Sending
Sometimes, a caster doesn’t even need to touch their conduit to exert control over them.
Advanced Casting Principles: Collaring by Felix Kessler
Please note this chapter contains long-distance sex, toy use, and mutual masturbation.
ON THE FIRST DAY, I ride as fast as Mo and Valar can handle.
I expected pursuit, a chase. I imagine the thunder of hooves, the sound of shouting, though every time I look back, the road is empty.
I make it out of the foothills and into the mountains proper before the sun starts to drop, and only then do I pull a huffing Mo to a stop.
We’ve made it to the narrows, the spot just past the foothills where the river has cut a sharp ravine into the mountains.
This time of year, the river is low, a slow rush instead of the high roar it can be in spring.
But there’s tall grass for grazing growing up to the shoreline, and with the mountains towering up on either side, the grass has avoided getting scorched dry by the sun.
Yet in the shadows, a chill cuts through my shirt, sending a shiver up my back.
Arlon’s pissed. Thora’s pissed. When Olbric and I were planning, it was easy to ignore the possible repercussions of leaving, but now that I’m on my own, I can’t think of anything else.
Am I going to get kicked out of the Crux for this?
I force the thought aside before I swing off of Mo and loosen his cinch. He seems to realize we’re done for the day, his head already hanging low.
“I know, buddy,” I say and give his sweaty neck a pat before I hurry to get him and Valar unburdened. Once their saddles and packs are pulled off, I brush the sweat off of them before I give them a bag of grain each and a bundle of hay.
Then, I start to make camp. The kindling I find is crispy and dry, and a fire comes to life with a strike of flint and steel. Once the fire is crackling high, I use the light to set up everything else.
It hits me halfway through rolling out my bedroll that I have a spell for this. The conjuration I made after my first chastity stint with Arlon. It would provide a safer camp than any I could set up on my own.
I rummage through my pack to grab my spells.
Olbric had made me wear them on our way out, but after a few hours on the road, I had started to hate the feel of them bouncing against my chest. I’d stored them in my pack, but I’m getting jumpy as it gets darker.
Yet as I go to release my conjuration, I stop short.
The cold isn’t here yet. Not truly. It’ll be better to conserve my spells until I need them, so I tuck them under my shirt before I grab my cloak. Once I douse my fire, I’ll be nearly invisible in the grove of trees.
It feels strange to get settled down. It’s been over a year since I’ve camped alone.
On the trip out east, we set up with the caravan, but now there’s nothing but the sounds of the horses, the gentle noise of the river, and the crackle of my fire to keep me company.
As the sky darkens, the few bugs that have survived the oncoming cold stir, calling out across the water.
I draw in a deep breath as I listen to Mo and Valar contentedly munching behind me. They’ve already made it through their grain and have started in on the hay. We didn’t have the space to pack all they’ll need for the trip, but the inns I plan to stop at along the way will have more feed for them.
Now, I just need to feed myself, but I’m too tired to think of cooking.
Instead, I reach into the rations Felicity gathered for us.
The kind little cook did well, too. There’s a loaf of bread, some hard cheese and sticks of cured meat, along with a large bag of toasted grains, nuts, and dried fruit.
I eat a bit of everything and realize that in all my time wandering the mountains, I don’t think I’ve ever been so well equipped.
Having a full belly puts me at ease, so when I fully roll out my bedroll, it’s a little easier to relax. Even so, a part of me regrets setting up so near the river. Over the rush of water, I may not be able to hear anyone coming down the road.
But no moon’s made an appearance yet, and it gets dark quick in the mountains. I don’t think anyone save for Cancassi could see me or the horses in the blackness as the fire burns down. With how hard I pushed the horses today, I’m sure I have at least that much of a head start.
Though even as I worry about a potential pursuit, I think I’d feel worse if... no one came. The thought is backwards as hell, but for some reason, the idea of Arlon and the Crux just letting me go hurts worse than the thought of them trying to get me back.
That old voice is louder now, repeating every doubt I’ve ever had, resurrecting the thought that I don’t belong at the Crux. That I never did.
I force them all aside even as I lay back, pulling my pack close to use as a pillow.
The sky overhead shines bright with stars, and there’s a comfort in the stillness of it all.
It helps calm my racing thoughts down, loosen the knot of anxiety that’s pulled at my chest all day.
I don’t even know when I fall asleep, but I’m still alone when I wake with the rising sun.
As I pack up, the doubt kicks in all over again. I rush through getting ready. Like if I stop to think about it too hard, I’ll have time to come to my senses and turn around. The feeling only persists as we get back on the road.
Neither Mo nor Valar want to go faster than a walk today, as if they’re also hankering for home. But after the long haul they pulled for me yesterday, I don’t have the heart to urge them to go faster.
Instead, I get off and walk for a bit, though it does little to calm my swirling thoughts. In fact, the further I get from the Crux, the heavier the doubt gets. It starts to weigh me down more than my pack does, and by the time I stop that night, I’m doubting every decision that’s led me here.
Yet I still go through the motions. Take care of the horses, set up camp. I fall back into the familiar pattern of it like a second nature. Yet as I settle to sit on my bedroll, something in the air changes, a shimmer like a heat mirage warping the sky in front of me.
I realize it’s a sending the second before a figure slowly comes into focus. I’m afraid it’s Arlon again, but then Olbric’s face materializes in front of me. My heart leaps at the sight of him.
He blinks before a small smile crosses his face. His expression is so full of love and longing that it makes me ache.
“Hey,” he says quietly.
He’s sitting cross-legged on his bed, the light globe in his room turning everything to a warm, comfortable glow. He’s still dressed in a loose shirt and breeches, but his shoes are off, his hair damp from a recent bath.
I reach out towards the sending but stop short, afraid that if I touch it, it’ll break it apart. “Hey.”
Olbric gives a rueful laugh. “Well. I got caught.”
My grin feels fragile. “Weren’t you the one who’s experienced at sneaking out?”
“Yeah, well. Wasn’t expecting the guard to be that quick on his fucking feet.”
I hook my arms around my knees, an ache of longing settling like a rock in my chest. He feels so close, yet somehow so far away. “I’m sorry.”
His smile fades. “Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who didn’t even make it out the gate.”
“Feels like I abandoned you.”
“You didn’t.” He says it so quickly that it’s like he was expecting me to say something like that.
I rub the back of my neck before asking, “How mad is Arlon?”
Olbric lets out a long breath. “Well, he’s not happy. I... think he’s sending someone after you. But the fact that he wouldn’t tell me who makes me think that they’re not coming to travel with you.”
I wince at that. “I keep looking over my shoulder, but no one’s caught up to me yet. The only people I’ve come across was a group of field hands on their way back home for the winter.”
“Keep your eyes out, alright?” Olbric’s gaze flicks to my neck. “And where the hell are your spells?”
I reach down and realize that I left them in my pack again. “They get too heavy when I’m riding. Feels like they’re bruising my chest with all the bouncing.”
Olbric scowls, his expression hardening. “Dom, I know you’re wary of your spells, but promise me you’ll at least keep an emergency strand on.”
He says it with such urgency that I’m already reaching for my pack to fish them out. I can’t even deny that it’s a good idea as I drape them around my neck. “I will, I promise.”
Olbric’s expression softens, and for a second, I can see how helpless he feels. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be there with you.”
I offer him a small smile. “Me too. But it’s not your fault.” I hug my knees a little tighter, resting my chin on them as I look up at him. “I’m... thinking about coming home.”
A mix of emotions flits across his face, too fast for me to pick apart. His lips tip into a smile. “You know, when we were planning this, it was the happiest I’ve seen you in some time. Whatever happened at the Tower, whatever’s happening to you now, it’s left its mark, love.”
I swallow and look away, but Olbric isn’t finished. “But when we came up with a plan, when you got hope of finding an answer? It was like I could see... you again.” He draws in a heavy breath. “I think you need to do this. Even if it means doing it on your own.”
Hearing him say it helps me push my doubts aside. Helps harden my resolve. “And now I’ll have all the more reason to hurry home, right?”
Olbric’s smile looks pained, like there’s something he wants to say, but he keeps quiet. Yet neither of us seem inclined to cut the spell short. I want to see him for as long as the magic will last, so I say, “Arlon must not be too mad if he gave you a sending to use.”
Olbric’s laugh is tinged with bitterness. “Yeah, well, let’s just say he owes me more than the one.”
“What do you mean? Is this about the assignment?”
There it is again. That hesitation, that pained smile. “I’ll tell you on the next sending. Because you can bet I’m going to get more.”