The Amazon's Pledge

"In hard times like this, it's important to remember that things could be a lot worse."

All five of the other prisoners sharing my cell turned and glared at me. Collectively, they had about as many teeth as I did, with probably five times as many scars. It wasn't exactly the optimal tooth-to-scar ratio I looked for in potential allies, but a man in my current position couldn't afford to be picky.

"I'm just saying, we could have all been stripped naked and tied to the ceiling," I went on, grinning. "Then they could have threatened to castrate us and handed our crazy, bitter ex-girlfriends the knife. I mean, that

would

be worse, right?"

If their previous glares had been caustic, their new ones could only be described as "murderous." Maybe, just maybe, a bunch of men who had just been arrested by the Highwind Guard and caged within the Gray Citadel weren't looking to make new friends.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" one of the men snapped. He sounded like he enjoyed eating rocks for breakfast, which at least would have explained his conspicuously poor dental hygiene.

"Just trying to lighten the mood," I said. "It's not--"

"Shut the fuck up!" another of men growled. "Or I'll break that pretty face of yours before your screams reach the warden's ears."

I sighed and slinked back into the corner of the cell. Suffice to say, our little return trip to Highwind hadn't gone according to plan. After Magister Rethon had arrested Kaseya, Valuri, and I outside of the

Silken Rose

, his men had tossed us into different cells here in the bowels of the Gray Citadel, Highwind's maximum security prison for dangerous and magically deviant individuals. I hadn't seen the girls for the better part of a day now, and for all I knew, they had already been interrogated and released. It would be the pinnacle of irony for me to have finally rescued Valuri only to end up in a different prison with her on the outside...

I had tried my best not to think about it. Kaseya wouldn't abandon me so easily, but Valuri...well, it was entirely conceivable that she would just cut her losses and run. I still loved her and always had, but she could be a real cunt sometimes. It was part of her charm.

I sat silently in the corner for what felt like an epoch before I heard the shuffling of heavy boots outside the cell. One of the gray-hooded guards approached the door, a jingling keyring in his hand.

"You have a visitor, sorcerer," he said. "Keep your hands where I can see them. Try to channel and you'll get to spend a week in the Vault."

"You don't have to worry about me," I said, resisting the urge to fire off another ill-timed quip. The guards here seemed even less interested in chatter than the prisoners.

He opened the door and gestured for me to walk slowly in front of him. Even if I'd wanted to try and escape, channeling wasn't an option. They had fitted me with a suppression collar the moment I'd arrived, and when I closed my eyes I swore I could feel the vatari crystals embedded within actually siphoning the Aether out of me. They were the same stones that gave Valuri and the other Senosi their magic-eating powers.

The guard and I eventually reached the dungeon's processing area, a wide, cross-shaped chamber that acted as the final stopover before prisoners were assigned a cell block that fit their "needs." There were only a few other prisoners here at the moment, though I immediately recognized the slender, silver-haired half-elf in the skimpy skirt, thigh-high boots, and black bandeau.

Silhouette turned and looked at me, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. I couldn't imagine why. Her hands were shackled behind her back, and as far as I knew, the guards had arrested her and several of the other

Silken Rose

whores for conspiring with the Black Mistress. If anything, she should have been enraged to see me--Rethon and his goons had followed my Aetheric trail right to her doorstep, after all.

I didn't say anything for fear of angering my escort, but when he randomly struck up a conversation with the other guards, Silhouette leaned in and whispered into my ear.

"I delivered your message."

My brow furrowed. "What?"

"My employer wishes to meet you, now more than ever," she went on, her voice a smooth purr. "Moonshadow Plaza, the

Skittering Spider

. Anytime you're ready to talk."

My mouth opened but nothing came out. This was not the conversation I'd been expecting to have this morning...

"Tell your amazon friend I'm looking forward to seeing her again," Silhouette added.

Before I found my voice, my escort turned and grabbed me by the arm. "Come on. Trust me: you don't want to keep your visitor waiting."

He dragged me along beside him, and when I glanced back over my shoulder, Silhouette had already turned away. I still wasn't sure what to make of her words. I had assumed that her employer, the enigmatic Black Mistress, would have lost all interest in me the moment I'd been so stupid as to get myself and a bunch of her contacts in the city arrested. But Silhouette hadn't seemed the least bit concerned about it--I could only assume that was a good thing.

I sighed and shook my head as the guard led me up a nearby staircase to the Citadel's main entrance. We walked through a large, pristine marble corridor before he pushed me into a holding cell where visitors could safely meet with inmates. To my relief, the girls were already waiting inside.

"Don't try anything stupid," the guard said, closing the cell door. "When your visitor arrives, stand clear of the bars and behave yourself. Otherwise, you'll--"

"End up in the Vault," I finished for him. "I heard you the first fifty times."

The man glared at me for a long moment, then turned and continued down the corridor. Valuri waited all of about five seconds before she started tearing into me.

"Two days," Valuri said, crossing her arms and scowling at me. "We've been back together for two whole days and you already found a way to get us thrown in prison!"

"Nice to see you, too," I muttered.

"Did you forget that I spent the last three fucking months in the Inquisitrix's dungeon thanks to you?"

"How could he when you constantly berate him about it?" Kaseya asked.

Valuri shot the amazon a baleful glare. "We would have already been out of here if you had just let me sweet-talk that guard yesterday."

"You were lying to him."

"Of course I was lying to him! That was the whole bloody point!"

"There is no honor in deception."

Valuri's glare intensified. "You challenged him to a duel, and when he refused, you threatened to kill him if he didn't let you see Jorem. Did you seriously think

that

would help?"

"I knew he would be too cowardly to accept my challenge," Kaseya said. "I thought I could intimidate him instead."

Valuri smacked her forehead and ran her fingers back through her black hair. "You see what I've had to deal with this whole time?"

"And here I was worried that the two of you wouldn't get along," I muttered, leaning against the back wall.

"This isn't funny," Valuri said, shifting her glare back to me. "And how the hell did you get caught in the first place? You honestly didn't know that the Mage's Guild was spying on you? Even after you met Magister Mustache the first time?"

"I assumed I would notice if they started poking around, and Rethon seemed like he was just posturing," I said, wincing at how lame the defense sounded to my own ears. "Besides, it wasn't like we had much of a choice. We were running out of coin, and magic was the only way for us to find the information we needed."

"No, it was the

lazy

way for you to find the information you needed," Valuri countered. "You've always relied on the Aether too much. If I hadn't taken pity on you, the Senosi would have caught and killed you a long time ago."

I stood and got right in her face. As usual, she didn't flinch in the slightest.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I growled. "You have no idea how much I've restrained myself since coming to Highwind."

"Jorem, you nearly killed yourself by overchanneling on Ayrael's ship."

I blinked. "That's...different."

"Is it?" Valuri pressed. "Kaseya also told me that you roasted a few dozen bandits and nearly burned down a whole fortress in the wilds. Were you restraining yourself then?"

"Our lives were at stake," I protested. "I didn't have a choice."

"Did you have a choice when you started using charm spells on whores and wenches and guards?" Valuri scoffed and shook her head. "Unbelievable. You spent your whole life as a fugitive in Vorsalos, Jorem. When did you get so stupid? I taught you better than that!"

I started to retort but swore under my breath instead. She was right, of course--I

had

been more reckless than usual recently. I obviously should have been more careful after my initial confrontation with Rethon, too, but I hadn't expected the wizards to be able to follow my Aetheric trail without my knowledge...

I sighed and pinched at the bridge of my nose. The other problem was that I had spent so many months working with Valuri that I had grown more dependent upon her Senosi abilities than I wanted to admit. As long as she was around, my channeling didn't leave a trail--she could easily absorb any residual echoes of my magic.

"I still cannot believe your people would dare to imprison such a skilled

moshalim

," Kaseya whispered. "They should be celebrating and harnessing your power, not trying to shackle it."

Valuri grunted. "You're cute, honey, but here in the real world you can't just give dangerous channelers a morning blowjob and expect them to behave. Sorcery is deadly and terrifying in the wrong hands. It needs to be controlled."

Kaseya frowned. "If you agree with your Inquisitrix, then why are you here helping Jorem?"

"The Inquisitrix wants to chop the balls off male sorcerers and "purify" female ones into serving her," Valuri replied. "Just because I can accept the reality that the Aether is dangerous doesn't mean I embrace her whole worldview. She's a crazy, psychopathic cunt with far too much power and influence."

I sighed again and gently pushed my forehead against the bars. "Look, we all just need to relax," I said. "The two of you haven't actually broken any laws."

Valuri scoffed. "What difference does that make?"

"This isn't Vorsalos--the rule of law actually matters here," I told her. "I guarantee they'll let the two of you go eventually."

"What about you?" Kaseya asked.

I shrugged. "I channeled the Aether without a license. I suspect they'll want to lock me up for a little while."

"That is unacceptable. I will not leave your side,

Maskari

."

I smiled despite myself. I still wasn't sure what to make of her fanatical loyalty, but I knew she meant every word. I also knew that I hadn't fucked her in almost three days, and I desperately wanted to correct that oversight as quickly as possible. I was honestly a little surprised she hadn't dropped to her knees and tried to drain me the moment we'd been reunited, guards be damned.

"You'll have to, at least for a while," I said, lowering my voice and glancing back and forth down the nearby corridor. I didn't see any signs of our "visitor" or anyone else yet, but I knew we still needed to be careful what we said. This was a prison run by wizards, after all--there were probably magical sensors all over the place in here.

"What he means is that he's expecting us to break him out," Valuri said. "The irony is so thick I think I'm going to gag."

I turned back to stare incredulously at her, but Kaseya frowned. "What? But how could we--"

"Tsst," I hissed through my teeth as I made a sealed lips motion with my hand. Val of all people should have known better.

"There's no one standing in the corridor, and their magical sensors won't be able to hear me," Valuri said, tapping her arm to remind us of her concealed, dormant Senosi tattoos. "I can say whatever I want--you two are the ones who need to be careful."

"You don't know that for certain," I warned. "This place is built to hold monsters with all kinds of horrifying abilities. Who knows what kind of enchantments they have in place?"

"I'm sure they're all very impressive, but they still won't be able to affect me."

"You're certain?"

"Certain enough," she said, shrugging. "Like you said, I'll probably be out on the streets soon. You're the one who's screwed."

I groaned. "Thanks, Val. It's so great knowing you always have my back."

"I do not understand why you put up with her," Kaseya said. "She is cold, capricious, and dishonorable."

"Oh, get over yourself, sugar tits," Valuri said. "Maybe if you could keep your mouth shut, we'd--"

"Enough," I said, glancing back out into the corridor. I wanted to tell them about my run-in with Silhouette, but I couldn't take the risk. "Do you have any idea who our visitor is?"

"Someone important, judging from how the guards were reacting," Valuri said. "Maybe you got the attention of the councilors. Or maybe even the Archmage himself."

I nibbled at my lip. "I don't know if that's good or bad."

"Well, let's see: he hates Senosi, he hates sorcerers...the only one who's safe is Kaseya, at least until she blurts out something that gets us all into trouble."

I started to argue, but a moment later, the door at the end of the corridor opened. A pair of Citadel guards stepped inside, and behind them I heard the unexpected but unmistakable

click

of high heels on stone. The footsteps approached slowly but deliberately, and I found myself holding my breath until a tall, statuesque high elf woman strode into view.

She was, without a doubt, one of the most stunning women I had ever seen. Like most elves, she had high, stately cheekbones and flawless white skin. She tucked her long golden hair back in a tightly braided ponytail that dangled halfway down her back, though her movements were so graceful and measured that it barely even swished back and forth when she walked. Despite her fairly conservative outfit--a hip-hugging, knee-length blue dress--the sight of her bright blue eyes and slender body was enough to make my cock twinge in my trousers. Her five inch heels and ample cleavage were enough to make it spring upright.

"Leave us," she said to the nearby guards.

"But, my lady, we should--"

"Leave us."

The two men shared a nervous glance, then scurried out of the room and closed the door behind them.

"The fugitive sorcerer from Vorsalos," the elf woman said in a smooth, cultured voice once we were alone. "Interesting. I hope you are as knowledgeable as you say."

"So do I," I squeaked, forcing an awkward smile. "My name is Jorem Farr. My friends and I--"

"I know who you are," she interrupted. "And just as importantly, I know who your friends are. Valuri Sorvaal, former Senosi Huntress and personal assassin for the Inquisitrix. Kaseya, amazon warrior from Nol Krovos."

I swallowed heavily, still trying to figure out exactly who we were dealing with. The woman's elegant dress wasn't exactly a Guild-issue robe or tunic, which meant she obviously wasn't just some random lackey. Perhaps she was a full Magistrix like Rethon...or perhaps she was something else entirely.

"Impressive," Valuri said. "If you know who we are, then you must know how useful we could be to someone in your position. I doubt many prisoners here warrant a personal visit from the Headmistress of the Highwind Academy."

I pursed my lips and resisted the urge to swear. No, this woman

definitely

wasn't a random Guild lackey--Headmistress Telanya was the one of the most powerful and influential people in the whole damn city. The rumor on the street was that she had come here from Nelu'Thalas just over a year ago, and she had married Archmage Beloran not long afterward. I felt like any idiot for not realizing who she was the moment I'd seen her. As usual, I decided to blame my overeager cock for clouding my judgment...

Telanya studied Valuri for several long seconds before she finally smiled. "Many wizards in this city would gladly see a Senosi Huntress hanged. They know what you stand for and what you represent."

"Fair enough, but I'm not here on behalf of the Inquisitrix," Valuri said. "Quite the opposite, in fact. My friends and I are hoping we can convince the fine people of your city that the Senosi threat is even greater than they realize."

"The people don't need convincing," Telanya replied. "The rabble is easily roused and frightened. The more difficult task will be persuading the Highwind Council to take action. They are so distracted by local politics that they refuse to see the true threat on the horizon."

"We know more about that threat than anyone," I said, an excited flutter in my stomach. It seemed like there was an opportunity here, assuming we didn't fuck it up. "I've spent my whole life avoiding the Senosi. Valuri knows the workings of the Vorsalosian elite better than anyone. And Kaseya...well, she's personally acquainted with the Inquisitrix's new right-hand woman."

Telanya swept her eyes over us one by one. I couldn't help but wonder how powerful of a channeler she was...or if she had the same attitude toward sorcerers that her husband did. The highborn elves of Nelu'Thalas viewed wizardry as "backwards, rustic magic" compared to raw sorcery, which may have been why she was here in Highwind--and willing to speak with me.

I also couldn't help but wonder what she looked like naked, but I did my best to bury that particular question before it got me into trouble.

"You have made some grave mistakes, Jorem Farr," she said after a moment. "Using the Aether to manipulate the minds and memories of Highwind citizens is a serious crime. The Highwind Council will demand that my husband judge you harshly."

"But they don't know anything about me just yet, do they?" I asked, sensing where she might be going with this. "And you want to make me an offer to keep it that way."

Her eyes focused upon me. "I am concerned about the safety of this city. As you said, the Senosi are a grave threat--one that many of my colleagues refuse to see. I think you may possess useful information on their strategy and capabilities." She took a step closer to the bars. "I also think there may be something else you can do for me."

I smiled. "We're listening."

"I'm afraid I cannot discuss it here," she said. "The three of you will be released into my custody, and you will attend a dinner at our estate this evening. Once there, you will tell my husband and I everything you know about the Inquisitrix."

"I would be happy to," I told her, and meant it. My heart had started racing within my chest. Fate, it seemed, hadn't completely abandoned me just yet.

"Good," Telanya said. "The warden will release you shortly. My associates will meet you outside and make sure you are properly attired for the occasion tonight." She started to turn away but paused. "I'm certain I don't need to tell you that I am taking a significant risk by clearing your name in this way. If you don't want to spend the rest of your lives rotting in a cell, I suggest you do exactly as I say from this point onward."

"We understand," I assured her. "And we won't disappoint you."

"We shall see."

Telanya turned and left the room, the clicking of her heels echoing through the stone corridor. When she started speaking softly to the guards outside, I ran a hand across my face and glanced back to the girls.

"That was...unexpected."

"She's desperate," Valuri said, a dark smile on her lips. "I could see it in her face and hear it in her voice."

"She must be if she's reaching out to a group of total strangers from a rival city," I said. "What could the wife of the Archmage and the Headmistress of the Highwind Academy possibly want from us?"