The Sorcerous Prince - 7. Chapter 7: Freedom for Most

Candavorum, November 1, 2002

Mihai woke up, still in the arms of his first familiar, Fabian. Fabian was still sleeping, and as Mihai got out of bed, he couldn't help but admire his beauty. The night before had been an incredible experience. He had never connected with a familiar before, and it was the most intense experience, one he knew he would never have again. The connection to one's first familiar was the strongest someone could have. He had chosen the slightly more innocent way to initiate the connection. To connect with a familiar, at least in a male-to-male sense, it had to be done through oral sex or anal sex to the point of the sorcerer or wizard's orgasm. The semen had to enter the body of the familiar in order for the connection to be complete. So strong was the male-to-male bond that even straight sorcerers and wizards often made exceptions for male familiars. Conversely, many gay sorcerers and wizards also had female familiars.

This did, however, require weekly sex, both to strengthen and maintain the bond and to ensure the survival of the familiar. Eight days, twelve hours, and thirty-seven seconds was the longest a familiar survived without it, and it was a cruel fate, one that caused insanity for the magical person and familiar as well as the death of the familiar, which would make the magical person's insanity even worse. While the magical person would eventually recover, there would forever be a missing place in his or her heart, a yearning to reconnect with the lost familiar. Mihai knew all of this, and the thought of losing his first familiar was a devastating one indeed. He also knew that whenever he found a significant other, a secondary bond could be created with his significant other and Fabian. This would allow Mihai to monitor his lover's safety through his familiar.

Secondary familiar bonds fell into two categories. The first was with a lover. The other was with others. The latter was actually more difficult to break and could cover anyone from family members to close friends or even acquaintances. They were created in the same was as primary bonds. Mihai only wanted there to be a secondary bond with someone he took as a lover, but he also knew that familiars were not known for monogamy, and he would have to closely monitor Fabian, especially around his father, who felt there were very few boundaries with one's sexuality. Fabian would likely be irresistible to anyone. He already knew this. At the moment, he could not imagine allowing anyone else to have Fabian. This initial jealousy would eventually pass, and Fabian would sense this and respect the boundary unless Mihai allowed him not to do so.

Mihai chuckled as he noticed that the pile of clothing on the floor had already been removed, meaning that someone from the housekeeping staff had already got rid of it through magic. This meant that the staff would have needed to open the door, as the silent spell to remove objects and place them elsewhere required seeing the object or objects involved. This was of little concern, but he found it amusing as it meant that now the staff would have to deal with a third royal taking guests into his bed and could accidentally be walked in on whilst having sex. Mihai would not care, as he had always had a slight exhibitionist streak.

Mihai decided it was time for a shower even though he had taken one the night before. He only wished that Fabian were awake, because he wanted to try something else. He figured he could revisit the idea later. The shower itself turned on automatically with a temperature that fit whoever was in it. If there were two or more people in the shower, it would find a temperature that all would find comfortable even if it meant changing the senses of one or more of the people. It just so happened that Mihai loved his showers quite hot, almost hot enough to make his skin turn red with irritation.

As Mihai was scrubbing his chest with the magical soap that killed all germs while making skin as smooth as silk, he sensed Fabian awakening. 'Come Fabian! I'm in the shower. I need you to wash my back.' Fabian wasted little time, as pleasing his bonder was second nature. Before they finished showering, they gave each other blowjobs once again.

After dressing, Mihai picked up a letter that had been placed upon his nightstand. It was a letter from the judge stating that his punishment of Keegan and the others was justified, and quite frankly too lenient. Mihai chuckled at that and then handed the letter to Fabian. Fabian read it quickly and said little, though he seemed pleasantly amused. Fabian excused himself and exited the room. Mihai knew that he was going to be attending a meeting with the other familiars within the palace. The familiars did not stay for the orgy that took place at the Mantrala Pavilion, as their duties often required them to be up earlier than their bonders when late-night events took place.

Mihai made his way to the kitchen in search of the guest coordinator as well as the head cook. Luckily, the head cook, Sandra, and the hospitality coordinator, Cheryl, were both present. “Well, good morning, Your Highness!” Sandra beamed. She, like most witches, took advantage of the Longevity Potion, but looked a little older than Mihai's parents. By human standards, she looked to be right around 39, and Cheryl, with her black hair, looked to be somewhere in between Sandra and Queen Viviana in age.

“Hi Sandra!” Mihai replied just as warmly. “I need to let you both know about some extra guests for lunch today.”

“They are more than welcome,” Cheryl boomed enthusiastically. “Can you tell us their names?” Mihai did not know the names of all the parents of the “hooligans” currently residing in the dungeon, so he gave her the names he knew, as well as the name of the judge, and an estimate of other unknowns. He figured all the parents would arrive together, and his parents would still be unaware as he had forgotten to mention them. Still, he reasoned that they would not care as they were always looking for people to flirt with. “I think I can work with that.” Cheryl turned to a woman who had been sitting on the other side of the room. “Janet, prepare some gift baskets for our guests.”

“Yes, ma'am,” the woman replied in an resonant voice.

“Now, there is one other thing I need to know, Your Highness” Cheryl said, returning her attention to Mihai. “Are you going to allow the other guests to leave today?”

“I can't say for sure,” Mihai admitted. “I will be using telepathy to make that determination.”

“Well, Your Highness,” Cheryl chuckled. “I know how to make guests feel comfortable, but I also know how to make them feel... uncomfortable.” It was actually true. Cheryl had an extensive collection of whips, chains, paddles, and even some gags.

“I don't know if that would be appropriate,” Mihai giggled. “That's for guests who want that kind of treatment and... my dad, at least I think I've seen him entering your bedchamber a time or two...”

“Umm...” Cheryl was shocked at Prince Mihai's knowledge. “I'm sorry, Your Highness. I thought we were being discreet.”

“I'm not stupid Cheryl,” Mihai snickered. “I know that my dad has an insatiable sexual appetite and that you specialize in just about anything kinky.”

“That I do, Your Highness,” Cheryl admitted with a wry grin. “You'll be of age as of tomorrow. If you'd like a demonstration for your birthday, I'd be more than happy to...” It was true. Mihai's sixteenth birthday was the next day, which meant that he would be considered an adult by magical standards.

“That's quite alright, Cheryl,” Mihai giggled. “I happen to like men. It's nothing personal. If I were into women, you'd be at the top of my list.”

“You're such a tease, Your Highness,” she replied in feigned sadness. “Have it your way, but if you ever change your mind...”

“I'll keep that in mind,” Mihai said, winking.

“You two are naughty,” Sandra chided. “Now, my prince, would you like a light breakfast? You're up much earlier than your parents. Is there anything you would like?”

“A banana would be great, Sandra,” Mihai lilted.

“Coming right up, Your Highness.” Sandra wanted Mihai to eat more than that, but it seemed that Mihai had something else on his mind. In fact, as soon she gave him the banana from the magical refrigerator, he was out of the kitchen. His destination was the dungeon.

Once Mihai arrived in the dungeon, he could hear yelling. “Let me out of here!” Mihai chuckled at himself, knowing that Keegan was anything but satisfied with his treatment. The tall blond-haired lieutenant stood just outside the door to Keegan's holding cell. “You'll all pay for this!”

“What's going on, Lieutenant MacMunn?” Mihai inquired dryly.

“He kicked me in the balls,” Lieutenant MacMunn replied. “If you hadn't specifically ordered me not to allow flogging, I would have done so by now. Instead, I have him chained up against the wall.”

“Excellent,” Mihai beamed. “I trust that the restraints are made of wizard’s steel?” This was more of a statement than a question. The lieutenant nodded in agreement. The door was also made of iron. Mihai took his wand from a pocket of his navy blue wizarding robe and aimed it at the door, causing it to unlock and swing open.

“You!” Keegan snarled. Mihai walked over to Keegan, and he looked him directly in the eyes. Keegan spit upon him for his trouble.

“That's how you want to play it, eh?” Mihai said, laughing. The shackles, which were made of wizard's steel caught Mihai's attention. He had not put away his wand, so he aimed for the ones around Keegan's wrists. The restraints began to tighten, and had it gotten much tighter, Keegan's wrists would have bled. Mihai had another idea. Hydrokinesis was great tool, and it was only natural for him to take advantage. Mihai concentrated on the salivary glands in his mouth, which he also opened. A bubble full of water formed outside of his mouth and once fully grown was about one foot in diameter. The lieutenant was a telekinetic, and he was watching. He used his power to open Keegan’s mouth just before Mihai sent the large ball of spit directly into his face. The ball of spit splashed all over Keegan’s face and into his mouth, causing him to choke.

Keegan, who was already in pain from the tightened restraints, began to cry as the embarrassment was just too much. “Why did you do that to me?” His sobbing was uncontrollable.

“Because you spit on me!” Mihai snapped. “Was it worth it?”

“No!” Keegan sobbed. “I just... I don't like you.”

“Keegan, I'm sick and tired of the way you treat me!” Mihai snapped. “You never address me properly. You and your friends bully and tease me! It stops now! Do you understand?”

“Y... ye... yes, Your Highness,” Keegan whined. “Are you really going to make us stay here for an entire year?”

“It would serve you right if he did,” interrupted another baritone voice. Mihai immediately recognized the voice as belonging to Keegan's adoptive father and uncle, Sir Curtis McDermott. “Why is your face all wet?”

“He spit on me, Sir Curtis,” Mihai informed him. “So I used hydrokinesis to produce extra spit. It seems Lieutenant MacMunn forced his mouth open, so some of my spit ended up in his mouth.”

The man with dark brown hair with a slightly receding hairline and light brown eyes was soon right beside Mihai. “That seems rather extreme, Your Highness,” Sir Curtis replied. “However, considering all he has done to you, I really can't blame you.” He stared directly at Keegan. His eyes took on a red glow, one somewhat brighter than that of a demon's. It was a sign of a blood wizard's anger just as it was for a normal vampire. Blood wizards and witches were certainly not normal vampires either. They could feed half as often upon blood, could eat real food without becoming ill, and could be in the sun as much as they pleased. “Keegan, when are you and your friends going to learn respect? I have tried so hard with you and Tommy, but you never listen to me. You're now an adult, Keegan. You should know better.”

“I'm sorry, Dad,” Keegan cried. “I just...” He could barely speak, because he was sniffling. “He has it all. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He doesn't have a couple of gay blood wizards taking care of him who barely make any money.”

“Keegan, how dare you bring that up!” Sir Curtis snapped. “I knew what I was getting into when I met Adrian, but I love him. He is the only person I have ever loved.”

“I'm sorry, Dad.” Keegan could not even look Sir Curtis in the eyes, for he was ashamed.

“Sir Curtis, if I may interrupt,” Prince Mihai said politely. “I have an idea, a way for you to make some extra money... well, a lot more money.”

“Your Highness,” Sir Curtis groaned. “I don't know what I could possibly do. People don't tend to hire my kind.”

“Well...” Mihai replied grinning. “We have a wonderful hospitality coordinator who happens to be a blood witch. We are more progressive than most. Anyway, you are highly trained in battle magic, and it just so happens that there is a new young sorcerer in need of training.”

“You, Your Highness?” Sir Curtis asked incredulously. “I don't think...” Mihai raised his hand in the air to signal silence.

“Actually, it was long ago decided that Baron Charles Levesque would train me privately,” Mihai informed him. “However, I may be able to convince my parents and The Empress to allow you to train Imperial Prince Pavel. As of right now, he is living with us. He will be twelve years old tomorrow, and he is a powerful psychic. I don't know what all of his powers are except telepathy and telekinesis, but I believe there are four more. Would you be interested in training him?”

“Interested?” Sir Curtis asked incredulously. “I'd be honored, Your Highness! Do you really think they would allow me to?”

“My parents would for sure, Sir Curtis!” Mihai interrupted enthusiastically. “Empress Guadalupe will probably like the idea too. Prince Pavel will be the only resistance, but he needs someone who will push him hard. I think you will be much more of a disciplinarian with him than you are with your adopted sons.”

“You're right about that, Your Highness,” Sir Curtis sighed. “So... what are you going to do with my nephews?”

“Well, I am going to probe their minds,” Prince Mihai stated in an eerily matter-of-fact manner. “If I sense any remorse at all for what they have done, they will be freed. Those who do not show remorse shall remain for at least a month at which time I will probe their minds again. They will be here for up to a year. I will inform everyone after lunch of who will remain and who shall be free as of today.” Mihai walked Sir Curtis out of his son's cell and noticed Cheryl's assistant Janet waiting for them. “Janet, make sure Sir Curtis is comfortable and find the other guests. Also, make sure my parents and The Empress are awake. They had a late night, but they should be with our guests as well. You can tell them to blame me if they do not like being awakened.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” the young, dark-haired woman replied.

“Please let everyone know that I will be upstairs shortly.” Mihai commanded.

Janet nodded at Prince Mihai and then turned to Sir Curtis. “Would you come with me please, sir?”

“Certainly, miss,” he replied gently.

“Please, call me Janet,” she replied coquettishly.

“Of course, Janet,” he replied, flirting back.

“Don't break her heart, Sir Curtis,” Mihai joked.

Sir Curtis approached Mihai and whispered in his ear, “Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I can't charm the ladies.” Mihai giggled.

As Sir Curtis and Janet began to climb the stairs, Mihai went back into Keegan's holding cell. “I'm going to probe your mind,” he said flatly. “I want no arguments or else you will remain here for a year. Do you understand?” Keegan nodded, though he was almost in tears again. 'How do you feel about all that you have done to me?' The thought was exactly what Keegan expected.

'I feel terrible about it,' Keegan said in his mind. Mihai probed further into Keegan's mind. Keegan was feeling pain, both physical and psychological. Reading of deeper thoughts and emotions was a painful experience for first timers, and no one had ever probed Keegan's mind before. Once Mihai had the answer he wanted, he gently removed his telekinetic probe from Keegan's mind.

“I will let everyone know my decision later,” Mihai informed him coolly. Now Mihai had five other minds to probe. He knew it would be tiring. Luckily, the process took more out of them than it would him. He knew that he would likely need a nap after lunch and that getting through the meal and related activities would not be easy, because telepathy was draining on one's energy, especially when used so extensively. It was one power that could not be aided with the use of a wand, at least not as far as Mihai knew. Telepathy was not a power that warranted extensive study as it was considered undesirable by many. At that time there were only five magical people and gifted who possessed telepathy known to possess telepathy, including Mihai, Pavel, and the high school principal, the latter actually being the most powerful.

The process was tedious as Mihai expected. His head ached and he felt drained. He was also glad that lunch time was approaching soon. He still had to inform the parents about everything and inform them who would be going home and who would not, if any. Even though it would normally have been preferable, Mihai decided against teleporting, because he figured his headache would worsen. The stairs were magical anyway, and would automatically take a person to the desired floor after one flight. However, this only worked on the way up as there was a switch at the bottom.

Lunch was quite the event with all the parents plus the vice principal and the judge present. In addition, King Frederico had invited Lord Bayer, who was The Duke of Austin and Konstantin's father. The duke's wife and daughter, who were both named Abigail, were not present. Adelric Bayer and Prince Mihai had a strange relationship. While Lord Bayer had agreed to be Mihai's godfather when he was a baby, he had grown suspicious of him, mainly because he had not developed powers at a normal age. Mihai hoped that his recent ascension would change the duke's mind, but he had not yet had a chance to speak to the duke alone.

Between the main course of roasted pheasant, baby potatoes, and chef's salad, and dessert, Mihai decided to make his announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for me to announce my decision. As all of you know, I had several of my classmates arrested last night. They spent the night in the dungeon. They were not flogged, but one of them had to be restrained in shackles after assaulting one of the guards. That action, while certainly frowned upon, will not be affecting my decision. I was looking for remorse. In all but one case, there was remorse. Therefore, all but one shall be released today. The last moments of punishment will be the meager lunch they are probably receiving right now.”

“Excuse me, Your Highness!” a woman piped in. The woman looked a lot like Melody, but Mihai had never met her mother.

“Yes?” Mihai asked, annoyed.

“Would you mind telling us who is being left behind, You Highness?” she asked indignantly.

“Well, I was going to get to that soon Ms. Vincent,” Mihai said direly. “However, I must say that I see where your daughter gets her attitude.” The woman scowled at him in anger. “And it should not be surprising that Melody Vincent is the one who shall stay...”

Ms. Vincent opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Mihai boomed, “Ms. Vincent, don't even think about interrupting me, or you shall be joining her. Now, the others shall be free to go after lunch. Though I was surprised, especially with Keegan, all the guys involved showed signs of remorse. I shall be talking to a behavioral specialist about Melody Vincent, and much of her remaining time here will focus upon modifying her behavior and, Ms. Vincent, undoing the damage you have caused. It's no secret, Heidi Vincent, that you're one of the most hated people in all of Candavorum, and you have done a great disservice to your own daughter. While she is to blame when it comes down to it, your influence has not helped at all. Now, you will all get to see your children after dessert even for the one of you who will be saying goodbye.”

“Thank you, son,” King Frederico added. “I will tell you all now that there will be no further question. Mihai's familiar has written a statement about the incident, and you will receive a great deal of detail about what happened last night. Now, let us have dessert!” Dessert was decadent indeed, and it was one of Mihai's favorite, chocolate soufflés. After dessert, everyone was reunited with their children, even Heidi Vincent, who was allowed to visit Melody for about an hour.

Before everyone left, Keegan and Ted pulled Mihai aside. “I was wondering...” Keegan whispered. “Did you happen to find out anything else about us when you...”

Mihai smiled. “I learned interesting things about everyone. Worry not. Whatever I have learned about any one of you will go no further. Though I will tell you this, Keegan. You are better off without Melody. Her thoughts are quite scary, and well...” Mihai gave him a wink.

Once the guests had left, Mihai spoke, “I think we all need to talk.”

“What's on your mind, son?” King Frederico asked.

“Well, I think Sir Curtis can do a great service for us,” Mihai said firmly.

“You mean all of us?” Empress Guadalupe asked.

“That's exactly what I mean,” he said forcefully, winking at his aunt.

“What do you have in mind?” she inquired, intrigued.

Mihai then looked at Pavel and smiled. “I think he could teach Pavel how to use his powers. He doesn't have the same connection to him as he does his adopted sons. He can be a disciplinarian if need be. Plus, he made a career of teaching and perfecting battle magic.”

“Isn't he a blood wizard?” Empress Guadalupe asked coldly.

“Empress, if I may...” Queen Viviana piped in. Empress Guadalupe nodded. “We have a wonderful hospitality coordinator who happens to be a blood witch. We've also known Sir Curtis for years. My only complaint about him is that he has been too soft on those two hooligans he's raising. I can recall his style in the magical military, kind yet firm. He just made sure not to allow his militaristic style to interfere at home, but essentially it did, because he's been the total opposite. I think that's about to change though. Still, he is a good candidate for teaching Pavel magic and perhaps augmenting Mihai's training.”

“I trust your judgment,” Empress Guadalupe said to Queen Viviana confidently. “I know you've been right about a lot of things. How I've gotten by without you for the past years is beyond me.”

“It's all in the past now,” King Frederico beamed. “We're a family again, and that's all that matters.”

“You're right brother,” Empress Guadalupe said dulcetly before giving him a hug.

“So is it all settled then?” Mihai asked.

“f**k no, it isn't!” Pavel spat.

“Pavel Ignatius Rousseau!” Empress Guadalupe yelled. “If you ever use that word in my presence again, I will put a spell on your mouth to leave the taste of soap on your tongue for a month! And just for that, you will be trained by Sir Curtis and you will do whatever he says. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Mother,” he muttered. Mihai gave Pavel a satisfied smirk.

“Mihai!” Empress Guadalupe yelled. “You do not need to smile at him like that either! Now, let's all get ready. We have less than an hour to get to the park.”

“She's right,” King Frederico affirmed. “Oh, and Mihai, you will be feeding the beam generator this year, and there will be no arguments about it.”

The rest of the day's itinerary revolved around the festival. Festivities ended around midnight and actually began a few hours earlier than they had on the previous day. Mihai and his family once again arrived by unicorn-drawn carriage as it was a tradition but this time around 2:30 PM. The first few hours was all about chanting and asking the gods for more power to use against the demons and a time to ask for blessings of Candavorum and the entire kingdom as well as the Empire of Magic. At 6:00 PM there was a great feast for all in attendance. The tables were massive and could each seat 100 people. There were 50 tables in all, and all of them were full. One fourth of Candavorum's population was in one place.

Mihai was nervous about feeding the beam generator. It meant producing great amounts of electricity, and he was expected to do this without the aid of the drums. If successful, more than fifty animals in the special pen below would all die instantly as sacrifices to the gods. If not, the people would not be blessed. This gave Mihai a great deal of responsibility. The beam generator was actually a large silvery ball that seemed to levitate in the air of its own accord. Before Frederico became king, it was the responsibility of Alex's family as the former monarchic family did not possess electrokinesis.

Mihai closed his eyes for a moment, and searched with his extra sense for the electrons in the vicinity. By his will alone, a small ball of electricity appeared just beyond his wand. The ball of electricity grew and grew until it was only slightly smaller than the generator. The object hurled into the air at great velocity, and it instantly hit the generator, which began to glow with an intense, blinding light. The pen itself had an invisible force field around it, which prevented the intense energy or the flesh, blood, and bones of the animals to touch anyone in the crowd. And there it was, an intense beam of energy even more blinding than the glow of the generator seconds before. When it dissipated, there was nothing but the mangled remains of the creatures that had been slaughtered.

A blue beam appeared from the sky. This was in contrast to the bright yellow of the Shield of the Gods. The remains of the creatures began a journey into the sky, and Mihai looked in amazement. It was because of his success that the gods were pleased enough to accept the offering. Though there was no guarantee that life would be all peaches and cream, pleasing the gods meant a fairly good year. The crowd cheered his name, and he could not help but cry tears of joy. Prince Mihai had already become the hero of the people.