literature

The Sorceress Scandal Part 1

Deviation Actions

KiwiKink's avatar
By
Published:
5K Views

Literature Text

“Well, what do you think?” Karyn Strongblood asked, practically glowing with pride.

Beside her, Kaimela Wethrin rubbed her chin in deep thought.  “It looks like a pile of dirt.”

“Oh ha, ha,” Karyn said, not impressed by her lover's comment.  The pair of them made an interesting sight as the stood in front of the empty lot, with Karyn being tall and muscular in build while the elven rogue was small and lithe.  But despite their contrasting sizes, and conflicting personalities, the pair were very much in love, and had formed a sturdy partnership over the years adventuring together.  “You are looking at the site of the forthcoming Strongblood Adventurers Guild, where the future heroines of Sapphira will come to train.”

Kaimela ran a hand through her wild red hair, her face a ball of confusion.  “A school? Really?”

“You know I was hoping for a bit more support,” Karyn replied ruefully.  “We’ve been living in Virago for years now, and I am not getting younger so I thought it was time to invest in future.  Let’s face it, between Valeria’s vault, the Hook treasure, even the rewards for saving Lisbeth and Bethany … I’m set for life.  I think it’s time to do something with my wealth, and I think giving back to the next generation of heroines is the right move.  And I was hoping you would be on-board with it.”

“You want me to be a teacher?”

“Not full time,” Karyn said, hugging her slender companion.  “But you are the best rogue I know, and I think passing on your skills would be valuable.  And you wouldn’t be the only one; Juliet has volunteered to act as the guild administrator, Rune and the Citywatch will help with combat training, and even Rheka have signed on to help out.  And it’s still going be months before the guild is fully built and ready to open, so it’s not like you have to decide right away.”

“Rheka is aboard?  How did you manage that one?” Kaimela asked, rubbing her chin.  

“I didn’t have try that hard, actually,” Karyn said with a shrug.  “She just wants to be addressed as Professor.  I’m also calling in some old friends to see if they will help out, so I think this is a real opportunity to cement our future.  Please say you’ll at least think about it.”

“Hmm, corrupting the youth of tomorrow does have some appeal,” Kaimela said, grinning evilly.  “Okay, I’ll do it.  But I get to design the guild uniforms!”

“By the Goddess, no!” Karyn replied, laughing heartily, and the she kissed Kaimela.  “But seriously, I’ve been thinking about this for a while.  I even had plans that I was going to present to Lillian, but I kind of got distracted by stuff.  You know, werewolves, vampires and dragons.”

“Oh my.”

It was at this time Rune Ironcliff wandered up to them, the dwarven captain of the Citywatch smiling broadly at the pair.  Rune had been a lowly guard when Karyn befriended her upon first arriving in Virago, and had since risen up the ranks to lead the watch, and despite hardly ever stepping outside of the city limits she had had her share of adventures none the less.

“Morning, girls,” Rune said cheerfully.  

“What do you think,” Karyn said, presenting the site to the captain.

“Looks like a pile of dirt.” Rune replied.  Karyn scowled, prompting by Kaimela and Rune to laugh.  “I’m sure it will be grand once it is finished.  Anyway, I’m afraid this is not a social visit. Countess Lightstrom has received a summons from the Arcane Academy, and requests you accompany her in your capacity as her official bodyguard.  That, and she suggested this would be a good opportunity for you to get the Academy to assign a sorceress to teach at your guild.”

“Yay, a road trip!” Kaimela said, throwing her arms into the air.

“Ah, I don’t think you are invited,” Rune said, shuffling her feet.  “I mean, after that last ball she held, you are not exactly Lillian’s favourite person.”

“Come on, that incident was blown out of proportion,” Kaimela said, waving it off.

“You were swinging from the chandelier,” Rune said pointedly.  “Naked.”

“I was drunk!” Kaimela protested, earning doubting looks from both Karyn and Rune.  “And bored.  So very, very bored.  But hey, I promise to be good this time.  After all, it would be foolish of me to anger an entire Academy filled with Lillians.”

“And you’ve never done anything foolish in your life,” Karyn teased.  “I’m sure we can talk her in to it.  But you will need to be on your best behaviour.  In fact, better than your best behaviour.  Besides, I’m sure she would rather have you where I can keep an eye on you rather than letting you running rampant around Virago.”

“Yeah, it’s not like we ever get into trouble when we are together,” Kaimela replied, poking out her tongue.  “Come on, let’s go sweet talk the good Countess so we can get this new adventure rolling!”

* * *

It took a lot of sweet talking, and promises, and apologies, but Lillian Lightstrom eventually relented and allowed Kaimela to accompany her and Karyn to answer her mysterious summons.  The beautiful, bald sorceress who ruled over Virago was known for being fair but firm, and did her best to tolerate the elven rogue’s quirky nature, but she made it clear that her patience was not unlimited.  That and, rather cryptically, warned that if Kaimela tried her at the Academy she would have her revenge.  Both Karyn and Kaimela thought she was joking, but the evil smile that appeared on lips made them look to each other with apprehension.

The journey to the Academy took the trio to the west to Galdur, a small city that was established solely to support the Arcane Academy and the sorceresses that called it home.  The main export was, as to be expected, magic, in the forms of wondrous items and enchanted weapons, though from what Lillian told Karyn and Kaimela they were mostly for show.  For instance, a magic sword might feature a glowing blade, but any perceived extra sharpness was merely an illusion created by the user’s own expectations.  Karyn found this to be a dishonesty bordering on fraud; Kaimela, on the other hand, thought the whole scheme to be genius.

“I personally do not agree with it,” Lillian said, expressing her own views.  “But at the same time, I understand the power we sorceresses can wield and how dangerous it could be in the hand of some ambitious novice.  Remember the Ice Queen Kylma?  She held no real power of her own, but she almost brought down Arda Hammerfist’s queendom thanks to that magically staff of hers.  So our little deceptions remain, and rather than live with the hypocrisy, I spirited off to Virago to forge my own way.”

The trio rode their horses down the main road towards the Academy itself, which was a large opulent building that literally glowed.  A magical aura surrounded the Academy, illuminating the town at night and standing as a visual marker of the power that was cultivated within its stone walls.  

“How do people around here sleep at night?” Kaimela quipped.

“With a lot of practice,” Lillian replied ruefully.  “And blindfolds.”

They arrived at the main ingress of the Academy, where a large brass portcullis was raised to allow them entrance to the grounds.   They were greeted by a short, plump woman in a jolly mood.  Like Lillian her head was completely bald and she was clothed in a brightly coloured robe with a standing high collar that magic users seemed to fancy.

“Lillian, so good to see you again,” she gushed, bowing before the Countess of Virago.  “It has been far too long!”

“It has been, Esma,” Lillian replied as the trio dismounted from their horses.  Lillian hugged the rotund woman with genuine affection, and then introduced her friends.  “Esma and I joined the Academy at the same time, and she now serves as the head librarian.  Esma, this is my good friend Karyn Strongblood, the famous adventuress.  And this is Kaimela … who exists.”

“Ouch,” Kaimela said, poking her tongue out at Lillian.

“Ignore her,” Karyn said, shaking Esma’s hand.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“My, I see the stories about you were not exaggerating,” Esma said, admiring the tall, muscular woman.  “I will warn you, some of our young apprentices pass the long nights reading tales of your heroics, so don’t be surprised if you have a legion of fan girls following you about during your stay.  As it is, you arrived just in time.  They are preparing a Cleansing in the main hall.  Would you like to attend?”

“Cleansing?” Karyn asked.

“It is a graduation ritual,” Lillian explained.  “It is a great honour and we would be glad to witness it.”

With that, Esma led the three of them across the courtyard to the where the main hall was situated.  Like the whole of the Academy, it was richly designed, with marble floors and walls, stained glass windows that had be magically enchanted so that the colours swirled like liquid as the light shifted through them.  The hall was filled with the sorceresses that called the Academy home, and the first thing that struck Karyn as they walked down the middle aisle towards some empty seats was just how much hair there was.  To be certain, most of the women there had immaculately shaved plates like Lillian, but most of the younger members still sported glorious manes.  

As they took their seats, a group of five young women, most in their late teens at most, took seats upon a raised dais at the end of the hall.  Each of them was dressed in white silken robes, and all displayed expressions that shifted between giddy joy and nervousness.  They were followed by an equal number of bald women, dressed in more typical sorceress gowns, each carrying with them a silver bowl.  They settled into position behind the sitting girls, then waited as a final woman took centre stage.  She was older than the others, closing in on sixty, but she carried herself with poise and grace befitting her position.  She was dressed in deep purple robes that were belted at the waist with a pink sash, and wore a silver circlet around her brow.  

“That is High Sorceress Malvena,” Esma explained to them.  “She is the head mistress of the Academy, and has been for the last decade. She will officiate the ritual.”

“My honoured colleagues,” Malvena said, her voice so loud and clear that it was obvious it had been enhanced by magic, “we are gathered her today to witness the Cleansing, when these five apprentices take their final step and join our ranks as full sorceresses.  This ritual was passed down to us when the elves of the Everwood first deigned to teach us the art of the arcane, and follow this tradition with great pride.  Teachers, are these five worthy of this ritual?”

“They are,” the five standing women replied in unison.

“Then begin the Cleansing,” Malvena said, and stepped down from the dais.  From their bowls, the teachers took out a pair of silver shears each, and began the process cutting away the lovely locks of the sitting girls.  Once the hair was cropped short enough, the teachers took out straight razors and used them to carefully, almost lovingly shave away the remaining stubble, leaving each girl perfectly bald at the end.  Some of the girls cried during this, but they were tears of joy, and at the end, the hall erupted with thunderous applause from all present, save one.

“All this fuss for a haircut?” Kaimela snarked, earning herself a cuff across the head from Karyn.

“This is an important ritual,” Lillian explained, scowling at the elven rogue.  “When a sorceress reaches full mastery of her abilities, one of the side effects is that her hair will stop growing.  So we shave our heads to prove our innate power.  Considering it was your people who taught us this, I’d think you’d be a bit more respectful.”

“Not all cultures follow this ritual,” Esma added.  “Baillionnese mages, for instance, wear their hair in Mohawks or topknots, as do the shaman orcs.  The results are more or less the same.  Anyway, with the Cleansing over, we can get you settled in your rooms before meeting with the others.”

“Others?” Lillian asked.  

“All the senior sorceresses have been gathered,” Esma said.  “Waverly, Lydia, Cecelia, they are all here.  Only Meredith Starvain is absent, but she is off doing important work at Femhall Prison.  I take it you haven’t been told why we’ve been brought together.”

“The summons was very mysterious,” Lillian admitted.

“Only because of its importance,” Emsa said, then leaned forward and said in a hushed voice, “We are to select a new royal mage to serve Queen Lisbeth.”

“Oh, I now understand the secrecy,” Lillian said.  “I am surprised it has taken this long, but after Jezebel Syn’s betrayal I can understand why Lisbeth would be cautious on allowing another sorceress back into her court.”

“I’m amazed she didn’t offer the job to you,” Karyn said.

“She did,” Lillian replied, “or rather Bethany did, before she abdicated.  Despite the honour, I declined, as Virago is where my home and roots are.  She understood, so asked me to govern instead.  Considering some of our recent adventures, I occasionally regret that decision.  Esma, when you say everyone is here, does that mean…?”

“Why hello, Lillian,” called a sultry voice, and all heads turned to see the newcomer.  If Lillian was consider beautiful, the woman approaching them could only be described as being absolutely sexy.  Slender of body but with curves in all the right places, she was dressed in a black corset with a large standing collar and fishnets pants, red leather thigh-high boots and matching long gloves.  She had a predatory smile on her face, as if she could have any of them at any time.  And from Kaimela’s reaction, she was probably right.

“Karyn, mind if we break up for, like, an hour or two?”  

Karyn cuffed her across the back of the head.

“Hello, Malice,” Lillian said, nodding to the new woman.  “It has been a long time.”

“Too long,” Malice replied with a grin.  “Congratulations on becoming Countess of Virago.  With all the other sorceresses scrapping over whom becomes High Sorceress after Malvena steps down, you sneak off and get some real power.  And now with your closeness to the Queen, I am sure your opinion on the matter of at hand will hold extra weight.  To think, everyone use to complain you had no ambition.”

“I had ambition back then,” Lillian replied with a tight smile, “just not megalomaniacal levels of it.  And I will admit, I have had good fortune since leaving the Academy.  But not without hard work, and not without pain.  The crisis I have been through, I would not wish upon my worst enemy.  Or even you, Malice.”

“Are we enemies now?” Malice laughed, reaching up to gently stroke Lillian’s cheek.  “You use to think of me as something else.  Either way, it is good to see you, and we will catch up at the meeting tonight.”  With that, Malice sauntered off to mingle with some other sorceresses.

“She is so evil,” Kaimela said, grinning as she watched Malice go.  “Hot, but evil.”

“You are incorrigible,” Karyn sighed, shaking her head.  “Is this Malice trouble, Lillian?”

“She was when we were apprentices together,” Lillian replied ruefully.  “We were friends then, close friends.  But once we graduated, we grew apart.  Or I grew up, one or the other.”

“Malice is still a handful,” Esma said, shrugging.  “But she is well respected.  Believe it or not, she would be the leading contender to become the Royal Sorceress, had she not have just come back from spending time with the sorceresses of Baillionnes.  With what happened with the Syn sisters, it was thought best we not chose someone who has associations with a foreign power.”

“I see,” Lillian said.  “Well, let us get settled in so we can then get to deciding who gets this most important of positions.”

“Indeed, follow me,” Esma said, then led them away.

* * *

The trio got settled into their rooms, with Lillian getting one on her own while Karyn and Kaimela shared another with two beds.  It didn’t take long for the elven rogue to push the beds together, all the time griping that it would have been easier to do if Karyn hadn’t just stood by and laughed at her.  After cleaning up and changing into fresh clothing, they met up again with Esma and were given a tour of the Academy.  

As earlier predicted, Karyn’s presence attracted the attention of many of the young apprentices, who swarmed the muscular woman and gushed their adoration at her.  Karyn took this in her stride with good humour, and if an apprentice got too forward, Kaimela would leap in and announce angrily, “She’s mine!”

For her part though, when not defending Karyn, Kaimela tried probe Lillian on her relationship with Malice, hoping for juice details.  “Come on,” the elven rogue pleaded as they entered the Academy’s grand library, “just tell me.  I have a hard time seeing you have a friend like her.  You are just too uptight!”

Lillian glared at her.

“I meant upright,” Kaimela corrected herself with a sheepish grin.  “But you have to admit, you’ve never even been out with anyone in the time I’ve known you.  For a while I thought maybe you and Bethany might have had a thing, then you seemed to be getting close to Luna until she returned home.  But now to find out you may have been with some so deliciously evil like Malice, it blows my mind.”

“I warned you,” Lillian said sternly, “that if you tried me I would have revenge.  Continue down this line of inquiry and I will show you how evil I can be.”

“Please,” Kaimela said, waving her off.  “I’d like to see you try.”

“Very well,” Lillian said with a tight smile.  She then walked over to a group of sorceress who were deep in discussion and interrupted them.  “Excuse, I am not sure if this would interest you, but see that elf over there?  She has lycanthropy.”

Kaimela’s eyes widened as the faces of the sorceresses lit up with unbridled fascination, and was soon running away as they tried to make her a subject for study.  Lillian watched her go with a self-satisfied look on her face, and Karyn had to shake her head, both impressed by Lillian and feeling sorry for her elven lover.

“Remind me never to anger you,” Karyn said, chuckling despite herself.

“I did warn her,” Lillian grinned.  “Anyway, it is time for us to meet the others, so it is probably a good thing Kaimela got chased off.  You don’t have to attend, if you don’t want to, as it is probably going to be quite boring.  Lots of posturing and clashes of egos.  Quite frankly, if the position of Royal Sorceress was not so important, I’d have excused myself as well.”

“I’ll bow out then,” Karyn said with a shrug.  “This will be a good time for me to talk to the administration about my guild.  Thanks for that by the way, I don’t think I’d get this guild off the ground without your support.”

“It’s a good idea,” Lillian said.  “And I am glad you are looking towards the future.  It shows a maturity that I don’t think I would have expected when we first met.  By the Goddess, that seems a lifetime ago now.  Anyway, have fun, and if you find Kaimela, try to keep her out of trouble.”

“You ask the impossible,” Karyn laughed, then saluted Lillian and headed off.

Lillian headed off herself and met up with Esma, who escorted to the chamber where the meeting was to take place.  Waiting for them were Waverly and Lydia, sisters from a minor noble family in Labrys who specialized in illusions and divination magics respectively.  Lillian had remembered them as being snooty and arrogant due to their highborn blood back when she was an apprentice, and were now at each other’s throats over who was best suited for this prestigious position.  Also waiting was Cecelia, a quiet and plain woman whose unassuming demeanour hid a high level of power and talent.  From what Esma had told Lillian, she was expected to succeed High Sorceress Malvena when she stepped down, though compared to the other two, Lillian thought she’d be a better choice to serve Queen Lisbeth.  The trio were all settled around a large table, but stood to greet Lillian when she came in.  She noted only Cecelia spoke to Esma, who seemed to be purposefully shunned by Waverly and Lydia.  

As the group settled down around the table, the last two members of the meeting arrived.  Malice threw a grin to Lillian as she entered, seductively sliding into her seat while half-heartedly greeting the others, and then entered High Sorceress Malvena.  The others all stood as she entered, and waited for her to take her seat at the head of the table before sitting back down again.

“Greetings, my fellow sorceresses,” Malvena said.  “And it is good to see you, Countess Lightstrom, after so many years away.  As you will be aware now, we have been asked to choose a new Royal Sorceress for Queen Lisbeth.  This is the most prestigious of positions, but we must be careful with whom we pick.  The last to hold that position, Jezebel Syn, betrayed the crown and attempted a coup, so who we select this time must be above reproach.”

“Well naturally, I am the obvious choice,” Waverly said with self-assured arrogance.  “As being of noble birth, I am already familiar with the court, and my level of power is some of the highest the academy has ever seen!”

“You flatter yourself, sister,” Lydia retorted, barely keeping a façade of civility.  “But I have the same lineage as you, and my divination abilities would serve Queen Lisbeth greater than your illusions ever could.  I am the only choice."

"Please, not this again,” Cecelia sighed.  “Wisdom, not power, is what will serve the Queen best.  I believe you are both superb choices, but with this childish bickering I doubt either of you have the maturity for this position.”

“Why not Esma?” Malice said, causing the rotund woman to blush.  “She is certainly more affable and better mannered than those two.  I think she is being unfairly overlooked.”

“I am no-one special,” Esma replied, embarrassed by the attention.

“Too right!” Waverly added with venom.  “Her invitation here is just a courtesy, and is not worthy of even being considered to be given such an honour as serving the Queen.  She barely passed her sorceress trials, and we’ve only let her stay on out of pity.”

“Enough!” Malvena snapped, her face red with anger.  “I will not have this meeting devolve into pointless bickering.  Esma may not be as distinguished as some of us, but she has earned her place at this table.  And if you cannot remain civil on your own, Waverly, I know a rather effective gag spell that will teach you to hold your tongue.”

Despite Malvena’s warning, things did not get any better for the rest of the meeting, and by the end Lillian wished Malvena had gone through with her threat and gagged them, as it would have at least helped ease the migraine their arguments were bringing on.  Once again, Lillian was glad she had left all this behind when she had established herself in Virago.  By the time they retired for the night, nothing had been decided and it was announced by Malvena that would continue tomorrow.  Shaking her head, Lillian said goodnight to the others.

After catching up with Karyn, who had met with several possible candidates, and worrying about Kaimela, who had last been seen fleeing a horde of inquisitive sorceresses, Lillian retired to her room and began preparing for bed.  But as she slipped into a cotton nightdress, her intentions for a quiet night were disrupted by a knock at her door.  Knowing who it was, Lillian sighed and went over to let them in.

Malice smiled as the door opened.  “For old time’s sake?” she asked.

Lillian considered it for a moment, then let her in.  “For old time’s sake.”

* * *

The hooded woman waited until all within the Academy had retired before making her way to the bedroom door.  She moved with unnatural silence, having magically muffled her movements to avoid being detected, and carried with her all the tools she needed to carry out her nefarious plan.  She had planned this for a long time, but only now was she being given the chance to execute it.  Smiling wickedly to herself, she quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

In the room, Waverly slept with a customary blindfold on, but not alone.  As was her nature, she had used her rank and prestige to seduce one of the wide-eyed apprentices into her bed, with the poor girl not knowing that she would be callously discarded in the morning.  Waverly was notorious for this, but no-one ever called her out on it for fear of her wrath.  She was, all in all, a truly horrible person.  That just made the hooded woman smile even more.

Taking out a cloth soaked in sleeping potion, the hooded woman moved over to the apprentice and gently placed the cloth over her nose and mouth.  The girl, who was also blindfolded, stirred briefly as the pressure was applied to her face, but was soon deep in a drug-induced slumber.  With the girl having no chance at walking up and spoiling the fun, the hooded woman moved over to Waverly’s side of the bed and took out a leather ball from her pouch.  Preparing a spell, the hooded woman shoved the ball into Waverly’s mouth.

The sorceress awoke with a start, her cry of surprise garbled by the ball, and the hooded woman let loose her spell.  Waverly was suddenly cocooned in a sheath of glowing purple energy that prevented her from moving in the slightest, and she squealed helpless as she struggled against the magical shell.  Unable to see, speak or move, Waverly was utterly terrified.  Just as the hooded woman wanted it.

With her victim helpless, the hooded woman began chanting the arcane words of the ritual, her fingers performing complex gestures to empower the spell.  Unable to see, move or speak, Waverly whimpered as the spell began to affect her, draining her magical ability and siphon it into the hooded woman, empowering her.  As the last of the magical energy left Waverly’s body, the sorceress let out a final whimper before passing out.  Grinning, the hooded woman dispelled the magical cocoon that bound her prison and then pried the leather ball from Waverly’s mouth, dropping it back into her pouch.  With her work done, she silently slipped out of the bedroom as if she had never been there.

One down, five more to go.


To be continued...
Part 2 coming soon :)
© 2014 - 2024 KiwiKink
Comments5
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
cba12345's avatar
Nice fantasy story