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The Apple Tree Ch. 01

By: Nigel Debonnaire



Rebecca looked like most normal girls on the brink of her third decade. She was average height, with wavy light brown hair, almond eyes, a slight build, fair skin, and delicate hands. Her skin had not yet cleared from adolescent acne, but her hands were not terribly calloused. The sixth of seven daughters, she was allowed to learn reading and writing, given a chance to dust shelves for her uncle Ned the scribe and bookseller, and learn what she could from his inventory. When her father's eldest brother passed away from a fever two years before, a wizard came to pay his respects. 

The wizard was not yet a man with a great mane of grey hair like Rebecca imagined a wizard. The hair of his head and beard were lightly flecked with white, and his face was starting to wrinkle. The way he moved suggested strength and grace, although he was no athlete. His hands were an artist's hands that knew no hard labor, and his eyes pierced her soul.

One morning, her mother told Rebecca she was to leave with the wizard. For a moment, dark fantasies flooded her imagination and she started to quiver uncontrollably. Her mother put them at rest immediately with a soft hand on the shoulder and a knowing look. "He thinks you can learn, he's not looking for a servant or a concubine. Your uncle Ned believed him a man of honor, for a wizard, never accused of practicing any kind of Dark Art. If you can't abide him, you can come home. Don't worry, my dear. This is a great opportunity, don't pass it by."

"But I'm afraid, Mother. What if he, if he, if he. . ."

"He's as man, don't worry about that my dear, but I trust him as much as your own father. It's said he could brew potions that can break anyone's will and bend it to his own, work magic through his eyes, but I've never known him to use that power. If he wanted, he could rule the kingdom, but he chooses not to. Someone seeking such insight is rarely distracted by fleshly delights." Rebecca relaxed a little bit, and the older woman put her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "We taught you how to defend yourself against attack, so you have knowledge that will keep you safe from anything ordinary. He wants you to go with him so he can teach you his arts, not make you his property."

So Rebecca went with the wizard, who promptly instructed her to call him Master. Their relationship was cordial, however as they settled into a routine, she grew to enjoy his company as well as his instruction. The first year's instruction focused on natural science, supplemented by trips to nearby farms and forests, to learn both animal and plant biology. There was also instruction on mathematics, astronomy, music and logic. The Master brought her back to his library the second year, leading her through works of history and myth, telling her of the gods and mortals, the rise and fall of empires, the development of technology. There were hints of deeper matters, the Master's main work, but that was left to the future. "You have to know all this first, Rebecca, before you can go deeper. Only after you understand surfaces can you probe within, move from How to Why."

The night of the equinox was chill as they stood on the balcony of the tower looking at the stars. "I'm always impressed by the heavens," she said.

"How?"

"The whole scope of it, stretching as far as the eye can see. Always a stability, yet always a change. The looking glass reveals more, and I guess if we could find stronger magnification, we'd see even more that's hidden. Yet all these new sights makes me wonder what's behind them. And that sense of wonder is a joy itself."

A chill wind knifed from the north, and she shivered under her cloak. The Master put his arm around her shoulders and held her close, sharing his warmth with her. Nothing more was said as the hours turned slowly on the wheel of heaven.

The next day, she was free from obligations, so she left the tower to spend time in meditation at her favorite spot: a young apple tree growing by the stream that ran a quarter mile away. It was a spot she discovered soon after her arrival, and a place she'd come to study and relax. The Master never spoke of it, and she'd never seen him there, so it became as much her sanctuary as her room was. It was a place of peace and wonder, a small world entirely hers.

The sky was crystalline blue and the wind from the south, bringing new warmth of the changing season. By midday when she ate a simple meal; it was warm enough to consider bathing in the stream. The water was cool but not frigid: prolonged immersion a delightful treat after a long winter quickly sponging bits exposed only long enough to get cleansed. Rebecca reveled in the pool that formed by the stream's meander next to the tree until her fingers were wrinkled, then lay down in the sunlight on the soft grass at the tree's base to dry herself.

A tingle disturbed her revery as she savored the warm kiss of the sun on her skin. Looking up at the tower, she say the Master standing there, looking her direction, but as she sat up, he vanished. Quickly, she dressed herself in her simple gown and took a long walk through the woods to let the feeling subside. 

She was not used to being a man's focus of attention, much less have one gaze on her body with desire. 

Of course, the Master could have seen her naked many times over the past couple of years. Her uncle Ned once said he had a magic mirror that could show him anything nearby, so he could spy on people at will. He never intruded on her space, or questioned about anything too personal. He did possess a few paintings and small figurines, including nudes, and a portrait of an ancient goddess with multiple arms and huge breasts dominated his personal study. 

Rebecca's fears did not subside over the course of the afternoon and she made her way back to the tower in the late afternoon. The cook left a kettle on the hearth, and a pot of water for tea. She made herself some tea and sipped it as supper approached, waiting for him to come down. The shadows grew longer, and he was late for supper.

Going up the stairs to the personal study, she heard little indications he was there. Her step wasn't heavy, but she didn't try to be silent, either. As she approached, she heard little mutters of intellectual exploration, an occasional cough, and as she got closer, breathing.

When she got to the top of the stairs, she thought her heart might burst. How would he see her now? He could overwhelm her, and perhaps a small piece of her consciousness wanted him to. Would he look at awkwardly, unused to giving affection and unsure of how to proceed? Or would he give her to tutorial gaze, asking what she'd learned from her day outside, and proposing an inquiry for her to pursue the next day?

He sat at his scriptorium, making notes from an ancient tome, lost in thought. His hand was a blur and the sound of his quill like a small insect struggling to escape a box. "Did you have a nice day?" he asked, not looking up.

"Yes, Master. You?"

"Productive. Is something troubling you?"

She blinked and almost blushed. The quill scratched for about a minute and then was laid aside, as the Master lifted his head to look at his pupil quizzically. Her eyes were downcast and dared not meet his for several awkward moments. When she met his gaze she noticed he was a bit befuddled, not understanding for a little bit, then his eyebrows relaxed and he sighed, his shoulders slumping down. This tableau lasted for an eternal second, frozen in time.

Then he gave her an unusually gentle look, with an odd glow in his eyes. Then he gazed at the apple tree by the stream and pointed it out. "Look over there, Rebecca," he started "that tree hasn't been around very long, only a few seasons. Soon it will bear fruit."

A slight breeze stirred the branches, waving at them in greeting. "It's strong wood, will be a glorious sight in a year or two when it's fully budded out, its flowers smelling sweetly and the ripe fruit hanging down. It has a rare grace even now, a delightful contour, a subtle lithe quality, like a young dancer at rest. I could build a treehouse in its branches now, but it would tax the young tree too much, and it would droop and warp under the premature weight. I could cut it down now, build a new writing desk or chair, even turn it into a lifetime supply of toothpicks. . ." Rebecca gasped at the last remark, but the Master held up a warning finger: ". . .but that would be a travesty. The loss of such young beauty would be more than I could bear: my heart would ache the rest of my days without healing. No, it will stay. I love to gaze on its beauty when I need refreshment. It is a work of art, and the sight of it lifts my spirits and fills my heart with peace even now."

After a moment, she asked urgently: "Master, what about me?"

"What about you?"

"Has my service been acceptable? Is there anything more you require of me?"

He took a long, slow sip of the goblet at his elbow. Giving her a rare look in the eye, he nodded. "You are very bright, and with more training and experience your magic will make the world a much better place." After a moment's pause, he bent down, resuming his note taking from the large tome on the stand beside him.

"Is there anything else you want me of me?" She asked a little anxiously, not knowing what to offer.

The quill stopped suddenly, hanging in midair. "You are a work of art, and you lift my spirit." Then it went back to its scratching.

The shadow of a cloud passed the window, and a breath of spring, full of fragrance and promise, casually filled the room. Rebecca thought of a few little tasks she had to do, but chose to stay put for a few moments. The warmth of new spring even made the corner of her Master's mouth lift momentarily.

The Apple Tree Ch. 02



Rebecca knew exactly how fantastic the turkey leg was going to taste. Bela the groundskeeper brought the unusually plump bird in early in the week, and Magda the housekeeper had labored days preparing, seasoning and roasting it to perfection. Rebecca had fasted three days in preparation for the test, and her stomach growled, anxious for her mouth to devour the meat.

She was tied to a chair, blindfolded. It was the third time she'd taken this test: eating the turkey leg by levitating it to her mouth and holding it in place. Each time, the aroma and the anticipation broke her concentration and the food she was working with fell to the floor. She wanted this to succeed for so many reasons, not just because it would signal the end of her apprenticeship, but because she loved Magda's roast turkey.

"Unless you master yourself, you cannot use the powers of heaven and earth on your own safely. They will always master you if you cannot master yourself first. When you master yourself, all will be open to you, and there will be no secrets." The Master was sitting nearby, silently smoking his pipe, but the words from his first lecture echoed in her ears again. She could see the lines of power around her target, writhing and surging, but they would not behave for her, the turkey leg rotating slowly on two axis and wobbling slightly. A little sweat formed on her upper lip as she tried to concentrate harder.

Then, the solution came to her. She invested only enough power to keep the turkey leg in the air and focused most of her attention on her own body and what it was doing, stroking the tendrils of deep hunger and anticipation until they stopped writhing wildly in desire. Her appetite didn't want to behave at first, and resisted her attempt to overpower it, but when she relaxed, it subsided and didn't bother her any longer. The hunger pains disappeared and her mouth stopped salivating ridiculously. Coming to inner balance, she found it almost child's play to guide the meat to her mouth. Ignoring the desire to tear into the luscious food like an animal, she kept her control as she took small, careful bites and chewed her food slowly before swallowing. She found she could detach a little bit of her senses to enjoy the superb flavor, and before long she'd eaten all the meat and sent the remains over to the dog in the corner.

The blindfold was removed and her hands unbound. The Master gave her a rare, broad smile: "Excellent, Rebecca. I was worried for a while, but I knew you could do it. Someday." He took her hand and guided her to the table set next to the kitchen fire. "Let's finish our supper and then we'll look ahead to the last test."

"The Vigil," she replied, gloomily.

"Yes. But we talk about it after supper. You need to eat, and will need to rest. I have one more lesson for you after supper, and then you can get ready for the Vigil at your own pace." 

The table was laden with many good things, fine dishes that complemented the turkey, and a bottle of light red wine that accompanied everything perfectly. The Master was in an unusually jovial mood, making small talk and jesting unlike before in their relationship. He seemed more relieved at her success than she did, and she felt a huge burden lifted from her shoulders with her success. Her thoughts drifted to the last test: a mystery that no one every spoke or wrote of, a test that could only be taken once, and failure could cost her life. 

He noticed and kept her away from introspection. When they finished their meal, he banished the dishes and leftovers and beckoned her over to a floor length mirror in a corner of the kitchen. "I have something to show you. These are actions you've seen before, but I want you to look at the base relationship. It's important for your future, whether you attempt the Vigil or not."

They saw Bela and Magda's room. The servants were in their mid fifties, had been in the Master's service for decades. Magda told Rebecca once they had been together since they were in their teens, and their four children lived nearby with their own families. Several candles were lit while a fire glowed in the hearth, giving the room a soft orange hue, radiating gentle heat. What surprised Rebecca was the older couple was naked on their bed, making love. The Master watched impassively as they moved from one position to another, trying things as curious children at play, laughing, squirming and moving in harmony developed in long practice together. Rebecca knew what they were doing as well: the Master made sure she knew every sexual practice in her first year of study.

Magda moved between Bela's legs, bending over to put his cock in her mouth. "Tell me, Rebecca, what's the underlying reality expressed here? Most men require this of their women as a sign of submission."

For a moment, she didn't know what to say, and gulped. She said at last: "Most men find this their most enjoyable sex act. Some are disappointed if their women will not do this, think themselves abandoned."

"True. You are right: the sensation is profoundly joyful and easy for a man to make a priority. However, that's not the question. Is Bela forcing Magda to do this out of submission?"

Rebecca bit her lip and fought back a wild urge to perform the act on her Master. "No, definitely not. They are totally committed to one another, would give their lives for each other without hesitation or regret. She wants only his joy, and the reverse is true. See, they trade places and he is licking her genitals. Look at her face!"

"Yes." They stood in silence for a moment, watching, and Rebecca wondered what her Master's point was. "This is the only power of nature you can even consider losing control to, but only in the presence of one totally devoted to you and who you are totally devoted to. We are vulnerable in love, open first to the one we care for, then after to many other dark powers and temptations to domination. The act itself works against maintaining control over yourself, exposing you to immense raw power. It doesn't take a magician of any kind to protect you: only someone totally committed to your life and happiness. In such a equal relationship, you protect each other from the dark side and can surrender to the depth of its power without fear. Settle for no less, or you are lost. It would be better if you remained a virgin for life than lose your power this way to someone unworthy. Choosing the wrong partner is fatal for you and me, since we probe the boundaries of our Art and cannot afford one mistake of maintaining control."

"So that's why. . ." she murmured. Her heart wanted to continue the subject, but her soul told her the time was wrong. If she passed the Vigil, then the conversation could continue, if she wanted.

"Bela and Magda were students of mine, good students. They showed great promise, and would have been wise and powerful mages. But they chose not to try the Vigil. They have been wise and powerful in their own way, and have found in each other the completion of their magic. I am happy for them and treasure their friendship and care every day. They are happy and would not change their lives for any reason."

He turned her to face him and looked deep into her eyes: "Rest and recover from your fast. Probe any little thing you are moved to explore, but do not seek to increase your knowledge greatly. Gathering strength for the Vigil is more important. Remember what I've said, and you will be ready. If you reflect on the Vigil, it will show you what you need to do. I will know what you're doing, but I may not help you: you must keep it entirely yourself. If you see the sunrise, all will become clear."

Rebecca rested a week, building up her strength. She meditated and the Vigil revealed itself to her: she resolved to do it at any risk.

It was near sunset when she made her preparations. The ground needed to be prepared, every stray twig, nut and seed swept from the ground to provide a clean surface for the Working. The apple tree stood silent above her, witnessing her work. Removing her gown, she stood naked, the waning red light setting her skin on fire. She focused her mind, and started walking a four foot wide circle, heel to toe, murmuring the invocation of protection. Once the circle was closed, she stood in the middle and said the word that activated the spell, giving her safety.

Rebecca looked west and saw the sun was starting to touch the horizon: time to begin. She sat in a lotus position: her legs crossed with the tops of her feet on the inside of her knees, soles facing up, her arms extended comfortably, palms up. The Vigil told her to hold this position, eyes closed, while the sun was out of the sky.

The first barrier was boredom. The sky wheeled above, and she sensed whispers of clouds passing in front of the stars. The day was losing its heat and her bare body was starting to chill before she tapped into the Earth's warmth itself to keep her comfortable. Her mind tried to wander, but she kept it close until midnight.

Tingling sensations grew on her buttocks and flowed over her hip toward her leg: a convoy of ants was using her as a highway. Pushing aside her discomfort, she sensed they weren't an illusion and bent on a task that had nothing to do with her. They were harmless, so she calmed her disgust to let them proceed unmolested. The power to control them was best used elsewhere tonight.

Some minor demons appeared outside her Circle, ogling and snickering. "Look at the tasty bitch, love the nipples. Too bad your boobs aren't bigger, we can fix that for you. Looks like all you need is a good fucking, and I've got a nice big dick for you. Ooo, I've got your attention: those little rocks on your chest are saying 'come to Papa'. Give in, baby, give in. It's better than you think. Why save yourself? Have a little fun." Rebecca was used to demonic taunting, and found them easy to ignore.

A storm crept in from the west, starting with distant flashes and rumbling, then growing brighter and louder as it approached. The leaves above her rustled, then shook as the winds picked up. She felt the storm, knew how strong it was, marked its track in her mind and calculated what she would need. When it started dumping rain, she charged her protection circle more and stayed dry and untouched while wind lashed rain and hail fell around her.

Magic cost a lot of energy, and Rebecca knew she had to ration its use carefully. Using too much power would drain her prematurely: no magician blindly called up limitless power unless they wanted to be consumed themselves. Keeping the balance of forces strained her ability a little bit, but she kept her protection while saving personal energy to make the dawn.

Then the earth itself beneath her started to writhe. Her senses probed and found the roots of the apple tree were struggling to break surface: they would entrap, penetrate and imprison her. A malevolent spirit had possessed the tree, and she saw its intent. A root surfaced, reaching upward, writhing, heading for her groin. It took a lot of effort, but she mastered her panic and managed to separate the spirit from the tree. Sweat dripped from her brow, steaming as it hit the earth beside her, but the would-be intruder withdrew.

The Master's voice sounded in her ears: "Well done, kiddo! I knew you could do it. Keep it up." Rebecca smiled to herself and didn't break her focus. "I've decided something important: when the dawn arrives, I'll take you for my own. You deserve it, Rebecca. You will be my consort and we will raise a dynasty of mages to rule the world. It's your destiny: I foresaw it when I visited your family at your uncle Ned's death." Rebecca risked taking her lower lip in her teeth; this was what she'd hoped for over the past three years but something wasn't right. "I will complete your power, teach you more: you will make and break kings for your sport. Give yourself to me completely."

Looking around with her inner sight, she saw the image of her Master outlined in a sick green color, and knew it was the Great Tempter. The demon was famous for offering the fulfillment of deepest desires in exchange for submission. When she realized who it was, Rebecca was able to resist this offer as well, keeping her focus and remaining as she was.

Then, the universe emptied itself, a huge hollow nothing, a perfect void. Rebecca floated in it, wondering what happened, wondering if this was a sign her Vigil was over. The Void sucked at her, tried to pull her into oblivion in its depth, filled her with a feeling of hopelessness, futility, abandonment. It took all her strength and concentration to ride above it, but she did.

A point of light appeared before her: orange, bright, steady, unwavering. She opened her eyes and saw the Sun newly risen, hanging over the horizon. Laughing, she looked around quickly but was drawn to a figure sitting on the ground in front of her, silhouetted by the rising Sun: the Master. It took her a moment to realize it, but he had been there all night without her knowing.

His gaze was immeasurably peaceful. As she looked around, it seemed her Sight multiplied with the increasing light. Every line of force, every hidden mystery was open to her, she only had to reach out and touch something and it revealed itself to her. All she had to do was make her intent clear in her mind and it would happen. It was a power to be touched rarely, lightly, chastely, but totally hers nonetheless.

Her Master was still sitting placidly in front of her. His name was Michael, and there was a bright, white aura around him. She could tell his strength was beginning to fail him: he was ready to lay aside his mantle and live the next two decades in quiet simplicity. She felt his gaze upon her, his admiration of her body, his devotion to her spirit, and his exaltation at her success. All their possible futures were visible as well: the ones where she left and traveled alone, the ones where she stayed with him. What surprised her was she knew he was aware with all of them as well, and totally at peace with each one.

She stood and broke the Circle with her big toe. Stepping out, her head ached for a moment: an apple core struck her. Michael grinned, and Rebecca knew he'd eaten the apple as he kept watch over her.

Rebecca walked over the Michael and stood naked in front of him: calm, collected, controlled and wise. Their eyes were locked, and a question came from his gaze. She reviewed all their possible futures, and made her choice. Rebecca reached out, took Michael's hand, and lifted him to his feet. A surge of warmth came through his flesh and she smiled. They walked back to the tower, hand in hand, the world pausing to let them pass in peace.



The Apple Tree Ch. 03



Rebecca watched Michael sleep in the predawn glow. Only his head and chest were visible above the blankets, a soft buzz accompanied every breath. It had been a month since she completed the Vigil, and still there was more to learn even though she'd come to the fullness of her magical powers. They had returned to the Tower hand-in-hand, and he had gently taken her virginity in the morning light. Her sense of heightened awareness not only gave her sure knowledge when her monthly period began, but also her fertile days. There were ways magic could enhance the act of making love but he wanted to be comfortable with it naturally before teaching her how to augment it.

His eyes opened and she took his hand as it appeared above the covers. "Sleep well?"

"Beautifully. And you?"

"The same. I'm ready for action."

He arched his right eyebrow and gave her a slight grin. She squeezed his hand a little harder and winked, lowering the top of her shift to show him her left shoulder and a hint of her cleavage. "Soon I think, my dear. I need to cover a little more ground with you before we indulge again. There's a lesson to be learned that's best learned by example than lecture." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "There are still ways I must protect you, but this time to the armor of knowledge."

Rebecca pouted, but helped him out of bed. He padded across the floor barefoot, and pulled off his nightshirt. They had shared the bedroom since she passed the Vigil, quickly becoming comfortable with her presence. He stood nude facing away from her and it reminded her of those rare times her father took a bath before local festival. His body was slightly chubby and she found the dimples on his butt cute. He dressed simply, stepping into sandals and turned to face her: "Aren't you dressed yet? We have a long morning after breakfast."

She dropped her shift and let him look at her naked. Her nipples hardened in the cool air; he smiled at her fondly, picked up a ring with the huge, blue stone from the night table and slipped it on his right index finger. With the circular gesture at her wardrobe, he moved toward the door. She pouted again, then draped a simple, orange dress over her shoulders before she followed him to the kitchen.

They shared a simple breakfast of porridge and hot tea. Magda bustled as she attended their needs, but as they finished a glance from Michael sent her away. "Dark matters and emotions are best faced in the daylight. We will use the scrying crystal, however we must still be careful. You will need to help me with the protection incantation before we begin. Since the story we shall view contains denizens of the Pit, we must keep from attracting their attention even though the two of us could handle them easily."

Rebecca made a show of licking her spoon in a sultry way. "Will we see something that might disturb me? Something that will make me want to leap in your arms?"

"You will see someone dear to you go through a very terrible part of their lives. It will tax your ability to control your emotions, but you must not lose yourself in their pain. Everything we see has already happened and nothing can change it.You must focus on the fact that those who know and love are now happy and safe. I have not told you the story before because it needed to wait until you reached your power. There is a lesson here you must learn about using your new found power, and more about your past that you need to know now."

He stood, took her hand, and led her up to his study. The furniture had been moved since the day before. In the middle of the room was a table covered by a black cloth, with the scrying crystal under a matching black cloth. Three feet away a brazier smoked slightly. Michael went to a sideboard for a small container: his fingers delicately picked out three grains which he threw on the coal to sputter and smoke. He closed his eyes and began an potection intonation which she joined that safeguarded them from all evil spirits, and she moved to trace a circle on the floor with the blue powder she got from the same sideboard. She finished before he did; he opened his eyes and relaxed.

Only then he pulled the cloth from the table revealing a clear globe. Smoke billowed and writhed within. Lifting his left hand, he pushed the vapors aside and revealed a dark scene. Demons danced around an ancient, withered tree; in the distance the tower where they lived was outlined in red by the rising full moon. There was no sound, however one could almost hear the whistling wind tossing the branches of the tree and the screams of the Damned. A nude woman was suspended by her wrists from a branch, her feet barely touching the ground. A man stood nearby, handsome and powerful, the wind whipping his long hair behind him. He grinned evilly with his arms crossed, contemplating his next move.

Rebecca gasped as the view changed and she could see people's features. The woman was barely younger than she when she took up her apprenticeship, and could've been her sister. The man looked like a younger version of Michael, his eyes blazing with a glow she had never seen from her Master. He pointed, and a demon with a long, ugly whip left a red mark on her buttocks, drawing a scream. Rebecca was appalled, yet felt a slight tingling in her body.

"The man is my brother Louis; the woman, your mother. The tree stood for centuries where your favorite apple tree stands now. This was before she met your father."

Demons darted in from time to time to rake her sweaty skin with their long fingernails, pinch her nipples and legs, and slap her ass. Louis wore a white robe and his eyes glimmered at her torment. From time to time he reached out with his right hand and lifted his palm toward the sky, elevating the branch and pulling her a foot off the ground to dangle and kick before letting her back down. Rebecca's mother gradually stopped resisting, and her muscles went slack.

A gesture of command, and two demons grabbed her legs and picked them up until her feet were level with her waist. His robe disappeared revealing an athletic body, well muscled, with a large erection projecting its desire. Three demons came over: one knelt before him reaching out with its long, thin forked tongue between razor sharp teeth to circle and lubricate his member; another was farther underneath and the two forks of its tongue encircled his testicles; the third went behind him and its forked tongue extended between his buttocks. One of the demons holding the woman attempted to push his long-nailed finger into her slit: a jolt of electricity from Louis' finger ended that. He let them tease the insides of her knees, calves, and thighs with their long, sharp fingernails.

Rebecca found it difficult to control her thoughts. She was nauseous, revolted to see her mother treated cruelly, yet a small part of her was stimulated. Michael watched impassively and she could sense only a slight, sad tinge to his normal peaceful demeanor.

A wave of his hand the evil magician dismissed the demons attending him, and he strode forward to impale his victim completely in one quick thrust. She began to struggle again but he paid no attention, pistoning his hips rapidly. The demons watching were obviously cheering, waving their hands in the air and promenading with their impossibly huge erections bouncing as they danced wildly.

The last stroke he held a long time, obviously emptying himself. Suddenly, the rope and the demons disappeared and he left her slide off of him, sitting down hard on a gnarled tree root. She looked up at him with a dull look, completely spent, completely devoid of hope. He stood over her as his cock slowly returned to normal and it wobbled, completely spent. Then with a flash of light, his robe returned and he rose to the air, passing into the distance like a bow shot across the face of the angry red moon.

"This is why I kept an eye on your family while you were growing up. My twin and I were completely unlike. I felt it my duty to repair the great damage he did while he was in the world, and it is only now I believe that task is done."

"I can't believe it. Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?"

He shook his head. "You didn't need to know until now. I've never told another soul about him, nor wanted you to know should you choose not to go through the Vigil." More scenes played across the scrying crystal: deeds of Louis' intimidation, brutality, and exploitation. Her home village appeared, and Louis knocked on the front door of her house. Her mother was holding an infant, while a small boy with dark hair and flashing eyes played at her feet. Words were exchanged; the boy left with the man. "In many ways it's good you never knew your brother. He was nothing like your mother and everything like his father."

Rebecca shook her head in disbelief. She put her hand palm down on the table to steady herself. A look at Michael revealed concern in his eyes and yet strength and love as well. He put up his hand when she took a step in his direction: "When I'm finished I'll hold you, dearest. This story needs to be finished first."

The Globe revealed Louis' study. He waved his arms frantically in repulsion, shouting at the center of fading light as shadows ate away the illumination. The last to go was a circle around his defiant face, which faded into oblivion. "Louis and I had the same Master, trained together, and kept the Vigil the same night under the old tree by the river where your apple tree stands. Yet this is how he ended."

"But you said self-control was the most important thing in using magic. Louis had self-control through all of this evil?"

"At first he did. For a while he mastered himself while he manipulated demons and wreaked harm on others. Slowly but surely, as you saw, the Darkness devoured him."

"What about my brother?"

"My brother never saw his son as more than a pet or plaything. The only lessons your brother received were to hone the edge of his cruelty, no self control, and he was a thoroughly spoiled child. He could channel great power, but he used it foolishly, and did not see his 20th birthday. I won't show you his ending: he decided his magic could force the Queen of the Harpies to give him oral sex."

Rebecca's eyes went wide and disbelief. "And he failed?"

Michael shook his head. "No, unfortunately he succeeded, but he never realized what would happen when he let his guard down. He assumed his mastery of war magic would see him out of any peril. He lowered his guard with his pants at his ankles after throwing the Queen to the ground when she finished pleasing him. Once free of his compulsion, she ordered her minions to attack. He managed to destroy enough Harpies the islands have been free of them ever since, but he was overwhelmed in moments and nothing was left but tiny pieces of flesh."

She shook her head, gave a nervous laugh, and settled in cool gloom. "And I thought the boys of my home village were dangerously stupid."

He gave a grim chuckle, and shook his head. A familiar look told her it time to figure something out. Rebecca thought for a moment, tapping her foot. "My brother found out the hard way about using great power without great self-control. Your brother learned the cost of self-deception: it seems to always have to pay attention to your motivations and control them, as well as calculate the cost to others as well as yourself." The older man nodded, with a grin on his face and a glint in his eye. "But there is more, isn't there?"

"Yes, there is. You've seen some of our futures, especially the ones that are more likely now. Tell me, how many magicians have we studied have had families?"

The wind coming through the window detoured around the circle of protection. It still made her shiver a little bit anyway and she thought. Then Michael's eyes told her: the crystal began playing another scene, set at the tower like the one they inhabited, a household like many she had known growing up. The woman was tall and handsome, with red hair and dancing blue eyes. Four children grew up there: three daughters and a son. They left to find their fortunes in the world, and shortly after the woman died. Rebecca could feel the void she left in Michael's heart. "How did you do it?"

"It wasn't easy, but I would do it again without hesitation. Julia was my first student, and we worked well together. As you know, I'm very careful how I practice magic, as was she. We took care to raise our children without magic, living our lives in a mundane way. There was never denial of who we were or what we did, but we never used magic around them, and made them do what every other child does."

"You mean you went decades without magic?"

"Yes. I'm older than I seem to be. For 30 years, Julia and I made home, doing simple magic on request to help our neighbors, furthering our study gradually while small ones were asleep. None of them showed talent or inclination for magic, so it was easy to send them on their roads."

She paused and thought for a moment. "You talked about the need to shield yourself from other magicians and malevolent powers."

"It took years to set that up before we had children. It wasn't easy because our magic had to be very subtle. There were many times I had to travel alone, undoing the evil of my brother Louis, yet none of it was here, and I was as economical as I could be in my casting, which kept from drawing attention to me. Unfortunately, magic cannot cure every disease. When Julia died, the children were gone and their children far away. Since then, I've devoted myself to my Art."

Rebecca needed to take a walk; he felt her need and nodded, letting her break the circle and leave without a word. Michael knew where she was going.

The sun was high in the sky and it was late summer. The apple tree was heavy with fruit and soon Bela and Magda would be picking it. She could sense Bela in the deep woods away from the river, and Magda napping in her room. The river was flowing quietly with no dangers in sight, so she shed her shift and waited into the water. Its touch was refreshing, and helped soothe her as she digested the day's revelations.

After an hour, Michael arrived with a basket. "It's a good day for a picnic," he began smiling.

Emerging from the water, drops of water trickled down her body and her hair was wet and limp. "What have you brought us to eat?"

He gestured her to sit on the grass at the base of the tree, and pulled out a small jar. She sat with her legs parted, leaning back against the trunk, the fuzz between her legs glistening. Golden liquid dripped on her thighs, sticky and sweet, and Michael's tongue tickled as it lapped up the honey. More sweet balm crept into her delicate crannies and he made his main objective cleaning her.

While she reveled in the sensations spreading upward, she opened her magical sight to see what was around her. There was something new: a rose colored barrier that encased them and shielded them from any hostile attention. She could feel her own body responding to his tongue; she could also feel his delight as he tasted her sweetness and pleased her. She can also feel the heavy fruit, ripe and full of juice, the energy of the grass growing verdantly around her, the endless flow of the water as it made its way gently to the sea. The vibrations of Mother Earth reveling in the sun's kiss traveled through her and brought her to a pinnacle of ecstasy she couldn't believe possible.

It took a long time for her to recover, shuddering in his arms under the apple tree. A bird sang, and its mate answered from a distance. Rebecca wished the moment would last a year, it was so sweet. She opened her eyes to look at his face, his mouth and beard wet and sticky with honey, her aroma lingering around him, his mind and body at peace. "I have more to learn about magic; will another year bring me to a point I can take a leave of absence?"

Michael nodded and smiled. "Let's travel a little: there are parts of the world I want to show you in person. The entire world is a textbook and a laboratory. The journey itself will have much to teach us. There are also dangers we must dispel before our future is safe."

He stood but she did not. Feeling her purpose to reciprocate, he opened his magical sight and relaxed so he could revel in the symphony of bliss she would give him.



The Apple Tree Ch. 04



Rebecca was proud of herself for maintaining two magical processes that fooled both a master wizard and a major demon while controlling her fear. Her protection spell was keeping her warm despite her nakedness as well as protecting her from the demon's awful whip. An illusion spell was making red marks appear on her flesh, occasionally leaking blood, in response to the crack of the whip. The illusion wasn't hard to create in the dim light of the dungeon although having her hands stretched over her head in iron shackles didn't help. Lust of man and demon limited their sight as well. Controlling her discomfort as well as her fear kept her magic undetected and intact.

The situation resembled her mother's torture at the hands of Michael's brother. Occasionally the memory flashed through her mind, but she gave it no energy, returning to the image of the apple tree at home in full bloom laden with fruit to keep her focus.

"Tell me where the rebel headquarters is!" The mage was wearing a dark brown robe trimmed with bright red fur, and his dark booted foot tapped impatiently on the stone floor. His bright blue eyes glowed with range. The room was lit by two feeble torches, yet the light turned his bright red hair and beard vivid. His body was not thin, but not plump either; he was roughly the same height as Rebecca's father was, which was neither extreme. He was standing in a protection Circle permanently installed in the floor with tile: a brazier offered acrid smoke to fuel his magic.

The Demon Hamate glowered as he went about his work. His skin was light green, his eyes black with white irises, the end of his tail hovered above his head, and his muscular body sweated as he used the three stranded whip. Naked, his two phalluses bumped against each other in their excitement. His black tongue darted out to moisten his lips, and a low chuckle bubbled from between his needle sharp teeth. "It won't be long now, Master. She's taken more today than the past three months."

"You can't last forever, Rebecca. Sooner or later you will tell me. Sooner or later your miraculous power to heal yourself overnight will fail; magic has its limits." He signaled the demon who seem to lay three bright stripes across Rebecca's back. She moaned a little bit and wiggled, saying nothing. "Very well. No mercy, Hamate."

Rebecca took care to squirm in response to the whipping even though the leather never touched her flesh. Standing on her toes helped the tension on her arms a little: that was the greatest difficulty she had. The demon worked relentlessly, moving to cover as much of her pale flesh with his whip as he could. The mage parted of the front of his robe exposing his manhood, and began to stroke himself.

In less than a minute, sticky white rain fell on the floor, smoking slightly. His head leaned back and he groaned; the demon stopped to laugh at him and play with himself as well. Rebecca took the opportunity to shift her focus: not needing the protection spell, she reduced the energy she was feeding it and the illusion to work on the magical control the Mage wielded over the demon. It was like standing on a cliff above a dangling person in peeling away one finger at a time. She had already done the equivalent of peeling away six fingers, but the Mage didn't pleasure himself at her daily torture session every time, so she had to take each opportunity she when he lost control in orgasm.

She could feel his senses coming back and stopped her undoing. The other spells were back at full power when his eyes cleared and he grimaced at her. The demon continued with both hands until a black gusher shot from his double endowment, rewarded with a quick lightning shot to his genitals from the mage. "You hung on today, Rebecca. Tomorrow we will have to come up with something else. That is unless your Master Michael gives in to Lily's charms first."

"I don't know where the rebels are. I don't even know what a map of your empire looks like. You are torturing me for no reason other than your pleasure." Her statements were accurate: her contact with the rebels was only through extra dimensional suggestion and all she did was nurture their courage and will to resist. The Mage's Empire was brutal enough it spawned resistance easily.

The demon disappeared with a quick wave of banishment, and the Mage walked over to face her. "One can have multiple reasons," he said in a silky tone. He reached between her legs and tried to force his fingers inside her, but he yelped in pain and quickly put them in his mouth. Speaking awkwardly he said: "I'm amazed that the strength of your magic. For one so young, your control and tightness of focus is amazing. But I shall break you and you will be mine forever."

"Larry seems like such an odd name for a powerful Mage-Emperor," she said in an undertone.

He growled, took his hand out of his mouth and tried to slap her hard across the cheek. An electrical discharge made him scream in pain, jumping up and down with his hand between his legs until the pain subsided. He gave her a dark look and stomped out in frustration.

In another room, Michael said: "Rook to King two, check."

Lily's brow furrowed and she regarded Michael's move. There were only seven pieces on the chessboard, White had one more than Black. Michael sat in a large overstuffed chair, placidly smoking a pipe. The game coincided with Rebecca's torture session at the Emperor's hands. Michael was moving his pieces from within his sphere of protection, which was a little bit lighter than the rest of the room, and its light blue tinge contrasted with the dark red hue the fireplace provided. She sat in another more spartan chair near the fire next to the table which held the chessboard. "So you really have had no contact with the rebels?" she murmured while pondering her position.

"You can sense that. I'm being completely honest with you."

"But you're not telling me all you know."

He shrugged his shoulders and looked his palms. "Who does?" Contact with the rebels was something he was letting Rebecca handle. His task was more subtle. "It takes all my power enable to maintain my mind's independence while you have my body constrained."

She laughed. "I'm amazed we caught you so easily. You are obviously a mage of great power and a threat to my husband and I. Surely you had a lapse in judgment to go sightseeing in our sphere of influence. Trust me, had you stayed at home on the other side of the world, we would not even have noticed you and your girlfriend."

Shrugging again, he said: "She wanted to travel, and experience it as ordinary people did. Visions in a scrying crystal were not enough. Come now, we were all young and impulsive once."

Her gaze returned to the chessboard as she considered her next move. After several minutes silence, she laid her King on its side in resignation. "That's the only wrong move I've known you to make the entire time you've been here. You over estimated your ability to keep yourself safe from us. I'm amazed."

"Come now, I haven't beaten you every night we played chess."

"But it's taken all my concentration just to draw with you. This is the third time you've defeated me; I've never defeated you."

"It's a matter of skill. Obviously I'm a better chess player then you are."

Her eyebrow furrowed and a slight smile creased her lips. "You are the only chess player who has ever mastered me. Perhaps we should play another game, Michael."

He blew a smoke ring and looked at her calmly. She stood up: a tall woman with waist-long blonde hair. Her hands were delicate, her fingers long, her nails painted red. She wore a deep blue gown the same shade as her eyes. Snapping her fingers, her garment disappeared. Gentle curves best described her, as well as grace and subtle strength. Her breasts were heavy and her nipples dimpled in the red light. "Perhaps this gambit will be more to your liking and my advantage, hmm?"

"Sculptors would advance a fortune to replicate you in stone; painters would sell their souls to re-create this picture. Lily, I do not need to tell you you're incredibly lovely, for you know that already."

"Thank you. And perhaps we can trade?"

"Tempting. Yet I would give up quite a bit just to touch you. I would have to banish all my protection. This would be unwise. Granted, your offer is still tempting, however I am more interested in self-preservation than gratification."

She smiled, putting the tip of her left index finger to her full red lips. "We could sign an agreement, secured any way you wish. You would be a powerful ally, worth my cultivation."

"I'm sure your husband, the Emperor, would not approve. Even though I'm sure you have a marriage of convenience, and neither one of you are jealous of each other's recreation. This would be much more."

The tip of her tongue snaked out to tease her finger. "He knows you're here and he trusts me to keep you under control. Seldom does he second-guess my means, as I seldom second-guess his."

The chessboard disappeared and a scrying crystal took its place. It revealed a dungeon, with a young woman seated on the hay. Rebecca was sitting crosslegged, naked, her eyes closed. "It seems your husband has made no great progress with her," he said blandly.

Her finger left her lips, and a deep frown filled her face. "My husband is less than subtle, but I have use for his inelegant means. She is formidable, and he is taking up all of her attention. This allows me time and space to deal with you. You I can spare; her I cannot. You understand I cannot tolerate a potential rival."

"Of course," he said crossing his legs and blowing out a smoke ring. "We can negotiate her fate?"

"Surely," she said, smiling sweetly. "If it would facilitate our dealmaking, we could come up with some arrangement that would leave her alive yet not a threat."

"You could send her home."

"I don't think so," she said shaking her head. "You would have to stay here, and her attachment to you would bring her back. It would have to be something else."

Michael nodded, knowing any agreement with Lily would not be kept. "Perhaps you should tell me how I benefit of an arrangement and persuade me."

Lily walked across the room as gracefully as a dancer. Coming up to his sphere, she raised her arms as to embrace it, parting her legs slightly and smiling at him: "You are an enigma. I can't sense what your emotional attachments might be. Gold means nothing to us great mages: we can summon whatever coinage we need to do business. I can tell power over others is something you do not long for either. You are coming to the end of a long life, so the promise of an ideal future has little appeal, either. So I must offer you something different: a challenge, a puzzle, something that will amuse you to try."

He blinked and drew on his pipe. "You are not interested in intellectual puzzles except chess," he observed: "You seek an ally, an ally against your husband." 

"Controlling him is easy; living without him is not. Ruling an empire takes more than one, and Larry has provided me both the figurehead and brutality I've needed. You and I both know brutality has its limits. Your wisdom will help me provide a better control, and give me time to prepare for the next step: a single Empress."

He looked up at her, his blue eyes locked in her blue eyes. She licked her lips, and shifted her weight to make her breasts jiggle. His eyes glanced at the crystal, a movement she sensed instantly. "Michael, I will swear to you by whatever you want I will spare her. I will put her in stasis until my death. Do we have a deal?"

"I need time to think about it. Your offer is tempting on many levels. It would be interesting to rule the country without repression and terror for a short time. The other parts of your offer are appealing as well. But I must have time."

She stroked the sphere as if it were his thigh. "How long?"

"A day."

A wave of anger flowed through her mind, and Michael used the moment to send Rebecca a one-word silent message. Lily mastered herself quickly and stepped back, pulling her shoulders back and smiling. "I'm amazed you could wait. Your age is showing, old man. Larry took up my offer before I even made it. Very well: you have 24 hours." She disappeared and Michael was left alone.

The guards came for Rebecca at midnight. After three months of unclad captivity, Rebecca was no longer bashful being nude in others' presence. She didn't resist as they shackled her hands and led her through the cold, damp hallways, nor did she shiver. There was panic running through the castle: soldiers darting through the hallways in every direction and incoherent shouting in a distance. Emperor Larry was in his magic circle, hastily drawn on his command center floor, guarded by the Demon Hamate. "You lied to me, you've always lied to me!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Giving him a calm look, she was calm and collected, her bare body relaxed. "You could tell easily if I were lying to you; your mastery of magic exceeds mine."

"Sure, right. Once again there isn't a mark on you after hours of whipping. Something else is going on here. But now you're going to tell me where the rebels are."

"I don't know. Like I said before, I don't know the geography of your country, I don't know the identity of the rebels or even what they look like. Does it look like I'm lying to you? You can read my aura as well as I can read yours."

The Emperor-Mage stamped his feet in frustration. Turning to the demon, he said: "Go down and protect the Front Gate. No one is to enter alive." Without a sound, the demon disappeared. A messenger ran in and gave his Master a piece of paper. Stamping his feet again, he screamed: "Seven provinces in full rebellion. Only two governors still loyal. The Fleet put out to sea without orders. Why are they all doing this now?" He turned toward Rebecca, pointing at her and wagging his finger: "You have something to do with this!"

"Yes, Larry. That I can admit to. But I've done very little, all I've done is feed a fire already burning. As history teaches us, uprisings like this can burst any given time, and snowball quickly once the momentum gets started."

"I don't know about that, I was never good at history. But you are going to be like everyone else who's opposed me: ground into the dust."

There was shouting outside the window and the chaos outside reached full cacophony. The soldiers at the window were firing arrows; one of them turned to the Emperor and said: "Your Majesty, we're outnumbered. We're too few to defend this castle, the troops barracked outside town have fled."

"Then will see how well the rebels can do against a Major Demon!"

The captain of the guards said: "No, your Majesty! You can't do that! No living mortal will ever follow you again!"

It seemed as though a massive hand slammed the captain against the wall. He hung there for a moment nine feet above the floor, then slid down silently never to move again. "You're next!" the Emperor screamed, and gestured Rebecca's direction. Her hair was blown straight back by a strong wind, but her body was untouched. "You've definitely concealed the extent of your powers from me. If I'd known you could resist me like this I would've tried other means to break you." Summoning a whip from the air, he left circle and began hitting her.

Rebecca stood her ground, a look of defiance in her eyes. The whip kicked up sparks as it appeared to touch her skin, discharges of electricity crackled in the air, but her porcelain skin was unmarked. This was the moment she prepared for, and she shifted her energies.

Michael's voice rang in her ears: "When you go from submission to defiance you must trust the magic you've already laid and put all your effort into the Unbinding. There is risk if your protection comes apart first, but this can't be helped. You must continue to push until the important task is done, even at the cost of pain." The noise outside grew wilder and wilder, one of the soldiers shouted the demon was slaughtering dozens. Her magic was about to go, but Rebecca remain focused on lifting the last finger from the cliff's edge.

There was an earthquake that shook Michael from his meditation. Looking around, he saw Lily standing by the fireplace wearing a long red gown. "Your little friend has done it now. She undid Larry's control over the demon. We must get it back again to banish him to the Pit he came from." Her body was quaking with fear, and her eyes spoke of inner terror.

"I believe we should chat about this. There will be some conditions."

"What do you mean conditions? We don't have time! We must tame this demon now!"

Michael put his palms together and then opened his arms wide. The scene shifted from an upper room in a castle tower to a greenfield in broad daylight. "We'll be safe here and we have all the time we need."

Lily sat down on the grass with a grunt. "I seem to have miscalculated you. Just like our chess games, you always let me carry out my plans and then hit me with an unexpected rock-crusher. We didn't capture you, did we?"

He shook his head slowly in negation. "It will take two of us to banish the demon. The aftermath will not be so good for you, will it?"

"Of course not. Most of the Empire is in rebellion, most of my troops have deserted me, and once the demon returns to the Pit, I will be in danger from there as well." She smoothed the wrinkles of her dress spreading it out as a blanket. "I offer you everything for your help: a place at my side as my consort, a guarantee of safety for you and everyone you care for, the freedom to do anything you want, and I will adopt your partner Rebecca as my heir. I will sign this agreement in my blood."

Michael smiled and shook his head no. "Your offer earlier tonight tempted me, and your offer tempts me now. I must be honest with you about that. But I've never sought to rule over others, and I don't want to begin now. Ordinary people can manage their own society without manipulation. My counter offer is simple: a sanctuary."

Lily had a puzzled look on her face. "What kind of sanctuary do you mean? What can you offer me?"

"A dimension of my own creation beyond the perception of anyone. You can shape this reality to your own liking, populate it as you wish, make it your own completely."

"I've only heard of two other magicians who could do this. From what I understand you can only do this once in your lifetime, and you're willing to give it up to me?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm willing to do this so the world can be a better place. You will be safe forever, never aging or weakening beyond time and space. I have accepted my Fate, and do not need this. What do you say?"

Her dress disappeared, and she parted her legs, offering him her body completely. For a couple of moments he stood there; he could see the reality in front of him, that this body was the real thing in all its beauty, slightly prolonged in youth by magic, and fully desirable. After a moment, he nodded and disappeared, leaving her there.

It took a month for Michael and Rebecca to return home via ship. It was summer when they returned, one year after she kept the Vigil. She summoned a tent under the apple tree, and they spent the night together in each other's arms making love. When the sun rose, she banished the tent. They were sitting naked under the tree, his back against the trunk and her head in his lap. "Did you enjoy our journey?" he inquired.

She gave his thigh a playful slap. "Enjoy is probably the wrong word. We saw many sights and did many things, but it seemed we spent most of her time ridding the world of great Evil."

"It was necessary. The Evil at work in the world would've intruded in our peace in the next three decades, so was best we confronted it now."

"Shannon of Westfall was a minor player, and Larry's Empire would never have reached our continent."




The Apple Tree Ch. 04



"You saw Shannon's future as well as I did: in 30 years she would've controlled half the world including this land. Larry and Lily would have perceived us sooner or later and eliminated us from a distance. In addition to safeguarding the future of our family, we've let tens and thousands of innocent people like your parents live without the burden of oppression."

"But Larry was the only one that died. I can understand how you spared Shannon, although most wouldn't have tried to get her to see the error of her ways, but why did you give Lily your Paradise?"

Michael stroked her hair. "Lily was reasonable. She knew she could never recover her power and was willing to accept personal safety rather than die under the claws of the demon like Larry did. I was able to offer her an alternative she could accept."

She patted his knee. "But you could've gone to your Paradise and been forever young, forever graceful, in a place constructed to make you happy."

"I've already done that here. No one waits for me on the other side in anger. More is not needed."

Rebecca snuggled into his tummy and purred. Her spirit still tingled from their night of passion, and through her magical knowledge of her body, she knew another spark of life would take hold within her shortly. She kissed his thigh. "I'm ready to stay home for a while."