Chapter 11 – Time for Change
“Ohhhh…gawwwwwwd…too much!” Liz whimpered around the gag that had her jaw aching. The feathers and floggers hadn’t stopped teasing and slapping her since Sassy had set them to their task of tormenting her. Her entire body was soaked in sweat, and was hyper-sensitive from a combination of the tickling and stinging slaps. Every inch of her either felt a warm, aching sensation, or felt a constant tingling, almost as if the feathers were still touching her even if they had moved on.
It felt as though she had been atop the horse for days, but knew it couldn’t have been that long. It was one of those strange aspects of how time flowed within the Sanctum at work, something Chorna had given a lecture on, but Liz couldn’t remember the specific details at the moment; it had been a very boring day, and she’d been more concerned with her upcoming familiar summoning ritual at the time. One could sometimes get a sense of how time flowed outside, while feeling an odd disconnect on the inside, and it usually manifested itself more acutely when you had ventured outside the Sanctum for a time. At least, that’s how she thought it worked.
So far, Liz still hadn’t managed to loosen a single binding, or to even cast a spell successfully. She’d gotten so close a couple times, but then the floggers had struck her at just the right spot…namely right between her legs atop her pussy. Aside from shattering her tenuous concentration into a million tiny motes that had vaporized immediately, the strike had set off a reaction inside her. The pain from the slap, combined with the vulnerability of her position and the tickling feathers on her soles at the time had caused her body to tense up. She’d bit down on the gag, then screamed into it, but not from pain.
No, that scream had been pure pleasure. She’d came when the flogger struck her pussy, and her whole body had jerked against the restraints, tensing as the powerful wave of pleasure crashed through her.
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, especially not to Sassy, Liz found herself enjoying her punishments rather than really fearing them. Had it started the first time she had cast that forbidden spell? Or had she started down that path earlier?
Either way, there was no hiding that fact now. She had lain in an unresponsive, twitching heap atop the padded horse for a brief time, the floggers provoking no reaction, nor the feathers, but it wasn’t long before she was squirming again, and it was only a matter of time before she had came again.
There was a mess in the punishment chamber, atop the horse and in the floor below it, and she would have to be the one to clean it up. And she wasn’t entirely put out by that. But what was Sassy going to think? And Chrona?
The only consolation to the position Liz found herself in was that it allowed her to sense when the chamber door had opened even though she was blindfolded and her ears were stuffed. She raised her tail and let out an eager moan, hoping that her punishment time was up.
She couldn’t take much more!
At last the earplugs were pulled free, and she heard Sassy’s voice. “Good lord, youngin’! Did ya spill a jug a water in here or somethin’? And whut’s with all these straps still in place? Not a single one loose!”
Liz moaned weakly as the feathers vanished, and the floggers stopped their constant slaps, and sagged over the horse, her ears drooping.
“Oh, don’t be so hard on her, Sassy,” said Chrona, her voice soft, but sounding somewhat distant, with a faint echoing quality, some aspect of the nature of her personal type of magic. “Are you certain you’ve not overdone it just a little?”
“Well…” Sassy started as she began undoing Liz’s restraints. “…Ah ain’t so sure about that, ma’am. Ah ain’t even so sure little miss Lizzy even felt punished…”
“Mmmm!” Liz squealed, nodding her head quickly. Sassy removed her blindfold and gag next, and Liz blinked quickly, her eyes readjusting to the light of the chamber. “I’m feeling very chastised, Miss Sassy! I’m really sorry for what I did!”
There was a pause, and Sassy snorted. “Sure ya are, kid! Ah can see just how sorry ya are all over tha place.”
Liz groaned softly, hugging the horse as the last of the restraints were finally removed, flexing her fingers once they were finally out of the mittens. Though her body was already warm, she felt it burning even hotter as her embarrassment blossomed.
“Fret not, child,” Chrona said in her soft voice from behind Liz. “There is no shame in finding joy in such things. The proper lesson that you need to learn, however, is to not become overwhelmed by your pleasures and allow them to consume you. You must learn to focus, even through the most intense sensations of pain or pleasure; you never know when you’ll need to overcome the desires of your body, or a severe injury that may threaten your life. Once properly sharpened, your mind can pierce through any distractions.”
Liz nodded slowly and blew out her breath. “Yes, Lady Chrona,” she said gravely. Chrona wasn’t nearly as direct in her chastisement as Sassy to be sure, but Liz could see her words for what they were.
Sassy helped Liz off of the horse, and even had a small, conjured cloud puff waiting for her to sit on. Sassy dug into her satchel and pulled out a bottle, unstopped it, and handed it over. “Here, drink up. Ya could use some hydration Ah thank.”
Smiling weakly, Liz nodded and gulped down several mouthfuls of the cool, conjured water. The little bottle was a fairly common arcane device, especially for those who were venturing out of the Sanctum, that would constantly create water to replenish itself. Once she had a good start on rehydrating herself, Liz finally looked up and regarded Chrona.
The head of the Order of Hecate stood quietly a few feet away, toward the door, her hands clasped in front of her. She wore a vaguely medieval style dress in deep purple, with slashes of red, with a wide, flaring skirt that reached to the floor, and even seemed to have a corset beneath the bodice. Ruffles and ribbons were at her wrists and neck, and her long black hair was worn loose, spilling over her shoulders and framing her face. Her face was where Liz tried to avoid looking, though. She met Chrona’s gaze, but only for a moment, and couldn’t quite make herself maintain eye contact, even though she’d tried many times. Chrona’s face was…well, like a doll in some ways. It was slender, her lips coated in a deep red lipstick, but her skin was pale and…timeless was the only word Liz could come up with. One moment Chrona seemed ancient, and in the blink of an eye she seemed almost child-like.
But the real thing that unsettled Liz was Chrona’s eyes. They glowed faintly golden now, but she had witnessed them shining much more brilliantly during the rituals Chrona had led over the years. That in itself wasn’t so bad, it was the fact that there were clock hands in her eyes, plainly visible over the golden brilliance within. The hands in Chrona’s left eye always ticked backwards, while the ones in her right were ticking forward. And if Liz looked at them for more than a second or two, an unsettling sensation began creeping over her, almost like she was about to peek at something she shouldn’t know, or couldn’t possibly understand, like there was a secret so great hiding in the well of time that it would rip her mind asunder. At other moments it was as if she was going to see her life flash before her, all that she had experienced in a matter of half a second, and all that she would ever experience in the following half, up to the moment of her death.
“So…I guess I’m properly punished now…”
“For the moment, yes,” Chrona said, unmoving. “We must discuss your dalliance into Sentinel City, however, and your future trips.”
Liz’s ears perked up at that. “I’m not…going to be restricted to the Sanctum?”
Sassy crossed her arms, looking at Chrona, then back to Liz. “Well, we discussed thangs for a spell, an’ we both agree it’s probably a good idea ta have someone out there, seein’ what’s what.” Her lips turned downward into a frown, though. “But, there’s gonna be some stipulations on ya goin’ out an’ about, ya hear me?”
“I…kinda expected that, yeah, if I was going to be let back out at all.”
“Times, it seems, are changing, Elizabeth,” Chrona said, her voice echoing a bit more deeply, her chin raising as she looked to the ceiling. Though Liz saw where her gaze had gone, she knew that Chrona wasn’t looking at the stonework; her gaze was so much further away. “Magic has begun to flow back onto Earth, and as you said, it seems that there are strange bonds forming with many people upon it. Familiar-like bonds, or incredible surges of magical energies that have radically altered their human forms, even alchemical processes that have infused magical essence with common substances, the drugs you mentioned for example. You are young yet, but you will be more easily able to adapt to the modern era than other members of the Order.”
Though Liz was certainly excited by the prospect of being allowed out, something in Chrona’s words made her feel a bit uneasy. “There’s something big going down, huh?”
Chrona nodded ever so slightly, her gaze unwavering at the distant place she gazed upon, wherever, or whenever, it was. “Undoubtedly. And we want you to be the Sanctum’s eyes and ears outside. Though there are some who would disagree, I feel that we may have isolated ourselves far too long.”
“But this ain’t a free ticket ta do whatever ya want, kid,” Sassy said, her gaze stern as she looked down at Liz. “Before you go back out, we’re gonna have some more trainin’, ta get you up ta speed on how ta properly keep yer behind safe. And there’s gonna be rules yer gonna have ta foller.”
Of course there were going to be rules. There always were, in everything the Sanctum ever did. But Liz nodded. “Yeah, I figured as much. But if it gets me outta this place, I’m all for it! Lay it on me!”
A flash of disapproval flashed across Sassy’s face, but Chrona’s lips curled into a slight smile. “The exuberance of youth is quite delightful. You’ll be reporting back to us frequently, of course, and you aren’t to get involved more than you have to. The idea is for you to be an observer only, and not to affect matters of the mundane world.”
“An’ we both know your’a gonna break that rule just as soon as ya can,” Sassy added quickly.
“Which is why I will simply stipulate that your actions be restrained and properly thought out,” Chrona said. “Think your actions through, Elizabeth, and consider all outcomes. Do not act rashly, do not use your talents in ways that may harm the world unduly. The world has become vastly more dangerous than it was when you lived there, irregardless of the magical influx.”
Liz nodded slowly. This was serious business! “I understand, Lady Chrona.”
“I certainly hope so,” Chrona replied. “We will also require you to keep a beacon upon your person. This will assist us in locating you if you are in danger, and can be used to alert us if you need help.”
“And, Ah even made it inta somethin’ Ah’m sure yer gonna love. Will match all them dark clothes ya love ta wear real good,” Sassy said, digging into her pouch and coming out with a black leather collar, about an inch wide, with a silver buckle and a D-ring at the front, a round, brass bell dangling from it.
Liz’s eyes narrowed, and she felt herself frowning, her ears laying down. “You gotta be kiddin’ me! Dudes, that’s lame!”
“But it will certainly look very cute on you,” Chrona said, finally lowering her gaze back to Liz. “Though if you do not wish to travel out of the Sanctum…”
“No, no, fine, whatever, I’ll wear the thing!” Liz said quickly, holding out her hand to Sassy and motioning quickly for her to hand it over. The bell jingled softly as it was placed in Liz’s hand, and she looked at it for a moment, scanning over the magic that filled it. Sure enough, she could see the tracking magic they had described, but also another one. She shot Sassy an angry look. “Seriously?! This is some bogus shit right here! A locking enchantment?!”
“Only at first,” Sassy replied coolly, her arms crossing again as she looked down at Liz, her chin raised stubbornly. “Ya can’t tell me you wouldn’t try ta slip away first chance ya got. I know ya too well, youngin’.”
Liz turned away from Sassy, fist closed around the collar, but sighed. Sassy wasn’t wrong. “Yeah, you sure do. Okay, fine, whatever.” Blowing out her breath, Liz sat the water bottle down and brought the collar up to her neck, quickly buckling it in place. She felt the locking enchantment take hold as the buckle settled. She forced an overly wide smile at Sassy, and flicked the bell with her finger, listening to it jingle. “Happy?”
“No, but Ah can only do so much; the rest bein’ up ta you ta learn an’ all,” Sassy replied, shaking her head. “Chrona, anything else?”
“Hmm…I suppose I will just say to enjoy yourself, but remain ever mindful, Elizabeth. And as Sassy said, do be responsible when using forbidden magics, yes?” Chrona’s faint smile remained as she gave a slight nod of her head and turned, gliding from the room. And she did glide. Though her skirt brushed the floor, she couldn’t have been walking; it was as if she floated out of the chamber.
Sassy clapped her hands. “Alright, kid, get this place cleaned up, then getcha some chow. After that you’n me are gonna get some trainin’ in.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Liz replied, standing up quickly, giving a mocking salute at Sassy, the bell at her neck jingling as she did so. That was going to be annoying.
“Da ya need another lesson on proper behavior, or is it ya just want ta be punished agin?”
Cheeks flushing, Liz sighed, dropping her head. “No, Sassy.”
“Then get ta work; ya got an hour before Ah’m a gonna come lookin’.” With that, Sassy turned and walked out, her heels clicking, and her spurs jingling as she went.
Despite the annoying restriction around her neck, Liz couldn’t help but ball her hand into a fist and pump it excitedly. She was going back to Sentinel City!
My, Liz seems to have a kinky streak a mile long, doesn’t she? But it wouldn’t be a sexy kind of story if the main characters didn’t have one, I suppose.
So, what did you think? Any thoughts on what kind of trouble Liz may get herself into now? Let me know what you think, would always love to hear from you!
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Till next time, y’all!
