Issue 1: Loophole

The raven-haired magical maestra sits back at her desk, looking over her certified copy of Covenant - the contract between her ancestors and the demon Zorantaur of about twelve centuries ago. Magical power, essentially unlimited wealth, and a perfectly loyal lifelong servant for the signatory Blackhearts and all of their direct descendants for as long as they live… and as each member of the family passes beyond the veil, the demon drags their souls back to his realm, where they are **** to serve and feed the demon for the rest of eternity. A lifetime of power and luxury now for an eternity of torturous servitude later.

Fantasia shakes her head again, having read the contract for perhaps the thousandth time, looking for an escape clause or loophole that just wasn't there, “Because my… however many ‘great’ grandparents signed, I am bound to this bad deal. Ugh. The real kick is the clause preventing the use of contraceptives and abortion… magically binding, of course: The pill has no effect, rubbers break at that critical moment, surgical procedures mysteriously heal, the scheduled doctor falls ill, and so on. The bloody demon is farming us like cattle for the slaughter.”

She smiles darkly, “But I still have free will. Hey, Lynnaris?” Ms. Blackheart calls for her servant, her familiar, her **** from the family contract… all of which are the same person.

“Yes mistress?” The raven haired enchanted woman responds instantly, standing just a few feet behind the magical maestra's left shoulder, where she was most assuredly NOT a second prior.

“I ran across an old phrase I'd like to try on you, from Jewish traditional stories,” Fantasia grins… maybe this time… as she turns to her long time friend, “Do as thou wilt.”

“So I may do whatever I wish, Mistress?” The familiar asks.

“Yes, that is the intent behind the words,” Ms. Blackheart confirms.

“Then I wish to continue to serve you, Mistress,” the familiar responds, completely submissively.

Fantasia mentally crosses off yet another failed attempt to free her bound companion, shaking her head, “Fine, fine… what's on the schedule today?”

“You have a two o'clock meeting with the Arbor Society, they want a grant for planting and maintaining trees in urban areas,” the **** begins.

“That one is the five year renewal, correct?” At her servant's nod, Ms. Blackheart continues, “I don't need to talk to them. Just grant it and their requested expansion. The money doesn't mean anything to me.”

“Yes mistress,” the servant taps a few buttons on her tablet, and continues, “You have a four o'clock with your mother….”

“Ugh. Is she going to set me up with someone again so she can have grandchildren, or berate me for trying to be a good person?” The magical woman asked rhetorically.

“Based on prior visits, I would imagine both, were I to dare to presume to guess at the plans of my betters,” the familiar almost cracks a smile, “shall I cancel?”

“Ugh. Not after what she did last time, no…” Fantasia shakes her head, causing her long black locks to wave back and forth, “...the cleaning crew is STILL occasionally finding burnt bits of the guard who tried to deny her entry. Wiping their memories is getting annoying. I'll just have to tell her to quit it in person… not that she's going to stop pestering me about either.”

“You are much wiser than myself, Mistress,” the familiar agrees, jotting down a few notes on her tablet. “The rest of the day is currently unscheduled.” Lynnaris drops the tablet, which doesn't clatter to the floor so much as seemingly cease to exist.

“Just another day in paradise, then,” Fantasia sighs, “counting down the days until I must pay the piper. I don't suppose you know a way to put it off further, do you?”

“I am forbidden from helping in that matter, Mistress,” the subservient Ms. Styxx responds almost robotically, then adds in a slightly more human tone, “The most I can do is remind you that any successful attempt at halting the aging process or arranging an automatic return to life will result in your immediate collection by agents of Zorantaur,” she stops there, looking like she wants to say something more.

Ms. Blackheart tilts her head, knowing full well that her servant ACTUALLY likes her and is being as helpful as she can - pressing for details on why, exactly, she brought up that specific covenant clause won't help, because she's already pushing the limit of her bonds in bringing it up voluntarily… but that it is certainly a clue to solving the conundrum.

“Thank you,” the magical maestra smiles, “That will be all for now. I have some research to do, you have been mostly helpful.”

“Yes Mistress,” the woman bows and vanishes from view.

The owner if the estate looks back at her copy of the covenant, finds the section referenced, and begins reading, dissecting out the Latin legalese in detail. Eventually, she has the salient points:

* She cannot break the law of ****.

* She cannot reverse aging.

* She cannot compell, coerce, or contract anyone to do any of the above on behalf of herself or anyone in her family, nor the next point.

* She cannot create or use a device to do this or any of the above.

* If she ceases to age by any means, she will be immediately collected.

“Seems pretty ironclad,” the woman frowns, “why would…” then she laughs, having spotted a potential loophole which would be utterly useless to anyone else in her family….