Where books will take you (closed for RobbieRand)

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There was something comforting about reading a book while being surrounded by other books, Eletha thought to herself.

It was the middle of the night, but a shipment of books had arrived earlier that day. Eletha had had just enough time to make sure they were properly put away before she had to change to attend a dinner her father was holding for visitors from a human kingdom. She was unable to return to her chambers until very late, so she reluctantly put all thoughts of the new arrivals out of her head and went to sleep.

She tossed fitfully for a few hours until she finally decided sleep was not going to happen. With that decision made, she happily climbed out of bed and went to her library.

The palace of Eletha's father and the surrounding city was an odd collection of architectures, but the other races of elves will tell you mountain elves are on odd sort, living both above and below ground, and happily associating with their dwarven neighbors. Mountain elves even looked different from the rest of their kin. Eletha was a good example of this, being shorter than her cousins in the deeper forest, with her shape of her ears less pronounced than theirs and her figure more buxom.

Eletha's had a wing of rooms to herself, so she thought nothing of scampering in a short nightgown to her library. Lighting a few candles, she quickly buried herself in a history of a long disappeared human empire.

She was in the middle of a chapter discussing the minor reforms being conducted by this empire's third ruler when she thought she heard an odd noise. She looked up, one of her hands instinctively going to the pendant nestled between her breasts. Hearing nothing else, she quickly returned to her reading.

Robert "Robbie" Randal
Image (out of costume)
26 years old
5'8", 175#; slim, fit, yummy.
Computer Programmer (Capital City Government)
Bay City Adventure Club Member
Character: "Shadow", a 7th Level Assassin (Thief)


You couldn't find a more realistic, 'in-character' Dungeons & Dragons Club in the State, possibly even the country. The Players were all in costume, which included some fairly realistic armor and weapons when the Class called for it. Most of the costumes were hand made, often lovingly by the very Players wearing them; and while the weapons were for the most part fake -- most made of plastic, wood, or Fiberglas -- some were so realistic as to be scary at times.

Over the 3 years in which Robbie had been a member of the Bay City Adventurers Club, his original Thief character had slipped stealthily into the sub-class of Assassin...

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His standard costume had become a full length hooded cape, a studded leather vest over a soft black cotton shirt, long leather trousers, tall boots, and skin tight, form fitting calf skin gloves. His weapons included but were not limited to a short sword, a pair of throwing knives, a belt full of 'poison' darts, and a recurve bow with the obligatory quiver of arrows. While the sword was a light weight alloy to make it less uncomfortable to pack around for hours on end during In Character play, the rest of his weapons were the real deal. At 5'8", 175 pounds of manly hunk, he looked the part of an assassin. The joke was that if he ever caught his own reflection in a mirror or window, he'd probably peehimself and run away screaming like a little girl.

The CAC had long performed their exterior adventures in the City Parks and their interior ones in any one of a couple dozen buildings at which one or more of their its Players worked, with the modernity of the places ignored to feign the fantasy of an ancient world of magic and monsters. Robbie's Character Profile lent to his working indoors, sneaking about slashing at dungeon monsters, executing evil Lords and Wizards, or rescuing fair Maidens from their vicious captors.

Robbie had actually joined the CAC on a dare from one of its very few 'doable' female members for whom he'd had -- and eventually fulfilled -- some pretty erotic 'fantasy' fantasies. But he'd come to enjoy it a great deal, enough so that when the Capital City abandoned its old City Hall building to occupy its new digs, he convinced the Property Manager to allow the Club to use the now mostly gutted building as their castle and dungeon for the Summer Adventure.

So for the past couple of weekends, the CAC had had the ability to create a more realistic setting for their adventure. They used spray paint to mark up the walls and floors with details that typically had had to be left to the Game Master's description and the Players' imagination; they'd moved the abandoned furniture around and altered it as necessary to create such things as Royal bed chambers and torture rooms; and Robbie, who still couldn't believe he'd come to enjoy this so much, had been very active each of the past six weekends, even leveling up twice over this session alone. His last 'promotion' had resulted in a new Skill: Magic!

Carla Taylor, the female Robbie had followed into the CAC with non-D&D adventures in his horny mind, played a Half Elf Magic User; and she was now explaining to Robbie the list of Spells that were now available for his Assassin Character, 'Shadow', to learn and use. Without meaning anything by it, he haphazardly tossed her magic spell book onto the table near him, simply to get it out of his way so he could get 'handsy' with the beautiful Magic User in the plastic, pointy ears. She freaked out, chastising him about showing respect for the Dark Arts.

"We're in the OOC," he reminded her, looking about the former café that had one been called 'Perk Up'. It was the Club's Out Of Character space, meaning that they could drop their personas in here and return to the real world for a moment. Right now what Robbie wanted to return to was getting partially naked with Carla and relieving some sexual tension that had pent up since their last time together an unacceptable six days ago. He continued about the spell book with a chuckle, "It's just an unruled diary you probably bought at the Dollar Store to scribble pretend magic into."

"That book is authentic!" she snapped at him. She retrieved it, turned it to face Robbie, and began flipping through the pages, describing what she claimed was real magic. "My mother, God rest her soul, was a real witch ... and this was her spell book."

"Listen ... when we're out there," he continued, pointing out the now glass-less window of the coffee shop, "we're in character. But in here--"

"I'm neither being in nor out of character!" she countered. "I'm being truthful. My mother was a witch ... this was her spell book. This isn't a D&D prop. It's been passed down, female to female, through my direct lineage for over a thousand years ... and you need to show it some respect ... or else."

"A thousand years?" He was trying to be playful as he looked defiantly into her eyes and slammed the cover of the book shut. He taunted, "Or else what, Carla? What will happen to me...?"

He could see anger in her eyes, but as he hefted the book away from the table and held it out over floor, obviously planning on dropping it, that anger turned to fear. Despite it, he let the heavy volume go. It went straight down, remaining level, and smacked totally flat upon the floor. A resounding BOOM shot down the vacant halls and returned to us in several eerie, rolling echoes. He looked to the book, down the hall, and back to her.

He knew that something was wrong within just seconds. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel the trouble coming...

Eletha looked up again as the noise she had heard earlier had returned, onnly this time the noise was both louder and steadier. She grasped the crystal hanging around her neck with her left and muttered a few words. The crystal glowed in response. Softly cursing, Eletha looked around the room, wishing this had happened in the daytime, when she would have been properly dressed. Fortunately, there was a light, slightly transparent white robe hanging nearby, which she put on over her nightgown.

She gathered up a few books and a bag of rudimentary ingredients, pulling a few jars of specialized ingredients off the shelf and putting them in the simple pack she kept in the library. While she made her preparations, the noise grew louder and louder.

Then it appeared: a large black circle hung in the air. She could hold off going through the hole, of course, but the hole would only get stronger and eventually draw her through, no matter what she did. The only solution was to step through the hole, find out who or what was on the other side, and then determine the spell that was needed to get herself back.

Softly whispering a small prayer, Eletha stepped through the circle and found herself...

Somewhere else. That was the only way she could describe her surroundings.

Eletha was a mountain elf, and a member of the royal family besides, so her education had been thorough. She knew the building techniques and styles of all the known races of her world, and whatever type of building she was inside of right now, it was not one built by any of those methods.

There were two humans sitting in the room, staring at her and the now disappearing black circle she had just stepped through, The humans were dressed like travelers, men and women who traded their skill for gold and silver to lords and merchants across the land, or who perhaps sought treasures long thought gone and guarded by any variety of beasts and dangers. But there was something off about the apparel and bearing of these humans. The apparel was made of some odd cloth or weave, and something about the humans made Eletha think that they had more in common with traveling minstrels who portrayed adventurers in plays, than the actual adventurers themselves.

Eletha brushed herself off, took another look around the room, then returned her baleful gaze at the two humans, asking "ikotane maniren lemin sinum?

The echoing of the book falling to the floor had slowly changed to more of a deep, distant hum ... that Robbie noticed wasn't staying distant. He saw Carla's eyes searching about them, and he began turning to look for the source of the hum as well.

"When did you say they were going to demolish this place?" Robbie asked somewhere between seriousness and levity.

"You shouldn't have done that," Carla continued with her chastising of him. "I don't know what you did ... but what ever you did--"

Robbie noticed that his sometime lover's eyes had stopped scanning and were looking at his ear. He reached up and flicked his fingers past his head, thinking maybe the sound was some big bug floating near his ear. When he realized she wasn't looking at his ear but was instead looking past it, Robbie turned to follow her gaze. Together they murmured, "Oh ... my ... god..."

The two of them had seen radically different things, although each of them thought they'd seen the same as the other. Carla had seen a portal open up and a Being from another world -- likely a world of magic, mystery, mayhem, and monsters -- step through. But by the time Robbie turned, all he saw was a beautiful bosomy babe in costume -- in a thin, body hugging costume that left little to the imagination -- standing in the hallway just outside the OOC space.

The woman greeted Robbie and Carla with what the former assumed was another Adventure language they were going to have to learn to decipher to move ahead, "Ikotane maniren lemin sinum."

"New player...?" Robbie murmured to Carla as his eyes took a walk up and down the woman's form. He smiled, turned to look at the surprisingly overly shocked Carla, and said with a devilish smirk, "I think it's time to get back into character, don't you?"

He stood, flipped his hood up to cover his head, adjusted his bladed and pointed weapons on his hips and his bow over his back, and asked, "Ready? We don't want our Non Player Character to feel like she's not playing her--"

"Did you see that?" Carla asked, her voice wavering. When Robbie looked to the woman again, ogled her again, then looked back, Carla continued, "Did you...?"

"What?" Robbie asked, oblivious to the now gone portal-thing-a-ma-jigger. He shrugged, asking, "What is it? Oh come on, we're in the OOC. If you're going to continue with all of that real magic stuff--"

Suddenly, Carla snatched up her spell book and dashed for the cafe's second entrance. In a flash, she was gone, leaving Robbie standing there to just stare at the empty doorway ... before turning with a hungry wolfish smirk to the NPC with the big tits. He headed toward her, adjusting his costume again before stepping out into the IC area, took one more step -- which put him just out of her reach -- and gave her an exaggerated bow as he introduced, "Good day, m'lady. They call me ... Shadow. May I be of service..."

...and in his mind, Robbie silently added between your thighs ... or maybe just those fuckin' watermelons ... Jesus!

Eletha tugged her translucent robe around herself tighter, not at all appreciating the desirous way that the human male was looking at her form. He and the human female exchanged a few sentences. The human female's tone and facial expressions showed that she was frightened, while the human male's displayed only languorous contempt.

Suddenly the human female grabbed a book and bolted from the room. Eletha's eyes narrowed, focusing on the book in the female's hand, certain that was the source of her appearance in this world. She was about to give chase when the human male stepped in front of her, blocking her way, his tone and eyes telling Eletha clearly of his libidinous intent.

I don't have time for this, Eletha thought. She placed her hand on the human male's chest and muttered "Yeen Menig Edowt Ayagin!" The crystal between her breasts glowed as did her arm and hand. The human male stumbled to the left, as if an unseen force had hit him from the right.

But the damage was done. The human female was nowhere to be seen.

The features on her face furious, Eletha spun toward the human male, her hair flying and revealing her pointed ears."Mankum inat edanow?" she demanded.

The woman reached out to Robbie's chest, and he smiled as he thought, Oh yeah, baby, I'm here to save you from this evil ... this evil ... this...

"Yeen Menig Edowt Ayagin!"

He began to get light headed, thinking, What the fuck...?

"Mankum inat edanow?"

When he'd regained his composure, still a bit light headed, Robbie snatched at the woman's wrist and pulled her the two short steps into the café so that he could ask without violating Character, "What the fuck?"

Eletha had been angry before when this...this...rogue had blocked her way, and possibly hampered a quick return to her own world. But her blue eyes now literally burned with furious fire at this human's hubris of actually laying his hands upon her,. She tried vainly to free her wrist as the human yelled something unintelligible in her face. Since the human seemed to have no intention of releasing her, she decided to use her arcane knowledge instead.

"Isatin Akuta!" she barked. Instantly the human's fingers were forced open, releasing her wrist. Seconds later, she was surrounded by an aura of ice blue flames. Pointing a flaming finger at the human, she almost screamed, "Numaner! Nyar aminank elek wanwa!"

"Isatin Akuta!"

The fingers on Robbie's offending hand suddenly splayed out without a command from his own brain. He'd immediately thought she'd pulled some pressure point, self defense move, but he was able to raise his hand up before him with no sign at all that she was holding onto him.

When her entire form began to glow in blue, Robbie was impressed. The Game Master and his Aides -- who divided their time between creating 'sets' and playing NPCs -- had come up with some ingenious ways to create more realistic environments. They used black lights, fog makers, and more to help the Players imagine they were actually in a fantasy world. But this! Robbie stared at the woman with wide eyes as the feeling returned to his hand and his digits slowly regained their movement.

But then she pointed a flaming finger at him, screaming, "Numaner! Nyar aminank elek wanwa!"

It was like nothing Robbie had seen to date, and his mind was struggling with understanding not only how the GM had accomplished it but also why this woman was wasting her efforts and the effects in the OOC space. He snapped back at her, "Listen, I don't know what you're up to, but shouldn't you save it for out there?"

"She's not an NPC!"

I looked past the woman, then toward the second café entrance. "Carla?"

"She isn't a non player character," my sometimes lover repeated, hiding out of sight. After I looked between this woman and the hall where Carla was hiding and asked her to explain, the latter said, "You caused this, you idiot!"

"What're you talking about?"

"You caused this!" Carla hollered, peeking out just enough for me to see her. I begged her to come back inside but she refused, saying, "Don't you realize what you've done...? You brought her from another dimension! She's not from our world."

I looked back to the woman, and -- unable to resist ogling her once more -- thought to myself, I can believe that those tits didn't come from this world, wow. I looked closer at the woman and saw her ears. I leaned left and right for a better look, telling Carla, "You're the idiot. You're taking all of this too seriously. It's a stunt by the GM."

I hadn't seen the portal, of course, otherwise I wouldn't be dismissing this as just part of the adventure.

This human, Eletha concluded, was either the bravest or most foolish individual of any race she had ever met. Even now, when she could (and was tempted to) burn him to a crisp, he maintained his arrogant attitude and still continued to ogle her breasts.

Her attention was diverted by the return of the other human, the woman with the book. The woman was trying to hide from Eletha while continuing her conversation with the male. This one was definitely frightened by Eletha and clearly agitated at the human male. The two exchanged sentences but neither seemed to be able to convince the other to accept the point of whatever they were arguing about.

Eletha, however, had her gaze focused squarely on where the human woman was shouting from.

Deciding that she needed to calm the human woman, Eletha took a deep breath, then slowly released it. The blue flames surrounding her body faded away.

Eletha started slowly walking toward where the human female was hiding, but decided that some type of action needed to be taken to keep the human male in check, Without looking back, she pointed her left hand at the human male and barked, "Wedlay yetekel!" Black ribbons flew from her fingers and wrapped themselves around the human male, binding his legs together and securing his arms against his torso.

Focusing her attention on where the human female was hiding, and keeping her voice as soft and gentle as she could, she walked slowly forward and asked, "Aminkala tanyasay?"

"Wedlay yetekel!"

In a flash, Robbie was bound by ribbons that simply shot from Little Miss Big Tits's fingers. Robbie was simply stunned and didn't even attempt to fight against them.

Carla for her part stepped out away from the wall to face the woman, amazed with what she'd seen. She hadn't had any doubts that something magical was happening here, but her fear had been of the situation, not the Magic User herself.

Aminkala tanyasay?"

Carla stared in silence for a moment, suddenly thinking that the woman's words were somehow familiar. She held a finger up in a wait gesture, opened her spell book to the back page, which her mother had once told her were Runes not of this dimension, not that Carla had understood what that meant. She found her target word in the English column, pressed her finger to the Rune beside it, and turned the book toward the woman with the real pointy ears, saying, "Hello?"

A bright smile appeared on Eletha's face as the human woman showed her the rune. It represented the simplest form of greeting in the shared languages of the elves. Which meant that the word that the human woman used must be her word for a greeting.

"Hel-lo?" Eletha asked hopefully.

"Oh my God," Carla murmured softly at the woman's repeat of the English word. "I can't believe this."

Several yards away, somehow able to maintain his balance without even trying, the trussed up Robbie asked with obvious confusion, "Can't believe what? What's going on? Who is this woman? And how the hell did she do this to me?"

Without taking her eyes off the amazing visitor, Carla said in a soft tone, "Be quiet."

"What?" Robbie asked with obvious disbelief in Carla. "Tell me what's going on?"

Still in a tone that belied the meaning of her words, Carla said, "Just zip it ... until I can figure out..."

Carla let the thought fade as she gave another one finger wait gesture. She flipped frantically through the pages of the magic book until she found the section for what she was looking. Two or three more pages, and her face lit up with joy. She turned the book to the other woman, pressed a fingertip to a line that she thought was a translation spell, and -- despite knowing that the woman probably didn't speak English -- asked her, "Can you say this?"

Eletha studied the text intensely, excitedly recognizing it for what it was. Of course, translation spells weren't as effective as actually learning a language. All sorts of nuances were lost in the magic. But at least she'd have a lot better idea about what these human were saying than she did now.

Eletha placed her finger tip on the first rune and pronounced the corresponding syllable. Both the pendant nestled between her breasts and the rune glowed softly. As Eletha's finger slid across each rune of the spell, it would glow as well. When she finished the spell, both her crystal and the runes glowed brightly, then faded to normal.

Eletha looked at the human female in front of her, then asked, "I Eletha. You name is?"

Carla's eyes widened with excitement at the sight before her. The Runes seemed to come alive as this stranger spoke them, as did the crystal dangling in her bosom. And when she'd reached the last symbol and spoke directly to Carla, the latter understood them!

"I, Carla," the wided eyed woman with the plastic ears said, pressing an opened hand to her own less impressive bosom as if needing to identify who she meant. Rattling quickly, she continued, "Carla, Carla Taylor, my name is Carla Taylor, my God, I can't believe this, I can't believe you're from another dimension, that you've come here, come through a portal, come by, oh my God, by magic from--"

"Carla!" Robbie cut in loudly, adding in a quieter tone, "Take a breath, sweetie ... and see what you can do ... about getting me untied."

The excited faux-Half Elf had flinched at the chastising interruption, then blushed, and now -- after literally drawing and exhaling that suggested big breath explained to the real elf, "That's Robert. He's a friend ... a good guy. So ... you can ... you know ... do what ever you need to do to let him go. He won't hurt you."

Eletha stepped back, caught by surprise by the other woman's excitement. And Eletha couldn't help but grin. After the other woman gave her name, Eletha didn't understand another word, the other woman talked so fast. But Eletha was sure what the source of the other woman's excitement. It was the demonstration of magic. Eletha remembered her first demonstration, when she was a young girl, before she was apprenticed.

Eletha wondered how much magic the other woman could wield. It might fall on to Eletha to teach her enough to be able to use magic to send Eletha home. Well, this Carla seemed to be a very nice sort. Eletha decided she would probably enjoy sharing what she knew with this human.

Then the rogue interrupted their conversation, his tone seeming to be condescending and demanding. Eletha decided she didn't like the way he was talking to Carla at all.

Although Eletha wasn't sure she agreed with Carla's character assessment of the rogue (Robert, she said his name was), perhaps she couldn't leave him over there in the corner. Eletha eyed Robert suspiciously before pointing a finger at him, muttering "Semay tezegto izhi yimetal." Robert remained tied up, but he did levitate about an inch above the floor, moving swiftly until he was with Eletha and Carla and then setting down on the floor again. Pointing an admonishing finger, Eletha told him. "You be nice her. You be nice me. You watch tone her. You not stare breasts. Understand?"

Carla was thoroughly impressed with Eletha's magic, not only because it was powerful and unexpected but because she'd always wanted to be magical. That was definitely going to be a disappointment to the woman from a magical dimension when it came out: despite coming from a line of self-professed White Witches, Carla was yet to find her magic. But for now, Carla wasn't contemplating that issue because, simply, she had idea yet that she and she alone would be Eletha's ticket home.

For Robbie's part, he was more annoyed than impressed ... and, to be honest, a bit scared. A ribbon... had shot out of this woman's finger tip... and wrapped around his body... absolutely securing him and prevented him from moving from where he was standing. What the hell? As he'd been watching the two women interacting, Robbie had tested the ribbon wrapping him up in an attempt to get free. But like a snake trying to choke the breath from a rabbit, the ribbon seemed to tighten further with every little struggle, so he'd wisely given up.

"Semay tezegto izhi yimetal."

Robert suddenly found himself levitating over the tile until he was close enough to Eletha for her outstretched ribbon dispenser to almost poke him in the eye.

"You be nice her..."

Robbie's eyes widened, hearing her first words in English.

"You be nice me."

He nodded.

"You watch tone her."

"Sure," Robbie finally spoke with a submissive tone.

"You not stare breasts."

Robbie couldn't help but glance down at the mere mention of the woman's impressive rack, thinking And I'll hold back the tide, too.

"Understand?"

Despite his tbought, Robbie said instead, "Of course, I understand"

He glanced towards the woman he sometimes fucked, wondering whether or not she too had noticed his ogling the breasts of the woman he wanted to fuck, but Carla seemed absolutely entranced with their visitor.

Suddenly, there was a distant uproar coming from down the hallway. Robbie and Carla met gazes, as the latter said with shock, "They're coming!"

The pair of them had been in the OOC area waiting for a battle to conclude at the gates of the Castle, but now the rest of their team was coming. And just like Carla and Robbie, the others were in full costume and -- outside the former cafe -- would be in character when they arrived.

"We need to get out of here!" Carla said. She looked to Eletha, then back to Robbie saying, "We can't explain her."

Robbie glanced down at his still bound body, adding in a venomous tone, "Or this!"

Eletha's head turned at the noise of others approaching the room. From Carla's and Robby's reaction, it didn't seem to be a good thing for whoever was coming into the room to find Eletha here. Truth be told, Eletha didn't care to be seen by more strangers in her nightclothes, but that was neither here nor there. Robby didn't seem to care to be caught magically bound, as he was now, but that was a minor point in Eletha's book.
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Eletha reached into the pocket of her robe and produced a small pouch, no bigger than a small handbag. Except one couldn't put one's arm up to one's elbow in a small handbag, like Eletha did with the pouch. After a little rummaging, Eletha pulled out a rock that filled the palm of her hand. The rock was mostly gray, with pale green quartz scattered through out it.

Eletha stretched out the hand with the rock in it toward Carla, while using her other hand to grab Robby's arm. She told Carla, "You hold rock with me, think where go. Yes? Think where go."

The sight of Eletha's arm sinking down into that smallish purse was like something out of a Las Vegas magician's show, making both Carla and Robbie smile with delight, despite the imminent discovery of the stranger. Robbie didn't understand at all what Eletha was explaining about the rock, but Carla immediately did. Her spell book had a handful of teleportation related spells in it, not that she knew how they worked, of course. She could only read the runes: she couldn't make the reading of them do anything.

She mimicked Eletha's actions, reaching one hand to Robbie's nearest arm and laying a hand over the rock in the magic user's palm. Without even having to think, Carla said, "Traitor Springs ... Traitor Springs, take us to Traitor Springs."

She didn't know whether she was saying it to Eletha or to the rock...



...but the next thing Carla knew was that she was standing in her most favorite place in the world. Carla's parents -- her father a teacher, her mother a school administrator -- had been bringing the family here for the full month of July every summer since before she could recall. After momma's death to a sudden illness during Carla's freshman year of college, however, poppa simply couldn't come here anymore. They'd tried once, but at the access road he simply hadn't been able to make the necessary right turn. They'd continued on to the coast instead, where Carla attempted to learn surfing from a four years older beach bum who also took her virginity that last night before returning home.

Carla hadn't been back here since. And seeing it now -- remembering how magical it had been to her mother -- made her tear up ... sob ... and drop to her knees, crying with a deep loss she hadn't truly known until this moment.

Robbie for his part was simply standing there, wide eyed, wide mouthed ... shocked at what the fuck was going on! He looked to Carla, then to Eletha, and said with a wry tone, "Because I dropped a book on the floor ... really?"

"You quiet!" Eletha said with a stern look at the still bound Robby before she dropped to her knees along side Carla. Eletha gathered the woman up in her arms, cradling Carla's head against her heart, and did the only thing she could think of. Eletha began softly crooning a song Eletha's mother sang to her when Eletha was a child:

"Aylato yabeth atara nagon aley,
Armank tanyum illind atara nagon adley yakrom..."

Robbie only sneered at Eletha after she chastised him. He watched the woman go to Carla and pull the smaller, sobbing woman close to her impressive bosom. He couldn't help but smile, fantasizing that Carla would turn her head a bit to begin kissing those massive mams, giving him the girl-on-girl show with which Carla had often teased him. It wasn't going to happen while the faux Elf was sobbing like a little girl, so Robbie dismissed the fantasy and turned his attention to his surroundings.

Robert knew this had to be the Traitor Springs Carla had once described to him with glazed over eyes. They were surrounded by basalt cliffs on three sides; and tall, Old growth Douglas firs, shorter trees, and wide thick shrubs on the fourth. Within these barriers, their view was cut to just fifty or sixty yards in any direction. A small stream, perhaps 8 feet across and 2 inches deep, spilled over a 20 foot high cliff, the waterfall splashing into a 100 foot diameter pool of crystal clear water. Robbie could see behind the spilling water the darkness of the two yard-diameter entrance of a cave Carla had told him went back into the mountain at least a hundred yards before it was blocked.

At the forested end, a stream that emptied the pond disappeared into the forest; and although Robbie couldn't see it from here, Carla knew that this stream headed 50 yards down the hill to meet up with the discharge of the two springs that gave Traitor Springs the second half of its name. Carla had told Robbie that one of the water sources was a hot spring, downstream of which had been built a stone hot tub at which her family use to skinny dip, one and all. The other spring had been ignored all those summers by the kids because it was so cold and tiny in flow. What they couldn't have known then and what Carla would only soon learn herself was that that second spring would be central to her finding her magic.

In fact, the entire area was full of magic, which would be both good and bad for the trio now occupying it. Because while Carla would find her magic and begin the growth of a power her mother always promised her, Eletha would find that the source of power here was not compatible with some of her own magic. The first evidence of this was when Robbie suddenly realized that the ribbons holding his limbs tight to him like a mummy's wrap were loosening. He tested them with a bit of wriggling, and a moment later they slid down his body to gather at his feet.

"Thank you," he said to Eletha, mistakenly thinking that the Mountain Elf had been responsible for his release. He stepped out of the gathered ribbons and shook his stiffened body loose. He cringed a bit, squeezing his knees together playfully, before running off toward the trees saying animatedly, "Gotta pee!"

As Robbie was hurrying off, his Assassin's cape flowing in the light breeze behind him, Carla sat up and wiped away her tears. She looked up into Eletha's face, saying softly, "Sorry. This ... this place. It was very special to my family ... to my mother, before her death. Do you understand death...?"

She stood and patted away the dust from her clothes, then teetered a bit unsteadily. She regained her stance, saying, "Wow. What was that?"

Looking about herself, the place looked exactly as it had the last time she'd been here. Well, some of the bushes and smaller trees had grown, causing the foliage to appear thicker, of course. Only a couple of dozen serious hiking types came here, some of them only once a year, so the entire area had a very natural, untouched feel to it with the exception of one small area that had been maintained as a tent area.

And yet, there was something different about it to Carla. Very different. It wasn't in the appearance, but ... well ... it was...

Carla suddenly realized that it wasn't Traitor Springs that was different. It was her! She looked at her hands, turning them over again and again, looking at the fronts, the backs, bending her fingers. There was something about them that intrigued her, but she couldn't figure out what it was. They didn't so much look different as they felt different. It was like they were tingling.

For reasons she didn't understand, she felt drawn to her mother's spell book. She reached inside her cape and pulled the volume out and opened it. She stared at a page for a moment ... and after a moment, the runes seemed to be glowing before her, as they did when Eletha spoke the translation spell earlier. She flipped the pages searching for a specific spell and, finding it, pressed a finger tip to the page. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she suddenly knew exactly what the runes meant.

"I need a flower," she murmured to herself, searching about her feet. She found a bud that was maybe a day away from opening and picked it. She laid it inside the open spell book, pressed her finger to the runes again, and spoke the words. No sooner had she finished then the blossom began opening as if in one of those fast motion nature films. Her face lit up as she watched, then looking to Eletha she said with a delighted tone, "I'm finding my magic."

Eletha could not help but smile as she watched Carla make the flower bloom. And when Eletha closed her eyes, she could feel the uniqueness to this place, and its bond with Carla.

It was Carla's kenyamen.

Eletha struggled to find an English translation for that word, but the closest she could find in her mind was 'Awakening Place.' And it was indeed the place where magic was awakened in one who was gifted in it. True, magic could be taught anywhere, but the best place was always a kenyamen, an awakening place. A place seeped with the history of one's forebears. Eletha had such a place at home where her aunt had taught her the basics of magic.

Eletha kept her eyes closed and stretched out her senses. She could work magic here, with some adjustments of course. Weave herself into this place. The philosophers of her world had long discovered the truth that the physicists of Carla's world were just discovering. In the end, there was no fundamental differences in the forces that worked on the world around us, just different expressions of those forces. Eletha had enough skill to easily weave herself in the magic of this place and harness it. Except, of course, that was considered a grave sin among those who ethically practiced magic. This was a sacred place, Carla's kenyamen, and it should be left to her and whatever kin would teach Carla.

Eletha was about to have Carla search the spell book she held for the incantation that would send Eletha home (since in this place it would be easy enough for Carla to cast) when a truth struck here. Her mind revealed the reason Carla had been crying.

Carla's mother had died before she could give her daughter any instructions.

The sudden knowledge of Carla's loss left Eletha with only one choice. If Carla wished it, Eletha would stay and help her learn.

"You need teacher," she said softly to Carla. "You want, I stay and teach. Be your seleristima. Your..." Eletha paused, again searching for a word, and again coming up with a poor translation. "Your sister teacher. But this your kenyamen. Your awakening place. I weave myself here, if you say okay. If you wish me to be your seleristima. But your decision. Not mine."

Carla's face lit up with excitement at Eletha's suggestion. "Yes. Yes! Of course, yes!"

All her life, Carla had had magic in her life, in a way. She'd seen her mother's magic; she'd partaken of its wonder. At least, that was what she remembered. She'd been very young, still in her single digits. But Carla had memories that she was sure were real: her mother dipping a finger tip into a tea cup and causing the water to boil; all six of their cats standing in a straight line on their back feet seeming to dance to little Carla's off key singing; and, similarly to what had happened to Robbie, Carla sitting with her legs crossed before her, rising slightly from the ground, and spinning round and round -- laughing in hysterics -- as if on a personal, invisible carnival ride.

And then there'd been the serious magic: poor o' Mrs. Barlow, who had lived in pain and agony for so long, being given just three months to live, yet after starting momma's weekly treatment of some very strange ingredients living another three years, happy and pain free; or shy, little Miss Albertson who just couldn't seem to catch the eye of a good man, dancing naked within a circle of dandelion blooms while swallowing down one of momma's love potions and then, just sixteen days later, choosing a husband from amongst a dozen men who had been bringing her flowers, chocolate, and cute little puppies while professing their endless love.

Then, momma had gotten sick. And all the magic in the world couldn't fix her. Carla's mother had given up on her magic, just when family tradition would have seen the beginning of Carla's training. And then, she was gone. And all Carla had to show for a thousand years of magic was a spell book that simply hadn't called to her.

Until now.

"I think there's something special about this place," she told Eletha as she glanced about the incredible forest. She'd felt it in her hands, had seen the flower bloom in her pond. And there were the memories of her mother sneaking off into the woods downstream of the pond for almost and entire day before returning with a whole different way about her. She looked toward the pond's outflow, then back to Eletha with a smile. She flashed her spell book again, saying, "Let's take a walk ... and we can start my education."

Robbie had returned to the forest edge to find the two women talking. He'd studied them from the shadows for a moment, his imagination running wild. The one I'm fucking ... the one I wanna fuck. When he saw them heading his way, he backed off into the woods, afraid they would think he'd been spying ... which, of course, he had. He decided to take a walk, maybe circle around and back, avoiding them. He didn't know why he was doing this. Oh yeah, there was the whole magical ribbons and levitating and transporting from the city to the forest thing that he didn't understand but with which the other two seemed totally fine.

As he was following an overgrown trail that seemed to have been long ignored, Robbie came across steam rising from the foliage. He came across the hot spring Carla had mentioned before. It was simply built, just an arc of stones and mud built almost like a dam across the outflow of a hot spring, creating a six foot diameter, two foot deep pool. He reached a hand into the water and gave an audible sigh. Within moments he was naked and slipping carefully into the water until he up to his muscular chest in the wonderfulness.

"This place special because you special," Eletha responded, then paused. She could tell her grammar wasn't correct by listening to Carla, so she was going to try to speak English better. "Because you're special," Eletha amended. "Close your eyes and feel. Your mother is here. Women who have come before you, lead to you, they here. They are here."

"First thing remember," Eletha said, tapping Carla over her heart. "Listen here. It knows, if you listen. It knows when there is fun, when there is happiness. It knows when you shield yourself, shield others. And it knows when you do things from greed or anger. Avoid the last. Now, there is --- there are things we must do," Eletha advised. "But first, we have fun, because magic is about life and joy. Watch." Eletha instructed. Eletha closed her eyes, and drew a little of the magic of the place inside her. She looked around and spotted a mockingbird watching the two women from a perch in a nearby tree. Eletha pushed out the magic she had drawn in while simultaneously whistling a happy little tune. The mockingbird flew closer and mimicked the tune. Eletha laughed, then turned to Carla. "Now you try."

Carla laughed at the display, happy to see magic returning to her life. She remembered her mother and thought of how wonderful it would have been to have her here now. But Eletha was amazing, and Carla was surprisingly very comfortable with the woman.

She did as directed, selecting a few notes, whistling them -- a bit off tune -- and looking to the Mockingbird. Again, it flew closer, landing on a limb just ten feet away as it repeated the notes. Carla couldn't help but laugh, saying to Eletha, "He repeated them off tune ... just like I'd whistled them. Funny!"

She stepped closer to the other woman, begging, "Show me more..."



Robbie had peeked about the woods to ensure he was alone, then masturbated to a fairly satisfying orgasm before letting himself fall asleep in the warm water, the mud wall behind him almost as comfortable as his claw foot bath tub back home. He awoke some time later to find his fingers and toes all wrinkled like prunes. He rose, shook off and patted away as much water as he could, then donned his Assassin's costume and headed back up to the meadow surrounding the pond.

When he arrived, he simply stood there at the woods edge and stared in amazement.

"One more for fun," Eletha laughed, "And then we get to work. Things we need for you...to make for you, to weave, to learn. But one last bit of fun."

Again, Eletha dug into her pouch, and produced two circles of copper, about an inch in diameter, with a perpetual soapy film inside the rings. "This one yours, and this one mine," Eletha said, handing one of the rings to Carla. "Draw magic in, breathe magic out," Eletha instructed, as she held the ring up to her mouth. Eletha inhaled, then exhaled through the ring. A bubble appeared, floating above them without regard to the direction of the wind. The bubble turned different bright colors, playing different random notes before it soared straight up and popped in a silent explosion of colors.

Carla laughed happily as she followed suit, and soon the area was covered with dancing musical bubbles.

When the last bubbles disappeared, Eletha's smile became more serious as she reached out and touched the faux points on Carla's ears. "You wish to be like me? Is partially possible. I...you...we can do this. Make you half elf, half human. Paryadel. Only eyes like yours and mine see in this world," Eletha added, touching the false pointed ears again. "Maybe Robby and others who have seen magic. But no one else. You wish?"