Chapter 5

With a few blocks more between us and the bar I stopped the girls and said to them, "My deal with Mr. Hatoia was for three days. As I mentioned before I am soft as a marshmallow. If you wish to go home to friends or family you may. You are also invited to spend the next few days with us if that is your wish."

It was Ann that moved closer and put her hands around my arm. She said nothing verbally but I knew she wanted to stay. They all wanted to stay and would only like to make telephone calls to stay in touch with family.

Two cabs waiting for a fare came to our rescue and brought us back to the hotel. The girls entered the building in a tight group as if frightened. I was too and I kept my senses out as much as I could. My link to Sonya provided the additional power I needed.

Something didn't seem right. I needed more power and reached over and took Ann's small hand in mine. I was at my limit now and found a magic aura in one corner but I saw no person in that location.

"Girls, don't move for a moment. We are being watched. There's an invisible person at the far wall just behind me. I want to meet this person if I can."

It made me feel good that the girls did as I said and didn't look. "I am going to get him to run. That way if there is a scuffle then it will be out of sight or at least away from the hotel."

I ordered the girls to form a line with me closest to the door. When the girls did as I asked and started to walk directly to the person. I could detect some movement. Soon the glass door opened seemingly by itself then the next door. I was right behind before any of them closed.

We were not far apart and I could detect the magic with my own power. I actually held back to allow the person to run past three buildings so he or she could enter a service road. I rounded the corner from the far side so I was not surprised. The Plugga had not done too much of this because they like the straight up approach. The person I was chasing was not a Plugga or at least I hoped it wasn't.

A dumpster was only metres away and a natural place to hide. I could hear no running steps so I approached slowly. I prepared myself for a magical attack and put up a shield for that and powered it with my ring.

I had circled the dumpster and now saw the magic aura crouched down hiding. I effectively blocked escape.

"Drop the invisibility. We either talk here or I get angry with you and we do this the crude way." This was mostly bluster because I had not physically hurt anyone except the Plugga and they hurt me much worse.

After a pause with no response I added, "You have little choice. Talk to me or get hurt." With still no response I walked forward with my hands pointed down and to my sides to catch the individual when he fled.

I felt a sharp pain to my abdomen and I knew that I had made a serious mistake. I moved as quick as possible and grabbed the wrist holding the knife and pulled it back as my knee came up to strike the person. It struck nothing and my foot flicked out and now I knew that somebody was there.

I twisted the knife-bearing arm and heard a scream and a snapping noise. With the concentration lost the person became visible. This one was a he and also big and ugly. I only happened to be bigger.

I held the arm for insurance and worked on calling up a spell to repair the damage done to me. I had to do this three times. It was just that I had not been sliced in this area before and it took more work because of all the different portions damaged.

Running steps were heard and I kicked myself again for not considering more enemies. It happened to be the girls but Sonya was far ahead of the group by a wide margin. She ran up to me but kept a watch out for other adversaries.

"Are you all right?"

"I got stupid. I put up a shield against magic and I got stabbed with a knife instead."

Sonya looked at the big guy with me to see if he was going to be an immediate threat. He was dressed like a businessman and if he lost the beard I think I would have noticed his face from the pictures Erasmus gave me.

She asked, "Are you going to be ok?"

The bleeding had stopped and I had some control over the pain. "I guess so but I used up a lot of energy in the ring. We are going to have to fill it up again and we have some questions to ask this gentleman."

Sonya startled me by saying, "He had a backup and we dissuade him from following but he may have taken another way to get here."

I saw the remainder of the girls now and Sonya mentally guided them to us. I didn't like the fact that there was another around and the girls unprotected.

I saw the girls run to us and stop in a circle around the guy on the ground. Ann saw the blood on my clothing and started to come to me to see what she could do. It was Sonya that kept her away in case the guy had some surprises. In any event there was nothing she could do.

Sonya went through the guy's pockets and took everything he had. The knife and jewellery of every kind was taken because of the possibility of it having magical properties. The usual car keys, cell phone and possible house keys came next. I continued to hold the broken arm. It was doubtful if the man would start throwing spells if he had a great deal of pain to suppress too.

Sonya called Ann and took her hand and then she took mine. Soon we were scanning for magic and saw that the man's coat buttons and something in each shoe gave off a faint radiation. Sonya took these articles too after releasing our hands. The latter required her to twist the heals off the shoes. They came easily or I should say easily for her.

The questioning now had to begin but this was not the place. We had no secure area and I could only think of our suite. I concentrate on the spells I knew and selected one that would keep him unconscious. This would last a minimum of eighteen hours.

Sonya picked up the man and threw him into the hopper and closed the lid with care so we would not alert anybody. We walked back to the hotel with Sonya in front of me to hide the blood. In our room I noticed right away that something was wrong and again I held the two women by their hands. There was a type of magical residue and I looked for traps. I was not equipped to deal with this. I was basically just a strong guy now with a specialty of fighting. Apprentice mages were more cerebral and they could beat me with spells but I could beat them physically.

I searched the centre of the disturbance and found that the jar of pills was now missing. I was worried and looked further in case there was a subtler trap or device. When none was found Sonya ordered the girls to take my clothing off and they did with the care of concerned nurses.

Sonya put her hands over my abdomen and chanted her own remedies to heal me.

I said, "Form a circle. We need to summon that guy."

Sonya said, "Your tired Adam. Rest a while and we can do it later."

"We need to do it now before the guy is found."

Sonya helped me up then took some simple chalk and inscribed a circle on the carpet. She placed the girls around it and she took one of the positions. My ring was empty and I was sure Ann was drained so I took the former and placed it in the centre of the circle.

Getting behind Sonya I said to all of the girls, "We are going to make love and all of us will take part. The energy we produce will go into charging the ring and into putting some energy back into Ann. All you will see is a glowing ring that will slowly fade."

It hurt to squat behind Sonya but not as painful as it had been when I had been stabbed by the Plugga or when they broke both my arms one time.

I began slow and I found I had to get Sonya in the mood. She was still worried about me. I caressed her gently and it took a longer time to get her ready. I linked Ann to her first and began to slowly stroke into her. Sonya usually let me lead but this time she savoured the sensations going through her and began to link to the others. We had very little practice in doing this but it seemed to work.

When Sonya had her first orgasm, Ann was charged once more. Though it hurt to stand I went to Connie and chanted to open her up and soon I was stroking into her as well. She came very quickly. I should have controlled her better to make her turn last at least five minutes.

Each of the others was treated similarly and the energy we produced was fed into the ring.

When I stopped, I picked up the ring and put it on my finger. Beginning once again I entered Sonya. She was only a bit glassy eyed and responded immediately. I pictured the man in the garbage hopper and gave the image to the girls. When it looked like Sonya was ready I began to chant the summoning spell. A mist seemed to appear in the circle but remained stationary though the particles seemed to be boiling. I timed it so the last word came with our orgasm and this would include that of the linked girls.

Sonya groaned as she felt me spurt into her and I said the last word hoping that I got the correct inflection on it.

Mr. Hassan solidified out of the mist just above the carpet and fell a centimetre in front of us. The girls moved in fright but not nearly as much as they would have done if not told of what was going to happen.

I got the girls back at their stations and began again on Connie. She responded after a while and I began to chant a healing spell on the man. When this was done his arm was once again straight.

I was tired but elated that this had worked. I had never moved so great a mass though it was only for a short distance. Getting up I said, "Please stay where you are. I just want to get our guest out of the way." I dragged him to a clear area and left him there. I examined what was taken from the man and found some small crystals that were all but depleted. Three were for invisibility and two were just general purpose. I noticed that the buttons would be used to kill an opponent and they too had been depleted. I had to assume that the shield I made had served some purpose after all.

All of these articles went into the centre of the circle. "Ladies, we have to charge these up and this time I will do a bit more myself to assist."

Ann had the largest smile. I began again with the Lena and filled her with my seed as all of the girls in sympathy tried to fill the various articles. I was actually back at Ann when the last of the articles as well as her own body were now fully charged.

The ladies got up with me and I kissed each of them giving my thanks for what they had done for us and I guess for Erasmus too. I had gone around the circle two times so each woman had received fourteen orgasms and they were very tired.

Sonya was tired from her work but when I said, "Slave, take my other slaves and clean them up. You are in charge."

I was given a smile and she said, "Yes Master. I will treat your sluts like little babies and pamper them." I knew she would now.

I scooped up my ring and put the other articles in the drawer and out of sight. His compatriots also knew Hassan as Baal the god of thunder in Egyptian mythology. He looked to be about fifty but I knew that he could be just about any age. His driver's licence gave an address that I had not seen on my list. Being on paper didn't make something true as my own papers attested to.

There were some business cards and some credit cards along with a goodly amount of cash. There were no secret compartments in his wallet so I began to remove his clothing. The girls all fit in the small washroom and none had come out yet so I had to do this on my own.

This guy had been in fair shape but was now turning to fat. This made him heavy and a bit awkward to work with in my present condition.

It was only after the guy was naked did June stagger out. She looked well pleased with herself and headed for the bed to have some rest. She got most of the way when she spotted the other man and she came over to look. I beckoned her closer and held her to me as we looked at the man.

"I bet you didn't think you could move a large man like this?"

"Ah no Master. I wasn't even too sure about magic until this happened. What do you want him for?"

"His master and many of his friends tried to kill a friend of mine. His master died and so did the best of the master's pupils. I have to find the remaining identities and then guess we just ship these guys out after some questioning. Someone broke into our room when we were out and used two kinds of magic to steal the jar of pills I brought. It was good that each of you got one first."

"Ah, if you are going to question him I guess you will wake him up. Will he start to do something magical against you?"

"He would but I'll put a confusion spell on him. It is like having a lot of drugs or alcohol in him. His spells will not work but I hope my spells for truth will do just that."

With the Mr. Hassan at a disadvantage and with no protection I recalled the first spell and thought of all the details about where it should be used and under what conditions it would not work. I was fairly sure of the outcome and ran over the proper intonation that helped the mind somehow reference that fourth dimension of reality.

The words came out in early Latin and rolled off my lips easily. I had to feed it power and this time it came from my ring. It was important to concentrate effectively or this would not work. When the last tone left I felt that enough power had been used to complete the spell.

I relaxed now and looked at the man. He was no different and it would be hard to find if the spell worked without referencing the man's mind.

June had been snuggling to me a moment ago was now further away. The feelings from her told me that she was frightened of magic more than when she had helped us bring this man's body from the dumpster down the block.

I reached out my hand and June accepted it after a few seconds. I pulled her to me and wrapped my arm around her. "Casting a spell is not just the words. It is like your ability to speak more than one language. When I cast a spell I have to think and act the right way and in step. We have more than three dimensions around us and I have to reach into the next one to grasp power and to manipulate reality the way you do when you prepare a meal or walk down the street. The results are in all the dimensions but presently we are just interested in what it will do in the three we are familiar with."

June looked at me and I continued, "At one time you must have been very cautious of driving a car. This is more dangerous and more complicated but like the driving it can be mastered."

"What if something goes wrong?"

"I am not pushing much into the unknown here but using information that I think I know well enough. This man probably knows much more of magic than I do."

"How did you... beat him?"

"I am just very strong and very quick in my movements. It kind of shocked him that I didn't want to fight him the way he expected. What I am doing has been done for a great many centuries. It was not understood but it did work after a lot of trial and error. I just use a small number of tricks, that I know how to do very well, to make this work."

I could feel June relax and I said, "I'm going to chant a spell that makes him tell the truth. You can listen and remember it but it's no good unless you can both provide power to it and change things in the nearest dimension."

I chanted the spell after going over it in my mind. It drained more power from the crystal but seemed to work otherwise.

Looking around I found two more naked and gratified women. I signalled them to come close and I started to tell them what I had told the first girl. I stopped and called over another girl that just stumbled from the washroom. I began once again. I think being in a group like this with sisters for protection they accepted what I said easier. I tried to coach my words in a scientific matter so they would not think of satanic rites or sacrifices. The latter actually did work. The tortured or dying victim gave up a considerable amount of power when under extreme pain and even more when they expired.

I kissed and fondled the girls and got them to sit on the bed behind me so they could see but not be in the way.

The chant to make the man sleep was removed and when the power dissipated the man began to slowly awake. I gave him a minute to recover and said, "Mr. Hassan you have disappointed me. What was your mission?"

"Master! I am sorry. I was told to do this."

This was a stroke of luck. My thoughts were male in flavour and I started the questioning from a superior position. The befuddled man thought I was his master. It then occurred to me that the master might regularly question his slaves this way to get the truth. I paused to think if Erasmus did this to me or if I had seen him do this to others.

He had apprentices that I had only seen from a distance. I had never been introduced and I didn't know what they did for him. They must be strong though or they would be doing this job instead of me.

"You have all been too lazy to do the work right." I thought of Erasmus now and tried to just paraphrase what he would say in this situation. "First, who gave you this poorly thought out mission?"

"Your apprentice Francis Mordock, master."

"What were his orders and you better be accurate here. He will be punished or you will for being inaccurate."

"I will be Master. He said to just monitor this new guy at the Sheraton Centre. He had some magic about him and had what looked like a slave. I was told he was not powerful. I was to report to Mr. Mordock when the man came back to the hotel and I just did when he came after me. He... he."

"Stop your snivelling, worm. You had a fight and you stunned him then escaped."

"Yes... Master." I could feel him accept this reasoning and this led me to believe that this spell also had some hypnotic effect on the subject. This had to be investigated further. When he relaxed more I began to think more of what I was doing and what I would have to do.

I had not thought too far into this mission. I assumed the various followers of the dead mage would just be questioned, examined and either accepted into Erasmus ranks or altered to forget magic. It did occur to me now that they may be just questioned and killed. It was the safest way and the one that used the least effort.

Killing was not something I could except though I had been trained to do this too. The man with the gun outside the bar still made me feel very upset and disturbed that it was probably a good thing.

"Tell me about your home. You people have been getting away with too much. I have to make some changes around here."

The description started and continued for close to twenty minutes with all the small points clarified. The home was protected by magic and the spells were listed along with all the traps. What equipment and resources were listed and I could see that this man had learned a great deal in the last few years. This brought out more questions and I asked about how he started into magic but did so by telling him to remember the first time. This was a sordid tale if there ever was one.

Maximus happened to like boys almost as much as girls. The man before us happened to be homosexual. Maximus and he enjoyed each other and soon the young man began to learn his new duties when he assisted Maximus. This also explained about the way the slave was treated at the house. The slave was female but used only for power and rituals and there was no love at all. The woman had been blasted with a spell that changed her attitude towards serving this man.