The Arts Ardane 03

Damn it, she thought, realizing that there was no possible way she could move far enough away to be out of Aristel's vision unless he remained within the guesthouse for several more minutes. When he bent down to kiss the trembling Emelia and bid her farewell, Devan knew she wouldn't have those few minutes.

Recasting her infravision and invisibility spells while fighting to control her other two magics at the same time, she didn't even have a spare moment to celebrate when she succeeded. Her mind whirled as the considered her two alternatives. She could either risk detection by hurrying back toward the cellar now, or follow Aristel instead and risk detection through the boards in his room. All the while, part of her wondered what she had found so fascinating and arousing about the play between the women. She couldn't deny her excitement, which caused her sex to continue to demand satisfaction, but the thought caused her to shiver with an emotion she hadn't felt in some time – shame.

Devan banished her thief's ear and clairvoyance spells when Aristel moved out of the room, leaving the three women still lounging on the bed and caressing each other. Having no clearly superior course in her two choices, Devan instead chose a third alternative, one just as arrogant and risky as Aristel's in coming to this place.

When Aristel exited the guesthouse under the cover of invisibility, Devan waited right behind the door for him. He saw her with his own infravision the moment he closed the door.

"Well – hello, Aristel," Devan whispered with a smug smile.

"What are you doing here?" Aristel hissed.

"Gaining some leverage over you," Devan responded. "I'm sure that the Master doesn't know that you're taking advantage of his daughter, and I'm also sure that he'd be quite interested to find out about it."

"You bitch, I'll..." He bit off his words and hunkered down low behind the railing of the small porch. Glancing in the direction he was looking, Devan did the same when she saw one of the town guardsmen walk out and look around.

When the man vanished, Devan leaned in to whisper directly into Aristel's ear. "Not here. I'm not going to gain anything if we're caught out here."

"Which is why I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't risk it either," Devan said in response and stood.

Aristel clenched his teeth, knowing she was right. When Devan started creeping back across the lawn, he reluctantly did the same.

They both saw the figure at the same time, and ducked behind a small tree to avoid detection. After watching for only a few seconds, both of them reached the same conclusion. A glance at each other confirmed that they'd both determined that the figure was no guardsman, and was creeping through the night much as they were. In the second sight, Devan could tell that the man had magical items secreted all over his person, but something he carried in his hands exuded the brightest glow of all.

What prompted her to do so would perplex Devan for many days to come, but she reacted instinctively when the approaching figure dropped into a crouch and pointed something in their direction. She could feel the heat from the dark fireball that exploded against her robe, but little more. The same enchanted ring that had saved her from Aristel's revenge tactic also protected her from the thief's attack. Because she had moved in front of Aristel, her magic protected him as well.

Aristel's quickly worked a spell, sending a black bolt of force streaking toward the attacking figure. The unerring bolt struck the thief, but didn't appear to cause him any harm. Taking the cue, Devan cast the same spell, which wouldn't create any strange flashes of light to alert guardsmen or the people in the nearby homes. Her bolt fizzled, as did another Aristel cast moments later.

The thief ran in a crouch, moving in an unpredictable pattern. Devan sent another bolt streaking forth, again striking her target as she stood. A moment later, Aristel stood next to her as well, his own bolt slamming into the thief.

Devan hissed, "He must have protection, and we need to wear it down. Keep it up."

Aristel only grunted in response, and then began his spell again.

The thief continued to dodge, suddenly skidding to a halt and reversing course at one point. Though Devan and Aristel couldn't know it, the shadowy cutpurse had heard the sounds of booted footfalls. The thief understood the danger he now faced, as he could feel the protective magic items weakening under the continued assault of magical missiles. He took hasty aim with his wand, firing off another dark fireball in an attempt to distract the magic users, but neither flinched or ceased the gesturing that would conjure their next bolt of arcane energy.

The two best targeted spell-casters in the entire school never relented, sending bolt after bolt into the thief as he used every trick he knew in an attempt to avoid them. When he felt his magical shielding fade, he abandoned all sense of decorum and ran at full speed away from the two magic users.

Devan and Aristel's final bolts hit the thief at the same time, sending him tumbling head over heels down the street. When the cowled man popped back to his feet, he was within a few yards of an alarmed guard – and unmasked.

Aristel grabbed Devan's hand, realizing that even the nearly invisible bolts of energy could reveal their location, to prevent her from casting another. Devan nearly slapped him, but then realized the danger at the same time.

The thief actually turned toward them and growled before bolting past the guard and cocking his arm. Though neither Aristel nor Devan could see what had happened, the guard crumpled to the ground.

The thief was long gone into the shadows, running as fast as his feet could carry him. Now that someone had seen his face and two magic users had repelled him, he decided that it was time to find greener pastures. Nevermore would he return to this region, when there were so many other places that didn't know what to look for yet.

Once again, Devan reacted without thinking. She heard Aristel hiss a protest, but couldn't make out the words as she hurried toward the downed guardsman. Upon reaching the man, she saw a dagger protruding from his stomach.

Cursing, Devan dug into her robe pockets, letting out a gasp of relief when she found what she sought. The small blessed stone was a gift from a lover, and one she found extremely valuable. The artifact healed wounds, and Devan used it to deal with everything from burns acquired while melting metals for spell components to nicks in her legs while shaving. Used for such small healing tasks, the stone would likely last for a lifetime.

Looking at the wound, Devan knew that it would sap the stone's power completely – and might not even save the man's life. Kneeling down, she sacrificed the stone for the chance to save his life. Pulling out the dagger, she pressed the stone against the guardsman's wound.

Though his groan sounded like a death rattle, Devan took it as a good sign, because he had made no sound and barely breathed until that point. A few seconds later, his breathing regulated. Devan saw the last wink of power vanish from her stone and pulled it away.

While the wound remained, Devan could tell it was no longer life threatening. The man was still unconscious, but he would live. With the immediate danger passed, Devan now worried about her own predicament. Glancing toward where she'd left Aristel, she found him gone. A quick glance revealed him hurrying back toward the school.

Devan shook off her irritation and followed. When a safe distance from the slowly rousing guard, she cast a spell of ventriloquism and used it to sound a shout near the guard. As soon as she did so, she sprinted the remaining distance back to the cellar door, counting on the guardsman to distract anyone from looking for anything else.

When she reached the spot below Aristel's room, she could see him attempting to replace the boards. "Aristel," she hissed.

He paused for a moment, and Devan knew that he was considering whether to continue replacing the boards. To her relief, he instead moved the boards out of the way and cast a spell to levitate her back up to the hole.

"Get out," Aristel sighed when Devan crawled out from under the bed.

"Not until..."

"Just go. I'm no fool. We shouldn't be seen here together. I'm sure you can understand why that would look suspicious."

Devan again started to protest, but understood the logic. She could also see defeat – and something else that she could swear looked like respect – in Aristel's eyes. With that realization, she knew he was beaten. Without another word, she hurried out of his room and back to Lauren's room.

~~~~~~~

*D<~>D***********

~~~~~~~

When Devan walked into the room disheveled, sweating, and obviously in an agitated – but not frightened – state, Lauren immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Devan replied with a wide smile. "Nothing at all."

Lauren's eyebrows arched and her brow furrowed, but at almost that exact moment, she stiffened and cocked her ear as though hearing a voice. Quickly standing up and snatching up a robe, she said, "Stay here. Don't leave the room. Trust me."

Confusion obvious in her features, Devan responded, "I trust you. I won't leave."

Lauren hurried from the room, and Devan flew into a near panic. She had heard worry in the older woman's voice, and that feeling now assaulted her as well. After a little consideration, she decided to brush out her hair in an attempt to create a distraction to calm her nerves somewhat.

The door opened again after only a couple of minutes, and the smile on Lauren's brought Devan a great sense of relief. "What happened?"

"The thief in the city struck again, and this time he was discovered. A guardsman also saw the thief's face as he took a wound. He recognized the man as a strange hermit who skulked about the outskirts of town. I do believe our time of restriction should be over."

"Finally," Devan remarked with relief.

Lauren walked over to her dresser and pulled out a small bell. She struck it with an attached clapper, but the item made no sound. Devan could feel magic filling the room, however.

Putting down the bell and then placing her hands on her hips, Lauren said, "Now that nobody can hear us, I would like to know what you know about this."

"What I know about it?"

Lauren glanced down at the hem of Devan's robe. "Grass stains and red clay. Don't worry, I'm not going to say anything, and I don't think you're involved – except by accident."

Sensing that Lauren was telling the truth, Devan answered with the same. "Aristel and I came across him accidentally. He took a shot at us, and we fought back. I used a healing stone on the guard before I came back here."

Holding up her hand in front of her, Lauren said, "Wait." She then pointed at Devan and continued, "You and Aristel?"

"It's a long story, but I knew he was up to something. I followed him when he snuck out, and we just happened to be together when the thief fired a dark fireball at us."

"So, what was he up to?"

Knowing that if she revealed what she knew that she'd lose her leverage over Aristel, Devan replied, "I'd rather not say."

Her brow furrowing, Lauren said, "I doubt you're defending him, so I'll wager that you discovered he's dallying with the Master's daughter."

Devan's mouth dropped open with that revelation. "You know?"

Lauren nodded and chuckled. "So does the Master. None of us thought he would be so foolish as to sneak out while we were under restriction, however. His two friends have been bedding two of the Master's servants as well."

When Devan sighed and wilted, thinking she'd lost her hold over Aristel, Lauren was quick to add, "Aristel doesn't know any of that, however. I think I understand the reason for your smile now. I imagine you caught him in the act?" Though she didn't say it, she assumed that if Devan had actually observed Aristel coupling that she'd seen the women engaging each other as well, because that was also well known amongst the staff.

The hints of a smile decorated Devan's face again when she realized that her hold on Aristel remained strong. This also reminded her of what she'd seen, and caused her cheeks to warm as she remembered the way her body had reacted to it. Her panties were sticky against her skin even now.

"I think you've found the way to keep Aristel from attempting to torment you. If you manage to curtail his influence, I should imagine that many will not have the courage to do so. You should change your robe and get in the bath. It wouldn't do for anyone else to discover you were outside despite the restrictions."

Devan nodded in agreement with the logic, and did exactly that. Though Lauren didn't look her way in any obvious manner as she undressed and settled into the bath, Devan couldn't help but feel that the older woman was watching her. She also noticed that she felt far less self-conscious of that scrutiny now.

Lauren removed her hastily donned robe, and Devan unconsciously drank in the sight of the older woman's body, so well displayed in the short, transparent garment beneath. After witnessing the three women with Aristel engaging each other, Devan felt an almost unsettling level of curiosity assaulting her. Those thoughts were accentuated when Lauren asked, "How did you find out what Aristel was doing, by the way? I should imagine the animal control spell had something to do with it."

"That's how I confirmed he was sneaking out. The thief's ear and clairvoyance spells are how I actually found out what he was doing."

"Oh?" Lauren said with a sultry, crooked smile. "I imagine you saw a little more than you bargained for, didn't you?"

"I was surprised," Devan answered.

"I'm sure you were. Considering your conservative upbringing, the thought of women touching each other must have been a bit of a shock."

Devan asked, "Did it shock you?"

Lauren shook her head and said, "The first time – yes. That was long ago, however."

"It doesn't bother you now?" Devan asked as she concentrated on quickly finishing her bath.

Lauren chuckled and answered, "No, not at all. The two women were very good friends of mine, and I came to realize it was just an extension of their friendship. I was able to talk to them about it that same day. I can still hear Anna telling me that another woman knows things about you that no man could ever imagine. She knows what gives her pleasure, and she knows exactly how to do the same for another woman."

Devan could hear something far more than simple reminiscence in Lauren's voice as the woman spoke. The tone of her voice told a story full of emotion, rather than of thought. The way Lauren was laying on the bed suddenly merged with an image from earlier in the evening in Devan's mind. Her temporary roommate lounged in almost the exact same position as one of the two women who had shared the bed with Aristel and his lover. Between the sound of Lauren's voice and the memory of what she'd seen, Devan suddenly became very aware of the brunette's body, barely hidden beneath her nightgown.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Lauren asked when she noticed a distant look in Devan's eyes.

Devan shook her head in the negative and stood up from the bath, reaching for a towel at the same time. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she was looking at Lauren and feeling attraction – sexual attraction. Even though she tried to attribute the arousal to her victory over Aristel, knowing that she would be free to return to town soon, and any number of other excuses, each one rang false in her mind.

She continued to struggle with the new and almost frightening feeling as she toweled dry, peeking over to see the hints of worry in Lauren's features. Once dry, she realized that she hadn't brought any clothing to the tub to change into. Walking back toward the bed where her clothing was, she saw Lauren's eyes fall on her for just a second, the bright blue orbs full of undeniable longing.

Even though she'd done her best to steer Devan toward the subject, Lauren decided in the moment that she averted her eyes from the redhead's body that she couldn't pursue that course any longer. The potential consequences of a rejection, considering her position as an instructor, were simply too great to ignore. She knew that this was the moment to choose whether to reveal her feelings or not, and erred on the side of prudence.

Feeling ridiculously like a girl engaging in her first experience with a man, Devan's pride asserted itself to overshadow her uneasiness. Though she didn't understand what she was feeling, she hated the thought of surrendering control to anyone. At the moment, Lauren was in control of the situation, if Devan's guess was correct. "Are you attracted to me that way?" Even with the rush of determination flooding through her, the words still surprised Devan.

The sudden change in Devan's demeanor, coupled with the redhead standing nude just out of reach startled Lauren. As the words registered in her mind, Lauren realized there was nothing of accusation in Devan's tone, and a distinct note of curiosity. "Yes."

A rush of warmth and wetness between Devan's legs greeted that answer, even as she felt a slight tinge of shame and aversion. Those flashes of emotion once again fueled Devan, causing her to push the weak feelings away. Sitting down on the bed, she asked, "Is that why you wanted me to stay with you?"

Lauren surrendered, knowing that there was no way to turn back time now. In truth, she felt a sense of relief. "Yes, I wanted you here so I could see if you might feel as I do." Her desire surging within her, Lauren sat up and looked deep into Devan's eyes. "I ache for you. I have since the moment I first saw you."

The passion and need in Lauren's voice caused Devan to gasp. She stared into Lauren's eyes, fighting away the impulse to bolt, angered by the weakness in her. The battle proved easy, as her passions were steadily rising.

Lauren almost tentatively reached out to touch Devan's cheek. When the redhead didn't flinch, but instead drew in a deep breath, Lauren stroked Devan's cheek and drew her fingertips across the younger woman's lips. Devan's lips parted slightly, and Lauren let out a sigh as she felt the touch of wetness against her fingers.

Lauren's touch was like an electric pulse through Devan's body. Her already hot desire flared to a bonfire of need. As Lauren's fingers continued their journey down the line of Devan's neck, Devan reached out to do the same. Lauren let out a shuddering sigh and trembled.

Her fingers now tracing Devan's shoulders, Lauren sat up and leaned forward. She kept her eyes locked with Devan's until the moment their lips met. She felt resistance at first, and nearly pulled away, but then felt the redhead's lips soften and part. Her need overcoming anything else, Lauren let her tongue snake out to caress Devan's lips as they kissed.

Devan had never experienced a kiss so soft or so intimate in her life. Even the softest kiss she'd ever shared with a man had the heat of barely restrained hunger behind it. Lauren's kiss seemed to seek only the closeness the intimate contact brought, and Devan responded in kind. Their tongues slipped over each other in a sensual dance until Lauren pulled away with a soft moan.

Lauren edged closer to the redhead on the bed, sliding her right hand up Devan's neck to entwine in her red locks. Her next kiss held more passion, and she pulled Devan against her, as they once again tasted each other's lips. Their breasts pushed against each other as Lauren slid her hand down Devan's side to knead he redhead's firm buttocks.

When they broke from the kiss, Lauren ran her fingertip over Devan's nipple, once again feeling the redhead stiffen for just a second before relaxing again. Inflamed with desire, Lauren leaned down and suckled the stiff bud between her lips a moment later. Devan didn't flinch this time, but instead arched her back and gasped. As with the kiss, the touch of Lauren's lips on her nipple was gentle, intimate, and arousing beyond anything Devan had ever experienced before.