fireweed, and curly dock! We’re missing a lot of ingredients, and you know mandrakes have to be picked at full moon.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Gwen excused herself. “But it’s full moon tonight, we can get the mandrake then.”

“Well, I can’t tonight,” Alexis said, annoyed. “The order is having an important council meeting. The conflict with some of the vampire clans have become critical, and Kendra Onbush is not being helpful! I’m starting to think she doesn’t want peace.” She shook her head disapprovingly, thinking about her fellow order member. “I’ll just have to borrow some ingredients from Andromeda, which means I have to go earlier than I had originally planned.”

Gwen got up, brushed her hands off on her shorts and gave her mentor a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Alexis, I can collect some tonight. I know where to…”

“Absolutely not!” Alexis cut her off, and her worried expression suddenly looked really stern. “You will do no such thing. Not by yourself at full moon.”

“But… come on, I’ll be perfectly safe,” Gwen argued, a bit taken aback by her mentors reaction.

“I said no, Gwen. Did you not just hear what I said? The situation with the vampires has become critical, and you know werewolves head for the forest during full moon.”

Gwen sighed. She hated when Alexis babied her like this. She was thirty-one-years-old, and Alexis had promised her that she was almost done with her apprenticeship. She should loosen up on the restrictions.

“I can ask Leda if she can go with me,” she suggested, knowing that her Alexis would feel better about it if she knew Leda was there to protect her.

“She’s busy tonight. She has a guest from the North.”

“From the North? As in THE North?”

“Yes, you’ll get to meet her one of these days, but she just arrived this morning, and so Leda will not be able to go with you. It’ll just have to wait.”

“But…”

“Gwen…” Alexis’s tone was dangerously low. “I will not repeat myself…”

Gwen sighed.  “Fine.”

*

Later that evening, Alexis stood in the entrance hall all dressed up for a formal meeting. She wore her black cloak, her new, pointy hat, and leather boots she had made Gwen polish for her as punishment. She was looking very smart, indeed. She straightened her hat in front of the mirror and grabbed her trusty old broom that was leaning up against the wall.

“Alright, I think I am ready to go. Finish your chores, and don’t stay up too late. I don’t know when I will be back. I might spend the night somewhere else.”

“Spending the night where?”

“Just… just somewhere,” Alexis said, blushing. Actually blushing! “You know, just in case it gets really late and I need a bed for the night.”

“Would this bed come with a wizard?”

“Gwen!” Alexis gave her apprentice a quick smack to the backside.

“Ow! Okay, okay, I won’t pry,” Gwen said, grinning as she rubbed the sting out of her bottom.

“I will be off now.” Alexis pulled Gwen close and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Be good, and don’t go anywhere. It’ll get dark soon, and you’re not going out on your own.”

“No, of course not, because I’m just a child,” Gwen said sarcastically.

“It has nothing to do with being a child, missy. I know you are getting older, and you’re almost done with your apprenticeship, but these are scary times. I want you to be safe.”

Being over 200-years-old, Alexis might be a little overprotective towards her 31-year-old apprentice. It wasn’t that she didn’t think Gwen capable, it was just that she was so young. She was a skilled witch, but she was a bit brash, and she lacked the wisdom that came with age and experience. Gwen had always been very spontaneous, and it had been hard work teaching her that not everything can be done on a whim. Sometimes, the younger woman needed to be protected from herself! She pulled Gwen into a long hug.

“Promise to be safe, Gwen.”

“I promise,” Gwen promised. She freed herself from her mentors embrace. “Now, you get going so I can get started on all my mischief.”

“Very funny, missy.”

Alexis blew her a kiss before she opened the front-door and stepped outside. Gwen followed her and watched as her mentor mounted her broom and kicked off from the ground. She watched her for a while as she gradually became a small, black dot in the distance. Then she went back inside and stood in the hallway, not sure what to do now that she was all on her own.

“Now what?” she mumbled to herself. Her eyes landed on her on her own broom in the corner of the room, and her herb-picking basket. She looked out the window and saw that it was still light out, if only for a short while.

She had promised Alexis to stay safe, and she intended to keep that promise, but Alexis had said she was worried about vampires and werewolves, and they only came out when it was dark. It was still light out. She could gather some of the ingredients that did not have to be picked at a certain time. It was only the mandrake that needed to be picked under the light of the full moon.

“Gwen, what are you doing?” she reprimanded herself, as her hand was moving towards her broomstick. “She said not to leave the house.” She pulled her hand back, trying to resist, but eventually she lost her inner battle and grabbed it anyway.
“She said to be safe,” she reminded herself. “And I will be perfectly safe as long as I leave the forest before dark,” she concluded. “Even if I don’t I will be able to defend myself.”

She got her broom and hurried out the door before she could change her mind. She kicked off the ground, and flew towards the forest, waving at their neighbour as she passed her in the air. Damn, she thought. I hope she doesn’t mention seeing me to Alexis.

*

Fifteen minutes later, Gwen landed gently on the forest floor. The last light of the day came through the branches, making the leaves look golden. In the distance, she saw two men. One of them was a tall and muscular man with dark hair cut short on the sides.  The other was slight and delicate. His features were more feminine, and his golden blond hair, was braided on one side of his head and pulled back in a ponytail. From their lack of magical energy, she immediately knew that they were mortals, and as she got closer to them, she recognised the taller of the two.

“Christophe, what are you doing in the forest this late?”

“Looking for a woman who wants to have a good time,” Christophe said, winking at Gwen.

“Sure, you were,” she said, knowing full well that Christophe was far from interested in the ladies. She raised her eyebrow, looking up at the tall, handsome youth, who in return grinned, looking down at her. Why was it so hard to boss taller people around? Alexis would have no problem. Had she been there, no doubt she could have grabbed Christophe’s ear and dragged him out of the forest, and he would have listened to her. He didn’t even take Gwen seriously, and she was older than him. She was older, and she had more power. His physique was nothing against her magic, and if she wasn’t safe in the forest at night, Christophe certainly was not. She looked to his partner, who responded with stepping a little behind Christophe’s tall frame. He, she was sure, would be easier to boss around.

“Look… I’m not going to comment on what you guys are up to in here, what you do is up to you, but it is not safe for mortals to be in the forest this late. Trust me.”

Christophe put his big arms around his partner and winked at her.

“Oh don’t worry, Gwennie, Eric will be perfectly safe with me, I’ll protect him from any monsters,” he said confidently. He was obviously not taking her seriously, nor was Eric, who laughed.

“Christophe, if you think you can protect him, or yourself, from a vampire or a werewolf, you’re even stupider than I thought.” She pointed to the village. “Get yourself out of here, before the vampires wake up tonight. They’re out of control lately. And it is full moon, you might meet a werewolf, and I am too busy to protect you.”

“Maybe we should listen to her,” Eric agreed, his voice small and frightened.

“Oh… alright.” Christophe kissed him deeply. He looked up at Gwen. “We’ll get out of here soon, witch girl, but we still have a little time left before it gets dark, and you can’t be here. I don’t perform well under a woman’s scrutiny.”

“Urgh…” Gwen grunted, disgusted. “Fine, but get out of here before it gets dark.”  She got on her broom and flew towards another part of the forest, where she knew she’d be able to find hemlock, and where she was not at risk of overhearing the male lovers.

*

As the darkness was setting, Gwen’s basket was getting full. She was quite happy with her findings, but she wasn’t sure how she would explain it to Alexis. Showing Alexis her harvested plants, would be admitting to leaving the house when she was told not to. She could hide them, she supposed, until she had prepared them for potion use. She would need to dry some of the plants. Then once they were ready for use she could say something like, “How strange! Alexis, look what I found hidden in the back of the cupboard!” That could work as long as she didn’t suddenly “find” all the missing ingredients she wasn’t supposed to have harvested by herself.
But there was another problem, their neighbour, Mrs. Finch  had flown by Gwen in the air as she was heading towards the forest. She couldn’t do anything but greet her like she normally would, she just hoped that Mrs. Finch didn’t mention it to Alexis. But then again, why would she? They met each other often enough, it wouldn’t be that out of the ordinary.

Gwen looked up at the sky above her where the full moon shimmered in the darkness. If she didn’t pick mandrake tonight, she would have to wait a whole month for another chance. “I’m not too far from the cliff,” she muttered to herself. “I could just pick them really quickly and then get on my broom and be on my way.”

*

“Hello?”

Alexis came inside, and placed her broom up against the wall. She really should have put it in the broom shed outside, but she always forgot. She shut the door rather forcefully.

“Gwen? Hello?”

She called for her apprentice again, annoyed. She told herself not to take her mood out on Gwen, it wasn’t her fault she was annoyed. She was annoyed with the order, more specifically with Kendra Onbush. The idiotic woman had cancelled the meeting, and somehow managed to tell everyone but Alexis. Part of her suspected it was on purpose. Alexis had showed up to an empty hall. Only the caretaker was there to inform her the meeting had been cancelled days ago. Days ago! How could she not have been informed?

“Gwen? I’m back, the meeting was cancelled. That featherbrain, Kendra, notified everyone except me.”

She frowned and stood still for a while, listening for Gwen. The house was completely silent. That was odd. There was no way Gwen would have gone to bed this early.

“Gwen?”

Alexis reached out with both of her hands and searched the house for the magical presence of another witch, but she didn’t feel anything. Gwen was definitely not in the house. She suddenly felt a panic in her stomach, mixed with anger.

“That little…”

She felt herself breathing a little too quickly, and took a deep breath, trying to prevent herself from having a panic attack. She tried to cast a communication spell, but it failed. That meant that Gwen was too far away for her to get in touch with her magically. Had she been with Leda, she would have been able to reach her. Her suspicions seemed very likely at this point, and if Gwen had done what she thought she had done, she could be in a lot of danger.

Alexis grabbed her broom and ran out of the house. She was about to kick off from the ground when she spotted her neighbour, Mrs. Finch.

“Alice, have you seen Gwen? I can’t find her, ” she asked, hoping for good news.

“We flew by each other a little over an hour ago. She was heading towards the forest.”

Alexis swore.

“Is something wrong?”

“She wanted to harvest some herbs, but I told her to stay put. The order has had some trouble with the vampire clans lately,” she explained. “And it is full moon, so the werewolves will be out.”

“Oh dear, I didn’t know about that,” Mrs. Finch, replied looking worried. “And she was all by herself.”

“I’ll summon some help and go look for her. Will you keep an eye out for her here, in case she comes back?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you, Alice.”

She closed her eyes, and tried to focus as she cast another communication spell. This time her target was Leda. A glowing ball of smoke formed in front of her and Leda’s outline appeared in the middle.

“Leda?”

“Alexis?”

“Gwen is not home. I need help finding her.”

“What?!” Leda sounded shocked.

“Mrs. Finch said she saw her flying towards the forest.”

“Is she mad? What about the vampires? And werewolves! It’s full moon!”

“That is exactly why I told her she was not allowed to go out. She’s probably going to the cliff to pick mandrakes under the full moon. You’re closer to the forest than me, will you and Aisling please hurry to the cliff and look for her?”

“Yes, of course, right away.”

“Thank you.” Alexis felt her voice break. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I just hope… I mean… the forest is not safe right now…”

“Alexis, we’ll find her. I’m leaving now.”

“Yes, go.”

She cancelled her spell, mounted her broom, and kicked off the ground. Flying as fast as her broom would allow, she whispered, “Please, Gwen, please be alright.”

*

Meanwhile, near the cliff, Gwen had found plenty of mandrakes. The conditions for harvesting were perfect, and they would be optimal for potion brewing. She was really glad she decided to risk getting them. Content with her findings, she was on all four, carefully cutting the mandrakes so she got as much of the stem as possible. She didn’t really notice the shadow of a person on the ground before her, until she heard the crack of a twig behind her. She turned her head and saw two feet on the ground nearby, and she felt a chill running down her spine.
Looking up she saw a male vampire, teeth fully extended. His glowing red eyes told her that he killed his victims.

“Eh… hi…” she said, nervously. She hoped he had fed enough, but his hungry look gave her a weird feeling. “How are you doing?”

“Thuuuper,” he said, lisping around his teeth. “I’m vewy thiwsty.”

How very undignified. What self-respecting vampire would have a fang-lisp? His maker clearly hadn’t taught him vampire etiquette.

Gwen quickly got up and faced the vampire, glaring.

“If you’re thirsty, you’ve come to the wrong place,” she said, sharply. “I’m not letting you drink from me.”

“I wasn’t athking permithion, girly.”

Before she could react he leapt towards her, his right hand gripping her upper arm, tight, while his left hand pulled her hair, so her neck bent, exposing it to him. Gwen, panicking, tried to cast a spell, but it fizzled out almost at once. Realising she might not be able to use her magic against him, she screamed and tried to shove him away. It felt like pushing a big rock. It was true that witches were, theoretically, much more powerful than any vampire, but that was only true if she used her powers against him. Physically, a vampire was a lot stronger and faster, and Gwen’s magic seemed to fail her in this panicked state.

“Let go!” she yelled, which was probably the least productive thing she had thought of so far. At this point, hoping that the vampire had any qualms about feeding from an unwilling victim was silly. Even if this creature had any sense of right and wrong, being this close, and having taken in her scent, he would probably be acting on instinct by now.

She screamed again as she kneed him in the crotch. The vampire shrieked and burst into flames. Standing back, Gwen looked at him in shock. How the hell did she do that?

“Are you okay?”

Gwen turned around and saw a witch standing near by, holding a broom stick. She was very tall, with blue eyes and long blond hair.

“Did you do that?”

“Yes,” she said, giving Gwen a smile. “Unfortunately, a kick to the balls is not going to cause a vampire to burst into flames.”

Gwen blushed.

“I know… I just… I didn’t see you before.”

The blonde came closer to her, her eyes scanning Gwen, looking for injuries.

“Are you sure you are alright? Did he manage to bite you at all?”

“No, but it was a close one.” Gwen’s hand rubbed over her neck, the knowledge of what could have happened sinking in. “Thanks… eh… I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

“Aisling.”

“Aisling,” Gwen repeated, smiling a little. She found herself lost in her beautiful blue eyes.

“And you’re Gwen, right?”

“What?” Gwen asked, freeing herself from the beautiful woman’s spell. “I mean… How do you know my name?”

“Alexis, you mentor, asked Leda and I to help looking for you.”

“Alexis sent you? But… but I thought she was at a meeting.”

“It got cancelled.”

“So she knows I left the house?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Oh no…”Gwen said, horrified. “She’ll kill me.”

Aisling raised her eyebrow sternly. “At this point, I think you should be glad the vampire didn’t kill you! Alexis won’t kill you, but sitting might be uncomfortable in near future. What were you thinking doing something so irresponsible as this?”

Gwen looked down ashamed.

“I… I thought….” she fiddled with her hands. “I didn’t think any creature would dare attack a witch.”

“Well, that was foolish of you, and naive too!” Aisling shook her head. “A witch’s arrogance can be her downfall.”

“I really messed up,” Gwen mumbled, feeling very sorry for herself.

“Yes, you did.”

“And now, Alexis will be mad at me.”

“Can you blame her?” Aisling asked.

Gwen shook her head, looking depressed, and taking pity on her, Aisling reached for her hand.

“Come on, let’s get your out of here.”

At her touch, Gwen felt a peculiar sensation running through her fingers. It went up her arm and spread to the rest of her body . It was like a shock, but it wasn’t unpleasant. It was a warm energy that went through her. She looked up at Aisling surprised, and she could tell from the other woman’s expression that she had felt something too. Looking puzzled, she was about to say something, but just in that moment they heard someone shouting something above them. They looked up at the night sky and saw two glowing lights coming nearer. Alexis and Leda, both flying on a broom each came soaring towards them.

“Uh oh…”

Alexis almost crash-landed to the ground, dropped her broom, and hurried over to Gwen and put her arms around her.

“Thank, goodness, you’re alright.”

Leda stood next to Aisling, looking at her with disapproval. “Gwen, you little idiot,” she said, crossly. “When will you grow up and be responsible? Something could have happened.”

“Something did happen,” Aisling added, pointing to the smoking remains of the vampire.

“Aisling saved me,” Gwen said into Alexis’s cloak. She managed to release herself from her mentor’s, bone crushing embrace. “I’m sorry, Alexis. You were right.” She looked down, ashamed. “I wasn’t safe on my own, and I wasn’t able to protect myself when I got in danger. If Aisling hadn’t come…” She shuddered.

“Gwen…” Alexis’s voice sounded low and dangerous. “You promised me.”

“I know…”

“You promised you would be safe. You promised you wouldn’t leave the house.”

Gwen’s heart sunk at the disappointment in her voice.

“I was only going to gather some of the herbs before the sun went down completely, I hadn’t planned to come out here… not really…”

“Yet here we are!” Alexis’s scolding tone made Gwen flinch. The older woman folded her arms and gave her apprentice a look that told her she was in very big trouble. “Why do you think I told you to stay put, Gwen? I knew once you got to the forest, you would be tempted to stay on after it got dark, your arrogance and naivety would make sure of that.”

Gwen felt tears pressing. She nodded sadly.

“Honestly, girl, sometimes I suspect you think that witches are indestructible. Just because we can live for a very long time doesn’t mean that it is guaranteed. We can die Gwen, you are not immortal.”

“I know,” Gwen said,  her voice breaking. Tears started to run down her cheek. She always pretended like Alexis’s anger was what she was afraid of, but it wasn’t. Disappointing her was what she hated the most, and Alexis was very disappointed in her.

“Do you? Do you really?”

Gwen nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, you will be, my girl. You will be. ” Alexis pulled up the sleeves of her cloak. “I almost lost you today, Gwen. And for what? Some stupid potion ingredients?” She grabbed Gwen’s arm, hard. “You will learn to obey me, young lady. How can I let you finish your apprenticeship when you’re still putting yourself at risk like this?”

She dragged Gwen over to a fallen log and sat down.

“What are you doing,” Gwen asked, hoping the answer wouldn’t be what she thought.

“You are getting a spanking, young lady.”

Before Gwen could react, Alexis hauled the younger witch over her lap.

“Not here. Not now.”

“I decided when and where, missy, and right here and right now suits me fine.”

“But… but…”

“The only butt you need to worry about is your own, young lady:”

Gwen looked up, and when her eyes met with Aisling’s blue, she quickly looked down in shame. Great, Gwen thought, I just got rescued by the sexiest woman alive, and Alexis is going to spank me in front of her!
    If it had just been Leda, she would have been okay. Well, she still would have tried to get out of it, but it wouldn’t have been that humiliating. Leda had seen her get spanked before, in fact, Leda had even spanked her herself! But Aisling? Gwen had only known her for ten minutes,  but when she touched her it was like fireworks went off inside her, and she wanted to get to know her a little better. Now that would all be ruined. Talk about a bad first impression!

“Alexis,” Gwen pleaded. “Can’t we do this at home?”

Alexis responded by giving her a sharp smack to the backside.

“Ouch…. ouch…” She bit her teeth together.

Who was she kidding anyway? Why would Aisling be interested in a brat like her? Even if she wasn’t about to get her backside roasted properly in front of her, would she even have a chance? Probably not. The beautiful blonde was way out of her league.

“I am very upset with you, young lady,” Alexis said, taking a deep breath. “I’m surprised that I am calm enough to deal with you right now. I should be screaming my head off at your stupidity.”

“Why aren’t you?”

“Because I am so relieved to find you alive.”

“Oh…”

“Yes, oh.” She gave Gwen’s backside another smack, causing her to wince. “But you have crossed the line. Crossed it by miles, in fact. You broke your promise to me,  you betrayed my trust, and you put yourself in serious danger.”

“I’m sorry. I really am.”

“Yes, I know you are, but that is not enough. You really did it this time, missy. You need a lesson.”

She pulled down Gwen’s shorts, revealing her cotton panties which she pulled down to her mid-thigh before she started spanking her in earnest. She was firm from the start determined to teach her apprentice a lesson. It was important that Gwen pulled herself together. Her apprenticeship was coming to an end, and although Alexis was determined to keep an eye on her for years to come, it was almost time to loosen up on the rules. She had to, but how could she do that when Gwen was still so wilful at times? Alexis worried for her, knowing that once Gwen’s apprenticeship was over she wouldn’t be considered a witchling anymore, and she would be expected to act responsibly.

Gwen winced and whimpered with the crisp spanks from her mentor’s unforgiving hand. When Alexis had pulled her over her lap, all she could think of was what Aisling would think seeing her corrected in this way, but Alexis’s repeated swats to her rear quickly distracted her from that thought. Now she was squirming over her mentors lap and her cotton panties were sliding down her thighs. Every now and then she’d look up at Leda, but the older witch, who was almost like Gwen’s older sister, kept her arms folded, watching with a stern expression. Apparently, Alexis was not the only one disappointed with her.

“I just can’t believe you would do this,” Alexis scolded, emphasising each word with an extra hard swat.

“I just wanted to replace the ingredients,” Gwen excused herself, trying to cover her bottom with her hand. Alexis grabbed it and pinned it behind her back. “If I didn’t get the mandrakes today, we would have to wait a whole month for another chance.”

“And some stupid mandrakes are more important than your safety? I told you, Gwen, I could borrow some of Andromeda. Why would you risk your life like this?”

“I thought I would be fine. I didn’t think anyone would try to attack a witch.”

“But I told you that these are special times. There is a conflict going on, and there are vampires out there that would attack you because they knew you were a witch.”

“But I thought I could protect myself,” Gwen whined.

“Well, you couldn’t, could you? You’ve never been real danger before, Gwen, you had no way of knowing how you would react.” Alexis gave her two swats causing Gwen to whimper. “Well, now you know. Some witches, you included, completely lose their heads when they panic, and they and are unable to cast powerful spells.”

Alexis took a break and rubbed Gwen’s now red bottom for a bit.

“You’re old enough to know that when I say no, it is not because I enjoy it.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I worry for you. I care so much about you it hurts to even imagine the world without you. I love you, Gwendolyn.”

“Thanks,” Gwen sniffed. “So… if you love me, does that the spanking is over?”

Alexis slapped Gwen’s bottom, hard. “Not a chance. You have not yet learned your lesson.”

“My butt hurts.”

“Love hurts.”

Alexis gently tapped Gwen’s bottom.

“Get up,” she ordered.

Confused, Gwen stood up. Intentionally ignoring Aisling and Leda, whom had been watching the entire time, she rubbed her bottom while giving her mentor the puppy-dog eyes.

“Don’t give me the eyes, honey, you know I’m immune.” She put her hand into the pocket of her cloak and pulled out a silver knife she usually used for gathering herbs.

“What… what are you doing?” Gwen asked, nervously.

Alexis took hold of the blade and held out the knife to Gwen.

“You’re going to cut yourself switch. It seemed fitting seeing as we’re in the forest.”

“No… no…” Gwen shook her head, horrified. She had been switched before, but it had been a long time. “Alexis, please… not in front of…”

Not in front of Aisling, she wanted to say. Leda had seen her switched before. Andromeda, Leda’s former mentor, had taken a switch to her after Gwen had pushed Leda into a pond. It was over ten years ago, but Gwen still felt Leda had it coming. Andromeda had not been of that opinion, and she had placed one foot on a tree stump and hauled Gwen over her knee for a thorough walloping. Alexis, who, like always, had agreed with Andromeda, had sent her straight to bed when she came home that night.

“Now, Gwen.” Alexis pointed at a tree near by. She was losing her patience.

Gwen finally did as she was told, conscious of Leda and Aisling’s eyes following her. She knew that Alexis would make her get another if she didn’t get a good enough switch. She cut a long, flexible rod, and as soon as it was cut, it flew towards Alexis. She caught in her outstretched hand. Looking at Gwen, she pointed at the log she had been sitting on.

“Bend over,” she ordered.

Pouting, Gwen did as she was told. She then rested the switch on Gwen’s already stinging bottom. It was just the right length for it to cover both of Gwen’s cheeks. She raised the switch and brought it down with medium strength, starting out carefully, monitoring Gwen’s reaction to the implement. Twack!

“Owwwiee….”

Gwen, let out a little whimper and squirmed a little, but Alexis knew that she could use a little bit more force.

Twack! Twack! Twack!

“Ah…. I’m sorry…. I’m sorry,” she pleaded.

Gwen wiggled her bottom as if trying to shake out the pain. Alexis could see red welts forming where the switch had hit, but she wasn’t quite done yet.

“You should be,” Alexis lectured sternly. “‘I’ve told you time and time again that my rules are for your safety and well-being. It has nothing to do with treating you like child. I will have no more of this nonsense from you, do you hear me?”

Twack!

“Ow! Yes, I’ll be good.”

Alexis gave her apprentice another dozen licks with the switch, before she threw it on the ground. She traced her fingers over the marks on Gwen’s bottom. They were red, but they weren’t too bad.

“Have you learned your lesson, little witch?”

“Yes, I really have,” Gwen promised, still bent over, waiting for permission to get up.

“Get up,” Alexis said, giving her bottom a gentle pat. “Come here.”

She opened her arms and Gwen met her embraced.

“Never do anything like this again!” Alexis said, holding her apprentice tight.

“Never,” Gwen mumbled into her shoulder. “I promise.”

“We should get going.” Leda stepped forward. She still looked disapproving at Gwen. “It’s getting late.”

“Alexis… could we… emh…” Gwen looked at her mentor frowning.

“What, honey?”

“Could we walk home? I don’t feel like sitting on a broom.”

There was a snort from Aisling, and Gwen glared at her.

“Well… I suppose, since we’re four grown witches, that would be safe.”

“She should be made to sit on her broom home,” Leda pointed out, raising her eyebrow. “It’s her own fault for being so stupid!”

“I’m the mentor here, Leda, not you,” Alexis pointed out. “Gwen has received her punishment, but that switch still has a few licks left in it if you would like to discuss this further.” She gave the younger witch a warning look. Leda might not be an apprentice anymore, but Alexis had known her since she was just a witchling, and Leda knew very well that Alexis would follow through on her threat if she didn’t watch out.

Taken aback, Leda could only try to stutter out a reply.  “I… I… that’s…” She sighed heavily.  “No, we’ll walk,” she mumbled.

“Good.” Alexis smiled. “Let’s get going.”

*

As they walked through the forest, Leda took the lead wanting to get home as soon as possible. Alexis walked in the back looking out for any possible threats. Aisling walked next to Gwen. In the beginning they didn’t say anything. Gwen was embarrassed, and Aisling wanted to give her some time; however, after a while, she decided Gwen had had enough time to regain her pride.

“How are you doing?” she asked her, giving Gwen a smile.

Keeping her eyes locked on the ground before her, Gwen asked, “You still want to talk to me after…”

“After what…” Aisling required, with a mischievous smirk.

Gwen gave her a look. Aisling knew perfectly well what she meant.

“Oh, you mean after you got walloped?”

“I’m so embarrassed,” Gwen said, quietly.

“Don’t be.” Aisling winked at her. “I wanted to talk to you about…” she began to say, but just then they heard a blood-curling shriek from Leda.

“Come quick!” She called for them and pointed at something on the ground in front of her.

“Is that…” Gwen started, not able to finish her sentence.

“I think it’s a body,” Aisling said, horrified.

Gwen hurried over to the figure of a man, lying on the ground. Eric, the beautiful, blond youth, Christophe had brought with him to the forest, lay still on the ground, his pale lifeless face was lit up by the moon light.

“Oh no!” Gwen gasped as she got nearer. “He’s dead.” She felt sick as she saw the body on the ground before her. His abdomen was ripped open, and entrails were handing out. “I told them to get out,” she said quietly.

“You know him?” Alexis asked, placing her arm around her apprentice’s waist.

“No. Well, he’s Christophe’s boyfriend. I told them the forest wasn’t safe for mortals at night. I told them to leave before it got dark.” She suddenly felt her stomach dropped as realisation hit her. “Christophe… where…. where is he?”

She looked around for any trace of the other man, when they heard a weak noise near by. About ten meters away, behind a large tree trunk, they found him lying on the ground, bloody and injured. His eyes were wide open, and he was wheezing, not able to produce proper sound. Blood was dribbling from his mouth, and he too had an opened gut.

“Definitely the work of a werewolf,” Aisling said, quietly so the man on the ground wouldn’t hear.

“You mean, he’ll come back as a werewolf?” Gwen asked, hoping he would. If she came back as a wolf, he would at least be alive, and then they could figure out how to control him during full moon.

“Not a chance,” Leda shot in. “He’ll die, just like his friend.”

Gwen whimpered. She looked helplessly at her mentor, her eyes pleading. Alexis shook her head at her, looking serious.

“Honey, this is beyond the healing powers of a witch. We can’t save him.”

“But…”

“Had he been one of us, maybe, but he’s mortal, Gwen. His body is beyond repair.”

Gwen gave a sob, and the tears that had been pressing suddenly all came out. Alexis put her arms around her and held her tight.

“It might not be too late,” said a voice behind them.

They all turned to see who the newcomer was. A woman came out of the darkness of the forest. Her skin was white as snow, her hair was platinum blond, and her blue eyes glowed in the darkness. She was truly, the most formidable vampire Gwen had ever seen.

“Hello, Gaia,” Alexis greeted, nodding at the vampire. She did not feel threatened. Gaia was leader of one of the more peaceful clans in the area. The vampire was immensely old, and had known many conflicts. She had been through too much to be dragged into what she considered to be a trivial conflict.

“I can save him.”

“You think it is a good idea to create another child right now, with everything that is going on.”

“He could be part of the solution. I sense leadership in him,” the vampire said calmly. “I will of course not make him my son without his permission.” She approached the dying man, who fought just to breathe. “What say you, mortal, do you want to live forever?”

Everyone looked at Christophe, who could not nothing but slowly give a nod in reply.

“There you have it,” Gaia said, smiling at the others. “Now, you must leave us. The creation of a child is very private. I need to drain him and give him some of my own blood. Then I will lay him to rest in my crypt and he will rise from the dead in three days.”

Gwen shivered at the thought, glad she did not have to witness it. She took one last look at Christophe, hoping the transition would work and that the next time she saw him he wouldn’t be too different.

“Leave now,” Gaia said, pointing to the edge of the forest. “We don’t have much time.”

“Let’s go,” Alexis ordered, and together they hurried out of the forest. Once they were out, Leda and Aisling said their goodbyes and got on their brooms, and Alexis and Gwen continued on foot back to their cottage.

*

The next morning Gwen came into the kitchen and found Aisling by the kitchen table drinking tea.

“Eh… hi,” Gwen said, surprised to see her this early in the morning.

“Good morning,” Aisling said smiling. “Alexis invited us over for breakfast.

“Oh.” Gwen looked down at her bare legs. She wore only a short nightgown. “Where is she?”

“She’s showing Leda something in the yard.”

“About last night,” Gwen began.

“You mean when your mentor whooped you…”

“No!” Gwen said, sharply, cutting her off. She gave Aisling a glare, but she smiled a little, letting her know she was forgiven. “What I meant was… last night, before Leda and Alexis came. There was a moment, when you touched my hand.” Gwen held up her hand, examining her fingers. “I felt something. It was warm and it shot trough my fingers… and…”

“And spread through your entire body?” Aisling got up from the table and approached Gwen. She put her hands around her waist and pulled her closer.

“Yes,” Gwen confessed, shyly.

“I felt it too,” Aisling said, gently.

“What does it mean? I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

“I have,” Aisling whispered into her ear. “It’s really rare.”

“Tell me,” Gwen demanded.

“It’s a magical connection. It means we are meant to be together. Forever.”

“Really?”

“I’m sure you have heard of love at first sight,” Aisling said. She came closer, kissing her neck.

“Uh huh.” Gwen closed her eyes at the sensation. She could feel Aisling’s breath on her neck, and she could smell the sweet scent of tea.

“It’s sort of like that. Sometimes, when two magical beings that are a perfect match for each other touch for the first time, their magical energy reaches out for each other and fuses for a brief moment, bonding them forever.”

“You make it sound like we are married.”

Aisling kissed Gwen’s lips softly.

“We sort of are,” she said, smiling at her. “Perhaps not legally, but we are bonded for life. Your magic sort of mated with mine.”

Aisling drew back and studied Gwen closely.

“Do you mind? I don’t think I have ever heard of anyone who have been unhappy with this connection before. That’s kind of the point. It’s a perfect match.”

Gwen shook her head.

“I don’t. I… well, this is going to sound crazy,” Gwen hesitated. “But… I think… I think I love you. I know it’s a little… well… it’s a little early. I just met you last night, but I feel it.” She touched her heart. “I feel it in here, and I just know I care for you. I think I felt it before we even touched.”

“Me too” Aisling said, kissing her again.

“Good, because I really thought that Alexis ruined my chances with you.”

Aisling chuckled.

“I can’t believe she spanked me in front of you,” Gwen said, blushing. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be,” Aisling said, giving her a smile. “You have a very cute bottom.”

“Hey!”

“Well… a woman wants to see the goods before she commits herself. Though it is true we were bonded before that happened.”

Gwen gave her a playful shove.

“She was pretty mad.”

“Yes,” Aisling said, giving her a serious look. “But even worse than that, she was really scared. Terrified even.”

“I know… I shouldn’t have broken my promise. I guess, I kind of deserved some kind of consequence.”

“You needed a consequence. You know that, don’t you?”

Gwen blushed, embarrassed. There was something about Aisling that made her want to better herself.

Aisling gently held Gwen’s chin between her thumb and her index finger, and then she pushed her chin up so her eyes met with hers.

“Something tells me that you need someone to keep you in line sometimes.”

“Maybe…”

“If I hadn’t just met you, I would tan you backside myself.”

“Really?”

“Gwen, you put yourself in serious danger. You’re much too important to do that. Don’t you know that?”

Aisling bent down and kissed Gwen softly on her lips.

“Gwen… I…” she hesitated. “I want to be that person for you,” she whispered into her ear. “I think you need someone to keep you in line once in a while, and I have always pictured myself… you know… being more dominant in a relationship.”

Gwen found this conversation oddly titillating. Why did she feel a tingling sensation down below when Aisling talked about keeping her in line?

“Have you been dominant in previous relationships?”

“I haven’t really been in relationships. Not really. I’m not going to lie and say I have never been with other women, because I have, but it wasn’t true love-making. It was just pleasure.”

“I understand,” Gwen said, smiling at her. Of course, someone as beautiful as Aisling had been with other women. Who wouldn’t want her for pleasure?!

“I have spanked quite a few women too. Sometime they needed discipline, sometimes they wanted it for pleasure.”

Gwen eyes widened.

“P—puh…pleasure?” she stammered.

“Sure.” Aisling smiled. “It’s not just bad girls who get spanked, sometimes good girls want it too,” she teased. “Sometimes really good girls want to be treated like really bad girls, and I am happy to provide. You don’t have to break the rules to get my attention.” She leaned closer and whispered into Gwen’s ear. “I’ll call you my naughty girl whenever you want.”

Gwen swallowed nervously. She saw tiny little sparks come out of her fingertips as she lost control over her excitement. Aisling noticed and took Gwen’s hands in hers, intertwining fingers. The little sparks turned into a golden glow around their hands.

“I can tell you want this from me. We’re a perfect match.  Can you honestly tell me that you don’t crave that from me?”

“Aisling, I need you. I want you.”

“Even for discipline?”

Gwen felt Aisling’s lips brush against her cheek. She nodded.

“Ye… yes.” She looked deeply into Aisling’s blue eyes.  “But… right now, given recent events, I’m not so curious about that.”

Aisling chuckled.

“I think maybe you need to teach me about spanking for pleasure.”

“Do I?” Aisling raised her eye-brow, smiling seductively.

“Yes, please.”

“Well, that is a promise, darling,” she said, giving Gwen yet another soft kiss on the lips. She patted her gently on the bottom. “But I think, perhaps, you bottom needs to cool off a little first.”

“Probably a good idea,” Gwen said, rubbing her stinging rear.

“What is a good idea?” Alexis came into the room, looking suspicious.

“Eh…. nothing!”

“Uh huh…” Alexis raised her eyebrow suspiciously. “Don’t you get any ideas, miss. You’re going to be on your best behaviour from now on. I am still very cross with you.”

“I know, I’ll be good.” Gwen hugged her. “We were just talking about something…emh… something that happened before you arrived last night.”

“What?” Alexis looked from Gwen to Aisling. “What happened?”

“Out magic connected.”

“What?”

“Aisling grabbed my hand and I felt this shock, but it was nice. Like a warm energy that went through my fingers and spread through my body.”

“I felt the same thing,” Aisling added.

“You’re… you mean… you and my little witchling matched? As in you’re a love match? Connected for life?”

“Alexis…” Gwen sighed. “Don’t make a scene.”

Aisling looked nervous. “I didn’t mean to… it just happened.”

Alexis studied the two of them for a while, keeping them in suspense.

“Are you okay?” Gwen asked her, looking worried.

“Yes, I’m just…” Alexis smiled at her. “I’m just happy.”

Aisling let out a breath of relief.

“I’ve never heard of it before,” Gwen said. “Are you two sure it means what you think it means?”

Alexis and Aisling both nodded.

“What is going on in here?” Leda came into the room, no doubt feeling lonely in the kitchen by herself. “Anybody want to let me in on the conversation?”

“Their magic bonded,” Alexis said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

“Really?” Leda’s eyes widened. “That’s great,” she said, smiling at Alexis. “Now you don’t have to worry about her anymore.”

Alexis stepped forward and embraced Gwen in a bone-crushing hug. She sobbed a little into her shoulder. Gwen looked thoroughly confused.

“What is this? Why would you be worried?”

“Because,” Alexis said, blowing her nose into a handkerchief. “Now I know that when you finish your apprenticeship, you’ll have someone to look after you.”

Leda nodded.

“And keep her in line!”

 

It’s out! Get your copy of Twelve Seconds today! :D

The anthology, Twelve Seconds, is out today. It’s available in Kindle format on Amazon. Get it here! As I mentioned in my previous post, I have participated with my own story Too Many Second Chances, and in addition to my story, there are eleven other stories for you to enjoy. Great stories with lots of spanking! ❤  Enjoy. 😉

 

Twelve Seconds – Available November 30th.

 

November 30th, the anthology, Twelve Seconds, will be released, and yours truly has participated. The anthology contains twelve F/f spanking stories by twelve different authors, and the money will be donated to charity. You can buy it as an e-book, or you can get it in print.
My story is called Too Many Second Chances, which takes place in the 1950’s in the United States. Effie, a reckless and young English-woman, has moved in with her Uncle Chip and his wife Darlene in the “Deep South”. She tries to find her place, but struggles to get along with their conservative neighbour.

Teaser:

Darlene Redford had just parked her blue 1955 Chevrolet outside her home when she heard someone calling her name.
  “Darlene!”
With a sigh, she got out of the car, straightened her white polka-dotted dress, and continued on to get her groceries out of the trunk as she saw her neighbor, Mrs. Bishop hurrying from her driveway.  Knowing she had little choice, she then stood still, waiting with her brown paper-bag of groceries in her arms for the inevitable.
“Darlene!”
“Carol-Ann, is anything wrong?” Darlene replied, wondering what on earth Mrs. Bishop wanted that would make her run like an excited ostrich over to her house. She normally took her time. She especially liked to take her time when others were in a hurry, and she often resembled, in Darlene’s opinion, an overgrown sloth.

Mrs. Bishop came to a halt in front of Darlene. Her eyes were wide, her hair was slightly ruffled as if she had left the house without even looking in the mirror to check if she was presentable, and she was breathing heavily, obviously winded from the overexertion of running. She seemed very distraught.
“That… that… European hussy is sunbathing topless in your yard…”

 

The Sting of a Lollypop

Disclaimer: This story contains spanking and sex. 

Sophie was sitting in her office going through some scans from a Medieval French corpus. Next to her she had a magnifying glass, a writing pad and pencil. Her long auburn hair was tied lovely in a bun on the back of her head. She tugged at the collar of her crisp white shirt and picked up her pencil and stuck it her mouth, thinking. The rational part of her brain told her she should ask a colleague for input, but the stubborn part of her wanted to work it out on her own. She had just thrown her pencil back on the desk, rather forcefully before she heard a knock on the door frame. The door had been open.

“Having trouble?” Miriam, who’s office was right down the hall, winked at her.

“How can you tell?” she asked, giving her colleague a smile.

“There’s a group of us from the faculty who want to go out to lunch together. Do you want to join us? We’re leaving in five.”

“Sure, I need a break from this to clear my mind.”

“You absolutely do, and I think Benjamin is coming too, he might be able to help.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking that I should ask him. I’m just being stubborn.” She got up from her chair and grabbed her blazer. “I’ll be right out.”

Fifteen minutes later Sophie was sat in a restaurant with her colleagues, everyone chatting about work, of course. They always said that they should use their breaks to talk about something else, but then academics can never seem to leave their work in the office. Miriam and the others were in a deep discussion about Russian formalism that Sophie didn’t much fancy to join. She smiled at the older woman sitting across from her, Lucila Ortega, a professor specialising in colonial Spanish literature. They didn’t have that much to do with one another at work as Sophie’s specialised in Medieval French literature, but they had gotten to know each other through a social group for queer staff members at the university. Sophie and Lucila knew more about each other’s private lives than most at work did.

“So, how is she?” she asked, giving Sophie a look that expected her to know of whom she was talking about.

“Sorry? Who?”

“Ari, of course,” Lucila said, referring to Sophie’s girlfriend.

“Oh, she’s fine,” Sophie said smiling.

“Is she?” The woman from across the table raised an eyebrow. She looked stern.

“Eh… should she not be?” Sophie asked, confused.

“She’s sick, is she not? She asked me for an extension on her paper due to terrible illness.”

There was an uncomfortable silence as Sophie realised she might have stepped into a trap. A trap, not meant for her, but for her undergrad girlfriend who also happened to be one of Lucila’s students. Shit.

“Eh… oh yeah,” she said, a bit embarrassed. She didn’t want to lie, but she couldn’t help it.

“She’s not sick, is she?”

“I…”

“Sophie, you would not lie to me, would you?”

“Oh, well…” She sighed. “Alright, I don’t know anything about this terrible illness.”

“Which is strange as you live together. I asked for a doctors note, but she said she was too ill to get out of bed and that is was probably just a tummy bug.”

“Lucila, please don’t fail her,” Sophie pleaded to the older woman. ” I’ll handle it. She’ll work hard. I promise.”

“She has until the end of the week,” Lucila said sternly.

“Thank you!”

“And you can send her to my office on Thursday for some extra motivation, I’m sure you agree she has earned it.”

“Oh, yes, ma’am. She’ll be there,” Sophie agreed. “And I am so sorry for… I mean, I didn’t want to lie. I didn’t even know and I just panicked. I just want her to do well.”

“I understand. You care about her. But you do realise, don’t you, that if it had been another student I would have given them an F? Her special treatment comes with special consequences.”

“Well, you’re not the only one who is going to give her some special consequences.”

“Good. Glad to hear it.”

At home, in the apartment, Ari was very busy procrastinating. She had tried to write this paper for weeks, and she kept doing just about everything else. The worst part was pretending to working hard so that her girlfriend wouldn’t notice how bad it was. Now she had lied to a professor because she failed to hand in her paper on time. She was ridden with guilt. To calm herself down, she took a long warm shower. She then put on clean cotton pyjamas and blowdried her hair. She heard the door to the bedroom slam shut. Was that Sophie home early?

“Ari?” Sophie called from the bedroom.

“Yeah?”

“How are you honey? Are you feeling well?”

Ari came out of the bathroom brushing her long blond hair. “I’m fi… eh… wow… what… what are you wearing?” She swallows nervously, looking at her sexy partner standing in front of her in a tight, short, white dress that had a very low cleavage showing the redhead’s generous chest. She was also wearing nice, lace stockings held up by garters. She stood in the middle of the room with one hand on her hip, holding out her stethoscope in the other, and her legs slightly spread as if she was posing in a dirty photo shoot.

“What am I wearing? A nurse’s outfit, of course. I’m here to nurse my baby back to health.”

“Ah…” Ari struggled to find words. She had to concentrate not to drool.

“I met Professor Ortega while out for lunch today.” Sophie raised an eyebrow.

“Oh really? How is she?”

“Concerned,” Sophie replied. “Apparently you were terribly ill. So ill, in fact, that you couldn’t hand in your paper on time.”

“Uh oh…”

“Yes, uh oh, indeed.” Sophie approached her girlfriend, and pushed her chin upward so that she met her eyes. “I’ve been very lenient with you lately. I’ve done most of the chores, I have walked the dog every day, and I have even made dinner every day.” Her voice was very calm, but dangerous. “I have taken on both of our responsibilities.”

“I know,” Ari squeaked.

“I have done this, so you can focus on your paper, so that you could meet your deadline.”

Ari nodded.

“And now… I have to find out from your professor that you are sick?”

Both of Ari’s eyebrows rose. That was not what she had expected.

“Umh… well…”

“Shhhhh,” Sophie held two of her fingers to Ari’s lips. “My poor, baby. I’ll have to take care of you now, don’t I?”

Ari nodded.

She noticed a flat, round and colourful item sticking out of, Sophie’s pocket.

“What’s that?”

Sophie gave her a mischievous smile. “It’s a lollypop.”

“Gimme.”

“No, no, little girl. Before I can give you the lollypop, I’m going to have to check how ill you are.”

“You do?”

“Oh yes, it’s going to have to be a thorough physical.” She smiled at Ari as she grabbed her upper arm. “Let’s get you over to the bed.”

Sophie pushed Ari down on the bed and placed her hand on her forehead. She asked Ari questions about her health while checking her pulse. Then she asked Ari to open up whilst she looked into her throat with a tiny flashlight. Ari was playing along, though they both knew that Sophie had no idea what she was doing. Sophie was intelligent alright, but her specialty was French literature, not medicine. This was clearly a role play, hence the costume, but Ari wasn’t sure if she was in trouble for faking her illness. After having Ari bare her chest so Sophie could use her pink stethoscope to listen to her heart beat and lungs, the play-pretend nurse turned around and got something else from her little pink medical bag. She turned around holding something that looked like a white plastic stick that narrowed on one side.

“Time to take your temperature,” she said, grinning. “Now, why don’t you be a darling and pull down your pants and turn around.”

“Wha… eh… what do you mean?”

“I need to check if you have a fever.”

“But you already felt my forehead.”

“Yes, but I need to know for sure. Turn around please…”

“But…”

“Be a good girl and turn around.”

“Sophie… what….”

“Fine, if you’re going to be difficult.” Sophie sat down next Ari and hauled her over her lap.

“Sophie! What are you… that’s not how you take a person’s temperature!”

“Oh, yes it is. I’m following the instructions that came with the costume,” Sophie argued as-a-matter-of-factly.

“You’re supposed to take the temperature in my mouth or under my arm or in my ear. They even have laser thermometers now.”

“Sorry, it’s not that kind of termometer.” She pulled down the younger woman’s pyjama bottoms and panties. “Be a good girl, keep still,” she said as she spread her girlfriend’s cheeks. “Hmmm… let’s use a little bit of vaseline on this. Now… lie still, and it’ll be over before you know it.”

“But…Soph… oh…” Ari gasped.

“Good girl, now keep it in.”

“Sophie, come on! I think we both know that I don’t have a fever,” Ari complained. “You’re just trying to torture me.”

“But honey, if you’re really ill I need to know. I have to take care of you.”

“But I’m not ill…”

“But you told Professor Ortega that…”

“I lied,” Ari said, exasperated, just a little beep came from the termometer.

“What? You lied? No way!” Sophie said in a false dramatic voice. She pulled out the termometer. “Ninety-eight point six. Perfectly normal.”

“Like you knew it would be,” Ari mumbled. “Can I get up now?”

“You mean you don’t want your lollypop?” Sophie pulled the colourful item out of her pocket and handed it to Ari who was still lying bare-bottomed over her lap. The younger woman grabbed it at once.

“But… this isn’t a lollypop! It’s fake,” Ari complained, feeling cheated. The item Sophie handed to her was made out of wood. The top was round, about a third of an inch thick, painted with pretty colour swirls, and the lower part, that looked like the lollypop stick, was slightly thicker than it should be.

“Isn’t it lovely? It’s a lollypop paddle. The taste of this is not so sweet, though. It has a wicked sting.”

“A paddle?”

“Yes, for naughty girls who pretend to be sick.”

Ari groaned. “Of course, it is.”

“Well, you didn’t think I would reward you for telling lies to your professor, would you?” Sophie swatted the bottom over her lap. “Bad girl! And what about me? You let me think you were doing okay with your paper, but you’ve clearly had some trouble seeing as you couldn’t hand it in in time. You told me you knew what to write.”

“I did. I do.”

“Then why haven’t you?”

“Because… I… procrastinated.” It was hard to admit, but it was the truth.

“So I’ve been taking on all your chores for no reason?”

There was an uncomfortable silence.

“Well?”

“I… I guess,” Ari admitted. She didn’t want to, but it was the truth. “But I meant to work.”

“But you didn’t,” Sophie said. “And you could have told me.” She gave Ari’s bare bottom another sharp smack.

“Ow.”

“If you had told me, I would have made sure you wrote something.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You will be, young lady. Because I’m going to paddle your behind.”

Ari sighed.

“Oh… and Lucila said to tell you that you have until the end of the week to finish your paper.”

“Really?” Ari turn to look at Sophie, smiling.

“Yes, but she wants you to come and see her in her office on Thursday. No doubt she’ll want to dole out some punishment too.”

Ari’s smile turned into a frown. “For reals? She spanks students?”

“Well, only a selected few. You should take it as a compliment. It means she likes you.” Sophie gently rubbed her partner’s bottom. “Though I’m not so sure you’ll like her ruler very much.”

“But… can she do that?”

“Ari, if you had been anyone else in her class, she would have given you an F. She has given you an extra week to write the paper, which you don’t even deserve because you lied to her. Do you want to be treated like everyone else? Or will you accept some old fashioned discipline and get another chance?”

“I’ll take the punishment,” Ari mumbled, feeling guilty.

“Good. Now, let’s get started on your punishment from me.”

“But… if I am getting punished by Professor Ortega, why should I get punished now?”

“Because, brat, you get in trouble at school, you get in trouble with me. Besides, you lied to me by making me believe you were actually working on this, when you just wasted your time doing other unimportant stuff.”

“Fine,” Ari sighed. “But is it going to be a real punishment or are we just playing, because, baby, that costume is confusing me. How can you dressing like that be a punishment?”

Sophie grinned.

“Let’s just say, if you behave yourself, and you take your punishment like a good girl, then we might be able to play a little later. I do think that I should do a proper physical, but then you’ll have to take all your clothes off.”

“Or we can do that now.”

“Oh, no, young lady. Punishment first, rewards second.”

Sophie shifted Ari a little over her lap, making sure her bottom was positioned nicely. Her right knee was levelled slightly higher than the left, so her bottom was lifted up.

“You may hold on to the lollypop paddle for a while. I need to give you a warm up with my hand before I properly roast your behind with it.”

An unhappy whimper came from her girlfriend, lying prone over her lap. Sophie rested one arm on Ari’s back while she lifted her right arm. She brought it back down sharply on Ari’s left cheek, causing the brat to let out a little squeak. Then she repeated the action landing a smarting swat to her left cheek. She admired the two red marks blooming on her girl’s bottom, promising to herself that she would kiss it all better once she had painted it properly red. She peppered Ari’s bottom with swats, gradually increasing the force. She made sure to properly cover the sit-spots. Ari had started to squirm over her knee which told Sophie that the brat was learning her lesson.

“I’m starting to think that this is what you needed, missy,” she said, stopping a while to rub the bright pink bottom over her knee. “Do you think you would have worked harder if you knew you’d get spanked for slacking off?”

“Probably,” Ari sniffed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Yes, I’m sorry too, honey. Sorry that you actually managed to make me believe that you were doing something for these past couple of weeks!” She gave Ari a sharp smack right on the middle of her bottom. “I think, in the future, I should make you report to me every night before a deadline to make sure you are making some progress.”

“I think that is a good idea,” Ari agreed. “Can I please get up now?”

“Oh, not darling. I still want to use my lollypop paddle.”

Ari groaned, but picked up the paddle and gave it to her girlfriend.

“Thank you, darling.” Sophie smiled and gave Ari a gentle pat on her bottom. “I think I want you standing for this one. Get up, bend over and touch the bed.”

Ari got up begrudgingly.

“You know I hate to bend over like that,” she complained. “It’s so embarrassing.”

“I like it when you bend over for me, it is such a submissive pose. And what do you mean you don’t like to bend over? You don’t seem to mind when I fuck you.”

“That is different. Bending over for a spanking is embarrassing.”

“Well, mindset is half the punishment.” Sophie turned Ari so she face the bed, and placed her self behind her lover. “Now, naughty girl,” she whispered softly into her ear. “Bend over and offer your bottom for punishment.”

“You so owe me a nice nurse treat after this,” Ari said as she bent over, toughing the mattress in front of her.

“I’ll remove these,” Sophie said, bending down and pulling off Ari’s pajama bottoms and panties.

“Spread you legs a little, and stick out your butt a bit more,” Sophie instructed. “That’s it, baby.”

She gently tapped the lollypop paddle against Ari’s red cheeks a couple of times before she raised her arm, and brought it down again with force.

“Yiouch! That thing stings!” Ari shot up and rubbed her bottom furiously.

“Get back into position, girl,” Sophie said sternly. “I’m not done with you.”

She guided the brat back into position, and started paddling her in a steady rhythm, alternating between right and left cheeks. She paddled her hard, but not as hard as the first swat. She had to save the harder swats until last if she wanted her girl to get through the paddling. Ari’s bottom was a dark pink, and she had a deeper red shade on her sit spots where Sophie was now focusing her attention. The brat didn’t get up again, but she would occasionally shake her bottom as if that would get rid of the sting, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t help at this point. The sting in Ari’s bottom would last for a while.

“I’m going to give you ten more, and these will be a little harder. You’re going to count them for me and say that you will not lie to your professor. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Smack! “One, I will not lie to my professor.”

SMACK! “Owww….. two, I will not lie to my professor.”

Sophie kept delivering hard but not full-force swats, and saved the hardest for the tenth.

SMACK! “Ouch! Oww…. ten, I will not lie to my professor.”

“Good girl,” Sophie praised as she rubbed the younger woman’s bottom gently. She bent down and kissed her sore cheeks softly.

“Does this mean I get a reward now?” Ari begged.

“What do you want, baby?”

Ari got up, rubbing her bottom with a pout. She studied Sophie carefully, looking her up and down, and her pout was gradually exchanged with a grin. She carefully reached out to Sophie’s cleavage, cupping her hands around her breasts on the outside of her tight nurse’s uniform.

“Mmmhh… this dress definitely highlights your assets.”

Ari buried her face in Sophie’s chest and kissed the top of her breasts softly. She then pulled the dress aside, and released one of them, putting a nipple in her mouth. Sophie felt chills down her back, and moaned. Ari pushed her down on the bed and got on top of her. She pulled off her own pajama top so that she was sat naked on top of her lover, and she put her hand up under Sophie dress.

“Oh, naughty nurse, you don’t have panties on. Are you sure, I’m the only one who deserve spankings ?”

“Don’t push, brat,” Sophie reminded her, raising her eyebrow.  “Any insolence and I will put you back over my knee, and I don’t think your bottom can take any….”

Ari shut her up by kissing her hard. She gave Sophie a hungry look, while she thrust her fingers into her. Sophie moaned and Ari thrust her fingers in and out, pinching the nipple Ari had released from the confinements of the dress.

“Oh, yes! Mmmm…. you just wait until it’s your turn, brat.”

Ari pulled Sophie’s dress up over her hips and spread her legs more before she put her mouth on her pleasure button, kissing and licking it.

“Tell me what you want to do to me?”

“I’m going to get my strap-on, and then I’m going to fuck you senseless.”

She moaned loudly, as Ari took her to a spasming climax, leaving her panting on the mattress. While she waited for her lover to “recover” from her orgasm, Ari took her other nipple in her mouth. She played with it, sucking it and circling her tongue around it, while looking up at her lover, giving her a naughty grin. She then gently used her teeth to tease Sophie.

“Oh, well, now you’re just asking for it,” Sophie declared, pushing Ari to the side and disappearing into their closet.

She came back naked, wearing her strap-on.

“Get on all fours now,” she commanded as she approached her lover, who was waiting in anticipation.

Ari immediately turned around on all fours, presenting Sophie with a full view of her red, sore bottom. Sophie grabbed her ass, squeezing her cheeks and spread them gently. She could see that Ari was more than ready for her. She teased her brat by rubbing the tip of her dildo over her wet slit without entering her.

“Mmm…” Ari gave an impatient moan, trying to push herself back onto the phallic form pressing against her.

Sophie pulled back and smacked her ass.

“Patience, young lady. I’m the one fucking you.”

“Then fuck me already! I’m bursting.” Ari spread her legs even more, and arched her back so her bottom was sticking out, presenting her wet slit to Sophie. “Please?”

Sophie chuckled. She slowly pushed the dildo into Ari, who moaned in pleasure. She started slowly pulling out and slowly pushing it in, knowing that Ari wanted her to do more.

“Sophie, you fucking tease! Come on! Be rough with me!”

SMACK! “You want it rough?” Sophie asked, smacking her lover’s already sore behind.

“Yes, please,” Ari begged.

With her hands firmly planted on Ari’s hips, Sophie then started thrusting the dildo in and out, hard, causing her brat to make primal sounds of pleasure.

“Oh, god, yes!”

Ari reached between her legs, rubbing her clit, until she came hard and loud, and with Sophie thrusting in and out of her, she rode the wave of pleasure until her knees buckled and she laid prone on the bed, breathing heavily.
Sophie laid down over her, kissing her neck and whispering into her ear,

“I love you.”

 

“Ow, you really lit up my ass, you know that?”

Ari was studying her bottom in the mirror. “I hope Professor Ortega will be more lenient.”

Sophie gave a chuckle. “That is not likely, darling. Oh, but that reminds me, I got you something.”

She quickly left the room and returned with a shopping bag. “This was actually the reason why I went to the sex-shop in the first place, but then I saw the nurse’s outfit and I thought it was perfect for me.”  She opened the bag and pulled out an outfit.

“What is that?” Ari exclaimed with wide-eyes.

“This?” Sophie asked, holding up a school girl uniform. “Oh, this is just the outfit you’ll be wearing when you go see Professor Ortega on Thursday. Isn’t it cute?”