The Sorceress of Belmair

“Whatever shape you have taken, you cannot hold it forever,” he said. “You are clever, my darling, and have perhaps a bit more skill than I gave you credit for, I fear. I am a patient man, and will be happy to wait until you realize you cannot evade what was meant to be, Cinnia.”

Hidden in the folds of the bed curtains, Cinnia waited, and closing her eyes concentrated with all her being on maintaining the flea’s form. Several hours passed. Never had she held another form for so long, and she could feel herself growing tired. Then to her relief the man on the bed below arose.

“I will leave you now, my bride, for certainly you must be exhausted at this point,” he said, his tone affectionate and amused. “I shall come to you again when you are well rested, and of a more reasonable frame of mind. It was foolish of me to rush our passion, but you are so very beautiful, Cinnia, and I have waited for you for many years.”

His footsteps sounded as he walked across the chamber. The door opened, and then it closed. A key turned in the door’s lock with a loud click.

Cinnia clung to the flea’s shape listening. Had he really left the chamber? Or was he playing a game with her? The flea dropped down onto the bed, and looking about saw that the room was indeed empty. She sighed, relieved, and almost immediately regained her own form. She was so weakend by her efforts of the past few hours that she could not move. Quiet tears slipped down her cheeks as she lay sobbing softly. If only she had thought to shape- shift when Ahura Mazda had first come into her apothecary she would not be in this difficulty. She had to escape the Yafir lord, but she had absolutely no idea of where she was. Yafirdom? She had never heard of it, nor knew its location. Could she keep Ahura Mazda at bay long enough to learn what she needed to know? Long enough to escape this place? She was certainly going to try. Cinnia’s eyes kept closing, and at first she struggled to remain awake. But hearing nothing but silence around her, and hearing no noise from beyond the door she decided she had best sleep and regain her strength while she could. Who knew when the very determined Yafir lord would come to her again. She needed to be strong if she was going to continue to defy him. Cinnia realized that the flea had been a very successful shape for her to take, and she had probably been able to hold its form for as long as she did because it was so tiny. The moment she heard that key in the door again she would shape-shift once more.

Over the course of the next few days Cinnia continued to outwit the Yafir lord. If his wives came into her bedchamber she was herself, but the moment he appeared she would disappear from their sight, shape-shifting into a flea that hid itself in the window or the bed curtains. Ahura Mazda was not pleased. He had not expected Cinnia’s powers to be that strong. He realized the shape she was taking had to be small for her to be able to hold on to it for hours at a time. But there were any number of small objects within the room, and he could see no change in any of them or unfamiliar additions.

“She has taken neither food nor drink since she has been here,” his wife, Arlais, said to him one evening before he attempted again to catch Cinnia. “She is weakening as each day passes, my lord. Soon she will no longer have the strength to shape-shift. She will be yours then. You have but to be patient.”

“Unless she dies first,” Minau remarked softly. “She is a very strong-willed female, my lord. I believe she will persist in her resistance until she dies rather than yield willingly to you. If you want this girl you will have to use the Lotus, my lord.” Minau did not speak often, but when she did all listened.

“Is it in bloom?” Ahura Mazda asked her.

“It will be tomorrow, my lord,” Minau said.

“The effects only last a few hours,” the Yafir lord said.

“True,” Minau replied. “But in those few hours you can have your way with her. After that she will be yours. One sniff of the Lotus blossom and her memories will grow fuzzy and dim while her desires will rouse themselves. When she comes to herself again it will be too late for her to go back to her old life, for you will have made her your own, my lord, and she will be completely aware of it. Is that not what you want? Every moment in your arms will then be etched into her brain. She will not be able to hide from the truth. And during that time you will also feed her cakes and wine. Once she has eaten of our food she is bound to the Yafir.”

“Minau,” Ahura Mazda said admiringly, “you are the most delightful schemer.” Reaching out, he drew her into his arms and gave her a slow, hot kiss. “I adore you,” he said against her mouth, and then he released her.

“And she is perfectly correct, too, my lord,” Arlais remarked. She hid her irritation that Minau had solved the thorny problem when she had not.

“You will bring me the Lotus blossom the moment it blooms tomorrow,” the Yafir lord said. “Now I will go and observe my reluctant love.”

They bowed to him as he moved past them and into a tiny room next to the bedchamber where Cinnia was imprisoned. Seating himself upon a padded stool he said, “Wall! Reveal all!” and the stones became transparent so he might look into the bedroom. Cinnia sat in a chair she had placed facing the door. She was even paler than usual, and there were purplish-brown circles beneath her eyes, which stared hard at the portal before her. Her resistance had obviously weakened her terribly. Now and again she would nod off only to jerk awake seconds later, her head snapping back sharply. The Yafir lord had to admit to himself that he admired her bravery and her resourcefulness. He hoped she would give him a daughter as strong as she was. Sons he had aplenty. He wanted daughters, and daughters bred on Cinnia would be worth a fortune as wives one day. With half a dozen or more daughters he could cement alliances with other Yafir families, which would make him a strong king when they took Belmair. “Wall, close!” He had seen enough, and his male member needed release.

Returning into the dayroom he glanced about at his five wives. Arlais. Minau. Volupia. Orea and Tyne. All pleased him, and had been with him for various lengths of time. Each had born him one or more sons. Two, Orea and Tyne, were with child again, their rounded bellies already showing beneath their robes. “Volupia, my precious, you will share my bed tonight,” he told her with a smile, and held out a hand to her.

She came at once, taking his hand and kissing it, smiling into his eyes. “As my lord wishes,” she murmured obediently, and then she followed him from the chamber.

“I don’t envy her,” Orea said softly.

“Aye,” Arlais agreed. “His lust for Cinnia is so great that he will ride Volupia hard this night.”

“And still not be satisfied,” Minau noted.

Tyne laughed. “Soon enough, however, my sisters, she will be one of us. And she will wonder why she resisted him for so long. He really is an incredible lover, and his seed is potent. The midwife tells me I am so big so early that I may have two babies in my womb. I pray to the Celestial Actuary that one is a daughter.”

The other women nodded, and then Arlais arose. Taking the key to Cinnia’s bedchamber from her pocket, she went to the door, unlocked and opened it. The girl stared at her from the chair, her fingers gripping its arms, prepared for flight. “He has taken Volupia to his bed,” Arlais said. “You need have no fear of him tonight.”

“Thank you,” Cinnia said.

“Why do you resist him? You are no virgin,” Arlais remarked. “He is a wonderful lover. Passionate. Gentle. Tender.”

“I have a husband,” Cinnia said. “One whom I adore. Am I a Hetarian that I would want another man to be my lover? Surely the Yafir must have infected those exiles with their casual attitudes toward marriage. Your master already has five wives. Why does he need another? In Belmair such a thing would not be tolerated.”

“But you are not in Belmair, Cinnia. You are in Yafirdom. Besides, it is only proper that the lord of the Yafir have several wives. Ahura Mazda is not an ordinary being. He is above all others. Now go to sleep, you poor girl. Things will be better tomorrow, I am certain.” Turning, she left the chamber, closing and locking the door.

Cinnia began to weep with her despair. She was hungry and she was thirsty. Each time she shape-shifted it weakened her, and especially as she held the flea’s form for several hours a day. She was relieved that she would not have to tonight. She didn’t know where she was, and she hadn’t been out of this room since she had awakened in it except to be taken to the baths. How was she to escape and find her way back to Dillon? She wanted to go home. She wanted her husband, and she wanted Nidhug’s comfort. If she could not escape this place, wherever it was, what would the Great Dragon of Belmair do? Would she choose another bride for Dillon? Cinnia wept harder, and finally, utterly exhausted, she fell into a restless sleep. In her dreams she heard her name being called. Cinnia! Cinnia! But she fled from the sound of it, for she feared it was Ahura Mazda trying to entrap her in her dreams as he could not in reality.

When she finally awoke she could tell by the odd light outside of her windows that she had slept for a very long time. She felt so weak she could hardly raise her head. Her heart jumped at the sound of the key in the door. She