Law of Shadows

“Everyone has his little secrets. The best way to unearth them is to dig up dirt until you get to the bottom of their little hidy-holes.”

- A memory of the Old Ones.

***Carinthia***

***Magnus***

“How are you going to pay for all of this?” Sely surveys the room with sceptical eyes.

The Zunderhaus is the most expensive restaurant we have in Carinthia. There is a large dining hall, but also various private rooms if you are willing to pay the price. The food and service are excellent, so I always come here when I want to celebrate. I survey the room which was arranged to mimic a library. Each private room inside the Zunderhaus has its own theme. One I know of is entirely blue. Another is trying to give off the feeling of being inside a farmhouse. And they always have one room in the process of being remodelled. So there is always something new. “I'll give them money.”

“That's obvious, unless you want to end the evening by running off without paying the restaurant. What I meant to ask is where the money comes from. You are wasting your time by playing games in that game store. Has your clan left you so much money that you can live the high life even a hundred years after their demise?” She abruptly closes her mouth, realising that she probably went too far.

I rub my eyes which must have flashed red. Then I place my arms on the table, fingers together. I even try to smile, but I am afraid that it's only my mouth that does so. “I am the owner of that game store. In addition, I own the weapon factory which is located in the neighbouring valley. I like to be sure that my guns are of high quality. The microchip factory across the lake is also mine and I am actually thinking about buying the capacitor factory at the industrial area. And there is an electro-motor factory on which I've set my eyes. The owners aren't willing to pay the rent for the land, which incidentally belongs to me. They will soon move to some Third World country. In addition, my clan left me with various plots of land, located all around the area. Spoken in terms of wealth, I own two thirds of everything that's inside this federal state. Of course everything on different identities because the humans would flip out otherwise. It’s no different from the territories of other Old Ones.”

When she puckers her lips I smile for real. “I admit that my territory isn't very large. It’s humble compared to what other clans accumulated, but I can expend my money on some luxury without having to resort to theft. The fact that I regularly steal cars is just out of convenience. I lack the patience to wait for a taxi. In my life I had a lot of time on my hands and I used it. It's not like I play games and police the territory twenty four seven. So, what's your story? Tell me how you finally ended up in this room.”

She tilts her head and regards me with those blue eyes of hers. Looking closer, I find that there is even a shade of green in them. Finally she decides to tell her story while we slowly eat the food.

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“I was born to Cecilia Hammon, one of the four wives of Gavin Hammon, the clan-head of the Hammons. Cecilia brought me up at the Hammon's main estate, an underground complex, which is hidden inside a hollowed out mountain in Norway.”

I nod and picture the Hammon territory in my mind. It spans over large parts of Norway and deep into Russia. Their Veil is a powerful one, but it's spread thin because it has to cover such a large area. The Hammons hold their territory by pure strength in numbers. Their own clan is already a big one, but they also have four smaller clans which are held like vassals. I am not sure if they would fight an offensive battle for the Hammons, but they are helping them to hold the territory.

“Mom was just the acquired fourth wife from a clan in Spain. She never spoke about it, but I heard some rumours within the clan. I assume that she was sold to Gavin or taken by force. She never managed to develop any love for me and simply went through the motions of motherhood. I suppose that I've to be thankful that she did at least that much, since she is a broken woman. Gavin never bothered to show himself inside our quarters. He simply 'requested' Mom's presence from time to time. It took me a while to catch onto the deeper meaning of such requests.”

So he simply orders one of his wives to his quarters if it itches him. That's a nice life, though I am not sure if I would like it to distance myself from my partner in such a way.

“At first I grew up oblivious to that part of their relationship. There was Mother and me… and that’s it. I didn't know anything else. After getting older, I slowly realized that what I've with my mother isn't a real family relationship. And that we are missing a father. I enviously observed how the other families interacted within their groups. Somewhere along the line I learned that Gavin is my father and that he has four wives. To me he was always just the clan-head. When I was sixteen, Gavin informed me that I would be married off to one of his British allies. Something about sealing a deal. Just the thought of being like my mother was enough for me to vehemently object to being traded away as a price. Gavin was angry, but he let me go.”

She takes a sip of the wine, then she continues.

“I didn’t believe in getting away so easy. Gavin isn’t the kind of leader who allows ‘no’ as an answer. So I started to spy on Gavin and his cronies. I accidentally overhead a discussion between Gavin and one of his advisors. They planned to bind me forcibly to my new husband, using magic. Luckily I had until my seventeenth birthday before the Bocheaux would arrive from Britain to perform the ceremony. I invested every free minute I had into research, learning every possible way to control a person's mind and body. Nobody knew that I had caught onto their plans, so I wasn't stopped when I wormed myself through every book in the clan's library.

“A few days before my husband arrived, I found the binding spell under the altar at which the marriage would be performed. I was seventeen and a child, but I wasn't foolish. If I ran away, or destroyed their magical circle, they would catch me and prepare everything a second time. This time without me being able to interfere. They would lock me up in a hole and bring me in front of the altar bound and gagged if need be.

“So my only chance would be to allow them to perform the ceremony. I had to make sure that they can't perform it a second time or correct their mistake. On the night before the ceremony, I snuck to the altar and manipulated their circle. The original circle was aimed at increasing my emotions and channelling them into erotic desire towards a targeted person, the one who performs the marriage bond with me. In addition it forced total obedience to any instruction given by that person.

“I was so mad they were trying to make me into a sex slave. They were my own clan, but apparently I was nothing more than a broodmare. I couldn't change the part with the heightened emotions. It was a basic part of the circle. Had I changed that, everyone would have seen my meddling from afar. The enslavement part was changed into a protection against interference. I went as far as allowing it to kill me if I fall under another’s control. My opinion is that being dead is better than being a puppet with my mind caught inside my own body.

“I was still afraid that they would somehow manage to use the heightened emotions against me. So I added some impossible demands for any future partner. He would need to be strong enough to protect me from my family. He needs to have the same feelings I have for him. I also demanded respect for my own person and some other small things. To be short, I wished for a knight in shining armour.

“On the day of the wedding everything went as they planned. I had faked my intention of going along with the wedding since they publicly announced the marriage. Meek little Sely had given up her disobedience and would say ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ to everything. They performed the ceremony and married me off to Emil Baucheaux. So in truth I am technically not a Hammon any more, but a Baucheaux. I am not really sure why the Baucheaux are so important to Gavin.”

I grunt. I may not be interested in the world outside my territory, but I try to keep up. Luckily the basic layout of the world’s power structure doesn't change fast when Old Ones are involved. “The Baucheaux control pretty much all of England. They have their fingers in everything that's related to trade by ship or over sea.”

Sely shrugs. “Well, they partied and threw a grand feast to celebrate my enslavement. I still smiled and went along with all their commands. Somehow I hoped that this Emil is a better person than I anticipated. I never met him up until that day. To my knowledge only Gavin and his cronies were involved in this plan. That quickly changed when Gavin and Emil had a long and revealing discussion directly in front of me. They thought that my mind was neutered, so I was nothing more than a piece of furniture to them. They congratulated themselves to their little experiment, and how they would use the circle on all their partners from then on.”

She purses her lips. “Then Emil took me to his bedchamber. The very first thing he did was to take off his trousers and order me to suck him.” Suddenly she smiles for the first time during her story. “I meekly went to my knees and used the chance to let out all the anger and frustration I had bottled up so far. You can't imagine how hard it was to hold back the whole time with that spell on me, all my feelings increased. So I let loose and I ripped off his balls. Then I shoved them into his howling mouth and placed a nice kick on his chin to have him take a bite of his own medicine. I was never quite sure, but I think he swallowed at least some of it.”

Sely snorts and takes a sip from her wine. “It goes without mention that everyone was outraged. I was thrown into jail, pretty much as I expected. I still thought that my little show of rebellion was worth it. From what I heard Gavin and Emil had a big fight, though I never learned how it ended up with Emil running off without taking me with him. Maybe Emil thought that Gavin did it intentionally. I was Gavin’s daughter after all.”

This Gavin needs to be ripped apart and fed to the dogs. A grin steals itself onto my face. “I suppose Emil had no need for a wife who would rip off his balls, given she gets the opportunity.”

Sely rolls her eyes. “Anyway. A few weeks later they released me. It wasn't like I could run away and I was a female after all. I suppose that Gavin hoped that someone would worm his way through my defences and knock me up in the end. Then the clan would have at least one more woman who provides new members.

“All in all I had a pretty easy life afterwards. I kept to myself and had the occasional fling when I wanted and with who I wanted. The contact with my Mom went down to zero. After all she never lifted a finger to protect me and I became more and more independent. I was tolerated, but not really a member of the community. And I never wanted to belong to them. Maybe ten to fifteen members of the clan are against Gavin's practices, but they are too afraid to do anything to oppose him. They just look away, so they are as much at fault as he is.

“The years went by and I continued my studies until seventeen years ago. One day I noticed that my mother was pregnant again. I remembered my own childhood and practically forced my way back into Mom's life.” She scratches her head. “Maybe some maternal instinct kicked in, since I got completely hooked to the baby when Mom gave birth. I spent all my free time with Annia, hoping that I could give her the anchor point I never had. Annia and I are as much mother and daughter as we are sisters. Mom wasn't very eager to defend her position.

“One year ago, Gavin announced that Annia is promised to some French lord. Of course both Annia and I went into overdrive. I never bothered to keep any secrets from her, so she knew what to expect. Annia confronted Gavin, but he ignored her. It took me a while to investigate, but two months ago I noticed the first signs that they were preparing the same ritual they intended to use on me. Just that they were guarding the circle this time.

“It's actually funny how much effort they put into keeping Annia and me away from the circle. It was almost as if it never crossed their minds that we could simply run away. I admit that without the amulet we wouldn’t have gotten very far. But running away was exactly what we did once I realised that there was no hope to manipulate the circle. Things were different with Annia than with me. I was alone, a child and inexperienced in the ways of the outside world. Annia was the same, but she had me. So I prepared everything and broke into Gavin's personal treasure room. I took every curiosity within easy reach. But the main aim of the theft was the Horus.

“I knew about the amulet because of all my spying on Gavin. It was the perfect tool to aid our escape. Once I had it, we immediately fled the complex. We crossed the Veil and were gone long before they even realised that someone broke into the treasure room. From then on it was a bumpy escape through different territories. Gavin didn't waste any time and hired a score of headhunters. We had to avoid mercenaries, fae and other supernaturals.

“The original plan was to escape to Spain to our Mother's clan, the Rhonu. We intended to press their emotional buttons, telling them a horrible story of how Mom is nothing more than a broodmare under Gavin's influence. Which is true. The artefacts were meant as payment for a safe place to live. Though that plan went out the window when we were cornered close to your territory. We had the choice of fighting our way through a hundred fae, or to cross over into your land.

“We knew about the rumours of how no Old One ever returned from Carinthia. It was still better than being caught by the fae and we had the amulet. So we had hope. There wasn't much hesitance when we changed the plan to using your territory to cross over to Italy. The Bacellos aren't friendly with the Hammons. It was a good chance at freedom.”

She sets down her glass and sighs. “And then we ran into you.”

I try to digest the whole story, glad that I've eaten my food before the story started to affect me. I crave for my family. I wouldn’t know what to do if they are within reach but reject me. At least she had contact with other Old Ones until she got involved with her sister. “This ceremonial spell that was placed on you interests me. It's amazing that you don't flip out at regular intervals. Is it a genuine hex, or an enchantment that was imprinted on your aura?”

She smiles sadly. “If that had been the case, it would be possible to break the spell. It may have taken them a lot of time, but such means wouldn't have protected me indefinitely. That's why I turned their ceremony into an activation ritual for wild magic. It's pretty much irreversible since the spell was interwoven with my entire being. At first it was indeed like you said. Whenever I lost the strength to keep complete control over myself, I acted like a maniac, overtaken by rage or madly laughing at something incomprehensible. By now I've had more than enough time to learn to cope with it. I've gotten used to my strong emotions.”

So, wild magic. That's dangerous. Magic always needs to be kept under control. From invoking the spell matrix to actually casting the spell. Otherwise the caster gets unexpected results. Wild magic isn't guided. Magic is the manipulation of all energy, physical or metaphysical. If one step of the spell doesn't define the flow of energy, literally anything can happen. Therefore wild magic is the easiest and most dangerous form of magic. And the hardest one to take back. It's like telling the universe to light a campfire without specifying how. If you are lucky the universe will ignite the campfire, but most of the time it will blow up in your face. Maybe the whole forest around you ignites. At worst the sun goes supernova, just to light your fire.

Maybe the last example was overly dramatic, but one simple fact remains. Don't play with wild magic. Bad shit will happen and you will get burned. It shows how desperate Sely was. Probably I should say something. “Whatever happened in the past, I am glad that you are here with me now. Do you want to go back now?”

She studies my face with a sceptical expression. “Does that involve the leather and the chains with which you threatened me?”

I get to my feet and retrieve her overcoat from the wardrobe. “Only if you like such things. I am earnest about courting you. Just give me a chance. Otherwise I might not be able to control my own instincts. I am actually very impressed with your ability to stay in control. If you hadn't told me about it, I might have never known that you have to deal with such issues. You are a strong person, Sely.”

Her cheeks turn slightly red, but she says nothing in return. She simply takes the coat and we leave the restaurant. I anticipate her complaint about simply leaving and smile. “Don't worry. They have my account number on their tab. I've eaten here before.”

***Carinthia***

***Sely***

I feel exhausted, so I say nothing on the way back. Magnus may not be a lot of things, but he proved to be a good listener. And a little less of a worthless game addict than I thought. We don’t talk as I follow him all the way up to his apartment and then return to the mansion. I've no idea what Annia is doing since I spent the whole afternoon with Magnus. Is she still visiting Angelika?

Being on autopilot, I intend to head back to my quarters.

Managing a whole step, Magnus suddenly takes my hand and pulls me into the mansion's living room which is connected to the entrance hall. I give off a weak complaint as he closes the door and uses his body to catch me between him and the wall. Wriggling, I use all my strength to push him a little further away. “Back off! I think this going too far for a single date.”

“Didn't I already inform you about my intentions?” He leans closer, his irises blazing with red light.

I growl. The evening was nice, but he expects too much too fast. “I am warning you.” I open my mouth to use the hellfire, one of my best combat skills.

“I am sorry, but you forbade me my cigarettes. And considering how I am feeling right now, you will have to breathe that down my throat.” He places his lips on mine, forcing me to make a choice. Either I burn his throat and lungs, or I cancel the spell.

The cocky bastard! My mind is reeling as his tongue fights a duel with mine, creating a sweet explosion in the back of my brain. It causes a shudder to run down my spine. Oh, he can kiss like a pro! I cancel the spell and enjoy the kiss. The fact that his hands are squeezing my chest doesn't even register until I feel all hot and bothered.

Then our tongues part and his lips trail down my throat, descending. His hands stroke my flanks as he goes to his knees. Having him on his knees doesn't feel so threatening any more. I could run if I do it now. An animalistic fantasy comes to mind and I play with the thought of being chased by him.

My chance goes down the drainage when he lifts my skirt and pulls down the thin trousers I chose to compensate for the illicitness of the dress. I gasp in surprise when his lips touch my sacred place and I realize that he got my panties too. My fingers dig into his hair and something parts my folds, tickling.

“Unfair!” I whimper as his dirty attack turns the tickling into an itching, burning fire. His hands hold me firmly in place.

***Carinthia***

***Magnus***

I feel Sely reacting nicely as she slowly succumbs. Pleasing her was a good idea. My whole body craves her, but having her all needy feels wonderful.

Suddenly her knees buckle and her legs shake uncontrollably. I allow her to slide to the ground and pull off her trousers. She is still in her own world when I free myself and pull her hips closer, pushing into her with unexpected ease. I was with women before, but I never craved them like I do her. And being inside her is heaven.

“Ah! I hate you!” She curses, but her body says something different. Groaning, she closes her legs and arms around me, pulling me inside her. I try to pull out like I did in the dreams, but she holds me so close that I can't. Instead I rock back and forth, attacking with short jabs.

“Yes! There! Faster!” She gasps and I place both hands on her knees to get more leverage. From where is she getting her sudden strength? Finally, I manage a better position and hammer myself into her squirming body. Then she turns crazy and synchronizes her movements with mine. “Not so long! It’s killing me.”

My mind dissolves to a haze as we go through the movements. At last, another orgasm rocks her entire body. I feel her contractions around me. It's so mind blowing that it sends me straight over the edge and I spill myself inside her. Not moving and deep inside her, I try to keep her in place until I am done.

Then we are both panting on the ground and I manage to chuckle into her chest. “That was better than I imagined. You are the best.”

Suddenly her hips twist and she flips us around. Straddling me between her tighs, she is now on top. Sely sits up and reaches backwards. Her thin fingers close around my balls and I stiffen.

Her eyes flash red, telling me that I better not make a wrong move. “Oh? Already done? How does is feel to push yourself onto a woman. Did I satisfy you, oh lord?”

I risk it to slowly reach up and cup her breasts in my hands. “Do you believe that I want anybody else after having you? I am addicted!” Then I slowly tear the dress, revealing her twin mountains. “I think I am in love.”

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She tightens her fingers around me and I wince. “I think that you are a horny bastard who only does what he wants.”

“I am a horny bastard and I want you.” I growl and speak my mind, simply announcing what the thing inside me thinks. “I'll never regret it. Just kill me off if there is no chance for us. If you don't kill me, I'll take you every day from now on.” I massage her, ignoring the red light in her eyes.

She hisses. “I actually hate the way you make me want more of you. It should be forbidden how you hit my exact g-spot every damn time. It's as if that thing was made for me.” She grinds her hips and moves her hands, hardening me again in moments. Then she rises and sinks down on me again and again. At some point she lets go of my balls and leans forward to confront me face to face.

“Just to clarify this experiment between us. Because we are a long way from being actual lovers. If you make me regret this, I'll rip them off for real!”

I grunt and hug her to hold her in place. Her tightness forces me to release a second time inside her. “Shit. You are so cruel. Did you have to say that while you get me off?”