Enchantress Awakening: Part One of the Book of Water (The Elemental Cycle 1) (32 page)

Caleigh was not surprised by any of the pairings as to her they made perfect sense. Vaughn was put with Aethelbald, Rosamund with Mabon and Cedric with Diarmund leaving her with Gideon. The first class, nevertheless, was with Vaughn and for that they were unexpectedly taken out of the castle to a place in the woods beyond the standing stone. There they came upon a pool bedecked with lily pads. At its centre was a flat, wide rock and on it a golden chain had been placed.

“There is your prize” Vaughn announced. “Your task is to find a way to reach it and recover it without getting soaked. How you do this is entirely down to you. I shall now give you a short time to decide what spells you would need to accomplish this then you shall have four days to practice those spells before returning here on Friday to make your attempt. Your tutor will help you learn the spells you choose but will give you no clues about the best way to succeed so the choices you make now are important. Make the most of this time.”

All the students immediately started to chart the perimeter of the pool searching for the shortest path to the chain. With a thud Cedric appeared on a different side of the pond from where he was standing previously looking pleased with himself. Ignoring him, Aethelbald concentrated on the space between the rocks nearer the banks and the central rock that bore the chain. Rosamund meanwhile used a stick to test the water’s depth. Caleigh watched her pull the piece of wood out again and the waterline was high enough to demonstrate that a plunge here would cause a great more than sodden breeches.

Think about this, Caleigh told herself, Vaughn isn’t interested in how well we can leap he wants us to notice something we can use in our spells. So...what things here do not sink when they touch the water? The lily pads can support a frog but not a full grown woman. The flies can come and go as they please but they are borne by the air. “That’s all the time you have.” Vaughn concluded.

“That wasn’t long.” Caleigh protested.

“The sun and shadows disagree with you there.” Caleigh looked around and, sure enough, Vaughn was right.

“So, did you notice anything helpful?” Gideon asked when they were together later.

“Yes.”

“What was that?”

“Insects.”

“This sounds interesting.”

“Before we go on, I have something for you.” Caleigh presented Gideon with an apple carved from polished yew. “Happy Birthday!”

“Thank you, Caleigh.” Gideon smiled at her then examined the apple critically. Caleigh waited without speaking until she saw the grin crack upon his face. “Aha, I remember. Is this to spare me from careless fruit throwing?”

“I thought passers-by might be safer this way, see.” Caleigh flicked her wand at the apple and it caught fire without burning its surface or Gideon’s hand.

“Very impressive.” Gideon said marvelling at his present. “So, tell me about insects.” Caleigh told him what she had observed and listed the spells she thought she needed to work on. “Have you researched these spells afore?”

“A little.”

“Four days is precious little time to accomplish so much, even by your standards.”

“Is it not worth the attempt?”

“Indeed it is. I am merely warning you that the task may be insurmountable in the time. As a general course of study, on the other hand, it is thoroughly worthwhile. Let’s us begin then, without further delay.”

Gideon’s session and further study through the night drained Caleigh considerably and it did not end there for she was also involved with Rhiannon’s preparation of more potions. By the second day these were complete and soon she was dosing herself twice a day. Once, before practicing her charms and once before she went to sleep hoping to both hurry her progress and also perhaps catch another glimpse into Loreliath’s life or even prompt another visitation.

If mastering more advanced charms occupied all her mind during the day at the end of her labours it was always to this that her mind wandered. Partly, she was anxious to learn anything of aid to them in their cause. Another part of her was burningly curious to find out the identity of the lover Loreliath alluded to in her prior vision. At times she pictured it would be someone like Leofric, someone who stood out amongst men as she did amongst women. Other times, she thought more of someone like Gideon, a quick wit who could hope to keep up with her brilliance. It was to no end, in any case, as no new insights appeared to her. The only parts of her dreams that seemed different to the rest were strange images of soil being disturbed as by many moles though, as yet, Caleigh could not find any sense in these un-associated figments.

Since she was in competition with her fellow students, Caleigh could not share her progress with them. So it was that the person who was best aware of what she was doing besides Gideon was Ellie, with whom she entrusted her safety in her nightly visits to Elevered’s new bathroom. Such proved a wise precaution the night before the test. Coughing and spitting water Ellie dragged her friend’s head above water. “Are you hurt?” Ellie asked worriedly.

“No, no I....” Caleigh noticed that her friend was breathing heavily and was red in the face not from exertion. The patter of feet on tiles made her turn to see Leofric come bounding around the wooden screen separating their part from the male side.

“I heard splashing, are you in trouble?” He panted.

“Thank you, Leofric, all is fine.” Caleigh spluttered her breath catching at the sight of his naked body. He was just as well sculpted as Ellie described and to her amazement was sporting a full erection noticeably bigger than any she had seen before.

“Caleigh!” Ellie hissed wrapping her arms around her chest. Only then did Caleigh realise that her hands, far from covering her breasts were cupping them in invitation.

“Forgive me.” Leofric uttered, coming to his senses.

“I thank thee for your concern.” Caleigh answered as he retreated. “By the Gods.” She mumbled in a low tone. “Did you see him...oh, mmmm.” A pleasant sensation on her neck and shoulders distracted her and she turned in her friends embrace to let the trail of kisses lead up to her lips. Suddenly both of them broke off in shock, although they had exchanged playful kisses many times this felt like something different and darker.

“I’m sorry.”

“What’s the matter, Ellie?” She could see her friend was in some distress.

“Are you using your charm?”

“In a sense.” Caleigh answered, knowing that she had heavily dosed on her charm potion before attempting this practice.

“I think it’s affecting me.” She was not alone. In her head Caleigh could see a clear picture of Leofric desperately attending to his large member and was starting to feel every stroke. “I think I have to...” Ellie murmured and Caleigh could sense that her fingers were feeling inside herself.

“Worry not, I’ll support you now.” Caleigh said holding Ellie steady against the side of the bath and she worked her fingers into a frenzy. Leofric’s release shuddered through her and she held firm wincing her eyes closed in concentration bracing harder still when Ellie came so close to her. Just as this second wave hit her she felt the water rise up beneath them and gently slosh them both onto the tiling.

Shaking her head and trying to readjust her eyesight for the briefest of moments Caleigh thought she was being observed from across the room by a naked woman. When she blinked and looked again there was clearly no one there but the half reflection of Ellie and herself on the polished stonework. Looking back to Ellie she noticed on more surprising thing, unlike her friend she was completely dry.

Back at the pool in the woods, Caleigh drew the short straw meaning that she would be going last of the four. Aethelbald went first with a quick wave of his wand about his person he set off jumping onto the nearest of the rocks. By all rights he should have tumbled and not stayed upright as he did, pausing long enough to set himself for the next jump. Again, he somehow landed cleanly on a surface barely larger than his boots. With a final leap he made for the central rock where the chain was placed forming a perfect arc before plunging just short with an almighty splash. At once Gideon, Mabon, Diarmund and Vaughn waved their wands at him combining spells to lift him to shore. “Looks like luck can only take you so far, after all.” Vaughn commented while handing him a towel.

“You might’ve warned me.”

“That wouldn’t have been fair.”

Cedric went next and, as expected, disappeared instantly then reappeared directly on the central rock. In the same motion he attempted to lift the chain, forgetting to take his momentum into account and he slipped feet first into the pool. Once more the tutors combined to remove him from the water before the cold took hold and soon he was sitting huddled in blankets next to Aethelbald.

“Good luck, Rosamund.” Caliegh bid anxious that her friend not be the next to fall under. Rosamund smiled weakly then pointed her wand at the water. A trail of frost branched out from where she pointed running across the surface of the pool up to the centre. Step by step Rosamund followed this trail of ice as careful not to slip on it as putting her foot beyond where it touched. Slowly, she made her way to the centre and unlike Cedric thought to dispel the glamour holding the chain to the rock before reaching for it. On one knee she bent down to retrieve it just as a splitting sound broke the quiet.

“Look out.” Caleigh called, seeing the split streak towards the ice Rosamund was perched upon. With quick thinking she pointed her wand downwards and sent herself sliding backwards the way she came splashing only into the shallows where her feet could find the bottom enough to guide her to dry land.

“Down to you Caleigh.” Gideon encouraged. Caleigh stepped forward and cast the impermeable charm about herself then turned her attention to the water. She recalled the earlier occasion she had been here and how she noticed the water boatmen scurry across the water without breaking its skin. This reminded her of something she’d read about elemental charms and how the skilled Enchanter could charm water to bear loads heavier than usual not by making them lighter but by encouraging the water itself to hold its tension to a far greater degree.

The surface of the pool billowed beneath her foot stretching down several inches as her weight pressed on top. Her right foot followed taking her further out so that she was completely suspended. Footstep followed footstep and though each depression leaked and water gathered around her boots, Caleigh remained borne on the glassy exterior all the way to the central rock. Doing as Rosamund did, she dispelled the glamour and picked up the chain, making sure that her footing remained firm throughout.

Everyone around the pool started to applaud even as she held her hands out for balance. “Do I have to come back as well?”

“I think you’d do a better job than if we aided you now.” Gideon answered. Caleigh turned around and carefully retraced her steps feeling more water rushing in with each one until she was up to her ankles by the time she exited.

“I think we have a winner.” Vaughn declared. In all the following congratulations Caleigh could only think of how glad she was that only her toes were wet.

30. Wintersday

Caleigh was the winner and she gladly received the golden chain as her prize taking every opportunity she could to admire herself with it on in her looking glass. This was most enjoyable when she wore naught else and while dosing herself with some of her own charm. She was discovering new sensations all the time even when she was not using her potions to aid her magic. She found that if she poured a little of her charm over her breasts while exerting her powers the sensation of her touch upon her body became exacerbated. Her breasts had always been a source of pleasure and now they stood with her nipples perfectly erect so that with a little ministration she could open her thighs and picture any of the men she knew she could entice and reach a powerful climax very quickly. Moreover, these experiments were not just pleasurable they also sparked in her a great feeling of connection with the flow of magic so that in all her studies and practice she made daily strides.

The weeks sped by quickly and she barely took in the Wintersday preparations going on around her until on the very day when everyone else was gathering in the great hall below she was enjoying an ecstatic dreamland that she was only pulled away from by a knocking at her chamber door. “Caleigh?” It was Rhiannon’s voice.

“Yes?”

“We are gathering for the Wintersday Feast, are you not joining us?”

“Yes, of course. Allow me a moment.” Caleigh answered quickly trying to keep the panic from her voice for all of a sudden she was not alone in the room. Standing at the foot of her bed was a beautiful woman with strawberry blonde hair and huge breasts upon her naked frame. At the same time it was clear that this woman was not entirely there either. Here and there light passed through her form making the colour of the wood and stone behind her visible. “Who are you?” Caleigh whispered. The woman merely winked one of her sparkling green eyes in answer then just as suddenly vanished from sight. 

In a panic, Caleigh threw on her librarian robes without bothering to put on anything beneath. Rhiannon was alone in the corridor with no trace of the mysterious woman.

“Is something awry?” Caleigh’s eyes darted this way and that.

“No...I...I overslept.” 

“Oh, I meant to ask you something.”

“Oh yes?”

“You remember we made enough potions to supply you for several months.”

“Yes.”

“Well, ‘tis strange, I cannot find the stock. They have all been moved somewhere.”

“Ah, worry not. I removed them to my quarters.”

“Oh, that is all well then. I was concerned I would have to start making more.”

“Yes, we should!”

“Why do you say that?”

“Err, I am eager to try again. I think we can improve on our prior work.” A shape flickered in Caleigh’s peripheral vision causing her to turn suddenly catching the briefest glimpse of the ghostly woman again, this time ahead of her. “We must get to the main hall!”

“Are you sure you are not ailed?” Rhiannon asked trailing after. By the time they reached the hall Caleigh was running, pursuing bare cheeks and legs only seen by her and even then tantalisingly fleetingly. She careered into the space where everyone else was gathered colliding with Aethelbald’s chest and nearly knocking him over.

“Oh, forgive me Aethelbald!”

“I am unhurt.” Aethelbald answered steadying himself and her. “Are you hale?” Caleigh looked at him and could see in his eyes that she must appear strange. Then, over his shoulder, the ghostly woman appeared again, dancing across the table where the diners were gathered. About her clouds of charisma charm fell in her trail tailing back across the room all the way to Caleigh. The vision failed when she realised Aethelbald was talking to her.

“Sorry?”

“I said that you stand in the most apt place.” He repeated nodding upwards to a display of mistletoe. Caleigh laughed and on an impulse that seemed to come from without leaned in and kissed him. Cheers broke out from various people in the room and when she released him Aethelbald staggered more than he had when she had crashed into him. Rhiannon moved around him to give him room and before she knew it Caleigh had replaced him with her meeting her mouth with equal vigour. Now she was kissing Rosamund and now Cedric. She felt arms circle her waist and pulling her and for a moment she was no longer entangled.

“Oh hello, Ceol.”

“Caleigh, look around you!” As ordered, Caleigh took in the room. All about the place the men and women were pawing and kissing each other not always in pairs but in teams. She was shocked to see Dana madly smothering Diarmund and worse, Rosamund and Aethelbald lip to lip beside her.

“Oh Gods, Ceol.” She reached out to find him but he too had succumbed wrapped in a tight clutch with Ellie. Then again, her gaze was drawn back to the table to see the mysterious, nude woman wink and leap through her. It was only then that it became apparent how all the streams and coils of translucent energy linked back to a single source and that source was not the apparition but herself. She turned to exit the room but not before hands were upon her chest reaching inside her robes to her bare breasts. They might have been Leofric’s hands or they might have been Baldir’s, they were both upon her trying to meet her lips.

Out of nowhere the room shook and most within lost their footing, Caleigh used the chance to crawl free and by force of will drag herself out of the hall. Desire raged within her and the threads of her magic held firm almost tugging her back inside as though they were robes pulled by many strong men.

“Caleigh, what is wrong?” It was a familiar voice but one she hadn’t heard recently.

“Sir Marc, my liege.” She gasped.

“Not any more. What commotion is this?”

“I cannot tarry to tell. Please, lead me away from the hall. Take me away from everybody else.” The tone of her voice was enough to convince him and he guided her without hesitation through many corridors and stairways to a distant chamber. Inside Dame Edith was standing by the window and at first only saw her husband backing into the room.

“I will be down in a moment...oh...” Marc swung Caleigh round onto the bed. “Caleigh!” Edith moved down next to her and put her hand to her brow. “Is she ill?” She asked Marc.

“Some spellwork has gone awry, I guess.”

“Marc.” Caleigh croaked surprising them both by coming out of her daze. “You need to leave. Edith is safe here but you are not.”

“Is the peril not in the hall?”

“No, I am the peril. You must leave whilst you still can.”

“How can...” Trance-like again Caleigh pulled her robe aside and let it cascade away from the swell of her bust. Marc froze, locked in place by the doorway unable to step away.

“Forgive me, lady.” Caleigh said to Edith and then stood and drew closer to Marc. Edith said nothing but watched open-mouthed as her husband meekly disrobed and took Caleigh into his arms. Together they fell onto the bed right beside her. Marc reached out to his wife, as if his left arm was the only part he had control over. To his great surprise she took it and kissed his fingers.

All this was unseen to Caleigh, all the world seemed pale, subsumed by the miasma of magic passing through her. Only the intense exhilaration she could feel between her legs and the waves of pleasure swirling around her were real in this moment. 

Beside her she could feel movement shaking the bed and caught flashes of pale skin. Marc’s head moved away from her and she felt a new source of pleasure rising from outside her body. Beyond that all was lost. Excitement passed into serenity and then nothing. Time passed around her uncounted and when she came to she felt like one waking from a deep and restful sleep.

She did not wake where she fainted but in her own chamber and covered by a nightshirt.

“Wh...how did I get here?”

“She’s awake.” It was Ellie’s voice. Within moments she was joined by Rosamund, Rhiannon and Penric looming above all grasping her arms and asking how she felt.

“Now, now let her be. You will have many chances to speak to her ere long.” Spoke Tovrik. At his words the others faded from the room leaving the two of them alone. “I thought it wise that we spoke alone afore all else.”

“What happened? Oh Gods, I made people...they must hate me...I could not stop it. Ohhh, I made Rosamund and Aethelbald...they will never forgive me.”

“Do you wish to know what happened or to admonish yourself?”

“No, I have to know. How bad was it?”

“If you mean how much further did the debauchery in the main hall progress you will be happy to hear that it did not.”

“You mean it stopped? But I could not contain it.”

“You did in part. You recognised that removing yourself would be of aid and did so. The rest, I admit, was my doing or was at the least the doing of the protective wards about the castle.”

“Everyone fell down, was that you?”

“Indeed. After that and your exit I was able to dispel the rest of the effect. I dare say no lasting harm was done to anyone.”

“I’m not sure that is true for Rosamund and Aethelbald.”

“Fortunately, memories of what happened seem very poor. I have taken care not to aid the return of any that may be best forgotten. This is partly why I wished to speak to you alone.”

“What about Sir Marc and Dame Edith. Have they forgotten also?”

“No. Their memories are clearer.”

“Then she must surely despise me. I doubt Marc has much fondness left for me either.”

“You need not be so damning of yourself.”

“Why should I not be? This is my fault.”

“And because you are the source of this magic it was ultimately benign in nature. Even in carnal release it was genuine affection that most shaped your spell. It may surprise you but both Marc and Edith have no ill will towards you. They know you meant no harm.”

“I made love to her husband before her eyes.” Caleigh screwed her face up in shame.

“Well, this may not be an area where I can answer all but might it occur to you that she would not begrudge you this?” Bit by bit memories stirred, Edith had been there when they’d made love. She had willingly shared him. In the pit of her stomach Caleigh realised this was the first time they had been together in this way for some time. Mayhap it was possible after all that she had in the end not done all that ill. Yet, equally, she knew that this was just fortune and she could have as easily been responsible for the harm she had initially imagined.

“I am still at fault. It may not have been my intent yet cause it I did.”

“That is true. I spoke with Rhiannon, how long have you been drinking from the potion bottle?”

“Since she first joined us but it is not her fault. She did not know how much I was doing it.”

“You worry about the harm you could have done to others, did it not occur to you that you might be doing harm to yourself?”

“I...no. It seemed to help me.”

“No doubt it did to a point. You may not know this but you have been asleep to the world for four days.”

“I had no idea. I have been very foolish.”

“Why did you feel the need exacerbate a charm you can perform almost without thought now? You are a spellsinger surely you do not need more to aid your natural talent?”

“I feel protected here and that is good. Yet I found that sense of protection prevented me from testing my control such as when I was in Minerva. The potions gave me that release and also, I seemed to be able to reach out to Loreliath better. Do other wizards not do similar?”

“Oh yes, it is quite common. Using potions to aid your magical talent can be perfectly useful and safe in small doses. In the same way as drinking a small phial of mead will not turn a man into a drunk. As with the man and his mead, the temptation to excess is also true of wizards and potions.” Tovrik frowned thoughtfully. “In all truth I suppose I also share some portion of responsibility for this.”

“How could you? You did not know what I was doing.”

“No, but in a sense I prompted it. We’ve all been so keen for you to realise your gifts we never stopped to question whether there was such thing as too swift progress. Nor did I warn you of the perils adequately. The greatest temptation for all wizards is for greater power, greater connection to the flow of magical energy. Most of us are tempered slightly by the sheer labour of constant improvement. This is far less true for spellsingers and as blessed a gift as this is there has been more than one spellsinger in history who has burned himself to dust in the quest for instant perfection.”

“You were not wrong to encourage me. I need to be ready when the beast comes.”

“Though I may have lost my connection to Loreliath, even I can feel that that day is not tomorrow, nor is it next week or month.”

“Such is my feeling also, yet also am I growing sure that it will not be in ten or even five years’ time either. I fear we may not see many more summers afore he rises.”

“You speak now as one who has made a decision in her heart.”

“I have. I didn’t realise it until this moment but now I can see it and it is clear. I can no longer tarry for the sake of my education. It must go now with the greater quest.”