Chapter 35

Twilight was upon them as they all walked out of the house and into the forest that lay in their backyard. The forest was quiet as they moved from the grounds of the house, and along the path that lay towards the grove. The lot of them took in a deep breath, enjoying the night air and, for some of them, such a thing was welcome indeed.

“They’ve surely finished up their magical ritual by now?” Karla guessed.

“Well, they did say to show up by twilight. Here’s hoping that they finished whatever needed to be done to complete the ritual,” Luke replied.

“They’re probably finished by now, anyway. Besides, I think they just wanted to give themselves some extra time,” Emalia giggled.

“Extra time? For what?” Luke questioned, looking confused.

“Luke, honey. They’re Nymphs,” Karla told her boyfriend.

Luke scrunched his face, puzzled for the moment, until he realized what she was referring to. The moment realization hit him, Luke facepalmed himself, annoyed that he was so dense.

“You’re cute when do that,” Emalia snickered, staying close to Luke and Karla as they walked. Dominique was watching the trio, more than a little envious of what they had, but her focus was soon drawn to other things. The forest itself seemed to call to her, wanting the woman to walk its depths and discover its secrets.

“This is ... odd ... but nice all the same,” Valerie stated.

“Odd? Odd how?” Phalmina queried as she walked with Jason and Sheena.

“I’ve been to places around the world. Places where no man or woman has been in centuries. Of all the places I have been, I have never felt such a pure aura of ... welcome like this. Certainly not from a forest,” Valerie commented.

“I was feeling the same thing! It’s almost like it’s ... inviting me in, wanting me to walk the unknown paths of this place,” Dominique agreed.

“Much has changed in the weeks since our battle with the Darkness that resided here. I think the forest is just glad to be back to itself after centuries of being a place of danger, decay and death,” Xaera told the pair of them.

“The forest was a place of Darkness? How was this so?” Darnell asked, curious about what had transpired there.

Aaliyah and Hayley wanted to know this too, curious about what this place was like before. The Gaians humored them all and told the tale of what the forest was like when they first arrived. They spoke of how it had started, of Felicitae being corrupted by the Dark Heart, the children who were lost here, everything. The tale took a while to tell, finishing up as they were nearing the grove.

The newcomers gasped in surprise, fear, and delight before the story was over. A sense of wonder overcame them, as they knew the tale told was true, every word of it. They stared at the Gaians, wondering how it was that they were alive after such an intense battle.

“Well, in that regard, it was because of Amy and what she had inadvertently taken from Felicitae when she first fought her,” Jason told them.

“What did she take from her?” Hayley queried.

“The remnants of her soul that weren’t corrupted and her heart,” Sheena replied.

“Wouldn’t her heart have been corrupted? I mean, living under Darkness for so long, there was no way she should have survived!” Aaliyah argued.

“Apparently, Dionysus had created the Nymphs to not only be naturally resistant to Darkness, but to also seal off their hearts should any form of corruption find them,” Phalmina told them.

“Wait, wait, wait! Are you telling me that the Greek god of wine and ecstasy was responsible for their creation?? And that he put safeguards so they wouldn’t be corrupted?!?” Darnell asked, his voice almost cracking at this.

“That’s right. If you want more details about such things, then you’re going to have to wait until we get to the grove. I know the basics of the creation of Nymphs, but if you want the full story with all the details, then you’ll have to talk to Felicitae,” Phalmina told them.

“Why her? What’s so special about her?” Hayley asked.

“She was one of the first he created. She was there, watching everything he did, everything and everyone created.”

The witches and the warrior’s mouth fell open at this revelation. Hearing about the history of the world that had been shrouded in mystery was something new to them! Not only was new knowledge being told to them, it was being done so casually, like it was an everyday thing! Such a thing was unheard of and they resolved to find out about everything that they could!

“What about the Dark Heart? I assume it was destroyed?” Darnell questioned, hoping that they had managed to destroy such an evil thing.

“Sadly, we do not possess the necessary power levels to even scratch the heart, much less destroy it! At least we were able to contain the damned thing,” Jason growled.

“Contain it?? How were you able to contain it?” Valerie questioned, curious about how they did it.

“Using what magic and containment spells we knew and placed in a magically enchanted vessel, then blanketed by Gaian, Fairy, Nymph and Troll magic, so it cannot influence anyone or anything again,” Jason told them.

“Might we know where you are keeping this thing? So we know it won’t be getting out and influencing the world?” Valerie wondered, curious about how well guarded the Dark Heart was.

“Well, I would say, but we just met. I haven’t really gotten a chance to get to know any of you yet. Trust, like a great many things, is something that is earned,” Jason replied. Valerie and the others looked a bit crestfallen, but they understood his reasoning. On top of which, the Dark Heart was a powerful, corruptive artifact, which wasn’t to be trifled with.

The group was quiet, but appreciative of the forest’s welcoming embrace as they journeyed to the grove. They reached it just as the sky darkened to night and saw that the way was open to them. There was laughter and giggling coming from within and going by the tone of it all, it was fairly obvious what the Nymphs had been up to. Once they all walked into the grove, the lot of them could smell the sex in the air.

“So, Nymph magic only, huh?” Phalmina questioned with a teasing voice.

“That part was true enough, but there was also everyone’s ... safety that I was concerned about,” Felicitae said in her defense.

“Our ... safety?” Darnell questioned.

“Yes! It was a theory I had that was confirmed after we accessed the magic from within the Nymph hearts,” the Nymph Matriarch told them.

“What theory?” Jason asked, curious.

“The theory was that the ... sexual energies that rolled off the hearts was suppressed because the core of it was sealed inside the heart. Once we opened them, then the energies were released. The effect of them was ... overwhelming, even for us,” Felicitae explained.

“You were overwhelmed by the energies from the Nymph hearts?” Sheena queried, finding it difficult to believe.

“Yup! Normally, we have a pretty good rein on our urges, but this ... the three of us just nearly lost control. We had to ... handle each other so we could at least not be consumed by pure lust,” Patrok chuckled.

“Indeed! If the lot of you had been with us, then things would have devolved into an all out orgy! You would likely have kept going, no matter how sore or raw you would become,” Felicitae warned.

“It was that potent?” Luke wondered, never having experienced such a thing himself, but hearing that it was very unpleasant.

“Yes! Though we are speaking with all of you all right for the moment, we will likely go back to full on debauchery after you and yours have left the grove,” Patrok laughed.

“Sounds to me that the caution was warranted, then. No need to hurt or tire ourselves out with such activities ... yet,” Jason smirked while glancing over at Phalmina and Sheena. The pair of them looked back, fanning themselves with their hands. They were more than a little hot under the collar from such looks from their man, and this look promised them much.

“Well, we do celebrate events such as the solstices and each equinox. Maybe we could look into something to happen then?” Emalia suggested with a glance at Luke and Karla, her stare telling them all that she just wanted to devour the both of them.

“We’ll discuss the particulars and who wants to show up for that, at a later date, Ema. Right now, we have other things to discuss and do,” Phalmina told her friend, pulling the focus back to why they were there.

“Right! Sorry,” the dark-haired fairy apologized as the general focus shifted from that topic to the tree and the pool. The healing energies that emanated from both points in the grove washed over everyone, soothing their minds and their souls.

“Wow!! Is Nymph magic always ... like that?” Dominique questioned.

“Our healing magic, yes. Speaking of which, Valerie, you will need to step into the pool for us to help heal your magic,” Felicitae told the witch.

She nodded and started to step in, when the Nymph Matriarch then stopped her and gestured for her to disrobe. Smirking, Valerie had a feeling that was coming, as Nymphs were an open-minded race, not one to embrace the ‘proprieties’ of humans. Her clothes slowly came off, eventually forming a pile on the ground, and Valerie stepped in.

Though she was an older woman, Valerie was still quite the looker. Her honey blonde hair fell down her back in waves, almost blending with her sun kissed skin. It was clear that Valerie had some sort of workout regimen, as there was very little fat on her frame. Anything that was there sat in all the right places, which attracted the male eye. Both Nymph men weren’t shy about getting an eyeful, which Valerie found flattering.

The water was cool, but not unpleasantly so, which felt like a balm on her raw and cut skin. She sighed happily as the sensation of the cool water did much to alleviate any pain she felt. The Nymphs then gestured for Dominique and Aaliyah to come forward and help them as they wove a spell of healing. Once Valerie was immersed in the water, the spell was cast and sent into it.

The spell saturated the water and, in turn, soaked into Valerie completely. She could feel her wounds not only closing up, but the pain receding to where it was nothing. Valerie sighed as the marks she had suffered under the Black Witch, Kathryn Syme, were washed away.

“That was ... wow!” Valerie remarked as she felt better almost instantly.

“That was just the spell of physical healing. The true healing of your magic is what we will do now. Jason, Sheena, Phalmina, Xaera, Dominique, lend us your strength!” Felicitae told them, as she gestured for those there to join them in the water.

As one, they all approached the pool, doffing their clothes before they walked into it. Once everyone was waist deep in the pool of water, Felicitae enacted the spell, bringing it up above Valerie. She had begun the spell, yet left much of it blank, so everyone could add their little piece to it, like a mosaic.

Jason started first, bringing runes of healing and strength to bear, slotting them into the mosaic. Sheena came right after, drawing upon Wolf to help provide the magic that was needed to heal Valerie. One by one, everyone in the water added their own aspect of healing and magic retention to the spell. Once the healing mosaic was complete, Felicitae then added one final rune to mosaic, which completed it.

“That rune there. What does that do?” Dominique asked, pointing at the rune Felicitae had added to the mix.

“That is a rune of anchoring, which will solidify Valerie’s magic, making it as much a part of her like any body part she needs. The magic of a witch isn’t as intrinsically tied to who they are. Not like those who serve Gaia directly,” Patrok explained to Dominique, as Felicitae brought the spell down to Valerie.

Valerie stared at the spell with openmouthed joy, happy to have such help from these people! It was unexpected, and more than welcome in her eyes, as it settled into her body, wrapping itself into every cell. Slowly, the glow of the spell faded as she absorbed the magic, feeling the tears, rips and kinks in her own power mend. A few minutes later, the spell finished, completing its work, as Valerie felt her power become as it was before.

“Oh ... my ... wow!!!” Valerie said as she slowly floated to her feet, standing up and looking at her hands. “This is ... beyond amazing!!”

“But there is one last thing to be done. It is also something I would ask every witch here to partake in,” Felicitae told them all.

“Oh? And what is that?” Aaliyah queried.

“That you all join us over here, on the grove stone, so we can help ensure that this can’t happen to any of you,” the Nymph Matriarch explained.

“Didn’t the anchor rune already do that for Val?” Dominique asked, confused as to why her mentor was part of this spell.

“It did, to an extent. To fully cement her magic being bound to her, we need to do this final spell here, as a means of ... locking it in. Much like hardening a blade at an anvil,” Felicitae clarified.

“Oh! OK, I see! This will do the same for us as well, then?” Dominique asked.

“That it will, which is why I asked all of you to step in on the spell,” the Nymph Matriarch told her.

Smiling, Dominique stepped out of the water and walked over to the grove stone. Aaliyah, Hayley, and Valerie all followed suit, each one of them wanting to protect their magic. The Nymphs came out of the water, as did everyone else, using their magic to help dry off. Once this was done, those not participating in the spell donned their clothes, while the Nymphs took up positions around the stone.

All three of them brought out their magic, enacting another mosaic spell, but this time, only the witches helped. Felicitae stated that in order to help reinforce their connection to their magic, the witches had to be the ones powering the spell. The Nymphs would light the spark, but the ladies on the stone had to be the ones to fan the flames.

The basic outline of the spell was started, and Felicitae allowed Valerie to take control of it. With the Nymph Matriarch’s guidance, all four of the women on the stone crafted the mosaic, powering it so that their magic would remain theirs. A chant started, building up to a crescendo, before the final flare of magical power sealed it to them.

“There, it is done. How do you four feel?” Felicitae ventured.

“I feel ... strong! Much stronger than I have before!” Dominique enthused.

“Same here!” Aaliyah enthused, feeling like she was powerful, magically and physically!

“Damn babe! You certainly look stronger! Might even give me a run for my money!” Darnell told her, while eyeing his wife’s physique up and down.

“What do you mean, babe?” Aaliyah questioned.

“Flex a bit, hon! You’ll see what I mean!” the warrior told his witch. Shrugging, Aaliyah did what Darnell asked and flexed one of her arms, and saw a noticeable bulge in her bicep that wasn’t there before.

“Holy ... Gaia!! Did I just put on some muscle??” Aaliyah gasped.

“I think you all did!” Jason commented as he took in the sight of all four witches. It was as though the spell had not only hardened the magically, but physically as well! It was much like the four of them had spent a couple years in the gym, emerging stronger and fitter for it!

“Damn!! Is that my ass??” Dominique questioned as she looked down at her rear end.

“Honey, with an ass like that, you are going to have to keep a baseball bat handy to keep all the boys from wanting to touch it!” Sheena giggled.

“I would be inclined to agree!” Valerie stated, nodding as she observed her onetime apprentice.

“So, our magic is protected from those who would steal it now?” Hayley questioned, wondering if she was truly safe now.

“Yes, for the most part,” Felicitae told her.

“For the most part?”

“Well, the thing about magic is that it is never an absolute thing, as it is always changing, always flowing, always in flux. While it can still be stolen, what we did is make it exponentially harder for anyone to even manage to steal it. It would take multiple people, all working together, just to hope to even steal the smallest portion of the magic you possess now,” the Nymph Matriarch told her.

“So ... people like Ms. Syme won’t be able to do it on their own?” the girl queried, as she and the other witches got dressed.

“No, they won’t. Not even in their own sanctum, as a singular connection won’t be enough to even break through the protection you have now,” Felicitae told her.

“Well, at least there is that! Which is a shit ton more than most witches out there have,” Valerie said. “Thank you for taking the time to help me!”

“You are most welcome! If that is all?” Felicitae asked, her eyes going to the Nymph men and smiling devilishly.

“I’m thinking we should probably head back. Not only do the Nymphs want to do their own thing, but we still have to work on deciding what to do with making ourselves a spellforge,” Luke reminded the group, which had them all nodding.

“Awww! Can’t we stay and have some fun?” Phalmina whined, as she was looking like she wanted to stay and watch the Nymphs have at it.

“Too much of a good thing can ruin the experience, Mina. Besides, Luke’s got a point and the fall equinox isn’t far off,” Sheena reminded her friend and lover.

“I suppose you have a point, but I don’t recall ever being so ... excited!” Phalmina stated, while looking hungrily at both Sheena and Jason.

“Don’t worry, Mina! You’ll still get your snu-snu! In fact, I think maybe it’s time to step things up a notch?” Jason grinned as he led the way out of the grove.

“What did you have in mind?” Sheena asked, looking up at her man as she joined him on the way out. Jason simply smirked and leaned down, whispering in her ear. Sheena’s face then filled with blood, making her face a few shades darker and she fanned herself a bit.

“You lot will still be coming by for breakfast, yeah? I learned a few things about cooking and I’m going to be making something special in the morning!” Xaera told them with a grin.

“Oh? What are you making?” Patrok asked, as he had become quite the foodie since being released from his armor.

“You’ll just have to wait and see!” Xaera grinned as she joined her friends in leaving the grove. Patrok huffed, but he knew that Xaera would do a good job, as her culinary skills had improved markedly over the past few weeks. A few minutes later, the grove was empty, save for the Nymphs, who had taken their clothes off and pressed to each other in a carnal embrace.

“Now, where were we?”

“Are all Nymphs ... like those three?” Dominique questioned as she looked over her shoulder at the hidden grove.

“Like what?” Emalia questioned, as she had uncased her wings and was hovering along with the rest of the group.

“How they just ... ooze sexuality and desire,” Dominique stated as she fanned herself gently.

“Oh! That! Well, it’s why they were created in the first place. To be the physical and sexual playthings for a real ... I believe the term is... ‘dudebro’ of a god. If such an ass can even be called a god,” Emalia told the witch with a frown.

“Seems to me that the dude was more of a dog!” Darnell interjected, which earned a bout of laughter from everyone.

“I’d say that about sums it up! From Felicitae has told me, both Dionysus and Poseidon were among the worst of the ‘gods’. They took what they wanted, when they wanted, and damn be anyone who stood in their way!” Phalmina told them as she too was flying with her fairy sister.

“At least Dionysus got what was coming to him! What happened to Poseidon?” Luke asked, as he was quite familiar with the histories and legends of the Greek people.

“No one really knows. When the Godswar broke out, it was like he just vanished. It was assumed that he was one of the first to die in the conflict, as he would always be butting heads with his brothers, Zeus and Hades. But to this day, no one had any real proof he had died. Some people theorize he stayed out of the conflict, as he knew that if he got involved, he would die,” Phalmina stated.

“The Godswar? What in the name of Gaia is the Godswar?” Jason asked, never having heard of the term before.

“That is something that we will discuss at another time. Right now, our focus should be in building the spellforge,” Phalmina told Jason as they neared the house. Magical lights floated in the air, illuminating the backyard. As the group approached the house, the darkness inside was banished as they walked through the back door.

“Ok, how did that happen?” Karla asked as she stared openmouthed at the lights as they glowed.

“Oh, that! That was something that Jason and I did after we bought the house from Carlotta. We enchanted the lights to always come on whenever there was the presence of a living being nearby. It took a little bit to get the specifics of the spell right, so only those who were human sized would trigger them to light,” Sheena explained.

“Seriously, you two and this house only gets cooler and cooler!” Luke enthused, happy to be inside a magical house.

“It is a pretty neat place! I’m happy that I got to live to see it!” Valerie stated, as she looked around in wonder.

“Yes! Again, thank you all for the help you’ve given us!” Dominique told the group.

“Like I said, it was nothing. You were at the mercy of a Black Witch for a while. Us busting you out and healing you of your injuries was the least we could do!” Jason said with a smile as he crossed his arms over his powerful chest.

“Still, I am grateful for the assistance! Especially the healing and sealing of my magic! I haven’t felt this good in ... years! Hell, even decades, maybe!” Valerie said in gratitude.

“You also look pretty damned good too Val! I’m not just talking about the muscle either!” Dominique said as she pulled out her phone and activated the camera function. She then flipped the camera as though to take a selfie, then pointed the device at Valerie.

“Holy ... DAMN!!!!! I’ve ... dropped a few years from my face! There’s even less grays in my hair now too!!” Valerie gushed, excited at her new looks and musculature.

“That’s probably a side effect of Gaia’s healing magic. It is life giving magic, so it giving you a dose of youth is probably what happens when it is used to heal,” Luke surmised as he ran through what happened with Eva in his head.

“No doubt! So, would it be all right if we asked for your help in creating the spellforge?” Sheena asked, putting the question to all the new arrivals.

“You would like our help ... in creating a new spellforge?? Right here?? Right now?!?” Valerie yelped, more than a little excited by the prospect.

“Not right now, but yes, we are asking for your help in building such a magical construct. With more differing types of magic being used in its construction, will not only amplify the power of each item crafted, it will also give us more room to play with, when imbuing certain properties into the items we make,” Xaera stated.

“Where did you read that?” Aaliyah asked, curious about the idea.

“I read it in the book of the Artificier. Or at least, I thought that’s what it said,” Xaera admitted.

“Show me the page, please!” Aaliyah begged. Xaera smiled and went over to the book, and as gently as she could, opened it and turned to the relative page. Aaliyah looked it over and read it twice to be sure of the translation.

“She’s right! I mean, the person doing the enchantments for the specific magical type has to be present, but Xaera is correct! Any item crafted with such diverse magical sources will be open to receive enchantments from the magical source in question!” Aaliyah breathed.

“Sweet! Does that cover all the types of magic that are available out there? I mean, aside from Dark Magic, of course,” Jason wondered, excited at the prospect of wielding more than one type of magic.

“Well, they are powerful forms of magic, make no mistake, but there are many different types of magic out there. What we have here is a good start on making a spellforge capable of many forms of magic!” Aaliyah told the man.

“She’s right. I mean, this sort of magic that I have, while it is witch magic, still retains some of the dragon’s essence to it,” Dominique stated.

“Hold up!! Are you saying that you can use dragon magic?!?” Luke gushed, excited at the prospect of dragon magic being real.

“To an extent, I can, but not the pure form of it. If any dragons were still left, I might be able to learn it, if I was powerful enough,” Dominique told him.

“Even with magic, there are limitations to what a witch can do,” Valerie told the man. “But that doesn’t mean that we can’t create our own wonders!”

“Very much so! In a few more days, we should have all the necessary materials we need to begin with the spellforge’s construction. After it’s done, then we can start crafting some magical items to help give us the edge we need,” Jason said as he smiled at the idea of having real magical items.

“Um ... Aaliyah? I can call you Aaliyah, right?” Luke asked.

“Of course, Luke! What is it?” she replied.

“To forge these items to be imbued with magic, does one need to be able to channel magic in order to craft them?” he asked.

“I believe so, but let me double check to be sure,” Aaliyah replied as she thumbed through a few pages, rereading some of the things she had glossed over. Her eyes widened for a moment as a look of shock flitted across her face.

“Is that ... good news?” Luke asked, looking a bit concerned.

“I ... suppose it all depends on your point of view! According to this, the spellsmith, the one crafting things at the spellforge, does not need his or her own magic to craft these things! Apparently, the magical energies from the spellforge are enough to prime the items to receive the enchantment from the caster in question!” Aaliyah replied as she looked up from the book.

“SAAAWWWEEEEEEETTT!!!!” Luke yelled, catching everyone off guard, but they soon smiled.

“Thinking about becoming a spellsmith, Luke?” Jason asked.

“Damn straight buddy!! I mean, you guys are all pretty badass, but me helping outfit you kids with enchantable weapons?!? Not is that just as badass, but it is super cool!!” Luke enthused.

“Sounds like someone is excited to be helping like this,” Karla giggled, and Emalia joined her in it. Dominique couldn’t help but giggle a little bit herself, as it showed her one very important thing about Luke. Even though much time has passed and they had both changed, at heart, Luke was still the same man that she fell in love with.

“You do realize that actual forgework is involved in making these items?” Aaliyah asked him.

“Like, real life forging, forging?” Luke questioned.

“Yup. Such skills aren’t that easy to learn, nor do they take a short amount of time to learn either,” Aaliyah told the man.

“Shouldn’t be an issue for me. I learn things fast, as I remember things once I read them. So, me learning all about this won’t be too much trouble,” Luke replied.

“Just be sure that you don’t work too hard now! Don’t want to be ... neglectful now, do you?” Karla asked in a teasing voice.

“Karla, sometimes you just have to let the man work. Trust me, when they find something to be passionate about, it’s best to let them have at it. Besides, if we are to stand any hope of challenging Carman, then we need whatever Luke will be able to crank out and fast,” Sheena told the woman. Both she and Emalia pouted visibly until Jason piped up with his take on it.

“That doesn’t mean that the guy won’t need ... stress relief ... from time to time. Something that I’m sure you two are well versed in.”

Both women then squealed in glee, glad to be able to be of ‘help’ to Luke when he would run into problems. Everyone had a good laugh, thinking that Luke was going to be a busy guy in more ways than one. The man had already pulled out his smart phone and started researching on what he would need to learn about, along with what tools he would need for it.

“Well, it is getting late, so we’re going to head on home,” Darnell stated as he looked at his watch. “Gotta relieve the babysitter, hon.”

“Yup! Come along, Hayley. Time to be going home,” Aaliyah told her apprentice. Hayley smiled, as she got a good feeling that these were good people and where she would be living would be a happy place.

“Mind if we catch a lift to the Winnebago, at least? We need to grab that before we head off to Valerie’s shop,” Dominique said, hoping they could get a ride.

“Absolutely! Come on!” Darnell said, as he gestured for the women to follow them. Luke, Karla and Emalia also decided to get going, as there was much to do and Luke and Karla still had jobs they had to do the following day. Xaera, however, decided to stay at the house, as she hoped for some company that evening.

“You guys don’t mind me staying, do you?” the troll woman asked.

“Not at all! Even if I am outnumbered three to one, the more company we have, the merrier!” Jason told her with a genuine smile.