Sarge

The Bond

Preface

To learn magic, one would first have to be capable of creating it. If very few are born with the ability, then to find one would be of great interest. Thus, it is necessary for those who knew to watch for new talent. Those very few with the ability would not know they possessed it until it revealed itself. Their gift often become apparent right at the very beginning of puberty. It mostly occurred during a time of great stress. And for reasons not understood, only boys ever had the ability to create magic. So the watchers watched those places were boys from ten to thirteen were gathered, hopeful that if it occurred they could identify who used it and isolate that boy from society until such time as they could control their gift.

But as all wizards know, magic sometimes comes at a cost.

1. Introduction

Allister knew he was different from the time he first entered school. He didn't understand the difference until he was near the end of primary school. Academically he excelled, but a lack of coordination and size made him a constant target of bullies. When he was just a week short of his twelfth birthday, an event occurred that gave him the scandalous realization that he liked boys.

Through the first five years of primary school, things weren't too bad, kids mostly were satisfied with just making fun of him. But by grade six Allister understood his difference. Standing at the urinals he was able to view many of his peers. He enjoyed looking at how they held their penis; and he imagined what it would be like if he were able to hold them. But other boys didn't look around as they were peeing, and eventually Allister was caught looking. He was called names. And he then caught on to the fact that while he liked seeing other boys' private parts, they didn't get excited looking at his. And they didn't like that he was looking at theirs. The teasing rapidly grew worse.

He did not believe that the adults in the school really cared about him. They saw him as the awkward student who had potential but never utilized it, and because he believed that the school was not concerned with his problems he didn't bother to report them. Unfortunately for him however, he didn't realize that letting the boys get away with it gave them knowledge that he would not seek protection from the adults in the school. By mid-term things were rapidly getting worse for him. His chief protagonist, a boy named Micky, was looking for new ways to torment him. Micky was the same age as Allister but much bigger.

Micky and two of his friends knew Allister's routine, and they grabbed him in a hallway away from teachers and pushed him into an empty classroom. Micky had selected four girls he knew would enjoy what he was going to do and not tell, and they were already waiting in the room.

It was easy for the boys to overpower the smaller and weaker boy. While Micky held him, the other two began to strip him. Their plan was to leave the boy completely naked and allow the selected girls a chance to see one of their classmates undressed. They got him down to just his underpants when somehow Allister was able to break Micky's grip and escape his grasp.

By that time Allister knew full well his sexual orientation. Under different circumstances he might have enjoyed being stripped by boys. But these boys were not here for the type of enjoyment he might have liked, they were doing it to humiliate him. He didn't care about the girls (although he did not want them to see him naked either) but being stripped had made his penis erect. He worried that having a boner while being stripped by boys would give more proof that he was different.

He reacted instinctively, grabbing Micky's arms and pulling them to the side, thus getting free of his grasp. He pushed the other two boys to the floor, and then he ran, in just his underwear, down the hallway and out the front door towards home, with the plan that he would never return to school again.

Allister should never have been able to escape the grasp of the boy holding him, yet somehow he had. And in a little office somewhere in the school a bell rang. The office wasn't one that anyone, not even the principal, knew existed. To most people there wasn't even a visible door. But the man inside the office spent his days waiting for the sound of that bell. In a flash, he was in the back of the empty room. From the laughter and the scattered clothing, he guessed what had happened.

The man went unnoticed by the three boys and four girls, and he quickly learned the name of the boy they had been tormenting. One of the boys asked Micky how he had gotten away.

"He went crazy," Micky said. "I had hold of him but my hands must have slipped. It's hard to hang onto bare skin. But what about you two? He pushed both of you to the floor. How did he manage to do that?"

The man in the back now had a name and that was all he needed to find the boy who had demonstrated he had the ability to use magic. It was a rare event, totally unpredictable, and there were thousands of men like him whose job it was to find those talents so they could be properly trained before they got too old for the training to work. He called the school and gave them the information he had.

The next day Allister refused to return to school, but he was too embarrassed to explain to his parents exactly why. His plan was to have them home-school him, and he didn't want to hear them say again that they both worked and that was not an option. They were still discussing it when there was a knock at the door.

Before Mr. Arbox could even approach Allister he had to check in with his superiors. They had to have absolute proof that magic had been used and that the correct person had been identified. To bring a boy to school who didn't have abilities caused problems. And there was always the possibility that someone else had observed the sudden use of magic in the school. Not all wizards had the same goals, but new recruits were so rare that each district watched to make sure that other districts didn't get there first. And one way to get there first was to trick a watcher into believing that a boy had revealed his ability when in fact it was someone else.

Another reason to be cautious was Allister himself. His records showed that he was uncoordinated but intelligent. However, he thought linearly, one thing after another, and the school had experienced that those who thought like that had difficulty understanding and using real magic. If he failed to become competent in the command of magic but had knowledge of the school, he could not be released back into society once he knew he could use (intentionally or instinctively) use magic freely.

Some schools of magic had no problem with those boys – 'accidents' happened and the student died. That was not an option for those like Mr. Arbox. They did not rid themselves of their failed students by executing them. They already had a collection of young men who had very little use of magic but couldn't be released. And they did not want to add to that group. It was better to leave a doubtful candidate out there than to bring him into the school. Many times poor candidates never again were able to draw upon their power. If not trained while their brain was still developing their gift would disappear completely as they got older.

Mr. Arbox did his research, but the decision to approach Alistair was left to the Directors. It was not a unanimous decision. But in his case, the fact that finding one who could yield magic was so rare that they didn't want to miss out on an opportunity became the reason to take the chance. Allister Granger was to be admitted to the school. Mr. Arbox was sent to meet with him and get him there.

Allister and both his parents were at the door when it opened. "Hello, my name is Mr. Arbox, and I heard from a student at Allister's school about an unfortunate incident that caused considerable embarrassment to your son. I am associated with a private school that I think would make a much better environment for him. Is there any way you could let me talk to you about it?"

Allister thought the man gave a fine talk about how different the Gurney School of Fine Arts was, but Allister had his doubts. Especially since it was a boarding school. And besides, he wasn't interested in Fine Arts, whatever that was. It sounded like something for sissies, and he had enough qualities to mark him as a sissy without going to a school that specialized in it.

But his parents gave him limited choices. He could return to the neighborhood public school (they still didn't know what had happened but assumed it was not too serious or the school itself would have contacted them) or give the new school a try. Mr. Arbox acted like he knew what had happened, even making it sound better by saying that it was an all-boys school, but Allister doubted that he really had any idea at all what had happened in that empty classroom. If he really knew, Micky and the other kids would all be suspended from school and maybe facing criminal charges for what they did to him. So, he was just being condescending. But given only the two choices and the promise that if he didn't like it after six weeks he could come home, he accepted the boarding school.

2. No Witch, No Lion, but There is a Wardrobe

To Allister and his parents, the school was a small, single-story building in a modestly successful merchant district of a large town. Mr. Arbox explained that because phones provided distraction from studies, they were not allowed, but there was a central desk where they could call in the event of an emergency.

"We have found that contact with parents in the first few weeks nearly always results in the boys returning home," he explained. "Once they've been here and gotten through the preliminary classes they don't want to leave. And six weeks is the maximum, most boys are ready to stay after just a few weeks here."

He did explain that outgoing mail was picked up on each Monday and incoming mail on each Saturday, so communication did occur. He didn't mention that the boy's letters home were monitored and when necessary altered. The lack of contact with his parents again set Allister against being enrolled.

He also didn't like it when Mr. Arbox told him that they didn't group students by age, but rather by ability. Therefore, he might be in classes with kids as young as eleven or as old as fifteen. Mr. Arbox tried to make it more palatable by saying that since he had just turned thirteen, he was at the middle of that range, but Allister wasn't convinced.

Still, the dorms they saw, the classrooms they visited, and the teachers they met all convinced his parents that this was a safe environment for their son. Allister had been uncomfortable the entire time, complaining that something about the whole place seemed 'fake'. Mr. Arbox knew that meant that he was right about Allister's ability, for everything on the ground floor was not used by the school. There were some real kids who had no magic ability and studied fine arts attending here, after all, they had to have teachers and outcome in order to hide their true purpose, but everything above the first floor was hidden and didn't exist to those without magic. And Mr. Arbox knew that Allister's native ability to use magic was telling him that there was more than what he could see.

Allister didn't try to hide his tears as his parents said their goodbyes. He begged them to take him with them, but they reminded him he had agreed to give it six weeks. Mr. Arbox knew that by the end of the day Allister would not be returning home until they could trust with absolute belief that he would not say a word to anyone about the real nature of the school.

"Let's go get you checked into your dorm," he said after giving Allister a few moments to compose himself. "I promise you, this school is nothing like the one you left. You may be teased, but here you will have protection from students and teachers who care about you."

He took him to the end of the hallway outside the dorm room he had showed him and his parents earlier. "What do you see here?" he asked.

Allister was confused. "A wall. A cement block wall."

It was not a final test, but it was still slightly unsettling. However, even some of the best students could only see a wall on their first day. "Try to imagine it is more than a wall. Use your imagination to see beyond the wall. What do you see then?"

Allister stood there. This was stupid. And pointless. And humiliating. Now that his parents were gone, Mr. Arbox was becoming just like the kids he had known at his last school. Just like he knew would happen.

"It's a goddamned wall. What do you expect me to see?"

Mr. Arbox looked around to make sure that none of the ground floor people were present and then lightly touched the back of Allister's head. He caught the sleeping boy as he fell and carried him through the wall and up the steps to the third floor. He took him to his dorm room and put him on a bed before waking him up.

"It wasn't a wall at all. It was magic. And you are here to learn how to recognize and make magic. Not fine arts. We hope to make a sorcerer out of you. But first you must get into the required uniform. All you need is in your wardrobe. See if you can open it."

For Allister, it was the strangest thing he'd ever seen. He was staring at a wall, and then woke up on a bed being told he was here to learn magic. He was sure he'd been drugged. "Did you kidnap me? Do you plan to make me your slave? Cause I'm stronger than you think and I'll fight you with all my might."

"Instead of fighting me, why don't you fight your wardrobe. It is magically locked. Only you can open it. The other kids will be here in an hour or so. Hopefully by then you will have figured out how to get to your uniform. Your dorm leader is a boy named Issac. He'll help you to get to where you need to be. And he has the means to contact me if needed. I'll see you when you've graduated to the next level. It should only take a few weeks."

Mr. Arbox felt horrible doing this to Allister, especially after what had happened to him in school. But this was a ritual that every boy who had come here had gone through. It was the first, and easiest test. If he couldn't open the wardrobe after a week, it would be hopeless and the Directors would be informed they had made the wrong decision regarding his ability. He left the room, knowing that Allister could not leave it on his own.

The wardrobe was made of wood and was about two feet wide, six feet tall, and three feet [60x180x90 cm] deep. It had a single door on the front, with a handle to open it. There was no latch that he could see. He pulled a flashlight out of his bag and looked along the seam. With the light, he could see all the way to the back wall. The gap extended from top to bottom with nothing blocking it. Yet it would not open.

He examined the hinges but saw nothing unusual. The sides offered nothing, and he could not pull it away from the wall to see the back. He pulled on it with all his might, but it remained closed.

He went to the wardrobe next to his and tried to open it, but it also refused to budge. He tried three more, all failed to open. He gave up and looked through the room. There were twelve beds and twelve wardrobes and a bathroom and shower room. He decided to investigate further.

As he passed a window he suddenly froze. He was on the top floor of a three-story building. When his parents had left him he had been in a single-story building. That meant he wasn't where his parents thought he was. He knew then that he was in trouble.

His first thought was to escape, but before he could get to the door he could hear the sound of many boys in the hallway. He hid between two wardrobes in the back of the room and waited for them to pass.

But they didn't, they came into the dorm, yelling, laughing, and acting like boys everywhere. All the stuff that made Allister feel uncomfortable.

"Hey, the new student is here," one of them said as he spotted Allister's cases on his bed. Allister peeked around the side and saw that all the boys were dressed in white shirts and dress pants. Well, almost all the boys. Two of them were naked. Totally naked. They both appeared to be about the same age as Allister. One had just the beginnings of a little patch of hair around his dick. The other had a longer dick and a bit more hair. Looking at them made Allister's dick start to grow.

Allister watched as the first boy went to the wardrobe next to his and tugged on the handle. It didn't open.

"Gather your power and pull, like this," another boy said. He grabbed the handle on another wardrobe and it opened easily. "Keep trying."

"He's got to be here somewhere," another boy said. "I'll bet he's back there." The boy turned and pointed right to where Allister was hiding. Allister jumped back, but he knew the boy had seen him.

"Come on out, we won't bite."

Allister heard them coming towards him. There was no point in hiding, they knew where he was. He stepped out. "I'll take on the biggest of you. The one in charge. I'm tougher than I look. I won't go down without a fight."

A couple of the boys laughed, but they were quickly hushed by others. A boy who looked to be no older than Allister stepped forward.

"I'm Isaac. I'm in charge, although Fletcher is likely to take over by the end of the week. If you want to fight the leader, that's me. But you'd do better with Aaden or Liam. They can't open their wardrobes either." He pointed to the two naked boys, both of whom were covering their privates with their hands.

Isaac pointed his hands at Allister and in a flash Allister was naked. "We wear uniforms here or nothing. You can't leave this room unless we take you out or you have a uniform on. Go and open your wardrobe. Try to direct the anger you have at me into opening the door. Sometimes that works."

"How come were stuck with escorting thee nudies?" a boy close to Allister said.

"Shut up Michael, unless you want me to lock your wardrobe again. Then we'll have four nudies."

Allister saw Michael's face turn red and the boy turned away.

"It's a simple but effect rule. You stay naked until you can open your wardrobe. Aaden checked in yesterday and Liam the day before. They've been naked since then. Go and try your wardrobe. We go to lunch in five minutes, and you will be having lunch with us and attending classes afterwards."

Issac made a motion and the boys stepped aside, leaving the aisle open for him to walk through. With his hands covering his junk, Allister returned to his wardrobe. He noticed that not only were his clothes gone, but his bags that had been on his bed were gone as well. He made a half-hearted attempt to open his wardrobe but failed.

"It doesn't open that easily," Issac said.

"Hey, I got mine open!" Liam said. I got it!" He began pulling clothing out.

"You've got three minutes to get dressed and then we go," Issac said. He looked at Aaden who was pulling on the handle to his wardrobe with both hands while he pushed the edge with his feet. His wouldn't open.

After a few minutes Issac said, "Okay, lunch. Liam, as a reward you can escort Aaden. What's your name?" he asked Allister.

"I'm Allister. Allister Granger. And I uh, don't want any lunch."

"Fletcher, you escort him," Issac said. He looked at Allister and said, "Meals are not optional. You are coming. Fletcher will see to it."

They began to file out. Allister saw Liam laugh as he grabbed Aaden's hand, pulling it away from his groin. "Come on nudie," he said with a laugh.

Fletcher tried to grab one of Allister's arms, but Allister got angry and pushed his hand away. He was surprised when Fletcher flew three feet back and hit a wardrobe with a loud bang.

"Yep, he has magic," Fletcher said. Allister was more shocked by that statement than any of the other kids in the room. All he'd done was give the other boy a little push yet the boy flew backward.

"I wasn't expecting it," Fletcher said. "Maybe if you were to use that on your wardrobe he wouldn't be a nudie now." He walked to Allister and grabbed one of his arms. This time there was no escaping him. "You have to be held by one of us to pass the door. Same thing with the cafeteria and all the classrooms and the bathrooms," Fletcher said as he pulled him through the door.

"Then let me try," Allister said once he was in the hall and Fletcher had let him go. He ran to the door but even though it was open he bounced off it like he had hit a wall. He landed flat on his back. A few of the boys laughed, but Issac made them stop. Fletcher held out his hand to pull him up.

"I told you, you can't pass through any doorway without one of us holding you until you have your uniform. Come on, you won't be the only one naked. Red Wing has at least one and they're expecting a new kid today too." He pulled Allister to his feet and then let him go. "And don't try to use magic on me again. I wasn't ready for it, but from now on I will be." Allister had no idea how to not use magic, it made no sense.

They made a couple of turns before meeting up with a group of boys coming from the other direction. Both groups were turning to go through a single doorway. Since Allister and Fletcher were at the back, Allister saw that the boys from Red Wing were making fun of Aaden as Liam pulled him through. They had one naked boy of their own and one look at him made Allister's heart flutter.

The boy was perfect. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and a chiseled face that showed his embarrassment. He looked strong, with long, muscular arms. His penis was surrounded by a short coating of light brown pubic hair and his dick was swinging back and forth over a ball sack that hung down slightly with two balls hanging at different levels in it. Allister froze and stared.

"Hey, he's just a Red Winger, come on, I'm hungry," Fletcher said as he grabbed one of Allister's arms and pulled him through the doorway behind the other boy. The doorway lead to a set of stairs heading down. "Hell, you've got a boner," Fletcher said with a laugh.

Allister did his best to cover his boner. His greatest fear was being found out he liked boys. The noise in the stairway dropped by half, and many of the boys stopped and turned to look, including the naked boy from Red Wing. He looked at Allister's swollen dick and then at the rest of his body and smiled. But it wasn't a mocking smile, it looked friendly. At least Allister thought it did. After seeing that look he hardly even heard the comments from the other boys.

They had to go through a door at the next landing and then one more to get into the dining hall. There were four round tables that each sat six boys.

"Hey, Dabney," Fletcher said. "Put them next to each other."

He followed the boy escorting the naked Red Wing kid to a table and Allister ended up sitting right next to him. Allister's dick was still hard and he was covering it with his hands.

"You're going to have to move them to eat," the boy said to him. "I'm Grayson. I got here yesterday and I still can't open my wardrobe either." He held out his hand to Allister.

"I'm uh, Alllll, uh, Allister. Allister Granger." Allister was so nervous he couldn't' even speak. In order to shake hands, he had to lift his right hand off his dick, which gave Grayson a chance to see it close up. But Grayson's eyes never left Allister's face.

"Nice to meet you. I guess we'll be in a lot of classes together. At least I hope so. I hate being the only nudie in a room full of boys in uniform. We got a new boy today too, that boy over there." He pointed to one of the other tables. "His name is Stan. He got his wardrobe open by himself before we got there after morning classes let out."

Allister's dick stayed hard all through lunch, but he hid it under the tablecloth so that it couldn't be seen. He longed to reach down and stoke it, but was afraid. Still, he couldn't take his eyes off of Grayson, especially when Grayson 'accidently' pushed the table cloth down slightly and showed that he too had a boner.

"Dabney, can we go to the rest room please?" he asked the boy next to him.

"Who, you and the other nudie? You guys can't even open the door."

"No, I mean, can you take me so that I can go?"

"You sick horny bastard, I know what you want. Tough shit, I ain't ruining my lunch so that you can go and play with yourself."

"Come on Dabney, they both need to do it," Fletcher said from the other side. "They should go together. There's only one stall, so one will have to listen while the other takes care of business first."

Allister felt the heat build in his face and looked at Grayson and saw his face was flushed too. Fletcher got up and was followed by Dabney, and they were told to come along. Every head in the room turned to watch them be escorted to the bathroom.

"You first," Fletcher said to Allister.

"Uh, I, uh, don't need to go," Allister said. He needed to jack off more than he'd ever needed to before, but to do it with three boys standing right outside the stall knowing what he was doing was more than he could accept.

"I won't give you a chance again this afternoon. Besides, you'll have to do it in the dorm with all of us watching unless you can figure out how to get your blanket down."

"He'll do it too," Grayson said. "They made me do it last night. It isn't easy."

The thought of watching Grayson play with his rod caused Allister's dick to twitch wildly and Allister gave into the newly increased need and entered the stall.

"We should leave the door open, just to make sure he knows how to do it," Dabney said. "He looks young, probably hasn't ever done it before."

But he let the door to the stall swing shut and Allister latched it before they could change their mind. He sat on the seat and grabbed his dick and shut out all other thoughts as he furiously jacked off. His breathing changed and he was just about to shoot when he saw the latch go up on its own and just as the first burst of cum left his dick the door opened and Grayson was pushed inside. The next two bursts hit Grayson in his chest. After that there was less force and most of the last of Allister's cum oozed out across the fingers of his right hand.

"Sorry, they pushed me in," Grayson said. But he didn't look sorry and he didn't wait for Allister to get up. Standing there with Allister watching he did what Allister had done, only he shot much more than Allister had and all but the very last bit ended up hitting Allister from head to knee.

"Smells like a boy brothel in there," Dabney said. You two wipe each other down and hurry up about it before we're late for class."

Allister was hard again by the time they left the bathroom and were escorted to what was to be Allister's first magic class. He was pleased that Grayson was in it with him, along with Aaden and Liam.

Liam and Grayson were able to do what the teacher was trying to get them all to do, but Allister was having the most trouble, unable to complete any of the tasks he was being trained to do. Aaden could so some of it, or at least get some praise from the teacher. Allister felt stupid when the class was finally over. He'd always been a bright boy, and had never struggled in school. But for some reason, this class was way over his head. And even though he wasn't the only one who was naked, he felt extremely embarrassed by it and by his nearly constant boner.

After class, he and Aaden had to be escorted back to the dorm in order to get there and get inside. He went straight to his wardrobe, but no matter what he tried he could not open it. He wasn't encouraged when Issac pointed out that it was his first day and that Aaden still couldn't open his either. That night he and Aaden had to lay on top of their covers because they couldn't pull the cover down. Aaden's face was bright red, but he played with himself as the other looked on and made rude comments until he shot and the magic was removed from his bed, allowing him to get under the covers.

All eyes then turned to Allister. Liam came over and sat on the floor next to him and whispered in his ear.

"Every boy here has had to do this. Some for almost a week. Yeah, we're going to watch, and make stupid comments and generally make fun of you, but remember, we've all gone through it. Soon enough you'll be able to open your wardrobe and then you won't have to suffer this again. It gets too cold in here at night to stay above the covers, so my advice is to just do it."

His dick was stiff, and even though he was just trying to cover it he couldn't help but to rub the tip. And the more he rubbed, the more that feeling that started in his stomach grew until he knew that he had to finish the job. He somehow managed to close his mind to the fact that nine other boys were watching and started to actively jack off. Then he remembered the restroom at lunch and seeing Grayson's dick right in front of his eyes as Grayson jacked off and the next thing he knew he was shooting gob after gob of thin, white cum onto his chest. He relaxed and heard a small cheer from the other boys.

"Go take a shower so the room doesn't smell," Issac said. "You too Aaden."

Allister had never showered with another person before, and said as much as he and Aaden waited for the water to get warm.

"Me neither," Aaden said. "Until I got here. I almost did in sixth grade once but I got a boner before I even got to the showers and everyone laughed at me. I turned around and got dressed and I never tried it again. I had skipped a grade, so I was a year younger than all the other kids and that made it worse. But it doesn't seem as embarrassing here though." He moved his hands and Allister saw that he was erect. Then he saw that Aaden was watching him look and quickly turned his head.

"Don't get all bent out of shape. Mr. Arbox told me that the percentage of gay wizards is higher that of the general population. And some of the rest are bi. The remainder, those who only like girls, are the ones who enjoy doing stuff the least. But since there are no girls in this school, sometimes they enjoy newbies like you and me. But other than having to jack off before bed nobody's threatened me or done forced me to do anything. I just hope I can figure out what draws my magic out so that I can get my wardrobe open."

Allister was curious. "So what are you?"

"I got a boner and invited you to look. That should have answered your question. And all of us saw you and Grayson together. I think it is very obvious what you are. So, move your hands and let me see."

After a few seconds of thinking about it, Allister moved his hands and let his boner snap to attention. He was blushing as he saw Aaden checking him out.

"I think yours is a little bigger, and you've got more hair. But I'll catch up. Let's jack off again. The last one to cum has to wash the other one."

Aaden shot last but Allister was pretty sure the other boy had not tried to win. He took his time soaping all of Allister's body. Allister had never been touched by anyone before and flinched a bit. But Aaden didn't stop and before Allister knew it he was hard again and this time Aaden was rubbing him. And it felt good.

"How about you two get done in there and turn out the lights so the rest of us can get some sleep," Issac called from the main room. After washing off the second load of cum, he and Aaden returned to the dorm where their blankets were already pulled back.

The next morning Aaden opened his wardrobe on the first try. Now only Allister was naked in Blue Wing. He hoped he wasn't the only one in the school, but as they left for breakfast (Aaden escorted Allister) he saw that Grayson had also opened his wardrobe. Allister was embarrassed to be the last nudie. But still pleased to be seated next to Grayson at the table.

Morning classes didn't go any better for Allister. He just barely was able to grasp the basics of working magic, which infuriated him. As they returned to the dorm to change books he went straight to his wardrobe, which again, refused to open for him.

Aaden came up to him and whispered, "Think of what you'd like to do in the shower with me this morning. That's how I opened mine this morning – remembering you in the shower last night."

"You, you were thinking about that?" Allister whispered back. "About, you know, what you did? That's crazy." Aaden just smiled and walked away.

Allister thought Aaden. He, well, he had to admit he liked him. But he felt odd doing anything with him. Besides, if anyone were to catch them it would tell them all that he liked boys and that might lead to problems. Then he thought about Grayson. How it would feel if he could wash Grayson's body. His dick. And as his own dick started to get hard he pulled on the handle with all his might. The wardrobe opened so easily that he landed on his back on the floor, his dick pointing up at the ceiling. The other boys laughed, but at least now he had a uniform.

3. Lonely is the Wizard Who Can't Perform Magic

Over the next two weeks all of the boys that Allister knew except Aaden had been moved somewhere else. Now that he didn't need to be escorted everywhere he went searching for them. Mostly for Grayson. He missed Grayson terribly. As boys left they were replaced with new boys. Aaden was in charge now and he instructed Allister to not give away the secret for opening the wardrobes. "Let them find their own key," he said.

With Grayson gone, he and Aaden had participated in mutual masturbation a few times, and while it was fun, he felt like he was betraying what he felt for Grayson. And then he wondered if Grayson might be doing stuff with another boy in the showers and felt jealous and guilty at the same time. Aaden always wanted to do more than just jack off, but Allister refused each time.

Allister's search efforts had allowed him to discover that there were walls blocking two stairways, one leading up from the third floor and one down from the second. The one leading up confounded him the most because he could see from the window that he was on the top floor. Unless it lead to the roof, there was no place else to go. But try though he might, he could not pass through either of the walls. He talked about it with Aaden, who knew about the wall going down but not up. They went together but Aaden could only see a wall, nothing behind it.

"I'm getting worried," Aaden said one day. "Neither of us are progressing in school and already two of the boys who came in after us have moved on to wherever they go when they leave here. I don't think they are going to let us stay her forever."

Allister hadn't really given much thought to his poor performance. Aaden's progress was slow compared to other students but still advanced from his. If Aaden was worried, then Allister knew he needed to be concerned too.

"I think we need to talk to Mr. Arbox," Aaden said. "I'll send him a meeting request." Allister knew how to send meeting requests, but they both knew that sometimes when he sent one they went to the wrong person or there were problems with the contents of the message. Aaden was much better at it.

Without warning, Allister was teleported into Mr. Arbox's office. He'd been teleported once before and didn't like the way it left him disoriented and dizzy, especially when it was done without him knowing it was going to happen.

"I see you are barely progressing at all," Mr. Arbox said as he looked over copies of Allister's progress reports. "It was good of Aaden to contact me."

"Uh, Mr. Arbox, where is Aaden?"

"I wanted to talk to you alone. I'll send for him when you and I are done. Please, have a seat, you look like you're about to faint."

Allister took the offered chair and thanked him. "Am I in trouble? Are you going to expel me?"

"Calm down," Mr. Arbox said in a soothing voice. He included a bit of magic to help settle Allister. "First, we don't expel anyone, so there is no danger of that." He didn't mention that there was something worse than being expelled. Allister's progress at the four-week mark showed that he had an aptitude for magic not enough for him to advance. If he didn't improve quickly his only recourse would be to become Bonded, if anyone would take him. He knew that Aaden would, but that would not be an ideal choice as Aaden was also not progressing well. Aaden had shown more talent, and Mr. Arbox believed he knew what was holding him back. It was why he wanted to speak to Allister alone, he'd already talked with Aaden and encouraged him to keep trying.

"Sometimes a boy has other things on his mind and that slows his development. I'm going to ask a very personal question, but an honest answer will help me to understand why you are not moving along with your studies." Mr. Arbox paused for a second, studying Allister.

"We know that you and Aaden are friends, and we encourage that here. Sometimes boys here develop a special friendship and when they don't know how to deal with that it sort of occupies that part of the brain from which the magic comes. Are you and Aaden in that kind of a relationship?" Mr. Arbox noted the full blush that spread across Allister's face.

"Uh, we've, uh, you know, been together. Like in the shower room. But we've never – why do you think I'd want to do stuff with Aaden?"

"We always have students here who are gay. And many times, even the others want to experiment. For reasons we don't understand, only boys can create magic, so while here at the school there are no girls. Experimentation is a form of release that helps calm the desires that slow learning magic. Aaden was worried about his desires and talked with me a couple of weeks ago. I encouraged him to try and approach anyone he felt special with. Could that have been you?"

"Oh my god, you think I'm flunking because Aaden likes me? That's bullshit. We're friends. We like each other. And we've jacked off together. But we're not like, boyfriends."

Mr. Arbox had used a device that gave an accurate reading of truth. And it was solidly in the green. His own opinion matched that of the device, Allister was being very truthful. And this confused him because it completely contradicted what Aaden had told him earlier in the week.

Allister stood up. "I'd like to go now," he said. "You, you – just send me back please. Or send me home. The six weeks I agreed to is almost up anyway."

"Please sit down Allister," he said, shaking his head. Now at least he understood Aaden's lack of progress. He was in love with Allister but his advances were being rejected. Advances that he had recommended Aaden pursue. "I was under the impression that you and Aaden were uh, more than just friends. I am clearly mistaken, and that isn't the reason why you are having problems with the lessons." He paused for a few minutes to consider other reasons.

"Look, sometimes learning magic is just hard. Sometimes boys are homesick, or worried about other things." He studied Allister's face, looking for any kind of response that suggested he was getting close to the cause. "Maybe they need a change, like being moved from one dorm to the other."

"I don't want to move to another dorm. And I want to know what happened to my friend. I mean friends. The other boys. Where are they?"

Mr. Arbox didn't miss the singular friend that Allister had quickly changed to plural. He opened the file to show other boys that had been in the underclass dorm when Allister first arrived and scanned their progress. One stood out. Grayson had been their champion – a boy who went from the third to the fourth floor in just four days. His progress had been well beyond the norm. But since being moved to the fourth floor he was one of the slower students.

"Allister, I'm trying to help you, not to mock you or make fun of you. I realize this is a very personal question and my reason for asking is to help you. Did you have a relationship with Grayson before he was advanced to the next school?" He felt it was best not to let Allister know at this time that there were more than three floors.

The look on Allister's face gave him the complete answer. They'd been such idiots to concentrate on Allister and Aaden. That was now going to be another problem.

"I, uh, we were friends. Can I go now? Please?"

"Grayson was one of the fastest students until we moved him to the next school. Then his progress slowed, and none of the fools who monitor these things bothered to report it to me. Your progress was slow, and hasn't gotten better. I think both of your problems are related. Was there something about Grayson that mattered to you more than any of the other boys?"

"Uh, uh, no. We weren't doing anything, we were just friends."

Mr. Arbox didn't need the lie detector to tell him that wasn't true. He noted that this time Allister didn't ask to be sent back. It became obvious that Allister was having trouble dealing with his feelings towards another boy. A common enough problem in the school. However, in this case he also realized that he had missed the boat. He'd gone to extremes to give Allister and Aaden opportunities to be alone with each other thinking that would cure their slow progress and never considered that while one loved the other they weren't mutual lovers.

"Allister, I had suggested to Aaden that he, uh, show you how he felt about you. He told me that you liked him in a way that apparently you don't. I'm going to have to explain that to him, and that is likely to cause some more problems. Regardless of his reaction, do your best to understand. Please don't say or do stuff that would make it worse. He's almost ready to move on with his studies." What he didn't say was that Aaden would be remaining right where he was until they could judge if he could recover.

"So, they go through the wall at the end of the north wall and then up the stairway to the fourth floor," Allister said, watching Mr. Arbox's face for confirmation. "I showed Aaden where it is, but he couldn't see through the wall."

No surprise there, you needed a supervisor's uniform to get through it. But what was surprising, and troublesome at the same time, was that Allister could see through the wall. Unlike the wall on the first floor, this wall was much stronger. Even advanced fourth-floor students wouldn't be able to see through it. Yet somehow Allister had. Mr. Arbox decided to give Allister a victory.

"The building actually has six floors. You are the only third-floor boy since I've been here who has found the stairway."

"It's been boring. I don't have as many classes as before so I'm free to wonder. I also found the stairway down but I can't get thorough that wall either. I tried. Many times. I wanted to go home."

"But you could tell in each case that there was a stairway behind the wall, and which direction they went. That is, well, a surprise, considering your lack of mastery of magic. Like when you first came here, it should have been, to quote you, 'just a goddamned wall'."

Allister didn't respond. "I'm going to have you take a fourth-floor class called Perception. It is a particularly difficult class for nearly all wizards and only a few ever get past the first few days. I want to see how you do. I'll have the teacher come down to the third floor to teach it." He saw the look on Allister's face go from pleased to angry.

Allister had thought for moment that he was about to go up. Up to where he now guessed Grayson was. But knowing that the teacher would come to his floor angered him.

Mr. Arbox knew that Allister's anger was also going to be a problem. All fourth-floor classes required an open, accepting mind, especially Perception. Anger blocked it. It was the reason why the first spells they taught were calming spells. But he was not going to complicate things by sending him to the same floor as Grayson.

"I'm going to send you back and talk to Aaden next. As I said, I think I completely missed the boat and what I have to say to him is going to hurt him. Again, please do your best to understand. Besides, with you in Perception, you won't have as much free time, so it should be easier to avoid him."

Without waiting for him to reply, he sent him directly to his dorm and teleported Aaden into his office. This was going to be hard, and he might only be able to save one of the two boys. If it came to that, choosing which one would be another decision made above his pay grade.

4. A New Leader Emerges

The next week was the worst one of Allister's life, including the day he'd been stripped nearly naked in front of the girls in his old school. He felt miserable every time he saw Aaden. He now understood that Aaden longed for him as much as he longed for Grayson, and while Mr. Arbox hadn't said so, he from what had been said that Aaden's problems were his fault.

And now he had six hours a day of Perception training. And he wasn't learning anything.

Things in the dorm were a mess. Aaden had been a wonderful leader, but after his talk with Mr. Arbox he no longer showed he cared about any of the boys. They had three new boys, all nudies, and without a strong leader the other boys accepted that it was okay to tease them. Even though it wasn't his place, Allister stepped in, but that only made things worse between him and Aaden.

If things didn't change soon it was going to erupt into fights or worse. Even the boys in Red Wing kept their distance.

After morning classes, the boys from the Blue Wing returned to their dorm. Glen, one of the boys who had been there a week was outside the door. He was wearing a different colored uniform. He called for attention. Allister ignored him and went straight to the door. He bounced off it, unable to enter.

"Okay, things are not working in this wing and Mr. Arbox has put me in charge," Glen said to the group. "I will take you in one at a time. Go straight to your wardrobes. Anyone who cannot open their wardrobe will strip naked and remain that way until you can open it and get the new uniform that is inside it." One by one he took everyone inside, saving Allister and Aaden until last.

Of the seven dressed boys, only Aaden and Allister couldn't open their wardrobe.

"What the fuck," Aaden said. "This is stupid. You're not the dorm leader, I am. And I'm going down to see Mr. Arbox and straighten this out right now." He got as far as the door and then bounced back. He couldn't get through the passage. The other boys laughed.

"Stop laughing unless you all want to start over. Aaden and Allister, until you can open your wardrobe you will remain naked and you will need to be escorted everywhere."

"Screw you," Aaden said. "I'm not playing this game again."

Glen used magic and made Aaden's clothing disappear. He turned to Allister. "Last chance to do it yourself."

Allister had been stripped with magic before. This time he took his own clothes off. He felt totally ridiculous standing there like a newbie after having been on the floor for almost a month and a half.

"Carter, Mark, and Wade. None of you tried to open your wardrobes. Are you being lazy or just plain stupid?" Glen asked the three nudies who had been here for over a day already. They went to their wardrobes and all three were surprised when they opened.

"Get dressed. We leave for lunch in three minutes. Ethan, you will escort Aaden. Carter, you've got Allister."

"I said I'm not playing," Aaden said. "I'm sending a meeting request." However, he was unable to connect.

"You are coming, like it or not. I'll tie you up and have Ethan drag you there if necessary. I know this is strange, but for now you just have to accept that you are a nudie again. Until you figure out how to open your wardrobe."

The first time Allister had been a nudie was demeaning. This time it was worse. He'd been her longer than any boy on third floor except for Aaden. He dreaded having to hold hands with Carter, who was only ten years old. But there was no other way for him to leave the room.

Red Wing, like their wing, was almost at capacity. They currently didn't have any nudies and when they saw Aaden and Allister they were first confused and then found it hilarious. Randy, their leader, allowed them to laugh openly.

Three days later neither of them were able to open their wardrobes and were still naked and laughed at. The each blamed the other one for their plight. Allister had tried everything he could think of to open his, including thoughts of doing what Aaden once wanted them to do together, but nothing worked. Obviously, Aaden was having the same problem.

Allister was getting praise from his Perception teacher, but it didn't seem to him like he was learning anything. He asked the teacher what value the skill had and why it was being taught to him and not others.

"As to the second question, I'm not going to answer that," Mr. Barker said. "But as to the value of the training, what would you like it to do for you?"

"Well, for one, I'd find it very useful if it could open my Wardrobe."

"Have you tried applying any of the lessons we've had to help you with that problem?" Allister had to admit he hadn't. "Then rather than start a new lesson, how about let you into your dorm and you spend whatever time necessary to apply your training to your problem. We can discuss the result tomorrow."

Rather than escort him, Mr. Barker simply teleported his student into the dorm. Allister still hated teleportation, but he got over his anger quickly once he realized it was better than having to hold hands with his teacher in order to go through each door.

He began going through the progression of training that he'd had while he considered the problem of not being able to open the wardrobe door. At first when nothing happened he got frustrated, but he remembered Mr. Barker saying that frustration and anger were the enemies of Perception and he used some minor magic he'd learned in other classes to calm himself. As he analyzed the problem, a realization came to him.

The wardrobes opened when strong emotions were employed. Aaden had opened his thinking about having sex with him, and he'd opened his own by thinking of having sex with Grayson. But he'd tried that several times and that wasn't working.

So what would work? What emotions was he feeling now that he didn't feel before? The more he thought about it the more it seemed like his problem wasn't that he couldn't draw upon emotion but rather that the wrong emotion was at the surface. He thought about himself. He was embarrassed to still be on the third floor after all this time. He was absolutely embarrassed at being naked and having to jack off while the other boys watched each night in order to get his bedding to fold back. He tried to resolve those emotions the way Mr. Barker had taught him, but he realized that they were symptoms, not problems. The real problem was how he felt about Aaden.

He considered that problem. He liked Aaden. Love? At first his thought was 'Hell no!' but then he thought 'maybe.' But he wanted Grayson more.

He was still working on it when the other boys came back following morning classes. He looked at Aaden as he came in. If looks could kill he'd be dead now. Aaden had intense hatred for him. He'd been in love with Allister and was rejected. And Allister now understood why Aaden couldn't get his wardrobe open.

He turned away from Aaden and went to Glen.

"Glen, Aaden and I need to work this out. Take the rest of the dorm to lunch, but we're going to stay here."

"No, meals are…"

"Meals are mandatory. Yes, I know that. Send a message to Mr. Arbox and let him know. Copy my teacher, Mr. Barker on it. If they want us in lunch they will take care of it. This decision goes beyond your command."

Glen looked very uncomfortable with that, but he didn't push back. He mentally sent the message and expected a terse response, but didn't get one. Aaden tried to resist when nobody was assigned to escort him out and as they all left he turned his anger on Allister.

Allister let him rant. When Aaden started to use magic on him he defended himself to the best of his ability, which wasn't much. Aaden directed burst attacks which were prohibited except when under the direction of a teacher. Mr. Arbox, or someone even higher, should have showed up immediately to stop it, but no one did.

Finally, his magic all but spent, Aaden turned from attacking and laid down on his bed crying. Allister hadn't counted on the amount of damage Aaden could do to him and he withered on the floor in pain, his blood collecting in small puddles on the floor.

"I think I know how to open your wardrobe," Allister said through the pain.

"Fuck you, I don't need or want your help," Aaden responded.

"If you want to fuck me, I'll let you. If you want a blowjob, I'll give you one. If you want to stay mad at me forever, we don't have that much time. They can't let us stay here on third floor much longer, you said so yourself."

"If your so damn smart why don't you open your own wardrobe and leave me."

"One, I haven't figured out how to open mine yet. And two, I don't want to leave you."

"Mr. Arbox told me about your feelings for Grayson. Why didn't you tell me? Why did you lead me on, making me think you liked me, when you didn't really give a damn about me?"

"Mostly because I was stupid. I didn't realize how you felt. I never even thought about your feelings, I was too focused on my own. For that I'm sorry. I also was scared. I've never done anything with anyone, boy or girl. And I thought I was saving myself for Grayson. All I can do is apologize. I can't change the past. But I think I can change the future. And you are wrong. I most certainly do give a damn about you. The problem was I never showed it."

Aaden was quiet for several minutes. Allister let him internalize it.

"What makes you think you can open my wardrobe?"

"Actually, I can't, but I think I can show you how you can open it."

"By having sex with me? Letting me fuck you?"

"That won't do it, but I said I'd do it if you wanted and I will. But that isn't the way."

"Okay, I'll play your stupid game one time. But if it doesn't work than I don't want to ever speak to you again. I'll transfer to the Red Wing."

"They won't let you transfer until this is resolved, and if we resolve it there is no need for you to transfer. Accept my apology. Rationalize it. Think about. And while you're doing that, open your wardrobe."

"That doesn't make any sense. I don't want your apology. I don't need you."

"Then don't. Keep your hatred. Let that guide you. But it won't help you open your wardrobe. Hatred never works. You need the right thoughts, and for you to open yours you need to accept the apology. We don't need to be friends again. We don't need to have sex. We can, but that isn't the key. The key is allowing the anger to fade. Try it."

Aaden didn't say a word. He sat on his bed for a few minutes before walking over to his wardrobe. He tugged on the handle and was completely surprised when it opened.

"How did you figure that out?"

"Mostly from the class I've been taking. But it hasn't helped me. I still need to figure out what emotion I'm holding onto that is blocking me from opening the door."

"Your control of magic sucks," Aaden said. "I could have really hurt you." He turned and for the first time looked at Allister, who was now sitting on the floor. He saw the blood all around him. "SHIT! I did hurt you. We need to get you to the infirmary."

"Not yet. Use some healing power. I've got to get my wardrobe open and somehow it is still tied to you. But at least now I can think about me."

"Screw that, I can see you've got a broken arm and maybe your nose, and the way you're holding your chest might mean I broke a rib. My healing ability won't fix any of that." Aaden stated putting on his new uniform as fast as he could.

Allister wanted to argue. He wanted to stay and solve this. But instead he blacked out.

He woke up in a dark room. He could hear snoring from next to him and created just enough light to see. He was surprised that even that minor spell nearly drained him. Aaden slept in the chair next to his bed. He was in the infirmary. His right arm was in a sling and his chest and head were both wrapped in bandages. And he felt horrible. He hurt everywhere.

"Aaden, wake up," he said. He could hardly even hear his own voice. Aaden stirred but didn't waken.

He looked closer and saw that the front of Aaden's pants was tented out. He wondered what dream Aaden was having, and as he fell back to sleep his own dick filled and lifted, but he was already asleep before he could enjoy it.

Aaden was awake the next time Allister woke. This time Allister didn't feel anywhere near as bad. "Help me up, please," he said to Aaden.

"No way in hell," Aaden said. "You nearly died. And it was my fault. You've been unconscious for two days. Everyone in both wards are worried about you. So you are not getting up without permission from the doctors. I'll let them know you're awake." He got up and left the room.

The next day the doctors pronounced that Allister was fit enough to leave. He was still weak, but he managed to walk all the way to the dorm with only a little help from Aaden. Aaden of course had to hold him to get into the room.

He had spent the last two days coming to terms with how he felt about Aaden. He knew they'd never be lovers, but it didn't mean that he couldn't do stuff with him. And he figured it was high time he figured out what two horny boys could do together. But first he went to his wardrobe. It opened on the first tug.

"How'd you do it? Did I beat some sense into you?"

"Kind of. You gave me a chance to think. And to realize what an ass I was and how much I hurt you. Speaking of which, you said my injuries were your fault. Did you get punished?"

"Naw, they said you had it coming and that the fight was your idea anyway. They didn't even punish Mark for leaving us alone. By the way, Jason is the leader now, Mark's gone on to wherever boys go when they leave us." He paused and looked at Allister standing there naked. "Are you going to put on your new uniform so I don't have to hold your hand everywhere we go?"

"I think that before I put on my uniform, I need a shower. You interested in joining me?"

"Uh, are we going to just shower?"

"God, I hope not. I didn't make the offers to you just so you'd stop beating on me. If you want, I'd like for things to go back to how they were before. Only this time, we'll do some stuff you want. Don't get me wrong, I'd dump you in a second for Grayson, but he's not here and you are. Besides, I haven't seen that three inches [8 cm] of meat hanging down from your middle for a week now."

"Huh! I must have messed up your eyes too. Even soft I've got four inches [10 cm]. And when it's hard, well, you'll just have to make it hard in order to find out how long it is."

As it turned out it was the first time for both of them. It was awkward at best. Allister got on his knees first and tried blowing on Aaden's dick.

"That feels strange, but I think you need to suck on it even though it's called a blowjob."

Allister changed his direction and after a few "Watch the teeth" complaints from Aaden he finally got Aaden's 'monstrous' four-and-a-half-inch [11½ cm] long dick to erupt, which lead to a choking session as some of it went down the wrong tube.

Aaden's turn went better but his lack of experience showed as well, although he was able to swallow some of Allister's sperm before spitting out the rest. "Sorry, I didn't expect it to be salty," he said. "Next time I'll be ready." Then he paused before asking, "Will there be a next time?"

"It was a hell of a lot better than jacking off for the entertainment of everyone in the dorm," Allister said. "So, yeah, if you want."

"How about right now?" Aaden pointed down to his dick again, which was once more sticking up towards the ceiling.

"Only if you return the favor." But before he could begin they heard voices in the dorm and Allister was just able to get up from his knees before four of the boys came into the shower room. One sniff and Chris laughed. "What have you two been doing?" he asked. Only it didn't sound like he meant if as mean. Allister thought it sounded like he'd wished he had been part of it too. But like Aaden, Allister used his hands to cover his privates.

Once they had actually taken a shower and gotten dressed they went to lunch with the rest of the dorm. Afterwards Aaden said he had class to get to and Allister didn't know if he was going to have class or not. He checked the room they'd been using but Mr. Barker wasn't there.

Not sure what else to do, he went to where the wall protected the stairway to the fourth floor. As he stared at it, he realized that the problem was he knew there was no wall blocking his path but it still did. As he gave it some thought and applied some of the techniques he'd been taught he suddenly realized that he no longer saw the wall, just the stairway going up. He took the steps two at a time.

5. Fourth Floor

"Where the hell did you come from?" a started boy said as Allister stepped through the doorway into the hall. He recognized the boy as someone from the Red Wing who left a few weeks back.

"From my mother, stupid. That's where everyone comes from." The boy looked at him with first surprise and then fear and ran off down the hallway. Allister turned around and at first just saw the wall extending down the hallway. But with just a little effort he could see the stairwell behind the wall. But he didn't want to return to the third floor, he'd promoted himself to fourth floor. He decided to set out and find Grayson.

But he didn't get far. As on third floor, all the doors were magically blocked to those who didn't have the proper uniform. And unlike the stairway, this wasn't an illusion that could be resolved by using perception, this was a magical protection spell. Allister wasn't even sure if it extended to the stairwell heading back down to third floor, but he didn't want to return so it didn't matter.

He could walk the hallways but not enter any rooms. And once he realized he couldn't enter any room he also realized he needed to pee. But before he could deal with that problem he was confronted by three boys he'd known from weeks ago. One of them was naked.

"Allister, how did you get out here?" Glen asked. "You're still wearing the third-floor uniform, how come they didn't take that away from you?"

"So the same bullshit games are played out here too," Allister said. "Don't tell me, you can't open your wardrobe, can you."

The other two boys were from the Red Wing from back when Allister was still naked. They were dressed. "He asked you a question, dipshit," Peter said. "How did you get out of a dorm room without the right uniform? And why are you still wearing your old uniform. Me and Mike are dorm leaders and neither of us were told that anyone had been promoted."

"Sorry, I didn't know I had to tell you in advance. I promoted myself. And I'd be careful if I were you, you don't know how much magic it takes to promote yourself. Now if you'll lead the way, I'd like to talk to Grayson.

Peter and Mike were both confused. Clearly, as far as they knew, no one had the ability to promote themselves. And they both remembered how even the easiest magic was lost upon Allister. But here he was, in a place he should not have been able to get to on his own. Unless it was a test.

Peter made up his mind first. With a wave of his hand he made Allister's uniform disappear. Then he hit him with a minor force burst, just enough to knock him back. He knew that if Allister really was dangerous that Mike would back him up. "I claim his ass," he said defiantly.

"Shit, I wanted him," Mike said. "Okay, you got dibs, he can be assigned to your dorm. But what's he doing here?"

Even though Allister had been released from the infirmary, his ribs weren't fully healed yet and the magical punch he received not only knocked the wind out of him but it also compressed his ribs again leaving him in serious pain. It took a few seconds before Mike and Peter realized that.

"Damn, how hard did you hit him," Mike yelled once he saw that Allister was down and not getting up.

"It isn't my fault, I went easy on him," Peter said. "He didn't use any defense at all." He remembered most of his healing training and sent a burst of healing onto Allister. Mike did the same. Between the two, Allister was able to stand, but only just barely.

Allister wanted to sound tough again, but he knew that he couldn't battle either of them let alone both. It was just like back in public school. Outnumbered, outsized, and being picked on. But then he remembered that he got away from Micky with anger. His perception of the situation allowed him to see that if he could control his fear and direct his anger that he could escape even if he couldn't win. He spent a few seconds putting his fear aside and allowing anger to build, and then jumped into the middle of the two boys.

His magic wouldn't be enough and he knew it, so he didn't plan to fight, only to buy a few precious seconds. He understood for the first time that while undirected anger was the enemy of Perception, by focusing his anger on his problem he knew that he could use it to strengthen himself. He used that to run head-first into Mike and then bounce off and give a body blow to Peter. Both boys ended up bouncing off the walls of the passageway and other than Glen he was past them. All he had to do was reach the stairway. He ran to the spot and turned right.

He fell back on the floor after bouncing off the wall. He could clearly see the stairway beyond, but now he couldn't get though the wall. In seconds Mike and Peter were on him again, this time using magic to immobilize him.

"We've got to go ask Mr. Shepard how he got out here in the hallway," Mike said. "Glen, unless you want to repeat what you did last night again tonight, you need to reverse my magic and then bring him with us. If you fail, it's going to be another long night for you again."

He and Peter walked past, but they were paying attention. Mike knew that Glen wasn't capable of reversing his magic, he'd only just arrived. But as a new dorm leader it was the first chance he'd had to completely dominate another boy.

Glen's face was flushed as he used all the magic he could think of to reverse Mike's spell. Until he could open his wardrobe he was at the mercy of his dorm master, and Mike had very little mercy. But nothing worked.

Allister realized what was going on, and he could see that Glen was getting frustrated and was about to give up. Again, his perception ability allowed him to clear his head and understand the magic binding him. Bit by bit, he began to dismantle it until he was free.

"What the hell, how did you do that newbie?" Mike protested when he felt his binding magic break.

"I, uh, didn't," Glen said honestly. "He did."

The thought that Peter had plans to fuck him and Mike doing the same to Glen made Allister angry. But he remembered that he never did graduate from the Attacking Arts class on third floor. These guys knew a lot more magic than he was capable of doing. He needed intelligence now, not anger. Using calming spells, he set the anger aside in seconds.

"I want to talk to Mr. Shepard too," he said. "Lead the way. I'll follow."

Mike and Peter were no longer sure about how successfully they would be dealing with Allister. They both decided it would be best, if not safest, to let the floor leader deal with him. They headed for his office, checking only to make sure that Glen and Allister were following.

After getting an 'enter' command following their knock, they escorted Allister and Glen into the room.

Mike took the lead. "Mr. Shepard, a newbie arrived, but he wasn't sent to a dorm. We found him in the halls, still wearing a third-floor uniform."

Mr. Shepard glance up. There had been no new arrivals today. He looked at Allister and said, "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Allister Granger and I'm here to see Grayson. And I need to pee, really bad. And I want my uniform back." Allister directed the last sentence towards Mike and Peter.

"How did you get here," Mr. Shepard said. It wasn't a question as much as a demand.

"I came up the steps. And I really do need to pee. Right now." Allister tried to match Mr. Shepard's tone, but his voice broke and Mike and Peter laughed until they were silenced by a look from the floor leader.

"Take both of them to the bathroom and let them do what they need to. Then bring him back here. I expect him standing here in front of me in under a minute."

"Mr. Shepard, I need to pee so bad it may take longer than a minute," Allister said.

"For your sake, I sincerely hope not. GO!"

As soon as they left, he called his supervisor, who called Mr. Arbox. When Allister was returned to the office Mr. Arbox was there.

"Allister, how did you get here?" he asked as calmly as he could. The fact that security had failed made it important to figure out how it happened.

As Allister described the location of the stairwell, Mr. Arbox stopped him. "Mr. Shepard, I'm sure you understand what he just said is beyond your level. I trust that you can forget what he said until your next promotion to supervisor. And, we need your office, but you are not needed here for now."

Without hesitation, Mr. Shepard nodded his head and left the two of them in his office.

"Allister, it takes Fifth-floor training to even see beyond the wall. And it takes a supervisor's uniform to pass. So tell me how you did it while naked."

"I wasn't naked when I started, Peter did that." And I'd be an awful lot more comfortable talking with you if I wasn't naked."

"Don't push your luck," Mr. Arbox said. "Tell me exactly how you passed the wall."

"I made the wall disappear. Well, not exactly since there really isn't a wall. I just made my mind accept that there was no wall and then I walked through and went up the stairs. But for reasons I don't understand, I couldn't get back through it on this side."

"I don't understand. You can't make your mind accept that. None of us can. If we could then our entire security system would be worthless."

"If you'll let me have my uniform back I'll show you how I did it," Allister said. He felt very embarrassed to be standing naked in front of Mr. Arbox.

"Not now. You may be staying here and if so you'll have to earn your uniform. The correct uniform for this floor. But right now, I want to see how you did it."

"I came here to see Grayson and I'm not leaving without seeing him. And I won't stay on this floor either. Not if Mike or Peter are dorm leaders. I won't let them, uh, do, like stuff to me. Like they're doing to Glen. It isn't right."

"It is a right of passage here. Until you earn your uniform dorm leaders have the right. They had it done to them. Speaking of which, how did you manage to open your wardrobe so quickly and get uniforms for you and Aaden?"

"I figured it out. It wasn't hard. Please can I have clothing? Anything? I'll show you what you want after you give me something to wear and let me speak to Grayson."

"Who the hell do you think you are talking to?" Mr. Arbox said as he stood up and glared at Allister from across the desk. "I'm a supervisor here and you are one of the two worst students we've allowed to stay in this school. I won't give in to demands from one such as you."

Allister knew he'd gone too far and he used all the calming spells he could to set his anger and especially his embarrassment aside. As he calmed, he realized it was being naked that was bothering him. He considered how a spell would make his clothing go away without harming him. And once he figured that out, he could see it. His uniform was right behind him, standing on its own as if an invisible 'him' were wearing it. He stepped into it.

Mr. Arbox sat back down, completely stunned. Even supervisors had trouble with that piece of magic. It was never taught to students. Dorm leaders were only shown how to make the clothing go away, even they never knew where it went. How could such talent have been in the school without anyone seeing it. And to think he was about to suggest that Allister accept a Bonding with a more talented wizard because otherwise he was never going to be allowed to leave the school.

"Why did you go to such extremes to see Grayson?" he asked to buy some time to think. He already knew the answer to that, Allister still loved the boy.

Before he could answer there was a short knock at the door and then it opened and Mr. Barker entered. "Sorry to drop in, but there are alarms going off in my office and I've been chasing them for an hour already." He looked at his student and sighed. "You've been using what I taught you, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Allister said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It isn't really magic so it isn't hard once you use Perception to see past the magic."

"This is why you wanted him?" Mr. Arbox asked. "To make a mockery of our magic and break though our defenses?"

"That isn't the purpose of the training, you know that. How he did it is as much a mystery to me as it is to you." Mr. Barker said. "But as with magic, he was progressing very slowly. Somehow, he figured it out on his own. Unfortunately, he's been using powers without understanding the consequences. And the rules. I've taken steps to make sure his abilities don't draw the attention of those who would wish to control him."

"Like Peter?" Allister asked.

"Peter Thompson is one of the dorm leaders," Mr. Arbox said by way of explanation. "He made Allister aware of how things normally work on this floor."

"No Allister, Peter is not the enemy. What happens here on the first day or two is unfortunate, but it has a purpose. But there are real enemies out there. And what you have learned is so rare that few schools have anyone to teach it. To have you advance this far on your own is unheard of. It also puts you at great risk. Those with Perception skills always have a very limited amount of magic at their disposal. If our enemies wanted to kidnap you they could easily do it."

"How successful were you against Mike and Peter?" Mr. Arbox asked.

"I escaped them. And I think I scared them a little. But as to fighting them, I was hopeless."

"And they are just Fourth-Floor students. There are six floors of training in this building. And then another building for true wizards." Mr. Arbox was able to impress upon Allister how dangerous it was for him to use Perception on his own. He looked at Mr. Barker and said, "He even put his uniform back on after the dorm leader took it away from him. He did it right before my eyes."

"I don't even know how to do that," Mr. Barker said. "I've never thought, yes, I see now how it might work. But I never even considered it."

"I was cold," Allister said.

"He was embarrassed," Mr. Arbox said. "And defiant. He demanded that I return his uniform to him. When I refused, he did it himself. And that insolence will be his undoing one day."

"Yes, I agree. I had no idea he was even beyond the basic steps of Perception. I told you that he was worth saving, but even I had no idea. He doesn't need me to advance his studies. What he needs is to understand the consequences and to stop taking uncontrolled risks. And he needs constant protection. I recommend you put him on the stage with Aaden."

That perked Allister's ears. "What about Aaden? What is this stage you are going to put him on. If you intend to harm him…"

"Don't make threats Allister," Mr. Arbox said. "You are gifted, that is clear. But you cannot defend yourself yet and probably never will be able to. I guess I need to discuss what being Bonded means."

6. The Bond

Mr. Arbox pushed his hands against his temples. This was always the tricky part. One more slip and he could lose the boy forever. "Allister, there is something that happens occasionally for some students. Because of our selection process it is rare, but it still happens that some students just cannot master the basic skills taught on the third floor. Because such students do have command of some magic, we can't freely release them to the public. So, if the boy accepts it, we employ a tactic that allows the boy to advance somewhat. It is called The Bond."

Allister stood up suddenly. "Look, we jacked off in front of each other. And we, uh, did more. Both of us enjoyed it. But we didn't BOND. Or anything else you want to call it. We didn't do anything wrong. And I won't let Peter bond with me. Send me back. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"The Bond isn't about what you do." He paused. There was no easy way to say this to a boy who suddenly didn't trust him. Then he had an idea. "Wait a second. I'm going to send you somewhere for, oh, say, about a half hour. Then I'll bring you back here. I think you'll be more comfortable then."

Without waiting for Allister to respond, he sent him to an empty room used normally by senior wizards working on special projects. Then he grabbed Grayson without warning and sent him to the same room. Neither boy would have the ability to open the door to the room. They had to be together. And this would give him a chance to see if instead of a normal Bonding he could arrange for one with what was likely to be a very gifted wizard.

"What the hell?" Grayson said as he appeared soaking wet, covered in soap, in a strange room with Allister standing there. "How the hell did you get me here. Teleporting is something I've been struggling with myself and now you go and grab me out of the shower."

"What, do you think I'm too stupid to do something you can't?" Allister was still stinging from the accusation Mr. Arbox had made about him and Aaden and that being why he struggled to learn magic.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. But, yeah dud, how did you? Are you like on the fifth floor already?"

Allister burst into tears and ran for the door, but it wouldn't open. "Let me out, Grayson, please."

Grayson came over, but he also couldn't open the door. "I don't have the magic necessary to open it. It's a lot stronger than the little bit of fourth-floor magic I've been able to learn. Besides, as you can see, I'm naked. Even if I did have the magical ability to open the door I couldn't leave without having the proper uniform on."

"So we're trapped here."

"It could be worse. We could still be apart. I missed you a lot. More than I could stand sometimes."

Allister sniffled and did his best to stop crying. "I only just figured out that there is a fourth floor. Mr. Arbox sent me here because I did stuff with Aaden. He thinks we fucked, only he calls it bonding. Only we didn't. And I think he thinks that we did stuff like that when you were still on third floor."

"Like what? What did he accuse us of doing?"

"You know, sex stuff. I told him I wanted to, but didn't, and he sent me here."

"Wait, you wanted to do it too? With me? That's all I've thought of since that day we were in the bathroom stall together."

"But you're a year older than me, and bigger, down there." Allister looked down and saw that Grayson was getting an erection. "I'm still just beyond being a newbie. Why would you want to do anything with me?"

"I've known since I was a little kid that I liked boys, but never did I fall in love with one until I met you. Thinking of you is how I opened my third-floor wardrobe. And I couldn't get you out of my head. When we were separated, it drove me crazy. Nobody would tell me anything about you except that you were doing okay and had a good friend." Grayson put his arms around him. "They aren't going to send us home for that. Lots of boys here, maybe all of them, are having sex."

"Did you?" Allister didn't mean to make it sound like an accusation. "I mean, with other kids on your new floor?"

"No. I turned down every offer I had. Well, except for when I was a newbie, then I had no choice. There is an equivalent of Mr. Arbox on fourth floor and I had to go see him three times to talk about it. I told him I had a, uh, special friend, which I did – you. But I let him believe it was someone on my floor."

"Yeah, I met him. Mr. Shepard. So what do we do now?"

"I don't know. I know what I want to do, but it would really be weird if we were in the middle of it and someone came in or they sent us back." Then he realized what Allister had just said. "Wait, you made it to fourth floor? You must be in the other dorm." Then he looked and saw that Allister had a third-floor uniform on. "I don't understand, how did you meet Mr. Shepard when you still only have a third-floor uniform?"

"I found my own way to fourth floor. Apparently, that's illegal. That's why Mr. Arbox wants me to bond with someone. To punish me I guess. I've never done it before, but if you want to I'd like to try it."

"I don't think you understand what The Bond means," Grayson said. "It isn't fucking, or blowjobs. Which, by the way, is something I'd like to do with you too, but it would be very unsettling to be in the middle of it and have them teleport us somewhere else."

"Mr. Arbox said I'd have a half an hour." He pushed back and quickly dropped to his knees. "I should have done this a month ago when I wanted to and we could." He didn't give Grayson a chance to back away, he just took that golden rod into his mouth. And then he felt Grayson's hands on his back.

"Just hurry so I can do it to you too."

Luckily Mr. Arbox used magic to see how the two of them were doing before sending them back. He felt like a voyeur watching as Grayson sucked Allister dry. He gave them time to separate and then sent a comm device to the room.

"I just wanted to give you a warning that I'll be returning the two of you in two minutes," he said through the comm link he had created.

"Can't we have, uh, some more time?" Allister asked.

"Two minutes. We need to continue our conversation first. We need to talk about you and Grayson. It will be embarrassing, but the conversation has to take place." He ended the comm link.

"He wants to talk about us bonding," Allister said as soon as the magical comm was gone. "I don't think I want to tell him that we just did."

"You still don't understand," Grayson said. "I've learned a little about it, especially since there is to be a Bonding tomorrow. Some of the better students on this floor have a chance to join. As I understand it, when two wizards Bond, one of them loses some power by giving it to the weaker one. It isn't about sex, although as I understand it the one who gains power also gains control over the other. Maybe some wizards use that for sex. And to be honest, if you were on the Bonding stage I'd Bond with you in a heartbeat."

Allister was just about to respond when suddenly he was teleported back into Mr. Arbox's office. Unfortunately, Allister hadn't bothered to get dressed so his clothes were still in the room.

"Oops, I meant for the warning to give you time to be prepared," he said. "Is that soap on you? Never mind, back you go. And this time, get dressed before I bring you back."

Grayson was taken by complete surprise when Allister re-appeared. He had been just about to cum again.

"Shit, thank god it's you," he said as he ejaculated. The tissue he had in his left hand caught some of it, the rest landed on his chest.

"Tell me when you're ready," Mr. Arbox said over another comm device. He didn't even try to hide his chuckle.

Once dressed and returned, Allister was still blushing, and feeling ill from the teleports, as he told Mr. Arbox what Grayson had said about The Bond. "He said it wasn't about what you do, but about transferring powers or something like that. I'm sorry, I thought it was about doing sex stuff."

"He got it right, and I'm glad he told you. I don't think you were ready to hear it from me."

"He said there is to be a Bonding tomorrow. It's for Aaden, isn't it. That's why Mr. Barker said to put me on the stage with him. You intend for us to Bond with each other.

"No. I intend for boys who are progressing well with their magical studies to Bond with you. Not with each other."

"I'll do the bonding thing with him."

"Allister, you have very little command of magic. In fact, Aaden has more than you. It wouldn't be a favorable Bond. Not that I'd allow it, but it would be better for him to Bond with you than the other way around."

"No, Grayson already told me he'd Bond with me. But I won't abandon Aaden. We've become, uh, more than friends. And I won't let someone he doesn't trust rule him until the bond is broken."

"Allister, it isn't that simple. There are other things to consider. And by the way, Bonding is a joining of life forces. It can't be broken. If one dies, so does the other. You need to know that. Besides, if you want to Bond with Grayson, which I encourage, you can't also Bond with Aaden. It doesn't work that way."

"Has anyone ever tried?"

Mr. Arbox had to pause. "Not that I know of, but I understand The Bond better than you do and I'm sure…"

"You were sure nobody like me could get to the fourth floor on their own. You were wrong about that. You might be wrong about a three-way Bond too."

Mr. Barker had remained quiet up to this point, sitting in a dark corner of the room. Allister didn't even know he was there until he stood up. "Allister, your single biggest problem is acting without thinking. For you to do what is in your mind might have consequences that you haven't thought of. For instance, it could kill the three of you, or leave all three with weakened powers so that it would never be safe to let you leave the protection of this building."

"It might also work in ways you haven't opened your mind to. I'd rather be dead than know that Aaden would be a sexual slave to someone for the rest of his life. And I think he'd rather be dead too."

"Sexual slave?" Mr. Barker said with true surprise. "Where on earth did you get that from? You've already told us that you understand The Bond isn't about sex. It's about powers, and how two wizards can complement each other. We do it to allow the mutual growth of two wizards rather than lose one. But one is compromised – always. We don't know what would happen if a three-way Bond was attempted, and we don't intend to find out. If you agree to go to the stage tomorrow it will be up to Grayson to determine if he wants to lose some of his powers to you. But you need to understand, it isn't up to him. If another wizard wants you he has to fight a dual to get you."

"I've got to think about what to do with your student, Mr. Barker. I'm not sure Bonding would be good for him. There will be plenty of chances to allow a Bond later when we've had more time to understand his Perception ability."

Mr. Arbox then looked at Allister. "I understand you have feeling for both Grayson and Aaden, but what you are hoping for will not work. And just to make sure you don't try something stupid and dangerous, I'm not going to send you to the Bonding tomorrow. Right now, it's time for me to send you back to the floor you belong on."

"No, wait, I want to try to get there myself," Allister said. But he saw that Mr. Arbox was about to teleport him. He tried to perceive how a teleport spell would work, but it was too massive. There were so many things that needed to happen at once. While he was still trying to work out a way to prevent Mr. Arbox from teleporting him it was done. He found himself alone in his dorm room. But he now had time to think about how a Bonding would work. How magic and life forces worked to create a life bond between two individuals.

And he realized that if he could figure out the first question, it still wouldn't help him if he wasn't at the stage, and he had no idea where the stage was. He had to find a way to get there.

The second problem proved to be easier than he thought it would be. He was thinking about Aaden, picturing him in his mind, exploring the space around him when suddenly he realized how a teleport spell worked. With no more effort than it took for Mr. Arbox to teleport him, he teleported Aaden to the dorm room. He misjudged a few things and Aaden ended up falling from two feet [50 cm] above the floor, but was unhurt.

But it wasn't quite what Allister wanted. He wanted to teleport himself to Aaden, not the other way around. He realized how lucky he'd been that he hadn't teleported Aaden into an object. Before Aaden could even figure out where he was or how he got there Allister put him back.

Now he studied the magic behind teleport spells. He realized that all the wizards really didn't understand how their spells worked, they just memorized a process and after much trial and error they were able to make it work. He realized it was a totally stupid and time-wasting prospect. If they just took the time to understand how the magic worked they could do it perfectly. And now he understood.

Aaden was still adjusting to being back in his seat when Allister appeared next to him, which seriously upset the instructor. "Sorry," Allister said. "We'll talk back in the dorm when class is done," he said to Aaden. And then he returned to the dorm to work on the first problem, knowing that if he could use his Perception ability to unravel the spell (without having ever seen it used) he could get himself to the stage by just knowing Aaden was there.

7. All Things Considered

When the boys returned to the dorm following classes Allister saw that most of them were using magical protection spells they had learned to 'protect' them from him. He was pleased to see that Aaden was not.

"That was you who did the teleports, wasn't it," Aaden said with pure astonishment. "How the hell did you learn that?"

"We can talk about that later, right now I need to talk to you about the Bonding. You know about it, right?"

"Yeah, Mr. Arbox told me. I'm not doing well here and he thinks it will help me if I accept a Bond."

Allister spent the next two hours telling him what he knew, what he suspected, and what he was hoping to attempt. He needed Aaden's complete approval or he would be wasting his time trying to learn how a Bond could be formed – the magic behind it.

Aaden was trying to follow, but he was more concerned with the sudden change in Allister. The 'old' Allister was meek, shy, and almost completely unable to cast even simple magic. Now he was teleporting, 'visiting' the kids who had graduated, and talking about going behind Mr. Arbox's back. And he seemed to have the idea that whoever he Bonded with would be able to control him. Mr. Arbox hadn't said anything about that. While Allister was talking, he started to form a magical message to Mr. Arbox.

"You don't trust me," Allister suddenly said. "You're about to tell Mr. Arbox."

"How'd you know that? You're starting to scare me. First you start doing teleports, something only supervisors can do, and then you talk about subversive acts, and now you're telling me that my Bond partner will make me his slave and demand, uh, sex stuff. You're suddenly weird. And maybe dangerous."

Allister considered what Aaden had said. "I'm sorry. I did kind of dump all this on you. Go ahead and send the message if you want, I won't stop you." He saw the look on Aaden's face. "Yeah, I can stop you. But I won't. Once I understand what the magic is doing, it becomes easy. Look, I like you. I want to be with you. But most of all, I'm worried about who might Bond with you.

"You mean you're worried that Grayson will Bond with me."

The thought hadn't entered Allister's head. He said as much. "I, uh, yeah, I want to Bond with him. But if you don't want to Bond with me, I won't force it, and Grayson would never force you to do anything you didn't want to do. As I understand the Bonding right now, I can't do it without your accepting it anyway. But protecting you is more important than who I Bond with. I'm not even sure right now that I need to Bond. I'm understanding magic at a rapid rate."

"Wait, you think you could create a Bond? Right now, here in the dorm?"

"I don't think the location matters, but I'm not ready to try it. I want to Bond with Grayson and me to you. I think it will work, even though Mr. Arbox said it won't. But I will not try it until I am completely positive it will work and I have permission from you and from Grayson."

He paused for a few seconds. "Do you really think I'm a traitor? A Rebel? I don't mean to be. I don't dislike any of the people here. Well, maybe Peter and Mike. But I'm not subversive."

"What did Peter and Mike ever do to you? You always got along with them. You're going back to weird again."

"Peter and Mike are dorm leaders on Fourth floor now. Peter claimed my ass. He wants me in his dorm. And up there," he pointed to the ceiling, "The newbies are assaulted sexually." He saw the look of complete horror on Aaden's face and thought back to what he'd said.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, there is a fourth floor. It's where students go when they graduate from this floor. I went there today, only I haven't graduated. Mr. Arbox was not happy."

He saw that Aaden was now scared. "Send the message. Only please don't tell him that I teleported or that I might try something at the Bonding tomorrow. Tell him that I said there was another floor. Three more floors actually. Tell him I said I was there. Tell him you think I'm going crazy. And then see what he says."

A few minutes later Aaden disappeared. With just a moment's concentration, Allister was able to determine that he was in Mr. Arbox's office. He waited for Aaden to return. He didn't have to wait long.

"Mr. Arbox is very worried about you," Aaden began. But Allister was confused, because he could still sense that Aaden was in Mr. Arbox's office. He considered the problem that Aaden couldn't really be in two places at once and quickly realized that the Aaden in front of him was not real. He dissolved the magic, saying, "Come on Mr. Arbox, you can do better than that." He then teleported himself to the office.

"I see that what Aaden has told me is true," Mr. Arbox said. "Somehow you have managed to gain upper fourth-floor magic abilities in one day after failing to receive satisfactory grades on third-floor magic over the past seven weeks. Do you care to explain how that came to be?"

"It isn't hard once you understand the nature of the magic – what it is trying to accomplish. Instead of memorizing all the magical parts you just use Perception to make it function. I couldn't teach magic to anyone, I still don't understand it. I don't create it the way you do."

"Aaden, you're safe here. I don't see Allister as a threat. I think he needs some discipline in what he says and does, but I am quite sure he means no harm to you or to me. Tell him what you told me."

Aaden sat in the chair that Mr. Barker had occupied the last time Allister had been here. And he wasn't talking. The look of fear was still on his face.

"Aaden, I never wanted to scare you. I've been a fool. I went about this all wrong and if I could do it over again…" he paused, thinking about it.

"Don't ever try. Time reversal has been attempted with complete disaster each time. You can't change the past and do it over. Please trust me on this."

"Okay, but, well, okay." Allister looked back at Aaden. "I have no intention of hurting anyone. Not the kids who bullied me back in public school, not Mike and Peter, and not Mr. Arbox. Something new in my brain has been turned on. I need to find a way to control my impulses; I realize that I'm being erratic. But I don't want to hurt anyone. I wanted to protect you. If you don't want my protection or if you don't trust me than just tell me. I'll be hurt, but I'll get over it. And Mr. Arbox will be much happier."

"But what about what you said would happen at the Bonding," Aaden asked, still showing fear.

"What did he say," Mr. Arbox asked.

"That it was just for sex. That the person who owned me would control me. And that I would die with him."

"I think I was misunderstood," Allister said. "But not completely. The one who has the most power can force the other to do anything if I understand it."

"You are not totally wrong, but yes, there is a degree of truth to that statement," Mr. Arbox said.

"Well, all anyone wants at this school is sex. I've been stripped, made to jerk off, offered help with my magic skills in exchange for blowjobs, and told I'd be fuc…uh, anyway, other stuff. But I can and did refuse unless I was interested. If I were Bonded to someone then I wouldn't have any choice. And that's my concern for Aaden. He doesn't know that."

"You are right in that refusal is a difficult and nearly impossible task for Bonded person. But what you don't understand is that your Bonded partner will also feel your disgust, anger, and even hatred. It works both ways. And understand this – nearly all the people you've come in contact with are within two years of your age. You boys are perpetually horny. Even for the boys who like girls, there are no girls here, so sex with boys becomes appealing. As you grow, the drivers for that change."

"So you say," Allister said. "But unwilling advances that I can't stop are still possible."

"Allister, has any teacher ever threatened to do, or done, any of those things?"

"No, but, uh; Okay, but that's because they would be kicked out of here if they did, right?"

"They would be, yes, or worse, but I'd like to think that it is because they are not interested in sex with boys. Most of the teachers here are married and have kids at home." He paused before continuing. He wave his hand and Aaden fell asleep. "Maybe there is another way to help you accept. This is a secret that I'd like to keep between us." He sent a message that went to Allister as well as Mr. Shepard. Allister immediately grasp the gist of the message. Mr. Arbox and Mr. Shepard were Bonded.

When Mr. Shepard arrived, Mr. Arbox started out by saying, "Ted, Mr. Shepard to you, was not the best student by far when he was on third floor. He tried, but he had about the same ability as Aaden has now. He was selected for Bonding, and I chose him. We've been Bonded now for fourteen years."

Mr. Arbox turned his attention to Mr. Shepard. "Ted, have we ever done anything sexual? I know this is strange, but Allister has some very bad ideas about Bonding."

Mr. Shepard's face flushed, but he said, "Yeah. We've, uh, jerked each other off several times, and we've both given the other blowjobs on almost as many occasions."

"Are you gay?"

"No. I'm not. But when we were here there was no outlet for our, uh, urges, and the floor mangers at the time encouraged us to try stuff. But once we graduated, we both got married. I'm expecting, well, my wife is expecting our third child in about a month."

"Ted, have I ever used the Bond to force you to do something?"

"No, of course not, why would you do that? You took me as a Bonded partner and gave me enough of your magic for me to remain here at school. I'll never be able to do field work, but that's okay. The alternative would be worse."

"What's the alternative?" Allister asked.

Mr. Shepard looked at Mr. Arbox, who nodded for him to answer the question. "There are people here, a few boys but mostly men, who were never Bonded or chose not to become Bonded and also never progressed beyond the third floor. There is concern for letting them out in public. First, they have magic skills but aren't under any oath to not use them. And second, they would be targets for our enemies. The location of our school is hidden. We never use magic to leave or enter. That is why the stairwells are magically locked."

"So what do those boys and men do? Where are they?"

"Second floor. They have meaningful jobs, but they can't leave. Most accept that. Those who don't can't change that fact. We don't let our failures out into the real world." He gave Allister a few moments to digest that.

"I need to correct something," Mr. Arbox said. "Ted, I did force you to have oral sex with Kenny Bloomfield."

"That was the Bond? I thought you just needed me to do it." Mr. Shepard looked back at Allister. "Kenny was torn between feelings he couldn't express. He was gay and tried to hook up with a student who wasn't and was rejected. His attitude and training went to hell. Adam – that's Mr. Arbox – wanted me to make him feel better. Adam and I had an interesting sex life here even though we were both straight, and because of that I had no interest in another boy. And Kenny wasn't just any other boy. He was very gifted, but had issues with hygiene. In short, he smelled bad. Anyway, Adam wanted me to give him what he needed and I didn't want to. I thought I was doing it as a favor and not because I was forced to. And it wasn't that bad. Afterwards, I saw the difference it made in Kenny's life. He graduated with high honors and has done a lot of great work for us. And I think I made that possible."

"But maybe you just believe that because Mr. Arbox put the idea in your head."

"Allister, I can't do that," Mr. Arbox said. "I can't change his emotion or beliefs. He is still a fully functioning human being and has free will to say what he wants. I can't use the bond to erase memories or to change emotions. He believes that he was instrumental in helping Kenny become what he is today because he saw the change that occurred after his action and took pride in his role, not because I made him do it."

"But if he didn't remember it than maybe there are other things you've made him do that he doesn't remember."

"But I do remember it," Mr. Shepard said. "I just didn't know he used the Bond to make me do something I didn't want to do. So, yeah, the Bond can be used that way. But it wasn't an evil act, it was just a little disgusting and like I said, because we did stuff together I didn't need any, uh, relief. But I did remember feeling repulsed by his smell. Adam can't take that away from me. It happened, I remember it, and I don't have any other memories of things that would make me feel anger or sick towards Adam or anyone else."

"Allister, you are afraid for Aaden that someone will force him into sexual relationships that he'd never get into without being forced, and while the Bond can be used for that, it just doesn't happen. At least not on our side. There are other magic schools that run like that. We have respect for the Bond and use it when we see that a student is just never going to make it as a wizard on his own. Like I thought you were until today, and like I know Aaden is. Whoever Bonds with him will give him enough ability for him to be allowed to complete training and travel back to the world outside this school."

"I'd still like to be bonded with Grayson. While I'm doing stuff that amazes you, it isn't magic. I still can't do simple stuff using the ways taught here. I can use my Perception to see how the magic works and mimic it, but it isn't the same."

"I excluded you from the Bonding that Aaden is going to because of your insistence to try something that could be dangerous, not because I don't think you are a good candidate for being Bonded. And you and Grayson have more working for you than Ted and I did. You are both gay and if I dare say, you are both in love. Those are the Bonds that work the best, because they are based first on love and trust."

"Mr. Shepard, Mr. Arbox says that a three-way bond won't work and could kill all three if it were attempted. What is your thought on that?"

"How would it even work? I couldn't Bond with anyone even if I wanted to. I don't have the skill. Maybe I could learn, but since I was Bonded at a young age there was never any reason to teach it to me. So you can't do it anyway, unless you've been trained."

"Don't be too sure about that," Allister said with confidence. "I've gone above and beyond what people thought I could do."

"I can't in good faith allow it to be tried," Mr. Arbox said. "We have high hopes for Grayson, and your Perception training has exceeded the skills of even your teacher, making you just as important to us. No wizard that I have ever even heard of can master a teleport spell without ever having a single instruction on how to create one. Even Aaden has talents that we need. To risk losing all three of you is too dangerous. People who can master magic are far too few."

"I think your way is flawed," Allister said. "You only will try what you know. You don't really understand the magic, how it works. But somebody had to try things first, understand them, and make them work. And then they somehow taught the mechanics to others instead of teaching how to create it from its purpose. I wonder if that was intentional or not. But I understand your concerns." He hung his head, indicating his submission. "Will I still be allowed to Bond with Grayson?"

"Yes, but the final decision is his. However, I have no doubt what his answer will be. Thank you for understanding Allister. I know this isn't what you want, but I do believe it is the best path."

"Will there be others to be Bonded or just me and Aaden?"

"Russ Ohmstead will be there also. Why did you ask?"

"Just curious. What time should I be there?"

"You don't even know where to go, but it will start at midmorning so don't go to classes in the morning. I will send you when it is time. Don't be surprised when I send Aaden first. You don't need to be there when he is Bonded." Mr. Arbox didn't wait for the expected complaint from Allister. He woke Aaden before sending them both back to the dorms.

8. The Bonding Room

Allister had a few minutes with Aaden to talk about how he felt, if he had any desire for him to continue.

"I don't know, to tell the truth," Aaden said. "It's all so weird. Suddenly you have all this ability but you say you can't do magic." He paused. Just as Allister was about to speak, he continued. "But the truth is, I still like you. More than like. I understand now why you rejected me. And, I also kind of get the feeling that if we are not Bonded that I may never see you again, and that hurts. So, yeah, I want you to try. But promise me that you won't do it unless you know you can succeed. I'm scared of what might happen if you fuck this up."

"You have my solemn word that I won't do it unless first I know I can and I'm not just guessing or acting on impulse. And second, Grayson has to agree to it too. I'd want a meeting with the three of us."

"How are we going to do that? Isn't he, uh, upstairs? Maybe you can get there, but I can't."

"Not there, somewhere else. Somewhere Mr. Arbox sent me so that Grayson and I could talk. It's private, and now that I know where it is and the specific spells that brought us there, I can recreate the spells for you to come with me and for me to bring him there. You ready?"

Aaden nodded, but he had doubts. Yet in a moment he felt the unpleasant feeling he had every time he was teleported somewhere. He found that they were in a small room. He was about to ask where they were, but he saw that Allister was concentrating, so he let him be. A few minutes later Grayson popped in.

"Where are we?" Aaden asked.

"Somewhere on my floor," Grayson said. "Mr. Arbox sent me here yesterday. At least this time I'm not naked."

"Actually, we're on the fifth floor," Allister said. "This is what replaces dorms once you get here."

"You were teleported here naked?" Aaden said. He tried to picture Grayson naked, and felt his dick stirring.

"That can wait," Allister said. "I brought us here so that we can discuss something. I need both of you to fully understand what I want to do. After you hear my plan, if you are not in complete agreement, you need to say so. I won't even be at the Bonding tomorrow unless you guys are both in all the way."

Allister spent several minutes telling them his plan. They sat in silence, listening, but not asking questions. Once Allister had laid it out, he stopped, and then said, "I know that's a lot and that there are a lot of variables. Again, I promise I won't try it unless I know I can succeed. But I also won't try it unless you both are will to join us all together. A three-way Bond. Something Mr. Arbox said can't be done."

"I've already told him I'm in," Aaden said. "Hearing the entire plan gives me the willies, but look at all the stuff Allister can do already. I'm a believer. I'm still in."

"It's a lot to take in," Grayson said. "And, if we don't, I still have a chance to Bond with you. Mr. Arbox told me that much. I think that only you two know how much it hurts to be away from the one you love." He sat down on one of the beds, putting himself between Allister and Aaden. "Look, I love you and I appreciate that you didn't want to do stuff with him because of how you felt about me. But it's okay with me if you want to do stuff with him as long as you still want to do it with me too. I don't love him like I do you. But I do like him. He's a boy and I'm still gay. I could do stuff with him and enjoy it."

"Okay, that's good to know, but it doesn't answer the question as to if I should try it tomorrow," Allister said.

"I disagree," Grayson said. "I think our relationship needs to be sorted out before we even decide about tomorrow. If we go and it works, the three of us will be together all the time. Let me go on the record here as saying that as long as you continue to love me I don't feel that I own you. If you love him too – truly love him like you do me, then I'm comfortable with that. If you just want a blowjob because he's a boy, that's okay too as long as you don't forget about me. Just so you know, there is nobody else that I have ever met that makes me feel like you do Allister. And that includes Aaden."

Aaden spoke next, looking at Allister. "I can see you love Grayson, and I agree with him. You love him and I don't own you. Love is love. As long as you really do love me too and you're not just saying it."

"I really do. Maybe it isn't as strong as it is with me and Grayson, but I know that I'd be hurt if we were separated. And I believe you'd be hurt even more. Something that whoever you Bonded with wouldn't be able to heal. And if what Mr. Arbox said was correct, you'd even share that pain, that loneness, with your Bonded partner."

"I'll tell you what I think," Grayson said. "I think that you love each of us. It just means that if we do this we have to stick together. Work together."

"At least you're cute," Aaden said. "I could live with looking at you. I think I'd even want to watch what you do with my Allister. Maybe I'll be jealous, but maybe I'll just be all the more horny for him."

"I think you two are going to wear me out," Allister said. "I can only do it so many times a day."

He looked around. "So are you in or not? I think a love triangle could work. And supposedly love is outside the Bond. We have to consider that maybe we could still be together for sex stuff even if we're not Bonded. But we don't know where we'll end up, so there is no way to tell."

"But it is a very big decision. I'd like to sleep on it first. That condition is non-negotiable," Grayson said.

"Okay, fair enough. Like I've said, I need your full agreement and right now I don't have it. But I need to know before it starts. So, I need a way to know your decision."

"I've tried to send you a comm before, and it doesn't work. Fourth-floor boys are completely removed from third-floor boys."

"Comms are also recorded and monitored," Allister said. "But you can send a comm to your floor leader and tell him you wanted him to let me know you wanted to Bond with me. Juice it up, make is sound like you really mean it and that you're afraid I'll be Bonded with someone else if I don't know. If I get that comm, that means you want me to try the three-way. If not, it either means you backed out or that you couldn't convince your floor leader to send me a comm."

"My performance since I've been here hasn't been anywhere near as strong as it was when I was downstairs. I'll tell him that after having a chance to be with you that now I miss you even worse. I can build a big case about how much it is hurting my development. Something that is even true. I'll just tell him that I really need to know or that I want another meeting so we could do what we did before one last time. That'll get him."

"Speaking of which, how about I get to try something in case we decide not to go ahead with the three-way Bond. Something I really want to try. Let me suck you both off at the same time."

It was difficult, almost impossible to keep both dicks in his mouth at the same time, but he did manage to get them to both shoot at about the same time.

Once Allister put everyone back where they belonged, it was time for bed. He lay in bed, wishing sleep would come, but thinking about what Grayson would decide gave him too much worry. He tried to put it out of his head, knowing he was going to need to be rested and have a clear head tomorrow if Grayson agreed. Finally, he dozed off, but he slept fitfully, waking when one of the boys in the dorm got up to use the bathroom.

The wait for the morning to come seemed intolerable to him and he was unable to fall back asleep. Once it began to get light outside more of the boys started stirring, and finally the Dorm Leader got everyone up. They went through their morning routine. Allister saw Aaden give him a questioning glance and all he could do was shake his head.

At breakfast he almost spilled his juice as a comm came into his head. "Grayson is very worried that you and he might not be Bonded. I've checked with Mr. Arbox and he says there is nothing to worry about." Allister checked mentally and saw that the comm went to him with copies to Mr. Arbox and Grayson. He got Aaden's attention and this time smiled and nodded.

Allister moved close to Russ Ohmstead and gathered as much detail about him, his clothing, how he smelled, how he combed his hair, and memorized it. He wanted to be sure he could find him when he was sent to the Bonding.

The morning dragged on and Allister was unable to concentrate on all the details of his plan. He hoped that he would be able to focus better once he and all the principle players were there. Since they were told to skip classes, he, Aaden, and Russ were bored, sitting in the dorm and trying to make small talk. All of them were worried, even Russ who only knew that he was to be Bonded and he didn't really understand what that meant.

Russ and Aaden were teleported out at the same time. Allister had a moment of panic as he couldn't sense Russ, but he used the few calming spells he could perform and soon had a good image of where he was. He wanted to wait until just before his Bonding took place, but he didn't dare get there late. It was Russ's Bonding spell that he needed to observe in order to see if he could duplicate it. Without that, he had tried to Perceive how a Bonding spell might work but knew that was too risky to try without a real spell to unravel. And he needed to understand the spell before Aaden was Bonded. And he needed Grayson to be there. And he also needed…

His heart was racing and again he used spells to calm himself. It was now or never. If Mr. Arbox tried to send him back, he wasn't sure he could stop him. He had an idea of moving the focus of Mr. Arbox's spell, but he had doubts about how well that would work, especially against a full wizard and not just a boy in school. So instead, he needed to convince Mr. Arbox to let him attend with promises not to interfere. He teleported to the room.

He had a vague idea of the layout of the room from his tracking spell on Russ and picked a spot where he was sure about walls and stuff. There was still a danger that he could teleport into someone else, but there were only a few people in the room and they were all centered around the front.

Russ was on a stage standing next to an older teen. The boy, almost a man, looked to be in his late teens. In front, facing the stage, were Mr. Arbox and Aaden. Next to them were two of the boys Allister had met on his first day in the dorm – Issac, his original Dorm Leader, and Fletcher. Allister realized that one of them was probably intended to Bond with Aaden, and he saw that wouldn't be such a bad deal. Both of them had been good to him and Aaden when they were newbies.

Allister moved into a deep shadow and stood there for a few seconds waiting to see if anyone realized he had teleported into the room. Nobody reacted to his presence. He listened as Mr. Arbox asked Russ if he accepted being Bonded with Vincent.

"Yeah, I guess," Russ said, his voice showing that he wasn't sure.

"We need a more solid answer," Mr. Arbox said. "Once done, it can't be undone. Bonding is for life, as we discussed. If you aren't sure you are ready it would be better if we did this some other time."

Allister realized that while delaying might be best for Russ, it would be disaster for him. He needed to see a Bonding spell before he could possibly try one himself. He held his breath as Russ stood there considering.

"You know I don't have much to offer you," Russ said to the older teen standing next to him. "Are you sure you really want to tie yourself to me?"

"It won't hurt me to give up a bit of my power, I've got plenty," the teen said. "And you will be able to help a lot more than you realize once you complete your training. But if you are not ready than I don't want to continue."

Allister was still holding his breath when Russ made up his mind.

"I'm okay with it. Waiting longer won't change how I feel, it will just make me more nervous. Do it, I'm sure enough."

It was a complicated spell, Allister could see that as Mr. Arbox started the movements necessary to create the spell. Allister didn't pay attention to the movements, he knew he didn't have enough magical ability to create the spell that way. Instead, he used his Perception power to watch how the spell worked. He analyzed the details, how if affected the brains of Russ and the older teen. He could sense the transfer of, something, between the older teen and Russ. He focused on what that something was as the spell was completed.

"Good," Mr. Arbox said. He turned and looked at Issac and Fletcher. "Have you two worked out which one of you will Bond with Aaden?"

"Yeah," Issac said. "For a couple of reasons, Fletcher is the best choice."

"Okay then, let's get it started," Mr. Arbox said.

NO! Allister thought to himself. He wasn't ready yet. The spell was so complicated and he still didn't quite understand what changed. He needed more time.

"Wait a second, can I ask Russ a few questions?" Aaden asked.

Mr. Arbox shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sure, go ahead. I want you to be comfortable with the decision."

"How do you feel?" Aaden asked first.

"Fine. Just I did before. It doesn't hurt or anything. But suddenly I can understand how the movements and mental impressions of the magic that I've been struggling to learn work. I think I can easily advance now. But there is something else."

Aaden stood, waiting for Russ to continue. "I, uh, I now know a lot about Vincent. I, uh, seem to share some of his memories. And I understand what he's thinking right now. He's embarrassed that I know stuff about him."

"Things that affected them strongly, both good and bad, are shared," Mr. Arbox explained. "Deep memories that have profound meanings in their lives. They don't share the same mind, but they do feel how they are making the other feel."

"Yeah, just some really important things," Russ said. "His mother. I can picture her in my mind. Things that were done to him in public school before he came here. Stuff like that. Just a few things really, but they were important to him for some reason."

"They are things that are fundamentally connected with how he came to learn magic. That is part of the process that helps you learn it. And now that you have that piece, the learning seems easier. You are using the good, as well as the bad things that Vincent experienced that shaped who he is. And understand, Vincent now has some of your deepest and most important memories. That is how the Bond works.

Allister suddenly understood what it was that passed between them. And with it, he understood how the spell worked. It was far too complicated for him to have any hope of creating it like Mr. Arbox did, but he now understood the nature of it. And he realized that in order for him to duplicate it he had to find a way to find those important memories in Aaden and in Grayson in order for him to Bond the three of them together. He needed more time. And Aaden, not even aware that he was there or that he needed the time, gave it to him.

"So Fletcher will know things I did that maybe I don't want anyone to ever know?"

"Yes, that is true," Mr. Arbox said.

"And the same is true for me," Fletcher said. "Knowing them, and knowing they are personal and important must be the key part of how the Bonding works."

"Very good, Fletcher," Mr. Arbox said. "That's an amazing leap of knowledge you just made."

"Maybe there is stuff that I don't want him to know," Aaden said. "Stuff that, uh, is secret."

"Aaden, I already know that you are gay if that is want you're worried about. Issac was the one who told me, so I'm not giving away a secret by saying that."

"But there is stuff that I've done that you might find, uh, sick. You might not want to have those thoughts, those feelings, those memories in your head for the rest of your life. And I may not want to share them with you."

"Aaden, that is true of anyone you are Bonded with," Mr. Arbox said. "I know about you and Allister and I took the liberty of discussing it with Fletcher and Issac just so that wouldn't become an issue. And I am convinced that your fear is not going to become reality or they wouldn't be here now. Straight boys have bonded with gay boys before. And while they may have different feelings about same and opposite genders, the Bonding hasn't been bad for either of them."

"But, if you aren't ready, then we don't need to continue. I need your full agreement. If that is the reason you turn down this chance than I don't know how long it would take to find someone you felt differently about. I'm afraid it might be too late once I do. Bonding only works when the receiver is young. As you progress through adolescence your brain changes and soon the Bonding will no longer be an option."

The last piece of the puzzle came to Allister. He was now ready. All he needed to do was to get Grayson here. But he was troubled by Aaden's concern. Maybe Aaden wasn't ready to share whatever was in his mind with Grayson. Or even him. And there was no way he could ask – to let Mr. Arbox know he was going to go ahead and try a three-way Bonding before he started would mean certain failure. Unless Aaden was not going to allow himself to be Bonded to Fletcher at this time. Then it would be something that he could discuss. He now felt he knew enough to do it on his own.

"Why do the Bonding here?" Aaden asked. "Why the stage? What's the significance of this place?"

Allister realized that Aaden wasn't as concerned as he pretended to be. He must have either guessed or known that he was here and now Aaden was showing why he was the better student and making sure that his friend had all the parts he needed.

"This room is designed to have a calming effect on all who are here. The idea of Bonding is so frightening that once we learned how to do it we found that almost nobody could get past the fears that you have now. Even in this room you have doubts, and it is important that you be totally open and accepting of it before the spell is cast. Without that, your memories could be lost. Part of your life could be lost. And if you survived, you'd be unable to function here or the world outside this school."

Allister turned his attention to the room itself. He felt the calming spells, but there was more to it than just that. There was a channeling agent involved, something that Allister didn't understand. As he tried to perceive what purpose it could be he felt that part of him was being drawn away. He fought back, trying to gain control, and realized he was right on the verge of being connected to Mr. Arbox.

And then he saw it. The spell didn't work unless the caster had the magical power to contain the life force of both participants. The room had spells to focus that, and the center of the focus was the spot where Mr. Arbox stood. He couldn't recreate the spell without Mr. Arbox being right where he was, and even then, whatever went on in his brain that allowed the exchange of life forces to occur without damage to either might not work. A three-way connection might be too much for his brain to handle.

He had promised his friends he wouldn't try it unless he was absolutely positive it would work. He needed to make a decision, and he needed to make it quickly. And it had to be the right decision. It was too risky for him to continue. He was angry, frustrated. He'd been so sure, and to now face reality was too much for him. He teleported back to his dorm. He lay on his bed and let his tears soak his pillow.

9. Frustration

Aaden returned a few minutes after Allister sent himself back. Allister, with tears still flowing freely, had to explain to him what had happened. And he had to say the words that hurt him the worst. "You need to Bond with Fletcher. I can't help us."

"What about you and Grayson?"

"I guess I'm going to do it. I wanted it to be with all of us. Will you survive being rejected by me again?"

"What choice do I have? But I can't put that burden on Fletcher. If he's going to feel the same pain I will feel, then that isn't fair to him."

"I'm so sorry Aaden," Allister said. "I got your hopes up for the second time and once again I'm abandoning you."

"Maybe there's another way," Aaden said. "You've figured out how to teleport. How to make a Bond. Other really big stuff. You even got me and Grayson to the fifth floor. Maybe you'll come up with another plan. Or, if you're really sure it will work, maybe you can convince Mr. Arbox to try."

"There isn't a lot of time. Our brains are starting to solidify. I saw that when Mr. Arbox explained the maturity factor. Grayson is fine, only the receivers need to have a fluid life force. But that window of opportunity is closing. If not done soon, there will be no hope for you and me at all."

"Give it time," Aaden begged. "Don't Bond with Grayson today. We can always do it later as long as we don't wait too long. Please, I really wanted it to work. And I trust that you'll figure something out."

Allister was about to say something when he was teleported to the Stage. Mr. Arbox was there, as were Grayson, and his Perception teacher, Mr. Barker. He had a different perspective of the room and that gave him an additional piece if information. The spots on the stage were connected with magical items on the walls and they in turn were what was focused on the spot where Mr. Arbox stood.

"Can I stand where you are for a second?" he asked Mr. Arbox. "I want to see what it feels like."

"What what feels like," Mr. Arbox said. Allister saw Mr. Barker stiffen.

"To stand there, the focus of the magic."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Mr. Arbox said. "This is the center-most spot. We know the spell only works if the person casting it is standing here. We don't know why. Focus has nothing to do with it."

Allister was watching Mr. Barker as Mr. Arbox spoke. He accepted Mr. Arbox's statement as factual. Not that it was fact, but that Mr. Arbox was sure that it was. But he knew that his Perception teacher knew otherwise. Mr. Barker was staring back at him.

"Mr. Barker, do you think this is a good idea? For me to be Bonded with Grayson? Why not with you?"

"I think your interests are best served by you being Bonded with Grayson. My magic skills are weak as compared to other teachers here, mostly because I, like you, sacrificed magic skills to the study of Perception. What is it that makes you think that the spot where Mr. Arbox is standing is any more important than any other spot?"

"Actually, there are three spots that are of equal importance," Allister said. "Where Grayson is now standing, my spot next to him, and the spot where Mr. Arbox stands. The outgoing focus spots and the receiving focus spot. The magic doesn't come from that spot, it is sent to it. You just use it to make the magic that Bonds people. The trick is in the locations."

"Allister, I've been doing Bonding spells for six years now," Mr. Arbox said, sounding slightly annoyed. "This is the spot that the director always stands in. It has nothing to do with focus, rather it completes a triangle between the caster and the two being Bonded. That is what is necessary for the spell to work."

Allister knew that was wrong, but he also was very sure that Mr. Arbox believed what he said to be true. The interesting point was trying to gauge how much Mr. Barker understood it. It would be a discussion for later. "I'm not ready to be Bonded with Grayson today. I want to put this off for a short time. Sorry Grayson, trust me, it isn't you. I need to know that Aaden is okay first. He told me that he refused his Bonding this morning too."

"I, uh, I thought, never mind, it's okay. I still want to do this, but it can wait a few more days." Grayson stepped off the stage. "Are you, I mean, is Aaden okay? Cause it looks like you've been crying but you said…"

"Yeah, I know what I said. He's really upset and it upset me too. My mind isn't ready right now. Please don't be mad."

"No, I'm not, I'm just – I was ready for this. I made up my mind early this morning. Maybe they didn't tell you."

Allister knew he was referring to the comm message that was coded to tell him he wanted to take part in a three-way Bonding. "Don't worry, we still will. Do your best in your studies. I've got more to learn too. And if Mr. Arbox will allow it, I'd like to spend a little more time with you."

"And if I don't you'll go there on your own I suppose," Mr. Arbox said.

"At least if you arrange it you'll know where I'm at, how I got there, and what we're doing."

"I'll allow some contact in a few days. I want you to focus on your magic training for now. No more classes with Mr. Barker until this is all sorted out. And if you truly care about Aaden, convince him to go ahead with his Bonding. I can't keep him in classes when he isn't progressing."

"I will. I'm sorry I wasted everyone's time. Can I stay for a minute and say goodbye to Mr. Barker? He can get me back to my floor."

"Allister, I'd rather…"

"Excuse me, please Adam, I want to discuss something with him also," Mr. Barker said. "I'll explain to him why we are going to discontinue his classes with me for now. I want him to understand it isn't a punishment."

"Okay, but no more Perception training until we meet with the Directors." Mr. Arbox sent Grayson back to where he belonged and then returned to his office, leaving Mr. Barker and Allister alone in the room.

Mr. Barker looked at Allister. "Please keep in mind that I am not your enemy. Mr. Arbox is not your enemy. He truly doesn't understand you, but he wants your development to continue as soon as he knows it is safe. As do I. He does not act on his own in matter of great importance, so he wants to involve the Directors. Your sudden lack of impulse control has us both worried. So, answer this question truthfully: What do you think happens in here?"

Allister considered both his teacher's statements and the question itself. "I don't think Mr. Arbox can create a Bond. He directs the magic, but he does not have the ability to create it. Therefore, he is right, he cannot create a three-way Bond. He can only do what he has been taught. The creation of the magic comes from somewhere in this room."

"An interesting theory," Mr. Barker said. "But I don't think it is entirely correct. Why is a three-way Bond so important to you?"

Again, Allister considered why he was asking as well what the answer was to the question. It wasn't an arbitrary question, Mr. Barker was pushing him in a certain direction. He started to answer, but stopped and instead of using intuition to answer, he studied the question with the Perception skills he'd been taught.

"The intuitive answer is because I'm in love with both Aaden and Grayson. But the correct answer is because of what each of us would gain if we Bonded. More than just if any two of us Bonded."

"That answer would imply that a four-way, or hundred-way Bond would be better. Bond all of the magic users at once and get…what?"

Again, Allister considered the question before answering. This time it took him much longer, but Mr. Barker stood patiently, waiting for him to think it through.

"There has to be a connection. Something that I don't understand. Something that already exists. Otherwise, the Bonding wouldn't produce anything of use." Allister still wasn't satisfied with his answer. "The Bond itself has a purpose. But that would mean that achieving that purpose in the manner that Mr. Arbox uses the spell would be a random event. And yet this room seems purposeful. Random outcomes wouldn't make sense. There is something else at work here that I'm missing."

"I've got limited experience with Bonding, but within that I'm sure that only a tiny fraction of any Bonding had no useful outcome," Mr. Barker said. "I can't continue to teach you Perception at this time, but I'll leave you with a homework assignment. Determine where magic comes from. I think I arrived at a possible answer to that question from one of the questions you asked Mr. Arbox. I think it is important."

"Where magic comes from? The wizards create it, don't they? I can't, at least not any better than a third-day student. But I can duplicate it once I understand the purpose and consider the range of things that must be controlled. The wizards don't have to do what I do, they have learned to create it. Isn't that correct?"

"Consider it a mid-term exam. Form a hypothesis and test it. Determine the answer to your own question first. Then work on my question." Mr. Barker let that soak in. "It is time now to part until I have been re-approved for teaching you Perception. Unfortunately, however, I don't have the magical skills to teleport you back, so we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way."

"Never mind, I can do it myself," Allister said. And without a further goodbye, he teleported himself back into his dorm room.

"Amazing," Mr. Barker said to the empty room. "Imagine what he will be capable of doing if he figures out the answer to my question."

10. A Scientific Study of Magic and its Source
The Impossible Task

Until five minutes ago, Allister had believed that his understand and ability to use Perception had exceeded his teacher's, but Mr. Barker's question showed that he still had much to learn. He thought back to the questions he had asked Mr. Arbox, hoping to identify the one that triggered Mr. Barker's Perception of the source of Magic. He had really only asked one question – to stand where Mr. Arbox stood. He wanted to feel what being in the focus of the magic felt like. He stated that location of the participants was important. But a bigger question was why the room itself? It could be done in an office, or the cafeteria. Why did they have a special room with a stage?

Something in his questions had triggered a Perceptive awakening in Mr. Barker. But what? Wizards created magic, that was obvious. They had more skill or more of something that he didn't have. All he could do was duplicate it for his own benefit.

But then he saw the error of that logic. If wizards created magic and he couldn't, then how did he duplicate the outcome? Either he could create magic, or wizards could not. And then he knew that he had arrived at the basis for the questions Mr. Barker had left for him to answer.

He pondered the question, trying to figure out how to even start to study it. Mr. Barker had said to form a hypothesis and test it. But how? How could he test whether wizards created magic or if it came from somewhere else? Didn't the fact that he couldn't create magic prove that wizards created it? He certainly wasn't a wizard or he wouldn't still be on the third floor.

Yet he could do something that posed as magic. What was the difference between the magic he created and that of wizards? He could not even come up with a plan of action. The outcome was the same. Just the method to produce the outcome. So he could create it. "That answers it," he said to himself. "Wizards create magic and by extension, I'm a wizard."

The moment he arrived at that conclusion, Aaden came into the dorm alone. He was crying as he entered. "I'll never be a goddamn wizard," he said. "I still can't do stuff that even the new kids have already mastered."

Allister was concerned about his friend, but he was also intrigued with Aaden's statement. He once made the statement that he could never teach magic because he couldn't create it like wizards did. But perhaps he could teach Perception. He presented the idea to Aaden, who was immediately on board with learning.

"Skip your afternoon classes, you aren't learning anything in them anyway," he said. "I was told to practice my magic, so we'll work together. You teach me how you do what you can do and I can't, and I'll teach you how to mimic magic like I do."

Aaden was a great teacher, and since it was one-on-one Allister expected better results than he got. And Aaden was unable to comprehend a single thing that Allister was trying to teach him. The training turned into sex play which they both enjoyed. But outside of that nothing they were done had helped the other, and Allister had not made any progress on his homework problem. They mutually agreed to give it up, at least for the time being.

Once again, Allister considered the question. This time he asked Aaden's help, explaining to him what he'd been tasked to learn. Allister had Aaden create the spells that he could create while he studied them to see if he could discern anything useful. He learned enough to duplicate the spells, which Aaden took as success for Allister, but he didn't learn anything about the source of the magic.

"Maybe I don't create the magic," Aaden said. "Maybe all I do is gather it from somewhere and make it do what I wanted. Maybe magic is everywhere. After all, you create the same results as I do, you just do it differently."

It was the same thing that Allister had thought about the day of his refused Bonding, and Allister decided that he may as well pursue that idea since having Aaden do magic for him was neither useful nor entertaining (except for the time that Aaden made his clothes disappear – but that again only led to sex play, which while completely enjoyable was not productive.)

Allister decided the best way to test the theory was to try to make a magic spell he had never seen. He gave it some thought and told Aaden he was going to the cafeteria.

"They don't serve for an hour yet," Aaden said. But when Allister just smiled at him as a response he said, "But you've got an idea and you're going to try it there. I'm in."

"Actually, I'm going to try it here. I just need to steal a plate. I'll be right back." He left the dorm and hurried down the stairs. The plates were stacked by where the kids would line up and he took one off the top. He was about to leave when he decided one might not be enough and took three more. He then hurried back to the dorm.

Aaden watched with interest as he took the top plate and broke it in half over his knee.

"Congratulations, working out is really paying off for you," Aaden said. "You can now break ceramic plates with your bare hands."

"Yeah, thanks for the sarcasm. But the real trick will be if I can put it back together again. Do you know how to do that?"

"A mending spell? You and I are probably the only two people on this floor who don't know how to do it."

"Don't give me any clues. I've never seen one done. I want to try it without copying someone else's magic." Allister set the two halves next to each other on his bed.

Allister concentrated on the broken halves. If it had fractured in a straight line it would be easier, but instead the broken edges were random. He pictured in his mind how it looked before he broke it and mentally tried to reverse the action of breaking. He used the Perception skills and suddenly the two halves moved together and became one.

Well, almost one he found out when he picked it up. Only some of the places joined and it wasn't strong enough to hold together and came apart in his hands again.

"Yeah, that's the problem," Aaden said. "You have to have all the pieces and move them all back together as one. We worked with things that broke more cleanly. But I could never keep track of all of it in my head as I cast the spell. But your spell was at least as good as I can do."

"But the key thing is, I've never seen that spell used. I didn't mimic it, I created it. On my own." He took the next plate off the stack and broke it while holding it on this bed. He concentrated on all the little pieces and tried to hold them in his mind, but it was too much and when he tried to mend it pieces of the plate joined haphazardly and even some of his sheet was joined to it. He had to break chunks off in order to free his sheet.

"Same thing with me," Aaden said. I get everything back together all over the place. I just can't do it, it's too much for me."

"But wait," Allister said. "If I'm doing the same thing you are…"

"You're not moving your hands to create a spell. And probably not saying the right words in your mind. I don't know how you are doing it, but you are not making the spell."

"That's it Aaden, you're a genius! The spell already exists. All I have to do is this–" Allister broke the third plate. This time, instead of trying join all the pieces back together he pictured the broken parts as a whole plate. He pretended he could see how the clay was formed before it was fired. And as he did it, the pieces, even the dust he couldn't see, joined together to form a perfect plate.

"You're pissing me off," Aaden said with a smile. "I've been trying to do that for two weeks and you master it in five minutes without the benefit of any instruction. And your result is better than any of the other student's work I've seen."

Allister broke the plate again. "This time you mend it. Cast your spell the way you were taught, only this time don't think of the tiny pieces, think only of the plate being whole again."

It didn't work for Aaden the first time he tried, but Allister encouraged him to try again. "We've got plenty of plates if we need them." He broke the last one and mended the first two. Aaden failed again the second time. And the third, and the fourth. He wanted to give up, but Allister wouldn't let him. On his seventh try, he mended a plate to nearly its original condition.

"You don't create magic," Allister said. "The spell is already created. Someone created it long ago and taught people how to draw on it. Only my guess is that over time they lost the visual picture and concentrated on creating the spell with just the movements. That's why it is so hard for you. Tell me something else you can't do yet."

"I can't see beyond the wall that hides the stairs to the fourth floor," Aaden said. "You did that on your own."

"But I didn't use magic, I could just see through it," Allister said. He remembered something. "On your first day here, could you see through the wall Mr. Arbox wanted you to see through? You know, the one on the first floor?"

"For a half a second I thought I could, but then it became just a wall."

"So, you had no idea how to cast a spell. You didn't even know magic existed. Yet for a half second you defeated a minor spell. I need to think about this. Practice your magic and mend the other plates."

Aaden knew that Allister was on to something, but he couldn't understand how it could work. Seeing through an illusion was a spell. The stronger the illusion, the more spell energy he needed to maintain, the more of the magic chant he needed. Yet he realized that Allister was right. He'd done it, if just for a moment, without knowing anything about chanting and arm and finger (and sometimes toe) movements. He didn't have to make all the moves fluid and perfect and in-line with the chant. He just did it, much like Allister was doing. He decided to try mending the plates without using magic, but couldn't get it to work. Yet by use of the spell process, he was now proficient at it.

While Allister lay on his bed with his eyes closed, Aaden mended and broke the plates several times. He knew that each time he was losing some of the tiniest pieces and the dust and he could see that even though he was concentrating on how the plate would look when repaired the repairs were starting to weaken and contain gaps. He went to the cafeteria to get some more plates.

In the back of him mind he heard the other kids coming back from morning classes, but Aaden was trying again to mend the plate he had just broke without using the spell. He was just barely able to focus as Andrew, one of the boys who had been here for two weeks, came over and asked if he was having fun breaking plates.

Aaden visualized the plate being whole. The process of how it broke was secondary. All he wanted was for the pieces to go back to where they were and join together. And then it happened. One second the plate was broken with the two main pieces a few inches apart, and then it was a whole plate. And as far as Aaden could tell, it was as perfect as it had been before he broke it.

"How the hell did you do that?" An astonished Andrew asked. "You didn't even use magic."

Allister's eyes shot open. He had heard Andrew's comment. He looked over at Aaden's bed and saw him holding a plate, examining it closely. "You did it, didn't you?" he asked. "You mended it my way. Bring the other plates."

Allister waited until Aaden stacked three plates and teleported them both to outside Mr. Arbox's office. He knocked and when give permission, entered with Aaden following.

"To what do I owe this visit?" Mr. Arbox asked pleasantly.

"Break one and fix it with the spell," Allister said to Aaden.

"I don't need to, I can…"

"Do it with the spell first."

Aaden shrugged his shoulders and broke a plate and set the pieces on top of Mr. Arbox's desk. He then used the spell he had learned to join them.

"If you were grading him, how did he do?" Allister asked Mr. Arbox.

"I'm not sure where this is leading, but I'm interested. I've been told that this is one of many spells that are well beyond Aaden's capability." He picked up the mended plate and examined it. "For a third-floor student, this is as good as I've seen. Easily a passing grade. If he were on the fourth floor, still a good job, but there are a quite a few who could do better. Grayson is one who would do better."

"Now break another one and fix it the way you leaned."

This time Aaden smiled as he broke the plate. He started picturing it in his mind, but it wouldn't come to him.

"You're stressed because it's an exam and you hate tests. You need to calm yourself. Do that first, and then ignore me and Mr. Arbox."

Aaden did as Allister had directed and a minute later he handed a mended plate to Mr. Arbox. "It's perfect. Flawless. I took it back to the original clay and formed it from that."

Mr. Arbox took the plate and studied it.

"I want to restart Perception classes. And I want Grayson and Aaden to attend them with me." Allister stood there waiting for a response. "Either there is something special about me and Mr. Barker and now Aaden or everything you think you know about magic is wrong. And I don't know the answer. That's why I want to resume training."

Mr. Arbox broke the plate again, noting that it broke along a different series of lines. Plates mended with magic nearly always broke along the mended grains because the mending was never perfect.

"The directors approved your training just an hour ago. Mr. Barker was going to meet with you after lunch. I'll let him know he'll have two new students as well." Mr. Arbox mended the plate he had just broken and compared his work with what Aaden had done. It was hard to discern, but he could see a few of the tiny flaws he left behind, something he had not seen when Aaden had mended it.

"I assume you can do this as well?" he asked Allister.

"My mending spell is a lot worse than Aaden's, but with practice I could do better. I don't intend to practice. My way works better than I could ever do by use of a spell."

"Congratulations both of you. I'm promoting you both to the fourth floor."

11. Fourth Floor Newbies

"No, please," Allister said, his voice filled with concern. "Mike and Peter will, uh…"

"What they do is a right of passage here and I won't break tradition," Mr. Arbox said firmly. "If you don't want it to happen than open your wardrobes. You have fifteen minutes before lunch." With a wave of his hand their uniforms disappeared. Allister found himself in the Red Dorm in the fourth floor. His third-floor uniform was on a bed in the back, tell him which wardrobe belonged to him. But he now worried about Aaden, who was not here and therefore must be in the other dorm.

Allister did his best to get out the door, but he couldn't break the magic that prevented his passage without the required uniform. He returned to the problem of opening his wardrobe.

Aaden found himself alone in a dorm room and guessed correctly that he and Allister had been put in separate dorms. He decided it best if he start trying to figure out how to open his wardrobe. His first attempts failed, but that was common. And then he remembered something Allister had said to him: "Up there, the newbies are assaulted sexually." Now he was 'up there,' and should probably be concerned. But to himself he thought back on when he and Peter had been together on third floor. He remembered that Peter was kind of cute, and decided that whatever might happen, it might not be too bad.

Allister was struggling with the thought of being raped by whichever one was the dorm leader for this dorm. Sex with him was one thing, but rape seemed very much out of place. Why would they allow something so primitive, so disgusting, to occur? Everything in the school was done for a reason. So why allow, no, encourage, rape? There had to be a reason.

Calming himself to allow him to use his Perception, he considered what purpose it could possibly serve. He knew little about rape. He never had met anyone who had been raped. The closest he'd ever come was with Micky back in public school. That event was the one that first opened the door to his use of magic, he knew that now. Was there a tie between that and fourth-floor newbie ritual?

Before he could study the question the other students returned from morning classes. They all laughed at finding a newbie in their dorm. Allister stood and waited to see if Mike or Peter was the dorm leader for this dorm. The last boy to enter was Peter.

"So, you've come to join my dorm at last," Peter said. "I just got the comm a few minutes ago. Until you can open that wardrobe, I own your ass. I can make you do anything I want. I am in complete control." He paused. "But as much as I would like to show you how that works, morning classes let out late and we need to go to lunch. But tonight, you and I will have some fun."

"You'll have to send me to the infirmary again before I let you fuck me," Allister said, trying to sound brave. In fact, he was scared to death. Allowing Peter to do what he wanted was the most intimidating thing he'd experienced.

"Fuck you?" Peter said. Allister could hear confusion in Peter's voice. "If you want, I'll be happy to. In addition to all the other little pleasures that come with my title. Right now, we go to lunch. Scott, you escort our newbie." He started to turn but turned back. "Your magic is weak. I can do things to you that don't end up with you in the infirmary. Don't get your hopes up that you can battle me. I got to be dorm leader for a reason."

Naked again, Allister let the boy named Scott escort him. As they headed towards the cafeteria they joined with the other dorm. Allister saw that Grayson was escorting Aaden and felt jealousy coming over him. He knew that sending Aaden to the same dorm as Grayson was not a random choice. Mr. Arbox had done it on purpose.

He and Aaden of course knew all the boys on fourth floor. Aaden had been the dorm leader for most of them back on third floor. And all the boys knew that he and Aaden were the two worst students in the school. Most of them met with Aaden and he was seated at a different table than Allister. Allister's anger and jealousy grew worse as he saw them welcome Aaden. None of the boys in either dorm had even talked with him until Glen took the chair to Allister's right at the table.

"I see you managed to get your wardrobe open," he said to Glen.

"Look, I don't know what your first appearance on this floor was about, I was just trying to do what I was told so Peter didn't get on my ass even worse. You'll figure out how to open yours. Just try to ride it out until then. It isn't personal, it's just the way things are done here. The other boys, me included, are unsure about you. I told them what you did. Just be cool, it isn't as bad as they make it sound."

Allister didn't know how rape could be any less than how it sounded, so he didn't say anything. At least he and Aaden and Grayson would be together after lunch for Perception training. He turned to the table where Grayson and Aaden were setting and tried to listen to what they were saying, but there was too much other noise in the room. But Allister saw that Aaden had a boner. And then he saw Grayson adjust the front of his pants. He felt like he was ready to explode.

After lunch, they returned to the dorm. As the other boys got ready to go to afternoon classes, Peter came over and told him that instead of sitting all day he could start by cleaning the bathroom. "And it better sparkle when I get back or what happens to you tonight will be far worse than anything you think."

After the dorm emptied, Allister waited for someone to come and take him to Perception training, but after an hour had gone by he gave up. He tried to open his wardrobe, but couldn't. He was far too angry and hurt to even think of trying to solve how to open it.

He wanted to be defiant. He wanted to stand up to Peter. But he was scared. And he knew that with his present state of mind that he couldn't even use Perception to help him. So he got the cleaning supplies and went to work on cleaning the bathroom. At least that occupied his mind for a while.

After afternoon classes ended the dorm filled up again. Peter inspected the bathroom and found several things that he said were not done right even though Allister couldn't see anything wrong with them.

"I know just how to punish you," he said. He ordered two of the stronger boys in the dorm to hold his arms out to his sides and then used magic to hold him in place. Allister couldn't move, and he was exposed for all the boys to see.

"I see you've got pubic hair," Peter said. "For now. Say goodbye to it." He turned to the other boys in the dorm. "One by one, pick a pubic hair and make it go away using any magic you want. And if you can do it by pulling it out, that's even better. Jeff, you start."

Jeff was a boy who had only graduated from third floor the week before. He approached and created a movement spell. Only he lost focus and instead of one pubic hair he got a dozen and yanked them out at once. Allister yelled out in pain.

"Oh, that was poor control Jeff," Peter said. "Do it again and get it right or you can take a place next to our newbie."

Jeff mouthed "I'm sorry" as he moved in front of Allister again. This time he only got one pubic hair. It hurt, but not nearly as much as the first time.

One-by-one, the other six boys in the dorm came up and did the same, and then they started over. After several passes, the only pubic hair left was the few hairs that were on Allister's balls. Peter had told the boys to leave them for him, and now he stood in front of Allister.

"Tell me I'm your master and you will do anything I want and I'll remove them without causing any pain," he said. "Otherwise, I might have to see if one of these guys can do a shrinking spell on your dick first to get it out of the way of my flame strike." He cupped his hands together and crafted a spell Allister had not seen. When he was done, there was a tiny jet of flame coming from the index finger of his right hand.

As far as Allister knew, a shrinking spell would work. For reasons he didn't understand, being dominated by Peter was making his dick stand up, which was making it far more embarrassing. His hopes of being defiant evaporated at the sight of the fire coming from Peter's finger.

"You're my master and I'll do anything you want," he said, his voice breaking and with tears running down his cheeks.

"Good. And I see you got your own dick up and out of the way for me." Peter moved his hand and the flame shot from his finger and passed just below Allister's ball sack, burning off the few hairs in its path. He released his hold spell and Allister nearly fell to the floor. "Keep it hard as we go to dinner. If it get soft I'll use a shrink spell on it. I hear that Grayson is your boyfriend. We'll see if he still likes you now that you look like you're ten years old. You're coming with me." He turned to the rest of the boys and said, "Out of the dorm in five minutes and not a second later. See you all at dinner."

Peter took Allister down to the cafeteria and made him stand by the door with his arms behind his head so that each boy entering could see his boner and lack of pubic hair. Allister was horribly embarrassed.

When the other dorm boys got there, they whooped and yelled with joy as they passed. Except for Aaden and Grayson, who both blushed and said nothing as they passed. Allister had to stand until the last boy was in line, then he got in behind that boy. He again was seated at a different table than Aaden and Grayson.

When dinner was done and the boys started heading back to their dorms, Peter went over and talked to Mike for a few minutes. He held Allister back until all the other boys had left. He escorted Allister back towards the dorms but instead of turning towards their dorm they went the other direction towards the other dorm. As they approached the door, Mike was standing outside waiting.

"You said you would do anything I want," Peter said. "Now it is time to prove it. What I want you to do is give a blowjob to all the boys in the Blue wing, starting and ending with Mike. He will then bring you back to our dorm, where you will do the same thing, starting and ending with me. Then we'll see if you can open your wardrobe or not. If not, things will get worse for you newbie.

Mike took charge and escorted him into the Blue dorm. "Boys, I know you all know him, but until he can open his wardrobe you will call him either newbie or baldie. Use of any other name will result in a severe punishment. He has come to offer you some relief so that you will be able to relax and work on homework. You will take him up on his offer. You can do it in private if you want. Except for Aaden and Grayson."

"Follow me and we'll get started." Mike took him to his bed and removed his long pants and put them in his wardrobe. He then got out pajama pants, but didn't put them on. He pushed his boxers down to his knees and laid down on his bed. "You start and end with me," he said.

After eight weeks in the school, Allister had given several blowjobs, but never had he been forced to. He got down on his knees next to Mike and used his hands to get Mike hard. He then took him into his mouth and proceeded to do what was required.

Mike tried to hold back his ejaculation, knowing it would last longer and feel better the longer he held it in, but Allister was too good at his task and before he was ready he shot his load into his mouth. Once he was done, he told Allister to continue around the room.

Counting Mike, there were eight boys in the Blue dorm. Four of them wanted to do it in private, the rest were willing to do it from on their bunks. Allister was hoping Aaden or Grayson would say something, anything, to him, but neither of them said a word to him, making him feel even worse.

He had to come back to Mike after doing all the other boys. Mike smiled, but didn't say a word. Since it was his second time in just a few minutes he was better at holding off, making his pleasure greater and Allister's worse. Once he was done, he put on his pajama bottoms and took Allister back to the Red dorm.

Once inside, he had to do it all over again with the eight boys in his dorm, starting and ending with Peter. Then he was allowed to go take a shower but told not to jerk off. Peter had one of the boys go and watch him just to make sure.

When the shower was done, he was given a chance to open his wardrobe. He couldn't concentrate. He had no idea what the key to release the magic was.

"Lay down on your bed," Peter ordered him. "I want you to jack off using magic, not your hands. If you fail to shoot within five minutes I'll punish you." A few of the other boys giggled and Peter didn't hush time. As far as he knew it was impossible. He'd been forced three times to try it and never could, nor could any of the other boys who were punished this way. But trying made every one of the hard, and that was the real source of the punishment.

Allister was horny. He was gay, and he'd just given a blowjob to sixteen different boys. All but three of them had been able to cum. Most of them he thought were cute. Other than being forced to do it, it might have been enjoyable. But he had no magic and his depression over being Peter's slave, always guessing that the end result was going to be Peter fucking him. That kept him from using any of his Perception methods. At the end of the five minutes he was rock hard but nowhere close to shooting.

"Put your arms to your sides," Peter ordered him. Once he did, Peter used magic to freeze him in place. "Glen, get the special blanket and put it over him." Glen went to the cleaning supply cabinet and took out a blanket. He spread it out over Allister. The blanket had a circle cut out of it, and the hole went over his dick. It stuck up like a flagpole through the hole.

"Now you can't jack off unless you can figure out how to do it with magic," Peter said to him.

Sometime after he had fallen asleep his dick finally went flaccid. When the lights came on Peter unfroze his arms and allowed him to brush his teeth and use the toilet. Then they boys headed down for breakfast.

Still feeling horrible and knowing the worst still had to be coming (he still could not open his wardrobe), Allister was even more sadden to see Aaden dressed in a fourth-floor uniform. Aaden had managed to open his wardrobe.

After breakfast, as the boys were ready to leave for morning classes without him, Allister asked Peter if they could talk in private for a minute. Peter looked at the clock and said okay and took him out the door into the hall.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Peter, I'm sick over waiting. Go ahead and fuck me and get it over with, please. I'll still do anything, but I don't want that hanging over me."

"That's the second time you've said something about me fucking you," Peter said. "What's up with that? Do you want me to?"

"No, but you said you owned my ass."

"I didn't mean it literally! What kind of asshole do you think I am? Look, I'm going to humiliate you in every way I can think of until you can get that wardrobe open. But I do not plan to fuck you, nor to order anyone else in the dorm to do it. The rest of us are going to class. You can spend the morning cleaning the dorm. And it better be done right when we get back. Change all the sheets on the beds and remake each one." He took Allister back inside and the other boys left.

Allister felt stupid. Incredibly stupid. He let his fear master him. It kept him from using his gift. It caused him embarrassment. And his belief that Peter would do that seemed to make Peter angry too. For the first time in over a day, he used calming spells to calm him. It took several attempts, but eventually they worked.

Now he could finally face the question he should have been dealing with from the start instead of letting fear guide him. What was the purpose of all that Peter did make him do? Humiliation was the intended result, but not the purpose. The purpose was intimidation to the point of control. A lesson to be learned. And now that he understood it, he understood the importance of the lesson.

Allister went to his wardrobe and took command. He mentally ordered it to open or else. It opened on the first tug. He decided to start the day with a shower before dressing in a fourth-floor uniform.

He no longer feared Peter, so he ignored the order to clean the dorm room and instead went exploring. He first went to the hallway where he knew the stairs to the third floor were. At first he couldn't see past the wall and almost gave up, thinking he was in the wrong place. But then he calmed himself again and used what Mr. Barker had taught him. Within seconds he could see both the wall and the stairs beyond it. With a bit of fine tuning he made the wall disappear, showing him instead an open passageway to the stairs. He didn't need to go down, there was nothing for him down there, so instead he turned and decided to find Grayson and Aaden.

It was easier than he anticipated. As soon as he turned he saw Mr. Barker standing further up the hallway, watching him.

"Now that you've decided to go back to practicing what I taught you, why don't you come to class. Aaden and Grayson can't do anything because they cannot get past their sorrow for you." Mr. Barker turned and headed to the classroom, knowing Allister would follow.

12. Questions and Answers

Grayson literally leapt up from his seat when Allister entered and ran over and hugged him. It felt good. Aaden followed behind Grayson. "You finally made it," Aaden said. "The uniform looks good on you. And I am so sorry for not talking to you, we were told not to."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Grayson said. "Entry to this floor sucks."

"In more ways than one," Aaden said with a smirk. "And just for the record, I'm not sorry about that part."

"If you boys are ready now, we're two days into training and you haven't learned a damn thing," Mr. Barker said. "So, all three of you, sit down and pay attention. We have a lot to learn."

Once they all sat (Allister in the middle with Grayson to his right and Aaden to his left) Mr. Barker looked at Allister and said, "I gave you a take-home exam. What did you learn?"

"I learned that all spells are already created. Magic is everywhere, and I don't think there are wizards and non-wizards. I think that anyone can learn magic, but it requires something to trigger it. Belief is part of it. Imagination is another. But I haven't gotten any further than that."

"What if I told you that we've done brain scans on wizards, students, and non-wizards and saw differences in the brains of all three?"

"That would tell me…"

"No Allister, you did fine. I want Aaden or Grayson to answer this question."

The room was silent for an intolerably long time, but Mr. Barker did not push them to answer. He sat on his desk with his arms to his sides and waited.

Allister couldn't stand waiting. "Aaden, how did you mend the plate perfectly?"

"I, uh, I didn't think about the spell, I thought about the result. What I wanted. It wasn't as good as you, at least not the first one…"

"But as you believed in yourself you got better. Now you can mend things without even moving your hands. How does that help you answer Mr. Barker's question?"

Aaden thought for a few seconds. "That when we use magic, our brain changes."

"Grayson, what does that tell us about the answer Allister gave me? And this time I'd like to hear him answer it without your help Allister."

Allister stirred, wanting in the worst way to answer, or to help Grayson answer. Only his respect for Mr. Barker kept him quiet. But not so with Aaden, who also suddenly understood.

"The spell is already in our brain," Aaden said.

"All the spells are already in our brain?" Grayson asked. "But that means that magic is in us. We're born with it. All we have to do is start to use it and our brain guides us."

"Except that some people must have done it wrong and somewhere in time the movements and mental words replaced picturing the result you want," Allister said with excitement. "None of that is necessary. With the right training, I can do anything that already has a spell in my brain."

"Okay, I was hoping Grayson would arrive there without help, but that is what I believe also. So, consider this now. What if the spell doesn't already exist in our brain. Can I create a new spell?"

The three boys sat back, considering the question. Mr. Barker reminded Grayson and Aaden to use the Perception tools he had taught (or tried to teach) them. He assumed that Allister was already using them.

"It's would be a fool's quest to try," Allister said suddenly. "We don't know what spells we are born with, so trying to think of a new spell and making it work wouldn't answer the question because we wouldn't know if it was a new spell or one that was already there."

"Very good Allister. One last question," Mr. Barker said. "How did you know that Grayson and Aaden would be able to learn Perception?"

"I take it from that question that you have tried and failed with other students?" Allister asked.

"I have tried and failed with every student until you. And the one who taught me had been teaching it for over fifty years and I was his only successful student. And now, suddenly, I have three of you. One I selected and two that you did. So how did you know?"

Allister thought. He rejected his first three responses, knowing they were based on impulse, not skill. He used every tool of Perception he'd been taught. But nothing gave him an answer he felt confident was the correct one. "I didn't know. I just tried with Aaden. You already know I wanted Aaden bonded with me and me with Grayson. That's why I picked them. But surely it wasn't luck. There is something else at play. Something I haven't figured out. Yet."

"I think that's enough questions for now. For the rest of the day we need to work on mastering our Perception skills."

"Do you know? Or at least have a theory of how I was able to pick them?"

"I have a few ideas, but like you, I lack the confidence in them to bring them forward. I will continue to dwell on it, as I know you will also. But further practice will benefit all of us, so keep the question in the back of your mind and let's get into actual training."

They spent the next two days on focused training, but Allister was getting worried. Aaden and his brains were developing and he knew that the time to succeed with a Bonding was coming to an end. But he had promised them that he would not try a three-way Bond unless he was positive about the outcome, and he still was not close to believing that he could successfully create one. It was possible that unless they acted soon that none of them would be Bonded to anyone. And that fear was eating away at his ability to use Perception.

Since he wasn't making much progress anyway, Allister sat back and watched Grayson and Aaden. Mr. Arbox had given each time assignments and hadn't been in class for two days. Allister saw that his friends were getting angry with each other and after a little while watching he realized why.

"Aaden, we became enemies because of the way I was acting. Do you remember? Can you tell me what I was doing?"

"You two became enemies?"

"Shut up Grayson, he was talking to me. You were, strange. You became assertive, and said stuff without thinking it through. You sounded like a lunatic at times. And you…" Aaden paused. "Just like Grayson and I are doing."

"You made me realize how I was being received. I had to be constantly on guard to not act or speak thoughtlessly. I still do, but now I constantly remind myself to use the Perception tools. To intentionally stop and think before I speak or act. There is something about learning Perception that causes that one to become more impulsive. You guys are both the same as I was. And it gets worse rapidly. You both need to review all that Mr. Arbox taught the first two days and apply each step. Otherwise, your training, and perhaps your friendship, will end."

"You've been quiet the last few days," Grayson said. "What's bothering you?"

"The Bonding. There is a time limit, and we're all developing."

"You mean you're starting to grow pubic hair?" They both had teased him about his loss of hair during sex play, and Allister knew it was meant as a joke, but it was an example of what was wrong, and he pointed it out to both of them.

They discussed it, rationally and without anger, for a change and Aaden and Grayson both accepted that they had changed and that it was hurting their relationship and their ability to work together. Once things had been decided and they'd made up with promises to use the tools, Aaden turned to Allister.

"You think we need to Bond? We're all developing skills and getting better every day. Well, except for you, but we'll help you focus again now that we have stopped being bitches."

Allister was surprised. "Don't you want to do the three-way Bond anymore?"

"More than before," Aaden answered. "I'm sorry. Right after promising not to act impulsively I spoke without thinking. I see now how hard it was for you. What I really meant to say was that if it is too late, or if it won't work, it isn't the end of the world. We still have each other. We don't need Fletcher or Grayson to increase our magical ability, not now that we know we have the spells within us already. But if we can make it work, yes, I very much want to do it."

"Me too," Grayson said. "The three-way first, but you and me only if we know we can't all Bond. And even if the three-way can't be done, Aaden will always be welcomed to be with us." He looked at Aaden and asked, "Fletcher?"

"They chose Fletcher to Bond with me. It wouldn't have been a bad choice, but I wanted, and still want, the three of us, so I said no for a while. I wonder why Mr. Arbox hasn't bothered us about doing it?"

"We need to work together to answer Mr. Barker's question. How did you know we could learn Perception? Maybe the key is you. Maybe anyone can learn but they need someone that has something you have to turn it on in their brain. Could it be as simple as because we're all gay?"

"I could answer that by asking Mr. Barker if he is gay," Allister said. "I don't think he is, but it does seem like a reasonable question. What else is different about me? What sets me apart from him, or from other students?"

"Your obvious lack of magic skills," Grayson said. Then he said, "Oops, I did it again. Spoke without thinking. And it is so completely wrong – just because you two were behind, I wasn't."

"Until you came here," Allister said. "Mr. Arbox said you were struggling with fourth-floor lessons, which he thought was because you loved me and missed me. Maybe there is something more than being apart that does it."

"You two work on that. Maybe the difference isn't you guys. Maybe it is the teacher."

"Can't be," Aaden said. "Grayson was learning Perception faster than I was and I had a head start on him. Mr. Barker could teach him. But he doesn't think he could teach him until you wanted him included. The key to this has to be you. Or our relationship. But it isn't the teacher. We'll work on that, but you need to get over your slump and get to work on it too. He didn't ask the question just to make us think. He needs to know the answer for another reason. Beyond having more students who can understand and use Perception."

Hearing Aaden say it was all Allister needed to get over his hump, put his fear aside, and get back to work answering the question: how did he know his friends would be able to learn Perception. And the answer was easy once he applied his skills to it. He didn't know. He choose them only because they were his friends and he wanted to Bond with both of them.

So was it random selection that they could learn Perception? It didn't seem likely if only one student every fifty years or so could. There had to be more at play. Something that made them unique. He sent a comm to Mr. Barker with one question – "Are you gay? Need to know for research."

The answer took longer than he expected. "Yes. But that doesn't matter. More wizards are gay than in the general population and I've trained every fourth-floor student since I've been an instructor."

Allister knew that didn't rule out being gay as a requirement, but if it was there had to be something else more unique. He could only think of one thing. Grayson and Aaden had both been to the stage where the Bonding spell was use. He guessed that very few students ever went there, and half of those who did were the ones who were giving up power to the other. So who did he know who had been there and was gay? He realized there was only one answer to that question. He asked Aaden if he knew whether or not Russ Ohmstead was gay. Russ was the boy who was bonded just before Aaden refused.

"Straight as an arrow," Aaden said. He blushed and admitted he'd approached Russ with offers of sex play and Russ had turned him down flat and looked like he was disgusted with the idea.

"But our dorm just got a newbie who is gay. He is actually enjoying the hazing part of opening his wardrobe and isn't even really trying to open his. Mike is at wits end trying to figure out how to motivate him into leaning the lesson. His name is Thomas Wentworth."

"Allister quickly sent another Comm to Mr. Barker asking if Thomas was taking Perception training and if so how he was doing. This time the answer came back quickly. "Yes, he is. And there is no hope he or any of the current boys I am teaching will ever get past the easiest steps. Why?"

Allister sent back his response. "Research. I need to have him visit the Bonding room. Can you arrange it? Not to have him be Bonded, I just need him to be in the room for a few minutes. Then report back on his progress with Perception training."

Mr. Barker came to the room Allister, Aaden, and Grayson were using two days later. "Thomas is suddenly making great leaps with Perception. What is your theory?"

"You were sent to be Bonded before you started to learn Perception, isn't that true?" Allister asked.

"No. I was in advanced studies before the first time I was ever in the room, and that was just done to satisfy my curiosity. And before you ask, no, my studies did not advance after I had been there."

Allister had been so sure he'd figured it out. Mr. Barker's answer proved him to be wrong.

"I see where you're going," Grayson said. "And I can see that you think you are wrong. But maybe not. You were able to learn Perception before you were there too. Maybe you and Mr. Barker and all the successful Perception students before him were just the random people who could learn it. Maybe anyone can as long as they meet the two requirements. Gay, and having visited the room. That's the only connection Aaden and I have. I was lost and bored in your class until after I was in the room to be Bonded with Allister."

"I think you also have to be young, with your brain still not solid," Aaden added. "I think it is related to the Bonding in that the visit has to occur before too much time passes."

"Bonding and ability to learn Perception are related," Allister said, nodding at Aaden to acknowledge his idea. "They both start in the same place except for a few very rare cases. And maybe being gay isn't even a requirement. But it answers the central question and can be tested quickly and easily."

"As you say, I can easily conduct the experiment," Mr. Barker said. "I want to get permission from the Directors first, but this is potentially such a big discovery that I'm positive I will get it. I just want to spend some time thinking about it to make sure that I don't harm any students."

"Where does that leave us?" Aaden asked.

"Ready to study what Bonding really does. How it works. What the spell looks like. And then answer the question that has been dragging me down for weeks – can a three-way Bond be created. I want to move fast on this."

"I'll do my best to convince Mr. Arbox to allow research, but he will never give permission until it has been studied to death. By the time he is convinced, if he ever is, you three will be too old by far to Bond. So, I will also take this to the Directors and see if I can convince them. There are two students selected for Bonding scheduled to go to the stage tomorrow. I will secure permission for the three of you to observe provided you give me your word that you will NOT try anything."

The three of them, hopeful for the first time in weeks, rapidly gave their word.

The next day at the Bonding ceremony, Allister was pleased to see that Thomas Wentworth was standing the back of the room. It would provide an answer to who could learn Perception.

Since he'd experienced it once before, he gave assignments to the other. Aaden was to focus his attention on one of the boys receiving the Bonding, Grayson the boy giving the Bond, while Allister wanted to devote his entire attention to Mr. Arbox. If they got to see two Bond events he wanted Grayson and Aaden to switch and he would study the magical devices that somehow focused what was passed onto Mr. Arbox.

Both of the boys present accepted being Bonded, and afterwards the trio meet back in the room they'd been using. Each spent time silently analyzing what they had seen and felt until they were all sure they could state what they'd learned from the basis of Perception and not from hope or excitement.

Aaden went first, stating that he too could see something he couldn't describe pass into the boy receiving and from the boy sending. Grayson wasn't able to add more than that. But Allister said that first it went into Mr. Arbox. "But this time I could see the whole spell, everything he was creating. I could also see flaws, places where the information exchange was not correctly done by Mr. Arbox and something in the room made it repeat.

"That's why the first one was so much longer than the second," Grayson said. "I was wondering about that."

"Yeah, it was like he forgot bits of the spell, but with something in the room pushing him he made changes and with the second boy he got it nearly perfect. Which makes me feel better about trying a three-way Bond. If it isn't right I think the room will try to make it right."

"So you think we can do it?" Aaden asked.

"I am much surer than before. I think we all need to sleep on it tonight."

"Of course, unless Mr. Barker can convince the Directors that this is important enough for them to take a chance, we'd have to do it without Mr. Arbox," Grayson said. "And without him, there may be nobody else who knows how to make the spell."

"I've been thinking about that and I was going to bring it up tomorrow, but I guess we'll talk about it now. I don't think it will work if Mr. Arbox is directing it from his point in the room. I think that the only way I can have a Bond with each of you is if I'm in his spot. Which means that I have to create the spell. I can't create the way wizards do, it is way too complicated for me to even think about trying. But I've seen it three times now, and I think I can do it by using Perception techniques."

"You think you can," Aaden said. "I want this, but I'm a little worried about you only thinking you can do it. We all agreed…"

"That we wouldn't try unless we were positive, which I still stand by. That means we aren't ready. I need to dwell on it, try and think of all the variables. But I'm sure I'm close."

"Something you said a minute ago confused me," Grayson said. "You said you wanted to Bond with me and Aaden. I thought the three of us were going to be Bonded."

"We might be. I don't know for sure what will happen. I've used Perception a dozen times to analyze it and I keep coming up with the Bonding needs to focus on me as I attempt to receive powers from each of you at the same time. My training tells me it might only be a three-way Bond for me. You two might be Bonded normally. Is that a game ender?"

"No, not at all," Grayson said. "Although I was kind of curious about what secrets Aaden has floating around inside his head. Especially about the two of you together." Grayson laughed, letting them know it wasn't jealously.

"Aaden, if it is just a two-way Bond for you, are you still good with it?"

"Yeah. But I was kind of hoping we'd all share the same brain. If I got some of Grayson's magic ability that'd be good. I can use all the help I can get. Especially if I'm going to give up some of my power to you."

"If I'm right, once we master Perception, we won't need magic spells. Remember, all the spells are already created and in our brain. We can use them with Perception and not through rote memorization."

The next afternoon Mr. Barker met with them. "Thomas Wentworth is suddenly understanding Perception. He was doing so poorly before that I allowed him to discontinue the class. Now he's already mastered the first day's material in just four hours. Being gay and being in the room when a Bonding takes place allows one to learn Perception. I'm astonished, and so are the Directors. That alone gave you a lot of bonus points for your request."

"Enough to be allowed to try?" Allister asked. "We're getting older minute-by-minute."

"I made them aware of that. They want to discuss it. They already are concerned that Mr. Arbox might refuse to be part of it even if they do allow you to try."

"About that," Allister said. He caught Mr. Barker up on what they had learned from the two Bonding's they'd been allowed to witness.

"That sounds even more strange," Mr. Barker said. "It's never been done without Mr. Arbox or the ones who came before him. That may make getting approval more difficult. You're not saying that just because you think Mr. Arbox might not help, are you?"

"No. In fact, I'd like him to be there in case I need help. I would even like some training from him. I'd like to try the spell in the room with no participants there. I need him, just not for making the Bond."

"I think that maybe it is time for you, me, and Mr. Arbox to meet with the Directors together and see what becomes of this. As you say, you three aren't getting any younger. Let me see if we can meet tomorrow morning."

Allister was scared to meet the Directors, so much so that he almost couldn't talk. But Mr. Barker told him how important it was for him to present his findings and reminded him how to calm himself with Perception skills. By the time he was called upon, he was ready.

The meeting lasted most of the day. To everyone's surprise, once Allister and Mr. Barker presented their case, Mr. Arbox was on board. One of the Directors even questioned him about it.

"The fact that Allister wants training and practice tells me this isn't some boyish whimsy that I thought it was weeks ago. This is serious, and he is taking it seriously. If successful, we may learn a lot from it that other schools don't know."

"We need the other two boys here," another Director said. "Bring them in."

Mr. Arbox did it, hoping that they were dressed and not sharing a moment together. When they arrived, he was relieved to see they were even in a complete uniform.

"I have one question that each of you must answer," the Director said. "What you want to attempt could mean the death or worse for one or more of you, something that would hurt the school. Wizards are rare, even those who need to be Bonded to continue are valuable to us. Are you willing to risk yourself in this attempt?"

"I am, Director Alms," Allister said when she pointed at him.

"Yes. Completely. I want this and I believe in Allister and trust him." Grayson put as much resolve as he could into his voice.

"Same for me," Aaden said to finish her question.

"Then we need to meet and vote. Please wait in the room outside until we make a decision."

The waiting lasted longer than any of the three of them guessed. Finally, they were summoned back into the Director's meeting room.

"I demanded unity in our response and after much discussion I got it. We have all voted in favor of continuing. Mr. Arbox, begin training Allister immediately. And when you think he is ready, I want one of us there for the practice. If that goes well, we will allow you to attempt the Bonding you wish to try."

With that, they were all dismissed.

13. Certain Death

Allister was glad for the training, for he had not seen as much of the spell as he had thought. Mr. Arbox pushed him to his limits to see the tiny bits and pieces, making it clear that he had but once chance to achieve his dream.

During his training, Grayson and Aaden were able to attend another Bonding session. And they were joined in their training by Thomas Wentworth, who no longer needed to sit through Mr. Barker's class for those who would never learn Perception. They helped him learn a new way to create the spells he had struggled so hard to learn on the third floor. And they teased him relentlessly about his nudity and nearly constant boners until he decided to try and figure out how to open his wardrobe. For them, it was free sex play, something that took their mind off the danger that lay ahead.

Once Mr. Arbox felt that Allister had seen all the nuances of the spell, he allowed a practice session where Allister would try to create the spell himself. They both were fully aware that he could not create the spell the same way Mr. Arbox did, he would have to be able to control a thousand things at least. "Since as far as we know nobody has even attempted this, it could be far more difficult than the Bonding that I perform," he said. "It could bring death. I don't want that to interfere with your training, but you need to have that realization before you continue. You have to be positive."

"I have to believe," Allister responded. "I've given a lot of thought to the source and creation of magic, and much of it seems to be in the belief. The first day you brought me he I couldn't see anything but a wall, because I believed it to be a wall, nothing more. Later, I used Perception to realize that some walls were more than wall – no, less than walls. And I remember believing that they were not there. At that moment, I saw through the wall to the stairs leading to the fourth floor."

But his first and subsequent spells failed to form, even though he knew he believed. Feeling defeated, he returned to the room where Aaden and Grayson waited for him. He told them of his failure. "I think we should abandon the path we are on and do a normal Bonding before even that is too late," he said.

"It isn't like you to give up this easily," Aaden said. "Maybe you need to rest for a day. Maybe you need to work with Thomas – that would help you remember your Perception training. Mr. Arbox is training you to create the most difficult spell he knows. Of course you failed a few times."

"Even if I can do better, it is still too dangerous. If I screw up even a tiny part trying it with you guys then it is certain death. I need to know that I can at least make a part of the spell, the part that begins the Bonding, before I go any further. And I've tried several times and failed each time."

"Did you try it in the room?" Grayson asked. "You said once before that you believed Mr. Arbox couldn't create the spell unless he was in the room."

"But he can create it, in his office. He did it several times. I couldn't."

"He made a simile of the spell," Aaden said. "But without two candidates, not all the pieces would come up. It couldn't have been the real spell."

"Do it in the room," Grayson said. When he saw the doubt expressed on Allister's face, he added, "What would be the harm? It costs another hour, that's all. And get back to believing you can do it or you're right, we may as well give up now."

"And Grayson and I won't let you give up until you've proved to us that you can't do it. We're not there yet."

He noticed Thomas for the first time. "Does he know what we're doing?"

"He knows enough to know it is dangerous. And he's not doing as well learning Perception as Grayson and I did. There is something else missing from our assessment of what it takes to become a Perceptionist."

Allister decided that maybe he did need a break. A short one, time was flying past. It might already be too late. He decided to work with Thomas and see for himself where the boy was having trouble. After all, the report they'd gotten from Mr. Barker was that he was sailing through the class.

It only took him an hour to see one problem. Thomas was in love with Aaden. He was distracted every time Aaden moved or spoke. He had no focus except for Aaden. Allister decided he needed to address it head on.

"You like Aaden," he began. "Like him in the same way I do." Thomas blushed and turned away from him. "No, don't turn away, we need to talk about this. I'm not angry with you."

"But you two are going to be Bonded," he said. He turned back and Allister saw a few tears.

"Maybe. Only if I can make it work." He knew then he had to figure out if this was a real love problem or if Thomas simply had a crush on Aaden. He hoped for the later because he already knew the number of variables increased exponentially with the number of people being Bonded. He wasn't even sure if he would ever be able to handle a three-way Bond. A four-way would be out of the question. Yet if he was in love, true love, like he felt for Aaden, then being left alone would forever haunt Thomas.

"Is Aaden the first boy you've felt this way about?"

Thomas blushed even a deeper shade. "There was a boy in my school. Before I came here. I tried, uh, I made a mistake and thought he liked me too. He didn't. It didn't turn out well."

"So just the one boy? And now Aaden?"

"No, I guess there was Greg on third-floor. He and I were doing a lot of stuff. He was moving along with his studies, he probably will be on this floor soon. He helped me, or tried to help me, with my magic, but I just couldn't get it. And now I feel kind of lost without him."

Allister didn't trust his ability to send a Comm with something this important, so he sent it to Grayson for him to send. "Find out if a third-floor student named Greg has suddenly stopped advancing in his studies. Need to know right away."

He saw Grayson look at him and nod. A few minutes later he came over. "Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Arbox is worried about a boy on third floor who was doing really well and suddenly stopped progressing. He wants to know if the boy would be a good candidate. The boy's name is Greg. Do either of you know him?"

The change in Thomas' face showed how much he and Greg had been involved with each other. "I, uh, I know Greg. We were just talking about him. Is he okay? What would he be a good candidate for?"

"I don't know yet," Grayson said. "All I know is that something happened a few days ago that has him very upset and he was about to be sent to this floor, but now Mr. Arbox doesn't think he's ready."

"Could I go and see him? Can you guys make that possible? I'm sure I could help him."

"I think maybe you could," Allister said. "You have been taught all the basic Perception techniques. Maybe you could practice them back on third floor. I don't know if you'd have to pass the wardrobe test again or not, so there is a risk."

"I'll take any risk. I'll do anything. I can study on my own."

Allister was satisfied. Aaden was a substitute for Thomas' true love, and it had been more than just two boys experimenting. "Grayson, would you see if Mr. Arbox will approve it? We'd hate to lose you here, but you aren't making any progress here anyway."

Mr. Arbox showed up shortly after being notified. "Thomas, I'm afraid I was right, you aren't ready for this floor yet. I'm going to have to take you back to third floor. You'll have to leave that uniform here and earn your third-floor uniform again. Tell your friends goodbye for now."

Allister felt his dick harden as Thomas slowly removed his uniform with obvious embarrassment. Once he was naked, Mr. Arbox teleported them both. A few minutes later Mr. Arbox returned.

"Allister, I'm not going to tell the directors that I have confidence in your ability to attempt a three-way Bond until you can successfully perform a two-way Bond. And I won't let you attempt that until you can create the entire spell. So we'll go back to training and practicing until either you are successful or the three of you agree to Bond as I originally proposed."

"I want to try it in the room," Allister said. "And I'd like Grayson and Aaden there to watch."

"I've told you, there isn't anything special about the room except for the calming spells and the fact that there are no distractions. No outside noise, no people moving, things like that. But perhaps that will help you to focus. If we do it in the room, are you ready to try it now or do you want more training first? This is likely to be your last attempt. If we are going to do a Bonding we need to do it soon. Very soon."

"Then let me try it now. More training won't help. Grayson and Aaden both think the room will help, and I trust their belief. We're ready to teleport there now."

"Let me bring you, I don't want you using any of the small amount of magical ability you have just getting to the room."

Allister wanted to tell him that he didn't use his magic ability but decided it didn't matter. They all met in the room. "I don't want you two anywhere near the marks on the stage," Mr. Arbox said to Grayson and Aaden. "In fact, stand back from the stage completely. I don't want this to go horribly wrong."

Allister moved to where Mr. Arbox normally stood when he presided over a Bonding. He could feel the calming spells working as he began to use his Perception to call the spell out. As he did, he could see tiny flaws and corrected them as the building of the spell continued. He knew he'd already passed far beyond what he had done in Mr. Arbox's office, yet still it wasn't perfect. His Perception had never been as bright and guiding as it was right then. Sweat was pouring down his face from the effort of making the spell perfect.

And then he stopped. The spell was there, searching for candidates. He felt a sudden connection with Grayson. He began to see parts of Grayson's life and understood what that meant. He ended the spell before it began to Bond Grayson to someone else in the room.

"Okay, that was surprisingly perfect," Mr. Arbox said. "You are, well, words escape me. It took me years of practice to master that spell. I am now ready to risk the life of two promising students."

"Three of us," Allister said.

"No, first, just two. It is time to Bond Thomas with Greg. Before I let you try what you want, you are going to conduct the ceremony. But only if you are willing and feel you are ready. If it goes wrong you know the chances of both surviving are poor. It is a great risk, but not as great as losing the three of you. I need you to rest for at least a day before we try. Are you up to it?"

"Yes. As soon as you will allow it. For the first time, I believe I can do this. And that is very important to my success."

The went back to the room they'd been using. "I don't want distractions in the dorm to bother you, so I'm going to move your bed in here. I want to use magic to put you to sleep so that you get a good, long, and undisturbed rest. I know you want to be with Grayson and Aaden, but I fear they would be a distraction. Tomorrow will be a very important day if the two boys agree to be Bonded. I'm going to talk about it with them tonight."

A bed, more specifically, Allister's bed, appeared in the room. "You sure they can't stay and keep me company?" Allister asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I want you to rest, not to talk. Or other stuff. And I don't want you laying awake with worries, so I'm going to use magic to put you to sleep. Get in bed."

This time Allister felt embarrassed to undress. Mr. Arbox conveniently found something else to look at, but Grayson and Aaden were both smirking and adjusting their dicks as he removed his uniform. Once he was naked he got under the covers as fast as he could.

"I'll see you in the morning after breakfast," Mr. Arbox said. He walked over to Allister and touched him on the forehead. Allister fell asleep immediately."

"I want to learn that spell," Grayson said.

"We don't teach it to students for a good reason. Only staff get taught how to create it. Now you two, out of here. Go to your dorm. If there is to be a Bonding ceremony tomorrow I want you both there to witness it. I hope it goes well."

Allister woke early in the morning feeling rested and confident for the first time in weeks. He saw it was only five in the morning, other boys wouldn't be stirring for an hour yet. He spent part of the time taking care of some personal business involving his dick.

He could barely eat at breakfast, and chose his food carefully. He was nervous. For the first time the enormity of what he was about to attempt was getting to him. If he screwed up he could kill two students. Or something worse, even if he still didn't know what could be worse. He started using all the calming spells he could summon.

Mr. Arbox brought all three of them to his office as soon as they were done with breakfast. "Thomas and Greg have agreed to be Bonded, and know that you are going to conduct the ceremony. Remember, the first thing you must do is make sure that they really want to take the risk. Remind them that it can't be undone. Their minds must be fully made up to accept it or it will fail. Take as much time as you need to be sure. And if you are not sure, don't try it. You still feel like you're ready?"

"I'm still just as confident as I was yesterday, but now that I'm about to try it I'm pretty scared."

"I'm glad. If you weren't I wouldn't allow you to continue. It is an enormous task. We'll get started in about an hour. If you want to go to the room and using the calming spells there that will help. I'll teleport the three of you when you are ready."

Allister turned and looked at Grayson and Aaden, who both nodded. "We're ready now." A moment later the three of them were in the room.

His friends gave him words of encouragement and they also used calming spells. One thing remained, Grayson's calming spell had a much greater affect than Aaden's. That meant that there was still a difference between using magic and using Perception and that put a new concern in Allister' mind for him to overcome.

Right on schedule, Mr. Arbox, two of the Directors, Thomas, and Greg came in. Mr. Arbox looked directly into Allister's eyes and said, "Please don't do this unless you are positive you can master it. If you feel it starting to go wrong, break the spell and I'll try to take over. But don't go too far or breaking it will cause more damage than continuing. I can see both confidence and fear in your eyes. Which one is in your heart?"

Allister used Perception skills to do the last stage of calming. "Confidence," he said firmly. "I can do this."

"Good. Then you have my permission. You've seen the ceremony and we've practiced it. Follow the procedure and make sure they are both fully open to the idea. And know that I am not ordered to allow this, I have confidence you can and will succeed."

That statement did more to remove doubt from his mind than any of the calming spell. Allister moved to the correct spot and had Greg and Thomas move to their spots. Then he followed the ritual even though he didn't think it was necessary.

Both boys were fully willing to commit to the Bond. The preliminaries were done. It was time to create the spell. Allister was tempted to use magic but knew he still had nowhere near the ability. He used Perception, concentrating on each variable one at a time, containing all the possibilities to just one path. He felt the guidance the room gave him when he missed something or made a mistake. It seemed to be taking forever, but finally he began to receive memories from Greg. Some of the memories were heartbreaking, the boy had been through a lot more than Allister had been. But some of the memories were good ones. Allister experienced Greg's first sexual experience and felt his own dick start to rise. He spent a moment re-directing his focus back to the spell.

Once he had them all of Greg's memories contained, the memories of Thomas began to flow. Allister had to go slow and make sure he was containing each one. When he was ready, he created the last of the magic. Only he knew that most of what he did was done by the room itself.

The memories flowed out of him and into each boy. Once the flow was over the spell ended. Allister nearly fell over. He had never felt so weak and drawn out. He saw that his uniform was soaked with sweat. But he also saw a smile on Mr. Arbox's face. He'd successfully Bonded two boys.

"It's not as easy as it looks," he said to Allister with a smile. "What you need now is water, a shower, a clean uniform, and then food. I'll have the cafeteria open early. Then I want you to practice again. Take tomorrow off and the three of you decide if you want to proceed. If so, we'll do it the day after. If not, I'll conduct a Bonding ceremony for you and Aaden and you can both pick who you want to Bond with, pending their approval of course."

"I can't believe you did it," Grayson said as he pounded Allister on the back. "That was awesome!"

"Let's all take a shower," Aaden said hopeful for more than a shower. "The other guys won't be out of class for an hour yet."

"You guys have fun, I have to pass. That was so physically exhausting there is no way I can participate in play. But that doesn't mean you guys can't have some fun. I like that my Bonding partners enjoy each other's company."

"Hey, about that," Grayson said. "Don't lose any sleep over my decision. I'm still backing you all the way. Nothing I saw changed how I feel."

Aaden said much the same thing. Allister showered while the other two got soapy and down on the floor, heads in opposite directions, and enjoyed themselves. They didn't even notice when Allister left.

He took the practice seriously, and asked if there was anything that could be done to increase his endurance. Mr. Arbox said, "Running." He saw the look on Allister's face and said, "I'm serious. But it's too late now to build up your endurance that way. I could enhance it, but that was tried once and the Bonding didn't work, so we have a rule against it. My best advice is rest as much as you can, drink nothing but water, and eat. The kitchen is making what Aaden said is your favorite. By the way, Aaden and Grayson said they are in agreement to attempt the type of Bond you want, and you have the Director's permission to try. You would not get that unless they felt that the chances for success were favorable enough to risk losing three talented boys. Be proud, I never in my life thought you would achieve so much so fast."

Two days later a very somber Allister led his two friends to the Bonding room. He directed them on where exactly to stand. "If I feel that I can't do it or that something is wrong, or if the spell doesn't extend the way I expect, I'll end it. I will place life and soul over Bonding," he said to them.

Once they were in position, Allister readied himself. He went through the routine even though he thought most of it was based in superstition rather than in magic. He asked the questions, and listened carefully to the tone behind the answers. Satisfied that Grayson and Aaden were solidly in favor, he began to picture the spell and control the variables.

This time he sensed a difference in the spell he was creating. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mr. Arbox take a step forward and knew that he saw it too. But he let that slip out of his mind and focused only one creating two Bonds at once, one focused on Grayson and the other on him. He let the spell draw his life force from his body while Aaden's was being drawn from his.

The spell was far more complicated and much more difficult to maintain. As Aaden's memories flooded into him he felt himself being lost in Grayson. He dropped to his knees, unable to stand as he maintained control over the powerful magic.

But he had confidence when he realized that whatever was in the room was helping him, showing him errors and corrections. But it was still very demanding. He felt that it was never going to end. He could feel that he was getting light headed and about to collapse when suddenly he felt a surge of magical power and he saw that Grayson was helping. Grayson was actually helping to control the variables of the spell.

Grayson's magic was much stronger than his, but the spell was not created from magic; he had created it from Perception – drawing it up from nothing. But he sensed that Grayson's Perception ability had increased and that he was actually helping to control the Bond between him and Allister.

Allister decided the only path to success was to trust in Grayson and turn his focus on the Bond between him and Aaden. It was a struggle to just to keep from blacking out, but because of the training he had done he saw that he was able to give himself strength from magic and allow his Perception to work on the Bond.

But there was a limit, and he knew he was fast approaching it. The spell wasn't done yet, but he had reached his limit. It was too much for him. He thought about backing out, but couldn't control the variables enough to do it safely. With a final desperate effort, he moved the Bonding to the next step, but that had taken all he had. He lost control over the Bond and fell to the floor.

14. Life or Death

"How are you doing sleepyhead," Aaden said as Allister woke up. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in the infirmary. A sudden panic hit him.

"Where's Grayson? Did he survive? Did I hurt any of us? I'm so sorry, I never should have tried."

"Grayson had to go take a piss. And what are you sorry about?"

"Not being strong enough. I couldn't complete the Bonding. It fell apart before I was done."

"Lucky for us you gave us enough of your Perception ability for Grayson and I to each take control of portions of it. We wish we'd had the training you had, that would have given us better direction, but the room helped us sort it out. But I'm sorry to give you some bad news."

"It wasn't enough? We failed? But at least we're all okay, right?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but Grayson and I are okay. And the bad news is that the three of us are stuck together for life. The three-way Bond worked. And my magic is much stronger. Grayson and I have much more ability in Perception. So, we were a little worried about you when we couldn't wake you. You know, if you died it would suck for us. But you didn't."

"It worked? Really worked?"

"Better than we thought. All three of us are Bonded to each other, not just you to Grayson and me to you. Grayson and I are Bonded too. And we're both happy about that."

Allister considered himself for the first time since waking up and realized that he did feel much more capable at creating magic from the memorization process. He also felt famished. "Is there anything to eat?"

"Yeah, the cafeteria on this floor is run by magic so it never closes. If you're strong enough I'll take you there."

Allister needed his help just to get out of bed. "Where's my clothes?" he asked once he realized he was naked.

"Fourth-floor uniforms don't do you any good here. And let's get food before you even think about opening your wardrobe. If you thought the others were hard to open, you ain't seen nothing yet."

Allister looked closer at Aaden. "That's a supervisor's uniform you have on!"

"Well, Not quite. It gives us some supervisor abilities, but not all. We're in the same status as Mr. Shepard. Welcome to the sixth floor. It allows us to leave the school. Once you're on your feet we plan on going home. Each of our homes, together. But I suppose we'll have to wait until you can get your uniform out of your wardrobe." Aaden kept had arm around Allister as he led him towards the cafeteria. Grayson was on his way back when he saw them and joined them.

"Why is he naked?"

"He doesn't have the strength to figure out how to open his wardrobe," Aaden said.

"But…"

"Just let it be. We'll help him figure it out later, after we eat."

Allister noticed he was getting a lot of stares from other supervisors they passed in the hallways, but Aaden told him that was just because they were so young. "They've never seen a thirteen-year-old junior supervisor before. Most of the guys here are in their late teens or early twenties." With Aaden's arm helping to hold him up they were able to pass through all the doors. "You sit, I'll get your favorites."

"Did you have trouble opening your wardrobe?" Grayson asked when Aaden went to get food.

"I haven't tried. Aaden said it is much more difficult than on the lower floors. I don't think I have the strength for puzzles. Tell me the secret so I don't have to be escorted everywhere."

"I think that Aaden is having some fun," Grayson said. "I'll tell you the secret as soon as we get back to our room."

Allister took comfort in that. He ate all the food Aaden brought back and felt better. Stronger. And he could feel the Bond. He started sorting through all the memories he had received.

"I, uh, I know everything about you guys," he said. "It's as though I lived your life. That isn't how the Bond works."

"This one was different, and almost too much," Grayson said. "They won't let it be tried again, at least not soon. I also have all of your memories, but the only ones I have of Aaden are the ones that shaped his life."

"And the same for me. All of yours, but only the important ones of Grayson. Grayson and I are Bonded, but it is a normal Bond. But both of us are Bonded to you, and that Bond is much stronger. It's strange, and we have used Perception to try and understand it."

"I'm full. Let's go to the dorm. I want to get my wardrobe open. I don't want to be naked and have to be escorted everywhere."

"It isn't a dorm this time," Aaden said. "We have a private room. Just the three of us. And we each have our own bedrooms. But there is always room for more than one in a bedroom." They took him to the room.

"Okay, here's the secret to opening the wardrobe, just as I promised," Grayson said when they got there. "You have to give a blowjob to the one you are Bonded to. Only, not a half-hearted one, it has to be your best effort to bring maximum enjoyment to your partner. Until you can do that, you won't be able to open your wardrobe."

"And, since you are Bonded to each of us, you need to do them at the same time. You tried once before, remember? This time you have to do it a lot better or it won't work." Aaden and Grayson began removing their uniforms. "Give it a try," Aaden said.

Allister did all he could to take the two dicks into his mouth. And more than that, to give each of them his greatest effort. He used every tool he had learned through blowjobs he had given and received since he'd been there. And he was able to make them both cum at the same time.

"There, how was that?" he asked excitedly when he was done.

"I don't know, it might take a few tries," Grayson said, doing his best to look disappointed.

Allister ran to his wardrobe. "Stop!" Aaden said. "If it you try to open it and it doesn't work, you can't try again for three days. You might want to consider trying to satisfy us and see if you can do a better job before you try to open that."

"Are you sure it wasn't good enough?"

"It's up to you," Grayson said. "But he's right, if it wasn't good enough you'll have to wait for days before you can try again. We'd tell you if we thought it would be enough."

Allister backed away from his wardrobe. "I, uh, I did my best. What part of it wasn't good enough?"

"I shot too soon," Grayson said.

"You didn't have all of my dick in your mouth," Aaden said.

"But with you two side-by-side there isn't room to get all of it in."

"Look, we'll work with you, but try harder."

Allister looked at them and said, "Okay, but this better work." This time he used Perception to understand what made a blowjob feel so good. And he realized that as he started he could sense what was in Aaden and Grayson's mind. He started to pull their feelings as he sucked on their dicks, only he got a sense from both of them that their enjoyment was coming from more than the duel blowjob he was giving.

He focused his Perception on just what made them enjoy the erotic sensations and did everything that increased that pleasure. This time, when they shot, it lasted longer and produced more semen and for them, more pleasure.

"Oh, shit, that was extreme!" Grayson said. "I'll have to remember to use Perception."

"You think we should tell him the last part of the secret to open the wardrobe?" Aaden asked.

"You don't need to," Allister said. "I saw it when you both shot. There is no lock on the wardrobe. You tricked me into giving you each a blowjob." Allister was momentarily angry, but then thought about how much he liked the two of them. "You owe me. Each of you. And it better be as good as what I did."

"Nobody could suck dick as good as you did," Aaden said with a smile. "Sorry for the trick."

"It wasn't just a trick, it was an assignment," Grayson said. "Could you feel my thoughts?" he asked Aaden.

"Not directly, but through Allister. And even though he's a little pissed at us, he enjoyed it too. Let's take a shower before we get dressed."

Junior Supervisor duties kept them busy, but not as busy as they had been as students. They were now free to meet with some of their old friends who were now on the fifth floor. Allister (Mr. Granger now to students) helped select likely students for Mr. Barker's Perception class.

Grayson was doing research on combining Perception and magic. Aaden was the new fourth-floor supervisor. But they had nights and weekends off to spend with each other. They traveled together to each of their homes, where they kept the school's secret and talked about fine arts. It was strange for Allister to meet Grayson and Aaden's parents since he knew them as if they were his parents. And they were aware that they didn't travel alone. Two men traveled with them, staying the background, providing protection should they need it. Both the men were specialists in offensive spell casting.

They learned that the world was far more dangerous than they had ever suspected as they all worked on improving security for the school so that a Perception student would no longer be able to break it. They were introduced to a few people from another school, and they learned that there were several schools of magic, some friendly, some indifferent, and some dangerous. They learned how to hide their magic while at the same time trying to detect the use of magic when they were out and about. But their lives involved each other. The Bond was important to each of them for different reasons, but their love for each other mattered more.

The End

The adventures of Allister, Grayson and Aaden continue in
The Last Wizards