Into the Darkness Read online

  She broke off the kiss, breathing hard.

  I wanted her so bad.

  But, her daughter’s dirty diaper was fouling the air.

  “You’re beautiful,” I told her.

  “I have the eyes of a snake,” she hissed seething with annoyance. The sound slithered through the air, as the irritated woman crossed her arms and fumed.

  “Brynn,” I said again. “I think you’re beautiful.”

  Finally, my wife smiled, just a little. Then, she climbed out of the bunk and went to retrieve her hungry daughter. This time, she didn’t ask me to change the diaper.

  I grabbed my grimoire and slipped out the front of the wagon. Gavin looked tired but calm. We were deep inside the Darkness. The skeleton of the ruined world of the ancients surrounded us. Rusted and collapsing frames of old homes and automobiles littered the half-drowned road.

  To my right, the Tissay Bog pressed against the highway. Farther out, I caught glimpses of the ocean. After the Darkness had fallen on the world, the ocean had lashed out, swallowing miles of coastline, turning it into swamps, or erasing it entirely.

  Gavin had goggles on his eyes to allow him to see in the darkness. They gave off a tiny, green glow.

  Leaning over, he took in a deep breath, then he scowled. “You slept with Brynn, but you didn’t fuck her. That is a problem, Bazal.”

  “It’s not a problem today, Gavin,” I grumbled.

  Yes, I wanted to have sex with my new wife, but I didn’t want to force her.

  Well, I did.

  The Goblin portion of me wanted to rip off her clothing, tie her up, and then make her cum at least a dozen times while she screamed in painful pleasure.

  I was trying to remain in control.

  But it was so hard.

  “I’ll drive for another hour,” Gavin said. “Then, I want you to take over. I want to reach Coosawhatchie today.”

  “Why are we going there?” I asked as he maneuvered the wagon around a huge rusting piece of metal the size of a house.

  “It is a smuggler’s community,” he replied. “I have a residence there.”

  I opened my mouth to argue on general principles, but then he added. “We can shower at my house, and I have real food in storage.”

  That changed my mind. Showering with Brynn was something to look forward to.

  Deciding to ignore Gavin for a bit, I opened the grimoire.

  My hands shook as I read the first spell.

  Humans called the spell Tame Familiar. Goblins were more honest. They called the curse, Mind Rape.

  In my opinion, the Goblin’s description was more accurate. The spell would work on any creature, sentient, or animal. It made the spell’s victims serve you, plain and simple. What you wanted, suddenly, they wanted. If they were hungry, their master could remind them that they just ate, and just like that, no more hungry.

  I would be able to mystically see through their eyes and feel their thoughts and emotions. I’d be able to cast spells through them, even if they were far away from me.

  And, if they had a mana vault, I would be able to link it to mine. Their power, every day, suddenly became my power.

  I sighed.

  Mages routinely “tamed” their wives and servants so that their mana pools would grow. The more mana that they had access to, the more spells they could cast. And, they could cast larger, more powerful spells as well.

  I hated the idea.

  I didn’t want to “tame” my wife. But, for some reason, she was insistent that I needed too. Brynn wanted power and wealth at any cost, so that she and her daughter would be safe and well taken care of. And, for some reason, she had chosen me to “tame” her.

  Then, I remembered her words. “If you don’t claim me, another mage will.”

  I hated that idea even more.

  The thought of someone else ‘owning’ Brynn made my hands shake with anger, and… fear.

  - 13 -

  So, I studied the spell. I could argue with Brynn all I wanted about it later. No one said that I had to tame her immediately.

  Goblin magic and human magic were usually too different things, and for a good reason. The way a human brain worked was different from mine. I had watched Blister’s mind, as he tried to teach me how to learn a spell.

  Bubbles of magic drifted up from his mana vault every day. Blister would take a spell that was written down in his grimoire and engrave it on the arcane bubble that floated in his mind.

  Once engraved, he could trigger the complicated spell with a series of words and incantations. It was a cumbersome process fraught with issues. If he engraved a fire spell, and he needed to do something else, like unlock a chest, he would have to wipe the spell off of the arcane bubble’s surface and then re-engrave it, which took a lot of time.

  The bubbles would begin to decay after a day or two, popping and dissolving so that he would have to repeat the process every morning to reaffirm the integrity of the spell.

  A Goblin’s brain didn’t work that way. Their bubbles of magic didn’t decay or dissolve. But, they also weren’t as numerous or as significant.

  Mine was a mixture of both worlds because I was a half-blood. My bubbles didn’t decay, and they weren’t as numerous as a human’s. But, they were more substantial than a Goblin’s bubbles.

  Right now, I had four bubbles on any given day. And, once I engraved them, they stayed put until I wiped them. When Blister used one of his engraved spells, it popped when he cast it.

  Mine didn’t, it just became dull. In a few hours, more mana would leak out of my vault and reenergize it. I could also use this mana to cast little spells that were really just tricks, like lighting a candle or making a farting noise that actually stank.

  Most Goblin shaman’s tended to cast only a few spells. They were more like a sorceror or a warlock, using magic like it was a muscle, instead of a memorization exercise like a wizard.

  Two of my bubbles were currently engraved.

  Blister had loved two things, drinking and fire. Well, really three. He also loved women. Women of all shapes, sizes, and kinds.

  So, the first hex that he had taught me was a charm spell. When it was cast, the subject, if they were weak-minded, or weaker than me, would suddenly become my friend. They would listen to my words and value my advice.

  Blister loved to use the spell on barmaids so that they would fuck him.

  It was a spell that I really disliked, almost as much as the “taming” spell. Fucking with people’s minds and emotions was wrong. My charm spell was the basis of the “taming” spell.

  An apprentice couldn’t argue with his master. So, when Blister said, learn it, I learned it.

  The other spell was just as irritating. It allowed me to change how I, and my clothing, looked. I could become thin, fat, old, or female with ease. But, if someone touched thin-me, they would feel my muscle instead of the projected twig arms. It wasn’t a glamor that would actually change me. Instead, it was more of an illusion.

  Blister said that it was essential to look the part if you were going to charm a beautiful woman because without you couldn’t get close enough to charm them.

  The spell had helped me convince dozens of girls to sleep with him.

  It was days like today that I was glad that he was dead and gone. I had always thought that someday, he might charm me, twisting my features into a woman.

  And then… well, I think you can guess what would have happened next.

  Taking a deep breath, I began inscribing the “taming” spell onto a bubble. It was more potent than either of my other spells. Instead of stopping on the first bubble, I had to link two arcane bubbles together and finish on the second.

  When I was finished, I was dripping sweat. Inscribing was laborious and time-consuming. My head was pounding, and I could feel tremors in my hands.

  But I had done it.

  Dammit.

  If I had failed, maybe Brynn would have been forced to forget all this nonsense about dozens of tamed-
wives.

  I shut the book and leaned back.

  “You succeeded?” Gavin said.

  “Yes,” I replied, not really happy about it.

  “Good,” he said. “Tonight, you can tame your wife.”

  “Why do you care?” I snapped back at him, irritated with the older man.

  “Because if you don’t, then I will,” he declared. “I won’t have her mind raped by some flunky of her father.”

  We road in silence for several miles. I didn’t have any idea how to deal with what he had just told me.

  “Look, Bazal,” he said, wiping his brow. “I would rather it be you than me. You seem like a good man. But, the men in the court of her father are not good men. They will use and abuse her.”

  “I just wish there was some way to get what she wanted, without taking her free will away,” I replied.

  “Don’t you want a woman who will do anything that you desire?” he asked.

  That was a good question.

  Most men would say yes.

  But, what I really wanted was a woman who wanted me, not because I made her want me, but because she really did.

  “No,” I finally answered.

  Gavin pushed harder. “But, what if she doesn’t like blow jobs, or anal? Don’t you want to fuck that tight little ass of hers?”

  Growling, I almost pushed him off of the wagon. “I don’t want to force her to do anything that she doesn’t want to do.”

  Gavin grinned. “That’s why you are the right man for her.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I looked away.

  “The court members will not stop until one of them tames her. That’s why she left in the first place.”

  “Won’t her father protect her?” I asked.

  Gavin shook his head.

  “He wants whoever is strongest, not best, for her,” the older man insisted. “That way, his grandchildren will be strong as well.”

  I leaned back against the wagon, not happy with any of my choices.

  “If you want, I can teach you how to change the spell, so that she doesn’t lose her free will.”

  That news shocked me.

  I looked at him closer, trying to decide if he was lying to me.

  Gavin looked like he was telling the truth, but appearances can be deceiving.

  “Let me see your grimoire,” he said, handing me the reins.

  We rode for another mile. Then, Gavin said. “Here, invert this symbol. It will allow your ‘tamed’ women free will if you desire.”

  “But,” he added. “It’s easier when they just do what you say... without arguing, especially in bed.”

  “Thank you,” I said, handing him back the reins.

  I studied the symbol, reminding myself of how the entire spell went.

  He was right. If I inverted one symbol, it would change the spell’s intent, so that Brynn would still have free will. She would be bonded to me, but my wife would still be able to make her own choices.

  I closed my eyes to change the spell, but my head was pounding even worse, and now my stomach hurt as well. If I tried to modify it now, I’d puke and shit all over Gavin and myself.

  So, I stopped. I’d have to change the spell later after I rested.

  Opening my eyes, I saw a witch floating in the air.

  - 14 -

  “Oh, Shit,” I cursed.

  The Cailleach was only a few feet away. Her skin was a bleached, corpse white, from her head to her naked toes. Even her hair was the color of spilled milk, instead of gray. It was so long that the thick mane fell down her back like a shawl, barely covering her naked ass. The witch was floating in the air, on a long broken branch. Stag antlers crowned her head. I couldn’t tell if they were some sort of hat, or if they were permanently attached.

  Gavin looked at where I was pointing.

  Then, he shrugged. “What’s the problem?” he asked.

  “Cailleach,” I croaked.

  He leaned over and peered harder, as she floated down to our level and slipped through the air towards us. Her white breasts almost glowed in the darkness, along with her naked pussy.

  The witch smiled at me as she floated closer.

  “Hello, little Goblin,” she murmured. “You can see me, can’t you?”

  I nodded.

  “Oh, good,” the witch purred. “I have been waiting for someone just like you.”

  Swooping in, the Pale Lady grabbed my throat with fingers that ended in talons. Then, she roared up into the air, dragging me behind her. Cackling, she corkscrewed upwards in a tight knot, making my stomach twist and nearly rebel, as I screamed in terror.

  The ever-present storm clouds above us parted, as the witch shot through them. I grabbed onto her hand with both of mine, willing her not to let go of me. If I fell now, I would die a grisly death.

  The moon lit up above us, as she went high enough that the eternal darkness lapped at our feet. The sickle shape behind her accented her thin waist and violently sharp features.

  She lifted me up so that I was eye level with her. I was so afraid that I couldn’t speak, and even if I wanted to, her hand around my throat was cutting off most of my air.

  Smiling, the witch pulled me against her… and kissed me.

  Her lips were cold, like eating snow. Her free hand snaked around the back of my head and held me in place, as her…

  Oh, fuck.

  Her forked tongue slid into my mouth, spreading out and rasping against every surface. It wrapped around my tongue and grasped it tight.

  Then, I felt her breathe in.

  A cold wind suddenly tore at my mind, as she began to drain my life. No matter how much I punched or pushed at her, it didn’t make a difference. Her hold was as cold and firm as marble.

  Without being able to speak, I couldn’t activate my stone skin or hellfire. Both needed a human’s verbal command to enable them.

  That left only my three spells.

  Disguising myself at this point would be… well, pointless.

  Charming her wouldn’t help. She was too hungry.

  That left only… mind rape.

  I began to grow cold as she pulled the heat from my skin. Shivering just seemed to excite the creature. I could feel her pulling me closer, increasing the embrace.

  She was killing me, and I could smell her enjoying it. The bitch was growing wet… as she ate me.

  Goblin’s don’t need words to cast a spell, only a mental command is required. So, I launched my attack at her mind. My curse pierced her mental shields easily, like a barbed hook entering a fish’s mouth.

  Except, instead of her mouth, my spell pierced her mind... and soul.

  And, the barbed component wouldn’t let her spit it out.

  Our minds battled back and forth, as her flight sputtered and became sporadic. Up we fluttered, then we plunged downward, as I forced her mind to submit to mine.

  The spell wasn’t a sure thing. I had to dominate her soul.

  Blister had made me practice charming dozens of barmaids. It made me feel evil and slimy, preying on the women.

  I didn’t sleep with the girls. He only made me... make friends with them.

  Friends that he slept with.

  It was wrong and horrible. But, I needed a teacher, and he was the only one who would teach a half-blood.

  So, I knew how to fight for dominance. Not all of the barmaids had been drunk enough to charm easily.

  The air swirled around us, as I held onto her and she tried to stop me from keeping the hook set. I could feel her try to dislodge it, but the barb held her tight, as long as I kept tension on the line.

  “Submit,” I hissed at her mind, squeezing it like a vise.

  “No!” she wailed as the ground rushed toward us.

  We only had seconds, so I put everything that I had into dominating her. It was a fight for survival, I needed to win. Brynn and Abigail weren’t safe yet, and they needed me.

  “Surrender!” I screamed into her mind like a thunderstorm.r />
  And, then suddenly, her will crumpled.

  Pain roared through my brain, as her flight twisted and turned maddeningly. My charm evaporated, as the sphere was commandeered by the taming spell. A snapping crackle rattled through my head, as a connection sprang to life between us.