Chapter 13

Standing in the street in front of the hotel, I began a mantra. Those watching looked at me and then at the hedge of thorns expecting it to vanish instantly. That didn't happen, but after a minute the hedge had shrunk below the second floor level of the hotel and was continuing to shrink. After four minutes it was only three feet high and continued to shrink. After a bit more than five minutes, the hedge had completely disappeared, and there were no signs that it had ever been there. Those observing just stood there and stared, not quite believing their eyes. Cogan smiled and unloaded our possessions before returning to the stable.

"How did you do that?" the fat man asked in shocked wonder.

"I simply told the hedge to shrink and disappear. My Apprentice could have done it just as easily. If you need a demonstration, I can regrow it and have her remove it," I told the fat man.

"No no, that won't be necessary! I'll have the best room in the house prepared for you. It will be ready shortly," he assured me before turning to those still watching.

"We are open for business again. Please let those interested know," he announced in a loud voice before he led us into the hotel. There was a bit of dust that had accumulated on surfaces while the hotel had been temporarily out of business because of the hedge of thorns, but that was quickly taken care of by those who worked there and had been waiting to get back to work.

"Please sign in," he requested from behind the counter where he had hurried once we entered the building. I wrote my name in his book.

"Welcome, Master O'Connell from Glenquin," he said on looking at what I had written before a frown crossed his face. "Has Master Eogham left there?" he asked.

"Yes! Master Eogham has left on a journey of discovery and enlightenment. He will be gone for quite some time," I told him. One of the hotel's employees had brought our possessions in from where the cart had left them. Apparently he was one of the new employees. I hadn't seen the former Wizard or desk clerk who had worked here previously among the people who had been outside.

Shortly we were shown up to a large well decorated room. It had a small dining area, a large brazier for the cold weather months, and a large four poster bed plus some chairs and a nightstand. What it lacked was a tub. I could see Sunshine's disappointment at that. Our possessions had already been delivered here.

"Don't worry, Sweetie. I'll get you a bath tub," I told her after the servant had departed, leaving us alone in the room.

"Thank you, my Ken," she said and smiled.

"Could I have really removed the hedge of thorns, as you said?" she asked immediately after that, and just before her facial expression changed to one of wonder.

"When did I learn that?" she asked with a smile after a few seconds.

"It's just a little something that the "Book of Dreams' taught you one night," I told her.

Now that we were alone, I cast my wards in the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room before using another spell to remove all of the bugs and other vermin that were presently sharing the room with us. I also changed the air several times to remove the musty smell and replaced it with sea air smelling of salt. Sunshine found the smell a little odd at first, but I enjoyed it as it reminded me of my voyage here from Dublin.

We relaxed for the remainder of the day, as we were tired from all of the traveling that we had been doing. Towards evening, a large meal was brought in for us. The food was fairly good, and the fat man, who had never introduced himself, but was apparently the owner of the hotel, came with it to check on us, and to ensure that everything was satisfactory. It was.

That evening, Sunshine was somewhat anxious after our meal. I could guess what the reason was. Reaching out to the Master's apartment at Castle Glenquin, I surrounded the tub there with a ward and transferred it to our room here at the hotel. It materialized near the large brazier. I filled it with water and then heated the water after canceling the ward.

"Your bath awaits you, my dear," I told Sunshine who was just flabbergasted at all of this. I even transported a low fire of hot coals into the brazier after she was in the tub to take the night's chill off the room. My soap had floated over to her from my backpack.

I used some of the water when she was finished, but noticed that the soap had significantly shrunk in size since we had both been using it. I would need to get a new bar of soap from our house in the O'Connell Realm, but that could wait until tomorrow. I sent the used water to the Shannon when we were finished.

After her bath, Sunshine was very amorous, and our passion soon erupted into sex. All of the hugging, kissing, massaging, and stroking had left both of us in need of release, and Sunshine pulled me over on top of her.

"Love me," she pleaded in a husky voice. There was no long and slow tonight. We both needed release, and I pounded into her. She met my every thrust with one from her hips, and we both soon went over the top, as orgasms exploded in us followed by a collapse that left us unable to move for a time. Sunshine had screamed like a banshee and howled like a wolf just before she came. I finally managed to roll off of her. She was having trouble breathing with all of my weight on top of her. We both lay there for a time after that breathing hard and sweating. Sunshine eventually curled up to me, and put her head on my shoulder.

"Thank you, my Ken. That was wonderful," she managed through her still labored breathing. I turned my face to her and kissed the hair on top of her head while giving her a little squeeze.

It wasn't until after this that I realized that I had failed to set the privacy spell or the noise suppression spell in my desire for her, and I wondered what the repercussions of that would be in the morning. Surely anyone with any Talent and many near here without any had felt what we had done. It was definitely too late now to do anything about it. We would just have to see what was said in the morning. With both of us now worn out, we were asleep soon after that.

I was awakened later by a hand on my cock and a whispering voice.

"Please, please, my Master, wake up! I need you so badly," the voice was saying, and I immediately detected the scent of roses. Rose was back and in need of some loving. I also noticed that her hand on my cock was very slippery.

"Are you all right, Rose?" I asked her.

"No, I need you so, my Master," she whispered, and started to get out of the bed.

"What do you have on your hand?" I asked.

"Oil! I got it from the kitchen here. The bottle is still here. It will make things easier," she told me, but she was frantic in her need. I looked at the small bottle that she held out and after sniffing it and pouring some in the palm of my hand, I recognized it as olive oil.

"Please, don't make me wait much longer!' she begged with a sob, as she wiggled her sweet young butt suggestively in the air. I poured a little of the oil on her rear passage and worked it in with my fingers before adding a little more to my cock. It wasn't an ideal lubricant, but was better than nothing, much better, and that was all that mattered. I quickly cast the privacy spell and the noise suppression spell this time.

The oil made it very easy to slip into Rose's / Sunshine's rear passage, and I was soon buried deep in her butt. She was pushing back on each of my thrusts, and it didn't take all that long before both of us were coming. Rose, too, screamed like a wild woman, just as Sunshine had, but I wasn't worried this time, as I had cast the noise suppression spell.

I collapsed on top of Sunshine's body for the second time that night, but was soon able to roll off to her side. Rose was still breathing very heavily and was crying.

"Are you all right?" I asked when I had regained my own breath again.

"Yes!" she moaned, and continued to cry for a time.

"Thank you! Thank you! That was sooo good," she whispered after a time, as she moved closer to me.

"We need to get back in the bed," I told her, and helped her move on to the bed again. She kissed me when we were settled; her tears had subsided by then. She was soon asleep again, but I lay there awake for a time. We definitely needed to find Rose's body and determine whether it could be saved. This having two women in one body was getting to be a bit much for me. I returned the bottle of olive oil to the kitchen area before going back to sleep for the remainder of the night.

We awoke late the next morning, and could immediately tell that there was a lot of excitement at the hotel and the area surrounding it.

"My Ken, I need to wash again," Sunshine told me after sitting up and looking at herself and the bed. "Rose was active again last night, wasn't she?" she asked, as she checked the oily mess on her thighs and the sheet.

"What were you using?" she asked.

"Rose got a small bottle of olive oil somehow, and we used it as a lubricant," I told her. Sunshine frowned for a few seconds before recognition showed on her face.

"Yes, that is something that we learned from the 'Book of Dreams'," she told me. I had all ready called up water to the tub and was heating it with a spell. Following that, I reached out to my room in the O'Connell Realm in our Reality, and grabbed the spare bar of soap there and brought it to our room in the hotel.

We hadn't been moving around for long, but I had already canceled the privacy spell and the noise suppression spell from last night when there was a knock on the door.

"Breakfast, Master!" someone said after that. Sunshine was still in the tub washing, and was shaking her head vehemently not to open the door yet.

"Give us a few minutes to get dressed," I told the person in the hall, after cracking open the door to the room just a tiny bit.

"Yes, Master Wizard," the male employee there responded.

I used the water in the bathtub after Sunshine had finished, and then sent it to the river and drew more water to rinse the tub out. We had just finished dressing for the day when there was a knock on the door again. I went to open it, and the same male employee of the hotel led in two women who had our breakfast.

"Were you awakened by the keening of the banshee last night, Master?" the man asked after they had entered the room. Of course he pronounced it bean-shide from the Celtic. "Everyone in the area heard it, but no one seems to have died yet," he finished.

"No, we didn't hear anything. We slept very soundly last night," I told him. The two female employees were smiling, as if they knew something, but they said nothing. Instead they had been very busy staring at the copper tub that now sat near the large brazier. They soon began pulling on the male employee's sleeve and pointed to it. He gave a gasp of surprise on noticing it.

"Where ... where... !!?" he started, pointing at the tub, as it definitely wasn't a part of the hotel's furnishings.

"My wife required a bath last night, and I called it to me. I'll return it before we leave," I assured him with a smile.

"Yes, of course, Master. Will there be anything else that you may require?" he asked rather nervously.

"No, this is fine. Thank you," I said pleasantly, and the hotel's employees quickly departed. Sunshine and I had a leisurely breakfast after that.

"What was he asking about the bean-sidhe?" she asked during breakfast.

"I forgot to set the privacy spell and the noise suppression spell last night. They not only heard you, but they must have felt what we were doing. The two female servants were blushing when the man asked about the bean-sidhe," I told her. Sunshine blushed big time on hearing this, and her complexion nearly matched the color of her hair.

"And did they hear Rose also?" she finally asked.

"No! I realized my mistake by then and cast both spells before we started. I didn't cancel them until we got up this morning," I told her. She had regained some of her composure by then.

"And was Rose as noisy as I was?" she asked after a short time.

"Rose was also quite noisy," was all that I wisely admitted to knowing.

"We must hurry and find Rose's body," Sunshine said in a worried voice following that. "She could die! We ... you must save her!" she moaned in fright, and I wasn't sure which Sister was in charge just then, or if perhaps it was both of them that were worried.

"Yes, we will set out to learn the way to Castle Dyster after we finish eating," I assured her, taking her hand and sending soothing thoughts to calm both of them.