A Unique Course Of Study

A Unique Course of Study

Ryn Xaven resisted the urge to fidget as he sat in the high-backed wooden chair in Aurienda--no, Mistress Aurienda's--well-apportioned office. He had to fix that title in his mind if he wanted to impress her. Mentor Gaskon had subtly implied she was a hardass.

Still, her office was pleasant. Aurienda had a huge oak desk whose surface was so smooth it lacked even a trace of splinters. Behind that bookshelf rose a glass window the side of a door overlooking the Meditation Garden of the Primal Academy. That window filled the room with warm light on days when the persistent gray clouds didn't threaten.

Bookshelves ran along one wall, and those shelves were filled with books that were unruly enough that it seemed like she actually consulted them from time to time. Many mages collected books to have them, but Aurienda might actually

read

them.

Ryn wondered how many of these books contained spell forms, and if he'd be allowed to freely peruse them. He'd drawn and channeled ether many times before he reached the age of eight and already knew multiple spell forms, including

flame burst

and

brilliant spark

. Ryn was still working on

stop

and hoped to master it in another few months, but it continued to vex him. Time ether was neither easy to draw nor channel.

He'd just turned to take another look at the books along the wall when a sound like metal striking metal echoed down the hall, followed by another.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Ryn wasn't sure why, but the sound of that repetitive, alternating clicking set his heart racing before he realized it. Those were footsteps. Those were Mistress Aurienda's footsteps. What kind of boots was she wearing? He'd never heard any boots that echoed like that.

She was obviously coming to instruct him in... something. He turned to face her desk and sat up straight. He debated between shoving his hands in his pockets and balancing them on his knees and decided... knees. He didn't want to look like he was trying to conceal anything from his new instructor when she arrived.

The clicking grew closer. Then it stopped, and the thick oak door to Mistress Aurienda's office opened with a long, taunting creak of hinges. As his new instructor stepped into the office with him, Ryn craned his neck to look.

Mistress Aurienda clicked inside and stopped. The door closed. Even with her across the office, Ryn already knew this woman would stand taller with him even if he was on his feet. It felt like she towered over him already, not just in height but in confidence.

She had short dark hair just past neck and wore spectacles with gold frames. He'd seen few spectacles in his time--only mages in the academy wore them--but hers had rounded corners and thin lenses that gleamed in the midday sun. She examined him as well.

He wasn't sure if she liked how she was eying him, like she had spotted a particularly shiny bug in the Meditation Garden. Her eyes left his and traveled down his body, then back up again. He could

feel

her gaze on him, evaluating his readiness for their lesson.

He also couldn't take his eyes off her. She wore a white-button down blouse that should have been modest, given it was buttoned to her collar and tucked into her tight black leather skirt. Yet the shirt strained so desperately against her large breasts that it was difficult to look anywhere else. Her boobs had to be close to the size of his head, yet her waist...

Her waist flowed into some of the shapeliest hips Ryn had ever seen on a woman. She might be almost twice his age (thirty-two, if the rumors he'd gathered from the other students were true) and as he covertly surveyed her, he couldn't help but be a little confused.

Though Ryn rarely disrespected his instructors (he actually liked most of them) he was well aware that many students in the academy called Mistress Aurienda "the Stone Goddess" behind her back. She was absolutely gorgeous... and absolutely celibate. Given how attractive she was, Ryn could only imagine this was because she simply wasn't interested in sex.

Aurienda was perhaps the only adult mage Ryn knew of to never take a bonded partner. Even Mentor Gaskon had a partner, though he rarely spoke of her. Ryn wondered if Aurienda was ever lonely or worse yet, horny, then decided it would be best not to speculate about such matters... especially given how attractive she looked in that blouse and skirt.

He snapped his head forward to stare out the window behind Aurienda's desk. He definitely didn't want his new instructor to catch him ogling her on his first day. Even so, the image of her tall heels remained seared in his mind like they'd been branded there. Her dark boots came to her knees and tipped her forward dangerously.

With her inspection of her new student apparently completed, Aurienda walked into his line of vision behind her desk. The clicking of her heels continued to both entrance and alarm him. Something about the sound suggested danger... and was unacceptably arousing.

Once behind her desk, Aurienda pivoted with military precision and placed her palms at precisely two equal points on the desk. She leaned forward, and with her backlit by the window behind her, he realized to his shock her blouse was not as opaque as he'd thought.

He couldn't see boobs. He could only see a hint of pale skin through the slightly translucent material. Yet he wasn't supposed to see skin. This woman was his instructor, and also thirteen years older than him! He was only nineteen, and she was thirty-two.

When she spoke, her lovely voice was calm and businesslike. "Thank you for coming to meet with me today, Xaven."

Ryn offered a neutral smile. "I wasn't given to believe I had a choice."

Had Aurienda smiled? He could imagine a hint of a smile, but he didn't know her well enough yet to decide if it was there. She spoke again before he could decide.

"The reports from your other instructors were quite complimentary. They stated that you eagerly apply yourself to your studies, you take direction well, and that you are quick to understand and demonstrate your understanding of new topics. I hope, should I instruct you, you will do the same with me."

"I certainly intend to. Though... I am curious about one thing."

"Yes?"

"Mentor Gaskon wouldn't tell me anything about what we were going to study over the next three months. In the past, I've always been able to read ahead on the topics in which I'll be instructed and prepare myself. So, I feel a bit... underprepared. At the moment."

Aurienda offered what was obviously a warm smile. "That is to be expected. As to your question, the reason no one has told you what we will be studying together is because this particular course of study is considered... controversial... in some quarters."

Controversial? That sounded interesting. He was immediately intrigued.

As Aurienda spoke, her spectacles gleamed. "I need not tell you how rare it is for an academy to get the chance to train a primal conjurer. The Executrix has selected you for special instruction outside our usual curriculum, and she has chosen me to personally provide that instruction. Yet before we begin, I would like us to agree to some ground rules."

He frowned as he considered her unusual request. "Like... safety regulations?"

"In a sense. As I said, no academy in the Cridor Republic has trained a primal conjurer in decades. Because of the unusual nature of this course of instruction, these ground rules are important. If you will not agree to the stipulations I offer, I will not be able to instruct you. Please consider each rule carefully before you agree."

Ryn felt a rush of excitement. In addition to being one of the most experienced nature mages at the Primal Academy, Mistress Aurienda had another specialty: traveling the Firmament. Even experienced mages like Mentor Gaskon and Mentor Caladan rarely traveled into the Firmament, as its dreamlike nature made it hard to understand.

Was Aurienda going to teach him to enter the Firmament? To leave his body and travel to a realm of pure ether? A realm where a mere thought could conjure miracles... or nightmares? Mages weren't supposed to learn to do that until after they'd graduated and passed their Firmament Trials... but he was no normal mage.

"I'd like to hear the stipulations before I agree. But so long as they're reasonable and within my abilities, I don't see why I'd say no."

"Excellent. I would ask you agree to three stipulations before I begin your instruction. I will list each stipulation individually. Then, I will ask you to agree to it."

Ryn had nothing else to ask, yet, so he remained silent. He'd found that instructors appreciated students not simply blurting out questions, especially if there was a chance the instructor would answer that question sooner rather than later.

Aurienda watched him calmly. "We will consider your agreement to each stipulation a pact between us, and as with any pact, should either of us violate it, we will be disciplined appropriately. I would not ask you to make such a commitment lightly. If I violate our agreement, I will be disciplined in the same manner as you. I will never ask you to do anything or answer anything I will not answer myself."

That

was a bit terrifying. Discipline at the primal academy ranged from a couple of hours in the cells (the cells were nice, but the silence was boring) to being left on rations of bread and water for days (while smelling delicious academy food) to even, for the worst offenders, losing credit for entire classes. Few broke the rules often enough to be slapped with that punishment.

Ryn knew he could never be expelled... he was too important and rare a mage for that... but that didn't mean his life here at the academy couldn't become a lot less comfortable. Yet despite the danger, every word out of Mistress Aurienda's mouth left him more and more curious about what she was going to be teaching him. This sounded like forbidden knowledge.

He already knew what Aurienda intended to teach him was something Mentor Gaskon couldn't teach, and also, that Aurienda would be teaching him unique lessons offered only to primal conjurers: rare mages who could bond more than one auxiliary.

He was the only primal conjurer in the Cridor Republic at the moment. Therefore, he might be the only student at the Primal Academy being offered Aurienda's unique course of instruction. Those two facts alone were enticing enough to make him at least listen... but he also wanted to know his options before he proceeded.

"I'm not saying no to this... controversial instruction... but I do want to know my alternatives. If I refuse one of your stipulations for this instruction, what happens then?"

"I will not instruct you, but you will also not be punished. The Executrix and I will simply pursue a different and less controversial method to reach the same goal. Your instruction will be written instead of practical, and you will learn by reading instead of doing."

That sounded awful. Ryn learned by doing. Unless Aurienda's stipulations were something ridiculous, like that he take off his clothes and run naked through the training yard in front of everyone, he already suspected he'd agree. He also suspected Aurienda knew that.

Like all mages, Ryn craved the chance to learn new spell forms and improve his power. It sounded like Aurienda was offering that. Still, he was curious about something else.

"Why not offer the written instruction first? If it's less controversial?"

"Neither I or Executrix Valenda believe the written method will provide the depth of understanding of the topic I wish to teach you or allow you to master it as efficiently. Still, we will not proceed without your agreement. Your voluntary participation is important to us."

That was reassuring, even if the rest was suspect. "Can I ask what you will be instructing me in before I agree to these stipulations?"

"Unfortunately, due to the sensitive nature of this instruction, I cannot reveal its nature before you agree to the stipulations required for me to instruct you. Again, if this is unacceptable, we will simply proceed with the written method."

On the one hand, the fact that he couldn't learn what she meant to teach him before agreeing to her stipulations made him wary of agreeing to anything. Yet the fact that she was being so cagey engaged his interest even more. He decided to take the plunge.

"Very well, Mistress Aurienda. What are these stipulations?"

"First, while I am instructing you, we will avoid unnecessary familiarity, for your comfort as well as mine. I will refer to you as Xaven, and you will refer to me as mistress. Not Mistress Aurienda. Not Aurienda. Not Auri. Mistress. Do you agree?"

Ryn had met a few instructors who were sticklers for titles, like Mentor Caladan. The man had once given a student a whole week in the cells for referring to him as "Cal" during an exercise. It was one of many reasons Ryn was careful never to piss Caladan off.

Mistress Aurienda wanted to be treated with the respect due a mage of her station. Given the depth of her knowledge and experience, and her fifteen years of service here, Ryn could understand that. Aurienda was his senior by thirteen years, and respect was due.

"Yes, mistress."

"Thank you, Xaven." Her warm smile at his agreement felt genuine. "Second, while I am instructing you, you will not speak unless I ask you a direct question, or after I inform you that you may speak freely. Do you agree?"

Ryn considered this stipulation as well. It also wasn't unreasonable. Despite being the only student Mistress Aurienda was instructing, the rule she set matched the rules in other classrooms. She wasn't asking for anything he didn't do every day in other classes.

"I agree, mistress."

"Thank you. The last stipulation is that you agree not to discuss the specifics of what we do in this office with anyone outside of this office, not even your close friends. As I've already stated, the instruction you will receive is unusual. Were you not a primal conjurer, you would not receive it at all. If other students learn what I was teaching you, it could inspire jealousy."

He'd already decided to agree to these stipulations without even knowing what she'd be teaching him. His curiosity was officially peaked. "I agree, mistress."

"Then I will instruct you in two areas where you must excel as a primal conjurer."

His excitement grew. "Which two areas?"

"We will begin with the most important. Protecting your soul. Over the next few months, I will teach you what you need to know to resist the bargains of devils in the Firmament. Ensuring you never make a deal with a devil will benefit us all."

Ryn knew very little about devils other than the deals they offered mages could tempt them into giving up their souls. He couldn't imagine what sort of deal would make someone do that... but that didn't mean he didn't want to avoid being tempted. Knowing Aurienda would teach him to avoid such temptations was a relief, though he didn't see how it was controversial.

Aurienda spoke again. "Our first lesson on this topic will begin now. From this point forward, please do not violate our stipulations. When I am done instructing you, I will allow you to speak freely once more. Then, you may ask any questions you wish. Nod if you understand."

Ryn pushed his anticipation and nervousness from his mind and focused his mind... or tried. As Aurienda once again walked around the desk, Ryn's gaze moved to follow her. Unfortunately, the sway of her impressive hips challenged his attempt to focus.

As she spoke, Aurienda walked around the desk and approached his chair from the side. Given how tall she was and the fact that he was sitting, he had to stare straight up at her face... and past her magnificent breasts in that straining blouse.

Did she have any idea how arousing the view was from down here? He swallowed involuntarily and fixed his eyes on the desk. Perhaps she didn't realize how attractive she was.

For a woman her age to never bond another mage was highly unusual. Some at the academy even suspected Aurienda might still be a virgin, a ludicrous assumption for a beautiful and talented woman of her station. For Ryn's part, he'd discounted the rumors as gossip and, moreover, unimportant. It wasn't his concern.

Yet now that he was alone in an office with her, he couldn't help but be aroused by her figure, her proximity, and her decidedly warm smile. She was close, extremely well-dressed, and extremely attractive. Was this a test of his focus?

"Now. Xaven. Stand up and turn to face me."

He took a breath, pushed up from the chair, and turned to face her. That, unfortunately, put her impressive breasts directly at eye level. His gaze darted to her straining blouse involuntarily--those buttons were fighting for their lives!--before his gaze snapped to her eyes.

"Were you just staring at my breasts?"

Ryn froze. Caught already? Had this been a trap?

Aurienda smiled warmly. "This is not an accusation. You are a man who is attracted to women, and I am a woman with proportions I know to be pleasing to the eye. I will never berate you for your natural instincts, instincts we all share. I would simply like you to be honest with me. You being honest with me is critical for the progress of our instruction."

Was she serious? This was too far outside the realm of his understanding of the academy for him to just answer. He couldn't admit he'd been ogling an instructor, could he?

Aurienda eyed him curiously. "Are you worried I'll judge you if you answer?"

He couldn't

not

answer her direct question, so he'd go with the safer option. "I'm not sure I feel comfortable answering such a question. Mistress."

He felt immediate relief when she smiled instead of berating him. "Thank you for being honest in this regard. To reward you, I will answer my earlier question. You

were

staring at my breasts, and have done so repeatedly since I entered the room."

He decided it would be best not to say anything at this point.

"As I've stated, this is not an accusation. You and every male student... and even some females... stare at my chest every day. Were I to take offense at this natural aspect of human nature, I would hold a grudge with far too many at this academy."

Ryn was again guiltily relieved that she wasn't going to punish him simply for staring at her boobs, but where was this going with this? What did it have to do with resisting devil deals?

"You may stare at my breasts, Xaven. You need not disguise your interest. You may examine them as long as you like. I give you permission to do so."

If this woman was trying to rattle him, she was certainly succeeding. He couldn't help but expect a trap or a trick. Yet Aurienda had been honest with him from the moment she walked in the room, and hers was a simple enough request.

He lowered his gaze at her chest again. The sight was just as impressive as always. She even breathed deeply, accentuating the sight. He swallowed as his arousal increased.

Aurienda eyed him curiously. "Would you like to touch my breasts?"

What in the hells was wrong with this woman? Was she trying to seduce him because of his status as a primal conjurer? He knew from his recent years in the classroom that mages could only form a bond through penetrative intercourse (that fact had delighted his class once the instructors revealed it) but did Mistress Aurienda intended to... bond with him?

Why? How? She was his instructor, and she was thirteen years older than he was, and she was celibate without a lover in the academy or outside it... or so the rumors said. This wasn't how classroom instruction should go, though it was

impossibly

sexy.