Rogue reliving without regrets
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Rogue MagusChapter 28 free porn video
I was gently woken by a smooth rocking motion. I was in a car and it was moving.
I sat up. I was in the non-existent back seat of Chloe’s Jaguar. I understood what had been done. Chloe or Ella had created the back seat in which to lay me while they drove, but what happened to force this kind of measure?
“You’re awake!” Ella said and Chloe almost hit another car as she turned to look at me.
“What happened?” Chloe asked, correcting our direction on the road to the sound of blaring horns.
“You tell me,” I said. “I just woke up in a back seat I could swear wasn’t here earlier.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m talking about why did you pass out like that?”
I glanced at Ella. She watched me like I had some sickness that could be contagious. “I’m fine, Ella,” I said, feeling disgruntled. “And I don’t know why, but every time I forge a bond I pass out like that. I tried to warn Ella.”
“You said it would be a short nap,” she said. “I did pass out for a few minutes, but after I got cleaned up, I couldn’t wake you up.”
“Wait, this happens every time?” Chloe asked. “So back at my place...?”
I nodded. “Yeah, that’s why you couldn’t wake me up this morning.”
“You should have said something,” she said. “I could have been ready for it rather than have to scramble like I did.”
I frowned. “Which begs the question: why are we all here in your car rather than back at The Dive?”
“Earl came back,” Ella said and explained that he was extremely surly. She had already gotten dressed and Earl was threatening to throw me out of his bar as I was – butt naked – if she didn’t get me dressed and out of there. Fortunately, Chloe came in to find out what was taking so long and when she saw me, she helped Ella get me dressed and out to her car.
“Thank you, both of you,” I said and then thought about Earl. I looked at Ella. “Is that man ever happy?”
She nodded and shrugged. “Once in a while.”
Chloe only glanced at me in the rear-view mirror.
I looked myself over. Either they had gotten me dressed like an oversized Ken doll or they used Magic. Considering Earl was present and unhappy, they probably used a bit of both. Worse, I could smell the reek of sex on me. “I need to clean up and change clothes,” I said, “and then I need to head over to House Cerenkov.”
Chloe frowned and Ella asked, “Why? The way Chloe talks, you don’t need anyone else to end the Lockdown.”
I nodded. “She’s most likely correct, but I want a backup contingency in place.”
“What contingency?” Chloe asked.
“I want to find someone who can track Fonti,” I said. “I need to at least talk to them.”
“You don’t need more Stirpi?” Ella asked.
“Not for that, I don’t think,” I said. “I should be able to learn the spell by gleaning their memories.”
“How is that a contingency plan?” Chloe asked.
“If we can’t end the Lockdown,” I said, “Then we’ll find Jordan and try to unplug her.”
The two of them shared a look. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like the thought they shared. “What?” I asked.
“We’ve been talking about your plan,” Ella said. “We’re pretty sure that between the three of us, with any additional necessary help from Dana and Emma, we should all be able to find a way to end the Lockdown directly.”
I nodded. “Good. Are we going to meet Dana?”
Chloe shook her head. “Not just yet. I called Dana. She’s still helping with Shondra. Apparently Shondra decided to take you up on your offer to join your House. They’re packing Shondra’s immediate needs to move into one of the apartments with yours. Dana also told me that Emma is on call at the hospital. So, for the time being, we’re going to your apartment to let you rest and recharge.”
I frowned. “I’ve had enough rest,” I said.
“I also talked to Michael,” she said, ignoring my comment and taking on a chiding tone. “I found out that the last time you went to the school, some men had not only faked a bomb threat to keep everyone from the Lockdown core, but they shot at you when you snuck in.”
“I was with Michael and Greta when that happened,” I said, trying to sound calm. “No one got hurt and I even helped Michael escape by casting a darkness spell on the men shooting at us.”
“That’s not the point,” Chloe said sharply. “Those men could still be at the school, and if we go back without a plan, we may all get shot.”
“You didn’t seem quite so afraid to confront those syndicate goons on the way to the Dive,” I said. “Why are you worried about the men at the school?”
She held up a single finger, probably to tell me to hold on a minute because we were about to enter my apartment complex. She pulled in and around. “Where’s your apartment?” she asked and I gave her directions. Once the car was parked, she killed the engine and turned in her seat to face me.
“Michael doesn’t think they were Syndicate,” she said. “He said they were Guild members.”
I frowned and nodded. “Greta told me she thought they were too. Unfortunately, regardless of who they are, I still have to get to the Lockdown core and resolve this.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Michael also told me how much you DON’T know.” She sighed again. “The Guild is a collection of Magi Houses in contention against the Council. They don’t believe there should be a single governing body ruling over all Houses, but a collection of representatives making the system more like the House of Representatives than the President of the United States.”
I shook my head. “Either way, the leadership is chosen by vote.”
She shook a hand at me. “Okay, not the President, maybe a king or monarchy. As it is, the only time one of the Council members are replaced is if one of them dies. Even then the remaining members choose the Magus to fill the gap. No one else has any say about it.”
I frowned. “What does that have to do with the Lockdown?”
“I’m getting to that,” she said. “Michael said the guys shooting at you were Guild members. He thinks Valory is also Guild.”
I shrugged. “Okay, so they don’t agree with the Council and how they handle things. I have some issues with the way some of their rules work too.”
She shook her head. “It’s bigger than that. You’ve put together the possibility that the missing women, your Fonte, Jordan, included, are linked to the Lockdown. No one’s arguing, because it makes sense. Have you figured out why Valory is collecting all that power?”
I shook my head. “No, but if we end the Lockdown, we end the theat.” I looked at each of them. “Right?”
Chloe sighed. “From what you’ve told me already, even if you were to end the Lockdown today, Valory already has tons of energy stored up. You said it yourself. Humans are the best batteries when it comes to storing magical energy. So, she will still have all that energy to tap for whatever she has planned.”
I shrugged. “If I end the Lockdown, then everyone else in the area, including those deputies, will have access to their power too. They’ll be able to stop Valory from using that energy.”
Ella finally got in a word. “Only if you can find her,” she said and glanced at Chloe. “If everyone is looking for her but no one finds her, ending the Lockdown may only speed up her end game.”
“So, when I end the Lockdown,” I said, “We need to know where Valory is so we can stop her from tapping all that stored up energy.”
Both of the women nodded. Then Ella looked at Chloe. “Can we go inside now? I’m getting cold.”
Chloe nodded and the two of them got out on their respective sides.
I scrambled out between the bucket seats and followed Ella out. It was easier than trying to squeeze past the steering wheel.
We no more than hit the sidewalk and two black SUVs came around the corner and parked on either side of Chloe’s car. Lawson climbed out of one, while Michael and Greta climbed out of the other.
No one said anything. There was a collection of shared looks that told the others what they were. I didn’t understand how they could share looks like that and seemingly know what everyone else was. The Laws of secrecy seemed to stamp out things like that. I shook my head in confusion and led the way to my front door. Once it was unlocked and opened, everyone filed in after me.
No one was there. Katrina lived with me, but she was at school. She continued working as Professor Dumont’s Teacher’s assistant. As busy as I had been since Jordan went missing, I hadn’t seen either of them. Granted, going to my classes was the last thing on my mind.
Lawson went straight for my refrigerator and opened the door. He looked inside for a moment and then looked at me. “You don’t have anything harder than these vodka malt drinks?”
I shook my head. “They’re not mine. They’re Katrina’s.”
He pulled one out. “I hope she doesn’t mind,” he said, and then he twisted off the cap and chugged half the bottle.
I shrugged. He had a bad day yesterday, losing Wilson and having to send Carlos home due to injuries. I wasn’t going to make things worse for him, if he let me.
He wiped his mouth and looked at Chloe. “Did you tell him?”
I looked from one to the other and stopped with Chloe. “You said you talked to Michael, not him.”
Lawson looked at me and grinned. “I knew you wouldn’t accept anything that I passed on, so I told her to say she talked to Michael.”
I sighed and fought not to roll my eyes. “What was she supposed to tell me, specifically?”
“That we haven’t found Valory, that ending the Lockdown may cause more problems than letting it continue would, and that you’re wasting our time by looking for anyone else to help end the Lockdown.”
I stared at him without saying or doing anything. He chugged more of the wine cooler. I waited. I could wait forever. He was the one who would rattle first.
He finished the bottle and looked at me. “What?”
“She told me the first two, but left out the last one,” I said and then looked at her. “I’m guessing because you didn’t agree?”
She nodded and we both looked at Lawson.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “We’re not any closer to catching Valory.” At least he wasn’t continuing to insist that I was behind the whole thing. Then he added, “If she even exists.”
I turned my back on him and looked at Michael and Greta. As politely as I could, I offered them something to drink. Both of them declined. “Do you two believe I’m wasting our time looking for more help to end the Lockdown?”
“Not at all,” Michael said. “You should be ready to end the Lockdown, once we know where Valory is.”
I looked at Greta. “What do you think?”
“If we haven’t found Valory by the time you’re ready to end the Lockdown, we should at least know where the missing women are,” she said. “More than likely, Valory will have to tap the power they store directly.”
I nodded. “And I have a plan for doing just that,” I said.
“Oh?” Lawson said from the kitchen. I turned just as he cracked open another bottle. “And just what makes you so sure you can find those women?”
“I’m looking for someone who knows a spell to track Fonti,” I said.
He shook his head. “Why the hell would you want to do that?”
“Because,” I said, politely, slowly, and without any emotion, “one of my Fonti is among those missing women.”
Lawson choked on his drink. “Do what? Why didn’t you tell us this before?”
“You really weren’t in a listening mood,” I said. “Besides, it’s my issue to deal with. So, we find someone who knows such a spell, I glean their memories, and then we’ll know where the missing women are.” I looked around at Greta and Michael. “I considered it a contingency plan in case I can’t end the Lockdown. I thought if nothing else, I could try to free the women, and hopefully end the Lockdown in that way.”
Chloe and Ella shared a look. There was a thought there, something they had discussed with each other but no one else.
“What?” I asked.
Chloe looked at me. “In most cases, once a syphoning spell starts, it only ends if the source of what is being syphoned is empty.”
I nodded. “But if the destination is taken away...?”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand, Seth. You can’t take away the destination. From what little you’ve told us about this, it won’t matter where the missing women are. The Lockdown will continue sending them the energy.”
“What about a shield,” I suggested, wrestling with different ideas, “or some kind of null space? Something that will sever the connection.”
“The reason so many people hate dealing with syphoning spells is because they are so difficult to alter or divert,” she said. “It’s not like you have a length of hose shoved into the gas tank of a car, get the gas flowing and then when the can you’re putting the gas in is full, you just change cans.”
“Actually, that sounds exactly like what’s happening,” I said. “A person can only hold so much energy. The missing women have been the ones going out and finding more women. In the two instances I know of, Valory was nowhere to be seen.”
Chloe shook her head. “You’re not listening, Seth.” She stepped closer to me. “It won’t matter if you take all of those women to another country. They’ll still be tethered to the spell.”
I sighed. “Fine, we can’t end the Lockdown by removing the missing women from it.” Then I glanced at Greta. “But, we’ll know where Valory will be when I end the Lockdown directly.” I looked at Michael. “Do you have a plan for what to do once Valory shows up?”
“It will depend on the structure the missing women are being kept in,” he said. “If they are all together, the number would require a large building, like a warehouse. Once the Lockdown ends, we’ll simply set a trap and then wait for Valory to step in it.”
I nodded. It sounded simple enough. Even better, once the Lockdown was terminated, all of them would have access to their power again and would be able to cast some sort of magical web to catch Valory with. I didn’t need to know that much, and I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to at this point. I was simply ready for all of this to be over with.
“In the meantime,” Michael said. “I would suggest you recharge. From what I’ve heard, you’ve been expending a lot of energy.”
I looked around at the others. I didn’t know how much any of them knew about Padrone abilities. Michael could see the bonds between a Padrone and his or her Stirpi. He probably knew more than anyone else gathered here. I looked at Michael and waved at the chair. “I want to ask you about that.”
He nodded and sat down. Greta went over to talk to Chloe and Ella. It gave us at least the illusion of privacy.
“How much do you know about Padrone abilities?” I asked him.
He nodded, probably having guessed that I wanted to ask about it. “More than most, both because of my innate ability and because Dana was once one.”
I nodded too. “Good, you don’t mind me asking, do you?”
He shook his head. “No, the more you know, the more effective you’ll be.”
“Then how does this power sharing thing work?” I asked. “Right now I don’t feel drained or the need to recharge. I don’t understand what I should feel. I’ve never used so much energy before I became a Padrone.”
“Well, for most of us, when we start getting drained we start thinking about our Fonti,” he said. “It’s a sign that we should take the time to recharge. If we hold off, we might contact one or more without thinking about it. Beyond that, we simply start looking at everyone as a potential partner for the night. If any further than that, we might act without thought. I’m sure you’ve heard what the worst case scenarios are.”
I nodded. “Blacking out and waking up amidst the remnants of an orgy.”
He nodded too. “That sums it up. For a Padrone, however, it’s harder to tell when you need to recharge, because you’ll automatically draw power from your Stirpi. You know it’s bad when you’re thinking about your own Fonti and all your Stirpi are off somewhere with their own.”
I turned and looked back at Chloe and Ella. They were talking to Greta and even shared a collective smile. I looked at Michael again. “They’re not racing off to meet anyone. Have you heard anything like that from Dana?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“So, then they’re wanting me to get into the habit,” I said. “Probably not a bad idea.”
“What was your habit before you became Padrone?” He asked.
“My Fonti are all on a rotation,” I said. “Since I tell them everything anyway, they all know about each other and help out in such accommodating ways.”
“You mentioned that before,” he said. “Don’t you think sharing so much with them is dangerous?”
“It’s pretty much too late at this point,” I said. “If I were to try to keep things from any of them now, they’d only get mad at me. Can you imagine being in trouble with every one of your Fonti?” I asked.
He thought about it and blinked. His expression took on a look of fear. And I didn’t think anything could scare him. He looked up. “That would be a very bad thing.”
Uma
- 17.11.2021
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