Arina the Sorceress

The morning sun was relentless, beating down on me without mercy. Every green tree I passed, I felt the urge to seek refuge under its lush green leaves. The evening before I'd taken shelter in a large village. But poor as I was, I couldn't afford to relax, and now I was back out in the heat, trudging up a steep rocky slope, trying to keep up with the young man in front of me. He was looking to save his village from a terrible evil, and I . . . well, I needed the money.

The young man turned around, probably wondering why a young healthy sorceress like myself could walk so slowly. But I hadn't had anything decent to eat in weeks, besides some wild berries and fruit . . . since I'd run away from my life.

"Miss Karina," said the young man, his hands on his hips. "we must hurry. The demon will take the sacrifice at dusk, we must get there before he does!"

His name was Alexor, or Alex, I forgot, and he was a young warrior from the village. He'd told me he was 20, which would make him not much younger than me, but he was already tall and muscular. He'd need to be strong to wield the heavy long sword he wore on his belt. He was not as handsome as the man I'd run away from, but he had an athletic grace, and so far, he hadn't slapped or hit me, which put him a notch higher in my book. Thinking of such things brought back my anger, and I picked up the pace a little. If I was going to get back on my feet, I needed to earn some money, and defeating this "demon" was the first good job I'd found since I'd left the Wizard's Tower.

Ah, the Wizard's Tower, the place I'd spent the last five years of my life. When my parents died in one of the frequent bandit raids, I'd been sent to live and learn from the great Wizard Ezekiel. After a long, tedious year of making me clean and wash clothes, he'd started to teach me the fine magic arts, as well as armed combat, and I'd taken to magic as a bear to honey. I showed great talent for magic, and decent fighting skills, though I was also easily distracted. The Wizard joked that even at my young age, a cute boy would certainly be my undoing.

Life had been good . . . until the day the Wizard's son returned from abroad. I was only an innocent young girl of 21, and I'd found the worldly young trader to be charming and handsome. I'd fallen for the confident older man in no time. My dear mentor Ezekiel had warned me repeatedly about his dashing son, but I was all deaf ears and thumping heart. Or perhaps another part of me had been thumping?

I'd been ready and willing when he'd taken me, but my first and only lover was a very different man in the bed chambers. Larger than life outside, he was frustrated and thoughtless inside. I blamed myself - I wasn't voluptuous enough, or skilled enough - perhaps I was just not exciting after the exotic girls he'd talked about incessantly. Perhaps if my breasts were smaller, he wouldn't have focused on them so much, squeezing and pulling until, to his great embarrassment, he would spill his seed before I was ready. I'd often wish that my pussy were smaller, to better fit his manhood.

Perhaps it was frustration, but after a year he'd begun to slap me - my breasts, and my face. I'd tried to accept it, like a good girl should do, but I'd never been adept at containing my anger, and sometimes a little magic would slip out in the heat of an argument. Perhaps it was the fireball that was the last straw. He was always so proud of his long wavy hair and his fancy clothes, and he hadn't appreciated me setting them both on fire.

So I'd run away, in tears, after he'd called me terrible names and beat me, and ran off to pleasure himself with the village whores. I told myself no man would ever strike me again and live. The next few weeks of wandering the countryside were hard and full of tears, but after that, the strangest thing happened - I began to forget about him. There just wasn't anything good to miss. I did miss the old wizard, but I guess I---

"Miss Karina, you look thirsty, please have a drink." Alex was standing in front of me, concern on his face, holding out his water skin. I took it greedily, and thanked him, taking a deep drink, and enjoying the coolness of the water dribbling down my neck. I handed the skin back to the young man, and then I blushed a bit at the smile on his face. From the look in his eyes, he had enjoyed my drink as much as I had. "Are you hungry as well?" he asked, still looking concerned. "You mentioned back at the inn that you'd been traveling a long time."

"I'm starving actually!" I answered. My food pack was empty, and I'd left it back in the village anyway. Alex smiled, and reached into his pack, handing me a piece of bread.

"Please, take it all, I'm sorry for not noticing your need sooner," he said, still with that disarming smile. I took the bread and thanked him again. It was delicious, and I devoured it in less than a minute. I began to feel better almost immediately. His smile widened as I wiped an errant crumb from my nose.

"You're a good man, Alex," I said, as if looking at him for the first time. "Is there . . . is there a lucky lady back in the village?" For some reason, I felt a bit anxious as I awaited his answer.

He grinned back at me, his shiny white teeth catching the sun. "Why do you ask, Karina? I didn't think a girl wizard found time for . . . worldly pleasures?" I gaped in embarrassment at his question.

"I--I didn't mean--!" As I stumbled over my words, he just laughed, his blue eyes flashing. As he laughed, he put his hand on my bare upper arm, his simple touch sending a tingling feeling rippling through me. He used his gentle grip on my arm to turn me to face him, and my heart began to race as he looked down into my eyes.

"I always thought wizards were grizzled old men," he whispered, his hand on my arm moving up to move a strand of hair from my eyes. "Not beautiful girls like you, Karina." I was pleased that he no longer called me "Miss," and I loved the way he rolled the 'r' in my name. I also realized he'd dodged my question.

"You distract me with praise, Alex," I chided, still aware of his warm hand on my arm. "Don't dodge my question, do you have a girl waiting for you?"

"There is no one," he replied, the brightness in his eyes dimming just a bit. "And you, Karina? Is there a craggy old wizard waiting for you at home?"

I giggled and shook my head. "No old gizzards for me. Just a cruel bastard of a man I left behind. Good riddance."

"I see," he replied, his hand rubbing my upper arm a bit. "So you took this job in order to be closer to me, is that it?"

I had to choke down a laugh, and then so did Alex. What a relief that he hadn't been serious. "Umm . . . . shouldn't we be going, my amorous warrior?" His eyes widened and he nodded, seriousness returning.

"Are you sure you are up to it?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. He seemed to glance down at my slender frame.

Not feeling too confident at the moment, I shrugged. "I'm still young, I'm not really very powerful . . .but I . . ."

It was just the wrong thing to say, for Alex frowned. My heart dropped to my knees at the look of disappointment on his face. I could see it hadn't occurred to him to doubt my ability just because I was female, bless his soul. Now he seemed to be wondering whether he'd chosen the right wizard. Oh damn, me and my big mouth, I thought. Then he glanced to his left, and his demeanor suddenly changed.

"Miss Karina!" whispered Alex, kneeling down with his finger to his lips. "Get down, we are here!" Quickly I knelt down, one hand on my skirt as it tried to ride up my thighs. Alex was pointing ahead, and I peered over the rocks. There was a large grassy plateau up ahead, and behind it the gaping black mouth of a cave, framed on either side by stone carvings of some kind of mythical beast. At least I assumed they were mythical. But it wasn't the cave that caught my attention, it was the center of the grassy field, where chained to a thick wooden pole was a young girl, dressed in a flowing white dress, and frantically looking about.

"Thank the gods!" whispered Alex, his bright blue eyes glinting in the sun as he looked at me. "She's still here, the demon hasn't taken her yet. Let's get her!" The young man quickly stood up, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"Wait!" I whispered. "Don't go yet, let's wait, I have a idea." Not an idea really, but a suspicion. The village had told me a powerful demon was stealing their women, and taking them back to its cave. They'd recently received a message, written in blood, that they should stake a sacrifice in front of the cave each month, or else the village would be devastated. This poor girl was the first sacrifice. It was all very mythical, but for one thing. Demons were rare these days, and they didn't usually stoop to kidnapping women. My Wizard mentor always laughed at the stories of lustful demons that villagers told, and he'd often told me that men were the lustful ones to be wary of, not demons.

Alex was looking at me, doubt in his eyes. He was clearly itching to go rescue the pretty damsel chained to the pole. I told him to trust me, putting my hand on his arm to reassure the anxious young warrior. He reluctantly smiled and nodded, turning to watch the cave warily. I wasn't watching the cave, I was watching the path coming down the other side of the grassy plateau.

It took a good half hour, as the sun began to set, then we saw them. Three very much human men were moving sneakily down the path, toward the helpless girl. They were bandits, dressed in leather armor and carrying bows and swords, and two of them spread out to look for danger, while the third moved toward the now struggling girl. The bandit spoke to the human sacrifice, who was now shouting for help.

"Quiet, girl, or I'll slit your throat and leave you for the birds!" he hissed, his hand on his dagger. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of you! You'll service us daily on your back!"

Then he gagged the screaming girl with a cloth, and began to remove her from the chains that held her to the pole. I had seen enough, and motioning Alex to stay put, I stood and moved toward the 3 men. They spotted me almost instantly, raising their bows, but they didn't fire, for they saw only an unarmed young woman in a simple but pretty blue and green outfit. My sun-tinged dark brown hair billowed in the wind as I walked toward the three bandits, my hands held palms up before me. I smiled as the nearest bandit stared at my breasts, fully covered but tightly contained by my top.

The lead bandit spoke, finally. "This one's even more delicious than the other. Well boys, it looks like the gods have brought us two virgin sacrifices today!" The other two men laughed, nodding hungrily as they looked at me. I stopped, now maybe 20 feet from the nearest bandit.

"Release the girl and I'll let you live," I said, trying to keep my voice from wavering. Outwardly I looked calm and confident, but inside I was nervous about the shiny steel tips of the bandits' arrows. Right then I wished my belly wasn't left bare by my clothing.

"This girl was meant for the demon in that cave, not for you," I shouted. I expected the bandits to laugh at the mention of a demon, but instead they became angry.

"She's our slave now, and so are you!" shouted the leader, stepping away from the chained girl and drawing his sword. "Get down on your knees, slave!" As if on cue, the other two raised their bows, though clearly they didn't intend to fire yet.

I didn't like being called a slave, not one bit. Quickly, I raised my right hand and spoke in the wizard language I'd practiced for years. The nearest bandit's eyes went wide as a blue ball appeared in front of my outstretch palm, and then rocketed straight toward him. Too late, he raised his bow, but the pumpkin sized shimmering ball struck him full in the chest. Dumbfounded, he looked down at himself, and then began to shake, as his chest began to freeze with a loud crackle. The crackling ice spread quickly outward and the bandit screamed--the ice shrieking eerily as it turned the man into a frozen statue, terror etched on his face.

I turned to look at the other bandits, but they were staring awe-struck at their frozen mate. The leader recovered and shouted at the 2nd bandit, who returned his attention to me, and notched his bow. He unleashed an arrow at me, but I rolled to my right, coming up on one knee, hearing the whistle of the flying wood and steel. With both hands outstretched, I spoke three words and in front of my hands, a flaming arrow appeared in the air. In a flash or orange light, it zipped toward its target, and impaled itself in his shoulder. The stricken bandit reached up with a shriek to pull out the arrow, but as he did his hand caught fire, and then he was rolling on the ground trying to put out the flames. Enraged, the leader began charging with his sword drawn, but he changed his mind when I raised my hands, and dashed for the girl still chained to the pole. His knife was at her throat.

"Sorceress whore!" he spat at me. "I'll kill her if you so much as move a muscle!" I froze in my kneeling position and just looked at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex, over to my left, with his bow fully strung and ready to fire. The bandit was speaking. "Now stay there, and I'm gonna take what's mine and go!" With that the bandit reached up to undo the girl's chain. In the seconds he took his eyes off me, and I spoke in a low voice. The bandit suddenly froze in mid-movement, surprising the captive girl who was still standing there gagged. It was an unnatural sight, and she gave a muffled scream at the sight.

"Alex, take him now!" I shouted. There was a whistle as Alex's arrow took flight, and then the bandit flipped over backwards as the arrow struck him in the chest. Alex cheered, rushing forward. With all three bandits vanquished, he dropped his bow and gave me a big hug, squeezing my breasts to his broad chest.

"You were incredible!" he shouted, holding onto my shoulders. Then he planted a soft kiss on my cheek, enjoying the blush it drew to my skin, and he winked at me, then ran to the girl. I watched as the young warrior gingerly comforted the girl in the white dress, removing her chains. The girl slumped into his arms, crying, and he held her tight and comforted her, speaking softly to her.

I turned away, embarrassed at the intimate scene, and the disappointment hit my stomach like a stone. The first attractive man I'd met in a month was already taken, just my luck. And I had been the one to save her for him! I needed to get away from this scene, so I told Alex to take the girl home - I was going to wait 'til nightfall to see if the "demon" showed up. But I knew he wouldn't - there was no demon, just three mangy bandits. Alex protested that he would stay with me, but I convinced him to take the girl back before dark. With obvious reluctance, he thanked me again, and took off, carrying the girl in his strong arms. As I watched him go, I wondered yet again why men always desired the weak, helpless girls, instead of the strong ones like me.

Feeling dejected, I turned to the cave and walked between the two stone guardians. Once out of the sun, the cave's cool air felt wonderful, and I felt my spirits lift a bit. There was also the sound of running water, which was odd. I walked further into the dark cave, but it quickly became black as night. I incanted a light spell, but I must have been tired from the battle, because it fizzled, lighting the cave for only a second before winking out. Concentrating, I tried again, and this time the cave lit up with a warm, bright light.

Before me was an enticing blue-green pool of water set into the mountain rock. The source was a small gushing hole about 8 feet off the floor, that emptied into the pool. It looked very fresh and inviting, and I realized how tired and grimy I felt. Concentrating, I set up a perimeter spell, that would trigger if anything passed through it. A faint bluish light illuminated, telling me the spell was active. I didn't think there was anything in the cave, but it didn't hurt to be safe.

Already feeling better, I stripped off my clothes, placing them on a large flat rock. They were damp and dirty - maybe I'd try to wash them later, but right now I wanted to get under that little water shower. I waded into the pool, rubbing my arms, for the water was almost frigid. Wading deeper, I walked over to get to the stream of water. It was about four feet deep, almost covering my breasts as they floated in the cool, crystal clear water, and I sighed, enjoying the feeling of the heat and grime washing away from my body. The water stream was almost too cold, but I dunked under it and began to wash myself.

Feeling thoroughly clean and refreshed, I moved back to the large rock where my clothes sat, but I didn't feel like washing them just yet. I sat down in the edge of the pool, where it was more shallow, and leaned back. The water didn't really feel that cold once my body had cooled down. It felt wonderful to get off my feet. I'd just close my eyes for a second, and then I'd get out. It felt so good to relax, as I closed my eyes and sighed . . . .

I awoke with a start, to the sound of an insistent ringing. The perimeter spell! Splashing water about, I stood up, but my legs were numb from immersion in the cold water, and I stumbled, dunking myself under for a second. Standing again, I was reaching for my clothes, when around the corner Alex came running. He skidded to a halt, his sword drawn, and seeing my naked wet body standing not six feet away from him, his mouth fell open.

"Oh dear!" I yelped, my hands flashing to cover myself, and I immediately dunked myself into the water, the splash almost reaching the surprised Alex. Then he laughed.

"There you are!" he chuckled. "Relaxing I see! I was worried when I saw the light from the cave, so I came running." With just my head sticking above the water, I felt ridiculous, and I frowned at him.

"Turn around, dammit, so I can get dressed!" I hissed at him. I couldn't reach my clothes without revealing my everything to the young man, so I sat crouched in the pool with my arms across my chest. Alex returned his sword to his scabbard and instead of turning around, he reached into his pack and pulled out a small pile of clothing. He smiled at me, clearly enjoying my embarrassment.

"I brought you some clean clothes, I picked them out just for you." He placed them on the rock next to the water, and then turned around, placing his hand over his eyes with a grin.

"You . . . brought me clothes?" I asked, incredulous. "Have I been, uh, in here that long?"

"Yes, actually I've been gone over an hour. I, um, thought you might find the pool here, and decide to take a bath, so I brought you some clean clothes."

I beamed at my new friend. "Why Alex, that was so thoughtful of you! Thank you!" With his back safely turned, I stood up and reached for the pile. Unfortunately there was no towel, but I would dry off fast enough outside. I separated the small pile, but there didn't seem to be a lot of substance to the clothing he'd brought me. Typical male, I thought.

A minute later, I was dressed again, and I told Alex he could turn around. When he did, his eyes lit up like lanterns as he took in the sight of me. The one-piece outfit consisted of leather strings and pretty silk patterns, plus a few gold chains, and it showed off my curves a little more than my own outfit. Since the outfit narrowed to a V at the front to pass between my legs, I felt a bit self conscious with my hips and thighs exposed, so I'd pulled my skirt on over it. Two delicate gold-colored chains crossed between my breasts and went over my shoulders, to run down my back and cross behind me. It felt cool against my bare skin, and in front, it pressed the white silk pattern to my breasts. As the material soaked up the water, it became a bit too form fitting for my taste, but right now, I didn't really care.