Compass Rising

"How grown is she?" she heard the stranger ask, her ear to the thin wooden door. "Don't need the Red Guard at my back for dipping into a young thing."

"She's of age, sir. Both m'girls are." At least that wasn't a lie. Though, it was likely the last shred of truth her lying father would tell the other man. "Wouldn't chance trouble with the guard. Not these days."

"You sell them both out?"

"They're good girls. Earn good money. Sen's got a limp, has trouble keeping up at other work and this keeps her useful." He must have liked the stranger to sell his wares honestly rather than make up some outlandish story about her limp. "Doesn't matter with her legs in the air, though, eh?"

Practical as always. She rolled her eyes.

"No, I suppose not. Do either have any aptitude for spellwork? Healing, maybe?"

Her father made a snort of disbelief, as though the very concept were ridiculous to him. She'd longed for her mother even more as she grew older, hating her for having left them to him. "Not been tested for such. Wanna meet Senna? She's the only one available at the moment. Ruka went to market."

"Whichever can see me soonest," the voice rushed, low and lush. "I'm deeply in need."

"This way."

*

He was brushed with sweat and slightly shaky and she bit down on her bottom lip as she studied how flushed his complexion was. Senna tipped her head and tried to draw his glance to hers. He was avoiding looking her in the eye, though, his dark hair messy and looking like it was longer than he usually kept it. He seemed... unkempt, though not dirty. Just messy. There was a graying at his temples that belied his middle age and she held still, watching him.

"Are you well, sir?"

"I'm well, child. Just excess energy is all, unused arcanum," he explained, finally looking up to meet her eyes. His own were dark, pupils blown wide as he exhaled hard. He blew out his breath, shoulders settling as his head went back slightly. He studied her suddenly intently, as though contemplating a piece of art, one fist rising to the center of his chest while he blinked.

"I'm not a child. My father told true," she murmured.

"Still, quite young," he contradicted softly, dipping forward formally. He had a beautifully tanned skin tone, accented by dark hair and eyes, a strong jaw and sharp nose. "Your aura is extraordinarily beautiful. Lydion was right."

"You're Chromatic? A Caster?"

He nodded his head in agreement, "I work for the Red Guard, by contract with the Chancellor."

"You didn't tell my father that." Likely, he also would have probably known if the other man was lying when asked about her age. He would know if she lied. She would have to be careful with this one, she'd have to find a way to try and really enjoy what he was doing. She wasn't sure what he would do if he found her pretending to be pleasured when she wasn't.

He smiled at her and it had the ability to be both handsome and dark at once. "I need a vessel, Senna, and you are a rare thing."

He was strange but... oddly charming. And she wasn't sure how to read him yet. "You've paid my father, so - "

"It's more than just fucking," the stranger interrupted. "One of the other mages said you and your sister practically glow. He was... not wrong."

"I don't ken to your meaning, sir. I'm sorry."

His head shook minutely, "It's quite alright. Undress for me, please."

Now, that was a request she understood. She leaned her weight to her left leg as she drew her thin slip dress up and off, trying to diminish any possible visible reference to the limp her father had told him about. The stranger simply smiled and winked at her genially, undoing the clasp of his cloak at the same time. She swallowed and stuttered when he revealed the iconic black and burgundy uniform of the Red Guard's Archmages. It fit him very well, his chest and hips trim, shoulders broad. Still, he looked distracted and disheveled in spite of the uniform. He laid his cloak across the chair to his left and then turned toward her, stepping closer.

"Do you know what a Feretory Compass does?" It was a strange question for her, one full with strange words.

Senna flexed her fists closed, "No, Archmage."

"You will," he promised, his hands rising to catch on either side of her face. The silver ring on his right hand was cooler than his palm. "Can you guess the color I see around you?"

She was infinitely surprised that he hadn't yet looked at her naked body.

He pressed his fingers to her lips when she started to respond negatively to the question. The quick shake of his head made her reconsider. She looked him in the eye, watched him smirk as she did so and then she slowly exhaled. His thumb brushed her bottom lip as she parted her lips to take in a breath.

"Try, Senna," he ordered quietly.

All she saw was "Blue."

This time his genuine smile was more than handsome. It was... lovely. "A very beautiful and specific blue, yes. Cerulean, with just the faintest edge of purple."

"Does that mean something?"

That smile sparked as he stepped closer and sloped his hands down her neck, one brushing over her breasts and stomach. "It means that I'm going to enjoy this very much."

She didn't know exactly what he meant beyond the usual, but she reached forward to assist him when he started undoing the hooked buttons and straps of his uniform jacket. Senna stepped closer as he brushed his knuckles against the back of her wrist, his palm cupping up under her forearm more gently than it could have.

"Do you like it here?"

She couldn't lie. Not to him. Some Archmages punished falsities without investigating them beyond the surface lie. Considering her father had a tendency to listen at the door she would have to infer the truth without saying anything at all.

She just shrugged instead as she slid his jacket open. "It's my home, Archmage. I've known nowhere else."

"Does your father touch you and your sister?"

Senna caught his eye and lifted her fingers, tapping against her own ear as she nodded silently. She saw his jaw flex and his eyes harden even darker, glossy black.

"Of course not, sir," she spoke the lie, knowing he had understood the truth. She wasn't entirely sure why she hadn't simply deflected the query, especially when he was a powerful and dangerous stranger. Her fingers tracked his waistline, "May I?"

He nodded as she stroked against the front of his pants, her fingers nimble as she unbuckled and then unlaced them. He let her continue undressing him, his anger slowly fading with each gently practiced movement of her hands. By the time she had him stepping out from his pooled clothing and boots his form was far more relaxed and his annoyance with her father had mostly faded. His hips were only slightly thicker than hers but his thighs were muscular, his calves hardened. There was a trim nest of dark hair at the base of his cock and she openly appraised him. He was... not small. Mid length, really, but girthy and thick. He was half hard already, the head deepening in color, veins pulsing, Heat touched her face and she looked up to find him watching her study him. She noted a scar along the left side of his stubbled jaw and rose on her toes, using him to balance as she placed her lips against it.

"Ruka is better at seduction but - "

"Read my aura, Senna."

"I cannot."

"You refuse to try," he admonished before reaching into her auburn hair and grasping some, using it to aim her downward. There was patience in the touch as she shifted her weight, though, using his other forearm for ballast as she knelt. "Suck me harder."

His gentleness waned once she had taken him into her mouth and she appreciated being so close to the bed when he started thrusting deeper in her mouth, impatient with how slowly she had begun licking and sucking at him. He groaned loudly, both his hands catching the sides of her head as he leaned her back into the foot of the bed pad, her skull cushioned as he pressed the head of his cock to the back of her throat.

She didn't hear it at first but when his thumbs brushed her temples an unfamiliar whisper got louder, his groan matching it as she gagged on his cock. He pushed farther, making her choke slightly, eyes shut. Suddenly a blinding yellow white exploded behind her eyelids, shaping him in her mind as he pulled from between her lips, making her cough and gag.

"Open your eyes."

That buzzing whisper was still there, louder, incessant. "What?"

"Open your eyes, Compass," he ordered sharply.

When she did as told she saw him entirely rimmed in gold, glowing like heat waving at a distance. Senna gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, sinking farther back against the bed. That buzz suddenly cut quiet, instantly making the silence roar in her ears, blood pounding.

"What in the Ten Hells did you do?" she whispered.

"I simply woke you," he smirked, cocky and bold. "I need you receptive before we couple."

"I don't understand."

His face was surprisingly patient, his voice smooth. "You are a conduit, Senna. An arcane vessel. You siphon and hold energy, most especially during intimacy. I can fuck you and gift you arcanum, but creating a bond allows you to magnify it, make it more potent, and give it back as needed."

"A compass?"

"A Feretory Compass, yes," he nodded, obviously pleased that she had been listening and making some sense of what he had said. "There are far more mages than compasses, though. You and your sister would be the first to be found in six turns. And the last was male, which left most mages... somewhat uninterested."

"You're scaring me. My father- "

"Your father has been unconscious outside the door since before I put my cock in your mouth. Lay back on the bed and open your thighs." his tone had an edge to it, something dark that existed whenever he demanded or ordered something from her.

He lifted her arm to encourage her movement and she did her best to scramble up on the bed gracefully, knowing how it looked with the lame leg and uneven posture. He didn't seem to care, though, his hand rubbing her ass appreciatively as she climbed onto the stuffed pad and turned over onto her back. Senna stretched back against the wall, spreading her legs so that she could see him between them. His eyes were fastened between her thighs and his cock bobbed in greedy excitement but she was surprised when he leaned onto the bed and lowered his face between her legs instead. His mouth was on her instantly, tongue voracious and energetic as it teased her clit then slicked inside her. He was still trimmed entirely in a golden glow of light, making her feel dazed as she moaned, her eyes drifting shut as pleasure gnawed through her belly and then raged between her thighs. He chuckled and added his fingers inside her, thrusting and making her hips writhe and rise as he continued lapping at her clit.

She forced her eyes open again as he grumbled approval against her clit, a flood of hot want slickening her channel around his fingers. The gold around him was creating tendrils of light, long and lapping ribbons of white that curled toward her and she snapped her eyes shut again as she grabbed at his hair for comfort. Her breathing panted harder in fear and confusion. He laughed as he lifted his head from her pussy, crawling forward on the bed and rising over her as he met her eyes.

"Don't be afraid," he gentled. "You're a very powerful woman, Senna. Fear is unnecessary."

"I don't understand what's happening," she admitted sheepishly. "I know how to fuck. But this..."

"Once I've cum inside you we've a bond, Senna. Unbreakable. You are mine to use." He implied that there was no other option available to her, that what he was saying was an unalterable fate for her. She was confused, though, staggering through his words to understand them as he continued. "You'll be bonded to some of the upper mages as well. And Ruka will do the same. The city will grow in power exponentially."

"What if I don't want - "

"You'd prefer to stay here? Raped by your father and sold to merchants? Traders and commoners cumming on and in you?" he snapped back. He kissed her forcefully then and she was rocked by surprise, allowing him to control it, his tongue in her mouth as she whimpered. Softer, smaller kisses followed, his lips moving down her neck as he brushed her hair away. The whisper he lifted to her ear had her shivering. "I can give you a life of pure arcanum, child. I can leave light inside you and watch you create elements out of nothingness. What do I need to do to convince you?"

He was fingering her gently as he waited, thumb a brushing circle around her clit as his eyes held hers. Senna swallowed, hips writhing, pleasure making her pliant, "Tell me your name."

His smirk twitched, rising higher on one side. He took his time as he fiddled the head of his cock against her clit, teasing it along her slit. "It's Rashan."

She whispered it to herself as he shifted her closer, head bucking back as he suddenly shoved his cock inside her, filling her deeply with that first rough thrust. He wriggled in farther once he was buried deep, lifting her legs to make more space for himself. He stretched her knees up and angled outward, splaying her open.

Sen whimpered, palms flush to his bare chest. "Are all mages golden?"

"Not all, but most," he answered, head dropping down over her breasts as he groaned, thrusting slowly in and out of her. "Gods, you're a tight thing."

"You're very thick," she whispered, wincing as he continued a steady and paced rhythm. "And I'm small."

"Small but powerful," he told her breathlessly, "so try and curb it."

"Curb what?"

"You're pulling the energy in too fast. I won't last long if you don't try to - " he sighed as she tried to calm herself, his head drooping slightly, shoulders slumping. "Better. That's better. Thank you."

He was already sweating with the effort, his strong arms flexed straight as he held himself up over her, bucking his cock deeper and deeper inside of her. Senna grasped at his shoulders from underneath and dug in, lifting her legs higher and pinning them to his sides, making him angle farther into her. She knew enough tricks to hurry him along and he gasped at the depth change, she lifted her mouth to his and tongue met tongue as he growled and sped up. Her legs wrapped around him, ankles hooked together as he lowered his weight onto his elbows, thrusting in and out of her with a sudden burst of aggressive energy. She felt her own moan start to vibrate out of her, gasping for air as he bent his face into her throat and nipped at her. The whispers returned, clawing up from inside her lungs, insidious and irrepressible as he grunted. His efforts were getting sharp and jagged, thrusts growing erratic.

"Open up, stay open, darling. You have to take it," he commanded, rocking the whole bedframe with his movements, jamming pain up inside her with every forceful thrust of his cock. His hips were slamming harder with each movement, making her cry out, keening in pain as he started an elongated groaning. She could hear the wet sound of their joining, the bed thudding into the wall as he shuddered and groaned, "Fuck, Senna, yes. Can you hear it? It wants you, not me. It's hungry for you."

"Yes," she sobbed out, the echoing whispers becoming a roar, thousands of voices combining into a furious chanting sound. Heat enveloped them entirely and she felt feverish, flushed and weak, empty. She felt so empty, even as he filled her tightly, snug. She needed filling. "It's so loud."

"Good girl," he grunted, one last thrust of his hips shuddered into her as he grunted an animalistic sound and came inside her, his orgasm rocking her. "Feratum andusis l'Senna."

She knew magic then, from the inside out.

Colors shattered outward in her vision like broken cathedral glass and then suddenly everything shocked white and froze. She heard him distantly cry out in ecstasy and she felt her own scream as he filled her with cum and magic at once, flooding her body, the white tendrils of light filling her mouth and ears and eyes as she continued screaming, body arched from the bed. Cum splashed her cervix as light filled her eyes and mouth with pressure, her ears full of echoed moaning and groaning and pleasured whispers.

"Take it all, darling. You must." The whispers turned howling as he encouraged her, the sound a mimic of her own wailing. "Let it fill you."

She screamed in pain as the last push of light and fury slammed her back flat to the bed pad, making her frame rigid as he stayed still and watched. Senna felt his cum burn inside her belly, the arcanum white coursing through her to quench its heat, a warm buzz exploding outward from her womb to fill her extremities. She felt herself sobbing in pain but also pleasure as that throbbing heat lulled and licked at her muscles, her veins. Her hands were shaking as she finally opened her eyes, trying to breath through the sobs that were racking her lungs.

"Shhhh," he chuckled, leaning over her to kiss her cheek softly as she held fast to his muscled arms. "Don't cry, my Compass."

She cried out harder in reply, trying to shove him away and only succeeding in making him lay down atop her, his hips pinning her flat and his cock still buried in her cunt. She was trapped by him entirely, forced into letting him kiss and nuzzle her. He was affectionate suddenly, sweet and soft and she felt her body start to relax beneath him. His hair was utterly mussed, the waves of dark brown sweaty and curling as he leaned over her.

Senna gulped a breath down. "Is it always that way?"

"Magic is pain, my darling. Yes, it will always be a... forceful transfer between us." He seemed apologetic, nearly guilty as he continued, "I'll make sure you cum first next time."

"I don't feel any different."

"Don't you?" he asked and kissed her throat, brow arched and smirking. "You're a deep well, Senna. Find the spark. It's there."

He nuzzled at her breasts, lazily licking them, sucking at sensitive nipples. It lulled her and she hesitated only briefly before sliding her fingers into his sweated hair. Her nails scraped at his scalp rhythmically and she moaned as he sucked hard at a nipple, a flash of heat flaring up in her belly, threatening fire.

"I guess it is there," she whispered. "Deep inside."

There was a pressure low below her stomach, in her pelvis, and an unquenchable heat wrapping up her spine. Her bones felt like iron, strong and unbending, unbreakable. Her core was on fire, especially as he pulled from inside her and made her whine slightly.

Rashan grunted himself, exhaling. "How did it feel? Being flooded?"

"Painful. But pleasurable. Both." Her fingers were still teasing in his sweated hair and she rubbed the pad of her thumb along the gray at one temple. "You cast as you came?"

"Releasing pent arcanum. The more I cum within you the more intuitive it will become. I won't have to cast for long. Not within your depth."

"I don't want a child," she told him sharply, mimicking the inarguable tone he had used earlier.

Rashan just quirked her a knowing smile, indulgent and agreeable. "The more arcanum put inside you the less likely that becomes. You'll soon be barren. The light is a wildfire to your womb - it leaves nothing unscathed."

"Are the others like you?"

He laughed freely as he sat up and stretched his spine, his palms stroking her thighs affectionately, her knees bent over him. "Oh, no, we are all very different."

"How many will I have - "

"So many questions, child." He laughed again, his mood and energy far improved compared to what had been when he arrived. His face looked almost boyish, his tan complexion seeming far livelier as he patted at her right calf. "Why don't we dress and head for the Sentry? I'll send someone after Ruka. You can explain before we all meet."