Chapter 35: You are Lovers? (2)

“So you and she are...?” I waved my hands suggestively.

“Yes,”

“With everything that implies?”

“Yes.”

“You're...Lovers?”

She laughed aloud suddenly. “I've never heard it said like that. Certainly we haven't said it like that. I like that. Yes, she and I are lovers.”

“Ohhhh.” Another long pause as I took a long time to add two things together and re-evaluate my life. “Damn but do I feel stupid.”

I sat back and rested my head against the wall.

“That makes so much sense.” I looked at her. “That's why you never married.”

“Yes, men don't interest me.” She reminded me of a cat where you've accidentally stood on it's tail. It's screamed and run off so you find it later with some treats so it slowly and furtively comes out to take the food from your hand. “They never have.”

“How long have you known?”

“Known what?”

“That you prefer women?”

“I was twelve. There was a serving woman who drew water from the well, it was a hot day and she had pulled the water up and then she stretched her arms up and stood on tip toes as she arched her self backwards yawning. I could never remember seeing anything more beautiful. Of course I couldn't have put it into words then.”

“Heh, Flame I never would have guessed.”

“So you're not angry? I thought you would be angry.”

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“Nah. You're my sister.” For me it felt as though that was the only thing that needed to be said. Emma is my sister and if you don't like the way she chooses to live her life then I'll fight you.

Emma seemed to want more than that though.

“Look,” I began. “I won't deny that this is going to take some getting used to. I also won't deny that if I had found out about it a couple of years ago, or even eighteen months ago then I might have reacted differently, but... of course I'm not angry. You're my sister and if you love her then I love her.”

“Thank you.” She said formally before hugging me fiercely. “Oh thank you I have so dreaded this

conversation.”

I hugged her back. “Remember that I'm the guy that might be marrying a vampire.”

“That's true isn't it.” Some of her old humour seemed to come back.

She pulled back and wiped her eyes before blowing her nose.

“I do have some practical questions though,” I said.

Emma nodded. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

“Did father know?”

Emma nodded. “He figured it out fairly quickly actually. I think he might have been annoyed at first but then it seemed that he largely just forgot about it. He would keep throwing suitors at me in an effort to marry me off or in some kind of vague hope that I might have changed my mind or that I might tolerate them enough to marry them and take a lover of some kind. The thought did cross my mind more than once for the politics of the thing but although I've met many women I find attractive I have yet to see a man who I think is attractive in more than an aesthetic level. Your Witcher is good looking but I don't find him attractive. You have grown into your looks and are no longer bad looking.”

“Eewww.” I said.

“Precisely.”

“Does mother know?”

“I think so, we've never talked about it though she has just left me to it. I find it hard to believe that she didn't know. Laurelen and I have shared a bedroom for the last year easily.”

“So that night I came to see you, was she under the bed? In the wardrobe maybe?”

Emma shook her head. “She uses a spare room when family come to stay. Guests use a separate wing so that the...we don't bother them,”

“So what doesn't bother them?” I prompted.

Emma reddened. “Turns out I can be quite....vocal.”

I laughed at her.

“Stop it,” she snapped.

“Oh come on,” I cried. “you can't expect me not to have a little fun at this?”

She glared at me.

“Does anyone else know?” I asked.

“The rest of the staff have made it clear that they know, castle gossip being what it is but have also left us several signs that they all approve. Then there's Kerrass who tells me that he smelt her on me and knew that she was magical when they saw each other.

“Then there's you.”

I nodded as another spasm hit me.

“That number has gone up today.”

“It certainly looks like it.” She nodded regretfully. “I suspect that I will be moving on soon as Mark won't want to have me in the castle. Godless lesbian that I am. “Woman shall not lie with woman,” he will say waving his fist in the air,” Emma could mime and imitate Mark perfectly when she put her mind to it.

I laughed again.

“Maybe but I actually have an argument against that nowadays.”

“Really?”

I winced as another shudder seemed to shake my very bones.

“Yeah. First of all the line in scripture actually says “Man shall not lie with man.” Secondly, a friend of mine debates doctrine for a living. He came up with a theory that that whole rule is a man made thing entirely. He points out that when compared to other religions, Melitele, druidism, Veyopatis, ancestor worship, the prophets and so on... The holy flame is relatively new and has only started spreading about more recently. For a religion to grow it needs followers. One of the best ways to do that is to have people born into the religion. Therefore you need children born and raised in the faith for that same religion to spread. Therefore you can't have women going around loving each other as then they won't have children. They need to be at home, making babies.”

Emma's smile was crooked. “Laurelen has some ideas about that. She thinks there may be a way for her to make me pregnant.”

I laughed. “One way or another, I want to be there when you tell Mark that,”

She giggled.

“Look,” I said. “yes I am more religious than I let on or like to publicize. Yes I pray every day and make offerings at shrines whenever I can. But for me the Holy Flame is different from the church. To me the Holy flame represents hope. It represents warmth, comfort and welcoming. It is the fire of the hearth when you get home after a long day. It is also the light of guidance.

“To me it is not the burning of pain or punishment but the warmth of a blanket or a hot bath to wash away the grime of every day life.

“If that is true? and a lot of the original scriptures would tend to agree rather than the more modern dogmatic interpretations, then why is that not the warmth of love. The flame would welcome your love and I cannot bring myself to believe that love is wrong. No matter what form it takes. Even if that form is not one that I can understand or necessarily agree with. Who am I to judge? If you're happy then I am happy. If you love her then I will love her,”

“Thank you Freddy.”

We hugged again.

“Huh,” I said as a thought crossed my mind.

“What's that?”

“I hadn't thought of it like that.”

“Thought of what?”

“The vampire and I. What's true for you should also be true for her and for me. I must think about that.”

“Do you love her?”

“She terrifies me Emma. She's gorgeous and beautiful. She's intelligent, charming and funny as well when she puts her mind to it but she terrifies me. She promises she would never hurt me but that terror would only go away with time as I would have to learn to trust her and I'm not sure I want to give that time. But one of the things that was giving me pause was the religious aspect. If the holy flame would accept your love as I've just argued, why not ours? Moment of self-realisation is all.”

“Indeed,” She was grinning at me.

“Are you mocking me?”

“A little,”

“Alright then. As for brother's Mark and Sam? We'll deal with them when we get to it.”

“Will you help me with that?”

“Absolutely. But can I get out of bed now? I've got things to do.”

Emma nodded. “I'm going to wait here.”

Slowly and cautiously I made my way down the steps on the outside of the house. I felt stiff, the same way you do after a long ride or after a brisk training session when you have let your conditioning go for a while. That wasn't the worry though. Every so often my muscles would start jumping and twitching in unusual ways. I was escorted down the steps by the Watchman that I assumed was my permanent shadow while I was under arrest. It didn't seem to be a particularly strict form of arrest though as I was clearly allowed to wander around. A mad impulse struck me to just walk off in a random direction and see how far it would be before I was either caught or gently but firmly told that I shouldn't go any further. The landscape hadn't changed much while I had been unconscious but the number of people that were around had been vastly reduced and what remained had seemingly decided to put Watch uniforms on.

I decided not to comment.

In the downstairs part of the house I found Kerrass, the Watch Captain, several other Watchmen and my sisters maid. I was still unable to think of her as my sisters lover, partner or whatever she was but having seen her for the first time properly I wondered how I could ever have mistaken her for someone who was “in service”. Another sign of my noble privilege I supposed.

She wasn't tall but she dominated the room. It was more than her physical beauty which was considerable but it was as though the rest of the people that were there just kind of faded into the background to be replaced by her towering presence. The curious thing was that she hadn't changed her clothes or her appearance either. She still wore her hair just long enough to be pulled back into a pony tail, the make-up that I could see was subdued and I thought that I could only see it because I was actively trying to look for it and her clothing was still the drab colours and cuts of a maid's outfit. Now that I looked a bit closer I could see that the fabric was considerably better than I had previously supposed but it wasn't the dress of a noble lady let alone a Sorceress. Other than that she was lacking in the jewellery and other ornaments that I would normally associate with the more stereotypical image of a Sorceress and taken objectively she looked like a normal beautiful woman. Never the less though it was clear who she was and it astonished me again that I hadn't seen it.

People looked up as I entered and at first I stood there not really knowing what to do.

“Good,” the Captain of the Watch said, “perhaps now we can finally get to the bottom of this entire pile of bullshit,” he sounded bored and fed up as though what he really wanted to do was to get back to whatever business had previously been occupying his mind.

“Sorry what?” I said helpfully as I walked into the room. “You'll have to help me out here as I've been, you know, unconscious for a bit. What's happening?”

I was at least rewarded with seeing that Kerrass smiled.

The Captain bristled. “Box needs opening, apparently you are the only one nearby that can open it.” the man sniffed as though he was still not convinced as to the efficacy of this plan.

“Ok, can we take it back a bit...” I turned and addressed Kerrass. “What's happening?”

Kerrass opened his mouth to speak but the Captain had other ideas.

“Look, whatever your name is, I don't care if you're noble or whether your mother shat you out this morning. I'm tired, I'm cranky, I lost a watchman today and I want to get to the bottom of this.”

I took a deep breath in a hopeful effort to try and calm myself down.

“Captain. I understand your frustration. I really do.” I was really trying for calm reasonable voice but somewhere it got away from me a little bit. “But please understand me when I say that I could give a crap about how cranky you are.”

“Now look here,”

“No, you look here.” Somewhere in the back of my mind a small part of my brain registered Kerrass shaking his head in exasperation. “Kerrass and I found this, despite your investigators already having been over the place in an effort to find things out. Furthermore we were delayed in getting to the scene. Then when we found the box it was one of your investigators who ordered the watchman to open said box, despite the warnings of the qualified individuals on the scene and without proper precautions. Therefore it was your officers fault that that young man died.”

“I...”

“Kerrass has found more since he started your investigation than your investigator has. Your investigator has since fixated upon me as the culprit despite the fact that I am proven to have been elsewhere at the time of both my fathers death and my brothers death and was actually in the presence of your watchmen when we unearthed the box. Nevertheless I have been threatened with execution and the prospect of being killed while trying to escape on the way to your cells.”

That same part of my brain that noticed Kerrass' reaction also noticed that a couple of the attending Watchmen shuffling their feet a bit uncomfortably.

“I acted in the hope of preventing further magical...incident and under the advice of my resident expert in an effort to save further lives but when I wake up I find that I am still under arrest. So you will understand, Captain, my anger, frustration and outrage when I am ordered to do anything. So I ask again. What. Is. Happening?”

In my defence I was tired, angry, in pain and still suffering from shock.

The captain nodded met my eyes. “I understand and acknowledge all of your points. However I will point out that Firstly Sir Robart is not my investigator but rather the Sheriff's investigator. He and I have already had words on his handling of the case but as he is not an investigator of mine he is allowed to do what he likes. Secondly, your state of arrest in my custody is all that is keeping you from his carting you off under his authority so I am in fact saving your life. Thirdly...”

He trailed off and his eyes unfocused a little. “I swear I had a third thing but I forget. In short, mind your damned tone. What you have done is make a simple little mystery become more complicated. I understand that is not your fault because I'm not a complete moron, but I want it cleared up and off my desk as soon as possible. That means that I need to know what's in the box. Your self same experts claim that only you can open the box, we were just waiting for you to wake up. So open the damned box.”

I thought about this and considered my next words carefully. After all, he did have a point.

“No,” I said,

“What?”

“No, No I'm not just going to open a box randomly to see what's inside on your say so. As I recall, the last person that did that at someone else's order died. Horribly.”

A sense of movement in the corner of my eye suggested that Kerrass was shaking his head sadly.

The Watch Captain stared at me before a sly smile crept across his face.

“Would you please open the box so that we can clear all this up and go home?”

“I'll think about it. But I need some assurances...”

“You are only under arrest because it's easier to explain than why you might need protecting.”

“Ok, fair enough but I need the full process of “why me” explaining to me first. That point is not negotiable.”

The Captain nodded.

“Second, Not myself, Kerrass the Witcher or the Lady Laurelen will be prosecuted for taking part in this or any venture that involves this action.”

“I have already agreed to that.”

“Good. I also want assurances that no-one who knew about the Lady Laurelen's true identity are free from any and all prosecution. I don't want a team of watchmen descending upon my fathers estate and starting a witch-hunt after she has aided in dealing with this problem.”

“Done, although I can only speak for my men but I will say that as far as I'm concerned, any attack upon the lady is an actual attack and she, or others may defend herself accordingly. Other than that the law would fall into the feudal hands of the estate, whomever that may be. Anything else?”

I considered.

“I would like a private word with the lady without witnesses on a separate matter before anything else happens.”

The Captain nodded, “Although that would be between you and the lady so I am unsure as to why you are

asking me.

“There are an awful lot of Watchmen about Captain.”

He nodded.

“Everyone clear out.” then back to me, “Ten minutes milord.”

They all filed out including Kerrass who gave me a warning look.

It took some doing but I managed to turn around and actually look at the woman that my sister had fallen in love with.

My first observation upon seeing her was that she was indeed, intimidatingly beautiful, almost frighteningly so. This was above and beyond what I had seen before from anyone now that I was alone in the room with her.

Ariadne in her human form is certainly beautiful but she takes a certain delight in appearing like a normal human being and as such, although she could probably adjust her appearance accordingly she chose not too for her own reasons. I suspect that part of this is so that she doesn't cause even more fear among the rest of us and cause us to think things like “dark vampire magics”.

This woman had no such constraints. He blonde hair had been cut fairly short to go with her appearance of being a servant but the rest of her appearance was...startling. It was like a physical slap, or a hammer blow. But at the same time I found that I wasn't particularly attracted to her. It was more as though I was observing her beauty from a distance in the same way that I would look at a painting or a statue.

She was looking defiant as well, chin jutting out as well as up, face set and she had made a visible effort not to fold her arms.

“So,” she said after some time had gone. “You've only got ten minutes. What do you want to talk about?”

“Everything.” I said, I was looking around for something to drink. “Nothing.” There it was, a large jug in the corner and I strode towards it. “Everything in between.” I poured myself a goblet and offered her one which she declined.

I sat down.

One of my many university friends, and by friends I mean people that I know and would not object to buying a drink when they've hit on hard times, is the son of a diplomat for hire. The man's job is to bring two parties together who might generally be angry at each other and to get them talking and making inroads towards friendship. Apparently one of the best pieces of advice that has ever been passed down from father to son is that if you ever find yourself in a tense situation with someone else... first of all sit down. It takes a cold man to kill someone who's sitting down and if they're that bad then you've got a bigger problem to begin with. It's also a lot harder to get angry when you are sitting down. Secondly, get food involved. Not alcohol but food and some other kind of drink.

Milk is good for that.

I had watered wine to work with but I did my best.

“So you and my sister,” I said after staring at her for what was probably too long to be strictly ok.

“Yes,”

“You're lovers.” I was not asking questions.

“Yes.”

I nodded and stared into my cup.

“Do you love her?” I asked. I had no idea where the question came from.

Then she proved that, underneath the unearthly power and startling beauty, she was human after all.

“What kind of question is that?” she demanded. “Would you demand that same question of any woman who started a romantic thing with any of your brothers or do you feel you need to protect your sister because she's a woman? Is this where you warn me off? Is this where you say words to the effect of “You'd better not hurt her because otherwise you've got me to deal with,” How dare you interfere in my business, I don't have to answer to you and if you're going to try and threaten me then I have to tell you that you've got some nerve given that I could fry you in an instant and that you are not even remotely scary.”

Her eyes were blazing in a sudden fury that I judged was driven by fear as much as anything else.

I carefully set my cup aside.

“What kind of question is that? I would say it's a valid one for these circumstances madam.” I had to try really hard to keep my voice level and calm as her anger had caught mine. “Let me make it very clear. I love my sister a great deal. I love both of my sisters a great deal, and my brothers as well for that matter. If I didn't we wouldn't be in this mess. But I love Emma in particular as she has been sister, mother and friend to me for the entirety of my life. She has been kept down because of her gender and for that I am sorry as, if she had been born male, I truly believe that she could shake nations if she put her mind to it but instead she is a woman. She is a woman who lives in a society that frowns on who she is and what she is.

“She loves you madam and my sister never does anything by halves so you have the power to do something that no-one else has ever been able to do which is to destroy my sister with the very real possibility that she would never recover. If you were a normal person I would still be concerned but you are not a normal person. You are a Sorceress and that comes with a certain kind of baggage.”

I stood up then but I didn't realise it.

“I have no idea how old you are. To look at you I would guess somewhere to the tune of early to mid twenties but I have studied my history books enough to know that you could be aged anywhere between that and several hundred years old. For all I know she is a passing fancy of yours. For all I know this could be your way of showing gratitude to a woman who saved your life and kept you safe. I have read the tales of the bard and his comments about how Sorceresses and Sorcerers play around among themselves. Even if there is no truth to the specifics that he wrote there are still enough other stories to call up the old saying about smoke and fire. You are a beautiful woman madam but I would imagine that you know that. What happens when Emma starts to age, what happens when her hair turns grey and her eyesight weakens. You will still look as young and beautiful as you are now. When do you get bored?

“Or even worse, at what point does Emma, and I know her so I know that this is a possibility. At what point does Emma break her own heart by chasing you off because she thinks that someone like you should be free to follow your own heart?

“Another thing, Sorceresses are renowned for getting involved in politics. You can't deny that. Are you a member of the lodge? When some well meaning monarch decides to have you assassinated, will Emma be caught in the cross-fire?

“I don't care that my sister loves another woman. I'm as surprised as she was that that was my reaction but what I am concerned about is that the woman that she has fallen in love with is you.”

She began to open her mouth.

“Oh and by the way, if we're trading threats,” I interrupted. “You are in my city and although I might not look like much, my publisher tells me that I reach a wide audience of many different ranks. My best friend is a Witcher, my sister loves me as well and it looks like I am about to be betrothed to a nine hundred year old vampire who has studied magic in all that time with nothing to do over the last four hundred years other than practice her technique. So if you're not scared of me now then you might want to consider who you're talking to when you threaten to fry me in an instant.”

We stood there glaring at each other, almost nose to nose. I didn't remember getting that close but suddenly the whole situation seemed ridiculous to me. I don't know which of us blinked first but I do know that we both started laughing at each other almost simultaneously.

“I'm sorry,” I said wiping tears from my eyes and sinking onto a nearby bench, “It's been a long day.”

“I'm sorry too. I just got defensive suddenly when I don't really know why.”

“I do,” I said as I got up and got my drink. This time she did accept a goblet. “I was being a tit and not asking the right questions or thinking before I speak. It's a bad habit but in my defence I've never had to talk to someone who's shagging my big sister before.”

She stared at me, horrified, before a bark of laughter exploded out of her mouth just before she clapped her hand over it, her shoulders shaking.

“I'd never heard it put like that before.” She said after the hilarity died down although we did giggle occasionally just afterwards. “how to answer you though... I understand your fears. I really do and I have to say that they're not invalid although I would suggest that she has less to worry about than you do regarding the lady Ariadne.”

“I know,” I said glumly.

“But anyway, practically speaking, magic does have it's uses. I can age with Emma if I so wish or I can keep her young if she wishes. It's not a conversation that we've had yet as we've just been living day to day. I can certainly keep her brain from deteriorating so she will still have the mind she has now so it's just the stream of memory that she would have to worry about. As to breaking her heart?”

She sat down next to me and stared off into the middle distance. As I watched she seemed to fold in on herself, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms round them. Emma did the same thing when she was thinking deep thoughts.

When she started talking again I felt as though she wasn't talking to me.

“I can't see the future. If I could I would have been astonished by this whole circumstance as much as anyone else. I'm fifty-five years old and I've looked as you see me for the last thirty.”

Her voice became almost haunted.

“Before that I was....I looked somewhat different.”

I said nothing, just letting her talk.

“I am aware of the effects that magic can have on a body and I am aware of what I look like. I have never wanted for sexual or romantic partners whenever I have felt the need.”

She stared into space for a moment.

“Your Father was one of the people that helped fund the Mage's underground. Whether it was Emma that began it and your father that merely allowed it to continue or whether it was the other way round I do not know, but that's how I met her. Before I met her I had never once. Not once have I ever, or did I ever feel even the slightest bit of attraction towards another woman. Not once. I don't say this to boast but I've not been without male lovers and loves, or so I had thought, but one day I looked into your sisters eyes and I felt the rest of the world go away.

“We lived in fear at the time, the other mages and I, in the sewers and tunnels underneath Novigrad and I was escorting our contact with your father to the docks. Emma came with the agent, I had no idea who she was and she was dressed to blend in, but when I saw her I stood stock still. She seemed to make all my troubles fall away and I knew, I knew, that the only place I could find comfort and feel safe was in her arms.

“When Merigold came to us with the plan to go to Kovir, I agreed with her. It was a good plan, a risky plan certainly because of the changeover at the docks but our current position was unsustainable. I agreed with her. I helped her make the plans and plot out the routes. I led one of the groups to the ships. But when it came time to step aboard the boats and while Merigold said goodbye to someone who I gathered to be her former lover. I found that I could not step aboard.

“I walked away.

“It didn't even occur to me that I should do anything else.”

She wiped at her cheeks.

I was astonished. The Sorceress was weeping.

I offered a handkerchief.

“She took me in and I became her maid. Not that I performed any of that kind of work. It was a convenient fiction. Her parents never commented, the other servants seemed to accept the arrangement and cleared a cellar for my “work” as though they knew and approved of me. Your other brothers were annoying when they were here but only Edmund wouldn't take no for an answer and I had to sleep elsewhere whenever they were around.”

She looked at me then.

“I can't answer your question but the thought of losing her? I can't I just can't...”

Her voice broke and I was moved enough to embrace her.

We sat there for a while as I held her until her shaking stopped.

“Welcome to the family,” I said when we pulled apart.

“I can see why your sister likes you,” she said wiping at her face with a hanky.

“I'm glad.”

“Will I cause her problems?”

I thought about that. “I don't know. I think, I think that if father didn't know about the two of you then he was a lot more stupid than I give him credit for.”

“Your father was not stupid.”

I nodded. “So I think that he would have made provision to protect Emma when he was gone regardless of her romantic feelings. Sam won't care beyond being “suitably outraged” but he will secretly be quite pleased that there is a reason for his rebuffed advances. Mark is the problem. You may end up running away together in the end but that's the worst case scenario and I will help where I can. I am not without resources nowadays and many, surprisingly powerful people owe me favours.”

“Including a certain vampire.”

I smiled but then frowned.

“Yes, including her. Terrifying though that may be.”

She chortled again. “Would it be so terrible?”

“Maybe not, but that's part of why it's most terrifying.”

I stood up. “Anyway, shall we get this over with?” gesturing at the door.

She made a complicated gesture and the streaks of wet make-up vanished.

“That's a good trick,” I said before I opened the door to allow an irate Watch Captain inside.

I carefully did not watch while my sister came in looking terrified to be reassured by her...I'm going to have to write it sooner or later... Her girlfriend.

“Well?” demanded the Captain as he inspected the box to make sure that I hadn't tampered with it or anything. “Are you going to open it.”

I'm possibly doing this man a disservice but I was not on my best behaviour at the time. He's even told me his name more than once but the part of me that is still a little student being frightened into behaving properly in town still wants to think of him as some terrifying monster called “The Captain,” that comes into places and stops us from having fun. I kind of don't want to give him that name and friendly exterior because that would lesson who he is. It's a lot like realising that your parents are people too and once got drunk and had sex but regretted it the following morning.

I ignored him.

Kerrass raised his eyebrows in question at me. I shook my head and he shrugged. We knew each other well enough now to know that what this means is “Everything Ok?” and I responded with “I don't know, maybe? I'll tell you later.”

“Ok,” I said to Kerrass, “For hopefully the final time. What's happening?”

“It's not great.” he said beckoning Laurelen over from where she and Emma were talking quietly and quickly.

“In short the box is trapped with a curse.”

“That's a good sign,” I muttered.

Kerrass snorted. “Yes and no, that means that the box is significant but the curse itself is, and I say this with all proper inflection so that you get the proper weight of it, fucking horrible.”

“Oh goody. Why?”

“I'm not really qualified to say,” Kerrass answered.

“I am though,” Laurelen said approaching. She had her business face on again. She was the remote, unapproachable Sorceress. Cold, austere, arrogant and absolutely justified in her arrogance. “What the curse does is literally suck the life energy out of a person to an unknown source.”

“Is it a difficult curse to cast?” I asked noticing the look of boredom on the Watch-Captains face and guessed that he had already asked all these questions.

“I couldn't cast it and I would guess that I'm the most powerful magic user in the local area.”

“So how was it cast?”

“Ritually,” she said simply.

“What that means is that this magic has been built up over time.” Kerrass explained and he raised his voice so that everyone around him could hear. “As you are probably aware magic is a kind of force that is all around us, it's kind of like water in many ways and good Sorcerers can track lines and points of force in the same way that a water diviner and his rod can find hidden wells and water sources.”

“However,” Laurelen took up the narrative, “This “force” takes different forms and all of us that are attuned to it can, and do, use it in different ways. But those are just the mortal users of the magical force. Even those of us who have studied the force in particular detail are unaware of how it works but there are other entities that use the magic in different ways. We know, for instance, that priests and priestesses of various religions can use magic to cast their spiritual miracles. Are those “miracles” just a priests method of casting a spell or are they given to them by God or Gods using the “force” on their behalf, we do not know.” her eyes glittered for a moment, “Also people who do not have any innate magical talent can direct the force by repeated use of what we call “rituals”. The more they practice the ritual they will, eventually, get better at it and produce a magical result.”

“This curse is one of these latter,” Kerrass started again. “I've examined the box, as has the Sorceress and we agree that it is keyed not just physically, but magically to a single person. This magic has been ritually reinforced over time with the performance of a ritual over and over again and as such the curse has been empowered more and more over time.”

“Almost like wine can be turned into port?” The Captain asked.

“Precisely,” answered Kerrass although I thought I could see Laurelen squirm a little bit at the explanation.

“Having gone over the curse,” she then spoke up, “We have discovered the key that was hidden in the hole as well as the box and we have discovered that the ritual was designed to keep the box closed unless a specific person open it.”

I opened my mouth to ask the obvious question.

“That person, was your brother Edmund,” said Kerrass.

“Which is where you come in,” Laurelen put in.

Kerrass nodded. “The lady Sorceress believes that she can adjust the magic sufficiently so that you would be able to “masquerade” as Edmund and be able to trick the curse into believing that you are your brother.”

I looked the question at Laurelen and she nodded. “You are the same gender, you're born of the same parents, but for physical circumstances you should almost be physically identical so it would be much easier to convince the curse that you are Edmund rather than say, Kerrass or the Captain.”

“You make the curse sound like it's alive?”

“In many ways it is. It is certainly more useful if you think of it in that way.”

“Are you confident?” I asked them both quietly.

“Confident enough to risk your sisters wrath,” Laurelen said. Kerrass nodded.

I shrugged.

“Lets get it over then before I change my mind.”

Kerrass started shooing Watchmen out of the door and to the far corners of the room. Laurelen stood in what looked to me to be a random spot in the middle of the room but then she examined the floor and shifted slightly to her right before beginning to chant under her breath.

The low hum that I had begun hearing in the room upstairs got louder and more insistent. I saw Emma leave.

Kerrass came back to me.

“I'm going to step out of the circle in a minute.”

“There's a circle?”

“Yes, don't worry if you can't see it. It's designed to stop any knock on effects like what happened with you and the lad.”

“Reassuring.”

“I know. Try not to think about it though. It should be simple. Walk to the table, you see that knife?”

“The unpleasant one with the unnecessary spikes and grooves?”

Kerrass grinned horribly. “Yes, that one. Pick it up and touch the point of the knife to the lock on the box. You should then be able to open the box. Whatever happens though, do NOT, under any circumstances touch what's inside. There may be further traps and protections. This curse was unpleasant enough.”

I nodded.

“I don't know but I think that this is likely to be unpleasant so concentrate on your task and get it done as soon as possible. You ready?”

“No,”

Kerrass nodded“I'll let her know then.”

Kerrass caught Laurelen's eye and nodded. The hum increased in pitch. I waited until Kerrass was standing next to the Watch-Captain and walked to the table.

The entire sensation left me feeling dirty. I felt old, my knee was sore and my back was stiff as well as there being a kind of odd numbness in my left hand's finger tips. When I moved I felt clumsy and uncomfortable in my own skin. I looked over at Laurelen and I felt an unspeakable and horrible lust wash over me that made me want to vomit.

There is a difference between a normal, I want to say healthy lust for a woman or someone that I am attracted to and what I felt in that instant. Normally when I feel “healthy” lust I want to kiss and stroke and fondle. Here I wanted to do.... I can't even write it. It lessened me to feel these feelings. Normally I want to worship and enjoy my sexual partners. This time I wanted to destroy her, I wanted to break her and torture her until her beauty was no longer visible. I felt my teeth bare until I was snarling.

My stomach heaved and I swallowed.

Focus on the task.

II took a step forward. Another step. There was no pain it was more a kind of feeling... uncomfortable in my own body.

I took another step and I was at the table.

I took up the knife and it seemed to fit in my hand as though it was made for me. There were razor-blades hidden in the hilt wrappings and I could feel them cutting into my skin. The pain was wonderful. It was a work of effort not to grip the handle tighter to increase the sensation. I could already feel a certain dampness. Looking down there was blood and it felt wonderful.

I realised that I was aroused.

I made the mistake of looking up at Laurelen again and that awful awful lust took hold of my body. I wanted to use the knife. To cut at her, to tear at her, to remove strips of her perfect skin and to hear her screams.

Focus on the task.

I was gritting my teeth now and I could see the box. A sudden wave of pleasure went through me and I grabbed at the box greedily. I felt like a drowning man who has suddenly seen a floating piece of wood or a starving man seeing food.

Quickly I took the knife and touched it to the lock which sprang open at the touch as though it had barely

been kept close.

Still holding the knife I quickly unclasped the lock and threw the box open.

I didn't think. I wanted what was inside so badly that I reached inside.

Kerrass tackled me at the waist, my neck snapped backwards at the impact as I landed on the ground hard. Kerrass rolled free but his training was in me and I sprang to my feet. I was still holding the knife and I went for his eyes. Always go for the eyes as a man will do anything to avoid being blinded.

He avoided my strikes and I snarled in frustration as I went forwards again. Again and again he flowed out of the way like water.

Someone else was shouting.

Someone else was screaming.

I backed off to find some room and think about my strategy and I felt my wrist grabbed in an iron vice like grip. My arm was twisted and the agony was indescribable. I went with the movement so that the arm was twisted behind me. I drove myself backwards. I felt a strike on my wrist before hard fingers dug into tendons, forcing my hand open.

The knife fell.

An arm wrapped around my neck and I was yanked backwards as I scrabbled for the knife but it had been kicked out of reach.

There were footsteps, rushing feet and voices. I thrashed madly but I was ensnared now.

I screamed and then all at once I stopped.

I just stopped, I couldn't tell you why but it was like a light came on in my brain. My body fit myself again.

I wept and sobbed.

Then I vomited as the memory of how I had felt and the horror of it claimed me for a moment.

I had been turned face down. Immobilised completely, turning my head I could just see Laurelen kneeling beside me, heedless of the vomit on the floor squelching under her knees.

“I'm sorry,” I screamed at her. “Flame I am so sorry,”

“It's alright, hush now.”

Emma was stood a little way off, her hand covering her mouth, eyes wide in horror.

“Dear flame Emma,” I howled. “What has he done?”

“I'm sorry.” I screamed it over and over. Screamed until my throat bled and my voice cracked.

Screamed until, in anguish, Emma begged Laurelen to help me. She spoke a couple of words of power and I dove head first into a black pit of oblivion.