Six
Life gets more complicated
*
Grepp was first in, Xentha and he fell into discussion about Milova's performance as he walked over to help himself to cofftea. I sat back nodding my automatic agreement to her points as they began to swap tales of the evening.
Kenval and Bemnie came in together and I took the opportunity to excuse myself, bringing my candle to light it and retire to my bed.
Xentha snuck into my room whilst I still slept but woke me as she slipped in naked next to me and reached for the morning woody I was sporting. We made soft gently love, each of us orally pleasing the other till first I came and then satisfied her minutes later by adding a three finger prod.
She muffled her screams and groans with her hand as she writhed beneath me. I looked down on the lightness of her pubes with the glistening drops dancing in them, the warmth of the soft smooth skin of her thighs beneath my hands as she shifted.
We had breakfast together, she playfully teasing and picking arguments as we walked back smiling with the cloudless sky promising a fine day to come. I had the Wizards House on my mind, I meant to explore it this morning and banish those defensive spells.
We stopped back in the dorm and met Grepp and Kenval as they were having their first cup, I stayed long enough to pick up the book before telling the white lie of needing to talk to professor Swapswisle to explain my rapid departure.
I made my way to the back of the garden and the tradesman's gate that should be there and found myself confronted by the same spell as guarded the front. It read 'Fear, alarm, suspicion, lassitude, failure, darkness' and two other I didn't know.
I looked the unknowns up and concentrated on then the whole phrase as I drew on its faded strength, feeling its tingling power gushing into my outstretched hand. Despite its age the power was richer, thicker that simple word spells, making my fingers feel somehow warmer.
The spell was gone and I felt refreshed and eager, the gate were closed but not bolted and I squeezed through. As I rounded the curve of the grass crazed drive I could see the court yard and yet more spells warding the house, the skin crawling effect lessening as I dissolved more.
The door to the house was closed but looked infirm, the wood worn and weakened. The lock splintered the wood as I gave it a shoulder push and it swung open two inches on squeaky screeching hinges, I pushed it open further, firmly enough to wonder if it might snap with the effort as the bottom hinge protested more, and slipped inside.
There were older spells embedded here, wards against malice, ineffective but remaining still, and an odd air of magic to the dim entrance hall. The dust was undisturbed excepting it was a wind sculpted inch thick around the sill of the door, raising tiny puffs as I stepped further inside to explore.
I circled round the staircase and ignored the doors left and right which were probably receiving rooms and took the already half open one at the back, pushing the protesting door left an arc in the dust.
I was in a dark passage lit by a mossy skylight; further down was an arch and a dim room undistinguishable from here. As I walked closer still raising dust clouds, the view broadened as I approached, showing me a kitchen with a tangle of vines growing over the room's only window.
I turned back retracing my footprints to confuse my track and walked to the stairs, and followed the glow of light up the right branch, there was a glass walled corridor with doors on the inner side, these must be their private quarters looking out across to the other side and seeing the same façade across the yard in the centre of the house.
The house inside was free of harmful defensive spells with the ones remaining only ghosts of their original selves, a residual image reminding you of its former power. I spent a while studying them, finding its page in the book if it was one of the many unknowns.
I stood at the bottom of the stairs looking at one of the oldest and friendliest of the old magic protection spells and rehearsed its runic sound in my head preparing to try my first act of magic, reviving the beneficial spells now that I had rid it of all the aggressive ones.
I pronounced the phrase firmly and was delighted when the sigils began to glow and sparkle and its magic field grew. I went around the house again reviving all the old magic, leaving footprints everywhere as I sought out every single spell and either restored it or absorbed its magic.
The dust was going to be a problem, the roof, from my cursory check while I explored, looked sound still, though in the half light of the moss encroached skylight it was perfunctory glance around for spells. From the looks of it some of the furniture and fittings might be salvageable as well.
I was hot and sweaty when I finished, dust coating my clothes and face. My stomach told me it was near dinnertime but I needed to clean myself up first. I was back to an empty dorm, I put a pot of water on to wash with and sat and read more of the book while I waited.
I got to the refrec before the second bell and took a wall seat to share a table with two acolytes. I thought about Rash and when to tell her about the house, Miri would probably be at her lessons and Rash wasn't one to sit around, evening was probably the best time to catch them which left me free till then.
I was walking out when the magic phrase I'd walked past so many times leapt out. One was the symbol for food, eating, hunger and the other was full, contentment, enjoyment in combination. I spoke them under my breath and watched as they took new form and substance.
On the walk back to the dorm I contemplated a trip around the buildings, especially the council chamber, to see what residual spells there were that were worthy of revival. Bemnie was there when I arrived, sat back in the seat, feet up and half dozing.
"A penny for them," I quoted as my arrival stirred her.
"What?"
"Oh just an old saying from my village, you were catching forty winks."
"Huh?"
"Oh never mind, how are you?"
"Fine, I slept in this morning, first time in ages I've missed breakfast. I had to go over to the market for pancakes.
"I was up early, I've been trying to practice my magic, I can't seem to get it straight in my mind." I replied. "Maybe I need to do a bit more of that meditation Xentha showed me."
"Oh it's easy, honest, you've just got to get your thinking right."
Curromo came in.
"Bem, I thought I'd find you here, how's Kenval?" she asked by way of announcing herself.
"I don't know, I haven't seen him yet."
She came to a halt in front of her. "Do you want to come for a walk?"
Bemnie shrank back into the chair.
"I've got some juicy gossip."
Bemnie gave a small laugh. "Okay, wait while I get changed."
Curromo turned to me as Bemnie rose. "Is there any cofftea on?"
"I don't think so, I'll make you one if you want."
"That would be nice," she said as she sat and I stood.
I busied myself for the few minutes it took to prepare and left it to boil, standing idly leaning against the sink as I waited.
"You went out with Xentha last night I hear, Cal is still annoyed but serve her right, the first boy to get an invite into her room and you walk off to bed."
I gave a chuckle. "I took a while to get to bed, at least my bed," I said, letting her read between the lines.
