Magestorm: The Awakening Read online

  MAGESTORM

  THE AWAKENING

  By Chris Fornwalt

  1

  He walked into the boardroom completely naked, all the female eyes staring at him. Well, he felt naked, anyway. But he wasn’t really. He just wasn’t welcome. The community was almost exclusively female these days, so they didn’t care for the one man in the midst of them.

  “Take your seats, everyone.”

  He ignored the stares as he always did. A quick glance to the head of the table showed Cassandra, powerful and beautiful as always. She flashed a quick, sad smile to him. She was the one woman in the room that didn’t totally dismiss him as an outsider, and luckily for Dhane, she was also the head of the society.

  Dhane sat down between two empty chairs, as always. No point tempting the witches to try and cast a spell on him, even if that wasn’t technically possible in this room. The black table was enchanted, or rumor had it anyway.

  About a thousand years ago, when the society was still new, they created this table to keep everyone honest. Once you entered a room containing this table, your powers were useless. For Dhane, that was a good thing.

  The rest of the room was decorated in gold, and there were passages leading off in four directions. One was the main entrance, which had huge wooden double doors. Once you came through the main entrance, there was a war room off to the right. It was seldom used now, but once played a large role in overcoming Algernon. To the left was an entrance into the great library. From the library, you couldn’t see this door at all, as it swung open between bookshelves.

  Finally, against the opposite wall was a golden door that nearly blended with the walls. This led to the private chambers of the society head. For now, it was Cassandra’s personal living space. She was only the second head since this building had been built, exactly in the center of the town of Thauma; it was eight blocks east of the vampires, eight blocks west of the werewolves. Certain symmetry was used on purpose, maximizing their power.

  “Shall we begin, then?”

  Cassandra spoke about the next weeks’ shifts for guarding the lairs. Werewolves were in one, vampires in the other, both of which hated everyone and everything. Because of the threat they represented, the society took shifts keeping spells on them, preventing their departure from their assigned areas.

  Each had a four block radius, with their own apartments, stores, etc. There was also a spell of dread that kept stray humans from wandering into the protected area. These spells had to be maintained. Any weakness could lead to an escape, and that was bad news for everybody.

  Dhane was exempt from guard duty, however. None of the witches would partner with him. At least there was one good thing about being the outcast.

  He looked around the table at the twenty witches who mostly hated him. He didn’t really know any of them except by reputation. He was in a room of strangers, except for Cassandra.

  She had taken him under her wing when he was younger. The son of a witch and a mage, he was already blessed with magical abilities, which made him exempt from the new law of the society: no men. With that exception, Cassandra had helped him hone his abilities for the past five years. She also helped him search for his mother’s identity, but so far there was no luck on that front. Everyone knew who his father was.

  Having never met the man, Dhane could only go by reputation, and that was not a good thing. He was the bastard son of the great wizard, who was only referred to as great because of his substantial power. Algernon was not a good guy, at least not in the end. That was all anyone remembered, the guy who enslaved the vampires, tried to do the same to werewolves, and treated both like lab experiments. And then there were the witches.

  Apparently, Algernon felt his position gave him rights above all else. He was known to have performed experiments on some witches, raped others, and tortured the society as a whole. Absolute power corrupted absolutely.

  He’d also ensured there was nobody that could challenge his authority and power. Back then, males typically headed the society, so he had all mages murdered. Dhane still wasn’t sure why he’d been left alive. The way he understood it, he was allowed to be taken away, raised outside the horrors of Thauma. Even not knowing Algernon, Dhane was still guilty by association.

  “The next order of business is a petition by the werewolves. They’ve requested an additional two blocks to expand in.”

  Cassandra carefully looked over a map of their current dwellings as Nicole, the werewolf liaison, continued to explain.

  “They still have a small amount of room within their current allocation, but they’re having some sort of internal strife. I recommend giving it to them. Better to keep things calm and the wolves civilized.”

  “Sounds simple enough,” Cassandra agreed. “However, I want to meet with Sebastian to discuss it. Arrange it for later tonight.”

  Nicole nodded and wrote in her notebook. She was old school, believing in the old ways and followings. As such, she didn’t use a laptop as most of the others did.

  “Diane and Elisabeth can be your guard; they are on standby for guard duty this week.”

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  “Madam, nobody visits the lairs alone. It’s law. And as I recall, it’s your law.”

  The next statement left Dhane’s dark brown eyes wide with surprise, and he wasn’t the only one. Nothing like the unexpected.

  “I’m very aware of the law, which is why Dhane will accompany me.”

  2

  The room was dead quiet as everyone looked his direction. That had to piss off the witches but good. Dhane looked towards Cassandra and nodded defiantly. For all she had done for him, he would do anything for her, including go into the werewolf area as her guard. His eyes then returned to his notepad and jotted down the planned trip.

  As the others finished talking about other unimportant notes, Dhane’s heart was pounding. He had never visited either of the other societies. He was especially nervous about anything happening while they were there. If the werewolves attacked, could he really help fight them? If anything happened to Cassandra, he would be blamed and exiled, or worse. Suddenly it felt like a sauna in this room.

  “Meeting is adjourned then. Nicole, I’ll be ready to meet with the werewolves in about an hour, so please arrange it quickly.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Nicole closed her notebooks and pushed her short black hair behind her ears. A quick dagger of a glance at Dhane reminded him that she didn’t approve of him in the least. This was his big chance to screw everything up, and she would be waiting with an ‘I told you so’.

  “Dhane, come talk with me while I get ready.”

  Cassandra smiled and waved to him as she turned towards her chambers. The room quickly emptied, the witches returning to their duties or enjoying their night off, and Dhane following Cassandra through the door.

  He always found this room odd. Instead of having something like a private apartment, it was a single, albeit very large, room. To the right was the bed, against the wall and with a see-through curtain surrounding the sleeping area. There were nightstands to the side, and a wardrobe against the wall. It was set it off from the rest of the room, but not really.

  Beyond that was the bathroom, with a shower in the corner that had plain glass doors. To the left was a living room area, with a couple of couches, a bookshelf, and a coffee table. Very basic, with no television, but a small radio that looked like it was the first radio ever invented.

  In the back corner was the kitchen. Again, it was very basic, but with a bar area that looked out of place. Finally, in the very center of the room was a round fire pit, accessible from all sides, and always lit. Through magic, it never went out, but the degree o
f heat coming off could be adjusted.

  “I hope you don’t mind me volunteering you for this meeting, but I thought you might like to see where we keep the other societies and how they live.”

  “Not at all, ma’am.”

  She gave him a disapproving look as she selected a different outfit from the wardrobe. He couldn’t help but grin as he ran his fingers through his short brown hair. It was starting to reach his eyes; he’d need a haircut soon.

  “Sorry, Cassandra, just trying to show respect.”

  “You don’t have anything to prove to me. I trust you completely. Eventually, the others will as well. Just be patient, my dear. Why don’t you get yourself something to drink?”

  “Sure. You want anything?”

  She shook her head and slid off her shoes. Dhane pulled out the only Pepsi in the fridge. She knew it was his favorite, and there was almost always one waiting for him. He turned around and saw her dropping her dress to the floor.

  He nearly dropped his drink, but he was frozen as he stared. She slid off her panties and bra, and then grabbed a fresh towel from a drawer in the wardrobe. He tried to stop staring, concentrating on his feet now, and hurried back to the living room to sit down. Of course, the couch and chairs all pointed away from the wall, so he sat down to a view of her walking towards the bathroom.

  “I just need a quick shower and then we can head out.”

  He didn’t respond. He couldn’t. Fighting the urge to think of her in that way was also out of the question. She was stunning, with her slightly tan skin, no tan lines, breasts larger than average, and round voluptuous rear end which he watched sway as it walked away from him.

  She turned on the shower and closed the doors. Finally some noise to break the silence; he looked around the room for anything else to focus on. He ended up back at the shower though, as she let the water flow through her long curly blond hair and down her body, dripping from her nipples as she leaned over to wash her feet.

  “Dhane, what do you think?”

  “Umm… I… Uh…”

  “The werewolves are always polite, as you’ll see. That makes it hard to deny a request such as this. However, I’m always suspicious that they’re playing polite to manipulate us. I want you to be very mindful while we’re there.”

  Dhane’s mind was only one place right now. But the words stuck and he would pay close attention. Maybe even as close as he was to the naked woman in the room. At least he wouldn’t have this distraction, if he could ever get the image out of his mind. Then again, did he really want to?

  The shower turned off and Dhane hurried to the bookshelf, grabbed a random book, and sat back down. He flipped through pages he didn’t understand, and then realized this was a German spell book. He didn’t speak German. This guise would work well.

  He glanced up a few times as she dried herself off. She then wrapped the towel around herself and walked over to the fire to finish drying her hair. He searched the book for anything legible, like he was looking for the antidote to a poison in his veins. No luck.

  “Dhane.”

  He looked up at her, into her blue eyes that stared at him with purpose now.

  “Did you see a birthmark, Dhane?”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Don’t pretend you weren’t watching me. You were meant to be. However, we recently went over the spell of breaking mist. Did you break through my mist which hid a birthmark, or were you blinded by the naked woman?”

  Shit. His mind raced over every inch of her body, each perfect curve, and the glistening water cradling her…

  Damn it! Snap out of it and concentrate!

  “I was afraid of that. Don’t ever forget, magic is all around. You can’t trust anyone, as Algernon showed us. You must always be wary. Even if you hadn’t spotted the birthmark, you should have sensed the mist I used. The enemy will not always be what you expect.”

  “Sorry Cassandra, I guess I was lost in… well… you know.”

  “Yes, well, a woman doesn’t need much magic to get over on a man, and vice versa. The werewolves will have beautiful women among their ranks, and they may be used to distract you as well.”

  “I will pay close attention to everything. I wouldn’t ever be distracted when it could put you in danger.”

  She smiled slyly and her eyes softened. She walked back to her bed and dropped her towel. Sure enough, there it was. It looked like Australia, the inch wide birthmark on her rear end. The same one he watched all the way to the shower. Damn.

  She dressed while he returned the book to the shelf and looked over the others. Many languages were represented, and he wondered if she could read them all. After ten minutes, he found one in English and grabbed it. As soon as he sat down, Cassandra was before him again.

  “Ready?”

  3

  The winter chill made Dhane shiver as he walked from the car to the steps and up to the door. Or maybe it was who he was about to meet that made him shiver. Either way, he didn’t like the feeling.

  The building before them was dark and rather old, but was in excellent condition. It was two stories tall and dark red with white trim. The werewolves took pride in their home, even if it was a prison of sorts. The streets were clean, the buildings freshly painted and kept up, and it would make you question whether they were any more animals than humans were.

  A servant opened the door as soon as Cassandra reached the top step and she stepped inside without hesitation. Dhane paused, took a deep breath, and then followed her inside. The door slammed shut behind him and he jumped. The room was darker than necessary, and he could see movement in the shadows as he froze.

  “Enough with the games,” Cassandra declared.

  She raised her hand high in the air and spoke a few words, and an immense burst of light removed every shadow from the room. The beasts were no longer hidden. Dhane wasn’t sure if this was better or worse.

  The creatures were each nearly ten feet tall, walking crouched on hind legs, teeth bared with eyes squinting from the light. They began to file out until only Cassandra and Dhane were left. Finally he started breathing again and lights began to turn on throughout the apartment building. Doors opened and closed as the werewolves returned to their rooms.

  “They spot a new person and try to intimidate,” she whispered as the welcoming party finally appeared.

  First to enter was a very polite and well-dressed man who presented himself as Adam. He was about six feet and four inches tall, well built and handsome. His short blond hair and soothing smile did wonders to hide what he was inside.

  He bowed as he presented himself and held out an elbow for Cassandra to take. She glanced at Dhane, the look of disgust showed her displeasure with following their customs, but she took his arm anyway and they proceeded down the hall.

  Dhane glanced around the room, at the curved stairwell, and deep purple carpeting covering the floor. He wondered if that was to hide any bloodshed that might occur. There were tapestries on the walls that looked like they belonged in castles long ago. Gold trim here and there finished off the room with gray walls. All the doorways had curved arches. He was about to follow them, when from the top of the stairs a beautiful Asian-looking woman appeared.

  He wasn’t sure her exact nationality, but she was taller than most Asian women, standing at about six feet. She was very curvy, her hips, her breasts, and the dress she wore was so tight he wondered how she could breath. Her short hair was a mix of black and brown, and was pulled back into a bun. She navigated her way down the stairs in high heels that made her much taller than Dhane. At five foot eleven, he wasn’t all that tall to begin with.

  She reached the bottom and stepped up directly in front of Dhane. She bowed and held out her hand for him to take. He wasn’t sure he should, but if Cassandra followed the customs, he probably should as well. He took her soft, yet firm hand and she led him down the hallway after the others.

  They arrived at a large parlor room and Adam proceeded to prepare a drin
k for Cassandra. It was obvious she had made this trip a few times, as he never saw her ask for anything, or even mention what she would like.

  “Sire, my name is Amelia, but you may call me whatever you like. May I prepare a drink for you?”

  “Uh, sure. What do you have?”

  “I will make something very special for you.”

  He watched her walk over to the bar, arriving just as Adam was finishing with Cassandra’s drink. Dhane glanced to Cassandra, who was staring hard at him. She mouthed five simple words: “don’t drink or don’t touch.”

  A quizzical look came across his face, and she looked even sterner as she repeated the words. He simply nodded. He had no intention of doing anything inappropriate. The last thing he wanted to do was unleash the wrath of these beasts by putting his hands on one of their women.

  Adam presented the drink to Cassandra and she accepted and tasted it. She nodded her approval and Adam bowed, and then removed his shirt. He knelt down before her and she put her hand on his broad chest. Dhane wasn’t sure if she was touching him for pleasure, or to keep him away. Suddenly his vision was obstructed by Amelia. She knelt down on her knees as she presented him with a glass of an unknown red liquid.

  “I believe you will find this most delightful.”

  “Thank you.”

  With a nod he took the glass and tasted it immediately, just as Cassandra had done. At first he didn’t taste anything at all, and then it came to him all at once. First it was cherries and chocolate, followed by a sensation that tingled through his body. Finally he felt the gentle touch of a thousand hands over every part of him.

  He wasn’t sure what to do. He could barely hold on to the glass, and suddenly an erection filled his pants. Unsure as to why, Dhane sat the glass down quickly and tried to compose himself.

  “You do not like?”

  She looked hurt, like it was a personal insult against her. He knew he had to act quickly to quell her displeasure.