The bidders gather

Emilia the Red was gathering her thoughts in the Mage College library when word of Eilwy's capture arrived, travelling through the halls amongst the students and professors with an almost tangible ripple. Faces grinned with disbelief and amusement - the Black Reaver was one of the most feared mages in the lands, and many at the college had been on her bad side over the years.

Emilia had particular reasons to be excited. She was a young mage, still only in her early twenties, and had spent a year as Eilwy's apprentice when she was nineteen. It had not been a pleasant experience. Eilwy had not been a kind mistress, and barely a day had gone by when Emilia hadn't cursed her name. It wasn't just that Eilwy had mocked her magic powers (although that certainly stung); it was that Eilwy had refused to take her at all seriously, claiming (with some truth) that she was only there because of her rich parents and that she wasn't a proper enchantress at all. When it came to buying her first robe, Eilwy had taken her to a sex shop and made her get a skimpy mage's fantasy outfit more suited to a noble's bedchamber - and she'd made her wear it too, in front of visitors no less! Whilst the years had been good for Emilia since she left Eilwy's service, mainly because of the wealth at her disposal, she had never forgotten that grudge.

Even though the library was dry and dull, she felt her face heating up with excitement and her nipples hardening, unbidden, in her robe. Her book lay in front of her, now long forgotten. Eilwy would go for a good price, of course, but Emelia came from one of the richest families in the lands. She could afford it. And what would it do for her reputation, to have the mighty Black Reaver at her mercy? Maybe people would stop questioning Emilia's own powers for once! Mind made up, Emilia jumped up and ran to the door.

At the same time, in the brothels of Akn-Reibar's Western Quarter, the mage Deprecia heard tale of Eilwy's capture with a smile. Over the years, Deprecia had united the whorehouses under one power, herself, using threats and ****, and was now a significant **** to be reckoned with. Her favorite tactic now for dealing with enemies was to capture them, their wives, or their daughters, and **** them to spend a few days earning money in one of her houses. It was astonishing how quickly people fell into line when they wanted to keep such activities quiet!

Deprecia's main source of income, however, was from exotic whores. These were high profile captive, named and often feared, and now **** to provide sexual favours in return for vast sums of money. Her highest profile offerings included Illista the Paladin, once a scourge of evil on the roads, and Mychra Black-Armour, who once terrorised the whole of the eastern coast but was now reduced to looking small and cute in a series of transparent blue negligees. Her most recent acquisition, a pompous ambassador from the Peldine Empire, was of a slightly lower order, but would no doubt still gain quite a lot of interest from those with a grudge. And what if the mighty Black Reaver could be added to the list...? It was a tempting thought. She'd be an expensive purchase, but well worth it!

And in the Temple of the Sun-King, the High Priest Gandalor looked to the skies and offered his thanks. The Black Reaver had once done a serious, unspeakable harm to the temple, and the opportunity to bring her back to the place of her transgression for a little... punishment... was a blessing from the gods themselves.

In fact, all around the city a buzz arose, far beyond even Slith's wildest expectations. Eilwy had many enemies who would delight in finally seeing the Enchantress defeated and shamed!