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When I woke from my afternoon slumber, the pain between my legs was completely gone. I don't know if it was my magic that healed it, the magic of the Phallum, Morgan's magic or even the oil she used that may have had some medicinal properties. The pain was just gone, but I still didn't feel different, having had my maidenhood taken to be stored. Just a little awkward with the idea.
It was still raining, the final storm of autumn washing over the land, watering the fields and trees one last time before winter covered the north in snow. I met Morgan in the bathing chamber as instructed. Surprisingly enough, she was soaking in the pool alone, with no Knight to be seen, her eyes closed in silent meditation. I knew she sensed me approach so knocking seemed redundant.
"How are you feeling, my dear?" Morgan inquired, slowly opening her eyes.
"Well rested."
"Good. Come join me."
I stripped and entered the pool, relaxing into the warm oils. But something inside me felt uneasy. We sat there silently for a few moments before Morgan finally spoke.
“Tomorrow we’ll leave for Ironfall right after breakfast. I am not a fan of early mornings, but the horses will be fresh, and I hope to be home by noon,” she planned aloud. “I have some meetings this evening, and some things to pack, but to make sure you’re not overly bored in the meanwhile, I left a few books on your bed to browse through. A few of them are spellbooks.”
“Really?” I exclaimed, almost jumping out of the water. “All by myself?”
Spellbooks and magical objects were kept under lock and key in the Initiate’s College. The only times we could see or touch them was when our teachers were present and were instructing us. Without power, there was nothing we could do with the knowledge, but we were still never left alone with a spellbook. Not even a basic one of practical spells.
Morgan smiled and lifted her leg from the water, watching steam rise from her skin. “All by yourself, Little One. I trust you will find a few spells to copy to your own book, and many questions to ask me on our way southwest.”
I smiled at Morgan and didn’t even try to hide my impatience. “May I… Go read them now?”
The Mistress laughed, leaning her head back. “You are an eager one!”
I laughed and blushed. Despite my excitement, that nagging uneasiness remained. Morgan was hiding something from me and I sensed it.
“Well, I can’t blame you,” she added. “I will have one of the boys bring you dinner to your room.”
As promised, the books awaited me when I got to my little room. I charged the pile of tomes with a passion. A few of the books were filled with detailed practical magic spells, like the ones I’d read in the College. Many of them already appeared in my spell-book from my studies, while others were interesting and new. Copying the spells was so much easier now that I could use magic to do it. The symbols simply spilled from my mind onto the paper in much better organized lines and prettier symbols than I could write in ink.
The first spell I inscribed was the first one I witnessed Morgan cast. The untangling of ropes was only one application of this simple but useful spell to spin things apart. The other spells, like the Sight Wisp and the outfit upgrades, were more complex and had spell components I had never seen before. I made note to ask for Morgan’s help in learning them.
Another book focused on healing and body alterations. I spent at least half an hour spinning spells around my nose to try and get it to look just the way I wanted. I realized it was hardly an effective use of my Power, and mentally scolded myself for the waste. There was really nothing about my nose that demanded magical alteration and I was just being vain.
The most interesting book in the pile wasn’t really a spellbook, but a copy of one of the holiest scrolls of the Sisterhood – The Scroll of Goddesses. It was a collection of legends and prophecies written in an enchanted cipher of the ancient symbol language of magic. Reading it was exhausting as I had to not only make the connection between spell components in the book and concepts in the real world for any of it to make sense, but I had to maintain the spell that would allow me to even see the writing on the pages. I was so focused on that book, I barely touched the dinner Draken delivered to my room. I thanked him and hurried back to the mysteries that awaited between the worn book covers. He smiled almost knowingly; Morgan must have dismissed him in a hurry in favor of her duties and studies more than once or twice.
I only managed to read two of the chapters in the thick tome before my head began to ache and my Power started draining faster, burned away by my lack of practical experience as a mage. The first was a retelling of the story of the creation of the world and the colors and continents in it, as an allegory of the love between the Mother and Father of the world.
The Mother and Father of the world birthed Greenhome first – the continent where I was born.Blessed with Magic and abundant natural resources, it was made with pure joy. Second, came the Greylands – the continent of warriors and smiths dedicated to the working of metals and hateful toward my magical kind. It was then The Mother realized The Father began to change, like metal in the flames. Her anger dried a continent in the ocean and she birthed the barren islands of Yellow Sands. Father’s rage burned across the southern edge of the world, creating the Red Mountains – a treacherous land of volcanoes and legendary beasts that lived in the flames. Knowing she had lost him forever, the Mother birthed her last – The Blue Plains and White Mountains--the frozen continent of the north no one has ever returned from.
Before Mother froze herself in the Great Glaciers of the Blue Plains, it was she who bestowed the Second Gift on the kind women of Greenhome so they would guard the delicate balance she could not. Father, broken by her departure, threw himself into the volcanoes of the Red Mountains, waiting for the return of his love.
I was certain there was more to the love story and surrounding tales than I could comprehend, as I was mostly learning how to read this text by connecting what I deciphered somehow to a story I already knew.
The second legend was about Keana The Red, the first Mistress and Queen who united the houses and families of the Kingdom and created the first circles of the Sisterhood. The legend bore little resemblance to what I was taught in the college as historical fact. The Scroll did not describe Keana The Red as the brave warrior and skilled temptress the Lady Mothers would have the initiates believe, but as a ruthless murderer who thrived on the pain of those she had slain. I wondered what Morgan would have to say about the difference in versions. Perhaps it was I who read the enchanted text wrong?
I strained and focused as hard as I could on reading on to the Legend of Lilith, the Goddess after whom I was named, but soon my mind was begging for me to stop. It was only then that I noticed the gentle light of dawn peeking through the window above the bed. Did I really stay up all night reading? I quickly piled the books on my bed-stand and welcomed a dreamless sleep.
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My endless gratitude to the wonderful ladies (and gents) at @isleofwrite(and an extra THANK YOU to @jrhughes , my shoulder to whine on) for reviewing, editing and holding my shaky hand. Special mention of @bluefinstudios for the magnificent comment on the previous chapter.
No, I have yet to find the time to record the chapters and upload to @dsound or another audiobook platform I can link to here. If it's any consolation, I plan to go on a writing retreat at the end of next week to type up at least a few chapters while enjoying the spring in Northern Israel. Also, my apologies for the short chapter - Steemit is not a very forgiving medium for serializing books, and I am not great at finding points to end chapters.
Make sure to follow @mistress and catch the next chapter (hopefully) next Saturday!