Note: It's best to read the first two chapters before reading this chapter.
Chapter 3: The Bond
Dim light from dying candles hopelessly fought against the shadows. Arranged in a circle, the candle flames danced and flickered amongst each other. He sat in the middle of the circle, cross legged, drawing in as much magical energy as he could for the task at hand. He took a breath to steady himself and allowed his mind to dip into the Astral Realm.
He shuddered as the Astral Energies surrounded and invigorated him. He opened his eyes to find two sights before him. The Astral Realm, radiant and prismatic, layered over the dull colors of the Real World. He watched as a coruscating stream of energy flowed into the Real World, fading into grayness as it did.
Energy to change. Energy to manipulate. Energy to create.
Power.
Magic.
He sniffled. Bathing in such raw and unrefined magic from a place other than the Source was foolish, dangerous even, but the potential benefits were unmatched. He weaved the energies together through sheer force of will, layering spell atop of spell. Spells from dozens of disciplines and faiths, learned from centuries of study, all for one purpose.
To find her.
Magical energies, wrapped and warped into strands, came together in an elaborate tapestry of shimmering radiance. All of it bound to a small lock of hair. The hair was carefully tied together into a tight bundle and consisted of strands of various colors: ash black, chocolate brown, auburn red, and others. Hair, much like nails, blood, spit, or any other bodily fluids containing DNA, also contained spiritual anchors to it's owner. Links to the actual person. He could use that anchor to find her. The hair, a mix of strands taken from Lisa and the other sacrifices, long before they had merged to form Ishtar. A dozen anchors wrapped together by a massive chain. It wasn't enough to pinpoint her exact location. But, in theory, it would be enough for him to anchor her to a location within a certain distance.
The magic devoured the locket of hair, bubbled, and churned with brilliant motes of light sparkling outwards. He focused that light, that power, into a ball and directed it onto his hold on her. On his mark. The same mark that he placed on all his slaves. The magic reacted The magic built to a crescendo, a storm of primal energy, before simply...fizzing out and dissipating into the atmosphere.
Impossible.
For a spell of this power and magnitude to fail was practically unheard of. His spellwork was flawless, perfect. Not even the Thirteen could hope to match his centuries of knowledge. So why did the anchoring spell fail?
Unless...
Had she somehow bound her soul to someone?
Someone who she could use to conceal herself from him.
Anger surged through his veins.
How?
Who?
Who dared take his prize? Who dared to defy him? Who dared to take his prize?
"Master?" said a feminine voice, snapping him from the white fury of his anger.
He turned to Latila watching him from the corner. Naked save for the black collar wrapped around her neck.
A symbol of her slavery and his ownership. A symbol that should have been worn by Ishtar.
"Are you alright?"
His hands were on her neck in an instant, shoving her against the wall.
"Master!" Latila gasped, trembling. She was wary, afraid.
"Shut up." He growled, and his lips found her's.
Latila melted into him, all pretenses of fear abandoned in her lust. Her arms wrapping around his body. She opened her mouth and allowed his tongue to wrap around her's. Good. It was good that his slaves wanted their master. He pushed her down and Latila obediently knelt before him. Her hands deftly began to undo his trousers. His cock sprung free from its confines and was quickly engulfed by Latila's greedy mouth.
"Such a good slave." He murmured quietly, running his hands through her white hair. Her tongue wrapped around his length as she bobbed against his cock. Taking him deeper with each movement.
***
A goddess sat before Ray. She was, undoubtedly, the most beautiful thing that Ray had laid his eyes on. She had the kind of beauty that women killed for and men died for. Gorgeous green eyes that pierced through to one's souls stared back at Ray, framed by soft curls of auburn hair so vibrant that they looked as if they were flames frozen in place. Her alabaster skin was so pale that it practically glowed amongst the darkness. A splattering of freckles danced across her chest, yet they only seemed to accentuate her beauty rather than work against it. Her hourglass figure was slender and voluptuous, reaching that perfect ratio that so many women sought.
But Ray knew better. Beauty was only skin deep. Beauty hid what undoubtedly was the most dangerous being he had ever come across.
She sat behind ten layers of barriers and wards. A dozen shields held in place by dozens of wards that simultaneously worked with and against each other to hold the bindings in place. Not that she was trying to break out. In fact, she hadn't done much other than sit on the ground since Ray had brought her back from the wedding hall.
A visage of serene calm.
"Will this be enough to hold her?" Ray asked from the other side of the shields. He could still feel tremors of her leaking power through the layers of protection. Power that froze him in place.
"Dunno." Garuban admitted, "I've never tried to trap a being of her caliber before."
"Her caliber? Isn't she a demon?"
"I thought she was, but now that I'm close enough to observe her, I can safely say I have no idea what she is." Said the bracelet, a cheerful chuckle in his voice.
That wasn't a good sign.
"You seem awfully happy about being in the dark." Ray said quietly.
"Yup! Of course I'm happy!" Garuban said. "I'm a spirit of knowledge. I'm meant to gather and disseminate information. This is something entirely new! Something that hasn't ever been seen on this plane of existence! I'll probably go down in the history books."
Ray scoffed and refocused his attention on her. Their eyes met. His brown meeting her green. There was a sudden spark of energy that raised goosebumps on his forearms. "So, she's not a demon, any idea what she is?"
