Instructions and a deal

Pursha gave the two youngsters one hour to recover some. Winna had quickly fallen into a deep slumber. Breathing calmly and making little mewing noises. Now and then she would move in her sleep. Stretch and flexe her limbs like a contented cat.

Aaralon was too nervous to sleep again. Too vivid was the memory of what had befallen him the last time he had woke up. This demoness kept his senses on a sharp edge. He didn't dare to turn his attention away from her and discover what kind of mischief she had unleased next.

The succubus itself had paced around the room for most of the time. For some time she had studied the spines of the arcane tomes in the shelves. Some had attracted her attention. But she hadnt spent too much time studying anything in detail.

Her uneasiness unsettled Aaralon. For some reason he had expected a demon type creature to be more in line with itself. To be more focussed. More... He failed to put a finger on what he found so strange. When he had realized that she had tricked him and won free from his binding spells, he had honestly believed to die a horrible ****. Oh, Pursha was vile. Anarchic. Dangerous. The silent throb in his skull still cast a shadow of remembrance of what she was able to do. But, why in the name of magic, did she still hang around in this room? There were so many questions surrounding that beautiful,infernal creature. Would he ever be able to answer them?

Eventually she raised her voice. It still held this velvet, seductive tune. But didn't it sound a little bit tense?

"Well, time to greet the new day!" She clapped in her hands. "Kids, we have a lot to do today."

Aaralon bared his teeth in a defiant snarl. If he hadn't fucked up that nicely, she wouldn't dare to call him like that. Winna on the other hand wearily opened her eyes and pushed herself into a sitting position. Her astonished looks spoke tales of her confusion. Incrediously she looked down at her naked form. Her hands swiped over her juice plastered face. Her body shook mildly as she realized what it was. Fear crept back in her eyes. No, it hadn't been a dream. This was reality.

"Dress yourself, girl" commanded the succubus. Winna quickly got up and put the nighty over her shoulders. It just barely reached her mid-thighs and the soft fabric did nothing to hide her feminine charmes. Still it gave her some comfort and made her a little bit less jumpy when Pursha approached her.

"Listen well, pet" Her dark voice changed from charming to threatening. "All that's happened this night is true. You'll heed to your dreams and wonder, whether they really happened. Don't be afraid. They are true." Winna shook when parts of the memories came back. Her eyes widened, unable to look away from this mysterious, haunting beauty. "At times, you'll try to shake those memories off. At times you'll want to fight those memories. You need not do that. Understood? You need not be frightened of what has happened." Winna nodded feebly. "Listen well, my darling pet" Pursha's eyes focussed intensely on the servant girl "I've made some promises to you. I intend to keep them. All of them. Don't try to deceive me. You wouldn't want to pay the price. You've got way more to loose than you could possibly gain. Ain't I right?" Winna nodded again. This time new tears rolled down her cheeks.

Pursha smiled happily. "I see you understand." She paused a moment and raised one hand to touch Winna's forehead. Winna didn't even flinch. "Agharvar devenis ad vedici folyath eventum" the succubus chanted. A sharp ebon pulse emanated from Pursha's finger tips. A small circle of darkness deep shades showed up on Winna's brow. As quickly as it had come it vanished. Winna hadn't even issued a slightest gasp. Pursha closed her eyes, took a deep breath and focussed her eyes on Winna's face again.

"Winna, once you have left this room, you will immediately head to your cabin. You will wash yourself and dress appropriately for the day. Then you will perfrom your regular daily tasks. You won't talk to anyone unless you are adressed to or need to speak in order to fulfill your duties. When your routine is over, you'll get back to your cabin, and wait for either Aaralon or me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, mistress" Winna answered plainly, he eyes gleaming with determination.

"Then be gone, girl!" Pursha commanded.

Winna straightened her skimpy gown and headed for the door. Aaralon noticed a slight movement of Pursha's lips. He held his breath as Winna's hand reached for the doorknob. Nothing happened. The blonde servant maid pressed the handle, opened the door and stepped out. With a soft 'thud' the door closed again.

"What have you done to her?" Aaralon blurted out.

Ebon eyes flew at him. A chill raced through his bones. But nothing else happened. "You need to keep your tongue in check, sweetheart. You might suffocate on it one day." Pursha's voice was thick with venom.

Aaralon swallowed hard but stood his ground. "I see. But how can I effectively serve you if I'm not allowed to voice my opinion? Or ask questions that are necessary to properly understand the tasks you give?"

The succubus' eyes turned to sharp slits. "You're really one brave fellow, sweetheart. I do appreciate that, rest assured. I understand you're smarter than I thought after I lured you into my trap." She paused. "I'm pretty sure somewhere deep in your little 'human' mind, you're already scheming to bring me down." When she emphasized the word 'human' it sounded more like a threat than contempt. "But be aware, that I'll watch every step you take. And the next time I deem it necessary to punish you for disobedience, I won't be as easy on you as I was tonight."

Aaralon nodded. "I understand that much. Thank you." Tartly he pursed his lips. "So, what did you do to Winna? And what are your plans?"

"Why would you want to know that, little sorcerer?" Pursha's smile was tenser than intended.

"It's quite obvious that you have some need for me. Why else would I still walk the living?" Aaralon grimaced in challenge.

Pursha shrugged. Her breasts swayed with the movement. Aaralon cursed inwardly when he noticed how much that distracted him. "Tell me, sweetheart. You're the mighty conjurer" the demoness teased.

"Well, earlier you mentioned you wanted to take control of the arcane college. That's not an easy feat to accomplish. There are mighty wizards residing in this place." He looked at her, searching for a hint of dismay. There was none. "So, if you really manage to do so you must be very powerful. I definately wouldn't want such an entity as enemy, rather than as confederate." Still no reaction. "On the other hand, you might not be that powerful. Then you'll be hard pressed to persist against the combined knowledge and arcane might of the scholars. Unless you got allies."

He carefully studied Pursha again. Wasn't there a flicker of approval? Damned, it was so hard to read those ebon eyes. "Personally I give a damn to what happened to this school. After all I'm a contracted student of this boarding school. I've still got 10 full years to serve. I'll be thirty by then. Oh, I'll learn a lot more than I already have. But what's that worth compared to 10 years of freedom to do what I really want to do?"

Now there was a definite flicker of a smile on that masked face. It encouraged Aaralon to go on, but before he could, Pursha raised her velvet voice. "And what is that you wanna do?"

Aaralon braced himself. He had to cast his dices carefully. If he used the wrong words, she might consider him too big a threat. On the other hand if he didn't prove himself worthy her consideration...? "I want power. Influence. Wealth. I want to hone my arcane skills to become one of the most potent wizards in the world. And I want payback on those who treated me wrongly." And I want to be independent of anyone. But he didnt dare to express just that.

Still her eyes sharpened. "That sounds... intruiging. But, tell me sweetheart, who do you think treated you wrongly?"

Aaralon realized he had made a mistake. A minor one he guessed. But the damage was done. To make up, and maybe punish hmiself for his stupidity, he decided to be honest. Brutally honest. There was too much to gain. "You, for one" he replied. Surprisingly she didnt jump at him. "At least right now I feel that way at this point of our, uhmm, relationship. And else" he tried to give a lackadaisical shrug "I think these teachers have taken up enough of my precious time. And one or two of them have really crossed me. Like deny me access to sources of magic that would have sped up my process of learning the craft."

Pursha laughed grimly. It sounded like dark thunder. There was regardfulness on her delicate face. Fore sure. But way more amusement.

"Oh, looks like we could have a profitable partnership then. Not only did I underestimate your abilities I also misjudged your desires." She snickered. "Of course, I'll have to draw a line between the two of us. And put up some additional measures of protection against, ah, your ambitions."

Aaralon nodded his consent. "That's understandable." Then he looked at her with all his determination. "So, we have a deal... mistress?"

"Ouuhhh, careful sweetheart, don't try to flatten me too much." Her voice turned to abyssal poison. "I'm well aware that you'd never consider me your mistress unless I **** you to. So, don't try to schmooze me with petty courtesies."

A chilling shower shook Aaralon. Damned, another costly mistake. He grimaced and had to fight the urge to sling himself no his knees, begging for forgiveness. "I'll try to keep that in mind, Pursha" he pressed out between clenched lips.

"No, sweetheart" Her smile was vicious as anything. "You won't try. You will."

Aaralon swallowed this additional pill of teaching. Cold sweat crept down his back. His throat felt dry. "I will keep it in mind. I will" he croaked with effort.

"Then we got a deal, Aaralon" the succubus concluded. Smiling contendly she lifted her menacing gaze off him.

Aaralon stumbled back. His fingers clutched for the collar of his shirt. Breathe! He had to breathe. Why did it feel so tight? What kind of psychic thrall had she put on him? But she had accepted, didn't she? Still recovering from his sudden indisposition he slowly realized that the succubus had done nothing but planting the seed of fear in his mind by using his and her words against him. Oh, yes, he would keep all those lessons in his mind. And he would learn. And he would grow in strenght. It would be a very profitable partnership. Indeed.

He tried to smile. Then he realized he had never told her his name.