Chapter 1
The New Apprentice

Everyone agreed that things were getting worse.

The line of the Regents was weak. While they claimed to govern the whole of Angoria, in truth their rule was just its nominal capital, Angor. The nation (if it could still be called that) was really governed by the lords of other cities or rural domains, each with their own fiefdoms, their own armies. Regent Farik claimed dominion but did nothing to enforce it, and the others tolerated him out of deference to history and tradition while they pursued their own wars and petty grievances.

Meanwhile, magic was fading. Since the destruction of the wizard city of Temishar, wizardkind had scattered and it felt like there were fewer truly powerful wizards each year. The line of Regents had no magic, and the prophesied King, said to be able to use his magic to restore the second sun in the sky, had not come. Food was scarce, bandits were everywhere, and despair was heavy in everyone's hearts.

It was against that backdrop that Master Wizard Zeles Tzell rapped his knuckles on the door of a run-down cottage.

* * *

"Yes?" came a woman's voice from behind the door, not opening it. It was late in the evening, and she was justifiably wary. Her cottage was on the outer edge of this particular village, and the area was not protected by one of the more powerful lords. There were certainly bandits in the area.

"Hello," said the wizard, trying not to sound menacing. "Erm, good evening. I come as a friend, with an opportunity, and I seek an audience."

"An audience?" snorted the woman. "Seek an audience with Lord Vicen. I don't have anything for you here."

Zeles sighed. He expected this but it was still frustrating. "I am not looking for Lord Vicen," he said loudly, "I am looking for you. I am a wizard, and I believe your son would be a good apprentice. He will live a life of relative comfort and learn to harness deep magical energies. I would like to discuss his training with you."

There was no answer. Zeles could hear the sound of feet on the other side of the door. They were light footsteps, barefoot; he suspected it was her children. Still no response, though, and no sense of movement beyond the door.

The wizard sighed again. He expected this, and with a look of resignation, made a motion with his hand and mumbled some words. A dim glow suffused his right hand, slowly growing in brightness. Suddenly the same yellow glow spread over the door, a soft halo ensconcing it. On the other side, a strange force pushed back any people or things in the door's way, and then the door just… opened. Not abruptly. Not forcefully. It was as if the laws of the universe simply told the door to open, and as if it was the most normal thing in the world, it did.

Zeles Tzell, Master Wizard, perhaps 35 years old, clean-shaven, tall, and modestly built, stood before the woman and her children. He wore travelers' clothes and carried a pack, and in his other hand he carried two hares, caught recently and cooked.

"As I said," he continued calmly, "I desire an audience. I bring a gift of food."

The bedraggled family gaped at him as he stepped forward. It was a one-room cottage, with sleep pallets (such as they were) extending out over much of the floor. The hares would no doubt be a feast, and he could see the children, even the two teenage-looking ones, following them with their eyes. The woman looked confounded.

"How did you do that?" It was one of the older ones, a girl.

"I am a wizard," he replied. "Which one of you is Ardin?"

A young boy, perhaps 11 years old, raised his hand shyly. Though his face was smudged with some kind of dirt or soot, and his body was covered just in thin rags, the child was a vision. Light, soft brown hair (all going in wild directions at the moment); a slim body, but with some muscles from the hard work he no doubt had to do; an open, innocent face, with cheeks that were still rounded with some baby fat. He was short for his age, about four and a half feet [1.37m], and probably only 70 to 75 pounds [32-34kg]. Both might change with proper nutrition. Like his siblings, he was barefoot on the hard dirt floor.

"Ardin," said the wizard, squatting down to be closer to his level, "I think you might have the makings of a wizard yourself, and I'd like to invite you to train with me." He hoped dearly that his information was right.

There was silence. The boy looked back with wide eyes. Competing impulses warred within him: fear of this large, strange man (Zeles did not fail to notice the lack of any men in the house), along with boyish eagerness at the adventure promised by being a wizard. He was a brave boy, though, and he stepped a little bit forward.

"Really?" he exclaimed.

"Get away from him!" shouted his mother. Whether she meant the wizard or the boy was irrelevant. Zeles ignored her.

"Yes," he said. "I can test you."

"No!" said his mother.

Zeles sighed, and stood up. "You would deny your child the chance at a better life?"

"I don't trust you," she replied.

"Then come," he said, holding forward the hares. "Let us eat. These are fresh, and good, and you can get to know me."

"No," she said.

"Mama," said one of the younger kids. "Please." The wizard saw the children's mouths watering at the food, and this would be so much easier for Ardin if the mother said yes.

"It's just food," he said.

With a sigh, the woman nodded. "Fine," she said. "Food, then go."

There was no table, but the wizard brought out his pack and found a reasonable clean pan within on which he placed the hares. He brought out a knife, and began to cut them. The children gathered around, watching as he did so, and then he invited them to take food. Even the mother, nervous though she was, couldn't resist the smell of fresh roasted meat.

"My name is Zeles Tzell," began the visitor. "There are not many wizards left. It has become harder and harder to find those with talent. But those who have it can live a wondrous and prosperous life."

"Ardin is just a boy," said his mother. "He has no such talent."

"I think he does," said Zeles.

The woman just shook her head.

"Let me test him," said the wizard.

"No," she said. "I won't have you filling his head with crazy stories and doing… whatever you want to do."

"Mama," said Ardin, "please!" He stood up and gestured with his hands, a wild, dramatic movement, as if casting a spell, and his rag-like clothing rustled on his body at the motion. "I want to learn magic!"

"Ardin, sit down!" she retorted.

"No! I want to learn magic!"

"Ardin!" she cried. "No, you will sit!"

"Mama, let him!" cried another child. "Yes, let him!" "What if he's a wizard?" "What if he can do it?"

Zeles supposed the woman was probably younger than she appeared due to the strain that poverty had placed on her. Regardless, that didn't change the angry glare she gave Zeles, which felt withering from her. "Fine!" she finally said. "You'll see. This is no story. We don't have heroes who go on to live glorious, carefree lives here. But yes, test him, O Great Wizard. See for yourself."

Zeles shook his head softly, and then turned to Ardin. The boy's hands were greasy from the hares, and streaks of grease glistened on his round cheeks. There was no source of light in the cabin, for of course the woman could not afford candles, but the setting sun provided enough light. "Come," said the wizard softly, and the boy padded over on his bare feet.

Zeles stood up then, towering over the child. He raised a hand and laid it on the boy's head, fingers surrounded by the silky hair of the young lad. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, and said some words in a long forgotten language.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, again, a glow in his hand. It alone added to the light of the fading sun. The glow this time was blue, and it was reflected in the face and eyes of the other eagerly-watching children, and even in their stubborn mother. He heard quiet gasps.

Zeles didn't move. He felt all the presences within the room, even with his eyes closed. He just calmly held his hand there, and the blue glow stayed steady, illuminating the boy's hair but little else. His impromptu audience watched with bated breath. Nothing happened.

"See?" said the boy's mother, even though she couldn't have comprehended what was happening. "Nothing."

Still Zeles stayed with his head bowed. He raised the palm of his hand up, keeping the fingers planted on the boy's scalp. Still his hand glowed blue.

And then… "Maaaama?" exclaimed Ardin.

There was a flash of blue. "Yessssss," cried Zeles.

"Mama!" cried Ardin.

And all of a sudden, the boy's whole body glowed blue. A halo like that which had covered the door, but brighter and growing brighter still. His eyes shone out, little torches of blue light themselves. "Mama, I'm blue!" he cried. The light grew brighter, and brighter, and brighter, until finally Zeles took a deep breath and removed his hand. In an instant, the light was gone.

After the light, the whole cabin now felt shockingly, deeply dark. But no one could doubt what they saw. No one except the boy's mother.

"Foolishness," she said, as everyone else stood there, shocked.

"It tingles," said the boy.

"Ardin," said Zeles kindly, "would you like to do some magic?"

"Yes!" he cried. "Yes, please!"

"Hold out your hands."

The tall wizard stepped in front of the short child and took the boy's hands in his, one in each. His two hands were comically tiny compared to those of the wizard, but to Zeles, they felt warm, and small, and beautiful. He could hold those hands forever. He sighed deeply, and then let his magic flow through his arms, letting it flow into the child, and letting the child's magic flow into him. He felt a powerful warmth. The boy was strong.

More than strength, the bond between them was growing. He heard Ardin gasp at the feeling of joining together. As if he was sharing something personal with the man. Something all his own.

"You can feel it?" said Zeles. "Good. You'll learn quickly. You feel the power?"

"Yes!" squeaked the boy.

"Close your eyes," said Zeles, "and let the power flow out of you. Softly, just a little. Too much and it will overwhelm your senses. A little, and you'll feel it ripple over everything in the room. Even without seeing, you'll feel everything here."

Ardin concentrated, his pale brow furrowing as he tried to do what the man had said. "It's bright!"

"You're letting out too much," said Zeles. "Less. As little as you can."

He felt the magical energies dim slightly, then more. Though it had been invisible to the others, it had been blinding to the two magic-users; slowly everything in the room came into focus as they tempered the flow.

"I see it," said Ardin. There was wonder in his high-pitched voice. "I see it!"

"Good," said Zeles. "Now, let's show everyone what you can do. I'll help you channel the power, all right? Pick something in the room, and let's see if we can levitate it."

"Levi-what?"

"Levitate. It means to raise it up. Make it float."

Ardin nodded enthusiastically. "Ok!"

"Let the magic flow into it, but just the bottom of whatever it is. Just lightly. I'll shape it." Zeles spoke the words that would shape the flow, turn it into magic of flight.

There was a shriek. "Mardo!"

Ardin giggled. It was his younger brother, a boy of perhaps eight years old, who suddenly found himself floating two feet above the ground. For a moment no one knew how to react, and then Mardo giggled too.

"Ardin, it tickles!" he said. His voice, even higher than Ardin's, rang out through the shack. "It's amazing!"

Ardin smiled. And then Zeles gasped in astonishment as the boy shifted the magic, shifted it not just to flow below Mardo, but also on his side. And with that, Mardo started not just to float but to fly; he moved through the room as Ardin piloted his younger brother around the shack.

"Waaaaaaahahahaha!" cried the younger boy in sheer joy. "I'm flying! I'm flying!"

Zeles had never had a pupil learn to control magic so quickly, let alone without even being told what to do with it. He watched as Ardin flew the boy back and forth across the room, turning him easily, speeding him up and slowing him down.

"Wheeeeeeeee!" cried Mardo.

The boy was a quick study, yes. He was powerful, yes. But it was more than that. He had a precision and a knack for control that was far beyond the skill of an untrained apprentice. He would certainly be one of the most powerful wizards alive, if not the most powerful, before long.

Zeles had chosen well, in so many ways.

But he was still 11. Zeles felt it before everyone else saw it. Mardo was moving too fast; Ardin sweated in concentration but couldn't slow him down. He managed to turn the boy, who was whimpering now, before he slammed into a wall, but now Mardo was headed right at another wall and Ardin couldn't react fast enough.

"No, no!" cried the boy.

Zeles withdrew his hands. Quickly, he held up his right hand, palm outwards, facing at Mardo, and muttered some words. The boy slowed almost instantly, elegantly, like a dancer in the air. He came to a complete stop mere inches from the wall, floating easily. And then Zeles gestured with his hand, and the boy floated back from the wall, one foot, two feet away. Finally, gently, he returned to the ground, standing upright, bare feet touching down lightly on the ground.

The boy waited a moment, and then ran to his mother, burying his head in her clothes. "Mama!" he cried. Ardin gasped and sat down.

"Are you all right?" asked Zeles. The question was meant for Ardin. Neither boy answered.

"That's what you can do?" said the woman.

"He's powerful," said Zeles.

"I want to go learn!" cried Ardin.

"After that?" said his mother. "After you nearly killed your little brother?"

"That's why he needs to learn," said Zeles.

"From you?" she retorted.

"Mama," said the boy, "I have to."

"Stay here," said the boy's mother. "I will speak to the wizard outside." She pushed Mardo away and walked out, waiting for Zeles. Zeles shrugged and followed, leaving the children alone.

Once they were out of sight and earshot of the shack, she turned on the wizard. "What do you really want?" she accused.

"I want to train Ardin," said Zeles.

"I've heard stories of your kind," she said. "You never want just one thing."

"This will be best for him. He has amazing potential, but he needs to learn."

She looked at him and bit her lower lip. "I've raised that boy for eleven years," she said. "I've seen how some men look at him, and you're no different, wizard. I saw the flush in your cheeks when you held his hands."

"That was magic…" protested the wizard.

"You lie," she said. "I won't have you touch my son."

Zeles sighed.

"Leave," she insisted. "Now."

"This is unfortunate," said Zeles.

"It's right–" she started. But in that instant, Zeles muttered something under his breath and brought his arm out, placing it on the woman's head.

"What!" she cried. "No!" She breathed in as if to scream, just as Zeles said, "shhhhhhh."

What came out of her mouth was a muted sound, little more than a low mutter of a scream.

"Relax," said Zeles. "Relax. All is well."

The mother shook her head, even with the wizard's arm still on it, even as glowing light passed into her skull.

"Relax," insisted Zeles. "Relax. Close your eyes."

Again the woman shook her head, but it was less than before.

"Relax."

And with that, her eyes closed.

"Do you hear me, woman?" said the wizard.

She nodded. "Yes," she said, softly.

"Good." He reached into her mind with his magic, feeling its boundaries, the channels of thought, the crevices where he could sneak in. He knew this would be a hack job, not nearly the kind of mental molding he liked to do, but it would have to be enough.

"Breathe in," he said, "and relax. You trust me now."

Her face grimaced. Perhaps she was trying to resist, perhaps it was just the reaction from the magic coursing through her mind. Whatever it was, she relaxed again. "I… trust you," she said, her voice flat. He found that new thought, her trust, and pushed his magic into it, strengthening it within her mind.

"You will let me take Ardin."

"I will let you take Ardin." Again, a flow of magic.

"You know that I will treat him well."

"You will treat him well."

"You're happy that he has this special opportunity."

"I am happy for him." A ghost of a smile crept up on her face as more controlling magic flowed into her.

"Good," said Zeles. He poured still more magical energy into her head, building up her new thoughts, growing them to overpower any others. It was exhausting, this brute force, not anything like his usual subtlety. But it had to be done.

For a moment he stood there, working, restoring her mind, when she suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm. "Wizard!" she cried. It was a sudden burst of strength, even through his control. Then she paused, struggling. Her voice broke, and she spoke in nothing more than an urgent whisper. "This isn't a story of heroes, is it?"

Zeles stared at her. It was an impressive burst of strength. "That depends on your point of view," he replied. She seemed to nod, her grip loosening.

"Now," he continued, "relax. Relax. Let the energy flow through you, through your body, through your mind. Relax."

The woman's arm dropped to her side. Her head swung down. Her muscles lost all their tension, shoulders drooping. And Zeles worked his magic into her mind, sealing off the gaps, blocking away objections, ensuring her new thoughts would hold, would seem natural.

"Now think of this event, my control of you." He felt the memory rise up, and he grabbed it with his magic, trapping it.

"You will not remember this," he said, as he started to break the memory apart, piece by piece. "You will remember that we talked, and I told you of all the great things Ardin would do. Of the adventures he'll have, the lords he'll meet, the great food he'll eat. He will never be hungry, never lack for coin, never lack for respect, never lack for safety. He is truly blessed."

A pause. "He is," she said, magic shaping her mind.

"Your beautiful boy will grow up happy."

Did her eyebrow twitch when he called the boy beautiful? If it did, she did not react otherwise. "He will," she finally said, voice flat.

He pushed in one more burst of magic, then removed his hand. "Now," he said, "wake."

She started and looked at him. Then she smiled, the first smile he'd seen from her.

"Ardin will be so happy," she said.

"He will be uplifted," confirmed Zeles.

There was a slight pause, then she nodded. "I'll tell him the good news," she said, and started to walk back.

Zeles sighed. He knew what others would think of what he'd done. But he also knew it was necessary. Necessary for the realm, necessary for everyone. Ardin would be happy with him. So happy.

He felt a pang of guilt. They were rare, but such a blunt use of power… he knew it might have repercussions for her mind. "One moment!" he called, rushing after her.

"Yes?" she said.

"I know Ardin would have worked, would have started earning coin."

"He already did, at the miller's," she said.

Zeles nodded. "Here," he said, handing her some coins. "Take this to replace what he would have earned for you."

She looked down at her hand. In it were two gold pieces. Her jaw dropped.

"He… he wouldn't earn that much in twenty years!" she cried.

Zeles shrugged. "It's from me. For your children."

The woman pursed her lips. "It's too much."

Zeles reached up and closed her hand around the gold pieces. "Please," he said.

She nodded. "All right," she answered. "Thank you so much. For all your kindness. For all you'll do for Ardin."

"Of course," answered the wizard. "Of course."

And with that, they walked back.

* * *

There were tearful goodbyes. Ardin hugged all his siblings and buried himself in his mother's rags. (Zeles hoped she would use his money to buy some better clothes.) He hugged Mardo tightest of all, and Mardo hugged back just as tightly. "Thank you for making me fly," said the eight-year-old.

"I'll be back," said Ardin. "You'll fly again."

And with that, they were off. Ardin's mother invited Zeles to stay the night, of course, but he wanted to get on the road right away, even at night. He thought he'd built the walls in her mind well, that they would last until the day she died. But he knew they might fail, and if they did, the first night, the first time she slept, was the most dangerous. Much better to get on the road. Ardin had nothing to pack, declaring that he was too old for a stuffed animal that was so worn out Zeles couldn't even tell what it was. And so the Master Wizard and his Apprentice started walking away from the shack.

"I can't believe you got Mama to say yes!" exclaimed Ardin.

"Well," replied Zeles, "I'm not sure she had any choice once she understood everything." He did still feel a little bit guilty, but it was the right decision. Hopefully she would be all right.

"Understood what?" said the boy, but then his attention was distracted by the sight ahead of them. "Ooooooh!"

It was Zeles' horse. A large, golden-coated stallion, somehow shimmering in the cool night air. As they approached, Zeles took down the spells that had prevented the horse from being stolen. He reached up, starting to undo the knot that tied it to the tree.

"Can I… can I touch it?" asked Ardin.

"Let it smell you first," said Zeles. "Hold out your hand."

The boy did, raising his small hand up, and the horse lowered his head and snorted into it. Zeles reached into a pack, retrieving an apple. "Here," he said. "Feed him. His name is Lightstorm."

"Lightstorm," whispered the boy. He held up the apple fearlessly, and the horse reached down and took it. Ardin giggled at the touch of the horse's tongue on his palm. Zeles smiled, and walked up to the boy, ruffling his hair.

"Have you ever ridden before?"

"Nope!" said Ardin. "Except my brother lets me ride on his back sometimes."

"You can ride in front of me," said the wizard. "I'll hold you up."

Ardin smiled. "This is great!" he cried. Then his face turned serious. "Is the horse magic?"

Zeles smiled back. "He's just a horse," said the wizard, "but he's a great horse."

Ardin nodded. He agreed completely.

Chapter 2
To Crezia

In a few minutes, Zeles had lifted the boy up on the horse and climbed up himself. ("Use magic!" cried the boy. "Not for this," said Zeles with a smile.) He scooted the child back until his warm back was flush with Zeles' body, and then the Master Wizard wrapped his arms around his new apprentice. "Cozy?" he asked.

Ardin nodded. "I'm so high up!"

"You are," confirmed the wizard with a smile. He reached up and gave the boy a pat on the head, and then, holding the reins, kicked the horse into motion. They started trotting down the path, and Zeles rested his hands on the boy's thighs.

For a while, they rode in silence. Ardin held out a hand, feeling the wind race between his fingers, and opened his mouth to let the air flow onto his wet tongue. When there was a bit of a bump, the kid yelped joyously.

He's an adventurous kid, thought Zeles. Just as he should be.

After a moment, Ardin asked, "it's getting dark. How can Lightstorm even see?"

"I gave him Wizard Sight," answered Zeles. "It means he can feel the magic around him, a lot like you did when you lifted your brother."

Ardin nodded as if he understood. "Can I have it too? I want to see!"

Zeles nodded, and held out his hands around the boy. "Only for a little bit, it will take a lot of concentration and I'm already making sure Lightstorm has it. But here, put your hands in mine."

The boy placed his soft, small hands in Zeles' larger hands. A warmth spread through Zeles' body just from that touch, but he tried to ignore it. The boy's mother had already seen his arousal, was he so obvious? Already his cock rose to attention. He couldn't just ignore the boy; the whole point of the magic link was to focus on the connection between them. He sighed and hoped the boy didn't feel it.

I can fuck the boy later, he thought. Just focus.

Zeles closed his fingers around the boy's and then closed his eyes. Slowly, he let their magical essences merge once again. It was a deeper connection than in the shack, and he heard Ardin gasp at the sensations. The boy's aura was warm and sweet, with a deep reservoir of power and energy. Like honey, perhaps, but a powerfully spiced honey. Zeles let his own magic flow into the boy even as the boy's flowed back into him, a give and take of intoxicating power.

Ardin's magic was prickly, and Zeles felt himself inhale sharply. He was surrounded by Ardin's essence; he was suffused in it. His whole body felt the stimulation, little jolts, not unpleasant but powerful. Ardin arched his back at the contact, and then both exhaled together. Then, also together, they inhaled.

"Uhhhhhh," moaned the boy. "It feels… it's everywhere…"

And then their magic was linked, and they both felt a powerful warmth flowing through their veins. There's not much that binds two people closer than the sharing of magic, the mixing of their own powers. It was nearly overwhelming for little Ardin, whose body was shaking as it pressed against Zeles.

"Now," said Zeles, when he thought the boy had likely recovered, "let the magic flow out like before, just a little bit."

"I can feel things," said Ardin, "but it's just… like shadows."

"I know," said Zeles. "Now you need to shape the magic. Put a little bit of yourself into each burst of magic. Think of them… like little balls of magic, each one feeling for you. Can you shape them, Ardin?"

Ardin furrowed his brow. He could feel those bits of magic that were flying out, and he tried to grasp them, to change them, but something was wrong.

"Ewwwwwww!" he shouted suddenly.

Zeles was laughing. "Boy," he said, "you put your taste into them instead of your feeling. I think you just tasted a muddy rock."

"Yuck," said the boy.

"Let me help you," said Zeles. He pressed his fingers tightly into the boy's hand, intertwining them, and guided the boy's magic. "Do you see what I'm doing?"

"Maybe."

"You'll get it," said the wizard.

And then, suddenly, the boy went "Oh!" He took a deep breath. "It's like… that's a tree, right?" He pointed out.

"Yes," said Zeles.

"It's not seeing, but I can feel the shapes?"

"That's it," he said. "It's too dark to see, but you can extend your sense of touch."

"And that's what the horse is doing?"

"I'm sharing what I feel with the horse. It's not easy."

"You've been seeing like this for… the whole time?"

"Yes."

"I can see behind me too!"

"Yes. It's one of the advantages of wizard sight, when you use it." Zeles was smiling.

"This is amazing!"

"It's good to be a wizard," answered Zeles.

"Oh, there's a hole in the road!" cried the boy, tensing suddenly.

"Lightstorm sees it," replied Zeles, and sure enough, the horse easily jumped over it.

They went on, and the wizard held the boy tight, but Ardin shifted suddenly and moved away. Zeles wondered why, before he realized that he might have pushed the boy right up against his erection. He sighed.

* * *

"I'm sleepy," said Ardin. They'd been riding for about an hour and a half, and Ardin had been quieter since Zeles had tried to hold him close. He'd shuffled forward once or twice in the saddle. It had seemed natural, but he had been moving away from physical contact, and so maybe he really did feel Zeles' manhood. Still, Ardin had eagerly used his Wizard Sight and kept their magical connection, and he wasn't trying to run away. Zeles wondered what he was thinking.

In any case, Zeles figured they'd done enough distance for tonight. They were far enough away from Ardin's old town that it should be safe.

"No wonder," replied Zeles, "it's late, and you've been using your magic the whole time! Let's stop and rest." It was probably only the adrenaline that had kept the boy going so late. "Let's get off the path."

They found a clearing to set down. Zeles tied the horse to another tree. "Hungry?" he asked.

Ardin looked at him. "You still have more food?" he asked incredulously.

Zeles smiled. "I do," he answered. "It's dried, but it will be good. Gather up some firewood, I'll unload the packs. We can stop using our Wizard Sight once we have light."

The boy nodded and headed off. "I'm tired," he said.

"Just a little while," said Zeles, "and then we can sleep."

As Zeles unloaded the horse, he could still feel his connection with Ardin. Much weaker now that they weren't touching, but present. He could feel magic in the boy's body, the way it shifted with each movement of the child's muscles, the way his young body moved. He imagined he could even feel the softness of Ardin's skin.

The boy was exhausted, he could tell. And thus, when Ardin lost his concentration and dropped his Wizard Sight, Zeles felt it.

"I… I can't see!" cried the child.

"It's ok," said Zeles. "Come towards my voice."

Zeles heard rustling, felt Ardin getting closer. Almost in range of Zeles' own Wizard Sight. And then… he felt something on Ardin.

A hand.

In an instant, Zeles dropped everything and ran for the boy. Was it Moyana? If it was her, this was bad. Very bad.

But it wasn't. When he got in range with his Wizard Sight, he saw five men. He could sense their gruffness, their clothing. "Let go of the boy!" he called to them, "and you won't be hurt."

He heard laughter. "Give us your horse," they said, "and your coin. Then you can have your son back."

The men had a knife to Ardin's throat, and Zeles could feel the boy's despair. He was sobbing. He was terrified.

"I am Master Wizard Zeles Tzell," he said. "You will let my apprentice go if you wish to live."

"A wizard!" said another voice. "That's a new one."

"Now," boomed Zeles.

He waited, and then heard Ardin yelp as the knife pressed into him. "Your horse," said the man.

Zeles was so tired. Too tired. But needs must be attended to. He fashioned his magic, almost exactly the way he did to open the door to Ardin's old home, but this time he channeled it through his link to the boy himself. Ardin suddenly glowed bright yellow, and the brigands were pushed back from him just as Ardin's family had been from the door.

"By Gonola's tits!" cried the one who'd been holding him, really quite crudely, thought Zeles.

"Run!" he cried to the boy, but it wasn't necessary. The boy was already sprinting. The light emanating from his own body illuminated the forest and clearing, and Zeles pointed his hand at the brigand who'd held the child. "I warned you," he cried, and let loose a bolt so powerful that it lit the sky, hit the man, and ripped right through his body and exited the other side. The body crumbled to the ground. The other four turned to each other, shared one glance, and began to run. Though Zeles might have finished them off to protect other travelers, tonight he was too tired. He let them run.

Hopefully they learned their lesson, he thought.

"Ardin!" he called. "Are you all right?"

The boy was sobbing, and Zeles walked towards him, this time using his magic to create a light. "Ardin?" he asked.

The boy leapt up, ran to Zeles, and hugged him. For a moment, Zeles reveled in the contact. But then Ardin pulled away.

"Thank you," he said, almost in tears.

"You did well," said Zeles.

Ardin just shook his head.

* * *

The two of them together gathered the firewood and Zeles lit it with a wave of his finger. Ardin worked mostly in silence, although he did smile appreciatively as he saw more magic. He was exhausted, but Zeles gave him some water and food, and then unrolled a cushion for the boy to sleep on. It was probably more comfortable than what he had had at home. The boy curled up on it, and Zeles thought it was one of the cutest sights he'd ever seen.

"What do I call you?" asked Ardin, sleepily.

"Master Tzell," said the wizard. "You're my apprentice."

The boy nodded. Then he turned to the wizard. "My mama warned me," he said. "And I felt your…"

"Shhhhh," said Zeles. "You're safe with me." He bit his lip and sat down next to the boy. "I promise."

And then, he held his hand out over the boy's head, and a glowing light passed from his hand into the boy.

* * *

Things really had not gone according to plan, thought Master Wizard Zeles Tzell. He'd found the boy, and that was a huge victory. But already he'd had to control the boy's recalcitrant mother. Then, exhausted, he'd been careless and so he had to fight would-be robbers and kill one of them. Now he had to start shaping the boy's mind sooner than he expected, and he had to alter Ardin's memories, which was difficult and often created… complications. It goes badly for anyone if their own thoughts have too many contradictions. Still, there wasn't much choice.

The boy was still awake; he had to be for the control to work. As the magical energies flowed into his mind, he gave a startled jump. "Quiet," said Zeles. "Relax."

Ardin shook his head. "Mama warned me," he mumbled, his words slurring.

"Relax."

"Mmmmmm," moaned the boy.

"Take a deep breath."

Ardin did.

"Another."

Ardin did.

"Now relax, Ardin. Feel your mind clear. Feel it empty of its thoughts. Open yourself to me."

Ardin looked up at him with wide eyes. "What… are… ya… doin…"

But Zeles didn't answer. Instead, he reached into the boy's mind, using his magic like he did with his mother. But this was more gentle. Like with her, he felt the boundaries of the boy's mind, the channels of thought, the crevices. He used their magic link to feel more deeply. He had to be careful.

"Ardin," he said, "relax. Open yourself to me."

No response.

"Open."

The slightest shake of the head.

"Open, Ardin. You must open. You can't resist my words. You must obey."

Nothing.

"Are you open to me, Ardin?"

The boy's mouth hung open. A little bit of drool escaped. Finally, he nodded.

"Good boy," said Zeles. "Good." He dug in with his magic. At last he could feel the boy's thoughts, his memories, his ideas. "Go blank, Ardin. No thoughts. Just open to me, to my magic."

"Yes, Master Tzell," said the boy at last, submitting to the power of the magic. The wizard smiled as he felt the boy's thoughts clear, his breathing steady. The boy was awake but in a deep trance now. He was open to Zeles's control.

"Now Ardin," the wizard said. "I want you to think about what you felt today. On the horse. The thing which made you uncomfortable. Do you remember it?"

Ardin nodded. "It was… um… it was the bad thing. That mama warned me about."

"Are you thinking about it?"

Ardin nodded. Zeles felt the memory rise in the boy's consciousness, a little blue cloud in a sea of emptiness. There in the boy's mind, he surrounded the memory with his magic. Then, as the boy thought about it, he squeezed down with the magic, pressing on it. The memory got smaller, and smaller, and then… it was winked out. A nothingness took its place.

"Ardin," said Zeles, "I want you to think about the time on the horse I made you uncomfortable. Can you do that?"

Ardin stared up blankly. His smooth forehead wrinkled. Then he shook his hand. "I don't… remember…" he mumbled.

"Good boy," said Zeles. "That's fine. Now, Ardin, I want you to think of every time your mama warned you about men who might hurt you, all right? Any time she told you about something in their pants, or your pants, or your boyhood, or their manhood…"

Ardin nodded. "Think about it… mama warning me…"

Zeles felt a thought rise up in the boy's mind, and he snuffed it out. "Keep thinking of those times," he said. Another thought, and another, each snuffed in turn. Two more. In total, he snuffed out seven thoughts.

"Now Ardin," said Zeles, "do you remember your mama warning you about men hurting you?"

Ardin got that look on his face again. "No… Master Tzell… she never did!"

"Good boy," said Zeles. "Very good."

He hated altering memories. It was dangerous. If they didn't fit, it could cause damage, and it was hard to make sure he really got all of them. He was being so gentle with the boy's mind… he didn't want to harm it at all. But he had to do what he did, or everything might be ruined. The rest would be easier.

"Now Ardin," said Zeles, "do you know how someone's manhood might get big?"

Ardin shook his head. "No… I don't…"

The wizard smiled at the child's innocence. His mother's warnings were all he'd known about it, and now he didn't even have those. "Well," said the wizard, "when someone's manhood gets big, it means they like the other person. So if you see mine get big because of you, it means I like you. It makes you feel good when you see that. It makes you feel more grown up, and like you're a handsome boy. You like it when my manhood gets big." He paused. "Do you understand, Ardin?"

"I… think so."

"Think about that," said the wizard. "Think about how you like it when my manhood gets big."

A new thought, younger, and this time a belief instead of a memory, appeared in the boy's mind. A nascent belief, small and weak, that the boy would like it when the Master Wizard's cock grew in his pants. Zeles smiled. This was gentle. Nice.

He reached into the boy's mind with his magic. Reached in and let his magic flow into that nascent thought. He fed it energy like milk from a mother, and he strengthened it. The thought grew, and grew. He helped the thought grow out roots, implant itself in the boy's mind. It became bigger, mature, established. It became, quite simply, a part of how Ardin thought, how he would always think.

And just like that, the boy would like it whenever Zeles' manhood grew. The wizard smiled. This would make his training much easier.

"Good," he said when he was done. "Now, Ardin, empty your mind. Empty it completely." The new thought moved off, implanting itself deep in the boy's psyche.

Zeles was exhausted, but there was one more thing. "Ardin," he said, "do you like me?"

"Yes…" said the young boy, softly.

"Do you trust me?"

The boy had no reason not to, once his memories had been removed. "Yes…" he said.

"From now on, no matter what I do, you trust me. Now think about how you trust me, and how you like me."

Two thoughts emerged into the emptiness of the boy's mind, and again Zeles fed them with magic, fed them and helped them grow, like plants that would spread their roots all through the boy's mind. Zeles helped them establish themselves, to become more and more dominant. Soon, Ardin's dual thoughts, of liking his master, and trusting him no matter what, grew. They grew large, grew powerful in the boy's mind. Eventually, Zeles judged that they were well established and would shape the boy's thoughts the way he wanted. He had the boy clear his mind, sending those thoughts back into his subconscious where they would stay.

And while Zeles would have loved to keep going, he knew that he couldn't. He was pushing it already with the new thoughts. Plus the memory deletions: too many changes, too quickly, too abruptly, and the mind could break down, it could bring on madness. It needed time to adjust, adapt to its new reality. Other thoughts, thoughts without the benefit of magical strength, would weaken, adjust, alter to fit them, but it took time. He certainly didn't want to hurt the boy, so he just sighed in acceptance.

He did have one more memory to delete: the memory of this session. It was too much to try to make him accept it. So he deleted it, and then he told the boy to sleep until morning and that nothing should wake him, and at last, Ardin drifted off into peaceful sleep.

Zeles had just enough energy to set a warning if the brigands came back, and then he too went to sleep, snuggling himself up against the boy. Ardin was so beautiful.

* * *

There was the barest brightness in the sky when Zeles awoke. Dawn was probably about an hour away. He was still tired, and could've easily gone back to sleep, but instead he gazed at the sleeping boy.

Zeles himself had fallen asleep with his arm wrapped around Ardin's smaller frame. The early morning twilight was a dim blue, and Ardin was beautiful in it. The boy was so warm, and so lovely. He slept easily, peacefully; his face was a contented blank. Zeles wondered if the child was dreaming, maybe of the heroics he'd perform as a wizard. The wizard hoped they were sweet dreams.

Gently, he rolled the boy onto his back. He ran a finger along those beautiful soft cheeks. He heard Ardin take in a small breath at the touch, and he smiled.

He couldn't help himself, not after that sound, and besides, Ardin was his apprentice. The wizard climbed up on top of the boy. He could feel Ardin's heat underneath him, the heat of a child's metabolism, and he felt himself getting hard just at the touch. Ardin's body, pressed underneath him, was a treasure hidden in rags. He loved just lying here on top of him, just feeling the boy underneath.

But it wasn't enough. With his fingers, Zeles pulled the boy's mouth open. Zeles' heart beat fast as he lowered his head, placed his lips against the boy's, and began to kiss.

The feeling was tremendous. Ardin was not Zeles' first boy; not even close to it. But Ardin's lips were special. The softness of the boy's skin was accentuated by a certain puffiness that gave way under the pressure of Zeles's own lips, and Ardin's mouth was warm and wet. Zeles could feel the boy's breath fall against his cheek as he explored Ardin's mouth with his tongue. He dove deep, and couldn't help himself as he let out a soft moan of pleasure, grinding his body into the sleeping boy.

It has been too long, thought the wizard. And then he considered what the boy's mother would think if she saw this. She'd think she'd been right the whole time. She hadn't, of course. Not exactly.

And then he kissed the boy again, holding the sleeping boy tight, their breath impacting on each other's skin.

Rising from the kiss, Zeles once more stroked the boy's face. He could feel the need rising within him, a need that felt unfilled. Oh, there had been village boys, but they weren't the same. Not like Ardin. Not a special boy like this.

Gently, Zeles started to undress his new apprentice. Ardin slept serenely as the wizard removed his shirt. Once his torso was bare, Zeles ran his hand along the boy's smooth belly, feeling its rise and fall with each breath. He ran his hand along the supple flesh; it was warm, alive, and full of youth. He could even feel the magic underneath, an elemental power that flowed through the child and made the touch even more electric. This was what he had missed, yes. This.

Zeles lingered a little bit on one of the boy's nipples, circling it slowly, rubbing his finger across it. The cool morning air brought goosebumps to the boy's naked flesh, and Zeles loved the little bumps on the smooth skin. The contrast where cool air met hot skin was intoxicating. He let his magic mix just a little with the boy, a small electric current between them. As the man rubbed against the tender young nipple, Ardin stirred softly, and let out a beautiful long moan. He arched his young back, ever so slightly, unconsciously pushing himself into his master's touch.

Zeles couldn't believe the beauty in this boy, beauty in parallel with so much magical potential. How had the gods given this boy to him? Intoxicated, Zeles leaned down and breathed in deeply to smell the child. Ardin needed a bath, but that didn't bother the wizard in the least. It just made the smell of boy that much more potent. He could smell the boy's sweat. It smelled of Ardin's energy and courage. He smelled the boy's power, in young muscles, in magical energy, and in untapped sexual energy.

Next came the boy's pants. They were old and worn, and too short for him. Never again would Ardin want for pants that fit, thought the wizard. He lowered them over smooth, gentle thighs, then past the boy's shapely calves, and finally off over his feet. Laying with his head on the boy's chest, ear down to hear his heartbeat, the man slowly rubbed his hand back and forth along those lovely thighs. He felt the soft flesh give way under his fingers. After a moment, Zeles couldn't quite hold himself back, and he crawled down and licked generously along those beautiful thighs. Once, twice, a third time, he ran his tongue along soft thighs and left a glistening trail of saliva that evaporated into the cool air.

All that remained covering the boy was a cloth that served as underwear, and now the wizard removed that as well. Ardin was completely naked now, naked for Zeles. There in the cool morning air was a stunning little boy-dick.

It was small. Perhaps it would get to three inches [7½ cm] when hard? Maybe three and a half [9 cm]? Now it hung loose and tiny, with the boy's balls just beneath. There was no sign of hair, just smooth skin all along the child's body.

Zeles reached down, placing a finger on either side, feeling it. He gave it the tiniest stroke, and the boy's hips moved ever so marginally. "Mmmmphh," came the smallest moan, just under the boy's breath. Zeles gave it another stroke, and was rewarded with another small moan. He saw the boy's toes twitch softly.

He could lose himself in this marvel of a child for hours, but he knew he didn't have the time. He'd play a little, then dress him again and leave him to wake up.

The boy, still in a magically-induced slumber, grunted as Zeles rolled his body over. His back side was just as beautiful as his front. Gently, Zeles separated the boy's round, plump ass cheeks and laid eyes on an absolutely lovely pink hole. He couldn't wait to use it, but that would have to wait. He wanted the boy to remember his first time. For now, he just ran his finger around and across it. Ardin stirred softly at the touch on his sensitive private region, then quieted.

There wasn't much time, but Zeles desperately wanted release. He lowered his pants, his own cock springing up, long, hard, and leaking. It was so large, and so crude, compared to the boy's simple, growing instrument. Gently, Zeles picked the boy up and placed his naked body on top of his own, placing the boy's legs on either side of Zeles's dick, those lovely, soft thighs pressed up on either side. And, with that, he started to hump into the boy's thighs.

It felt magnificent, of course. Birds chirped in the early dawn light as Zeles humped up and down, gasping and moaning in pleasure. He reached up, running his hand along the boy's own cock even as he humped forward. His own humping forced the boy's body up and down, and thus the boy's dick slid through his fingers, getting steadily harder until it was at its full length. (Indeed, a thin three and a half inches [9 cm].)

Fresh morning air filled the man's lungs as he humped up and down, gasping, pleasure coursing through his body. A bit of magic held the boy's legs together, ensuring a tight fit for his dick, and meanwhile he could hear the boy, still asleep, huffing with his own growing arousal. In the soft morning light, there was a bright blush to Ardin's cheeks.

Zeles sent a bit of energy into his hand, adding surges of feeling to the boy's dick as he rubbed it. A few tiny flashes of light sparked between his hand and the boy, each accompanied by a soft crackling noise, each provoking a loud "uhhhhh!" from the child as powerful sensations flowed right into his most sensitive region and from there through his preteen body. Ardin's hands trembled at the powerful sensations.

Zeles felt himself surging toward orgasm, but he tried to hold it in. He wanted to cherish this moment, his first time with Ardin. But still, he sped up with his pleasuring of the boy.

"Uh! Uh! Uh!" cried Ardin, with each stroke of his new master's hand. And still he slept.

Sleeping or not, the arousal was undeniable in the boy. He was humping his young hips into the air (which did still more to stimulate the wizard's own dick with each motion), and the boy's own cocklet twitched in Zeles' hand. The unconscious boy was close. His body arched. His toes curled. Zeles desperately contained his own need for release.

"Yaaaaaaaah!" came a high-pitched cry from the boy. Zeles could feel the boy's back becoming sweaty, a warm sweat between their bodies; he felt along Ardin's belly and felt sweat there too, but it was cold in the night air. "Uh! Uh!" The boy was shaking, and Zeles with him. Crackles still sounded between his hand and the child's boyhood as he stimulated his apprentice. "Nnnnnnnnnn!" The boy would never have slept through this if not for the spell.

Suddenly, Ardin arched his back upwards. His hips humped once, twice, three times; and then, with a quiet little "ah!" and a kick of his smooth legs, he started to rock back and forth as the eleven-year-old apprentice had a powerful orgasm, right as he lay on top of his master.

With that, Zeles finally let himself have his own release.

The boy's dick twitched madly in the wizard's hand. He was a boy on the cusp of puberty, but not there yet. Zeles, on the other hand, was firmly through puberty and ropes of cum shot out from the dick nestled between the boy's thighs. They landed on Ardin's chest, and his belly; his dick and his thighs. Little puddles of milky white as the Master Wizard finally had his release.

"Uhhhhhhhhh," cried the man as it poured out. He finally let go of Ardin's dick, and the boy quieted, through it all, still asleep. A little bit more cum oozed out of Zeles' dick, but at last he was satisfied.

And the boy? It had been a dry cum. Zeles couldn't wait to guide little Ardin not just through his magical awakening, but his sexual awakening as well. He couldn't wait to see how the boy developed. He was truly an amazing child.

The morning light of the sun had grown, and Zeles decided to dress the boy. The fluid on him likely wouldn't matter. So he put the boy's ragged underwear-cloth back on, then pulled up the too-small pants, and then pulled on the shirt. There were wet spots, but he thought they would dry before the boy woke up. There was a bit of cum still on Zeles' dick, and he wiped it up with his finger and deposited it between the sleeping boy's lips. Ardin's tongue darted out and licked it down.

A wave of tiredness hit the wizard. Gently, he lay himself down next to the boy, this time avoiding any touch lest the boy wake to it. He closed his eyes, hoping for a little bit more sleep before their journey began again.

There are adventures of many kinds, thought the wizard. He was excited for what this one would bring.

* * *

The sun was up in the sky when Zeles awoke again. Ardin was stretching himself, and Zeles took some time imagining what that body would have looked like naked when the boy moved his arms and legs so widely.

"How did you sleep?" asked the wizard.

"Great," said Ardin, a bright smile on his face. "I had nice dreams, too."

"You doing ok after last night?" asked the wizard.

"Yeah," said the boy. "I… that guy was scary and all, but you just…"

"I killed him," said Zeles.

The boy nodded solemnly. "He deserved it," he answered. "You saved my life."

Zeles reached out and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're my apprentice."

"Can you teach me? To protect myself and stuff?"

Zeles nodded. "I will," he said. He moved his hand up and ruffled the boy's hair, and Ardin didn't flinch. In fact, he smiled and bobbed his head endearingly. Any trace of his uneasiness with the wizard had been completely erased, just as Zeles had intended.

Once again, Ardin was a boy looking forward to their adventure together. An adventure that would, of course, take many forms.

* * *

After breakfast, the boy and the wizard were once again on the horse together. They were making good progress. Again, Zeles held the boy, making sure he didn't fall, and he pulled the boy close. As always, Ardin's warmth felt wonderful. Thinking of that morning, it didn't take long before the wizard's cock once again grew and hardened, and pressed against Ardin's back.

This time, though, the boy's reaction was quite different.

The boy felt it, and at first he moved away from the odd hardness. But he didn't know what it was, and he turned, curious to see just what was poking him. When he saw that it was in Zeles's pants, he blushed and quickly turned back around. With an awkward grin, he tried to pretend that he'd never looked in the first place.

But Zeles was watching the boy. For a moment Ardin seemed indecisive, but then there was a blush in his cheeks. He sat taller. And a moment later, Zeles felt his young apprentice scoot backwards, pressing himself right into the wizard's erection. It pulsed into the boy's back. Ardin scooted back further, pressing harder.

The eleven-year-old let out a contented sigh. In his mind, just as Zeles had directed, the erection was a sign of his master's approval. It made Ardin comfortable. He smiled and sat taller, and was comforted by the wizard's arousal.

Zeles smiled. "You're a good boy, Ardin," he said.

Ardin smiled back, his cheeks still blushing red.

* * *

They rode for hours. Together, they practiced magic. Ardin wouldn't be able to use his own magic for several days at least, maybe a few weeks, but when he joined with Zeles, he could start to control it. He practiced his Wizard's Sight. He learned to create light. When they stopped for lunch, Zeles had Ardin climb on his lap as they merged their magic, and Ardin was able to create a soft breeze.

Ardin smiled and laughed in the bright sun. The breeze ran through his unruly brown hair, which had already been a messy tangle; little offshoots hung in every which direction, and the messiness just kept getting rearranged by the wind. Each time he managed some bit of magic, he laughed anew.

"I'll really be able to do this on my own?" he said.

"All this and more," confirmed Zeles.

"I can hardly wait to show mama," he said, "and Mardo!"

Zeles nodded. "They're going to be really amazed."

Ardin nodded. His face turned a bit softer for a moment. "You live really far away," he said.

"I do," said Zeles. He gave Ardin a small rub on his thigh. "I came a long way for you."

"When d'you think… um," he said, pausing a moment. "When d'you think I'll see them again?"

Zeles' heart sank. Even if he wanted to, this was something his magic couldn't change. Family was deeply entwined in someone's psyche. He couldn't mess with Ardin's connection to his mother, or his younger brother.

"It might be a while," he said honestly.

Ardin nodded. He kept practicing his magic, but his smile faded a bit. Zeles sighed, wishing he could offer more comfort.

* * *

Eventually, they came to the city of Crezia. It was a walled city, and one of the few places in all of Angoria that was still at least somewhat prosperous. Largely, that was because of the thriving craftsmen; those with means bought their fine goods here. It was a perfect place to get some better clothing for young Ardin.

As they approached the city, Ardin marveled at the walls. "Wooooow," he said.

"It's quite a sight. Have you ever been out this way?"

"I never left Raza," he replied. The village he grew up in.

"Then you're in for a treat." Zeles rubbed the boy's shoulder, and Ardin smiled up at him. He scooted backwards, again into the wizard's erection.

"Master Tzell," greeted a guard at the gate when they came up.

Ardin looked at Zeles.

"They know me here," confirmed the wizard. Then he turned to the guard. "Greetings! How are you this fine afternoon?"

"Well enough," answered the guard. "And who's this?" he asked, eyeing the bedraggled boy.

"My new apprentice."

"Well then," said the guard. "You are a lucky boy. Being a wizard is a fine way to live."

"I know!" squeaked Ardin. There were villagers who patrolled where he lived, but he'd never seen someone in any form of… of armor!

The guard smiled. "Maybe you can test my son," he suggested to Zeles. "With the way things are going, he'd be a lot better off with your powers."

Zeles smiled. "I'd be happy to look him over," he said with a smile. "But I'm afraid the gift is quite rare." He paused a moment and looked the guard over, judging how the boy might look. The guard had bronzed skin and a nice face, which bode well for his boy. "How old is your son?" the wizard asked.

"Twelve," answered the guard.

"Well," said Zeles, "send him to the Wild Nectar Inn in a few hours. Maybe I can put him through his paces."

The guard smiled widely. "Thank you."

"You should know, very, very few have the power," said Zeles.

"Well," replied the guard, "I'm sure he'll enjoy meeting a wizard either way."

"I look forward to it," said Zeles, and they moved on.

"Will there be another apprentice?" asked Ardin. He seemed… a bit saddened at the thought.

"No, my boy," said Zeles, cupping his shoulder. "Magic is rare. But it's a favor and I'll have a good time."

Ardin nodded. He seemed relieved, and pressed himself back against Zeles. Looking around, he couldn't help marveling at the tall buildings (some were even three stories high, or more!). And so many people. And so much nice clothing, he felt awkward in his worn and dirty clothes.

The boy had never been anywhere like this before, and he struggled to take it all in. Zeles smiled at the boy. Ardin's mouth was agape at it all, and, seeking comfort, he kept pressing back against Zeles, pressing back into his erection.

Chapter 3
Liron

Zeles stabled the horse at the Wild Nectar Inn and spent the next few hours with Ardin, buying clothing and other supplies. Ardin marveled at everything. They didn't go to an especially expensive store for most of his clothing, but the mere idea of a store that sold clothing was new to the boy, and the quality was far beyond what his mother had ever made for him. They bought a traveling outfit and several outfits for home, all a little bit large so the boy could grow into them. Zeles took special care over buying Ardin some nice underwear, which the boy found rather strange. "Comfort is important," said the wizard. Then, Zeles declared that they needed one outfit for special occasions, and they went to a tailor shop. Ardin had never been measured before; he had a giggling fit at first. The tailor promised to work through the night and have it ready tomorrow.

They went back to the Inn, then, and ordered some food while they waited for the guard's son.

"Ardin," said Zeles, "I'm going to send you out to do some more shopping while I test the guard's son. Do you think you can do it on your own?"

The boy looked scared. The city was big! But he took a deep breath, and nodded. Zeles smiled encouragingly.

"I can write you a list," he said. "Do you know how to read?"

"Um… I can write my name," said Ardin. "Um. I think."

Zeles laughed. "Well, we'll have to fix that. But for now, do you think you can remember a list and how much each item should cost?"

Ardin nodded seriously. After about fifteen minutes, Zeles had conveyed three items for Ardin to buy at three different stores. At a fourth store, Ardin was to hand the shopkeep a list of various food supplies. He told Ardin how much to pay for the whole list, and Ardin pocketed the piece of paper with great seriousness. Then, Zeles handed him the money. Ardin seemed to do his best to hide the fact that it was more money than he'd ever held before, although he wasn't very successful. Everything was just overwhelming, and he didn't want to mess up.

A few minutes later, another boy entered the inn, and he was clearly the guard's son. He looked to be just on the cusp of puberty, with deep olive skin, brown eyes, and deep black hair. He was well-built, not at all fat but certainly not thin, and seemed to be starting to develop some muscles. Zeles waved him over.

"You're Viron's son?"

The boy nodded. "My name is Liron," he said, and held out his hand, presumably as his father had instructed him. Zeles shook it, feeling the smaller, warm hand within his. The boy's voice was not yet truly into puberty, but it had just some flecks of the depth that boys got as they got close. It was in transition, but still closer to a boy than a man.

"This is my apprentice, Ardin," said the wizard.

Ardin was looking up at the other boy. Liron was taller, clearly more muscular, and his somewhat darker skin tone seemed to convey a sense of power. Ardin looked nervous. "Hi," he said, warily.

"Hello," said Liron. "It's good to meet you, Ardin."

"Ardin," said Zeles, "why don't you run along and do that shopping."

Ardin stood up. Liron was a head taller than the short boy, and clearly wider. The younger boy looked back to his master. "I'll do it," he said. "I'll do a good job."

Zeles nodded, and slowly, almost reluctantly, Ardin left, repeating the shopping list to himself the whole way.

"Have you eaten?" asked Zeles.

"Yes, sir," said Liron.

"Why don't you come up to my room," said the wizard, "and we'll start the tests."

* * *

It would take Ardin an hour, maybe two, to complete his shopping errands. That left plenty of time for Liron, of course.

Although Ardin might have been nervous, there was no danger of losing his place in his master's affections. Almost certainly, there was no power in Liron. In any case, although Liron was handsome, Ardin was by far a more desirable boy to the wizard. His innocence, his softness, his eagerness… Zeles had to settle his thoughts again. And besides, Ardin had a destiny.

Not that Liron wasn't beautiful in his own way. Rugged, well-built, and with a voice that had yet to deepen with adulthood, he was at the very peak of childhood. He must have been extremely popular with the city's other boys, and no doubt with some girls as well. Anyone could see the man he'd be once he had some hair on him, although Zeles was sure he had little if any just yet. Maybe in a month. These things changed fast, after all.

Still, the tall boy walked calmly and with sureness, as if he had no need to prove his own worth, but at the same time, no need to show it off. He was who he was, and he'd gotten enough praise in life to be comfortable with that. He had an easy smile with bright white teeth, and his brown eyes sparkled with energy and warmth.

Needless to say, Zeles liked what he saw.

"All right, Liron," said the wizard. "Stand here in the middle of the room, and we'll start the tests." He held his hands above the boy's head. The actual test would take just a minute or two, as it did with Ardin, but neither Liron nor his father knew that. The rest of their two hours would be spent on other matters, of course.

But first, the test.

Zeles lowered his fingers to the boy's scalp. The black hair was thick, soft, silky. He concentrated and felt the energy build up; blue light emanated from his fingers. Slowly, he tried to let it sink into the boy. If it did, the boy had magical affinity. If it didn't, then he was human like any other.

It didn't, of course. No matter.

"Liron," said Zeles, "the first test didn't quite work, but I'm going to try another. I need you to open your mind to me and let the magical energy sink in. Understood?"

Liron nodded. He seemed unfazed that the first test had failed. "Yes, sir. I'll do that."

And the boy was true to his word. Zeles had to admit, he might not have magical talent, but his ability to control his thoughts was excellent. His magical energy sank into Liron's mind with ease.

"Liron," he said, "can you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," said Liron.

"I need you to relax," said Zeles. "Relax completely. Every thought. Every muscle."

Liron nodded. Energy seemed to drain from his eyes as he obeyed.

"Relax, Liron. More. Empty your mind for me, and let me in. All empty."

Liron nodded. The boy's shoulders slumped. His head drooped down, although his eyes were still open. He groaned softly as air escaped from his lungs.

"Are you open to me, Liron?" asked the wizard.

The boy nodded, and his voice came out huskily. "Yes… sir…"

"Good," said Zeles. "You're a good boy."

This was easy work, and work the wizard had done many times. It was so much easier than what he'd done on either Ardin's mind or the boy's mother.

He began by inserting temporary blocks in the boy's mind. He blocked new long-term memory formation, so Liron would remember nothing of what happened next. He blocked his mind's access to shame, or fear, or doubt, or disgust. He blocked any reception of pain.

Next, he strengthened parts of the boy's mind. He strengthened his arousal to almost overwhelming levels. He strengthened his desire for obedience and the desire to please. He created a deep love for the wizard.

When he was done, the twelve-year-old who stood in front of him was in the same body as before, but his purpose had changed. He was a boy built for sex.

And while Ardin shopped, that was exactly what Zeles would use him for.

Leaving all the new commands in place, Zeles broke off the contact and woke the boy up. Liron looked around, eyes taking in his surroundings with new purpose.

"I'm afraid," said Zeles, "that you're not a wizard." He reached out and placed his hand on Liron's shoulder, squeezing softly. "But that's ok, isn't it?"

Liron smiled. "Yes, sir," he said. "I, um, think it'll be fine." He was blushing, a red color coming to his darker skin.

Zeles pulled him close. "Kiss me," he said.

"Yes, sir," replied the boy.

They locked lips, and while perhaps Liron was not as experienced as an adult, he'd certainly watched kissing and probably thought about how to do it. He opened his mouth wide, and his nimble twelve-year-old tongue pushed into Zeles' mouth. The wizard held the boy tight, one hand behind the boy's head to keep their faces pressed together, and pushed his tongue back in turn. Boy and man kissed, a sloppy kiss, saliva drooling down from Liron's mouth as tongue slid along tongue.

"Mmmmmmm," moaned the horny Liron.

"Uhhhhhhhhh," moaned the needy wizard.

Zeles held the kiss, and held the kiss, and held the kiss, and then he finally released Liron but held him close. They rested together like that, forehead-to-forehead.

After a moment, Liron spoke up. "You changed me, didn't you."

"I did," said Zeles. "But you don't mind, do you?"

"I like it," said Liron. "Whatever you want."

Zeles smiled. He kissed the boy again, briefly, and pulled off.

"Will I always be like this? Will I stay with you?"

"I'll turn you back," said Zeles.

"Oh," said the boy. He sounded sad.

"It's ok, my boy," said the wizard. "We can still enjoy the moment." And with that, he reached down, grabbed the boy's dick through his pants, and tugged.

"Ohhhhhhhh," moaned the twelve-year-old, humping his young hips forward.

* * *

What if Master Tzell likes Liron more than me? thought Ardin nervously as he went to the first store. The eleven-year-old desperately wanted to do a good job. He thought of learning magic. He thought of his friend, the wizard. He thought about the wizard's hard cock… that meant he liked him, right? He hoped he could make Master Tzell hard again.

Ardin looked up at the first storekeep. He was tall, and Ardin puffed out his chest. He wanted to do this right.

"Master Wizard Zeles Tzell," said the boy in his high-pitched voice, "sent me to pick up, um…" He searched his memory, trying to put out thoughts of Liron's deeper voice. "Three ounces of pepper," he finally finished. He didn't actually know what pepper was, but he assumed the storekeep did.

The storekeep smiled. "Of course, young sir," he said, and he proceeded to find the item.

* * *

Master Wizard Zeles Tzell, meanwhile, had finally let go of the twelve-year-old's dick. "Strip, my boy," he said.

"Yes, sir," replied Liron. In no time, he was removing his shirt. Seeing the shirt come off might have been Zeles's favorite part: he loved seeing a smooth belly as it was revealed to him. Each boy's stomach was different, a different treasure; some were perfectly flat; others had a round softness, like a bit of baby fat, right in the middle that gently sloped out from their torso; and still others had a bit of muscle, with a long, toned belly bounded on either side by a line of soft boy-muscle. Liron was, not surprisingly, of the third type, and he was gorgeous.

The boy, of course, knew none of this. All he knew was that Zeles was looking at him approvingly, and he moved quickly and eagerly to remove his boots, his pants, and his underwear. It was almost too fast, thought Zeles, as he gazed at the beautiful, naked specimen in front of him. Maybe next time he should have his boy strip more slowly.

Regardless, as predicted, the boy had the beginnings of some muscles. His skin was smooth and clear, with no hair, and his whole body was a light golden-brown. Tan lines were visible on his arms and legs, and his thighs in particular were a softer, brighter color. And then there was his pelvis. It was not white, but rather a pure golden syrup that felt fresh and untouched compared to the rest of his sun-kissed skin. His cock… it was neither the cock of a boy nor of a man. Oh, it was as hairless as a baby's. But between the color, the length (a solid four and a half inches [11½ cm]), and the way he carried himself, tall and straight, somehow even that hairless dick deserved respect. Of course, it was hard, and even pulsing slightly.

And then there was the rest of his body. His pectorals were just well enough advanced that his nipples sat on a defined chest. His belly was smooth and well-defined, which Zeles had already noted, and his arms and legs were toned, with defined curves but without large muscles. He had an innie belly button and long slender feet. His fingers were long as well, dexterous and nimble. His face was longer than it was wide, and his eyes sparkled with joy as he saw Zeles look him over. He stood there, at ease, letting the wizard look him over.

"You like what you see?" he asked. It wasn't really a question, more a statement, and the boy took a step forward.

"I do," replied Zeles.

He smiled that wide smile. "Then maybe you'll keep me this way, sir," he said.

Zeles smiled back. Oh, he wanted this boy for a quick fuck, but Ardin, innocent and adventurous, had his heart already. "We'll see," he replied. He stepped forward and brushed his hand against the boy's nipples, and Liron gasped in pleasure. His dick pulsed.

"I hope so, sir," he said.

By the time those words were out, Zeles had already strolled around to behind the boy, and started humping gently against his rear.

* * *

Ardin had gotten lost on the way to the second merchant, but eventually he found his way. Now he stood there, asking a tall man for his next item.

The boy nervously crossed one foot over the other as he waited. He needed to make his master happy. He was so nervous, and these merchants just made him more nervous. He'd never even seen most of what these people sold…

Liron probably knew all about this stuff, he thought with a pout.

* * *

The Master Wizard was stripping, throwing his clothes down on the ground, not caring where they landed. He just wanted to get his hands on the boy again. Once he was naked, he walked up behind Liron and started once again to hump up against his body. Meanwhile, he reached around to the front of the boy and began stroking the twelve-year-old's dick.

"Mmmmmm," moaned the boy.

Zeles sighed in pleasure as he felt his need building. He was going to cum a fountain when they got to that. Liron's body was warm, his skin smooth, and they slid against each other with ease. He could feel Liron's young muscles underneath him, tensing and relaxing as he slid his body against the boy's. He felt each little movement, each sign of life in the eager child, and their closeness was intoxicating. Liron clearly felt the same way, and he pushed back against the wizard with each hump.

At last the wizard stopped his movement and just stayed skin-to-skin with his young lover. "Reach down," he said, "and take some of my precum on your finger."

Liron looked at him. "Precum?" he asked.

"The stuff coming out of my dick," replied the wizard, smiling at the innocence.

Liron nodded and smiled, taking in this new knowledge. He reached down, rubbing his finger on Zeles's tip. Zeles moaned softly, which widened the boy's smile, and for a moment he mischievously rubbed the man's dick a little bit harder before bringing his hand back.

"Now lick it up."

"Yes, sir," said Liron. He had no hesitation as he brought the slender finger up to his mouth, stuck his tongue out, and licked it clean.

"You like it?" asked Zeles.

"Yes, sir," replied the boy. "It makes you happy."

"Do it again."

Liron did.

"Well, Liron," said Zeles at last, "I think it's time for you to come to bed with me, don't you think?"

"Yes, sir," said the boy, following after.

* * *

Ardin thanked the third merchant and headed out. He was getting worried about leaving his master alone with Liron for too long, and he ran along to his final stop with the big shopping list.

* * *

Zeles and Liron, meanwhile, were in bed, pressing their pelvises together and rubbing dick against dick. "Ohhhhhhhhh," cried Zeles, as he drizzled more precum on Liron's hard, smooth four and a half inches [11½ cm]. "Oh yes."

Liron reached down and gave the man's dick a solid tug. Zeles felt his hips buck forward in need.

"Oh, good boy," he said. "I think it's time for you to start licking it, don't you?"

"Yes, sir!" said the boy sure enough. As the wizard spread his legs for his inhibition-free boy to begin his service, the boy scurried down to begin his work. But when he got there and looked at the large, throbbing dick, he paused.

"What is it?" asked Zeles. Suddenly he worried that he'd gotten the commands wrong. He'd used this exact set several times before! "Is there a problem?"

Liron bit his lower lip. "It's just…" he said. "Um." He paused again. "I don't want you to like me less."

"What?" asked Zeles.

"I'm a virgin, sir," admitted the boy. "This is my first time."

Zeles laughed a hearty laugh. "Come here," he said.

Liron came back up, and Zeles embraced him, giving him a tight kiss. They rolled together on the bed, naked arms and legs intertwined, as the deep kiss continued.

"I'm happy you're a virgin," said Zeles. "It turns me on. Now go lick my cock."

Liron nodded eagerly and headed down. "It's a big moment," he said, musingly. "The moment I lost my virginity."

Not really, thought Zeles. You won't even remember it. You'll probably think some girl will take your virginity, maybe in a few months. But his reverie was interrupted as a thick boy-tongue lapped along the length of his cock, and Zeles humped his hips forward and cried out in absolute pleasure.

* * *

Ardin got to the fourth merchant and handed him the list. The poor boy, who couldn't read, didn't know that Zeles had written at the bottom that he should be kept at the store for at least 45 minutes.

"This will take a little while," said the merchant, reading the instruction. "You should take a seat."

"I, um, don't want to leave my master for too long…" said Ardin nervously.

"I'm sorry," said the merchant. "It will take time."

Ardin nodded, and his shoulders drooped. He sat down on a chair, which was tall enough that he couldn't keep his feet flat on the ground. He kicked them idly while he waited, toes brushing on the floor as he worried over the time and his master.

* * *

Liron's tongue flattened out, running the length of Zeles's cock once again. Zeles let his head fall back, letting out a huge moan, and Liron smiled, feeling pleasure just knowing that he was giving Zeles pleasure.

"Now my balls," said the Master Wizard.

The boy immediately obliged, and the waves of sensation Zeles felt were overwhelming. No matter how many times he had a boy lick his balls, he would never get used to the feeling. He couldn't even take it for very long, it was so overwhelming. His knees shook with energy as Liron's tongue ran along them once again. Zeles felt his teeth chatter, and again the tongue ran along them. "MMMM!" he cried, and again the tongue slid along them, pressing hard on the sensitive orbs. With the next lick, Zeles stretched out his legs, feeling no other way to release the tension. The next lick made him slap his palm against the bed.

"All right, all right!" he said.

"Did I do all right?" asked Liron.

"You were amazing," said Zeles, "it's too much!"

"I'm glad, sir," said Liron.

"Now it's time to suck," said the wizard.

"If my friends knew," said Liron, "they would make fun of me."

"Does that bother you?"

"Not at all," said the boy. "I'm happy to make you happy." And with that, his warm, wet lips closed around the cock and he sucked, hard.

* * *

"Um, sir, how much longer… do you think it'll be?" asked Ardin. He was antsy. He'd gotten up from the chair twice, only to sit back down again.

"I'm sorry, young master," said the merchant, with a smile. "I'm afraid it will be another half an hour."

Ardin nodded, and tried to contain his fear. He felt himself almost start to cry, but he was a big kid and he held it in. He was a wizard's apprentice, after all!

* * *

Zeles had fucked many boys in his life. As a wizard, it was one of the privileges he took for himself. Many had been delightful in so many ways. And while Liron was not his favorite, of all the virgin boys he had taken for himself, Liron was clearly the one that possessed the most raw skill.

That was clear from the incessant pressure on the Master Wizard's dick. The boy could suck.

At Zeles's instructions, the twelve-year-old was now bobbing his head up and down, sucking and running his tongue along the dick, and Zeles was responding in full. In fact… he hated to admit this, but he'd already used magic once to put off his orgasm. He might need to again.

"Liron," he said, "I'm going to push you down on it, all right?"

Liron came up off the dick. "Yes, sir," he said, and he immediately dove back down onto it.

Zeles reached down, grabbing the sides of the boy's head, and he pulled. It took several times, but soon the cock entered into the boy's throat. With his pain cut off and pleasure coming from the pleasure Zeles himself felt, Liron found himself experiencing nothing but bliss as he took it deeper and deeper, filling up his twelve-year-old throat. He could feel how much Zeles was enjoying himself.

Zeles held the boy all the way down for about half a minute. The boy's nose was buried in the wizard's pubic hair; the cock was snaked down his throat. But the boy was having trouble breathing, and so Zeles pulled him off.

"That felt good?" gasped Liron.

Zeles nodded.

"Let's do it again," said the boy.

"No," said Zeles. "Get on all fours."

* * *

"How much longer?" asked Ardin.

"Fifteen more minutes," replied the merchant.

* * *

Zeles spread the twelve-year-old asscheeks apart. The boy's hole was beautiful. It was naturally a dark color, and it literally pulsed with Liron's own eagerness.

"I'm nervous," said the boy.

"Don't be," replied Zeles.

"I've never done anything like this before." Liron paused a moment, looking thoughtful. "I'm also excited," he finally continued. "Let's do it."

So the Master Wizard lined his dick up to the boy's asshole. He cherished this moment; the moment before he took some young lad's virginity, the moment he became a part of the boy's sexual awakening.

And Liron's hole was quite beautiful.

The wizard started to push in, lining up his dick with the puckered hole as best as he could. It was, of course, tight, beautifully tight. He grunted and pushed; his thick cock slid to the side, but he realigned it, and pushed again, straining, and finally had some small purchase in the boy's ass.

Liron's back arched, and the boy gasped.

With his dick finally braced inside, even if only by half an inch, Zeles pushed hard with a loud grunt. That brought him to an inch deep [2.½ cm], a beautiful inch. Liron squeaked softly, a magnificent whimper from the toned young boy. With an inch of depth, Zeles was over the hard part, and now he knew exactly what to do. It was almost routine. He could go slow or fast. He could take the boy in so many ways.

And so, with a quick decision and a deep breath, Zeles thrust his dick in hard. A hard thrust, then another, then another, digging into that ass, and in a matter of moments he was already half way.

"OHHHHHHH!" cried Liron as he felt his body filling up. His fingers were gripping the bed tightly. His toes were curling, overwhelmed with pleasure. His dick throbbed with energy. It was clear that Zeles had touched his prostate.

And then the wizard pushed deeper, no waiting, no pauses, no softness. He filled up the child, in and then again, pushing, grunting, each thrust deeper than the last. And then he was all the way in. Liron moaned softly, mouth slightly ajar, drool falling onto the bed.

Every muscle in Liron's trim body reacted to the filling of his body. His whole body was rocking back and forth. It was as if all he could do was moan and grunt and cry in pleasure; the dual pleasure of his prostate and the knowledge that he was pleasing Zeles was almost too much to bear.

And Zeles, of course, was very pleased; after all, his cock was fully buried in a virgin twelve-year-old boy. "That's it, Liron," said Zeles. "That's great." And then Zeles began to fuck him.

The wizard pulled out and then pushed back in, out and back in, not worrying about how hard he went because he knew that Liron would like it. In fact, the more Zeles enjoyed it, the more Liron did. Their pleasure was as linked as their bodies.

And Zeles had to admit, the tightness of the boy's ass was simply extraordinary. That was one of the great things about athletic boys. In and out, in and out, in and out, Zeles fucked the boy, and fucked the boy, and fucked the boy. He kept a magical block on his cum, prolonging the feeling, letting himself get the most out of this first-use-hole.

Liron's sweat dripped onto the bed, joining more drool, as the boy lost his ability to think. His head lolled back and forth, grunts of pleasure escaping him with every thrust of the wizard into his preteen body. His dick, which had been engorged now for an hour, throbbed, and a small strand of precum leaked out and fell onto the bed. If Liron had had any awareness of his surroundings other than the dick in his ass, he would have realized that was the first time he'd ever produced precum. In any case, it fell to join the boy's sweat and saliva on the covers as his fucking continued.

* * *

"All set," said the merchant, 45 minutes after the boy had come in.

Ardin got out his money to count out the appropriate amount. Zeles had trained him on how much of each coin to give. But in his nervousness, the poor boy dropped them all. He couldn't lose any of his master's money! Quickly, he fell to his knees to pick them up, cursing himself, not wanting to be any later, not wanting to leave Zeles with Liron for any longer than he had to.

* * *

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" cried Liron as the deep fucking pushed into him again, and again, and again.

"Nnnnnnnnn," cried the wizard. He thrust in, deep, held it; pulled out, thrust in, deep, held it; over and over, two linked bodies awash in pure pleasure.

It was, finally, too much. "I… I… I'm… ohhhh…!" cried the boy.

Zeles understood. He knew exactly what was about to happen, and he released his block. With his next thrust, he buried his huge cock inside the boy and held it. A moment later, it pulsed, expanding right there inside the child's ass, and then the first rope of cum shot deep into the boy.

Liron moaned, his own pleasure overstimulated, and only further driven into bliss by Zeles's pleasure. The boy's dick burst forward in a wild orgasm, pulsing like mad. And for the first time, a thin, watery stream of cum shot out joining the other liquids on the bed cover. A vague part of Liron's addled mind took note of it, the first time he'd produced the liquid, although he'd forget it soon enough.

The twelve-year-old would never know that his first orgasm, his first wet orgasm, was an anal orgasm that shattered him with overwhelming pleasure.

And meanwhile, Zeles's own dick pulsed and pulsed into the gasping, eager boy's ass; each pulse shooting more thick cum into the stretched little hole.

When he was done, Zeles gasped. He held his softening dick in there a moment, then pulled out. Liron rolled onto his side, a dull smile on his face.

"You… sure you can't keep me?" he asked.

Zeles laughed, and lay down next to the boy. "Go and lick my cock clean," he said.

Liron was a strapping young lad, and despite what he'd been through, he still managed to pull himself up and go over. He licked it clean, even as more cum spilled out of his ass. Zeles watched, enjoying the flex of the strong boyish muscles.

Breathing heavily and relaxing into the soft bed, the wizard reached out and ruffled the boy's hair. What a fuck. He needed to get more boys of town guards, apparently.

"Now," he said, "go and dress, and stand in the center of the room.

A bit of sadness passed over Liron's face, but only briefly. "Yes, sir," he said, knowing what came next.

He'd been a good boy, thought Zeles. Beautiful. Just what he'd wanted. But not the one.

* * *

Ardin ran through the town, hurrying back with his pack. Everything had taken so long!

He burst into the inn, then scampered up the stairs. Out of breath, he knocked, then opened the door to their room.

Zeles, fully dressed, sat on the bed. He was reading. "Did you get everything?" he asked.

Little Ardin nodded. "Yes!" he said. Then he ran up, climbed on the bed, and hugged Zeles. The wizard hugged the boy back tightly, and smiled.

"You did great, Ardin," he said.

"It took so long," said the boy.

"Don't worry about it," replied the wizard. "It was perfect." He shifted slightly, to cover up the drying cum stain on the bed.

* * *

And Liron? He walked home. It turned out that he didn't have the power to be a wizard, which was fine, he supposed. He remembered two hours of tests, each time trying, pushing himself, stretching to try to access some power that he just couldn't. Maybe he wasn't a wizard, but he was proud that he'd tried, and he had plenty to look forward to. Besides, he'd seen a glimpse of the wider world that was hard to come by.

He was sore though. He didn't realize doing magic could take that kind of toll! The soreness was unlike anything from sports, it was deep inside him, and he felt himself almost limping as he went home. He shook his head. Maybe he should take a day off from his usual exercise regimen tomorrow.

Somewhere, shuffling around in his mind, was one more task. A "gift" of sorts left to him by the wizard, not that Liron would ever know or understand. He felt like he wanted to jerk off that night. And when he did, the beautiful twelve-year-old boy would get the pleasure and the joy of seeing the results, and would forever remember that moment (almost, but not quite correctly) as his first-ever wet cum.

Chapter 4
The Lessons Begin

Ardin lay in the bed, hugging Zeles tightly. Zeles luxuriated in the warm, soft closeness of his apprentice's body. He wrapped his arms around the tired boy and ran his hand up and down Ardin's back, and he felt the boy's body react to his touch and rock back and forth.

It had been a long day, especially for the young boy. "All right," said the Master Wizard at last. "Do you feel up to learning some magic, or should we go to sleep?"

Ardin looked up at him with those big, pale green eyes. They were an almost ghostly color, thought Zeles. That color alone was a hint of his magic potential.

"What about Liron?" asked the boy.

"Liron did well," said Zeles, smiling, "but he doesn't have the same power."

"So he's not coming with us?"

Zeles laughed. "Of course not."

Ardin's looked surprised, then relieved, then thoughtful. "I hope he won't be too sad."

Zeles smiled widely. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine. He's forgotten all about it and is having a good time right now."

"How do you know?" asked Ardin.

"I know," replied Zeles, still smiling. He ruffled the boy's hair. "Liron has… a lot of potential, just not magical potential. Now, training or sleep?"

Ardin was very tired, but he desperately wanted to impress the wizard. He made himself sit up and straighten his back, although his exhaustion was plain to the wizard anyway. "Training," he said, confidently.

"Very well." Zeles reached up, gave the boy's cheek a soft caress to show approval. "Shoes off, sit here on the bed with me. Let's have a lesson."

The boy had only gotten his new pair of shoes that afternoon, and he still hadn't gotten used to them. He struggled a bit to take them off, then wriggled his toes in relief as his feet finally felt the open air. Finally, he climbed back up on the bed.

"I've never been on one of these before tonight," he said.

"A bed," said Zeles.

"Yeah, o'course," replied Ardin. "Just… never been on one."

"I think you'll grow to like beds a lot," taunted the wizard.

"It's really soft," said the oblivious boy, running his hands along the silky sheets. Then he crossed his legs, dirty bare feet sticking out from under his knees. Zeles decided to ask the inn to prepare a bath for tomorrow. Not that Ardin had any idea the grime was out of the ordinary. The boy just bounced up and down and wriggled his toes some more, feeling the softness of the bed underneath him and giggling lightly.

Sitting opposite, legs crossed in the same manner, the wizard held out his hands. Ardin placed his soft small hands in the firm larger hands, and took on a serious expression.

"Now," instructed Zeles, "we're going to practice levitating again, but this time I'm going to let you lead. We'll have to do this a few times before you get it, but you're going to try to levitate both of us, all right?"

Ardin nodded, his serious expression breaking with excitement. "Yeah!" he said.

"And just up and down, understood? Just gently up, right over this bed, so if anything goes wrong we just fall onto it."

Ardin nodded. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, remembering his little brother.

Zeles smiled. "It's fine, my boy. Just take it seriously."

Ardin nodded. "I will!"

"Let's see if you can start this on your own. Let your magic flow into me."

Ardin sat there, legs crossed, brows furrowed in concentration. Finally, he admitted, "I don't know how."

"Your magic is part of you," instructed his teacher. "It's part of your essence. Feel within your body, and look for something that feels like energy. It's warm. It… glows."

Ardin closed his eyes. He didn't know what he was doing. He felt hungry, which seemed rather greedy, since he'd never eaten so much in one day. He tried to focus, but he just felt the pressure of his thighs on his calves from crossing his legs, or the softness of the bed. He felt tired. "I don't know how!" he said in frustration. "I can't do this!"

"Relax, Ardin," said Zeles. He saw a tear escape from the boy; Ardin thought he'd failed. Zeles squeezed the warm little hands inside his own. "Relax. Trust me."

Ardin was thinking about how he was a failure. He tried to stop, and his mind started to wander, thinking about the journey, thinking about home… mama, and Mardo… He thought about everything but magic. His eyes felt tired, and his mind felt loose.

"Ardin," said Zeles loudly. "Look at me."

He turned those big, pale green eyes towards the man. Zeles saw water building in them. He wondered if Ardin was tough enough for what would be asked of him.

"Breathe in."

Ardin did, his chest moving up.

"Breathe out."

The boy exhaled.

"In."

He did.

"Out."

He did.

"Now, close your eyes and look within yourself."

Ardin felt the bad thoughts return, but he tried to ignore them. He felt his bare toes in the warm air of the room. The warmth where his body pressed against the bed. His small hands in Zeles' big, cool hands. Each breath in and out. Aware, somehow, of himself, and of the world around him. And then, he felt something.

A little spark? Some energy within him? Was that magic? Ardin reached out with his mind, focused on it. He tried to feed it, grow it… and he realized it was everywhere within him, flowing through him, a powerful torrent. It did glow.

"You found it," said Zeles. "Now, let it flow into me."

What happened next made even the Master Wizard gasp. It was so much raw power. Ardin's power. He was young, and he didn't know how to control it. Now, though, Zeles was certain. Ardin had a destiny. They had a destiny, together. If, that is, the boy could learn to control it, and his fear.

The power glowed hot throughout the wizard's body. Little jolts of energy and heat sparked within him.

"Good!" cried Zeles. "Very good."

It was very good; Zeles hadn't had an apprentice get this right on the first try before. Zeles put up safeguards, tempered the flow, but otherwise let the boy control it himself.

"Now," he said, "raise us up."

The wizard's hands held the boy's tight. Ardin's eyes were pressed shut, his brow furrowed, his mind focused on controlling his magic. (It was, Zeles had to admit, very cute.) Light flickered on their faces, and along the walls of the room. Zeles could feel Ardin shaping the power loosely. It lacked the fine control the apprentice would later learn, but still he felt waves of energy spread across the room, feeling and sensing the world around them. Then Ardin focused it, and little nodules of Ardin's power concentrated underneath them.

"Good," said the wizard. "You're doing well. Now tighten it. Pull it together. Make it more… solid as you push us up."

The boy, eyes still shut, bit his lower lip as he focused harder. His pale pink lip looked almost white under the pressure of his front teeth, innocent little face focusing as hard as he could.

And the magic did concentrate. It pulled together. Zeles saw a little bit of sweat on the boy's forehead as the boy struggled with the exertion, an exertion that was neither physical nor mental but… something else. He grunted, struggling to tame his raw power without the help of the older wizard.

He managed. The magic solidified, and gently they started to rise. Ardin was burning much more power than he needed, with more control he'd need much less, but still he was doing it. Incredible!

"Focus," Zeles said, voice neutral. Ardin was floating higher than he was. "I'm heavier. Keep us stable."

Ardin nodded, but didn't speak. His face was flushed, and a few drops of sweat slid down from his forehead to his cheeks. He focused in on the magic and Zeles felt an abrupt push. The wizard floated upwards, level with the boy now. It was an impressive display of control. Zeles honestly hadn't expected it for another week, maybe two. With Mardo he had been actively helping with the control the whole time, making each of Ardin's thoughts more focused, channeling his influence over the magic, but now it was all Ardin. Indeed, it seemed like the boy rose to each new challenge when pushed. Slowly, they floated up. Six inches. A foot. Eighteen inches.

Ardin's hands were slippery with sweat. He seemed to be panting, and his brow was deeply furrowed.

"I… can't…" he coughed out. And then suddenly, the magic slipped. Wizard and boy crashed down, landing on the bed.

"I'm sorry!" cried the boy. He lay on the bed, physically exhausted. "I'm sorry! I couldn't…"

"You did well," said Zeles. He ran his hand through Ardin's soft brown hair, feeling the silky strands part between his fingers. "Better than any apprentice I've had."

"Really?" asked Ardin. He looked over at Zeles with those pale eyes.

"Really," confirmed the wizard.

He moved his hand down around the boy's shoulders and pulled him closer. Ardin leaned into the wizard, snuggling his small body up to the embrace. Separated from his family, worried he had failed, the boy just needed to be held. He trusted his master.

"I wanna be a wizard," said the boy softly into Zeles' shoulder as he lay there.

"You will be," said Zeles. "You're going to be a great wizard."

"But I couldn't hold you up."

Zeles tightened the warm hug. "I told you, silly boy. That was the best first try I've ever seen."

Ardin was exhausted. More exhausted than he'd ever been. Attacked last night, they'd been traveling for much of the day, then the excitement of a new city, all the errands, and now a new kind of weariness that he didn't even understand brought on by channeling a deep part of his being into magic. He breathed out softly, held in his master's arms.

"I miss my mama," said the child at last, finally admitting it to himself even as he said the words. "And… and Mardo."

Zeles sighed. The boy was warm and sweet. He couldn't resist being aroused just at the feel of their bodies pressed together. Aroused, yes, but the wizard's thoughts held no other trace of lewdness. He liked comforting the sweet boy, and it might make his cock rise up, but it was a kind of love, not lust.

"I know, my apprentice," he said. "You'll see them again someday. And you'll be a wizard."

"When will I see them?"

"I don't know," said Zeles honestly. "You have to train."

Zeles felt the boy shift. His young, warm body moved a little bit in their closeness, sliding against the older man. The motion belied a little sob, and Zeles looked down to see another tear go down the boy's smooth cheek. Ardin reached up to wipe it away.

"Sorry," he sniffled.

"It's hard to go away from your family," said Zeles, although privately he worried about how sensitive the boy was. That wasn't good for what lay ahead.

"I've never been away before," said the boy. "It's all so different and strange."

And yet… Zeles loved the boy and, yes, his vulnerability. If the world would only let them, Zeles could lie here forever with his apprentice.

"You're going to be a great wizard," he said.

The boy didn't respond, he just snuggled closer, seeking comfort. He trusted the wizard. He didn't know why he trusted Zeles so much, but he did. Besides, he hadn't had a father since he was five years old, and…

He sniffled again, softly. Zeles stroked his hair. The boy rested his head on Zeles' chest and closed his eyes. Slowly, the gentle sniffles began to fade.

The boy had been through so much, thought Zeles. He'd be fine, right? He'd make it? But he had so much to grow. Ardin needed time to fulfill his destiny. Time, and support, and training. They'd have that, soon. When they got home.

Meanwhile, the young apprentice had curled his small body tightly against the wizard.

And there, pressed together, the boy felt a lump. Zeles started and bit his lip as Ardin's body brushed against his aroused manhood.

Last night, this would have been a problem. Last night, the boy would have recoiled. He would have felt betrayed. He would have thought of the warnings from his mother, and he would have fretted over his safety.

But that was last night.

Tonight, the boy felt Zeles's hardness and it inspired no fear; instead, he felt good. He didn't know why men got hard exactly, but his instincts, the instincts placed inside his mind by Zeles himself, told him that the man's hard dick was actually a sign of approval. He felt comforted by it. Instead of recoiling, the eleven-year-old boy pressed against it again and sighed softly into the wizard's chest.

He snuggled closer, intentionally rubbing his belly against the man's cock.

Ardin was not a confident boy. When he'd first seen Liron, he'd immediately feared that Zeles would prefer the older, more mature, more athletic boy. Liron seemed a natural leader. He was self-assured, he knew the ways of the world, and knew how to be respectful. He seemed like he should be a wizard, while Ardin felt like a young child compared to him. He was just some poor boy from a shack in a tiny village, and Liron was a true leader from a big city.

But when Ardin felt that hard, adult cock, those thoughts were pushed back. It was beyond logic. In Ardin's newly-twisted mind, that feeling meant Zeles loved him. It was a calm certainty that he felt down to his bones. And so he pressed once again, just to feel the engorged dick, to know for certain that the wizard truly liked him. The touch made Zeles exhale softly, and Ardin felt the man's dick pulse a little bit. He pressed still tighter, for the fourth time, drawn in completely by the organ.

It was only now that he felt like he knew the answer to his question. "Do you like me?"

"I do, my apprentice," said Zeles, gently patting his back. His aroused dick pulsed. Ardin was truly a special boy, and he wasn't thinking that just because of the feel of the warm boy. "You know that I do."

Ardin nodded softly and rested his head down again. Again he slid against the dick; he couldn't get enough of it.

"I can hardly wait to show Mardo what I can do," he said. "I'll fly him right this time."

Zeles just nodded. Instead of speaking, he held Ardin close. The boy, still sniffling a little bit, snuggled up again, and the man held in a little moan. For a little while longer, they stayed like that, apprentice and wizard, man and boy, together in the bed.

* * *

"I'm hungry," said Ardin suddenly.

His tears had finally stopped. At least for now, it seemed like his homesickness had abated. Zeles wondered, and maybe felt a little bit guilty, that perhaps the boy's contentment at the wizard's hard dick was why his homesickness had abated.

"Let's get some food," replied Zeles, "then sleep."

They went downstairs. The inn had a large pot of stew they had prepared, and wizard and apprentice both got steaming hot bowls with fresh bread on the side. The meat was grouse, and it smelled delicious. Ardin leaned down to take a deep smell, and he watched as Zeles dipped his bread in the stew and ate some. He mirrored the wizard.

"This is really tasty!" said Ardin. Zeles smiled. "It tastes familiar, too," the boy added.

Zeles shrugged. "The spice is… dried Siluvan yellow pepper," he said. "It's very distinctive."

"When I was a kid," said Ardin, growing thoughtful, "papa brought some home once, I think. We had it in our stew, too."

"It's not cheap," said Zeles.

"He was happy," replied the boy. "I don't remember why, though." He paused a moment, then added, "it tastes really good."

* * *

Wizard and apprentice finished their meal. There was a bit of stew remaining, and they brought it up to the room and left it covered in the hearth where it would stay warm. It should still be good tomorrow morning, and the scent was divine.

Then time for bed. Zeles wished he could tell Ardin to sleep without clothes, but the boy wasn't ready for that, not yet. And besides, Ardin was still in a mood. The wizard watched as the slender and lithe little boy climbed into bed. But before lying down, Ardin knelt. The boy sat on his calves, grimy feet out behind him. He bounced once or twice, feeling the bed underneath him, then stopped and became more somber.

"I forgot to pray yesterday," he reported, lowering his head.

In his young voice, Ardin prayed to Potensin. The boy asked for forgiveness for missing yesterday's prayers. He asked for safety, and asked nobly that the bandits from last night might find a better life. He prayed that he would become a good wizard.

Zeles should have realized the boy would be a believer just from his Easterner name. Those gods, beings that had manipulated humanity for eons, had finally been locked away centuries ago, but many didn't believe the wizards who had done it, especially among the lower classes and in some eastern families. The boy had been taught by his mother, and Zeles certainly didn't have the heart to stop him. He just watched the boy, back bowed as he focused on his prayer.

When he was done, Ardin finally lay down on the bed, his soft mouth open as he breathed in and out gently. "You don't want to pray?" he asked after a few moments, his voice slurring with threads of sleep.

Zeles shook his head. He came up to the bed, leaned down, and held the boy's head as he gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. Ardin smiled.

"You don't believe?" asked the boy, face serious.

Zeles shook his head. "It's all right," he said.

Ardin nodded. "I trust you," he said. "You're good."

Zeles smiled. He didn't remove his hands from Ardin's head. The boy was tired, but his day was not done yet. In fact, being tired would make him all the more sensitive to what happened next.

Gently, the wizard started to let power flow through his hands and into his apprentice's mind.

Ardin's soft green eyes grew wider for a moment, and then settled. Pale green irises became vague and unfocused as the boy's mind ceased to be his own. His breathing was soft and steady, and Zeles began his modifications. He started with a block to prevent the child from forming memories during tonight's session.

* * *

The truth was that Master Wizard Zeles Tzell loved this moment. It might be his favorite thing in the world, even more than his fun with Liron. As he knelt over the prone boy, young mind ready and wide open, it was a moment of infinite potential.

Zeles had had many apprentices over the years, all boys. They were his family, his cherished friends, and all excellent wizards themselves. He loved them.

He'd also fucked each and every one of them. Many, many times. Passionately. It was something they were eager and happy for, once he prepared them correctly. No, more than eager. Eager was the wrong word. To him and to them, the carnal act brought them together, made them like family.

Zeles could just imagine how he'd develop Ardin to be the same. The uncertain but excited young boy, so smooth and slender, brave and exploring. Ardin would soon want it, need it, just like Zeles. Soon their sex would become a precious and special part of who they were and a validation of their connection. The boy was a blank slate; Zeles would shape him, mold him, make him the perfect, eager little partner. He would shape Ardin's mind to truly love his master. He'd done it many times.

The wizard's life was not just about sex, though. He cherished those moments of teaching, when each apprentice learned to better control their magic, learned to sense the world, to see the connections that their magical energies brought them. He loved talking and exploring with them, seeing their worlds grow, their paths to becoming full wizards opening up to them. When Ardin saw a city like Crezia for the first time, Zeles could see it through the boy's eyes, see his wonder and joy.

So yes, Zeles loved so much about training his apprentices. More than anything, though, he loved the possibilities of this moment. Of a boy who would become anything Zeles wanted him to be.

Ardin's eyes were glassy. His cute mouth was slightly open, muscles simply forgetting to close it. His breathing, the rise and fall of his flat, smooth stomach, constant, rhythmic, beautiful. His shirt had run up a little, exposing his creamy white skin, the light curve of his belly, his innie belly button.

Liron's belly might've been more toned, thought Zeles, but I like this one more. It's soft.

"Relax," said Zeles.

Ardin, his mind a blank, let his muscles go even more lax. His head drifted further into the pillow. He exhaled, softly, letting air out of his lungs.

"Relax," repeated Zeles again. A soft whimper came from the boy as he exhaled helplessly.

* * *

Before long, the boy was deep in his trance state. His muscles were soft and unmoving. Ardin's breathing was smooth and even, back rising and falling with each breath. Zeles smiled, inhaling the boy's gentle scent mixed in with the still-wafting spicy food from the hearth. He pressed against his apprentice's body, unable to resist a little touch.

The wizard felt inside the boy's open mind. "Ardin," he prompted.

"Yessss…" whispered the boy. His voice was low, flat, inflectionless.

Zeles nodded. Ardin's active mind was completely empty. Blank. A canvas to be written on.

"Ardin," said Zeles, "Think about answering all of my questions truthfully. No matter what, you must tell me the truth and the full truth."

Ardin nodded vacantly. "The truth," he said, words slurring, "and the full truth." In the boy's mind, that thought became central, and Zeles ensnared it with his magic, making it stronger and stronger as he powered it, pushing it to become dominant in the boy's mind. He could ask anything, and Ardin would answer honestly.

"Do you know what sex is?" he asked his apprentice. No reason to wait.

The truth-seeking thought pulsed in Ardin's brain. Zeles could feel it, no doubt struggling against other thoughts in the boy's mind. Shame, or decorum, or privacy; one of those thoughts was fighting back. The wizard fed magic into the boy's mind, powering his need to tell the truth, ensuring it would win out over the boy's shame.

And after a moment, confusion cleared off Ardin's face. The boy nodded, and answered. "Yes," he admitted, words still coming slowly, a soft blush rising on his face. "A man and woman… do stuff. The man puts his manhood in… the woman's… place."

Zeles nodded. "Have you ever had sex?"

Ardin's pale, glassy eyes widened and his blush deepened as he shook his head. "No."

"Has anyone ever touched your penis?"

"Mama," he answered right away. "And Mardo once, he wanted to know what it looked like."

Zeles nodded. "And do you ever touch it for fun?" he asked.

"For fun?" Ardin asked. His youthful voice was flat, but his face showed his confusion. He didn't even understand what that meant. Zeles realized he hadn't seen any older brothers in the shack where the boy had grown up.

"All right," said Zeles. He had to admit, Ardin's mother was an impressive woman to keep her son so pure, especially given their position. The boy was a treasure. "Clear your mind," he told the boy, and he felt the boy's need to tell the truth float away into the subconscious. He wondered how it would last against competing thoughts, if Ardin would feel that same impulse over time.

Ardin lay back, eyes open, mind empty. "Now," commanded Zeles, "think again about how you trust me." The thought floated into Ardin's central mind, and Zeles poured magical energy into that thought, strengthening it again. It had grown a bit weaker since last night, and he needed it to stay strong. He felt it pulse and grow, and knew Ardin's trust wouldn't waver. Then he sent it off again.

Zeles inhaled deeply, looking over the placid boy. He could feel his heart racing, the moment pregnant with possibility in the flickering firelight and the spicy smell of dinner. Ardin, face blank, mouth open, was ready for more. Zeles could feel it. His apprentice was ready to be shaped.

"Think about me," said Zeles, and he felt a thought come out into the boy's mind. A small smile formed on Ardin's face. "Good boy," said Zeles. "Now," he continued, light pulsing from his hands into Ardin's head, "think of me as family. Like your mama, or like Mardo. I am your family. You care about me." The thoughts came out, and Zeles focused on them, sending waves of power into them, strengthening them.

"Like family," mumbled Ardin, his still somewhat high-pitched voice almost sleepy in its intonation.

"Like family," said Zeles, magic flowing in. "You love me."

Ardin nodded softly.

"You love me." Magic flowed in.

"I… love you."

Magic flowed in.

"I love you."

More magic.

Ardin's head rolled back with the influx of magic. "I love you," he said softly, the words becoming beliefs.

It was platonic, Zeles knew, but for now it was enough. He knew Ardin's mind would reshape itself over the next day, the new thought pushing others aside, eventually settling into a new equilibrium, causing ripple effects throughout the boy's mind until it settled into new patterns of thinking. Between the trust and the love, he thought it would hold. Ardin would be devoted to him. Zeles felt himself getting tired, his magical energy waning, but he was excited. And he wanted to shape the boy more.

"Clear your mind," he told the boy, and Ardin exhaled. With his exhalation, the thought of his love for his teacher faded into the background, back into his subconscious. "Now we have to change you a little bit more, Ardin," he said. "Think about what it's like to be naked."

The blush returned to Ardin's cheek, and the boy, still in a trance, shifted on the bed before settling again into its softness.

"How does it feel?" asked Zeles.

"I… shouldn't be naked. Not in front of people." He paused a moment, wrestling with the next words. "I'm ashamed." The same flat voice, but his blush deepened.

Zeles nodded. "Ardin," he said, "think about that shame. Focus on it. Focus on the shame you'd feel being naked in front of me."

The thought shifted, changed. Parts moved in, parts moved out, and then it settled.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How it'd feel to be naked in front of you."

"Good," said Zeles. And with that, waves of magical energy targeted the thought, pounding on it, weakening it, shrinking it. The thought diminished, smaller and smaller, taking Ardin's shame at nudity with it. The boy's blush faded. Soon, the thought of shame became too small to detect. Gone.

"Now," said Zeles, "imagine being naked in front of me. No clothes. Just there, completely naked. But now… it feels fine, Ardin. It feels normal. Good. We're men. You don't mind being naked with me. It's natural."

Ardin's face shifted. A bit of distaste? But soon it became neutral again as the thought formed.

"Perfectly normal," said Zeles. "It's natural to be naked with me. It feels right. No shame, just nice and normal. Being naked is good."

The thought shifted. Wavered, then settled. And now Zeles targeted it, strengthening it. Making it part of the boy's beliefs. What had once seemed shameful would be natural.

He wanted to make Ardin like it, of course, but that was too much, too soon. Other thoughts might conflict. Better to nudge him. Tweak him. Let the thoughts settle, then develop his boyish sexuality.

"Perfectly normal," Zeles repeated, pumping in magical energy to grow the new belief. Make it live as truth, inside his apprentice.

"Perfectly normal," said Ardin. His eyes glowed, a blue glow overlaid on his natural pale green. He gasped at the strength of the power flowing unrestricted into his mind.

"It feels normal to be naked with me."

"Uhhhh," groaned Ardin for a moment, the blue light strengthening. Then his body went slack into the bed, and he tonelessly replied, "it feels normal to be naked with you."

"Very good," said Zeles. The man yawned. "You're such a good apprentice."

He was exhausted, but he filled the thought with the last of his energy, strengthening it as much as he could.

"Now sleep," he said, and as the boy drifted off, eyelids drooping as his gentle face slackened. Zeles removed the memory block and dropped contact, and the wizard collapsed down on the bed next to his boy, soft firelight flickering against them.

It had been a good session. Zeles felt his own hardness, but he managed to put it out of his mind eventually, and fall asleep. He was exhausted, and he'd have release soon enough.

* * *

They awoke the next morning. Zeles hoped Ardin's new thoughts had settled somewhat overnight as the boy's mind would have unconsciously processed some of its new beliefs.

Together, they ate the remains of last night's dinner. It was warm and delicious. "Now," said Zeles, "you need a bath."

The boy scrunched up his face. "I hate baths," he said.

"Come," said Zeles. "This one will be nicer."

Indeed, he'd had the inn draw up a warm bath. The water was warm, and kept so by a small flame to the side of the tub. It was scented as well, lending a pleasant smell to the room they came to. Zeles sighed at how much it would cost him.

"Wow," said Ardin, taking in the room.

"Baths aren't always so bad," said the wizard. "Do you want to go first or should I?"

"I can wait outside," said Ardin softly.

"You don't have to," replied Zeles. His heart was beating hard. It was the moment of truth. "You can take off your clothes."

Ardin's eyes widened for a moment, and he looked surprised. He stared back at his teacher, biting his lower lip. At last, he spoke.

"I guess," he said, quietly.

"It's all right," said Zeles, trying to stay calm as Ardin looked up at him. Ardin's new thoughts would be vying with his usual shame. "It's normal between us, isn't it?" continued the wizard. He hoped echoing the commands from last night would strengthen them. After all, Ardin's mind had been rewritten to trust.

For a moment, Ardin didn't react, then he nodded slowly. He started to take off his clothes.

"Good," said Zeles, rubbing the boy's head and ruffling his hair. "Very good." Then he, too, started to undress.

Slowly, Ardin's beautiful body was revealed as the boy awkwardly slipped off his clothes. Slender but not bony, with clear muscles from the physical labor he must have had to do in his previous life, and a belly that already seemed a bit bigger from the full meals he'd finally been getting. Hairless, of course. It was the first time Zeles had seen the smooth eleven-year-old standing like this, and as he removed his own clothes, the wizard's erection was evident.

As Ardin faced him and saw the hardened cock, his face changed–not to fear or dismay, but simply to a serene calmness. The tension left the room immediately as Ardin felt nothing but peace and confidence, just as his mind had been designed to do. He even stood up straighter.

Zeles smiled. He had controlled countless boys over the years, but Ardin was truly going to be his masterpiece. He would be more than all of them, in every way.

"I'll go first," said the naked wizard, so the boy could see how to take a bath. He padded over with his hard dick sticking out and then stepped in, soaking himself in the water and exclaiming in pleasure at the heat. He gestured for Ardin to watch as he scrubbed, removing the grime of travel and feeling his body become clean once again. He ran his hands along his chest and arms to remove dirt. Turning over, he asked Ardin to rub his back to clean it off, and Ardin bit his lip… but then he reached forward with his small, warm hands, and he scrubbed Zeles' back. The wizard sighed contentedly at the feel of Ardin's fingers along his skin.

When his back seemed clean, Zeles cleaned off his legs and his feet, and then he came up to his crotch. As Ardin watched, Zeles "cleaned" his dick, giving himself several clear strokes under the warm water.

"Wh-what are you doing?" asked the boy, bending over and peering down into the water where the naked wizard sat, legs spread. Once, he might have known what the lewd motions were, but Zeles had removed those memories, and any sense of danger, from his mind.

"It makes me feel good," answered Zeles, as he gave his long, hard dick a few more strokes, right in front of the wide-eyed child. However, he stopped himself before orgasm. "Just something that's nice."

Ardin nodded mutely. He didn't know how to reply, so he just stared, his cute little mouth open. Zeles wished he could ask Ardin to help out with some strokes, but he knew it was too soon. Instead, he stood, dripping wet as he towered over the younger boy. "Hand me that towel," he said, and Ardin did. The wizard dried himself off as he stepped out of the tub.

"Now you," said Zeles.

The boy nodded and gingerly stepped in. Zeles watched every motion, every little wrinkle on his smooth belly as he raised his leg and climbed in. "It's warm!" Ardin exclaimed, as he started to lower himself down.

Zeles nodded. Ardin instantly found himself enjoying it: the warm water, the lavender smell of added soap. He splashed around happily.

"Don't get the floor wet," said Zeles. "Clean yourself off."

Ardin nodded, although he wanted to keep splashing. He didn't want to upset his master, though, and so he began to run his hands over his smooth body, mimicking what Zeles had done. He slid along his belly, his chest, his arms, under his armpits. Silky skin glistened in sunlight from the windows.

Then the boy turned around and asked Zeles to clean his back. Zeles smiled at the reciprocal gesture, feeling Ardin's soft, wet skin underneath his hands. Water splashed as Zeles ran his hands back and forth. It was a chance to explore the eleven-year-old body, to feel his shoulder blades, the tiny bones of his spinal column, the soft flesh around his ribcage. Zeles stroked and caressed up and down along that smooth back until the boy was fully clean. When he removed his hands, Ardin turned back over, spreading his legs as he ran his hands along his pale thighs and calves to clean them off.

"Your feet too," said Zeles.

Ardin reached down, running hands over his feet cursorily.

"Ardin," said Zeles, a twinkle in his eyes, "show me your foot."

The boy held it up, out of the water. Water dripped down. His foot, his toes, his calf glimmered in the light of the sun coming in through the open window. The whole length of his muscled calf had a beautiful watery sheen. But Zeles walked down and grabbed the boy's foot, turning it so Ardin could see it.

"Look at this!" he said. "It's filthy!"

Ardin shook his head. "That's just how feet are!"

Zeles shook his head. He brought the foot back down into the water and began to rub it, getting the grime off. The boy giggled, and then tried to wriggle away even as Zeles held the ankle tight.

"It tickles!" cried Ardin. The boy was red-faced, and he started to laugh, unable to control himself at the feel of it. His whole body was wiggling now, splashing, trying to get away as he felt the motion of Zeles' hand on his sole. "Stoooooop!" He was full-throated laughing now as he struggled, his head back, chest out, his whole wet body on display for the wizard through the clear water (although it had started to get a little bit murky from the grime that had been removed from both bodies).

"You need to be clean!" exclaimed Zeles. Ardin had stopped complaining, he was just laughing, twisting, helpless as Zeles cleaned the boy's foot. Finally the wizard let go. Ardin jerked his foot away, gasping, although he relaxed once again as soon as he saw the wizard's erection.

"Look at it," said Zeles. "That's what a clean foot looks like!"

Ardin held his foot up out of the water. His sole was clean, all the dirt removed. His foot was a pale white, but accented with bright pink at the base of his arch, the back near his ankles, and front near his toes. He had calluses from all his barefoot walking. He nodded.

"Now, do you want to do the other one or should I? I expect my apprentices to be clean!"

Ardin nodded. "I'll do it," he said, and he bent his leg to bring his foot up as he began running his fingers along it. He ran them along the sole of his feet, between creases, smoothing them out, working all the grime out. He ran his fingers between his toes. Then he held his foot out for inspection, spreading the toes wide, and Zeles nodded.

"Good," he said.

Ardin nodded. He finished rubbing grime off his legs, then moved up to his crotch. It still needed cleaning. He began, tenderly, by rubbing on either side of his ballsack. Then he looked up at Zeles with questioning eyes before rubbing along the length of his tiny, flaccid boyhood. He paused a moment, again looking up, but Zeles didn't give any hint of what he wanted. He just shrugged and looked back.

This felt weird, thought Ardin, but… he mimicked his teacher, and gave his dick a little stroke, and then another. Zeles just watched his apprentice learn to masturbate himself with nimble fingers. His own choice, imitating his teacher.

Slowly, the boyhood began to harden.

Ardin looked at it with some wonder, turning his gaze from his own crotch to the wizard's, whose dick was still somewhat hard. He looked down again at his own and gave it another small stroke, and then another. His cocklet gave a little jerk. He looked up again; Zeles nodded, and Ardin continued.

His stroking was rhythmic now, up and down, much as Zeles had done before. Ardin's wet, preteen body seemed to shiver, and then he let out a big sigh as he stretched backwards against the tub, showing off his smooth wet belly and chest as new sensations flowed through his preteen body. His hand moved up and down and up and down, and his breathing had turned rhythmic, small moans escaping his lips as he writhed in the water.

His body's reactions were almost out of his control now, automatic responses to waves of pleasure. His left leg extended out, wet toes curling. His right leg bent at the knee, and he rested his right foot on his left thigh. The motion happened to spread his legs to show off his crotch and growing boy-erection to his mentor. He sighed again, letting out a soft "uhhhhhhhhh…" as his fingers moved up and down; his belly rose and fell with each deep breath, and little waves whipped through the water from his hand motions. He'd closed his eyes, head tilted back, his whole wet body beautifully exposed as he gave in to the feelings.

"It feels weird," he said. His body was shivering with pleasure as his hand kept stroking up and down. The boy closed his eyes, head rocking back and forth as he felt amazing new sensations. His mouth hung open, tongue out slightly. He was close.

Reluctantly, Zeles interrupted him. "That's enough."

"But it felt good!" said the boy, although he obediently removed his hand.

"I know," said Zeles. "But I want your first time to be special."

"First time?" asked the boy. His face was flushed. "First time at what?"

"You'll see," replied the wizard. "Are you clean?"

Ardin nodded. He got up, and Zeles handed him a towel to dry off. Soon the boy stepped out of the tub, and he dried his feet off as well.

"Good," said Zeles. The lean boy stood there, naked and still a bit damp, now almost entirely unconcerned at showing his nakedness to his teacher. He still had his hairless erection, although it was starting to go down.

"Before we go," added Zeles, "I want to show you something. I want you to be able to sense magic. Your body is sensitive now, from the water and the cleaning, so it will be able to feel it more easily. All right?"

Ardin nodded. "Yes!" he said, eager for another lesson.

"Very good," said Zeles. "Stand here, arms wide, legs spread."

Ardin's smooth skin glistened with moisture as he spread his legs and arms. Two days ago, the boy would never have displayed himself like this, not spreading his legs wide and leaving nothing hidden, not for anyone and certainly not in front of Zeles. But now the eleven-year-old looked down at Zeles' hard manhood and blushed; he knew, somehow he just knew, that he had done something right. He had earned that erection, his mind already started to draw the conclusions Zeles wanted him to draw, independent of new commands. The boy looked back up at the wizard, little body spread, and simply asked, "now what?"

He was still blushing, thought Zeles, but I'll get rid of that last vestige of shame soon enough. "Close your eyes," Zeles said out loud. "Feel with your senses. Let your magic flow out."

Ardin closed them, and his brow furrowed in concentration. Zeles sensed an unearthly glow of magic emanating from the boy, filling out into the room.

"Good," said the wizard. "Good. Now, I am going to send my own power out, and I want you to feel it. Sense it with your magic; sense it with your body. Open yourself to the experience, to the flow. Relax all your defenses and just feel. Do you understand?"

"I'm not sure," replied the boy.

"It's all right," said Zeles. He looked at the naked, damp child, standing so exposed. "You'll do fine. Just try your best."

Ardin nodded softly. And then Zeles closed his eyes and let his power fly loose.

Before, Zeles had sent his magic in synergy with the boy's. Now, though, it flowed through, not in opposition but not in parallel, either. He started with just a little bolt of power. First it tangled with Ardin's own power, twirling around it, pulsing with it; Ardin furrowed his brow, but couldn't quite understand what he perceived.

Then Zeles sent his power forward, letting it coast through the space between them, and finally he pulsed it into Ardin's chest. The boy gasped, pushing his hairless chest forward into the space between them.

"Uhhh!" he cried out, feeling the strong tingle on his body. The sensation was overwhelming, making the boy feel desperate… but for what, he didn't know.

"Good!" said Zeles. "You feel it?"

Ardin nodded. "Uh huh!" he cried.

"Can you focus your power, my boy?" he asked. "Can you do it back?"

"Uhhhh… I can try!" he cried.

Zeles felt power gathering, but it was loose, unfocused. It concentrated on Zeles' chest, giving him just a slight push.

"There are different kinds of power, Ardin," said Zeles. "Tighten it, give it a charge."

"I… don't understand!"

"Look at mine!" said Zeles, letting another bolt of power cross along to Ardin's nipples.

"Wuhhh!" cried the boy, feeling it jolt him, although he held his position.

"There's… um… power within the power," the boy managed to say.

"Yes," said Zeles. "It gives it a jolt."

"It's… kind of sharper than mine?"

"Yes," said Zeles. "A bit like lightning. Now, sharpen yours. Back at me."

Ardin's jaw tensed with effort, and he pulsed his power back at Zeles. It was still more of a push than a shock; still more blunt than sharp, but it was something.

"Better," said Zeles. Ardin tried again, but to little effect.

"I can't do it," said Ardin.

"You'll learn," said Zeles. "It's difficult to control your power like that. Here, feel mine along your skin."

With that, Zeles sent a crawl of power along Ardin's belly. It curled around the curve of his stomach, flowing through his belly button, along his waist. The boy grunted at the touch as electric sensations coated every square inch of his skin.

"It's warm," he whispered, his body shaking involuntarily.

"I made it that way," said Zeles. "Feel it. Study it. Track it."

Zeles drew back some of the power, letting a diffuse yellow wisp twist itself around Ardin's naked skin. Where it touched the boy, he reacted, skin quivering softly at each touch. The boy stood there, arms wide, legs spread as the magic crawled along his body. Zeles brought it up to Ardin's nipples and curled it into soft circles, looping around and around in a playful, sensuous motion.

"Muuuuuh," whimpered Ardin. He was really blushing now, but it wasn't from shame any more.

"You feel it?" asked Zeles. "Study it. Trace it."

"I'm… trying…" said the boy.

No reason not to have some fun with the lessons, figured Zeles, as he let the power wind its way down, skimming along Ardin's bare back, then down along one of his butt cheeks. Ardin yelped softly but didn't say anything.

"You're tracing it?"

"Y-yeah."

Zeles wound it around the boy's knee, and then up his thigh. The boy's dick had gotten hard; of course it had. Though he had no hair as yet, Ardin's body was going through changes, and this was certain to arouse him.

Zeles let the power curl around the boy's balls and dick, just for a moment. Ardin whimpered. "T-there?" he asked. His hips gave a little hump forward into the pleasant warmth.

Zeles thought, briefly, about holding it there. He could…

But no, that was for later.

"Do you think you can follow it if it moves away from your body?" he asked, still keeping it on Ardin's most sensitive place. The boy thrust his hips again, just a little bit, instinctively seeking more.

Ardin nodded. He was blushing furiously, his mind confused and distracted. "Okay."

Reluctantly, but knowing that he was leaving the boy needy (just a bit of fun during the lesson!), Zeles recalled the power and gathered it into a ball, large enough it should be easy to follow.

"Track it with your magic," he said. "Try to follow it around the room."

With that, he sent the ball of power out, bringing it to a rest hovering it over the bathtub.

"Huh?" said Ardin.

"Find my power with yours. Search for it."

The boy was distracted, hoping for more of that magical touch. "Will you bring it back?"

"Relax, Ardin," replied the boy's teacher, smiling at his desire. "Focus on your lesson."

Ardin nodded reluctantly. The boy gathered his wits together, face narrowing in concentration, although his dick did not, Zeles noticed, go down at all. Childish but maturing muscles rippled as he sent new waves of his own magical strength out, a fog of power searching, searching. The naked boy's head tilted back, neck out, lower lip held under his front teeth as he focused, trying to fill the room with his power and see where it struck something, where it shifted. For a moment, the boy was silent.

"The bathtub!" he finally said. "It's over the bathtub!"

"Good!" said Zeles. "Now follow it."

The wizard moved the ball of power, and he felt Ardin's loose magical strength follow it. The boy did well enough; though he lost the ball sometimes, he soon found it again. Zeles raised it to the ceiling and flew it around; he dipped and swerved; he flew it right between Ardin's spread legs. The boy mostly kept up. When Zeles lost him, he waited, hovering until Ardin could track it again.

"Good!" cried Zeles. "But now that you can detect it, can you block it?"

"Huh?" said Ardin, not sure what his teacher meant. But then a burst of Zeles' power nipped him on the elbow, and he yelped. "Hey!"

"Block it," said Zeles. "Build a shield of your power."

It was a hopeless task for the boy given his level of training–just as Zeles intended. The apprentice tried to form his power into a shield, but it was diffuse and wouldn't block Zeles' sharp attacks. Zeles remembered his own training, with a stern master. He'd been naked too, but there had been nothing sexual about it. That was to keep his clothes from getting ripped, and the bursts of power had been painful, the "better to teach him," said his master. No, Zeles had both mercy and a sense of fun. Instead of pain, he let the power brush lightly along the boy's nipple.

"H-hey!" cried Ardin. A second burst of power lapped along his belly, a gentle, wiggling motion, and he found himself laughing at the magical tickle. "St-stop it!"

"Block me!" said Zeles with a grin. "Don't lose your focus now!"

But there was no way. Ardin tried to focus his energies but it was no good, and Zeles easily sent wisps of power through, targeting the naked boy's thighs, his hands, his armpits.

"No… fair!" cried the boy, giggling almost uncontrollably, struggling to maintain his pose with arms spread and legs wide.

"Feel where my power will come and stop it!" said Zeles.

Ardin tried. A few times little shields came up in the right spots, but they were always too late, or too thin. Waves of magical tickles spread across his back, his nipples, his thighs, his calves. Zeles wound little strands of power around the boy's slender toes and caused them to wriggle back and forth. Gentle boy's laughter filled the room, a beautiful sound, and Zeles was smiling as he gently tormented his charge. Ardin's face was red, tears streaming down his face, his concentration wavering as he laughed, his arms flailing in the air.

"Stop!" he cried, "I can't!" He managed somehow to send a wave of power right at Zeles, a counter attack, a push. Zeles felt himself moved back by the boy's power, maybe a whole foot before the wizard got control back.

"Good!" cried Zeles. "Very good, for someone as distracted as you. But not good enough!"

The next little brush of magical power came not on the boy's thighs, not on his chest, not on his back… but on his exposed little dick. Ardin gasped, and he felt a little pulse in his privates. It felt like when he was in the bath…

"Wh-what?" he said.

"Too bad you couldn't block it," said Zeles, as he wrapped the power around the hard boy-dick and tightened its grip, sheathes of magic pulsing in steady waves on the boy's organ.

"Guhhhh!" cried the boy.

Zeles was, he had to admit, a pervert. Not a bad pervert, not really, but his tendencies were not exactly secret. And while he was one of the most powerful wizards, with many strengths, he had also invested not inconsiderable time in certain other… skills.

Skills that let him very precisely wrap the glow of yellow power around the boy's hard dick. The power and warmth and energy surrounded it, a bright glow that almost lit up the room itself. It felt warm and tight to the boy and pulsing with little bursts of energy. And then Zeles waved his hand, and it started to stretch and contract, sending ripples along the boy's hard little dick, waves from base to tip, and again a ripple going from base to tip, the tightness rolling back and forth, base to tip, base to tip…

The boy wasn't speaking, he was just humping his hips forward, his three and a quarter inches [8.25 cm] jutting out from his naked body. All other thoughts had left him. Zeles twisted his fingers and brought the energy down around the tip of that beautiful little dick, sending a new, electric wave of pleasure into the eleven year old as it squeezed. Ardin grunted helplessly. The boy was close.

He's so innocent, thought Zeles. No sexual experiences. Take out his mother's warnings and he has no idea what is happening.

Yes, thought Zeles, the boy was too close. With a sigh of regret, he gave a wave to his hand, and all of a sudden the yellow glow dissipated like a small glowing fog. A moment later, there was nothing there but a bare, hard, hairless little dick.

Ardin looked up and opened his eyes. "Y-you stopped," he said, his cheeks bright red. It was remarkably cute.

"It's not time yet," said Zeles.

Ardin thought of saying more, but he didn't. He just looked at the wizard, the wizard with his own hard dick, and then he looked down to his own. Then he looked back. A drop of precum pooled at Zeles' tip, and then fell down.

"Is that pee?" asked the boy, wrinkling his nose.

"No, Ardin," said Zeles with a smile. "I'll teach you later."

Something in Ardin's mind… but no. The boy nodded. "Okay," he said, his concerns set aside.

"Let's get dressed," said Zeles. "We should go."

"Okay."

* * *

Wizard and apprentice picked up the remaining purchases, ate a last meal, and climbed back on Zeles' horse. And with that, they headed out from Crezia. They were content, or at least mostly. If his apprentice was distracted and needy with desire he still didn't understand, well, that was just as Zeles had planned. Zeles, of course, was distracted by a desire he understood quite well.

It was a warm and sunny day, and beautiful.

Neither of them, though, realized that they were being followed. Zeles might have, if he hadn't been distracted. If he'd known, maybe he could have prevented some of what was to come.

Chapter 5
Ambush

They rode briskly. The countryside was mostly empty, although occasionally they would pass by a small dilapidated village or a lone shack. It did not take long for the relative riches of Crezia to descend to the poverty of much of the rest of the countryside.

Zeles sat with Ardin in front of him, his hands wrapped around the boy's stomach in a warm embrace. He felt each breath from his young apprentice, and Ardin leaned into his hold, enjoying the affection from his mentor.

"Where are we going now?" asked Ardin.

"Home," replied the wizard.

"Your home?"

"Our home."

Ardin looked thoughtful for a moment, no doubt thinking back to his family, then he gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"And then what?" he asked.

"And then we train. You learn to be a true wizard."

Another little nod. Zeles held the boy, feeling his hand sink into Ardin's soft stomach. The boy relaxed a bit under the touch, but Zeles detected an undercurrent of fear in his next question.

"Why… um, why'd you pick me?" Ardin finally asked. "To be your apprentice and… and stuff."

Zeles took a deep breath as he looked down at the innocent young boy pressed against him. Ardin wasn't ready for this conversation, and he debated how much he should say.

"Have you heard of the great king Shiris?" Zeles finally asked.

Ardin scrunched up his face. "Maybe? I don't remember…"

"He ruled Angoria a hundred years ago. He was a great king, and things prospered under him, not like the self-styled lords who run their own little towns or cities now."

Ardin took this in, although he didn't really understand the politics or what Zeles was really talking about. "Like Lord Vicen?"

"Yes, but your Lord Vicen just rules the region you come from, not all of Angoria. King Shiris ruled over your home village, and Crezia, and my home, and much more. He was much more powerful than Lord Vicen."

"Wow," said the boy.

"Wow indeed," said Zeles. "He was truly a great king, but there was a war. He won, but he was injured badly. When he died, he passed the rule onto a line of regents."

"Oh yeah," said Ardin. "I know about that."

"They rule from Angor, but they're nothing more than little lords themselves. They rule in name, but in reality, they couldn't keep the country together."

"Lord Vicen said that he kept the Regent from taxing us," said the boy. "That he protected us."

"I suppose that's true in some ways," confirmed Zeles. "But Vicen taxed you instead."

Ardin shrugged.

"Well," said Zeles, "King Shiris locked away tremendous power. So much power that all of magic has been declining since then. I believe that if I can train you up, then we can unlock that power and unite the nation."

Zeles could feel the boy tense; he felt the fear course through Ardin's belly, saw his shoulders stiffen. For a few moments, Ardin didn't reply. Then he just said, very quietly, "that sounds really hard."

"I'll teach you," replied Zeles.

Ardin just shrugged.

"We'll do it together," continued Zeles.

Ardin nodded mutely.

Zeles could tell how scared the young child was. From being with his mama and siblings to this in two days. To distract him, he started pointing out some of the plants along the side of the path, and they rode on.

* * *

They rode, and they rode. At least the rest of the day's journey was uneventful. Zeles was tired, and he spent some time teaching Ardin some minor control over his magic, but mostly he just stayed in his own thoughts. He was tense and exhausted. He couldn't help thinking of all the ways things could go wrong right now.

"I don't know if I can do this," said Ardin suddenly. "I miss Mama." The two of them had stopped for the night, and were unloading Lightstorm to make camp.

"Ardin…"

"I'm just a kid from Tiago. I've never done anything special. I…"

"You lifted your brother up. You lifted me up."

Ardin turned his face down, staring at his feet. "I don't know," he said softly. "That's not magic like you do."

Zeles thought about what kind of reply to make. He reached out, placing a hand around Ardin's shoulders, comforting the boy. "You'll be all right," he said. "You have to learn. It doesn't come right away." He wanted so badly to help Ardin feel better, to stop his suffering. But he also knew this had to happen. Ardin had to grow into this, to become ready.

And then, suddenly, the wizard twirled around, letting go of Ardin's body and bringing his hands up.

He'd felt a shift in magic. Cursing himself for not putting up wards sooner or watching for pursuit, he sensed a needle-thick bolt of concentrated magic heading straight for his heart. It had come out of nowhere! He raced to try to put up some kind of defensive barrier, something that would stop it. He'd never be able to do enough, not in the split-second he had.

The bolt would have killed him, spearing him with an unbending magical energy, but he managed to put up just enough of a barrier, something that would weaken the bolt and spread it out, making it a diffuse push rather than a sharp dagger. He felt it push into him, and he went flying, slamming against a tree some twenty feet away. He blacked out.

* * *

Zeles awoke with a splitting headache. It was maybe a minute or so later, and he turned his head, slowly, to try to see what was happening. Whoever had attacked him hadn't finished him off, maybe because they didn't realize he'd survived.

A tall woman, with golden blond hair and a straight-backed, severe pose stood over Ardin. The boy hadn't moved. He just stood there, staring up at her.

"Ardin," she was saying, "that's a nice name."

No response. Zeles watched, trying to will his headache away. Moyana was a better fighter than he was under the best of circumstances. In his condition now, she'd shred him, but he couldn't let her get Ardin. He tried to pull his shattered magic together.

"It's all right," she was telling the boy. "It's all right now."

Ardin took a tentative step backwards.

"I guess you're the one," she said. "You're the one he thinks is Shiris' heir."

Ardin shook his head. "I'm just an apprentice."

Zeles felt his power start to flow, at least a little bit, keeping it below levels Moyana would detect.

"Of course you are," she said, her voice patronizing in its tone. "That's what he calls you, anyway. He's done hurting you."

"He hasn't hurt me!" cried Ardin. "You hurt him!"

"Shush now," she insisted. She stepped closer and brought out her hands, placing them on top of the boy's head. He tried to wiggle away, but he was too slow. Blue light started flowing out, and his body steadied, his face went blank.

Zeles knew that it was now or never. What was she already doing inside Ardin's mind? It was the end of ten years' effort if she got to him now. But meanwhile, fighting back was almost certain death.

Still, he got up. She was distracted as she played with the boy's mind. Maybe Zeles could gather his power and deliver one blow strong enough. Maybe that would work.

He saw Ardin's jaw slacken; his eyes widen. What was happening inside Ardin's mind? She must just be looking around at this stage, right? Finding out what he'd done? Not yet making any changes?

"Oh my dear," said Moyana, "what has he done to you already?"

Good, thought Zeles. Now or never. He gathered his magic into a sharp blade and sent it slinging at her body…

Only to watch it evaporate easily against a ward she had set up.

The light between her hands and Ardin's mind ceased. The boy gasped, taking two steps backwards, his eyes wide and scared. She turned to face him.

"That was bold," she said to Zeles. "You didn't run."

"Let him go!" cried Zeles. "He hasn't done anything."

"No," she replied. "You've done everything there is to do. And now, I can finally be rid of you."

"What, so he can serve your lord like a slave? Leave him be, Moyana. Leave us both be."

"His fate would be worse with you," she said. Zeles could feel her gathering her strength. While he was the stronger with fine details and mental manipulation, she was more powerful in combat magic. He knew it. He'd fought her before. He had no chance, even as he readied his defenses and probed hers, hoping for an opening. He wouldn't find it. "You would use him for your own ends."

"He would inherit the power he deserves."

"No," she replied. "No one deserves that power."

And with that, Zeles felt a sphere of solid magic tightening around him. He tried to push out against it, but it was too strong with him weakened the way he was. No magic of his would escape the sphere. A tendril of power flew out from the boundary, striking him on his leg, throwing him onto his back. He felt his head hit a tree root and more pain shot through him. There was red in his vision; he barely stayed conscious, his magic wavering. He tried to get a bolt out at her, but it vanished into the sphere surrounding him, and with his greater weakness it closed in further. He coughed, realizing that he was even cut off from fresh air.

"Leave!" he cried, desperately, weakly. "Don't hurt Ardin…"

His vision started to fade. He didn't know if his voice could even reach through a sphere like this. He felt his magic dissipate, his muscles weaken. And then Moyana turned.

"What!" she cried, her voice exclaiming in sudden incomprehension. The sphere around Zeles vanished as he took in a desperate breath, and could finally feel with his magic again. He understood immediately.

It was a wave of magic. A crest of raw magical strength, brutal in force, untended, an unrelenting, unyielding push. The one way Ardin knew how to use his magic.

The boy stood there, his eyebrows down in concentration, his arms out, as the wave of raw strength tore through Moyana's defenses. "Stop it!" she cried, but too late. The magic hit her with fierce power and her whole body was lifted into the air, as if from a slingshot, arcing up over thirty feet and flying into the woods beyond the clearing.

And then Ardin collapsed, unconscious.

Zeles had managed to stand again, and he went over to the boy, feeling desperately for a pulse. He was still alive. Against all odds, they both were. And Ardin had just shown him the most powerful use of magic Zeles had ever seen in his life.

They couldn't ride, not tonight, not with Ardin as he was and Zeles drained of strength. Moyana would probably have been able to shield her fall, but maybe she was weakened enough, or scared enough, that she would stay away. Zeles set up wards this time, tightening them, using the last of his energy to make sure they were safe. And then, arm wrapped tightly around Ardin's slender body, he fell into a deep sleep next to the boy.

* * *

The two slept solidly until morning. They didn't make camp or eat. They just slept.

When Zeles finally woke, the sun had already peeked up over the mountains. Ardin was awake, curled up in Zeles' arms, sobbing softly.

"It's all right," said Zeles as he struggled for consciousness. He rubbed his hand gently along Ardin's back, hoping Ardin drew as much comfort from their embrace as he did.

"Did I hurt her?" asked Ardin. "Did I kill her?"

To be honest, Zeles didn't know, but Ardin probably didn't kill her. She could have shielded her fall if she got her magic together. "No," he said. "She's alive." It was what Ardin needed to hear.

"W-who was she?"

"Moyana. She's a wizard, and she works for Lord Tur." He paused. "She wanted to take you from me."

"Why?"

Zeles weighed his words carefully. "Ardin, you have power," he said solemnly. "They fear you."

"But I'm just a kid." Ardin's small frame was trembling, and he snuggled deeper into Zeles' embrace. "I want to go home." It was almost hard for Zeles to understand him; his voice, already quiet and shaking, was even more muffled because his face was buried in the wizard's clothes.

Zeles ran his hand along the smooth curl of the boy's back; a gentle petting.

"Please," said Ardin.

Zeles whispered his response. "You can't go home."

"But I want to!" replied the boy. "To mama and my family and everyone. Take me home!"

"Moyana would find you," explained Zeles. "It's not safe… it's not safe to go home. She'd track you down, and then nothing could stop her. You can't go home, Ardin."

"But… I want to…"

"I'm truly sorry," said Zeles seriously. He ran his hand through the boy's silky hair, holding him close, and Ardin pressed himself tighter. The boy didn't know how to respond, but deep down, he trusted Zeles. He knew the wizard was right. They'd been attacked and Moyana had done something to him and it was scary. He pressed his body tighter against the man, seeking comfort in that touch.

"I'll take care of you," said Zeles.

"I know," replied Ardin, softly. "I just… I want to go home!" Tears were falling down the boy's cheek. He wasn't angry at Zeles, he wasn't acting out, he just slumped his shoulders with overwhelming sadness.

"That was the most powerful display of magic I've ever seen," said Zeles. "You defeated one of the best combat wizards I know with raw power, before you've learned to control it. You're a great wizard, Ardin."

"I'm scared, and I want to go home!" The boy just repeated the words, as if they'd make a difference.

"You're going to have to be brave."

Ardin didn't respond. He just let himself be held and comforted. At last, Zeles broke the silence again.

"Come," said Zeles. "Let's eat."

And they did. They were starving, and they wolfed down the supplies they'd acquired at Crezia.

"It tastes good," said Ardin, tears drying on his face, as he tried to change the subject. "Not as good as the inn. I'm sooo hungry."

"I am too," said Zeles. "We didn't eat last night. Do you feel better?"

After a moment, Ardin nodded. "I guess so," he said.

"Food helps."

For a while longer, there was no other sound but their eating, and an occasional hiccup from the boy, who was starting to feel embarrassed by his outburst.

"You sure do get attacked a lot," said Ardin at last.

"This is a dangerous time," replied Zeles. "People want to find you."

"It'll keep happening?"

"We'll be safe when we get home."

A pause. And then the boy spoke softly. "This isn't like what I thought it'd be."

"It's not like stories," said Zeles. "It's harder, in a lot of ways." He paused. "But it's better in a lot of ways too."

Ardin nodded. He didn't look convinced. "I'll try to be brave," he said.

* * *

Eventually they finished eating, and Ardin collected himself enough to ride again. Zeles distracted his apprentice by pointing out small farming villages in the distance, or telling him what lord's territory was in which direction. He pointed out Mount Zelva, where Lord Tur had his capital city. He talked about the river Palonai, a hub of trading activity that fed Crezia's riches.

Eventually, Zeles decided to turn things to magic again. He asked what it was like to channel so much power, and how Ardin had done it; the boy couldn't really explain. It had just… flowed, overtaking his body, as if he was channeling it. Zeles tried to tutor the boy in magic, teach him a bit more control, but the boy's nerves were shot. It was too hard to get him to focus.

At least there was no sign of Moyana.

Zeles rode to avoid villages, avoid people. He circled away whenever they saw someone nearby. The risk wasn't worth it, and Ardin was more comfortable avoiding people right now.

Every so often, Ardin would get sad, or sniffle a little bit. "I miss mama," he mumbled at some point, quietly enough it sounded like he didn't want Zeles to hear. That he didn't want Zeles to think maybe he wasn't strong enough. But he was just eleven years old, and Zeles understood, all too well.

After that comment, Ardin's shoulders had slumped and his body had gone slack. Zeles held him tightly, pressing his warm, loose body against the wizard's own. He thought of how he wanted to care for the boy, and yes, he felt himself get aroused, although he knew it was not the time for such things.

Except… at the touch of Zeles' erection, Ardin relaxed a little. He snuggled into it, letting his body fall loosely against his teacher's, and he wiggled his butt to adjust into it. Of course, it gave him comfort to feel it. It made him feel… loved.

"That's right," said Zeles, hugging the boy close. "I've got you."

Ardin pressed himself further against his teacher's cock. He didn't know why it mattered so much to him, but it did. The intimacy of that touch relaxed them both, and Zeles smiled. He gave Ardin a kiss on the top of his head as they rode.

And so Zeles kept his arm around the boy. He felt the boy's warmth, felt his softness, and even, he imagined, felt his fear. Ardin was strong. He would make it.

The man's cock twitched, and it even brought a small smile from the boy. It was lewd. It was wrong. And it was how Ardin was now. At last, he looked a little bit happier.

* * *

They stopped again when it was getting dark, still five hours from Zeles' home. He desperately wanted to get back to the well-laid, longstanding wards of protection. Unfortunately, traveling at night was not a wise idea. You sure do get attacked a lot, Ardin had said. He hadn't been wrong.

Zeles set the wards, showing Ardin exactly how he did it. The two of them were tired and dirty from travel, but he still made sure Ardin paid attention, that he followed the magic as it flowed around them. He demonstrated how to gather magic into steady spheres that would hold their positions. How to draw a strand of power to each of those spheres, so he'd feel any break in them. By leaving the magic suspended in those spheres, he would be able to bring it down on any intruder suddenly and strongly, providing a boost to any initial magical attack he might need to launch.

Beyond the defensive and warning spheres, he laid out two more. One a simple, steady mind control that would simply induce unwary travelers to go in another direction. And finally the outermost one, which would simply deflect magic around it and prevent easy detection. It was by no means foolproof, but it would have to be enough.

"Do you really think I can be a great wizard?" asked Ardin while they built the wards. He was trying, and failing, to comprehend the complexity of what Zeles was doing.

"I really do," replied the wizard.

Ardin smiled. It melted Zeles' heart a bit. The boy would pull through. He'd make sure of it.

* * *

When they were done, when the wards were up and they'd eaten and were ready to sleep, Zeles still felt nervous. He couldn't rest yet. For one thing, Ardin wasn't ready to see his home yet. For another, he was too wound up to sleep.

Ardin was sitting down, cross-legged, when Zeles came up to him.

"Ardin," he said, "I want to do something for you. Do you trust me?"

The boy looked back at the wizard. "Yeah," he said.

"I want you to let me into your mind." He didn't mention that he'd already been in the boy's mind several times. That he'd already changed his thoughts, and his mother's thoughts, and the thoughts of countless others. At last he felt his control was strong enough that Ardin would agree willingly. With permission, it would bring them even closer together.

"I…" replied Ardin, at a loss. But he trusted Zeles, even if it was from that earlier control. "Will it hurt?"

"No," replied the wizard. "You just have to trust me. I'm going to change your thoughts." Ardin's face scrunched up at that thought, uncertain. "I will help you to work harder. To be more dedicated. To be successful as my apprentice."

"Do I have to?" Ardin looked a bit pale.

"I'm your teacher. Trust me."

Ardin breathed in slowly. "All right," he said softly.

"That's good, Ardin," said Zeles. "You're very brave."

Ardin took in the praise and visibly puffed up. "What do I have to do?"

"Just stay there," said Zeles. He reached out, placing a hand on either side of the boy's head. "Ready?"

Ardin nodded.

Once again, warm blue light filled the gap between Zeles' hands and Ardin's head, flowing into the boy's mind. Although Zeles had done it many times before, for Ardin, it felt like the first time.

"I…" said Ardin, as he gasped. He felt something… something in his mind… something warm, moving in his thoughts, crawling around in his mind…

It was like what Moyana had done to him, he realized. Although it felt… warmer. Gentler. Almost loving.

"Relax," instructed the wizard. He pushed tendrils of magic deep into the boy.

And those tendrils did something. They moved within him. They… made him think things. That he should relax, just like Zeles had said. He felt them, felt them changing his own thoughts… he felt the idea of relaxing grow stronger within him…

The boy's shoulders slumped, his muscles becoming slack. His eyes became looser, emptier. Once again, as had happened so many times (although he didn't remember), his thoughts fell under the control of someone else, his mind open to manipulation and change. A blue mist spread within it, filling it up entirely.

"Good," said Zeles, "good. Relax."

The boy's shoulders slumped further, and then his back muscles slackened even more as his body flopped down to the ground. Zeles caught him, lowering him gently until he was flat on his back. Ardin's mind was misty, hazy, with rivulets within the haze. Those tendrils that made him do things. Ardin felt as if he'd given up all control of his mind. It did what the tendrils told it to. He did what the tendrils told him to. Zeles' tendrils. He trusted Zeles, right?

"That's right, Ardin," said Zeles. "Your mind is open to me. Isn't it?"

"Yes…" Ardin's voice was soft. His lips barely moved as he spoke. The tendrils were everywhere in the haze.

Zeles looked down at the little boy. This was a big step. Now he could build the boy's mind closer to what he wanted. Not all the way… not yet… but soon.

"Ardin," he said, "how do you feel knowing that I am controlling your mind?"

Ardin shifted a bit in his near-sleep state. A tendril prodded part of his mind, and he found himself answering.

"Um," he managed. "I… I don't know… It's weird…" It was weird. It… felt warm, and gooey, and… and he couldn't think…

"Think about all the reasons it feels bad to you."

Tendrils reached into Ardin's mind. They grabbed thoughts, took the thoughts from where they belonged and suddenly those thoughts were all he could think of, floating there in the blue haze. And there, looking into that mind, was Zeles. The tendrils were Zeles, and the wizard could feel each of the thoughts emerging. Each floating bubble of complex thoughts. All of Ardin's resistance, all of his worries, floating there in the tendrils…

"I'm going to fix it, Ardin," said Zeles. "I'm going to fix it so you can be a better apprentice. You won't have to worry about this anymore." It wasn't a question, or a request. Just a statement of what was about to happen.

And against those thoughts, Zeles poured his magical energy. Surrounding them. Shrinking them. Ardin felt the tendrils pulse with that power. The tendrils dug into each of those thoughts, and power flowed in. The boy gasped.

And Zeles watched as each objection began to shrink from the power. Each worry about the control the wizard exerted got smaller, and smaller. Ardin could feel them, squished by the gooey tendrils until they disappeared, or were too small for him to find them anymore. What had Ardin been worried about? He couldn't remember. He felt himself relax.

Zeles was relatively sure these thoughts would hold. Oh, he might have to reinforce them a few more times. Perhaps the old thoughts would re-emerge as Ardin considered what had happened… but it should hold. The boy wouldn't have doubts about the mind control Zeles exerted over him, not anymore. Not ever again.

"Now," continued Zeles, "think of how much you'll learn and improve from this. How my control will make you a better apprentice, help you learn more magic. How you trust me and want me to make you better."

Again the tendrils reached, grabbing thoughts out of Ardin's mind, bringing them forward for Zeles to change. And into these thoughts, Zeles poured magic to make them stronger, to emphasize to the boy how much he wanted to be shaped. He wanted to become better through Zeles' magic.

As Ardin lay there, he realized what a gift it was for Zeles to make him better. Zeles would make him a better boy. A better apprentice. A better wizard. If he trusted Zeles, he'd be like a hero out of legend, a powerful wizard, just like his teacher… he trusted his teacher… he was so lucky…

When the thoughts were strong, and dominant in Ardin's mind, Zeles finally let the flow of magic cease. The tendrils let go, and, released, the thoughts flowed back to where they'd come from. Ardin should welcome all his changes from now on, and Zeles wouldn't have to do them in secrecy. Without the memory block, Zeles could do more, and he could do it faster.

And still the boy lay there, suffused in the magical blue glow. Happy with the changes, just as he'd been told to be. He trusted his teacher more than anyone. He was starting to like the haze… starting to like the tendrils. It was strange, and gooey, but not in a bad way. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

He thought about being a great wizard. He'd be a great wizard, if he let Zeles make him that way.

Zeles had paused. Somehow, the next task made him a bit sad. It felt somehow like changing the boy in a fundamental way, but it had to be done. "Now," said the wizard with a sigh, "think about how you miss your family." More blue light flowed into the boy's mind, feeding the tendrils. They took thoughts out of his mind like jars off a shelf.

Zeles wasn't going to make Ardin forget his family. He couldn't stomach that. But he could modify his apprentice just a bit, tweak him, so he wouldn't be so devastated by the distance. And so as the thoughts came in, he poured magic in, shrinking them.

In Ardin's mind, the tendrils surrounded those thoughts, squeezed them, sunk into them. The thoughts were large, powerful, filled with energy; Zeles could only imagine how much homesickness and sorrow the boy was holding in. But the tendrils pulsed, and magic flowed in, and Ardin felt them shrinking in his head. He gasped, and his back arched with the changes, but he didn't awaken. Down, down, down, down shrunk his homesickness. Zeles left some; it wasn't gone completely. But it was small, manageable. Ardin… didn't need to miss his family that much, thought the wizard.

The tendrils let go. The thoughts flowed back. Ardin felt like he could watch them float away in that blue haze. He's made me braver, thought the boy.

Zeles knew that alone wasn't enough. If the boy's love for them stayed intact, then his homesickness would grow right back. Thoughts are like an ecosystem; if there are fewer wolves but the same amount of deer, the wolves have easy prey and come right back. So both needed to go.

Zeles had no choice about his next words: "think about how you love your family."

The tendrils grabbed these new thoughts. So many of them, brought out, taken out of Ardin's mind and brought to the fore. Ardin felt his love for his family burn within him. But then the tendrils pulsed, magic flowing in. They surrounded the thoughts, and slowly, his love started to fade. It didn't fade to nothing, but it was smaller. Weaker. They just… weren't quite as important, not anymore.

He's making me stronger.

"And now," continued the wizard, "think of how you love me." Tendrils grabbed a new thought. And this thought was fed by those same tendrils, power flowing into it. It grew and grew. Ardin's love for Zeles burned twice as bright, then three times as bright as his love for the family that raised him.

His teacher felt like everything to him.

"Good," said Zeles. "You're going to be a really good apprentice, Ardin. A great wizard."

The boy shifted softly where he lay on the ground, blue magic pouring into his mind. The praise felt good. Like praise from a father. He craved it.

Tendrils let go, and Ardin felt that thought float into the haze, his deep love for his teacher settling into his mind.

Last night, Zeles would've had to stop by now. Maybe it would've already been too much. But tonight… tonight Ardin wanted the changes. He liked them, and was naturally accepting of them. With Ardin's trust… Zeles could continue. Which was good, because he wasn't nearly done.

"Think about my touch, Ardin," continued the wizard. "Think about how you like it. It makes you feel safe, and warm, and happy, and loved." Tendrils grabbed those thoughts, and magic poured in, strengthening the thoughts.

"Think about how any touch from me feels good. Any touch at all, no matter what it is." A tiny, tiny thought, weak, was brought out by a thin tendril. And Zeles grew that thought, and grew it, and grew it, until Ardin would accept all touches.

"You'll really be a great apprentice," praised Zeles. "Think about how hard you'll work to be good at magic." Strengthened. Ardin became a harder worker.

"How hard you'll work to please me. How you want to make me happy." In flowed magic. Ardin did.

"How you will obey everything I tell you to do." Stronger, stronger, stronger. Of course, it would not be literally true. Ardin was still Ardin. But the default, for anything, would be to obey…

"Think about how curious you are about me and what I do. You want to learn, to do it too." The thought grew and grew, surrounded by those dominating tendrils of power.

"Now," said Zeles, taking a deep breath, getting to maybe the most important part. "Think about my home. What you'll feel like when you'll be there. How everything you see there will feel right. As it should be. It's just how wizards live."

It wasn't a thought Ardin had had before, but Zeles saying it brought it into existence. A tendril, thin and wispy, held on to it like a tiny flower, as if it was in danger of blowing away. And into this tiny thought, Zeles poured his magic. It grew as it fed from that tendril of power.

And it grew.

The wizard was exhausted, but still he grew it more. It got larger and larger, now held by two tendrils, three. Fed with more power. When Ardin arrived at Zeles' lands, he would accept what he saw.

Like a good apprentice. Zeles was training him to be a good apprentice. He was so happy about that as the wizard's power kept crawling through his mind.

And finally Zeles had done everything he needed to do. He was tired, and aroused. Just two more things…

"Now," he said, "think about everything you don't like about how I'm controlling you."

Ardin hadn't even realized he'd had those thoughts, but the tendrils found them. They'd been growing over the past hour. Now, under the assault of Zeles' magic, those thoughts shrunk again. They disappeared. All of Ardin's objections to what might have happened vanished under Zeles' power.

"And now, everything you like about how I'm controlling you. What a good wizard you'll be with my control. You feel safe with my control. You want me to make you into a better apprentice. You're glad I'm shaping you. You like who I'm turning you into."

Tendrils brought those thoughts out, and fed them with power. They pulsed into the beliefs, prodding and inserting themselves and letting magic flow in. They became a core part of Ardin's being. A boy who wanted his master's control.

Zeles was gasping, weak with the energy usage when he was done. They'd better not get attacked again tonight, he'd never make it. Finally, Zeles found the part of Ardin's brain that controlled sleep. He pushed in a tiredness, created a block. Like before, Ardin would sleep through to morning. He'd need that, with how his mind had been changed.

And, at last, Zeles removed the flow of blue magic from the peacefully sleeping boy. He wanted so much to sleep… but his dick was throbbing. He needed release. Of course, as he so often did.

A quick pulse of magic confirmed no one was nearby. His wards were still up.

He had time for this. He did. The wizard began to strip, his manhood large, eager, needy for the boy in front of him. He leaned down then, pulling off Ardin's clothes eagerly, stripping him in the cool night air. Their fire glowed a few feet away, illuminating Ardin's slender, pale body in flickers and shadows of orange and yellow. Shadows loomed large over the eleven-year-old as his clothes were removed, and he lay there, naked, sleeping on the ground.

Zeles set his body down next to the boy and pressed against him. He rubbed his hard dick against soft, smooth, warm skin. A trail of precum glistened in the firelight where the man's dick rubbed against the boy's thighs. They were supple, and creamy. Zeles reached down, grasping one of the thighs, feeling the soft flesh give under his grip. He moved down and let himself lick that pale skin, tasting the boy, tasting his travel and sweat, but also tasting the beautiful boy underneath. He wanted this boy so badly.

Zeles, still naked, crawled up. He came to the boy's nipples, and licked them too. He wanted every inch of this boy to be his. To play, to learn, to grow. Ardin was truly special. He would be even more special with Zeles' tutelage…

The boy's own dick had gotten half hard. Not surprising, since he'd been programmed to like Zeles' touch. The man reached down, gave it a stroke, and it responded with a soft pulse. He moved down, took it into his mouth, and began to lick and suck. It hardened immediately. Ardin let out a soft moan, his body twitching underneath the pleasure, but never waking. He couldn't wake, not until morning.

Zeles sucked.

"Nuuuuuuuuh," cried the boy, his lips parting lusciously in the firelight as the unconscious sound emerged.

Zeles sucked.

A thin sheen of sweat glistened on Ardin's tender body. His breathing was fast, his belly rising and falling with each little gasp of air. He was moaning almost constantly now, and a bit of drool went down his cheek.

"Oh, Ardin," said Zeles, "we're going to have so much fun." And he sucked, taking cock and little balls all the way into his mouth.

The sleeping boy was humping his hips forward now into the master wizard's mouth. "Uh… uh… uh!" he was crying out, his mental commands keeping him asleep despite all he was feeling. His head had rolled back. And then the pulse came, his little cock jerking forward in the man's mouth, his hips rising, his moan rising to an almost-growl as the sleeping boy had his first-ever orgasm. (Not that he would remember it.) The little cock pulsed, the boy grunted and cried, his hips pulsed, and humped, and jerked, impossibly desperate for this feeling. No cum came out, but Zeles thought it wouldn't be long before the boy might have his first. And then, at last, the pleasure faded and the unconscious boy dropped back down onto the ground.

Zeles wondered what Ardin might be dreaming about. He hoped, on some level, he'd have some faint memory of this. Some lingering curiosity they could explore…

But now Zeles needed his release. He got up on all fours, crawling naked, his hard dick pulsing underneath him. Precum dripped from him, landing on Ardin's thighs, on his little (now soft) dick, on his belly, on his chest. And then, the man's hard, erect dick hovered over the sleeping boy's mouth.

He lowered his hips down. The dick came down, down towards the boy's drool-stained face. The tip touched tender lips, a bit of precum now leaking between them and into Ardin's mouth, sliding down his tongue. And then Zeles pushed, and the boy's slack jaw opened up, and the tip of his hungry dick fell into that soft, luscious mouth.

Ardin wasn't sucking. He wasn't doing anything. But his tongue was in there, soft and wet. Zeles gathered a little bit of power and sent it down, pushing the boy's mouth closed around his dick. Another bit of power, and Ardin's tongue slipped up, wrapping itself around the tip that was invading his mouth.

Zeles took the boy's tongue in his magic and laid it flat along the base of his dick, feeling its warmth. A flick of power, and the tongue gave a lick. Another flick, and it curled up, and then pressed against his piss slit. Zeles gasped. Gently, the wizard made the boy's tongue lick along the shaft. Another flick, and Ardin's head bobbed forward along the hard dick, and then back. Forward, and back, supported by a cushion of magic. The arousal overwhelmed the wizard as the sleeping boy's body gave him a little blowjob.

"Just a taste of what's to come, my boy," he said. "Just imagine how good you'll be at this, too." Not that Ardin could hear any of this. That didn't matter to Zeles right now.

More precum leaked into Ardin, and Zeles used his magic to idly spread it along the roof of the boy's mouth. Meanwhile, he used the boy's tongue to give more licks, pressing it harder against his dick.

He could feel how close he was. He was about to cum.

Quickly, he pulled out of Ardin's mouth. Kneeling above the boy's belly, he grabbed Ardin's hand in his own and wrapped the little fingers around his dick. It was a sight to see: the wizard, kneeling over the sleeping boy, their bodies glowing in the flickering fire.

Holding the boy's hand underneath his own, he stroked back and forth. Ardin's hand was so warm. So soft. He used it to stroke again. The boy's sweat from his own orgasm coated his palm, letting it slide easily along the horny wizard's dick. A third stroke with the boy's hand, and Zeles felt heat rising within him. His dick was on fire. Drops of precum pooled on Ardin's belly, glowing orange in the firelight. Ardin's fingers were slick with some of it. A fourth stroke. And then he couldn't hold in the fire anymore.

He sent a quick bit of magic to open Ardin's mouth just as the thick, white shots of cum burst out. They landed on Ardin's soft, silky cheeks, covering his face, and they landed in his magically opened mouth. They landed on his neck; on his chest; and then, when Zeles was mostly done, cum dripped down onto the sleeping boy's belly. He felt powerfully spent.

Slowly, Zeles crawled back. Again his dick, softer now, hung over the boy's mouth. Again he lowered himself down and into the mouth. And again he used his magic to bring Ardin's tongue to life, making it clean off the remaining cum, which oozed down to Ardin's throat.

At last the wizard stood up. The hairless, smooth boy lay there, asleep and unaware, covered in the man's cum. Little lakes of that cum were everywhere, glistening orange in the firelight. He could see more cum in the boy's still open mouth.

Ardin was so beautiful like this.

Of course, Zeles never cleaned the boy up. He dressed Ardin again, as if nothing had happened, letting the cum settle and dry underneath his clothes, or on his face. Ardin might feel a little bit of something, but he'd never really suspect or know what he'd done.

And then, throwing a bit more wood on the fire, Zeles lay down next to the boy, and cuddled against him.

"You're going to be a great apprentice," he whispered, as he drifted off to sleep next to his boy.

Apprentice and King

Chapter 6
Home

Man and boy awoke in each other's arms.

"Mmmmm," moaned Zeles. Still half asleep, he pulled Ardin closer, and it made the sleepy 11-year-old smile. He felt safe and loved in his mentor's embrace, and he returned the pull by pressing his own body tighter against his teacher. They each responded to the touch of another almost like clockwork. Zeles felt blood rush to his dick, and it pressed firmly into the boy's soft ass. Feeling his teacher's hardness, Ardin smiled even more deeply and rubbed himself against it, pressing his hips up against the hard cock and giving a shake to his soft, smooth ass. Zeles moaned at the movement, his own hardness increasing again; at that, Ardin pushed against his mentor once again, feeding Zeles' desire.

"You're such a good boy," cooed the wizard. He leaned down, kissing the back of Ardin's head, and the boy giggled softly. Then Ardin again increased the pressure against man's dick, eager for more attention and the comfort of its presence.

"Thank you for… helping me," said Ardin, choosing his words carefully as he snuggled up against the wizard. "I feel a lot better today."

"I'm so glad," replied Zeles warmly. He ran his hand lightly through the boy's hair, then brought it down to Ardin's belly, fingertips tracing along the soft fabric of the shirt he'd purchased for the boy at Crezia. Ardin didn't move; the small boy just lay there, held by the wizard, breathing rhythmically.

Gingerly, Zeles pulled up on the fabric, exposing Ardin's belly. The wizard stroked along the smooth skin. There was a warm, gentle curve above Ardin's waist and Zeles ran his hand up along it. The skin was supple and tender as the man's fingers reached the boy's belly button. He moved his hand up some more, and it slid fully underneath the boy's shirt to explore his soft stomach.

Ardin blushed at the touch, but he didn't object. A day ago, he would have recoiled, cried out. Now, though, the wizard's hand felt warm and comforting. Good, thought Zeles.

Zeles stroked softly along the boy's skin, back and forth underneath the silky shirt. He could feel Ardin's gentle breathing, heightened a bit because of the touch. His fingers slid again and again over the curve of the boy's belly and around the indentation of the belly button. Down lower, his fingers felt the bones of the boy's pelvis, and he thought about what hid under there.

Meanwhile, Ardin breathed softly, blushing, his sleepy eyes open but glassy. His mind felt blissfully empty, just safe, just existing in the wizard's touch. Zeles wondered idly if maybe Ardin would allow more now… but it would be a risk. Still, his cock twitched at the thought. Predictably, the boy ground himself into it.

Zeles felt like he could stay here forever, just holding this soft, gentle boy.

"I've never been held like this," said Ardin, abruptly.

"You're growing up," replied Zeles.

"I guess," said the boy, although he didn't really understand what Zeles meant. To him, it just felt good, and so he snuggled tighter. Birds were chirping, and the sun was already above the horizon; it was getting warmer. They should go. But Zeles still held Ardin.

"Papa never held me like this," said the boy, softly. He sounded sad, distant.

"You miss him," said Zeles.

"I guess," said Ardin. He paused. "Not as much as I used to." Another pause. "I guess you helped with that." The boy sounded… quiet. Maybe a bit conflicted?

Gently, Zeles stroked the soft belly again. "You're a good boy," he said.

Ardin didn't reply. He just let himself be stroked, let himself be held by the wizard. A tear ran down his cheek. He turned his head, still in Zeles' arms, but looking now at the wizard. His eyes were unreadable, until finally, he spoke in a hushed voice.

"I love you," he said.

He meant it platonically, Zeles knew, but hearing those words made the wizard's heart skip a beat. "I love you too," he replied, softly. Ardin smiled, and Zeles stroked him again. He could feel Ardin's warm and wet breath on his cheek.

For a moment, they lay like that in the warming morning air. Then Ardin let out a soft giggle.

"You like my belly a lot!" he said, smiling widely.

"I do," replied Zeles, not removing his hand yet. "I like all of you."

Ardin grinned. "I like you too," he said. Again, he meant it platonically, but the words sank into Zeles' mind. Gently, Ardin reached down, his hand brushing Zeles' dick. "Is it naughty," he asked, "if I like this part most?"

Zeles grinned. "Not at all," he said. "I hope you keep liking that part most."

Ardin laughed. "It's so weird!" he said. "I don't know why."

"It's good, Ardin," said Zeles. "It's good you like it, isn't it?"

Ardin nodded seriously. "Yeah," he said. "It's so big."

"Because of you."

"Because of me," he confirmed. "I guess."

"It is because of you," said Zeles. "You're so good."

If it was up to Zeles, he would stay here forever. Or at least until Ardin gave him a good blowjob. So he spoke his next words reluctantly: "We should go."

Ardin looked a bit… regretful, but he nodded dutifully and slowly pulled himself away. Small hands gently rearranged his clothes, pulling down the fine shirt to cover his belly again. He smiled, a wide and innocent smile. "Let's ride!" He giggled again.

Man and boy began picking up and packing items together, loading up Lightstorm for the trip. While struggling with a heavy bag that he insisted on carrying himself, Ardin happened to glance down at Zeles' dick. He huffed as he attached it to Lightstorm, then turned to the wizard, staring right at his crotch again.

"Will… it… um, still be big? On the horse?"

Zeles grinned. "For you?" he said. "Yes."

"Good," said Ardin, as he retrieved the last pack (fortunately, much lighter). It made him feel so much safer on the horse, especially when they were going fast.

* * *

Zeles hadn't lied. He did stayed aroused, which was all things considered not that hard. Especially since Ardin was pressed against him, pushing eagerly against his erection.

Well, thought Zeles, my apprentice is shaping up nicely in lots of ways.

It was a few more hours of riding. The time passed swiftly; sometimes Zeles would teach Ardin some little bit of magic, and sometimes they would both just enjoy their closeness. When they neared the wizard's estate, Zeles showed the boy the web of static magical power he'd established. He sent a message through it to alert the household of their arrival, and Ardin watched the web glimmer as the bit of power traveled along its threads.

At last they came up the hill towards Zeles' manor house. For someone who had no formal position of power, it was a very large house. Of course, although Zeles held no title or rank, he was valuable to those with either, and money came to him in many ways. He was known and, if not respected (there were rumors, after all)… needed.

Speaking of rumors, standing outside waiting for them were four young boys, all about ten to twelve years old. Each wore nothing but a cloth undergarment: a simple piece of fabric that looped around their waists and hung just a few inches down their upper thighs (leaving no small amount of smooth thighs available for the viewing). It looked like it wouldn't be hard to access the "protected" parts of their bodies… in fact, if they bent over, that just might do it!

As the horse approached, the four boys all knelt. Ardin wondered at what he was seeing. Why were they dressed like that? Why did they kneel? Was Zeles somehow a lord himself?

They approached, and Zeles dismounted. "Welcome home, master," the boys said almost in unison as the wizard helped Ardin dismount.

Ardin gawked at them. "Are they… also apprentices?" he asked, meekly. Perhaps he wanted to think that this was strange, or unnatural. If so, he was now unable to even form those thoughts.

Zeles smiled. "No, my boy," he said, and he gently patted Ardin on the head. "They are my servants, treasured and lovely. They work for me, and in exchange, I give them food, shelter, and an education."

Ardin took that in, looking them over. Meanwhile, Zeles told the boys they could stand, and they did, with their slender, hairless bodies on display.

"How was the trip?" asked one.

"Is this your new apprentice?" asked another.

"I'm Kesti," said another, walking up to Ardin.

"All right, boys!" said Zeles. "Stand back. Ardin, this is Vides," he indicated a lanky ten-year-old with blond hair and blue eyes. The thin and gangly boy waved back shyly.

Pointing to a stockier, supple-skinned 11-year-old with curly brown hair and brown eyes, he named him as "Adomas." Underneath his skimpy undergarments, supple, smooth, and tanned thighs emerged, almost glowing in the bright sunlight. "Hi, Ardin," said the boy, with a welcoming smile.

Next was a fit, somewhat short 10-year-old with big brown eyes and dirty blond hair. Instead of Adomas' wider thighs, Kesti's were athletic, with a defined curve of boyish muscles. "Kesti."

Kesti smiled back, holding back his energy only by bouncing on his tiptoes before he settled down. "Welcome!" he exclaimed.

And finally was "Rohim," a twelve-year-old with bright blue eyes and deep black hair. He was also fit, although he was taller and with some visible muscle definition across his body. His smooth skin was tinted a darker and richer shade than the others, and it was beautiful in the sunlight.

Rohim ducked his head politely. "Nice to meet you," he said, quietly.

"This is Ardin," said Zeles, to the other boys. "He's my new apprentice."

"Um, hi," replied Ardin, feeling himself blush. (But why weren't they blushing? They were practically naked!)

Kesti seemed not to mind. "That's amazing," exclaimed the boy. "Can you do magic already?"

Ardin wasn't sure what to make of all these people. He nodded silently.

"Can you show me?"

Ardin looked up at Zeles, and Zeles nodded. "Ok," he said. Carefully, he willed magic out of his body, letting it flow into the air. He slid it through the air, collecting a cushion of magical power right at Kesti's feet. And then, with a small exhalation, he started to lift it, and with the cushion he lifted Kesti up into the air.

It wasn't like when he lifted his brother, Mardo; he lifted Zeles' servant gently, lifting him up and up. Kesti hooted as he felt his feet lift off the earth. "Yeah, go Ardin!" he cried, pumping his fist as he felt himself rise, up to three feet, four feet, five feet.

"I can see your balls!" cried Adomas, with a giggle.

"You can see them any time you want!" replied Kesti as he hung in the air.

That exchange almost made Ardin drop the boy, but he kept his concentration. After a moment, Ardin gently lowered him down. That was enough.

"Great job!" cried Kesti. "I wish I could do stuff like that!"

"All right, all right," interrupted Zeles. "Rohim, take Lightstorm and unload our travel packs. Vides and Adomas, take Ardin to his room, and make sure he has everything he needs. Kesti, go ahead and make us a nice meal."

There was a chorus of "yes, master" replies as the boys all acknowledged their commands, although Kesti added an "I always have to cook!" But Rohim started leading Lightstorm away, and Kesti disappeared into the house.

Adomas came up to Ardin. "Follow us," he said, "and we'll show you where your room is."

Ardin replied, "My room?"

Adomas grinned. "I know! You get your own room. It's the best! We share a room but it's big. But you get your own because you're his apprentice."

"With a bed?" said Ardin, his mind boggling at the sheer wealth of it. He'd been in the room at the inn, but that had been Zeles', not his own! This seemed like something else entirely. Where he grew up, there hadn't been rooms at all. No one he knew had more than one room!

"Yeah," replied Adomas. "Although we'll see. I don't know how much time you'll be spending with Master Tzell, so maybe you won't use it so much!" He giggled, and Vides, who'd remained quiet so far, smiled. Ardin blushed.

"Um," stuttered Ardin. "What do you mean?" Although based on his time with Zeles this morning, he thought he had some idea, and it didn't worry him as much as he thought it should.

"Oh, we all sleep with him sometimes," said Adomas. "It's really fun. I don't know if he'll pick me as much now that you're here."

"Pick you?" asked Ardin.

"To have sex," said Adomas, simply.

"To have sex?" replied Ardin. He hadn't thought of anything like… that word. "But I've never… and I don't really…"

"Don't worry about it," said Adomas. "Most of us hadn't before we got here." He paused a moment, then lowered his voice sadly. "Most of us."

"Let's go to your room," said Vides, coming into the conversation for the first time.

The boys moved through the building. Ardin marveled at everything. Even hallways were still unfamiliar to him. The shack he'd grown up in, and the homes of everyone he'd known, had been one-room affairs; there certainly weren't hallways! He'd been in a larger building once or twice as a kid, and then of course in Crezia, but this was a home. His home, now! It took a lot of getting used to.

His room was not large, but when they got to it, his eyes lit up. It was his. It had a bed, a chair, a table, and some shelves. The bed, while not as soft as the one in Crezia, was still luxurious to the boy. Ardin smiled widely. "This is amazing!"

Vides and Adomas shared a smile. "We're very lucky," said Adomas.

An experienced traveler would have thought to unpack, but Ardin had never thought about "moving in" to a place, so he didn't think it strange to leave the shelves bare in his new room. Anyway, the packs were being unpacked by Rohim, and aside from the clothes Zeles had purchased for him, Ardin didn't really have anything of his own; he'd even left his old stuffed wolf at home. "Can I see where you stay?" he asked, instead.

Vides nodded. "Across the hall," he said.

The two boys led Ardin to their room. It was a somewhat larger room, and it had one large bed with an absolute mess of sheets. There were a couple of stuffed animals on it, and a few more throughout the room, along with some wooden swords, a stick-horse, a couple of tops, some dice, a couple of wooden knight figurines, and a few hoops for playing some game or other. Ardin gawked. "You have so many toys!"

"Master Tzell gets us toys sometimes," said Adomas, "and some are left over from other boys who were here before us."

Something clicked in Ardin's mind. "Always boys?"

"He likes boys," replied Vides.

Ardin nodded, processing that information. It felt… strange, somehow. As if it should be clicking with something in his brain, connecting somewhere, meaning something. But it didn't. Everything felt right; just how wizards live. The thought had nowhere to go.

"What does that mean?" asked Ardin.

"He likes to have sex with us," said Adomas, his eyes glowing.

Again, a thought floated in Ardin's mind, seeking something to connect to, but it couldn't find anything.

"Do you… like it?" Ardin found himself fiddling with his new clothes. There was so much strangeness in everything. And sex was an adult thing… although there was nothing wrong with his teacher, of course. Zeles knew best.

"Oh yeah," said Adomas.

Vides nodded his head as well. "Sex is great when it's done right. When the person… really loves you." The ten-year-old paused for a moment. "I always hope he picks me. He can make you feel soooooo good."

"Sometimes he takes two, or even three of us. Sometimes all four," confirmed Adomas. "And that's really fun too."

"Yeah," said Vides. "But I like it when it's just me."

Adomas smiled. "Yeah. And we always have some sex too, just us servants, but it's better if it's with Master Tzell."

Ardin's head was spinning. He couldn't… place all these thoughts. He knew sex was an adult thing. Not something he should have. Not something boys should have. But he couldn't remember… who'd told him that? Was it even true? But it was fine, it was his teacher.

"You haven't had sex with him yet?" asked Adomas.

"Uh, no," said Ardin.

"He's probably going to pick you sometimes, too," said Vides. "We might not get to go as often."

"But I haven't…"

Adomas smiled, and pointed with a finger at his head. "But he's up here, isn't he?"

Ardin started. He realized Adomas meant the thing Zeles had done last night. "Um, yeah," he said. "He's making me a better apprentice. More focused and stuff."

Adomas nodded back. "Yeah," he said. "He makes all of us better. It's like, what he does. Better servants, better at learning, better at sex."

"Better at sex?" said Ardin, surprised.

"Yeah, definitely," said Adomas. The boy took a step closer, reached out and put a hand on Ardin's arm, stroking gently. "If you want to try," he said, "you're pretty cute, it'd be fun."

Ardin inhaled at the soft touch. He was blushing furiously, not sure what to think. This felt… not wrong, nothing here was wrong, but his brain was trying to tell him something and it just couldn't. It was strange and disorienting. "Ummmm," he said. He looked down at his feet. "Not… not now."

"Okay," said Adomas. He took his hand away, and Ardin relaxed. "Want a tour?"

"Yeah, sure," replied Ardin.

They showed him around. There was Zeles' bedroom, with a large bed; a guest room; a bathroom; and a main living space. It felt like a palace to Ardin. Outside, there was a stable for Lightstorm which could hold an additional horse, and several gardens where they raised vegetables and had some penned-in chickens.

The boys eagerly showed him various things and told him about their chores. What they had to clean. They managed the garden and chickens themselves, with Zeles' instruction. They told him about how Zeles used magic to keep things running smoothly. He'd rigged up some magic to run water to the bathroom from the well, and often used magic to cure diseases or to help the plants grow.

Vides picked up one of the wooden swords, and did a little play fight with Ardin. Both boys were laughing, and Ardin had the time of his life. He lost, of course; he'd used sticks when he played with his brothers, but never swords like this! It didn't matter, though. Everything seemed so perfect, so wonderful. Before long, Rohim joined in as well. Zeles sat to the side, outdoors in the late midday sun, watching the boys play, smiling. All the boys but Ardin were in just their little covers, beautiful bodies glistening under the sun. Before long, Kesti came and told them it was time to eat.

The six of them went to the living space, where they sat around a table. Steaming food was placed in the center, filled with ingredients raised right there on the garden and provisions from the town. There was chicken (not their own, they mostly used their chickens for eggs), fresh fire-roasted vegetables, and a kind of sweet porridge. It was delicious.

"Do you have meat every day?" asked Ardin, as he stuffed his face.

"We do!" said Kesti, smiling. "It's amazing."

"Ardin," said Zeles, "eat more slowly. There's more food."

Ardin looked up at him. His mouth was full, and he mumbled, "If's sho hood!"

Kesti beamed.

The man and his five pre-pubescent boys talked, and ate, and laughed. Zeles stayed mostly quiet, letting the boys do most of the talking. Kesti told a story about how one of the chickens had escaped once, and they all had to chase it down. Rohim talked about a townsperson who came once, asking for some help with some wild wolf attacks, and Zeles had set up wards for free because he knew the person couldn't pay his fee. They talked about nobles who'd visited, asking for help, and how it made them feel important, and how well they paid for that help.

"Do you ever play with other kids?" asked Ardin.

Kesti shook his head. "Nope," he said. "Just us. The townsfolk don't usually want their kids playing with us."

"Why not?" asked the apprentice.

"Dunno," said Adomas. "I guess they don't like how we live here."

"They say we don't wear enough clothes!" said Vides.

"I used to think that too," said Rohim, with a bit of a smile. Then he shrugged.

"You used to?" asked Ardin. He had been thinking about the clothes, he guessed, but of course everything was fine at his teacher's house.

"Before I started living here."

"How did you all… become servants here?" asked Ardin. He'd been wondering that already, and he figured now was as good a time as any to ask.

The boys looked at each other. "I'll go first," said Adomas. "I lived on a farm near here, and there was bad weather, and my parents didn't have enough food." He shrugged. "Master Tzell offered to take me in, and they said yes."

"I'm sorry," said Ardin, his eyebrows drawing in with concern.

"No," said Adomas, "I'm so happy here. If I'd been on that farm, I would have stayed on that farm forever. But with Master Tzell, there's a tutor who teaches me to read and write, and I have a future. And it's so much more fun."

Ardin felt a bit taken aback, but he supposed he'd left his own family too to come here.

Kesti went next. "I guess I didn't have parents who gave me up or anything. I was an orphan in Silgor."

"Where?"

"A city near here. I tried to steal something from Master Tzell." The other boys chuckled; they'd heard this story. "He caught me, of course, but when he saw how good I looked he offered to take me in too." More chuckles.

"How… good you look?" said Ardin.

Kesti stood up and flexed his short, smooth body, bending his back, tummy and chest jutting out. "I'm pretty sexy," he said. "And a good cook, too!"

As the boy sat back down, Ardin shook his head. Normal, it was all normal, he told himself.

"I grew up on a farm near here too," said Vides. He spoke quietly. "I didn't like it there. I probably would've run away if Master Tzell hadn't taken me in." He paused a moment. "He made my parents give me up." The tone in his voice was admiring.

"Why was it so bad?" asked Ardin.

Vides just shook his head. Zeles nodded. "It's all right, Vides," he said. "You don't need to talk about it."

The last to go was Rohim, who just said, "My parents gave me up to have me come here." The way he said it, it sounded final, and Ardin didn't ask any more.

Things were quiet for a moment, but then Kesti farted, and Zeles shook his head, and all the boys laughed, and soon the dinner conversation was going again and everyone was happy.

* * *

It was Vides' job to clean up after the meal, and Zeles let the other boys go out and play. Zeles came out too, bringing a book to read. He watched them all wistfully, thinking of the simple joy Ardin was experiencing. The boy'd had a long journey, and so much more was still going to happen. For a couple of hours, the boys just enjoyed themselves as they ran and tumbled and fought. Every so often, the servants' scant coverings even revealed the hidden parts of their sweet bodies as they tumbled.

At last, dusk started to fall. "Boys," Zeles called, "it's time to come in. You all need to wash up."

The five boys were all dirty as they came in, laughing and still shoving each other joyfully. (Although Adomas grumbled at them to be careful, knowing he had to clean up the footprints they were leaving behind.) The four servants led Ardin to the bathroom, where they immediately stripped off their tiny cloth undergarments, naked in front of each other as if it was nothing, smooth hairless bodies shamelessly on display, even Vides. Kesti even had a little erection that poked out into the air, no doubt from all the wrestling. Ardin stared.

Adomas laughed. "He's not used to it," he said, chuckling. Ardin blushed furiously.

"You like it?" joked Kesti, swinging his hips and letting his erect boy-dick swing around for all of them. "Everyone knows mine is the best!"

Rohim gave Kesti a little shove, and Adomas scooped up some water in his hands and splashed it at the little showoff.

"Hey!" cried Kesti.

"Stop it," said Vides to the others, and then he turned to Ardin. "Sorry. This stuff is normal here."

"Yeah, and we need to clean up!" added Rohim.

"I…" said Ardin.

"If you don't want to, you can wash up after us," said Vides, simply.

Ardin stared at them. He looked from one naked boy to the next. Then he sighed and… and slowly started to take off his clothes. He'd never had friends like these, and even though he was blushing furiously, he didn't want to let them down. This was just how things worked over here, in this nice house, with his wizard teacher.

Ardin hesitated with his undergarment, a silky thing he'd gotten in Crezia. "That's nice," Rohim commented on it, and Ardin felt himself blush even more, although he didn't think it was possible. And then, at last, Ardin took even that off. He was naked with the other boys, although he crossed his legs a little protectively. They didn't seem to do anything to… protect themselves. And suddenly he started worrying not just about the exposure, but also if his might be shorter… why did that matter?

Running water was not something that the kingdom had, but getting well water had always been hard. With magic, it was a solvable problem, and by moving up a simple barrier, water started to flow into a large tub. The five dirty boys watched as it filled up.

"I can… see the magic that pulls up the water," Ardin commented.

"Ooooh," said Vides. "That's so cool. You'll be like Master Tzell!"

"Can you heat up the water?" asked Kesti.

"I… don't know how to do that yet," replied Ardin.

Kesti nodded, then yelled, "Master Tzell! Can you heat up our water?"

"It was really annoying while he was gone," said Vides. "All our baths were cold!"

"We might've skipped a couple," admitted Adomas.

"Although we made sure we were clean for when you got here!" said Vides.

Zeles entered, looking the boys up and down. Ardin felt his blush deepen, but Zeles made no comment. He just walked up and placed a hand on Ardin's shoulder. The boy felt goosebumps, but then he looked at Zeles and saw a clear erection. He relaxed.

"Heat," he said, "is about speed. Rub your hands together, fast."

Ardin did. "They get warm."

"That's right," said Zeles. "So with magic, you make all the little parts of water rub against each other fast. The trick is that you don't want it to explode out at you because you're moving it so fast. Watch how I move the magic."

He held out his hand, and let magic flow out. He directed it into the water. "Notice," he said, "how I spread it out first. Not doing anything yet, just infusing the water with my magic."

Ardin nodded. He could see the spread of magic, a glow throughout the tub. The other boys watched, not seeing it, but listening attentively to an explanation they'd never heard.

"Now," said Zeles, "when the magic is all in place, I rub it against itself. It makes heat. If I move the water, it splashes; if the magic rubs against itself, I get heat without the splashing. Watch."

Layers of flat magic started to vibrate, faster and faster, back and forth in the water. To the boys, there was just mild splashing, but Ardin could see the furious energy of it; the motion seemed like a blur. Plates of pure magical energy gave out heat, until finally the water even let out a few puffs of steam. As that happened, Zeles withdrew the power.

"The bath is hot, boys," he said. "And next time," he squeezed Ardin's shoulder, "you can try."

With that, Zeles left the boys to their bath. Sometimes he watched, but he figured Ardin would want the space for now. The boy's blush had never faded.

Rohim dipped a finger in the water. "It's good," he said. Then, to Ardin, "Sometimes he makes it too hot."

Rohim climbed in, followed quickly by the other boys. The tub looked cramped, and Ardin stood there awkwardly.

"Come in," said Adomas. "There's space."

"With all of you?" asked Ardin.

"It's fine," replied Adomas.

"But… we're all naked."

"Whatever you want," replied Kesti.

Ardin bit his lower lip. He did have some dirt on him, and the other boys were all in the tub. Gently, he walked over and started to climb in. Smooth young bodies moved aside to make space for him. He pushed himself in, and felt limbs settle down, on top of him, to the side, all around him. They were warm and slippery, smooth skin sliding frictionlessly against smooth skin.

"This is weird," he said. He knew he was touching all different parts of their bodies. He was pretty sure his foot was pressed against someone's butt, and he tried to focus, to make sure he didn't wiggle his toes.

"Now we clean ourselves," said Vides. He started to rub along his skin, cleaning dirt off as the water started to turn a bit more brown. The other boys did too, and Ardin matched what they were doing.

"Kesti, can you rub my feet?" asked Adomas.

"Yeah," said Kesti, "can you do my thighs?"

Soon, the boys were rubbing each other to clean them, and even Ardin joined in. There was something nice about the hands of the other boys on his skin, even though something about it still felt… off. Before long, though, they were all reasonably clean.

"Hey Rohim," said Kesti, "I'm still hard, can you jerk me off?"

"Don't do that," said Vides. "It'll make Ardin uncomfortable. He's not, y'know."

"Huh?" said Ardin. "What does that mean?"

The boys were silent. Then Kesti said, "it means him touching me on my privates, to make me feel good."

"I…" squeaked Ardin.

"It's ok," said Kesti. "Don't worry about it."

Ardin nodded. "Thanks," he mumbled, feeling ashamed.

Eventually the boys got out and dried off, and then drained the water (which leaked down a gutter to the outside of the building). They walked naked through the house to their rooms, although it made Ardin uncomfortable to do so, and then they dressed in fresh clothes. (Which, for the four servants, just meant they picked out new underclothes.) Rohim then went and picked up the discarded clothes to take to clean.

When he was dressed, Ardin returned to the other boys' room. Only Kesti was there.

"Everyone else has chores," said Kesti when the other boy arrived.

Ardin nodded silently.

"It takes some getting used to, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," admitted Ardin. "A lot."

"Master Tzell will help make it better."

"Yeah," said Ardin, slowly.

Just then, Zeles came to the door. "Ardin? Come to my room, please." Zeles headed off.

Kesti brought his finger to point to the side of his head, and then he twirled it in a slow loop. "Time to make it better."

Ardin shivered. His doubts had been rising. Something in his mind was… saying something. But he couldn't hear it, not really. This was just how wizards lived, right?

And so the eleven-year-old boy walked out of the servants' room and came into Zeles' room. "Master Tzell," he said. There was a prickling on his neck, but he put his concerns out of his mind.

"How do you like it so far?" asked Zeles.

"It's amazing," said Ardin. "I… the other boys are fun, too."

"I'm glad you like being here, Ardin."

"It feels strange," replied the boy. "There are so many things that are weird."

Zeles nodded. "I understand," he said. "But you're really brave."

Ardin looked down meekly. "Thanks."

"Come," said Zeles, "let's make it better. Let's go into your mind."

"I…"

"Come, Ardin," said Zeles, a bit more sternly.

Slowly, the boy walked over. He looked scared, but he still walked up to the bed and sat down. The strangeness, the sex, the propriety… Zeles knew that thoughts in Ardin's brain were in conflict, and the boy was struggling to make sense of it. Ardin drew his knees together and held his hands tightly on his lap as he sat; his small form looked so alone.

"You're really very brave," said the wizard soothingly, as blue light spread from his hands to the boy's head.

Gently, Zeles pushed the tendrils of power into Ardin's mind and thoughts, and it drew out a deep "uhhhhhhhhh…" from the boy. His back straightened as power flowed into him, and then arched backward as his sweet mouth opened and his head titled back.

It had been only yesterday, although it felt like forever, that he'd last felt those blue tendrils coming into his mind and changing his thoughts. And yet only at this moment did he start to wonder. Should he have… done something else? Was this a mistake?

"It's all right," said Zeles. "Relax. You'll be fine."

It was too late anyway. Ardin felt his muscles relax. His shoulders lowered down. The tendrils reached deeper into his mind, prying into every corner.

"Good, Ardin," said Zeles. "Very good. Open your mind."

"Yes… Master Tzell."

"You don't like me in your mind?"

Ardin shook his head softly. "I… I… don't… know…" His voice was heavy, thick. He couldn't get himself to think clearly even though he was trying so hard. Things were in the way. The tendrils were in the way. Still, it was his honest response; he just had doubts.

"That's fine, my apprentice," said the wizard smoothly. "We can fix it. Just think about everything you don't like."

Obediently, the requested thoughts surfaced. As each worry and concern emerged, Zeles' tendrils dove into them. The magic surrounded the clouds of thought, pushed into them, squeezed them, and shrunk them bit by bit. Every objection Ardin had to this control… simply vanished. He felt his muscles relax. And exactly as his last resistance disappeared, when there was nothing to hold it back, Ardin felt the blue mist spread throughout his mind. His thoughts slowed to almost nothing except what Zeles told him to think about. His mind was open. Malleable. Ready for Zeles.

"Good," said the wizard. "Good, Ardin."

The boy sat there, motionless, back still tense and arched, head back and mouth open. Somewhere in the mix of his enthralled mind, the praise brought him a bit of joy.

"Open your mind to me, Ardin."

"Yes…"

Everything felt thick, like a viscous soup. He couldn't really think. But he knew he was open. Open to whatever Zeles wanted. Just like he wanted.

"Now, Ardin, what have all your worries been while you've been in my house?"

Ardin swallowed, and the words felt hard. "It's… so strange…" he said. His voice was slurred, slow. "Everyone is naked all the time, or almost naked, and they talked about sex, and…"

One by one, all the worries surfaced in the boy's mind, only to be grabbed by the tendrils of magic and broken down. In moments, all his hesitations were absorbed by the blue mist, back into the primal stuff of thought. Just like that, it no longer mattered to the young boy that his new friends were naked, or that they talked about sex.

Zeles smiled. "You're doing well, Ardin. You're becoming so much better."

"T-thank you," replied the boy.

"Think about how I'm changing you to be better, Ardin. How much better of an apprentice you're becoming."

The thoughts formed, weaker than they'd been last night when Zeles had grown them. Of course, the boy's natural hesitations and other conceptions of the world had been fighting against them. But once again the tendrils came, penetrating and pumping energy into these "good" thoughts, making them stronger. Making them into Ardin's true, deeply-held beliefs, so the boy would once again be eager for the changes Zeles was making inside of him.

"You're doing great," said Zeles. Ardin smiled woozily. He liked the praise. He liked being changed.

And there was more to change. "Now," continued the wizard as his hands slid over the boy's head, blue energy flowing in, "think about everything that worries you about sex." Tendrils of magic removed the boy's worries there, too. He became a blank slate when it came to sex, neither concerned nor eager. Just… open.

"Ardin," said Zeles, "what do you think about sex?"

Ardin shrugged. "I… don't know…," he said, his words slow and slurring.

"Aren't you curious about it?"

"I… guess," he said. And thoughts of his curiosity bubbled up. Webs of power entangled those thoughts, and Zeles pumped them full of power, growing his desire to learn about it. Making him eager to see it, to find out how it works.

"You want to know more about sex, Ardin, don't you?"

Ardin shifted uncomfortably. "Y-yeah," he admitted, slowly, groggily.

"Good," said Zeles. "Very good." He pushed in more power as new thoughts surfaced. "It's natural to want to know about it," he continued. "You're ready to know about it." Before too much longer, Zeles knew, the boy would know all about sex. At least some kinds of sex.

And still the boy sat there, back tense, mouth slightly ajar, head swimming with thoughts of sex.

"My curious little apprentice. You know it makes me happy to see you learn more, even about sex."

Ardin nodded dully. He did know that.

"All right, Ardin. I think there's one more thing. You want to play with the other boys, don't you?"

Ardin nodded, eyes wide and unfocused.

"Good," praised Zeles. "Now think about them. How do you feel when they touch you?"

Ardin shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, think about Vides and Rohim and Kesti and Adomas. Such fine young boys. Such good friends for you, and good servants, too. Imagine liking it when they touch you."

Ardin imagined it, and into these thoughts, Zeles poured his power. Ardin started to really feel how much he would enjoy their touch. How good it would feel.

"Good, Ardin," said Zeles, exhausted. "Very good." He was pleased with the progress Ardin was making, but truthfully, he hadn't expected Ardin's objections to grow so strongly so quickly. He'd had to spend more energy than he expected addressing those stray worries, and he wondered if the boy had an unusual resistance to his control. "I think that's enough for tonight," he said. Gently, he withdrew the power of his magic.

"Is… is that it?" asked the boy.

"Yes, for tonight," said Zeles. "Why?"

"Well… it wasn't about… y'know, magic."

"I know," said Zeles, and he petted Ardin gently on the shoulder. "But I need to make sure you're comfortable in your new home."

Ardin nodded slowly, processing that thought.

"That's why I changed you like this."

"Okay," said Ardin, after a moment.

"Good boy. Now, can you get Adomas for me?"

"Sure," said Ardin.

* * *

Ardin went first to the boys' room, where he found Kesti. "Have you seem Adomas?" he asked.

"Probably cleaning the house," said Kesti. "Why?"

"Master Tzell asked for him."

"Ohhhhh, really?" said the ten-year-old. "Damn the Graces!" Ardin winced a little bit at the swear. "I thought he would pick me."

"Pick you?"

"He's going to fuck Adomas tonight." Kesti sighed. "Damn." He layed down on the bed and pressed his feet together, curling his little toes against each other. "I thought he would pick me," he repeated. "It's been so long."

"I don't…"

"That's why he wants you to get Adomas," explained Kesti. "To fuck him." Kesti sighed again, then stood up. "It's all right. I'll play with Rohim and Vides. Just that we've been playing every day since he went to get you and I thought for sure he'd pick me." Kesti tried to smile a brave smile. "Go on. If he's not in the hallway, Adomas is probably by the well."

Ardin still hesitated.

"You don't get it yet," said Kesti, "but it's the best feeling ever. When his manhood is inside you, and it really touches you in the special spot…" Kesti stood up, now sporting yet another erection underneath his loose underclothes. "It's fine," he said. "Go tell Adomas, he'll be so happy."

Ardin nodded slowly. He didn't think anything was wrong, of course. Just strange. But that was how wizards lived, after all. And so he went off to find Adomas.

The boy was indeed by the well, cleaning some rags he'd used on the floor. He was kneeling, rubbing the fabric against itself in a bucket of water. His supple skin, voluptuous in the way only a boy's can be, was creased where he bent over. It looked pearly under the white moonlight.

"Adomas," said Ardin.

"Ho there, Ardin," said the boy. "I'm almost done."

Ardin nodded. "Master Tzell asked for you," he said.

The boy smiled widely. "Seriously?" He grinned. "I thought he'd pick Kesti!" Adomas wiggled excitedly, kicking the floor a little bit with the feet still placed under his butt. "He usually goes for Rohim or Kesti first, since he likes to have one of the more sporty kids after a break…"

Ardin smiled back. He paused for a moment before asking his next question, which made him feel vulnerable and inexperienced. "Do you actually like it? It's so weird."

"It's the best thing ever," said Adomas. "It feels so good. You get full up inside and it just… does something to you. I don't know how to explain, it's like… it does something to your body. And you're making him happy."

He was scrubbing faster now, working to finish his chores so he could go to his fucking.

"Is it magic?" asked Ardin.

"I mean… it feels like it. And he uses magic sometimes. But no, it feels really good even without magic." He paused a moment. "I can show you, if you want."

Ardin blushed, and looked away. "I dunno," he said, quietly. His feet suddenly felt very interesting to him.

"It's up to you," replied the other boy. "We wouldn't go straight to the big stuff or anything. Just… I could suck your dick?"

Ardin shrugged. "Um," he said. "Not now."

Adomas had finished washing. He emptied out the bucket and put the rags back into it, leaving them on the ground for a moment while he walked up to Ardin and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's ok," he said. "I remember it being weird at the beginning too."

Ardin smiled. "You're all so nice."

"Thanks," said Adomas. "It's easy to be nice when things are good. It's when things are bad that it's harder." He shook his head. "Anyway, I should go in. It's time to get fucked, and I have to hang the rags first to dry." He smiled, picked up the bucket, and started walking in.

Ardin watched him go. For a moment he stood there, next to the wash basin and well. He turned his head up, looking at the sky, the stars. Everything was so different, so strange.

But no matter how strange it was, nothing felt wrong. More than anything, he was curious.

He headed inside.

* * *

"Uhhhhhhhhhh," moaned Zeles as Adomas licked up the length of his dick.

"I missed you, Master Tzell," said the now-naked boy, his skimpy undergarments discarded by the side of the bed. Zeles sat there, his back up against the wall supported by pillows, his legs spread apart to allow easy access to his cock. Adomas, meanwhile, had his head right at Zeles' crotch, his nude preteen body belly-down on the bed and stretching lusciously towards the base. One leg was stretched out, the boy's foot just barely hanging off the edge of the bed, while the other was bent at the knee, foot held up in the air, toes wiggling freely as he rocked it back and forth.

The boy's skin was tanned from being outside, everywhere except the small region usually covered by his undergarments. That area was a strip of pale, creamy white skin that contrasted sharply with the rest of him. His body was luscious; not fat, but ample, soft flesh at his thighs and belly and arms. His face was boyishly rounded, with puffy red cheeks accenting his brown hair and deep brown eyes. His ample ass, which Zeles considered one of his best features, curved up from his body and wiggled attractively every time he bent down to lick. Which he did again now; the boy smiled as he stuck out his tongue and once more licked up the length of the wizard's cock, tasting every inch of it, and swirling his tongue at the top to lick up the precum that had pooled there.

"Mmmmmmmm," moaned Zeles.

The moan itself, or any indication of pleasure, made Adomas that much happier. In fact, he'd been made to be that way, to draw his pleasure from Zeles' own pleasure. He shivered, and felt his prepubescent dick throb into the bed at Zeles' lewd moan. He humped softly into the bed and let out his own moan as he licked again.

Adomas never felt as fulfilled as when he was pleasuring Zeles. He felt accomplished for each moan of pleasure, each drop of precum. The whole experience had been redesigned for the boy through Zeles' control. To Adomas, the man's cock tasted vaguely like a fine honey; his musk smelled a bit like a crisp fall day; and just the feel of his skin made Adomas' little cock rise up. The boy's every sense was making him aroused, intoxicated with the naked man in front of him, and he wanted more. After his most recent lick, he nestled his head between Zeles' balls and thigh and he took a deep smell of Zeles' musk.

In response, Zeles reached down and ran a hand through Adomas' hair. The boy, head still buried in the man's crotch, moaned appreciatively. It was a long, lewd, and needy moan.

And then, as Zeles looked up from Adomas' buried head, he saw Ardin at the doorway, looking in with wide eyes.

"You can come in, Ardin."

Adomas turned then, openly exposing his naked body to Ardin as he smiled at the boy. His hairless dick, just a bit over three inches [7¾cm] long, was hard as a nail and sticking out, but he didn't seem to mind that he was showing it off as he spread his legs.

"Yeah, come in," he said, smiling. There was a little bit of precum on his nose.

Ardin blushed and looked away for a moment. He felt caught, like he shouldn't have been looking. But he took a few shy steps into the room.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," said Zeles. "You can watch." The wizard nodded to Adomas, and a moment later the boy rolled back over, stretched out his tongue, and licked again up the man's dick. The boy pressed his tongue hard against the dick, letting it slide and twist over every vein and valley, a wet and slobbery lick. It throbbed against the wet tongue. Ardin's eyes widened, while Zeles just moaned in appreciative pleasure.

Zeles' manhood was so hard. Adomas was making Zeles so happy… Ardin felt himself get jealous.

Adomas lowered his head, stuck out his tongue, and began to lick Zeles' balls. That made the man jerk his knees as powerful sensations flowed through his body. "Ohhhh, good, good Adomas," he said. "You're a good boy."

"Thank you, Master Tzell," said Adomas. He felt a jolt of pleasure at the praise, just as he was designed to. Ardin, although much earlier in his… relationship, found himself getting even more jealous. Meanwhile, Adomas ran his tongue over the man's balls again, pressing the tip into them. Then he moved down and started licking Zeles' thighs. Every part of Zeles tasted so sweet to him.

Zeles let the boy lick for a little while, alternating from looking at the naked boy pleasuring him, then to Ardin, and then back. Every so often, he picked some precum off his dick and rubbed it on his thighs, which Adomas immediately licked up. It was a fun game for both of them, and one they'd played many times before; for some reason, Adomas had always really liked Zeles' thighs.

Finally, the wizard called out, "Roll over." Adomas did, lying on his back, sumptuous flesh on display for all, smooth dick sticking right up into the air.

With a swing of his hand, power flowed out of the wizard. A flick, and he sent a wave of it over little Adomas' body. The boy shivered as fleeting sparks danced across his skin, tingling his armpits, his nipples, his thighs, and his balls.

"Ohhhhhhh, Master Tzell," he moaned.

Ardin, meanwhile, saw every flow of magic. Exactly how Zeles used it to stimulate his servant.

The wizard sent another wave of power over the boy, and Adomas' whole body twisted in wild stimulation, his cock twitching visibly in the air. When it finally passed, Adomas took a deep breath, staring longingly at the wizard.

But Zeles, of course, was not done. He gathered his power, shaping it into a tight sphere, and then he placed that sphere directly surrounding the boy's cock and balls.

It was a practiced spell, and the result was the feeling of a thousand little touches, little strokes, little grazes on that tender skin. It was an overwhelming sensation; Adomas' whole body jerked suddenly as he let out a huge cry of pleasure. "Uhhhh…ohhhh…ahhhhhh!" he cried, shaking, arms flailing, toes curling, every part of his body experiencing nothing but the most sensual pleasure, all centered on his erect dick. "MMMMMMMMMM!"

The curvy, tanned boy was sweaty, gasping, his hips pumping up into the air, into that ball of pure magical energy, his eyes wide, his breath gasping as he let out moan after moan.

And Ardin just stared, wide-eyed. He could see the flow of power, see what Zeles was doing. And he could see its effect.

Even as he kept the first sphere in place on the boy's cock and balls, Zeles gathered a second one. This he spread out, widening it into a tube, and he floated it directly on the boy's chest, nipple to nipple. "OHHHHHHHHHH!" cried the child as the thousand little touches consumed his chest. Drool slid down his cheek. The only reason he hadn't cum multiple times already was because Zeles' magic blocked it, holding Adomas at the height of desperate need.

But the wizard was still not done. He made two more spheres of power and floated them to the boy's feet, a thousand touches covering his soles, his toes, and every other part. Adomas' short toes twitched uncontrollably. "Ohhhh… oh, oh!" he cried. He couldn't think, he couldn't react, he just felt pleasure, overwhelming pleasure, magical pleasure that drove the eleven-year-old nearly mad with unreleased desire.

Zeles held those spheres of power for a solid minute as he watched the beautiful body twist and moan and cry out. He watched the boy's little penis thrusting desperately into the air; he watched his arms flail for any touch; he watched toes curl and legs kick. Ardin watched, too, understanding only that he saw pleasure unlike anything he'd ever imagined. He felt his own cock draw stiff, although he didn't understand why.

At last Zeles released the boy on the bed. Adomas curled up, his tongue lolling out. "That was…" he gasped. "I missed this so much."

Zeles smiled. He ran a hand through the boy's curly brown hair, even though it was matted down with his sweat. Then he brought his hand to his own cock, picked some precum off of it with his finger, and brought it to Adomas' mouth. The boy immediately opened it and licked it down, sighing contentedly.

"Come, Adomas," said Zeles, spreading his legs, his hard cock up into the air. "It's time."

Ardin, by now, had moved back until his back was against the wall. Just staring, his three-and-a-half-inch [9cm] dick as hard as it could be in his pants, filled with uncomprehending desire. And now, as Ardin watched, the sweaty, exhausted boy on the bed pulled himself up and smiled. "Oh yes," he said, as he crawled up, faced away from Zeles, and held his ass in the air. And though he was shaking from what he'd been through, still he held it up as Zeles oiled both his dick and the boy's plump butt. The wizard gave a small pat on the boy's thighs, and slowly Adomas lowered himself down onto the hard and hungry dick.

Ardin watched, disbelieving, as the man's dick disappeared into the boy's ass.

It was slow at first, Adomas lowering himself down with great care. He moaned softly as he felt it first stretch his ass, and twisted a bit to better accommodate it. Then he lowered himself down some more. "Ahhh…ahhhhhhh!"

"Oh, very good," said Zeles. "Take it nice and deep."

Adomas was halfway down, and at that, he just let himself fall the rest of the way, the cock pushing all the way into his body. As the man's dick entered into him, his back straightened, he looked up to the ceiling, and he let out a huge moan of happiness. His dick throbbed eagerly as he naturally spread his legs.

"I love feeling you inside me," he said.

Ardin didn't understand how… he didn't understand anything. How could it fit like that? How could it feel good? What did it mean that Adomas also was hard? Did Zeles like Adomas more than he liked Ardin? The boy's head was swimming with the sights he was witnessing.

And in fact, Ardin had reached down, almost subconsciously, to feel his own erection. What did that mean? He gave himself a soft stroke through his clothes, and it felt good, but he pulled his hand away. What was this? He didn't understand any of it! Was it wrong? But nothing at Master Tzell's was wrong…

"Mmmmmm," whimpered Adomas softly, letting his head fall backwards against Zeles' chest. Zeles reached up, sifting through those brown curls with his fingers.

"What is this?" asked Ardin, finally unable to contain himself.

"It's sex," replied Zeles.

"It feels really… mmm… really good," said Adomas. He lifted himself up a bit and then let the dick settle back into him, fucking himself on Zeles' hard cock.

The eleven-year-old, sweaty and desperately needy, started to fuck himself in earnest, pushing himself up and letting himself sink back down on the man's seven and a half inch [19cm] dick. (How can that fit? Ardin kept asking himself.) Adomas moved faster and faster, moaning to himself, huffing for breath, desperate for more pleasure. He felt the stretch and release, stretch and release on his ass with each push down and pull up. Each time the dick rammed into him, he felt the press against his prostate, felt pleasure shoot out through his whole body. "MMMMMM!" he cried, rolling his head back in sheer bliss.

Sweat dripped along Adomas' body, down his forehead, in his armpits, along the curve of his belly. He was so exhausted, but he pushed through. Kesti or Rohim might be more athletic than him, but he wouldn't let Master Tzell down!

And he wasn't. Zeles' knees twitched with each new wave of pleasure that the boy inflicted on him. It was heavenly, and each moan of his only heightened Adomas' joy. After a little while longer of the boy riding him, Zeles finally put out a hand, letting Adomas rest for a minute. The wizard reached out, lazily stroking the boy's cock, and Adomas leaned his slick back against the man's chest, seeking out that closeness, the simple physicality, and the joyous, sensuous rest. He whimpered softly at the feeling of Zeles' fingers as they stroked. He stretched out his legs and curled his toes in pure bliss.

It was mesmerizing to Ardin. He couldn't understand what was happening, and even his own emotions, seeing Zeles' cock hard but not for him, confused him. He'd only just started to put together that sex made a cock hard; would having sex with Zeles make Zeles' cock hard? That was… a thought…

Besides, he longed for that closeness, even though he didn't understand it. He gazed at Adomas' body pressed against the man's chest and at Zeles' hand wrapped around the boy's smooth body. It had been six years since he'd seen his father.

Zeles felt his dick throb inside the boy's ass. He humped up into it gently. "It's time," he finally said, and Adomas nodded.

With a grunt, the eleven-year-old started to again pull himself up and down, up and down, faster and faster. His ass slid along Zeles' cock eagerly, easily, well stretched from everything he'd done so far. His lewd boyish moans echoed throughout the room; sweat dripped down his forehead; curly hair stuck to his scalp. And Zeles humped up, and grabbed his hips and pushed him up and down, helping him in a steady, accelerating rise and fall. The sound of squelching and slapping and moans filled every corner of the wizard's bedroom. And then, at last, Zeles released the hold on Adomas' orgasm, and the boy could feel how close he was to his release.

Up and down, up and down, up and down. Adomas cried out with pleasure as his prostate was hit again and again and again; Zeles humped up and down and up and down; the sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed throughout the room. "Mmmmm… MMMMMM… OHHHHH!"

With a yell, Adomas' orgasm exploded, a dry orgasm that caused his whole body to shake in desperate need even as his hairless dick twitched there in front of him. Of course, that brought Zeles over the edge, and the man gasped as his dick exploded, cum shooting out into Adomas' ass, slick and wet and gooey, squelching as the boy continued to ride the man's dick. Their intertwined bodies were one in their pleasure; sweating, moaning, crying, swaying in bliss.

"Oh, oh, oh!" cried Zeles. He grabbed the boy's hips and held him down, held his cock deep, pumping his cum right into Adomas' bowels, filling him up. Wave after wave of cum shot out, warm and wet inside the boy. Adomas let out a soft whine, the cum filling him not just with the goo but also with pleasure, pleasure not just from his prostate but also from knowing that he satisfied his master. He felt his muscles drain of energy even as Zeles' cock continued to pump inside of him. Slowly, the boy leaned back, draping himself over the wizard as the last bit of cum leaked out into his ass.

For a minute, wizard and boy lay there against each other, each panting, gasping, letting themselves finally relax. Then Adomas pulled himself off the now-flaccid dick, turned himself around, and lay chest-to-chest on top of his master. He leaned forward and kissed Zeles, deeply, tongues playing with each other, turning and twisting against one another. The two bodies were pressed together, warm and tight. Ardin watched this new development; he thought he was beyond any surprise, although he still jumped when he saw the cum leaking out of Adomas' ass and down his thigh.

When the deep kiss was done, Adomas pulled himself off and slid down the man to his dick. Out came his well-used tongue once again, and now he started to lap up all the cum that was on it, cleaning the man off. Ardin couldn't help himself speaking up then: "But… that was just in your butt!"

"I like it," said Adomas. "And it was my butt!"

He leaned back down, licking and licking all the cum that had pooled there. His tongue slid over the wizard's balls, and thighs, and up along his dick, finding every little drop, lapping up each delicious taste.

It was sweet nectar to the boy.

But it was too much for Ardin. He couldn't… he didn't… why was he hard?!? Quietly, he stood up and walked out, body filled with a tension he didn't understand.

"Ardin!" called Adomas.

"Let him go," said Zeles. "He needs to think. Remember what this was like for you at the beginning."

Adomas nodded, and sighed. But Zeles told him not to worry about it, so he leaned back down to keep licking up the cum.

Ardin, meanwhile, just didn't understand what he had seen. What was he supposed to make of that? What had happened? It was strange and scary and weird, but… but he couldn't think anything bad of what he saw at Zeles'. So the thoughts hovered, again in that uncomfortable middle ground, unable to connect to anything in his mind. He knew they should, but they just couldn't.

After a moment, he walked over to the other boys' bedroom. Maybe they could explain. Maybe they could help something make sense.

But when he stepped into the room, he found Rohim kneeling, mouth deep on Kesti's dick. Kesti was rocking back and forth, moaning softly as Rohim nimbly sucked, easily taking it all into his mouth and bobbing his head back and forth on the other boy.

"Ohhhh… ohhhh… heyyyy, Ardin," said Kesti, as Rohim continued to suck. "C'mon in."

Vides was sitting nearby, edging himself, waiting his turn.

Ardin looked. He couldn't, he just couldn't right now. "It's all right," he finally said, and he turned, and left.

What was going on? What was this sex thing?

Why was everyone doing it?

It felt… fine, he supposed. It was strange. But… he knew everything here was fine. Normal.

So he went to his room and laid down. He was tired anyway.

He felt so welcomed. He felt so alone.

* * *

And meanwhile, some miles away, the wizard Gurgis and his apprentice Simas made camp.

They needed to talk to Zeles as soon as they could.

To Be Continued