Chapter 8: Knowledge - 2087

-- Earth time: 2087--

The next eight years were busy for me.

I felt I had become a permanent student. For every course I could do at the University, I could do two online. I had to do catch-up courses for chemistry, maths and physics before I could enrol properly. This took up the first year. I was glad I had plenty of money and didn’t have to worry about finances.

I then started studying seriously. I was amazed by just how much I had to learn. Even with my phenomenal memory, it seemed to take longer than I thought it should for me to get the information to link together and make sense in my head.

Having a child to raise also didn’t help as Daniel still needed a lot of my time in the first four years until I could get him into school properly. I had an argument here, as they said he should wait another year, but I told them he was driving me nuts.

He could already read better than kids in the second grade could. He could write his name and several other words. He could even count to twenty and add up numbers that came to ten.

I got one of the schools that offered gifted programs to accept him. It meant I had to move, but it was easier to live closer to his school than being closer to mine. I was able to get him into an after school program, so I had time to get home to him from the University on the days I had to attend.

As for my love life, for the first four years, it was the pits. I had met Mike in my first year, but he already had a steady girlfriend. With the ratio of men to women being one to two, most blokes didn’t have a lot of trouble finding girlfriends.

I had to use a glamour and frequent the local nightclubs and pubs. I had organised a babysitter saying I had late classes and tried not to stay out late. I didn’t want to get involved with the blokes from the University.

Most of the men who were in the clubs and pubs were only after free sex, so that suited me fine, as that’s all I wanted them for too. I had been able to keep my need down to once a fortnight with wearing the armlets, but I was happier if I got a sexual fix at least once a week.

It also seemed to help me study if I got it more often. If my need got too bad, I resorted to a little compulsion to get what I wanted. It was some of the lousiest sex I’d ever had, and I knew why most of the men were not claimed.

My main problem was because of my gifts I found it hard finding blokes to actually satisfy me. I’d had several short relationships in the first four years. However, if the blokes started getting serious, I gave them the flick. I also wouldn’t tolerate them abusing Daniel. If he didn’t like them on first meeting, they didn’t get a second chance.

It wasn’t until my third year at the University that Mike became available. I heard a rumour that his fertility test had come back with a poor result and his girlfriend gave him the flick, she wanted kids the natural way.

If there was one thing that kept blokes single, it was their inability to have kids. Many still got married and did the rounds of IVF for their wives, but a lot of those kids were from donor sperm. I didn’t want any more kids. So his low count suited me just fine.

I was also sharing some advanced classes with Mike so pretty much did the same as I had done with his dad and made sure I was added to his study groups. I let the others sell him on me and didn’t say no when he asked me out.

He wasn’t quite as serious as his father had been and he was a lot fun. As I had a reputation of not dating the blokes at Uni, Mike took my interest in him seriously, and it wasn’t long before we were a couple. At least I got regular sex. I also found that he loved Daniel and Daniel loved him. After six months of dating, I let him move in.

Daniel seemed to thrive with having Mike around. Mike for his part, loved us both. He seemed intoxicated with me and was more than happy to screw me whenever I wanted him to. As it was often, he stopped worrying about his lack of fertility being an issue with us.

The fact I already had a son didn’t bother him as he found Daniel a joy to be with and easy to love. The one thing that I knew bothered him the most was my disappearances.

At least once a month I would tell him, I had to go to Melbourne to look after some business I had there. In fact, I went to the Island to see if Tristan had turned up and if the portal could be opened to Amity.

We had been together for three wonderful years when I first came into season. As soon as I realised I had, I disappeared for a week. Mike was disconcerted, to say the least. I didn’t tell him what was going on only that I needed him to look after Daniel.

I spent the week in the cave. It damn near drove me crazy but lying under the crystals helped. I also did a lot of work on the bling trying to fix it while I was there. I now understood a lot better how to fix it, but I still had trouble getting the new gems cut correctly to replace the damaged ones.

I didn’t seem to have the patience to start with, and manual skills were not my forte. Tristan had visited at least once when I had left a message in the book that I was still having problems.

He had left me some gems in the box, but I still couldn’t get them to take the spells I wanted them to. I had his list of spells that he felt should be on them, but his wizard’s box was part of a Decad and mine part of Sextet. I was beginning to think I needed some different spells from his.

I had even removed the parts of my bling and examined them to see what was different. It had felt very strange to remove any of the items, but I needed the bling fixed. I wanted to give it to Mike.

I didn’t know how he had done it, but he had wormed his way into my heart even deeper than his father had. I wanted him to stay in my life and to do that I needed the damn box to work. I wanted to take him to Amity. I had this nagging feeling that that was where my destiny lay.

When I got home, I practically raped poor Mike. My actions put his fears to rest that I was having an affair as I carted him off to bed at every opportunity for the weeks after I came home. I tried to be as loving and attentive as I could, and I knew that I wound him deeper under my spell. The gems I had been able to replace seemed to help me too.

Mike wanted me so badly that he proposed to me. When I accepted, I could see his delight. Daniel had no problems with him becoming his daddy as he already thought of him as such.

I wasn’t in any hurry to marry as I was studying new material at the Uni and I wanted to present him with his box when we married. Mike was also busy as he had left Uni, and was now employed in one of his father’s companies. He was still based in Brisbane.

We had decided to put it off for a year. I still wasn’t in any hurry to meet Mike’s people, and this was the one bone of contention, we had. I feared meeting Michael. I knew it was irrational at the time but it was how I felt, and I learned it was a true fear.

The indication than things here not going to go as planned was when Michael and Vivian turned up to meet the woman Mike had told them he was to marry. Like Mike, they couldn’t understand why after four years they had never met me.

I’d let Mike take Danial home with him several times. I used the excuse of my business and Uni commitments to not go with them. In reality, I was working on fixing his box. If Mike got too argumentative I dropped, a small spell on him so that he accepted that I couldn’t go with him. I hoped he would forgive me later when I presented him with the box.

The parents, however, turned up unannounced. Michael was shocked when he met me, and I had difficulty convincing him that I wasn’t his Crystal even if I looked like her. It may have been thirty years, but something about me pulled Michael to me.

He tried tricking me into mentioning things about our past, but I just gave him blank looks. By the fourth night of their stay, I was getting very worried by Michael. He couldn’t seem to leave me alone.

The next morning when the others had gone out, he cornered me in the bedroom to ask me the truth of who I was. Somehow, I ended up in his arms and him kissing me. As soon as his lips touched mine, he knew who I was.

He didn’t know how or why I didn’t look any older than when he had last seen me, but I still affected him just had I had done, all those years before. I was shocked by the feelings that assailed my body when he held me and kissed me.

The memories burst forth from the room I had imprisoned them in, in my mind. I found myself responding to him. It was if some part of my brain had shut down and another had taken over. I found myself kissing him back just as hungrily as he kissed me.

It wasn’t until he slid his cock into me that I knew I had fucked up. Initially, I tried to stop him, but he could no more stop pumping his cock into me than that I could help but respond to him.

I cried as he fucked me. The joy of having Michael in me was a memory I had long suppressed. He may look older, but he was still my Michael my first love. He still fucked like the Michael in my memories and I couldn’t deny him my body.

He still kissed me like my Michael. He remembered my little sensitive spots. He sucked my tits and filled me, as only Michael had been able to. He made me orgasm as only Michael had ever made me come. I screamed as I came for him.

As much as I believed that I loved Mike, he didn’t make love to me as Michael did. I came for him and enjoyed his lovemaking, but somehow it just wasn’t the same as it was with Michael.

Michael seemed to come back from some far off place to find himself still buried to the balls in me. He was shocked that he had fallen under my spell without any thought of the consequences. I knew he had been a faithful husband.

What worried him and me the most was that he didn’t regret making love to me. I couldn’t deny my love for him no matter how much I tried. He didn’t want to let me go, and part of me didn’t wish to let him go.

I knew damn well, if I asked, he’d come running. He wasn’t even sure that he could leave me now he had found me again. I’d always had that effect on him. I had fucked up his life again.

“Shit Crystal, what you have done to me? Why have taken my son, too? Do you fuck him as stupid, as you do me? What a fucking mess. Why did you come back? Why did you leave me?” he sobbed in his confusion and desire for me.

He hugged me to him tightly. “I loved you damn it. I still bloody love you and always have. I don’t bloody understand, but you are my Crystal. I just know you are.”

His confusion tore at my heart, and I didn’t want him like this. “No, no, I’m not, I’m Mikes Talia. I don’t know why I let you fuck me, but it can’t happen again. I’m going to marry Mike,” I sobbed and pushed him off me.

I ran to the bathroom and locked myself in. Then I broke into tears and racking sobs. I berated my weakness for Michael. I let out my senses to feel for him, as I just couldn’t seem to let him go now I had reconnected with him.

Michael had gotten off the bed and dressed. I felt his confused thoughts. He knew logically that I couldn’t be his Crystal. That I didn’t look the correct age, but he also knew in his heart and mind that I was the same woman. The most memorable week of his life was making love to me.

I gasped at his next line of thought. He felt that Daniel was family even if he couldn’t possibly be his, or could he? He questioned the fact of why the woman who calling herself Talia was using his sire name, and he had to know the truth.

Vivian and Mike turned up, and they knew something was wrong. Michael paced and waited until I came out of the bathroom and demanded answers from me. Answers I couldn’t give him without revealing what I was. Mike got upset at the way Michael was treating me. It was a fucking mess, and I was in turmoil.

Vivian knew something strange was going on by Michael’s behaviour. She hadn’t seen him this upset in all the years they had been together. Only the woman, who looked like me, had done that to Michael. She had good reason to worry, as I knew Michael would leave her for me in a moment. I’d stolen his heart back even though I’d not meant to.

Michael insisted that they have DNA testing done to prove who I was and that I wasn’t related if I was going to marry Mike since I had the same surname. He then shocked them, as he demanded to have Daniel done as well.

I panicked and did my block over this request. I screamed at Michael to get out and told Mike to go as well. I spelled them to force them to leave. I packed Daniel up and blinked him to the Island. I demanded that the book, send me home to Amity, now!

It tried to tell me that it couldn’t, but I was too distraught to listen. So it once again tried to send me to Haven to Tristan hoping that he could help me. Nothing happened, and I broke down in hysterical tears.

I spent two weeks in the cave, but the book couldn’t send me anywhere. The portal refused to work no matter how hard the book tried to get it to respond to my demands.

I finally calmed enough to think rationally and took Daniel home. I changed his memories to a nice holiday on the Island and removed the cavern from them. I was paranoid that Mike or Michael would question him on where we had gone.

Mike was in the flat and was beside himself with worry. I told him to get out and to keep his father away from me. Mike tried everything to convince me that he didn’t care what his father thought. He loved me and wanted me as his wife. I wouldn’t be placated.

In anger, I implanted a memory of us having a massive fight and that he had decided to leave, and that he didn’t love me because I had cheated on him. I planted the memory of me being a selfish bitch and that he didn’t need me in his life. Then I sent Mike on his way.

When Michael turned up a week later, I did the same to him. It was the hardest thing I had ever done, but I just couldn’t let him back into my life. I had promised myself not to interfere in his life, and I did that by pursuing Mike.

I stopped going to the University and moved house again. I changed Daniel’s and my names. I had little trouble manipulating the ID chips and even the records at Daniels school so the information the new school received seemed correct.

I also implanted the idea into Daniel’s head to call himself, as I had taken his grandfather’s name. I didn’t try to wipe his memories of Mike as they were too entrenched. I told him that Mike had changed his mind and left. It was why I was so sad.

I’m not sure if Daniel believed me. He moped as much I did after I had wiped Mike and his family from our lives. Daniel had loved Mike and had liked his mum and dad. I had taken them from him just as I had taken Collin and Alyn from him. I was a horrible mother.

I think I shutdown. The spirit in my bling seemed unable to help me. I was suffering the same sort of pain it had suffered. I changed and not for the better. I decided all men were bastards and had no compunction in using them as I desired. I never thought to get help mostly because I was in too much pain to listen.

I spent as much time away from home as I did in it. I would spend hours just wandering the streets, finding some random bloke and fucking him. Then I’d try to pull myself together and hit the books. I desperately tried to find a way to fix the damn box, so I could find the love of my life. I pushed Mike and Michael behind the locked door in my head.

I guess I’d flipped out to some extent. I neglected Daniel and would feel bad and try to spend time with him, but my heart just wasn’t in it. I would blink back the cave once or twice a week and try to get to book to send me somewhere.

For the next four years, it refused and then it worked for me.

-- Earth time: 2075 --

I arrived back on Amity.

But this time I didn’t have Daniel with me. I asked if I could go back to get Daniel, but Vaughn said he had lost contact with the Earth Portal. When I asked what time period I was in, he explained it had been nearly a thousand years since I was last on Amity.

I screamed. I screamed and screamed in utter frustration and desolation. I couldn’t believe that I had been fucked over again. I’d been alive for thirty-five years and had nothing to show for it, not even my son.

When I finally settled down, I had asked about the city.

I groaned. What did I expect? The bloody controller wasn’t working, and the city was without shields. The people had dispersed again as they had no protection from other clans without it.

Those that still lived here lived in the old area that had been occupied when I had come here before. I had to start all over again. I was getting very sick of restarting my life over, again and again.

When I checked, I found all of the higher level boxes were in the room. Some of the lower order ones must have been able to be passed on, and most of the diadems were gone. However, only I could give out the other boxes with three or four gems, as I had put spells on them the last time I was here.

When I checked the controller, I found that she had left spores in the skeleton. I was able to activate her. My skills had grown in the last twelve years even if I couldn’t fix the damn box. Over the next week, I was able to get the shield for the main part of city restarted as well.

They had been down for fifteen years, and upon initial inspections, I knew I had a lot of work to do to get my city cleaned up. The other shields had been down a lot longer, and many of the towers needed repairs and respelling.

By the time I had the shields covering the area I had under my control the last time I was here, I was exhausted. I slept for five hours (Amity time) straight that night. Ravenous, I hit the kitchens as I had found they were still stocked.

I was still eating when a delegation of six appeared in the café. I eyed them up and down. “So, are you here to work or to try to tell me how my city is to be run?” I asked them leaning back in my chair. I planned on staying this time and intended to be the boss this time too. I never wanted to go back Earth, ever again.

I cast my eyes over the people and stood. I walked up to one man and kissed him. “You’ll do for one of my consorts,” I told the shocked man. I walked down the line and then back to stop in front of the woman who was standing beside the first man, and I kissed her. “Well, as his partner you’ll do for number two.”

I looked over the other four again, “I want four more. Send me those who you think are the most gifted. I don’t want old farts. No one older than the pair I picked and no children. I don’t care which group or clan of people they come from, but I do like shifters.”

I waved my hand at the four to send them away and sat back down. I gestured at the other two to sit. “Tell me a story,” I asked. I picked up my fork again and watched the other four out of the corner of my eye as they whispered and then looked at the pair who had sat at my command.

The others hurried away when the man shooed at them. I knew that I had picked the current Domo and his consort. ‘They will be perfect, ‘ I thought. I knew they were both shifters and I was more than happy with them being so, as I liked shifters as lovers.

I had picked a box for both of them when I had kissed them and checked out their mental state. They were new to the job and ambitious. I had caused a stir amongst the people when I reactivated the shields and told them the wizard was back.

However, this time Domo Reed and his partner Rene decided to come see the wizard. I learnt that there were a dozen factions living under the newly shielded area and this couple wanted to rule all of them.

I had no issue with a little ambition. I, however, didn’t plan to tie myself to this City, even though it would be mine. So I need people to look after it when I was travelling. I needed to find another wizard to help me fix the bloody boxes, and I wouldn’t find him on my Island.

I knew I was a little out of control and my spirit seemed to be even more distant since my breakdown. I needed my spirit guide to help me, but he didn’t seem capable. I felt that if I didn’t get help soon, I would be unable to fulfil my destiny, even though I didn’t know what it was.

I was also very worried that I was going mad.

I was talking to the couple when a second party turned up.

I looked this delegation over as well. I got up and approached the youngest woman in the group. I kissed her. She kissed me back, and I found that I liked kissing this one. The lips changed slightly, and I opened my eyes to look at the person.

The woman had changed into her male persona. I slid my hand over the front of the pants and decided that I liked this one very much. “You’re consort, number three. What is your name?”

He answered, “Lord Kegan, at your service Lady Wizard.”

I grinned at him, “Yes, I believe you will serve well. I don’t need them. If I have anything to say I’m sure you will pass it on,” I said and resumed my seat. I was delighted to have already acquired three of my consorts.

We watched the little group, and I grinned when Kegan shrugged and walked back to me and sat with the other two. They knew whom each other was and greeted each other civilly enough.

The next two delegations arrived together only a few minutes later. I noted the reactions of my three consorts to them. It wasn’t positive. I looked over the group. “I was under the impression you bowed to a Lady Wizard?” I said to them in a deceptively mild tone.

They glared at the three people sitting beside me and bowed. The very fat man stepped forward and went to say his piece. I put up my hand in the universal stop signal. “Not interested,” I said curtly.

“When I’ve selected my council of consorts, you can tell them your problems. We will have a town meeting in a week. In the meantime, I suggest you consult Olive the controller for this City and read the Cities Charter. It will be put back in place. Do you understand?”

He went to bluster but I blew at him, and he had to step back and grab his elaborate robes to stop them from flapping furiously around him. “Go,” I said with an icy voice.

The delegation bowed hurriedly and left. Kegan chuckled and said, “You may wish to watch your back with that lot, my Lady.”

I grinned at him, “Sweetie, that’s your job.”

Kegan bowed his head in assent. He was more than happy to watch my back while his cock fucked me. If I was the same wizard from the history books, then he knew that I liked a lot of sex. He had a feeling that was why I was selecting multiple consorts.

I chuckled inwardly as I read his thoughts. He had no idea what he was in for. Kegan, planned to be my favourite even if it meant he would be bonded to me. He also hoped it meant he got a one of the four gem, mages boxes that I had planned to give to my consorts the first time I was here.

He had no problem sharing me with Rene and Reed either. He thought that they were a sexy pair, and he was happy to fuck both of them. He was interested to see who the other three would be. He turned to observe the next two delegations that entered.

I also looked them over with interest. This group seemed to be more Genteli than the other groups. I knew they seemed to think they should rule. I glanced at the other three, but they had schooled their reaction to neutral.

I assumed it was for my benefit, but I still heard their thoughts. I had gotten very good over the years at reading people’s thoughts when I wanted to.

This group was also predominantly women. I could see one that was a possibility for accepting one of the boxes I planned on finding owners for but I didn’t want women. The shifters were fine, as they liked changing to male for sex with me and if I felt like a bit of girl, they provided that too.

The one male in the group was a little younger than I was looking for but he did have some height and wasn’t that much shorter than me. He was nicely built even though I suspected he wasn’t much more than sixteen or seventeen. Something about him tickled my fancy.

I crooked my finger at him to come forward. He looked at the others and then hesitantly stepped closer. I wiggled my finger to come closer still, so he inched forward until he stopped in front of me.

“What’s your name, boy”, I asked.

“Dane”, he replied.

“Kiss me,” I said to him.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise and then he gave me a cheeky grin. He slipped his hand behind my head and gently pressed his lips to mine. He then teased my lips with his tongue and lips until I opened for him and then he kissed me hard and plundered my mouth with his. It was the best bloody kiss I’d had in years.

He released me and stepped back to gauge my reaction. I looked at his crotch and then lifted one eyebrow and said, “That had better be real, boy.”

Dane grinned, “You’re gunna have to like em big. My daddy was of the Grandteli race.”

I grinned, “So what do you look like in your female form?” I asked.

I heard a gasp from the group. Dane frowned, “I’m not a shifter.”

“If you’re not a shifter then I’m not a bloody wizard,” I said, and I turned on my bling so they could all see it. Dane stepped back and looked at one of the women. “Mother?” he enquired.

One of the elaborately dressed women paled. “We adopted him from a shifter who abandoned him because he was born male.”

I nodded, “My son is the same. Except he had horns when he was born. I’ve never seen him shift since that first time, but I believe he has the ability.”

I wondered if my reaction to the horns at his birth had stopped him from ever doing it again. Plus people on earth don’t shape change, and I never encouraged him to do it even in private.

Kegan stood and went over to Dane, and he kissed him. He linked with him mentally when he did, and Dane changed. Dane looked at Kegan amazed when he released him. Dane looked down at his body. “Damn, I’m a hot babe,” he said.

Kegan and I chuckled. Kegan looked at me and smiled. I nodded in assent. Dane was our boy. Kegan took Dane’s hand and had him sit with the other couple.

“Well, that’s four, I just need two more. Please go home. Olive, the cities new Controller, is working and you can access her information portals. I suggest you all read the City’s Charter. We will have a meeting in a week. You are dismissed.”

The two delegations left. No more turned up in the next hour as it was getting late. I had my consorts get some food, and I discussed some rules with them as they ate.

I explained that I planned to find the owners to the six, four gem mage’s boxes. They would all be bonded to each other and me. They couldn’t screw around outside the group. If anyone displeased me to the point that I banished them then I would exchange their mage’s box with a medallion.

It had learned enough to make medallions and rings but that was as far as I had gotten with my magic bling making but I didn’t give them this information.

I explained that the medallion would stop them from going mad and it would limit their magical abilities. They would also have to leave the city. I would also prefer that no more than one consort was pregnant at a time.

Two consorts would attend my bed each night unless I wished otherwise. They could take it in turns or work out a roster I didn’t care how they chose to do it, just that they made damn sure I had at least two of them. I also didn’t care which other consort they slept with the rest of the time.

“That’s a bit cold,” Rene commented.

“Yes, it probably is. Once you have your boxes, however, you will understand to a degree. My partner’s box is broken. While I may become very fond of you all, I can’t love you. However, I still need to be loved and made love to. Once we have things sorted out here, I plan to go find someone to help me fix that box,” I told them.

I didn’t mention that my own box wasn’t healthy. I was hoping that with them around me, it would help keep me stable and sane. I told Dane and Kegan that they would spend the first night with me and I didn’t get any objections.

I gave the boys a workout, and I knew they would be even better once I have given them their boxes. Dane recovered the quickest, and he seemed to enjoy fucking me. Mind you, Kegan wasn’t a slouch either. Dane liked hard and fast but Kegan liked to make my body sing, and he took his time.

By the third round, Dane started following Kegan’s lead, and they worked me over pretty good that time. Having two blokes licking and sucking and kissing every inch of my body like I was their favourite lolly was delightful. Then they fucked me together, and I was finally sated when they both came in me. I felt better when I was magically charged and was happy to let them try to please me.

I had spent so much of the last four years feeling starved of magic that I planned to make a complete glutton of myself, while I could. I also hoped it would help to fix my bling to some extent, as Tristan had said it should heal itself if it had been damaged and had access to magical energy.