Author's notes:

Just a little warning: This chapter contains light BSDM near the end. Nothing wild or complicated, but different from what I have written so far.

About the language and notation:

The Baylon language is a predecessor to Latin, which is why it looks like Latin at a glance.

Mental communication is denoted by a < and ends with a >, so a mental communication will look like this: "< Who are you? >"

Some warnings:

This is erotic action adventure, meaning that there will be both sex and violence, but I don't mix the two.

This story is posted on the Literotica website and the author does not give permission for it to be reposted or reprinted anywhere else without consent.

P.S. I haven't gotten an editor yet, so any mistakes are mine. Interested editors are welcome :)

P.P.S. While you're here anyway, please rate the chapter and leave a comment :)

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Chapter 20 -- Flashback: Returning to Baylon

Men-nefer (Kemet) and the Capitol of Baylon, ca. 1222 - 1221 BC

Men-nefer was one of the oldest cities in Kemet, had been its capital several times throughout the ages and was the centre for craftmanship and the religious centre for the worship of the god Ptah, the patron of craftsmen. It was also a place of education, since the royal princes and children of the nobility in Pi-Ramesses was raised in Men-nefer and the city's harbour, called Peru-nefer, was the major port for foreign traders, so the city had a higher-than-normal share of public eateries and places to sleep.

The most important part for me, was that my father maintained a townhouse in the city. Originally, it had belonged to his human half-sister, but being pure human, she had died from old age years ago and now it belonged to my father.

After I had captured Mettius Clodius Pulcher and freed Vibhrama, I had contacted the Steward of Kemet to report the mission completed and get information about what to do next. To my pleasant surprise, she had insisted that I escorted Vibhrama back to her home, even if we had to wait until the trade winds changed again, which would take months. She even gave me the valuables to pay for us both during that time, with extra to pay for the trip.

However, instead of renting a place to stay in the capitol Pi-Ramesses, I had contacted my father and gotten permission to use the family townhouse in Men-nefer.

We spent four months in Men-nefer, relaxing and enjoying life. Since the harbour was filled with foreign traders, I sold most of the timber and silk from Bharata, getting a much better price for them than I had thought I would, due to the war in Babylonia, which blocked off most of the normal trade routed.

Since the merchants told me that the prices on my other wares was rising, I had stored them at the house as I guessed that the prices would be even higher, when I returned from Bharata.

In a way it was quite ironic. I had spent a lot of training becoming a healer, so I could use it as a cover and here I was, being a merchant with wares from distant lands, instead of being a healer. Still, it was a lot of fun and I used the trading session to learn as much as possible about trade, since it might become useful in my job in Securitas Externa later.

For the same reasons, I used the opportunity to learn a few more languages, chief among them Hittite and Assyrian. Both were commonly used as a trade language in this area of the world, and I used them along with some of the profit to fill a ship with wares, Vibhrama and I we were going back to Bharata anyway.

When the time for departure grew near, Shava and I had a talk about what she wanted for the future, now that I had not only set her free, but also given her some of the profit from trading.

In the end, Shava elected to stay in Kemet, which wasn't really a surprise. For some reason, women were seen as secondary citizens in most of the human world, but Kemet was one of the only places, where women could own property and with the wealth I had given her, Shava could create a decent life there.

When spring came, Vibhrama and I travelled back Vicus to board the ship and went east-ward again. The trip to Bharata took yet another month, but it was blessedly uneventful, and when we arrived in Dvārakā, I sold the trade goods, paid the captain, and shared one last, glorious night with Vibhrama, before I bought some easy-to-carry gems and spices.

While the Baylon Empire did have Magical Gates that could transport almost anything over great distances in a heartbeat, using them for transporting goods were severely limited by law, to avoid destroying the local trade routes. That meant, that nobody was allowed to carry more than they could have in a non-magical backpack and gold wasn't allowed at all.

It also meant, that most goods from Bharata, Dilmun and Elam travelled along the normal trade routes through Babylonia to Tyre or other ports in the eastern Middle Sea. However, with the war in Babylonia, they were forced to use the trade route through Kemet just like me.

For the traders of Elam and Dilmun, it was a long and expensive detour, and not all captains knew that route, making it a dangerous one to take. Consequently, the supply of pearls, silk, Lazika Stone and many other goods normally imported from these areas had become scarce, causing prices on these items to rise all over the Middle Sea area.

Normally I couldn't care less about prices and scarcity of wares, but in this case, I did as pearls, sapphires, spices and Lazika stone was exactly the wares I had, on Nanda's suggestion, brought along with me to Kemet.

With all the trading done, I used a gate to get back to Kemet, where I had reported the escort mission done before I returned to Men-nefer and the house there, to wait for a Securitas Externa ship that could take me to Tyre.

I had expected Shava to be there, but during the two months I had been away, she had accepted a marriage proposal from a rich merchant and had moved into his home. A move, that left me with mixed emotions. Mostly, I was happy that she had found someone to spend her life with, but I also missed her. Not only as a fantastic partner to share pleasure with, but she had a happy outlook on life, that could brighten anyone's day.

It did give me time to catch up on Kemetian herbal medicine and it was while I was reading a papyrus describing a new way to use poppy seeds, that I suddenly sensed the hum of Baylon magic in the air and a moment later I felt the well-known mental pattern of Steward of Kemet.

Accepting the incoming contact, I sent, "< Hello, Sir. What can I do for you? >"

"< Inquisitor Spectre, >" She said formally, causing a shiver to run down my spine. When Stewards became formal, it was rarely a good sign. "< You are hereby directed to travel to Pi-Ramesses and attend the Royal Court as a healer for a few days, under the direction of High Priest Khaemweset and Magus Tia Magnus. The latter will contact you as soon as they're ready.>"

"< Yes, Steward >" I replied automatically, while my mind raced. High Priest Khaemweset was not just any old High Priest. He was the fourth son of Ramesses II, making him a prince, and the administrator of the temples in Men-Nefer.

As most of the princes, he had a military education and had participated in the battle of Kadesh and several other battles, but at some point, he had grown tired of the military life and became a High Priest of Ptah instead.

As Ptah was the God of Crafts, Khaemweset also gained the title of 'Chief of Crafts' and he had spent a lot of time restoring some of the older temples and pyramids in Kemet, becoming an expert and sage when it came to history.

My father even know him as a fellow sage, and according to him, Khaemweset was also very good at Kemetian magic, or Heka as the Kemetians called it, specializing in healing magic, and his abilities in that art form was one of the major reasons for Ramesses still being alive and well, despite his advanced age.

"< A word of caution, Inquisitor >" continued the Steward. "< You're not allowed to use any of the Artes Potentia, so you'll mostly have to rely on skill, potions and herbs. If the healing requires some potion or herbs you do not have with you, please tell Tia Magnus. She can gate them to Pi-Ramesses. Is that understood? >"

"< Yes, Steward. No Ars Mentalis or Ars Magica >" I said again. There wasn't much else I could say, as this was clearly an order.

"< Good. >" came the satisfied reply. "< Have a pleasant evening >"

"< You too, Sir >" I managed to send off, just as the link disappeared again.

With a slight shake of my head, I leaned back in the chair, but I didn't even have time to think the order over as I felt Tia's mental pattern and accepted the magical communication, greeting her with a "< Hello, Tia. Always nice to hear from you >"

Tia Magnus' mental voice said. "< Hello Ivah. I assume you have talked with the Steward? >"

"< Yes. You need some healing done >" I sent back. "< What's up? >"

"< My father is ill, and I wondered if I could persuade you to take a look at him >"

For a heartbeat, I wondered why she would need the Stewards permission for that, but then remembered who her father was and felt ice forming in my stomach. "< Wait a moment. Do you want me to 'take a look' at Ramesses II... Better known as Ramesses the Great? >"

Her mental laughter echoed in my head. "< Yes, that about sums it up. However, you will not be alone. My brother, High Priest Khaemweset will be there as well. >"

"< Yes, the Steward told me that >" I answered. "< It's not a problem >"

"< Good >" She sent, happiness oozing through the link. "< How soon can you be ready? >"

"< As soon as you tell me, why I was chosen for this assignment >" I said with a mental chuckle, while I placed the papyrus I had been reading back in its protective casing. "< The Steward somehow neglected to explain that to me and I wonder why they would send a newbie like me to attend the most powerful man in the human world >"

That made her laugh again. "< First of all, the really powerful healers get a severe allergic reaction as soon as they leave the portal. Secondly, you have more experience with herbs and potions, because they use magic on Baylon instead. Third, you're the grandson of Horemheb, meaning that you're really a distant part of the royal family, which makes it a lot easier for you to examine my father than if it was some foreigner >"

That statement made me laugh out loud. I didn't know where Tia had gotten her information about my family from, but she had clearly done some research. She was also right: Foreigners were not allowed to touch the living embodiment of Ra that the Pharaoh was, so stressing my ancestry was a big advantage in this case.

"< Good point >" I admitted.

"< Correct, so you're it. Are you ready? >"

"< Yes. Do you want a mental image? >" I asked, since it was impossible to gate or teleport to a place you didn't know what looked like, and a mental image would redeem that.

"< That would be nice >"

Most Baylon homes have a room with something unique in it, making it easier to teleport to it, and my father's house was no exception, so I walked into the room, looked around and sent the mind image to Tia.

A moment later, she stood in the middle of the room, laughing softly, as she studied the paintings my sister and I had painted on the wall. In return, I was studying her. She was looking just as good as the last time I saw her, with the long red curly hair framing her pretty face and highlighting her sparkling green eyes.

She was wearing a tightfitting Kemetian style dress made from cotton that didn't do anything to hide her voluptuous curves as it hugged her body, and the wide straps that went over her breasts on their way to the shoulders only managed to cover a small portion of those glorious orbs.

The sight made my thoughts wander to the last time we shared pleasure and I could feel my dick starting to react.

Tia shifted he gaze from the drawings to me with a smile on her beautiful face "Well, they are unique!"

"Exactly my father's words and that is why they stayed." I said drily. "My mother was horrified. Not because my sister and I had drawn on the wall, but because she thought they were awful."

She was about to answer when she noticed my growing erection. Not that it was difficult, as I was wearing a traditional zhendyt, a wrap-around skirt belted at the waist. Not only was it comfortable to wear, but it was also made a lot of sense in the Kumetian heat.

Her eyes wandered up to my face again and she was smiling as she said. "Well, we can't take off with you looking like that. Want to do something about it?"

"Oh, yeah."

A few moments later, we had relocated to the bedroom, while kissing like there was no tomorrow.

I slid the shoulder straps of her dress to the side and then down the sides, causing it to drop to the floor and revealing her deliciously naked body, her soft brown skin begged to be touched.

She was also a little leaner than last time I saw her naked, looking like she had done some physical training in the three years that had gone by since last time.

I didn't have much time to enjoy the sight though, because Tia gave me a small push, making me fall onto the bed, before she kneeled between my legs, moved the zhendyt to the side with one hand, grabbed my cock with the other hand and took it in her mouth.

It wasn't what I had expected, but it was nothing short of fantastic, as her tongue swirled around the head, while she bobbed her head, wet lips sliding over my dick, moving in perfect rhythm with the hand on my shaft.

Groaning, I relaxed on the bed and enjoyed not only the oral attention, but also the feel of her soft breasts pressing against my thighs. I shivered as Tia used her free hand to caress my balls with featherlight touched, sending tendrils of pleasure through my body.

Then she held her head still, still licking the head, while her hand was working my shaft, twisting her hand a little and applying just the right amount of pressure as the hand moved up and down.

"That is fantastic." I groaned, feeling the need to come begin to build.

Tia stopped licking the head of my cock just long enough to say, "Just wait. This is only the beginning."

The hand on the shaft held still and then she started bobbing her head again, sliding her lips over my cock, while sucking gently.

She kept that up for some time. Sucking me for some time, until she suddenly changed to stroking and licking me, and then back to sucking again.

Normally, I can last for a long time, but she was too good for that, and I could feel my orgasm marching steadily closer.

"Take care, or I'm going to come." I moaned. It was meant as a warning, but I guess Tia took it as a challenge, because she changed position and a moment later, she wrapped her massive breasts around my wet cock, pressed them together with her hands, and used them instead of her hands to massage the shaft, while her tongue kept playing on the head.

"Fuck!" I groaned. The feeling of the soft flesh around my hard cock was nothing short of amazing.

It became even better a moment later, when she somehow locked her lips around the head and began to bob up and down again, sucking me while the tongue whirled around the tip.

The impending orgasm sudden picked up the pace and there was no stopping it with the treatment I was getting.

My hips bucked, pushing my dick further into her mouth. "I'm coming!"

Tia stopped using her tongue but moved a little faster as she sucked harder and a heartbeat later, I erupted, sending shot after shot of semen down her throat, causing her to swallow as fast as she could. It felt like I came for a small eternity, but Tia kept swallowing while massaging my cock with her breasts until I was dry.

Only then did she stop, looking up at me with a smile on her face. "That was nice. I don't think I haver ever done that to you before."

I thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement with her. Since I can't come many times in a row and liked to see women come while I'm inside them, I tend to stop women before I come. At least before I had been inside them. When used as a finish, I was all for it.

This time was different for some reason. Still locked between her tits, my dick had gotten softer, but the softness surrounding it and well as the sight of Tia sitting between my legs stimulated it and I could feel it grow again.

Tia felt it as well and looked at me, eyebrows raised in surprise and a slight grin on her face. "Not enough?"

I shrugged slightly as I smiled. "The sight and feel of you is overpowering."

"It was supposed to got down!" She mock complained.

"Then stop being so flaming sexy."

With a grin she stood, climbed unto me, and used a hand to guide me in between her lower lips. Then she pushed down, making the head slip into her.

Her pussy was wet, hot, and tighter than I remembered. Whatever workout she had been doing, had clearly worked on her internal muscles as well. Whatever the cause, her wet pussy felt wonderful around me and the slight contractions of her muscles whenever she moved, sent waves of pleasure through me.

For a moment, her face went slack, and I could feel her relaxing every muscle in her body, before she dropped herself down, burying my dick inside her snug pussy and giving a small shriek of pleasure as her love-pearl met my pelvis.

Tia shivered, but placed her hands on my chest and began to move up and down. Her strokes were slow at first, as she took her time lifting all the way up until only the head was inside her, before going down again, moaning softly as more and more of my cock penetrated her.

Then she leaned forward, dangling her fabulous breasts in front of me. With a smile I placed my hands on them, caressing them and enjoying their firm softness. That made her moan again, so without stopping my caresses, I opened my mouth and caught a nipple between my lips. I sucked gently on, nibbling slightly, before I brought my tongue into play and made circles around the nipple, making her moan.

That made her slow down a bit and instead of going up and down, she began to rotate her hips, making my cock do circles inside her and causing both of us to moan.

I moved my hands from her tits, sliding them over her soft skin until I could grab her bountiful ass, squeezing it hard, which made her moan again. The nipple left my mouth as she leaned further down to kiss me, leaning on her elbows as she did so.

Kissing her, as I caressed her soft ass and she slowly fucked me, was a great feeling, only made better by the sensation of her big breasts mashed against my chest and her hard nipples against my skin.

Tia must have felt the same, because we stayed in the position for a while, kissing and enjoying each other's bodies, but eventually I wanted more and since I could feel that she felt the same way, I grabbed her ass harder and pulled her down on my cock, bucking my hips at the same time.

Tia yelped into my mouth and then kissed me harder, more intense. In response, I held her butt where it was, squeezing it hard, and started to fuck her in a rapid pace, my pelvis slapping against her with every thrust.

"Sweet Isis!" Tia groaned, breaking our kiss, and lowering her head to kiss my neck, mumbling, "I missed this!"

"Me too." I grunted, keeping up the pace.

"I'm coming!" She suddenly said and then shrieked with pleasure, as the orgasm rolled through her, making her shake and twitch in my arms.

I kept moving until the climax faded and the took a deep breath. With my feet on the floor it wasn't the easiest or most comfortable position to do a long, hard fuck, but by the Gods, it had been worth it.

Tia lifted her head and wriggled her hips at the same time. "I guess you didn't come yet." She chuckled and got back up, placing her hands on my chest again. "Well, there's only one way to relieve that."

I opened my mouth to answer her but was silenced by getting on of her tits in my face, as she started to bounce up and down on me, wincing with pleasure while riding me.

There wasn't much I could do, so I resorted to just squeezing her ass, as her pussy squeezed my cock in return, while she rode me harder and harder. Her bouncing tits hit my face again and I closed my mouth around the nipple and began to play with it.

That only made her ride me harder and we both groaned in near ecstasy. To my surprise, I could feel another orgasm coming nearer. Not only for myself, but for Tia as well.

Letting go of her breast, I looked up at her, taking in the hungry green eyes and the weaving red hair that seemed to have a life of its own as she rode me. "If you keep that up, I'm going to come."

"Me too." She panted and used her internal muscles to tighten the grip around my dick.

Sensing that she wanted me to come, I moved a hand in between her legs, found the love-pearl and pressed two fingers against it, letting her bucking hips do the rest of the work for me.

It worked wonders. A few heartbeats later she screamed as she came in an explosion of an orgasm, her pussy squirting and gushing as her juices splashed against my crotch. Her moves became unsure, but she kept going even as her pussy contracted around my dick.

That and the feeling of her coming on me, set me off as well and I emptied myself in her, groaning and grunting as the orgasm tore through me.

Tia collapsed on me and I put my arms around her in a hug as we came down from our orgasms, enjoying the way she felt against me.

After a while, Tia raised her head with a sigh. "That was awesome, but we got to go. My father must be at Khaemweset's house now."

"I thought he already was there?"

She snorted. "You and I always end up sharing pleasure, so I allowed for some extra time. Unfortunately, that is used now."

"Fair, but I can't really move before you do." I pointed out, wriggling my hips.

With a smile, she rolled off me, ending on her back on the bed, before she cast a cleaning spell, that removed all the juices and odours from both us and the bed. "There. Now let's get dressed and go to Pi-Ramesses."

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Somewhat to my pleasant surprise, the medical examination was to be kept secret and for that reason, Tia Magnus and her brother Khaemweset had planned to have me do it during a family visit at Khaemweset's house in Pi-Ramesses.

At least 'house' was Tia's word for it, but in reality, it was a small palace, fit for a Prince and the High Priest of Ptah. Like most Kemetian palaces not belonging to the Pharaoh, it was a relatively low rectangular stone building with high walls topped with towers. Both the walls and towers were richly decorated with paintings and panels showing the glory of Ptah.

Ramesses II was already there when we arrived, as could be seen by the Royal Guard standing at the main entrance, but once they recognized Tia, they escorted us inside to meet their living God.

The interior was even more luxurious then the outside, with magnificent statues in each room, amazing paintings and carvings on the wall, as well as richly decorated furniture and braziers.

The one thing the palace had in common with Baylon houses, was the central court. However, instead of a simple garden, the central court in Khaemweset's house was a beautiful pool, surrounded by palm trees, pleasantly smelling flowers and well-kept bushes.

That was also in the central court, that Khaemweset and Ramesses was waiting for us and I studied the King as we walked closer.

Sitting down as he was, it was difficult to determine his height, but he had a strong face, with a wide jaw and a beak-like nose, that made him seem stern. The once dark red hair now had a light red tone, suggesting that it had been coloured with henna and there was a cane leaning against his chair, showing that he had trouble walking. All things I would expect from an eighty-year-old human.

Still, as he watched us coming closer, I noticed that his eyes looked younger than his body suggested, and I had no doubt that his brain was just as sharp as it had been when he ascended to the throne.

He also radiated power. The kind of power the came from the knowledge that he was the personification of Ra on the human world, the head of their religion and the one that maintained Maat, the cosmic order, balance, and justice. He also owned Kemet and protected his property as the commander-in-chief of the army.

I was wondering exactly how to address him when Tia bowed deeply and said. "My king, Embodiment of Ra, I present to you Ivah the Healer, Grandson of Horemheb. By the grace of Ra, Ptah, Heka, and Sekhmet, he is here to heal your physical body that holds the immortal glory of Ra."

Ramesses looked over at me, sounding grumpy as he asked. "Are you any good, Grandson of Horemheb? You look too young to be a healer."

"Yes, your Majesty." I answered, kneeling on one knee as protocol dictated. "I have been trained in my craft from childhood."

The Pharaoh nodded with a slight sigh. "Very well then. You may approach and examine me."

While I had been forbidden to use Ars Mentalis and Ars Magica, the Steward haven't said anything about Vis and as a Steward of the Securitas Externa would surely know about it, I assumed that she had omitted that on purpose, allowing me use at least some kind of power for healing.

Still, according to the Vis power I used to examine Ramesses, the Pharaoh was in a bad shape. I was sure that Khaemweset had done his best, but due to his advanced age, Ramesses suffered from a variety of illnesses. The worst was that his joints, including those of his spine, were stiff and inflamed, causing him a lot of pain, and it was a minor miracle, that he could walk at all.

Besides that, he had a hole in his jaw that was inflamed as well. A condition most likely caused by a cracked or worn-down tooth, a disorder common in Kemet, because no matter how much they sifted their flour, sand had a tendency to get into their bread, causing the teeth to wear down faster. The presence of sand in the bread was the very reason why I rarely had any here in Kemet.

"What is the verdict?" Asked Ramesses with grim humour when I was done. "Can you do anything, or will you leave it to the Gods, as the rest of the healers?"

"I would be lying, if I said that I could cure it all." I replied carefully, "But at the very least, I can heal some of it and make the rest better."

That caused him to laugh a crackling laughter. "An honest healer! How refreshing! Khaemweset's usually the only honest healer around." He waved a hand. "Do continue, Grandson of Horemheb."

With a "yes, your Majesty," I wrote down the names of the healing herbs I needed and handed Tia the papyrus, switching to Baylon as I said, "Princess, I'm going to need these herbs from Arcem Discendi."

Looking at the Lescarian script, she nodded. "I will go get them, then." She flashed me a smile. "Don't let them eat you while I'm away."

"I'll try not to."

---------------

The first thing I did was to block the pain in Ramesses. I warned him that it was only temporary, but it still improved his mood a lot and by the time Tia came back from Arcem Discendi with the herbs, he was telling stories from his military campaigns.

"< What did you do to him? >" She asked mentally, while I was preparing the herbs. "< I haven't seen his this talkative in years! >"

"< I removed the pain. That'll make anybody in a better mood >" I answered and looked into the bag to make sure she had the rest of what I needed. Not only was it all there, but Master Healer Sheng, had even supplied about half a dozen finished potions. I tested one of them, confirming that it was powerful, but temporary, healing potions.

"< Well, it worked >"

With a slight nod, I turned back to Ramesses and started the hard part of the healing. Due to the extend of the inflammation, I had to heal one body part at a time, using a combination of herbs and Vis to lessen the inflammation and make sure that it didn't return immediately. Some of it proved impossible to remove, but even in those areas, I lessened the pain considerably.

It took a lot of time and so much energy, that I had to stop to meditate halfway before I continued, but the end result was better than I had dared hope for, as most of the inflammation was gone.

Taking a few steps away from the Pharaoh, I said. "Please stand up, your Majesty. I have done as much as I possibly can."

Ramesses nodded, placed his hands on the gilded armrest and hesitantly stood up. Judging from his shocked facial expression, he had expected pain and when it wasn't there, the expression changed to one of pleasant surprise and a smile spread on his face.

"Please, don't try to straighten your back too much, your Majesty." I warned. "That is one area when I couldn't remove it all."

He still tried it, but having been warned, he did it tenderly and grimaced as pain shot through him. Relaxing again, he looked at me with a nod. "When will the pain return?"

"Hard to say, your Majesty. The inflammation is still there, so it will slowly start to spread again at some point. My guess is that it will happen within four or five years."

Ramesses looked pleasantly surprised once more and Khaemweset asked. "You said years? Not seasons or moons?"

I nodded. "Years." Reaching into the bag, I took the six healing potions that Master Healer had placed there and handed them to Khaemweset. "These are powerful healing potions, your Grace. When the pain returns, the King must drink one before each Sed festival. That will help a lot."

"Thank you." Said Khaemweset, emitting genuine gratitude as he took the potions.

Still testing his body by stretching a little, Ramesses nodded to me. "You will be greatly rewarded for this, Ivah, Grandson of Horemheb. I feel ten years younger!"

"No reward is needed, your Majesty!" I said with a bow. "It was an honour to heal the Embodiment of Ra."

He sent me a piercing look. "That might be so, but judging from how exhausted you look like now, it was also taxing work. Let it never be said that Ramesses II isn't a generous ruler!"

There wasn't much I could say to that, as I had no intention of insulting the most powerful man in the human world by refusing to accept his gifts, so I bowed. "Your generosity is legendary, your Majesty. I'm honoured."

Ramesses nodded and I could feel his satisfaction as he took his cane. "I'll grant you the title of Physician to the Royal Court and forty deben of gold for your excellent work here." He paused for a moment but then continued. "The Seal Ring will arrive later. Now the High Priest and I need to get back to the palace."

Taking the cue, the Royal Guards formed a protective circle around Ramesses and Khaemweset, escorting them to the hallway leading out.

I waited until they had left the room and then slumped down in the chair Khaemweset had been sitting it. I had used all the Vis I had in me twice over and I was tired to the bone.

Tia looked like she was about to sit on my lap, but then noticed my expression and took a seat in the other chair before she thoughtfully said. "You're a much better healer than I expected, Ivah. That was impressive work."

"Thanks." I said with a yawn. "Though I don't really know what you had expected."

Tia shrugged. "An examination and some herbal remedies, that would make my father better for a year or so. Long enough to not appear weak to the Assyrians and King Tukulti-Ninurta I."

I snorted to myself, as I realized why Tia had been allowed to request a Baylon healer to heal her father. If the Assyrians got the impression, that Ramesses and Kemet were weak, there was a chance, that they would try to take the Kemetian areas along the eastern coast of the Middle Sea, as that would allow the Assyrians access to a lot of trade, without having to go through Kemet.

That would allow the Assyrians to control both the land and sea trade routes between Bharata and the Middle Sea, and therefore all trade from that part of the world to Baylon. A situation that the Baylon traders wouldn't be happy about.

So, by keeping Ramesses, and thus Kemet, strong, King Tukulti-Ninurta would keep his focus on Babylonia, keeping two different trade routes open and ensure that one nation didn't control all the trade between the Far East and the Middle Sea.

"Why do you snort?" Asked Tia curiously.

"I'll explain it when we come back." I said and stood up. "By the way, what is the Seal Ring, the King was talking about?"

"Oh, it's a seal ring that identifies you as a Royal Physician." Said Tia as she stood as well. "It's a simple gold ring with your mark." She chuckled. "And don't worry: If you don't have a mark, they'll make one."

"That will be interesting to see." I yawned again. "Let's get back to Men-nefer."

"Agreed." She said with a naughty smile. "I have a few days off and good idea about how to use them, and you need to wait for the reward anyway."

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The capitol of Baylon

Coming back to the capital city of Baylon was always a pleasure, but even more so after having used months on end traveling all over the world, while living in primitive condition.

I don't consider myself addicted to luxury, but I like using a toilet or be able to take a warm bath after a long day and it was a relief when the ship sailed into the central harbour from where I could see the bathhouses on the outer circle.

Unfortunately, bathing would have to wait, as I needed to have my wares off the ship and into a warehouse as soon as possible, so the ship could take off again.

"Long trip?" asked Voloro the Shipmage, who was standing next to me, enjoying the view as well. A middle-aged man, he had the typical suntan of one that worked in the sun most of the time.

"Too long." I answered with a smile. "And it's good to come home."

"Well, that about sums up sailing: It usually takes longer than expected and it's good to come home." The shipmage said philosophically before he gestured in the direction of the cargo hold. "Do you have a deal for your wares, or do you need warehouse space?"

"No deals yet, so yes, I'll need a warehouse."

He shrugged lightly. "That shouldn't be hard. With the war in Babylonia, the amount of goods coming in is limited."

I nodded. Five days after I had healed Ramesses, a priest of Heka arrived with the reward Ramesses had promised me. The horizontal signet ring was, as Tia had said, quite beautiful. Made of solid gold, it was heavy for its size and the seal on the flat top surface read 'Physician of the Royal Court, Grandson of the Pharaoh Horemheb, Ivah', with Ramesses' royal cartouche on one side of the ring and Khaemweset's cartouche on the other side.

While it seemed like a simple gesture from Ramesses, I wasn't ignorant of the benefits it carried with it: From the moment I put it on, I could ask for an audience with most members of the court and expect to be received. I could also go into any temple in Kemet belonging to one of the healing Gods and at the very least get food and a place to sleep.

In short, it was an awesome diplomatic tool for a Securitas Externa agent and the Steward had been flabbergasted when I gave my report. She still remembered the one-fifth tax on the rest of the gold, but she was surprised and pleased in equal measures.

With everything in order, I had the wared transported to a Securitas Externa ship and continued my journey towards Baylon.

Keeping my merchant disguise, I bought and sold things in Tyre, Alashiya and other places on my journey, eventually reaching Tartessos from where we sailed south to the Dog Islands, before we turned west for Baylon and now we were here.

Thankfully, it had been an uneventful last half of the trip and there had no more unplanned delays or forced detours, making it go a lot faster than the first half.

However, with all the trading I had done, I had a shipload of wares and no idea about the procedure in the harbour, so I asked. "Do you know how to get room in a warehouse?"

"Yeah. You simply declare it to the Harbour Master and if you pay for it, he'll even arrange for the transport of the goods." The shipmage said with a chuckle. "I've seen quite a few trainees returning from the human world, but I think it's the first time I've seen someone returning with a whole ship load of goods."

"It just sort of happened." I admitted. "I was trying out a merchant disguise."

He sighed. "So did I, but by the time I reached Baylon, I only had two bags of goods. I did make some gold out of it, but not more than I could use it pretty fast. What're your goods?"

Normally, I wouldn't tell, but as he was a member of Securitas Externa, he knew how to keep a secret and I might need his help to find a merchant for some of the wares. "Well, I have ivory, pearls, spices and Lazika Stone from Bharata, linen and from Dilmun, alabaster from Kemet, Tyrian Purple from Tyre and olive oil from Athens."

His opened his mouth as he looked at me, but then closed it and swallowed something, before saying. "How long were you away?"

"About three years."

He snorted. "I took a year and a half, but I would gladly have spent double that for coming home with a haul like that. You're going to earn a lot on this."

"I hope so. As far as I know, this journey is one of the few times where we're allowed to keep the money we make." I said with a smile. It had been in the briefing, along with a warning about using powers to earn money. I guessed it was to ensure that an unscrupulous agent didn't use mind-powers to rip off the local merchants and like all traders, we would be subject to examination when we returned to Baylon to enforce the law.

"You're right and sometimes I wish that I was a better trader." Said Voloro the Shipmage with a sigh. "They pay us well enough, but from time to time a little extra would be nice." He shrugged his shoulders and sent me a smile. "Anyway, if you want an honest merchant with gold enough to buy what you have, I suggest that you contact either the Pulchers or the Serranus family."

That made me raise an eyebrow in surprise. I haven't known the Varo family dealt with anything else than magical artifacts. "The Serranus family?"

Voloro smiled at my surprise "Yes. I know they're famous for their Mentats, but they're some of the biggest traders here in the capitol. That's where most of their family fortune come from."

"I did not know that."

He shrugged. "If you're not from the city, you wouldn't. They mostly sell to Ordo Architectus and other merchants. I know one of their traders if you're interested."

That almost made me laugh. "Thanks, but I know a Serranus myself, so that won't be necessary. Thanks for the offer, though."

We talked a bit more, but then we arrived at the docks and he had to go back to his duties, leaving me alone.

With a slight smile on my face, I activated an Ars Mentalis trick and got hold of Verina. "< Hey Beautiful, I hope I'm not interrupting anything >"

There was silence for a few heartbeats, but the Verina answered. "< Yes you are. My sleep! It's in the middle of the night here! >"

"< Sorry, I forgot... I've just arrived from my journey with some goods. Do you think the merchant part of your family would be interested? >"

Her pearly laughter echoes in my head. "< Ivah, I haven't heard from you since you were in Kemet and now you contact me about a business deal? >"

"< Well, in my defense, I can't get off the ship until I know where my wares are going to be stored and you have just come home from a long trip to Lescare >"

She was silent for a moment, but then asked, "< Who told you that? >"

Now it was my turn to send a mental laugh. "< Nobody did. Every other year, you go along when Jia travels to her family >"

"< Good point, >" she replied with humour in the mental voice. "< Oh well, I guess that mean that I don't get to play wounded lover >"

"< You're thankfully not good at it anyway >"

"< I know, smart ass >" She commented but then shifted her thoughts. "< Wait a moment, if you need your wares stored, that means that you got more wares than you can carry. What do you have? >"

I gave her the same list as I had given Voloro, but added the amount of each item, causing her to be silent for a bit. Then her laughter sounded in my head again. "< Goddess, Ivah. No wonder journey took so long >"

"< Well, the detour back to Bharata and sailing around Oram Aromatum didn't help >"

"< Detours never do >" She paused to think for a few heartbeats and then sent. "< Alright, I'll ask my uncle to come to the harbour. That haul is too good to miss out on... but you owe me dinner next time we're in town >"

"< Deal >"

"< Good. When do you return to Arcem? >" She sent a few mind images of her, Jia and I sharing pleasure, that made me warm all over.

"< In a week or so. I need to debrief and say hello to my parents while I'm here >"

"< That's fair I guess. Hurry as much as you can >"

"< I will >"

---------------

Verina's uncle was didn't waste much time. He came to the harbour almost immediately, looked at the wares and gave me an generous offer that made me struggle not to look surprised, while he stated that I wouldn't get a better offer anywhere else without doing a lot of work. All my senses told me, that he wasn't lying, so we struck a deal by the docks and I walked away a rich man, while he took control of the wares.

Since I felt like I had deserved it, I spent some time in a bath house, washing the dirt and salt of my body with water and soap, and enjoying every heartbeat of it. Cleaning oneself with Ars Mentalis is good, but nothing beats the feeling of a bath, followed by getting into freshly washed clothes and a light dinner at restaurant overlooking the harbour.

It did take some time, but eventually I was done and walked towards my parent's house, or rather my grandmother's house, since that's where my parents were living now.

My grandmother had grown tired of living in the capitol and had exchanged houses with my parents, so my parents moved to the capitol city. Since my family isn't Baylon nobles, the house was located on the outer ring, and I enjoyed the sight of green parks and the general buzz of the city as I walked.

As usual, my father was at work at this time, but my mother was home and greeted me by the door, as she usually does.

"Hello Ivah. Nice to see you again. "

"You too, mom." I said as we kissed each other on the cheeks.

Smiling she turned and we walked side by side through the atrium as we talked.

"Are you well?"

"Yes, but it was a long trip." I glanced up at her. "You could have warned me, you know."

She chuckled. "No, it's supposed to be a surprise and we're not allowed to tell anyone about it."

I shook my head slightly. Through I had practically been told by the Dominus Grande at the Quaestio that both my mother and grandmother had been members of the Securitas, I had been too young to understand it and it took some years before I realized, that they both had gotten the same training as I did.

She eyed me. "You never shake your head for nothing, Ivah. What are you thinking?"

"That you could have told me and Chili about your career in Securitas and Ordo Gladius instead of keeping it a secret as you did with the trip."

She smiled at me. "No. If I had told it, Pandora would have tried to become a member and that wouldn't have been good for her. She is much happier with what she is doing now."

"Ah. Good point and I agree." I tilted my head. "You weren't worried about me?"

"No. You're one of the few who have had the gift of Mutatur Tempus Mente and I had to admit that it wasn't until the Dominus Grande showed you how to use it, that I was sure." She suddenly took my arm and changed direction as she said, "I just remembered that you have turned twenty-five, so it's time to show you the old paintings."

A memory from my childhood flashed before my eyes. Chili and I had never been allowed into Grandmother's office and when we asked her about it, we were told that we would be allowed to see it when we were grown up, which in Baylon meant twenty-five.

"I assume they're in the office."

"They grow up so fast." she mumbled and looked at me proudly. "Yes. They are in the office."

I smiled back. Since the office was the only place, we kids weren't allowed to enter and thus the only place to have pictures we weren't allowed to see, it wasn't exactly brilliant deductive thinking, but it was still nice to see my mother being proud.

As we reached the door, she placed a hand on the doorframe and mumbled a few words. The door glowed and opened.

I didn't say anything. That the door was warded against being opened by anyone not knowing the password was obvious and logical: Even the best lock in the world isn't secure against being picked, it just takes more time. Wards on the other hand are more secure, but easy to detect and screams that there's something in the room that the owner consider valuable.

As we entered the office, I had expected to see a few paintings of family members and at the far wall, there were indeed a few family portraits, but nothing worth warding the door for, which mean that the real paintings must be hidden.

My mother stopped and looked at me "There you are."

I studied the portraits. "Well, I have seen that painting already, so I guess that what you really wanted me to see, is somewhat better hidden."

My mother smiled as she nodded and placed a hand on the wall.

"Only members of the family can do this." She explained and switched to Lescarian as she said, "There is a light in the dark."

Almost immediately the walls of the room sank into the floor, revealing another wall behind them and on those walls, there were rows of paintings of people. To the right and left of me, there were people dressed in the uniforms of the Ordo Mentalis or Ordo Magica, but it was the wall at the far end that caught my attention.

All people there were dressed in the white dress uniform of the officers in Ordo Securitas. Most of the uniforms even had the golden lining, showing a rank above lieutenant and many of them had the golden crossed sword emblem, which showed that they were members of Ordo Gladius. Beneath the paintings, there were framed medals and under the newer paintings, there were holders with various swords, bows and knives.

In a daze, I walked closer to the paintings, looking at the names and dates under them. It was mind blowing: The dates went back almost three thousand years, showing that there had been an Emilian in Securitas Interna or Externa for at least twenty-odd generations. Not all had been officers, and some had died in the line of duty, but they had been there.

For a while, I stood there in silence, looking at them, feeling part of an age-old tradition.

It wasn't until I moved again, that my mother softly said, "I guess we all feel the same when we see it for the first time."

I nodded silently. There were no words that would fit the situation anyway.

My eyes caught the painting of my grandmother Ivanka Chila Emilian as she stood in her whites in front of Arcem Discendi in Lescare as cherry blossoms drifted in the wind. The similarity to the paintings I had made of Verina and Jia made me smile slightly, as a part of a poem she once wrote popped into my head.

"My wish for you

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you."

I didn't notice I had spoken out loud until my mother said, "That is beautiful. Who wrote it?"

"Verina Julia Serranus." I answered and sent her a mind-picture of Verina. "You've met her. I painted her at the same spot as grandmother is standing on that picture, complete with the falling cherry blossoms."

"Well, that's really not surprising." said my mother with a smile, "It is one of the best places to paint a person in the area."

I looked at her and smiled back "That it is. "

My mother looked thoughtful and slowly said, "Ivah, I know that you can't talk about work, but I will give you one piece of advice: Continue to paint. It's when you having trouble seeing any beauty in the world, that you should quit the Ordo and find a new job before it kills you."

I nodded as I considered what she had said, "It that what happened for you?"

"It's what happened for most of us, I think." Her eyes passed over the paintings. "Those who wasn't killed that is."

"Well... That danger goes with the job." I said as my eye caught the last painting, which, much to my surprise, showed me in the Ordo's white uniform standing in the halls of Arcem Discendi.

In itself, that wasn't special, but the scene was from the banquet the day before I had left for my journey and every detail was exactly as I remembered it, which was flat out impossible, since no-one from my family had been at the castle that day.

I looked my mother. "Where on earth did you get that?"

She chuckled "The Dominus Grande was kind enough to send a mind-image to your grandmother, who painted the picture."

Now there was a statement, that didn't make sense. There was no reason that Kaeso Maximus would personally send a mind-image to a former Inquisitor. My brain accelerated as several things started to fall into place, like the many similarities in powers between the Dominus Grande, my grandmother, mother and myself and the reason why the Dominus Grande of an Ordo just happened to be at my Quaestio.

"Oh." My mother said with a regretful chuckle as I looked at her. "I said too much."

"He's your father and my grandfather, right?"

"Yes." She nodded. "But please keep that a secret. Every Dominus Grande has political enemies and Kaeso Maximus, along with the Maximus family, is not an exception. That's the reason why your grandmother kept it a secret: She didn't want our family to get caught up in the politics."

"How long have you known?"

"Not as long as you think. Mother told me just before she died." She smiled sadly. "It was a surprise to me as well... and he was my father." The sad smile disappeared and was replaced with a stern glance. "But don't you think for a moment, that it had had any influence on your education."

"Oh, I know." I said with a chuckle. "Verina have already pointed that one out quite firmly."

"Good Girl." My mother said and regarded me speculatively. I recognized the look. It was the one that said, 'I need grandchildren'.

"Forget it, mom... She's into girls."

"That doesn't mean, that a union is out of the question, and the two of you obviously like each other." She studied my reaction and smiled. "You've shared pleasure with her."

As it wasn't a question, but a statement, I just nodded.

"Good, but we can talk more about that later. Now I have something to give you." She said and walked over to the wall. Reaching out, she took the sword hanging under my grandmother's picture and gently handed it to me. "I promised your grandmother to give you her weapons if you became an Inquisitor. Now it's yours along with the knives."

Surprised, I looked at the sword in my hand. In all the stories, my sister and I had heard about Grandmother Tatiana, she had used an ancient family sword called Shadow Fang. Contrary to most other swords from stories, Shadow Fang had been crafted entirely using Ars Mentalis and didn't have any imbued magical powers, due to it being made not long after Baylon had entered this world and before the magic had settled enough to be used for crafting. The forward curved blade design was also ancient and most newer blades were slightly backward curved to deliver a good slash, instead of the chopping attacks of the older design.

Made for a woman, it was smaller than most Baylon swords, but that suited me just fine, since I was shorter than most Baylon males anyway.

According to family legend, Shadow Fang responded to the mental strength of the wielder, meaning that the better and stronger a Mentat the wielder was, the sharper the sword could become. For an ancient family sword, that wasn't impressive to say the least, but as Vis powers rarely worked with magical weapons, it was perfect for members of the Ordo, and after having seen the line of ancestors that had been in the Ordo, I understood why it had become a family sword.

Like most swords made from Adamant, Shadow Fang was highly decorated, and the blade had a gold pattern, making a beautiful accent to the black diamonds inlaid in the handle. The pommel was an elongated pear-shaped black diamond fused with the handle at the thickest end, so the point could be used for strikes.

The shorter 'long knife', or Diucultro that was part of the set, was just a smaller version of the sword, but the throwing knives were a newer and much different design. They had an upswept single-edged adamant blade, a handle made from slaps of black bdel laid upon a layer of golden adamant that extended into a golden decorated single finger grip, preventing the hand from slipping onto the blade. Like the rest of the blades, the scabbards were made from simple black bdel without any decorations.

For a moment, I looked at the weapons with thought swirling in my head. Foremost among them was 'But what if I lose them!'

My mom had watched my face and before I could even say anything, she said, "Just accept them, Ivah. She wanted it that way." Without waiting for an answer, she turned towards the door. "There are tea and stuffed dates in the garden. Care to join me? You can look at the paintings later."

Smiling I nodded and followed her out and as we left the office, magic kicked in, returning the room to exactly the state it was when we entered.

-------------

After we had had tea, my mother had to leave as she had dinner plans, she couldn't cancel. Having lots of time, I just took my travel bag and walked into the garden to relax with a cup of tea and a good book. One of the drawbacks of traveling the world outside Baylon, was that many of the things we had come to take for granted simply wasn't invented and used, like books.

Consequently, I was really enjoying the simple act of reading a book, when the door to the hall opened and a woman came walking in, looked around and started to walk my way.

Dressed in a red and gold dress that went perfectly with her dark hair, she looked good at a distance, but as she came nearer, I could see that the beauty was marred by an extremely disapproving look on her face. She was also younger than I had first thought, probably around fifty, and as the light fell on her, I saw it glitter of an Ordo Magica neckless.

All in all, I had an angry looking young mage walking towards me, which is rarely good news.

She stopped in front on me. "Who're you and what're you doing here?"

Placing the book on the table beside me, I said, "I'm Ivah Emilian, the son of the owner. Who're you and what're you doing here?"

For some reason, that seemed to make her even angrier. "None of your business. Now, leave."

I blinked in surprise a few times. If the woman didn't believe I was the son of the house and had any form of legal reason to be here, she could just have asked me to identify myself or have me arrested for that matter. Asking me to leave was rude to say the least.

"No. I think you should leave. I have a right to be here, and you don't. Leave and return when you have an appointment."

That got me a snort, followed by a "Leave the house."

Magical power washed over me, but as most other mind affecting powers, it bounced off my mind shield, like a stone skipping on water.

To say I was surprised, would have been the understatement of the century. Nobody walked into somebody else's house, tried to order people out and then resorted to magic, if their target didn't leave immediately. Even an Inquisitor would have identified herself by now.

That made her request one born out of arrogance, though I couldn't phantom where she got the arrogance from. Not even nobles would try to pull a stunt like this. At least not under normal circumstances, but I guessed her anger was overriding her common sense.

"Lady, I don't know what made you angry, but ..."

That was a far as I got, before the woman started casting a new spell, this time using arcane language and hand gestures in a combination that made my sixth sense scream 'danger'.

Fortunately, Ars Mentalis is a lot faster than magic and before she had time to finish the spell, I had instinctively sent out a blast of mental energy of the same type I had used against Mettius Clodius Pulcher when I rescued Vibhrama. Not only did it interrupted the spell, but it also paralyzed her for a short time.

Reaching out, I took hold of the woman's head and inserted a trigger, that would release a stream of pain into her nerve system if she tried casting spells at me again. It would only work a few times, but in my experience, people stopped trying after the first or second try.

"You little shit." The mage hissed, proving that the paralyzing was wearing off.

"Just a warning... don't try to use magic." I said as I removed my hand from her again. "It will not end well for you."

Naturally, she didn't listen and a moment later, she cried out in pain as she tried to cast a spell.

"I told you, but you do not listen... Next time will be worse."

She started to curse at me but stopped abruptly when I slapped her butt. "Shut up. You invade my family's house without permission and tried throw me out." She tried to hit me with a clumsy punch I easily evaded and then slapped her butt again as I continued to speak. "You refuse to leave when asked politely and attack me with spells..." She tried again and winched as I slapped her arm away. "...forcing me to defend myself."

With a sigh, I sidestepped to avoid a kick. Not only was her martial skills bad, but she clearly didn't understand the amount of trouble she was in.

Reaching out with my mind, I tried to probe her mind to discover her identity, but someone had done an expert job of shielding that part of her brain and I got nowhere.

The woman tried to hit me again and while I easily avoided the strike, it was starting to get on my nerves. Fortunately, there were ways to stop that. I activated an Ars Mentalis trick called Vinclum (Baylon: Restrain) and a moment later chains of mental energy appeared around her wrists and ankles. A slight wave of the hand secured the other ends of the mental chains to the columns, with the wrist chains being tied as high up as possible and the ankle chains almost at the ground.

As I tightened the chains, I used my ability to levitate things and as a result, the female mage was suddenly hanging in the air with her spread out to form an X.

"Release me!" Demanded the mage, with a face that was almost white from anger.

I ignored the request. "Your name, please."

"Screw you, Shorty. Come back when you have any power and not just toys."

I almost rolled my eyes. Insulting my short stature and insinuating I was using magical items, instead of personal power, was really a juvenile thing to do.

All in all, the mage needed to be taught a lesson. Preferably one that didn't have severe consequences for her future in the Ordo Magica, which would be the case if I did something official, like arresting her or reporting it.

Fortunately, the law was entirely on my side in this and left me with a wide range of punishments I could use, including corporal punishment.

However, before I started anything, it would be nice to know who she was.

Thinking the staff might know, I contacted our elderly maid Kima, sending her a mental image of the intruding mage's face and asked if she knew who it was.

"< Yes, Sir. That is a young noble your mother is tutoring in painting, but I don't think any of the staff ever got her name >"

Along with the answer came a feeling of dislike, so I followed up with another question. "< What is your opinion of her? Be honest, please >"

There was a hesitation, but then Kima sent. "< She's a spoiled noble brat, young Sir. Somebody should have spanked that attitude out of her a long time ago, but didn't >"

"< Thank you, Kima >" I sent with a chuckle as her answer had given me a solution "< Advice the staff to stay out of the Atrium until I say otherwise >"

The mage was still calling me names and after a quick consideration, I decided to follow Kima's suggestion and treat her exactly like the spoiled brat she behaved like. "< Kima, please activate the soundproofing. I'm about to teach a lesson and I don't think she's going to like it >"

"< Yes Sir >" A wave of amusement filled the link. "< Good luck, sir >"

"< Thank you, Kima >" I sent and closed the connection before I looked at the mage again.

She was smirking as she watched me. "Let me guess, you contacted someone, and they told you to release me?"

Laughingly, I shook my head. "Partly correct, but still wrong."

Glancing at my backpack, I activated another Ars Mentalis trick, animating the rope I always carry.

A moment later, it glided towards me, moving like a snake over the tiles. With a thought, I had it curled up behind her, with a good length rising above it. Then the end moved like a whip, hitting the mages buttocks with about force to give a satisfying smack, but not enough to harm her.

"To be precise, they thought that you're a spoiled noble brat that is in dire need of a spanking." I smiled at her outraged expression. "I tend to agree with that."

She started cursing again, but that stopped when I took my scarf and gagged her despite her best efforts to avoid it.

"That was better... now I can explain the amount of trouble you're in." A thought from me made the rope smack her again, causing her to yank on the mental chains. "No matter who you are and how powerful you family is..." Another slap. "... you're in more trouble, than you can imagine."

She tensed, expecting another slap. I didn't give it to her. "You're guilty in trespassed on private property... " This time the rope did slap her, and another muffled yelp escaped her. "... unlawful use of spells..." Slap. "... Assault..." Slap. "... and of being a rude little brat, without any manners..." Slap. "... or common sense."

The mage was looking at me with tearful eyes and mumbled something I couldn't hear through the gag.

"If I were you, I would mind my words." Carefully, I removed the gag. "If you're rude, you're asking for it."

"You little..." She started angrily, but then gave of a yelp as the rope hit her butt again.

I just smiled at her. "You were saying?"

"Release me!"

"I don't think so." I said slowly as I looked into her eyes. "Someone clearly didn't teach you manners and I'm going to correct that mistake." I used my powers of levitation to sit down in the air before her, rising up so we were of equal height. "Now let's start with something simple. Would you please list the Virtues?"

"Oh, piss off!" The sentence was followed by another yelp as the rope hit her.

"The Virtues, please... and the next time you're rude, it will be two strikes."

With a sign, she listed the Virtues, sounding like an angry little girl, but when I started to ask why a specific virtue was important for the Baylon Empire, I discovered that she didn't have a clue.

The virtues she had listed were just root learning and not something she really understood. That was a surprise, as virtues like self-control and temperance typically was drilled into young mages to avoid any major disasters when they became better at magic.

With a sigh, I said, "How did you manage to get past even the easiest test at the Ordo Magica? This is children's knowledge!"

"Screw you..." Two strikes hit her bare bottom in rapid succession.

"I asked you a question. How did you manage to pass the tests at the Ordo Magica?"

"None of your business."

It was clear, that I wouldn't get an answer, so I returned to the virtues. Deciding to correct the lack of learning, I spent some time asking her question, guiding her towards an understanding of those, while using the rope on her buttocks as soon as she started to become rude or showed any lack of attention.

It was during one of her punishments for being rude, I realized I was turned on, mostly because the scent of aroused women filled my nostrils. My eyes drifted down her body. Her nipples were rock hard and threatened to pierce the silk covering them.

The mage had stopped talking, watching me as I as I in turn looked her over. Well, so much for this being a punishment, I thought, watching her wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue.

"You're enjoying this." I stated, causing her to widen her eyes in surprise. Then her facial expression turned into one of denial.

"Go fuck yourself, little man." She spat, moaning at the rope hit her butt a heartbeat later.

"Please answer that again. Truthfully this time." I said, adding mental power to the request.

Yanking angrily against the chains of force holding her, she sneered. "Yes, you bastard! I love it! Nobody has ever had the guts to do anything like this before." She yelped and then moaned, as the rope hit her again. "Shit!"

With a thought, I changed the way the rope would hit her and then had it deliver four quick, but not strong, strokes to her backside, starting at the shoulders and ending at her thighs. She moaned with each of them.

"You want more, don't you?" I asked softly, causing her to nod. A moment later, the rope hit her butt again. "Say it out loud!"

"Yes!" she squeaked. "I want more!"

"You're still not going to say how you passed the test at the Ordo Magica?"

"No." She shook her head and looked me with eyes burning with lust. "I wanna be fucked, so stop asking questions and fuck me!"

With a slight shrug, I reached out, touched her dress, and teleported it to the floor.

That left her only in her underwear, giving me a nice view of her body.

The mage was wearing a stylish silk corset that made her waist even slimmer and pushed her sizeable breasts upwards. Below that, a silken loincloth completed the outfit.

Levitating down, I walked around to her backside and unclasped the golden chain of her loincloth, making it fall to the ground and leaving her hanging in the air with the lower half of her body exposed.

"What...?" She started, but I interrupted her by slapping her butt with the flat of my hand. The Mage gave off a startled yelped as my palm hit across both her cheeks with a meaty 'SMACK' causing a crescendo of wave-like ripples to wash over her rear before her flesh gently subsided to leave only the tell-tale red blemished palm print in its wake.

"Silence." I commanded and walked around her, viewing her from all angles. Being all soft and curvy, her body was well-shaped, and I enjoyed the sight.

She was also extremely aroused, to the point where the lips of her pussy were puffed and drops of juices ran down her legs, until they dripped on the ground.

Well, so much for this being a punishment, I thought, watching another drop of juice running down her leg. Whoever she was, she clearly loved the rough treatment, which meant it was useless as a punishment and I still wanted to know how she got past the tests at the Ordo Magica without actually knowing the answers.

I pondered the problem for a moment, while I ran a hand along the soft skin of her inner thigh, immediately getting my hand wet from the juices on her skin. Unlike most other Baylon women, her pussy was trimmed, but not shaved, and she moaned longingly, when my fingers brushed against the soft hair between her legs.

The moan turned into a lusty groan as I pushed two fingers into her drenched pussy.

"Finally!" she hissed and tried to move her hips against my fingers. "Shit, it's good!"

I didn't reply. Instead, I slid my thumb over her love-pearl, while pressing my fingertips against the pleasure zone just behind the pubic bone, making her moan and shiver.

"Faster!" She commanded.

Since it sounded like she thought she was regaining the control, I quickly withdrew my fingers from her pussy, maintaining the pressure all the way out.

That alone almost made her come, but I wasn't ready for that yet.

I reached around her hips and ran a hand lightly over her buttocks. They were warm and red from the repeated strikes of the rope. "You've not earned an orgasm yet."

Keeping my hand as flat as possible, I slapped her butt without warning.

"Ow!" She yelped and then moaned when I used the other hand to rub her love-pearl.

I slid my fingers further down, enjoying the feeling of wet pussy lips between my fingers, when I slapped her butt again. This time the moan was louder, more heartfelt and filled with pleasure, like she was on the edge of coming in an orgasm.

Resisting the urge to hear her scream in pleasure, I removed my hands from her and levitated up in front of her again. "Good. Let's continue... You were in the middle of explaining why self-control is important for a mage, so please do continue."

She looked at me with utter disbelief in her eyes as they wandered down my body to my erection, clearly visible even in my clothes.

"Yes, I'm enjoying this. Yes, you're beautiful and the situation turns me on... However, this is more important than getting off, so answer the questions, show some insight and I'll give you what you want."

Motivation is a great factor in learning and as I changed the 'rules' of the game to spanking her when she got an answer right, the mage did her best and it became even better, when I removed her corset, leaving her totally naked. Her breasts were smaller than they had looked in the corset, but they were nicely rounded, and the stiff nipples pointed proudly out and slightly upwards.

She almost came, when she gave a particularly good answer and I closed my fingers on the nipples, pinching them.

It took almost a glass before I was satisfied. By then the mage was constantly on the edge of orgasm and the ground under her was wet from the amount of juices that had dripped down from her. I knew she had deserved an orgasm but mixing pleasure with pain was one of the few areas in sex, where I had little knowledge or practice, leaving me largely guessing on how to progress from here.

However, since the mage was almost certainly a noble and used to be in control as well as being the one to be pleasured, turning the table on her seemed like a good idea.

I started out with a good spanking, working the rope up her backside. She yelped and moaned every time the end of the rope hit her quivering flesh, leaving red marks on her skin. The moans intensified when I started using the rope to hit her front side and she almost came, when the rope hit both her breasts at the same time.

As the rope worked its way down to her thighs, again causing moans from her, I took the time to look at her mind shield. The core was just as solid as before and discovering her identity was impossible.

However, the part that protected other parts of the mind had been weakened a lot by her arousal, especially the parts controlling her body. As the end of the rope hit just above her love-pearl, sending waves of pleasure through her body, I discreetly entered her mind and placed a few temporary conditions on her actions before I withdrew again.

The rope hit her soft inner thighs, making her squirm as she groaned.

"Here's the thing." I said, as the rope hit her again. "You may seem all prim and proper, but I know what lurks underneath that noble exterior." Reaching up, I fondled her breasts and pinched the nipple, again bringing her to the edge of coming. "You're a lazy brat and I will enjoy disciplining you."

As I talked, the rope stopped hitting her and the mental chains loosened their hold on the columns. I placed her on her knees next to the garden sofa I had been sitting on. As soon as she touched the ground, the chains of mental energy wrapped around her arms and legs, binding her arms on her back and locking her legs in the kneeling position.

Then I quickly undressed and sat down on the sofa, leaning back to relax, while my stiff cock pointed at the sky. "Now suck my cock."

She fastened her eyes on me in defiance. "No way. People lick me, I don't lick people. It's ..."

I slapped her, interrupting what she was saying and causing her to look at me in shock. "I said, suck my cock."

This time, she just shook her head, instead of answering, but with her shields in scrambles, I had no trouble feeling the lust emanating from her.

With a sigh, I reached up, took a hold of her hair with one hand, and used the other hand to direct the rope to give her a hard whipping strike on her plumb butt, as I pulled her down towards my stiff cock. "I'll keep doing this until you start."

The whipping strikes were harder than before and by the fifth stroke, she opened her mouth and took my hard cock into her warm mouth. Now connected, I could feel her quivering with lust, as her lips surrounded the head and she started bobbing her head, sliding her wet lips over my dick a few times.

Then she tried to bite down, but that was against one of the conditions I had placed in her mind and try as she might, her teeth didn't even scratch my skin.

"Stupid brat." I growled as I stood up from the sofa, with my cock still buried in her mouth. The sudden move pressed my dick further into her throat, but strangely she didn't seem to mind and actually moaned instead of gagging.

As soon as I was on my feet, I pulled back a little and started to fuck her mouth, while the rope delivered a series of slow strikes on her butt. "Don't you think, I knew you would do that?"

I drove my hard dick into her mouth, fucking it roughly. The sense of lust in her soared, when I shoved my cock down her throat, making her gasp for air when I withdrew it again.

If I had any doubts that she loved the treatment, it was dispelled a moment later, when she started to lick and suck my cock for all she was worth.

Once she got rolling, she was good at it. Her skills were lacking, and she clearly wasn't used to it, but after the initial hesitation, it started to feel like she was really into it and I enjoying every heartbeat of it.

"Better, but still not good enough." I said and interrupted her rhythm by tightening my grip on her hair again, fucking her face roughly.

She groaned in delight as she accepted my cock into her throat, her nose gracing my pubic bone, before I pulled out to a point, where she could use her tongue and lips on the head. Her pace was faster now, and I could feel a tingle starting in my balls.

Not wanting to come just yet, I pulled completely out of her mouth, lifted her with my mind and placed her on her back and arms on the sofa I had occupied before I was disturbed.

A mental command made the mental chains on her legs uncoil just enough to bind them to the legs of the sofa, spreading them in the process.

Kneeling down between them, I roughly shoved two fingers into her wet pussy, causing her to moan and shiver. Then I removed the fingers and waited a few heartbeats, before inserting them again, drawing a circle inside her and then removing them again.

The mage was breathing heavily by now, so I placed a wet finger against her lovely little anus.

"No! Not there."

"Shut up, brat." I growled and pressed a finger up her butt, while two other fingers went into her pussy. Since my whole hand was covered in her slick juices, it wasn't that hard, and she groaned in pleasure at the penetration.

"See, brat? You love it." I growled and bend down to lick the upper part of her pussy, while fucking both her holes with my fingers.

"Oh shit!" she cried as my tongue slid between the spread lips of her pussy to slither over her exposed love-pearl, giving it a few good licks.

Remembering how she reacted earlier, I reached up with my free hand and massaged her soft breasts, before finding her rock-hard nipples and played with them.

Now she was shivering all over and when I looked up, I could see her face was contorted in pleasure. Judging it was time to enhance it, I added another finger in her butt. That caused her to squirm a little, but that stopped when I sucked her love-pearl into my mouth and licked it.

"Uhhhhhhhhh." She breathed.

I could sense the energy in her starting to build. She was going to come soon.

"Time... to... come... brat." I said, licking her love-pearl between every word, before I began to finger her holes hard and fast, while my tongue and lips gave her love-pearl a solid licking.

The mage stopped breathing for a few heartbeats, until I pinched her nipple hard and gave it a tug.

That pushed her over the edge, and she came in a massive orgasm. Her body shuddered so violently that she seemed to be having a seizure, her legs trashing against the ropes and the muscles in both her pussy and butt clenching hard around my fingers. Her scream of release was so high-pitched and loud, that I was glad I had asked Kima to activate the soundproofing, or the staff would have shown up, expecting to see a murder.

While the mage was whimpering and lost in orgasmic bliss, I removed my fingers from her holes and spread her slick juices over my cock. I was as hard as adamant.

Moving a bit closer, I rubbed my cock over her dripping pussy, making it even more slippery and then pressed the head against her butt. A tentative push made it open a little, so I pushed again, harder this time.

The mage whimpered again, this time in a mix of pleasure and pain, as her muscle yielded, and the tip of my dick slid into her butt, stretching it around my invading pole.

Moving slowly back and forth, I kept easing my cock into her tight butt, going deeper and deeper with each stroke and enjoying the incredible pressure of her warm anal channel enveloping me.

The mage was barely breathing, just the smallest of whimpers escaping her parted lips whenever I moved further into her tight butt. I had half my cock embedded into her snug little butthole when I simply couldn't move anymore, she was just too tight.

Her muscles were clamping around my cock and her rectal passage seemed to be cramping, constricting it so hard that it almost hurt.

It had to hurt her as well, but she didn't seem to mind. Quite the opposite.

Reaching down, I began to massage her love-pearl with a thump and after a few moments, her constricting muscles relaxed a little, just enough to continue my journey into her again.

A moan escaped the mage's lips, causing me to begin fucking her butt with short hard thrusts, forcing her butt to accept more of my cock with each firm push until the entire length of my cock was buried in her. Then I started fucking her for real while still massaging her love-pearl. The muscles in her butt began to relax even more and the groans left little doubt that she loved the rough treatment.

Juices tickled from her pussy, running down onto my cock, lubricating it even more as I settled into a nice rhythm, pushing forward until I was balls-deep inside that gripping anal sheath and then sliding out as her muscles massaged my dick all the way.

"Fuck!" She groaned with a shiver. "It hurts, but it hurts so gooooood! Give it to me!"

I could feel her body quiver in a series of quick peaks, while she was building towards a big climax. To help it along, I turned my hand and shoved two fingers into her pussy, causing her to yelp and then moan as I fucked and fingered her at the same time.

"See. You're loving it, brat. Just as I knew you would." I growled. "Come."

The mage trashed again, screaming as she came. It happened so suddenly it took me by surprise and the muscles in her butt clenched so hard, they forced my dick out of her body.

The scream turned into gasps as the orgasm faded, giving me just enough time to use an Ars Mentalis cleaning trick on my dick, before standing up, levitating the mage at the same time, so when I was standing, my dick was pointing directly at her pussy at a perfect angle for penetration.

Reaching out, I pulled her onto me, sighing in relief as her pussy lips stretched around the head to give me access to her dripping wet pussy. The juices covering my cock as a soothing oil.

I stood still for a moment, enjoying the feeling, but then I took hold of her flaring hips and started to move, fucking her in a steady pace, making her beautiful breasts bounce and jiggle each time my hips slapped into her. The silken walls of her pussy tightened around my cock as the mage squalled. "Oh Goddess! Yessss! Fuck me!"

Since she was floating in the air, there was a limit to the amount of force I could put into my thrusts, but the mage loved every heartbeat of it, groaning as a string of rippling mini climaxes ran through her body, causing her pussy to quiver and tremble around my dick.

I fucked her through those lightning-fast peaks, luxuriating in the feeling.

I had planned on fucking her for a long time, but while her pussy had felt normal to my fingers, it was heavenly around my dick. The mini climaxes made the muscles inside her milk my cock and I could feel a tightening starting in my balls.

I slowed the pace a little, but that only changed the milking sensation into a quivering caress, and I realized too late, that I had passed the point of no return. No matter what I did, I was going to come.

Strengthening my grip on her hips, I fucked her with all that I had, pounding her fast, hard and deep. The sudden change in pace, made her yelp and then squall in delight.

"I'm coming, brat!" I growled, slamming myself balls-deep into her pussy again and again. As my throbbing cock swelled and sprayed her inside, the mage let out another scream of release and climaxed, the walls of her pussy gripping my cock from tip to root in their pleasure ripples, milking it until they had coaxed every last drop of sperm out of me.

That was accompanied by the jerking of her body as one of the longest orgasms I had ever witnessed thundered through her, making her spasm uncontrollably, tossing her head from side to side as she lost herself in bliss.

Then, as a puppet having its strings cut, she went limb, having fainted from an overdose of pleasure.

Breathing heavily and with a ringing in my ears from the intensity of the orgasm, I dissolved the chains of mental energy and lowered her onto the sofa, arranging her in a comfortable position.

Even as I was doing that, I could see Ars Magical healing spells starting to take effect. Like most Ars Mentalis healing tricks, some of the healing spells didn't require words or movement and could be cast by a mage's subconsciousness, allowing them to be used even when knocked out.

Naturally, that increased their usefulness enormously and most mages with just the slightest ability usually learned at least a few of those healing spells.

The naked mage on the sofa was apparently no exception to the rule and as I watched, the marks from the chains disappeared, followed by the stripes from the rope and I had no doubt that any soreness in her body would be gone when she woke up again.

---------

It took some time before she opened her eyes, but when she did, some of the old attitude was back. I had dressed myself and remembering Kima saying that my mother was tutoring the mage in painting, I had spent the time drawing her as she lay naked on the sofa.

"Welcome back to reality." I said with a smile as she opened her eyes.

"Fuck y..." she started, but was cut short rather abruptly, as the rope I had placed around her neck tightened at my mental command.

I sighed. "By continuing like that, you're proving that you weren't listening earlier." I relaxed the rope, so she could breathe. "You really don't have any idea, how the Baylon society works or its history, do you?"

She opened her mouth to answer, changed her mind and thought for a moment, before finally saying. "History has never interested me."

Leaning back in the garden chair, I looked at her. "Listen, I don't know who you are or why you think you're above the law, but if there's one thing you must understand about Baylon society, it's that nobody, I repeat nobody, is above the law. Not even the High King. Granted, the laws and traditions grant him a lot of leverage, but there're laws even the High King can't break and today you broke one of those laws."

She widened her eyes in surprise, so I continued. "The home of any Baylon, from the lowest farmer to the highest noble, is by and large the only place you simply cannot attack a member of the household. You can break in, steal, vandalize and a number of other things, but attacking a Baylon in the confines of his or her home without due course is a serious offence. Especially for the higher levels of society and the higher social ranking, the worse the punishment."

"That can't be true." She stated flatly, disbelief in her face.

Ignoring her comment, I continued, keeping my voice as serious as possible. "Six hundred years ago, Crown Prince Titus did exactly what you did today. He was stripped of his titles, thrown into jail and ended his life as a clerk in the Ordo Mechanicus. Three hundred and twenty years ago, Duke Marcus of the Western Lowlands forced his way into a farmer's house in a drunken craze and attacked the family. He was convicted, stripped of his titles, and expelled by his family. He was later killed in a duel against his first cousin."

The mage was looking at me slack jawed. "You're inventing this!"

"It is true, as any history book will tell you, so do yourself a favour and listen." I said with a sigh. "In the Lex Imperialis, otherwise known as the Imperial Law, nothing is punished as harshly as crimes against the virtues, because it's those virtues that stop powerful mages, mentats and nobles from ruining the Baylon Empire and that... " I stressed the word 'that'... "is the exact reason why the virtues are supposed to be drilled into each and every member of those classes."

The reference to her lack of knowledge hit her hard and she fell silent.

I tilted my head a bit as I studied her. "I don't know why or how you have avoided that, but your teachers are guilty of criminal neglect, because that lack of understanding will sooner or later get you stripped of everything and cause your family serious damage in the eye of both public and the law."

A sudden thought hit me. If you had the patience, that was a good way to get even with a rival family. Exactly as someone had tried with Decimus Livius Varro so long ago.

The mage looked like she was about to say something, but I stopped her. "One advice before you start to ask question: In my experience, situations like this are usually the result of a design. In other words, somebody is out to discredit your family and get rid of you in one blow. It's a long-term plan, but one that will surely work if you keep acting like you have done today."

The mage looked thoughtful, most likely running different scenarios in her head. I left her to it, since at the same time, Kima contacted me mentally to tell me that my mother would be home shortly.

I stood up. "You better get dressed. My mother will be here soon, and I imagine she would like to continue your painting lessons."

Hastily, she stood up. "Can I cast spells again?"

"Yes."

She did and a few moments later, she was fully dressed, having taken the time to clean her underwear with a spell.

I picked up my stuff and was about to walk away when she asked. "Will I see you again?"

Turning, I looked at her and nodded. "If you learn how to behave. Otherwise, I'll stay as far away from you as I possibly can."

That caused her to raise her eyebrows. "To avoid getting involved in a scandal?"

With a slight chuckle, I shook my head. "No, to avoid having to arrest you. I work for Securitas Interna and the only reason why I can let this slide is because I was the only victim. However, that might not be the case next time."

She nodded slowly. "Thank you... oh, my name is Junia. You mother will know how to contact me."

"Until next time then, Junia." I bowed slightly to her and walked out of the atrium, leaving her to think about what I had said.

The dream blurred, flickered and disappeared as the darkness came back.