Schala walked slowly to her room. What *was* wrong with her? She put a hand to her forehead, massaging it. She shook her head as she lay down on her bed. It was a rhetorical question, for she knew *exactly* what was wrong...
It was...the Prophet...
She had found him near the palace one day, out cold from a ghastly bump on his head. How he had gotten there, she didn't know, but she had him taken to an empty room, and she herself had cared for him until he regained consciousness.
When he had first opened his eyes, she saw they were a startling blue-grey
color that seemed to change with his emotions. Schala would never forget his
first words to her...As he slowly became coherent, seeing her worried face
looking down into his, he had said:
"Have I died and gone to heaven?" He sat up and took her hand. "The most beautiful maiden I have ever set eyes on greets me upon my rising from unconsciousness..." He took her hand and kissed it gently.
Schala blushed and lowered her face demurely. "You are in the kingdom of Zeal, although I must admit, it may seem like heaven here," she said with a smile. "My name is Schala."
"Schala." She didn't know why, but she had felt a thrill when he said her name in that breathless way. "A most delightful name...but alas, I cannot tell you my own..." He turned away slightly. "I...I seem to have lost all recollection of my identity..."
"That's all right," she replied. "I wouldn't dream of sending you out into the unknown without you even having your memory. You may stay here as long as you like."
He had looked at her intensely then, straight into her eyes. "There is no other place that I would rather be, than here, in the same kingdom as you," he said softly.
She blushed even more furiously. "I...I must go now," she said quickly. "You will be well attended to, and I shall return every so often."
"I will count the seconds until you are by my side again, lovely Schala..."
She quickly stood up and walked away, feeling his eyes boring into her back and
she left the room.
Even now Schala blushed to think of the tender looks and gentle words he had constantly showered upon her. And when he began revealing his magic skills, she felt an even greater affinity to him. Their power was so amazingly complementary it was uncanny. Whatever spell she used, he would almost always have one so completely opposite as to cancel hers out. It were as though she controlled one side of the power, and he the other. He was nicknamed Magus for his incredible magic, and he had accepted it as his name.
Then the prophecies began.
Every so often Magus would suddenly reel back as if struck, then pass out for a few seconds. When he came to, he would reveal a vision of the future, which would come true within a few days. The queen was so delighted that she made him a permanent member of her court and her personal advisor.
And so Magus was here to stay...
Magus...Magus...Magus...
The name echoed throughout Schala's head...
Her self-imposed confinement to her room was driving her insane. She hadn't even been able to see Magus for some time, busy as he had been with his new position and her preoccupation with the Mammon Machine.
Schala needed to get out and about. "I suppose now's the best time to get myself back into gear," she said aloud.
It was late that night when she headed to the library, using a candle to light her way. She entered the room and shut the door carefully behind her. Scanning the shelves, she quickly found a text on meditation rituals. She needed to achieve peace of mind before she could continue working with the Dreamstone...
Schala was so engrossed in the book that she didn't even look up when the door was quietly opened and closed. Then she suddenly became aware of a presence in the room, and she started back, standing up so quickly that the chair fell away with a loud thud.
The person moved into the light. It was Magus, his long silver hair glowing eerily in the candlelight.
"I am sorry, Princess," he said formally. "I did not mean to startle you..."
She put a hand over her chest to steady the rapid beating of her heart. "It's quite all right," she responded. "I...I did not expect anyone else to be awake at such a late hour..."
Magus came closer and lowered his voice. "I had business to finish," he said. "I was about to visit your quarters when I saw a light on here..." He glanced at the book she had been reading. "Meditation? Is there something that troubles your mind, Princess?"
She lowered her face. "It's nothing..." she said softly.
He stepped up to her and raised her chin with a finger. "Your Highness..." he began. "I have no qualms telling you that *you* have been on my mind recently..."
Schala gazed at him, seeing the look deep in his eyes that matched her own. "Is that so?"
"Yes..."
He pulled her towards him and kissed her...
Her arms went around his neck as he held her tightly. Their kiss quickly became a very passionate one as he slid his tongue deftly into her mouth. His hands became active, running up and down her back and twining into her hair. Magus held her head to his as he took her mouth with pleasure.
He slowly pushed her down with him until they were both kneeling on the carpet. He lay down on his back, pulling her on top of him. Schala's fingers carefully undid his shirt and flung it back, exposing his chest. She gently ran her fingertips along his chest and stomach, smiling as she felt his skin ripple slightly and heard him moan gently.
Schala's skin tingled as his hands reached under her clothing and caressed her. He reached all the way up her back, then slid around to fondle her breasts. She drew in her breath sharply, so caught up in the heat of the moment that she didn't even realize it when he lifted her robes over her head and flung them off her.
Magus caught his breath as his eyes roved over her naked body. The candlelight made shadows that danced over her curves, making her all the more mysterious and enticing to him. "Schala..." he breathed out, so enraptured he was by her.
She merely smiled in response, pushed him down again, and kissed him. Her lips trailed downward, tickling his ribs and stomach. Her hands fumbled with his trousers and pulled them down, feeling his hardness slide across her throat. She caressed it gently with her lips, licking the head before taking it into her mouth and sucking it all the way from base to tip.
Magus groaned. Unable to stand the sensation any longer, he pulled her head away. She looked at him questioningly. He swiveled the upper half of his body around and turned her onto her side. He kissed his way down her body until he reached her female softness. Her body jerked as his tongue touched her tender clitoris. He began devouring her, sliding his tongue in and out, tasting her sweetness.
Schala felt herself becoming wet. She moaned and grabbed his stiff cock and sucked on it hard. She stroked his balls and squeezed them gently. She did his cock like a popsicle, sliding her tongue around the head and all over his shaft. She licked the fluid that began to flow gently, savoring his taste.
Magus rolled away slightly. He brought her up and made Schala go down on all fours. He stroked her arms with his hands and kissed the back of her neck, drawing his lips down her spine as his hands squeezed her buttocks. He placed his hands on her ribcage and went on his knees. With a quick jerk, he thrust in hard behind her. Schala cried out in pain. Magus began pushing in and out, pulling her to and from him, moaning in ecstacy. She thrust her head forward and groaned.
Then, without warning, a vision from a time long past -- and yet not quite so far away -- flashed through Magus's mind...
**She was sitting beside a kitten that looked strangely familiar...**
It was crazy...*where* did that memory come from? He felt as though he *should* remember it, like it was a part of his life, but at the same time, he seemed to be an outsider looking in...
Magus stopped so suddenly it were as though he had been frozen by a spell. Schala gave a small groan. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
He shook his head fervently. "It's nothing...nothing at all," he replied. Nothing, *nothing* is going to ruin our time together, he swore silently to himself...
He gritted his teeth in an effort to chase away the vision. Magus suddenly pulled out of her, stood her up and pushed her roughly against a wall. He kissed her passionately, then brought her legs up and wrapped them around his waist. He held her against the wall and thrust deep into her.
Schala moaned with pleasure, grabbing onto his shoulders for support. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt his cock reaching into her depths, felt him exploring inside her. So *this* was how it felt like...Her mind was so numbed by the sensations she could barely think anything else...All she knew was that she wanted more. Schala pulled him closer, wanting to feel all of him next to her. She gasped with delight when his head came down and sucked on her breasts, his tongue stabbing at her taut nipples.
**She was giving him a pendant that looked exactly like her own...**
Magus's body jerked up in surprise, then once again he set his jaw and cleared the image determinedly from his mind. But it was that jerking movement that gave Schala an incredible sensation as she felt him move inside her. She moaned loudly and threw her head back, grinding her midsection against his.
Keeping himself inside her, Magus carried her and laid her down on a nearby table. He kissed her mouth, her neck, then went to her breasts, sucking hard on her nipples. He pulled out and squeezed her breasts, then ran his hands down her belly and stroked her thighs. He teased her clitoris, then slid a finger quickly up inside of her, pulling it in and out, feeling her slick wetness surrounding it. He smiled as he heard her moan.
Magus began moving down, his tongue licking her, his teeth gently biting. When his lips touched her female softness, she cried out and bucked from the pleasure. He held her hips down and began devouring her again, alternating between her inner thighs and her soft clitoris.
He stood up again, his face burning as he looked down at her. Then his eyesight was momentarily blocked by another flash...
**She was soothing his tears when he had hurt himself...**
Magus growled, a low sound that began deep in his throat and became a primal shout of possession. Without quite realizing what he was doing, intent only on clearing his head of the vision, he suddenly plunged deep into Schala. She cried out in surprise, completely taken unawares. His moans were gutteral sounds that came from the pit of his stomach and tried to convey the emotion he was feeling.
Schala began screaming in ecstacy. Magus pushed harder, going deeper and deeper with each thrust, wanting to give her more of the pleasure she desired. He fucked her with wild abandon, his arousal growing higher and higher. His hands went to her breasts and massaged them roughly. She cried out, her legs tightening around him, then relaxing, then repeating the movement.
Magus's breath came in short, painful gasps. He supported himself against the table, moaning loudly with each thrust, his mouth open slightly from the effort. Dreams of this time with Schala had tormented his sleep since the first night he had recovered consciousness, and now...now, she was finally completely his...
All too soon he felt a stirring in his groin. He wanted as much of her as he could have before their time was over. Magus increased his rhythm, making her gasp out. Their moans came together in an erotic duet that sang of forbidden fantasies finally unleashed. And with a swift, burning rush, Magus released a part of himself deep inside her, so powerful that he threw back his head and yelled like a madman.
Schala felt his powerful thrusts and seemed to lose contact with her surroundings, so lost she was in their fanatical lovemaking. She was being swept up in a tide, being carried higher and higher, until she felt she could fly no more. Suddenly an electrifying sensation swept over her, one that started in her loins and swelled her chest and made her feel lightheaded.
She moaned, and at the same time she felt the intense flood that filled her and brought her over the edge, making her body shudder. In a burst of light, a bright whiteness shattered in front of her eyes, blinding her.
She fell back to the table, limp and sweaty. Her breathing was heavy, her heart was thumping. Schala felt completely drained, yet thoroughly sated. She lay there for a few moments, slowly recovering her senses.
Magus's eyes were glazed and unseeing when he opened them, for a moment unable to believe the force of their passion. He kept still, trying to capture these last few moments of when they finally become one...
And suddenly, as his vision cleared and he was looking up at the tall bookshelves lined with texts, he had a final image...the one that made him see who he was...
**The book...the one he wanted...it was the one he couldn't reach...**
Magus' eyes widened...
**He saw her stepping up, grabbing it, and handing it to him...**
He shook his head furiously...
**...or rather, a younger version of him...**
And the rest of his memory came back in a rush...
No...it couldn't be...!
Magus quickly pulled out of her and bent over her. "Schala..." he said softly, stroking her hair.
She opened her eyes and smiled at him. The table and the two of them were dripping with the love they had just shared. "Magus...oh, god...that was so incredible..." She pulled his face down to kiss him, but he jerked away.
"We can't," he insisted, "We..." He broke off.
She looked at him questioningly. She could have sworn she saw a faint blush on Magus' cheeks before he bowed his head. Then he sighed and laid his head on her chest.
They lay there for awhile, saying nothing. But the thoughts flew through his brain faster than he knew he was thinking them....How could he have done this? How could this have happened? How could he have lost all control?...
Magus closed his eyes and tried to chase the feelings away, the feelings that were coursing through his system and racking him with guilt and partial disgust at the realization of what he had just done...
He suddenly put his arms around her and held her tightly, listening to her rapid heartbeat that was now calming down.
Should he tell her?...
Schala ran her hands tenderly through his hair. He lifted his face and looked at her, his eyes searching hers in the hope that they might somehow tell him what he should do...
Magus abruptly stood up and, pulling up his pants, gathered the clothing from the floor. She sat up as he returned. He shook out her robes and slipped them over her head again. Schala pushed herself off the table and smoothed out her clothes.
Magus took her hand and escorted her to her room. They stopped just outside her bedroom door. Schala turned to him, and the tender look she gave him pierced through him with such a swift sharpness that he caught his breath.
He *couldn't* tell her....
He gazed deep into her eyes, which were looking at him with the innocence that he had just taken from her. Magus could feel his features twisting into an immensely sad countenance. He shuddered as the realization once again passed over him in a sickening wave and made his stomach roll. Schala, fortunately, didn't notice his reactions.
Magus took a deep breath to steady himself, then he bowed slightly. "Good night...Your Highness..." He couldn't keep his voice from faltering slightly.
"Good night...Magus..." She could not quite disguise the warmth in her tone, the knowledge of their tryst. She could not hide what she had had for him since she first saw him...
He heard her voice, heard what lay beneath the surface, heard what she was in her heart...
Schala opened the door and stepped into her room. He wanted desperately to hold her back, to hold her and kiss her and...
His body jerked forward impulsively...
No....how could he *do* that?! How could he *think* of doing that? He was.....They were......
*Tell her...* his mind declared fiercely.
He opened his mouth to say something....
*No....what will you say?...* his heart cautioned.
*I...I'm your brother...*
...Then shut it without saying a word.
Schala smiled at him one last time, her eyes meeting his. A shock ran through his body. She gently closed the door.
Magus stared unseeingly at the door in front of him. What was it he had felt in that brief second? He frowned slightly as he felt a blush creeping up his neck and burning his face.
He couldn't deny what he felt: That despite everything he now knew, the incestuous nature of their tryst had made it all the more exciting. He well he understood now Dalton's obssession of her! Just the hint of what she had to offer a man was enticing beyond thought. And now that he'd actually experienced it...He shook his head slowly, the emotions churning his groin in a thrilling way.
Magus remained standing there for a few minutes, wondering just what twist of Fate had brought him to this end...
Then, he turned and walked down the stairs.