Dawn crept across the well-kept grounds of
La Société des Sortilèges Modernes
. Part teaching academy, part private club, part genteel cabal,
La Société
was an Order of Sorcery. Lisette, the youngest adept, awoke when the sunlight brightened her room in the women's dormitory. In one sense, she didn't really want to get up; it had been a short, busy night for her. Last evening Lisette had encountered a set spell designed to manipulate a previously unappreciated nubbin between her thighs, revealing a pleasure principle she'd never known about. The thought of figuring out how to learn more about the extraordinary sensations she'd enjoyed impelled her to rise from her bed.
Lisette performed morning ablutions, then dressed for the day. Proper morning attire was expected of members attending lectures, so Lisette garbed herself appropriately for Paris of 1870. She placed her corset against her small and puffy-nippled breasts, and concentrated on the lacings behind her back. "
Voilà!
" she said firmly, setting in motion the cantrip that tied up the lacings for her in a trice. She put on a day dress, sky blue linen with lavender ribbons, the combination being a variant of the Order's official colors of blue and purple. Finally, she settled the amethyst and gold pendant that was her focus stone around her neck, and picked up her wand.
All the novices and a fair fraction of the adepts in the Order lived on the grounds, while most of the masters had their own homes elsewhere in the 14th
arrondissement
. Those living-in ate in the dining room of the main chapter house, to which Lisette directed her steps. Some of the members were already taking
petit déjeuner
, including her best friend, Amélie.
"
Bonjour,
Lisette!" Amélie said brightly. Lisette sat down at the little table, one of the serving maids brought croissants and coffee, and the two young women began to eat daintily. It was no surprise they were friends. They were practically the same age, and had been recruited as Novices at practically the same time when their Talent had been identified. Lisette was better at mathematics, while Amélie was better at physics, and the two tutored each other, growing close as the years of their apprenticeships passed. It suddenly occurred to Lisette that it would only make sense to ask Amélie to help her unravel the mystery of the pleasure principle she'd encountered.
As the two walked towards the lecture hall, Lisette broached the subject. "I encountered an unusual set spell on the grounds late last night. Later, I'd like to show it to you. I understood
how
the spell worked, but not
why
it worked."
"But of course,
mon amie
." Amélie reached over and tucked a wayward lock of blonde hair back into her friend's hairdo. Lisette generally wore her hair in an upwards style, while Amélie kept her red tresses in an elaborate bun on the backside of her head. They entered the lecture hall, and hurried to find seats since the room was filling up. A distinguished calculation engineer had been invited to speak, and the membership was very interested in hearing his speculations of how the Order's two specialties of sympathetic magick and elemental control could be used to enhance Babbage Engines.
After the stimulating lecture, Lisette and Amélie were approached by one of the Masters, Madame Bouchard. "Are you ready to head out on today's consultation?" she asked.
"
Oui, Madame
, the two adepts affirmed together. Shortly, the three were traveling by carriage to a factory south of the city. The
Société
had a reputation as experts in the borderland where science and sorcery meet. Furthering this, they had connections with several industrial design firms in and around Paris. One such had provided Madame Bouchard with a number of suggested spells within the Order's Lore that would greatly improve the factory's operation. The three sorceresses would not be paid for this consultation,
per se
. All mages were considered gentry, and the touchstone of being in the gentry is that one did not do anything for pay. A member of the gentry might do something for the intellectual challenge of it, but
never
for a salary. In theory, it was perfectly acceptable to accept a free-will gift from someone grateful for a mage's assistance. In practice, the design firm's bill for services rendered included a standard provision for a generous honorarium to be presented to the mages, and thus were appearances preserved.
On some of the most sophisticated spells, the adepts just helped Madame Bouchard gather the needed etheric energy for her castings. Others they did themselves, such as creating set spells of sympathetic magick to transfer kinetic energy from steam engines to precision tools without needing mechanical transmission. "The spell I want to show you tonight is of this sort," Lisette mentioned in passing to her friend, "motion transmitted by magick from a model to something else."
By the time the three mages had finished their work and returned to the Order's estate. It was past the usual dinner hour. Madame Bouchard bid her students good night, and repaired to her own home. The girls had a simple dinner of soup and bread, kept warm for them by the housekeeper. "So tell me more of the spell that puzzles you," Amélie ventured.
"It's a set spell in the clubhouse of the 'Friends of the Society,' presumably as a perquisite for our tenants. Other than that, I'd like you to experience it so you don't have preconceptions about it," Lisette asserted.
"Very well,
