Chapter 2226

"I don't understand how you are the way youare. Witch circles are intrinsically bad. You can't start something good when you emotionally enslave someone against their will to your purpose. I put down the last two circles and ended a witch war. What you've seen here is only a small taste of the evil that used to exist in the Realm.

"It's like sinking in quicksand. First, it's just yourfeet and you think one little bad thing will only make me sink a little more. I can afford the cost. But little by little, you sink a little lower until you are up to your neck. At that point, you will do absolutely anything to not sink anymore. Anything, if it means saving your own life. You will do any deed at that point. Evil thrives then.

"You must avoid this at all costs. Stay true toyourselves. Love each other. And take care of that man. He's special."

Glenda looked long and hard at Daniel. "He's an enigma. For good or bad,I don't know. But I sense much good in him. See that he stays that way. I'm glad your circle is complete. Keep

friends close to keep you grounded. Daniel will wake in the morning. He's perfectly fine, but his mind needs time to recover from the injury the body received. Be gentle with him for a bit. I would recommend waiting a time before you explain what happened here tonight to Daniel. He's under enough stress. But you must tell him. Eventually.

"Good night, ladies. See you in the morning."

Daniel woke. He was on his back and comfortable. He kept his eyes closed and waited to feel the pain return. Curiously, he felt nothing. He felt pleasantly rested.

Cautiously, he opened his eyes. He stared at a white ceiling, not recognising it. He turned his head and saw Amy sitting in a chair next to his bed, asleep. He felt the weight on his left side and saw Jasmine lying beside him, her arm draped across his chest. He expected to feel pain from his wound, but he felt nothing. He felt normal. He looked around and saw he was in the infirmary.

Judging from the light outside the nearby window, it was morning. Jasmine was making a soft whistling sound through her nose as she slept. To Daniel, she looked beautiful. So did Amy. He hadn't expected to waken. The strike from the sword had been a mortal one. He should be dead, he figured.

But they healed me, didn't they? All of them at once.

He heard a door open nearby, and he looked up. Grace stepped into the room with Glenda beside her. She saw he was awake, and a smile splashed across her face. For a moment, Daniel was lost in her beauty. Grace had that effect on him.

"Awake, I see!Good. Time to get out of that bed.Amy, Jasmine. Wake up. Daniel's awake!"

Amy and Jasmine stirred. They blinked groggily and then spied Daniel looking at them with that little smile on his face they loved. They squealed and were all over him. Kisses landed all over his face, and he spluttered and pushed at them.

"Stop it!" he complained, but they only laughedand continued the assault.

"We thought you were going to die," declaredJasmine. Her hand shot under the thin sheet over him and found his cock with a precision born of repeated exposure and access.

Amy's hand joined hers and Daniel groaned as two hands worked on his hardening cock. He looked at Grace and Glenda through the few windows of sight the girls allowed while kissing him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Grace sat where Amy had been."Amy and Jasmine. Let up. Let him speak."

Amy and Jasmine continued to kiss him and stroke his cock."No!" declared Jasmine."We almost lost him!"

Glenda placed a hand on Jasmine and Amy and muttered something. Through the bond of the circle, Daniel could sense she had what he had done after the orgy. Glenda's spell was more subtle, but equally effective. It was like a cold

shower over all of them. Amy and Jasmine gasped and sat up, stopping their actions.

"What the fuck was that?" asked Amy, lookingangrily at Glenda.

Grace laughed."A dose of cold water to calm you down. There'll be time enough for that later. We need to talk."

"What about?" said Amber, walking in with Bittyin tow."Daniel!You're awake! How do you feel?"

"Um, well, actually. Really good. I was stabbed,wasn't I? Big sword in the chest? How am I alive?"

Amber sat on the bed beside Daniel and took one of his hands in hers. She held it tightly and through the bond, he could feel her concern for him. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"You're alive," explained Glenda."Because yourcircle kept you alive. That was an extraordinary display of healing magic. Amy was the focus, but once they all saw how to help, they did. I've never witches work so closely before. It requires a massive amount of trust."

"Wow," said Daniel, and sent a feeling of warmththrough the circle bond and smiled at them.

"Grace is the new headmaster!" squealedJasmine with happiness. She grinned at Grace.

"Thanks for spoiling that little announcement,but yes, I am, but only for a short time. Until the King can find a suitable replacement for Quinten."

"What happened to him?" asked Daniel.

"He's run off somewhere. Loki is helping himand covering his tracks. He'll show up eventually and I'll put him down," declared Grace."I can't believe all this time he was working for Loki."

"The Trickster."

"Yes, the very same. We all knew somethingstrange was going on with Quinten, but he did all the normal paladin things. Like helping people. But always there were doubts. People looked at him in strange ways, not knowing why they did. It was because of Loki. He can't truly hide himself away, but he came close. Who

knows what harm he has done or why. I've called for a complete audit of the school. Johnson is leading it. He's thrilled right now. Poor man.

"I have dropped all charges against you. I ruledagainst Duke Garcia. He wasn't happy despite him having used those same rules for his own gain in the past. He's a hypocrite and gone from the school for now. But I should warn you all, he's capable of a great many things. He has power and the money to make things happen."

Daniel thought about that. There was nothing he or they could do for now. He would have to be ready when the duke came back knocking."I understand. Anything else we should know?”

Glenda was stroking Jasmine's hair. She looked at him."You have a power inside you. It shouldn't be there. You almost lost control of it when you were dying. Did you feel it?"

Daniel thought and then remembered."A burning feeling. It wanted free. I almost let it go."

"You were about to, actually. So I knocked you

out. I've kept you unconscious until now. You needed to sleep after all that healing. The body may be healed but the mind will always carry scars."

"What was this power? Where'd it come from?"

Grace answered with a soft voice."We're pretty sure it's the Phoenix."

"The Phoenix? How?"

"We're still trying to figure that out. Pieces aremissing. But Glenda and I agree that the power we saw rising in you was the power of the Phoenix. The female Phoenix."

"I thought the Phoenix was just the one."

"No, there are two. Male and female. They mateto complete their life cycles. We think something is going on with them. Someone or something has been interfering with that. But we've no details."

"Like whom? And why?"

Grace glared at him."I just fucking told you we

don't know. Yet."

Glenda looked between Grace and Daniel."Easy, you two. Daniel, all we know is that we suspect you have some of the essence of the Phoenix in you. I think it's the female Phoenix. It would explain a lot."

"Like what?"

"Why you ooze sexuality. The Phoenix is a verysexual animal. It lives in the passion of sex and fire. You have both in case you hadn't noticed."

"It can't be the male?"

"No. If it was, you would be killing everyonewho even looked at your women. Without hesitation. The male Phoenix lives off dominance, aggression, and death. He makes for a perfect mate for the female. Some say that together they cancel each other out. But it's more than that, I'm sure."

Daniel was more confused than ever."So what now?"

Fifteen

AFTER A LOUD knock on the door to the suite, Bitty opened it and Grace and Jennifer walked in to find Daniel and the ladies lounging on the couches in the main living room. They rose and exchanged hugs and kisses. Daniel found that Jennifer seemed very excited and kissed him passionately for a long moment.

Amy watched the exchange with a glint in her eyes. Her eyes roamed over Jennifer's sculpted body. Her arms were muscled, but in a good way to Amy's eyes. Strong but feminine. She caught Jasmine smiling mischievously at her and stuck her tongue out at her.

"What?" laughed Amy."She's gorgeous!"

Jennifer narrowed her eyes at Amy."Are you talking about me?"

Amy smiled larger and sidled up to the blonde paladin of Syn. Her arm snaked around the armour at her narrow waist and pulled her in closer until her breasts mashed up against her plate mail."So hard and soft," murmured Amy and pressed her lips against Jennifer's.

Jennifer, a devote follower of Syn, kissed her

back and probed her tongue until it slipped past Amy's lips and found her tongue waiting. They kissed for a time, the room watching.

Jennifer could feel the heat in the room, but now that she knew the likely source, her eyes slanted sideways to observe Daniel. He was watching. He liked to watch, she knew, and she kissed Amy more ardently and grinned into Amy's eager little mouth at his reaction. He approved, and that set her heart to flutter a little more.

As a follower of Syn and as her champion and paladin, Jennifer knew her calling was to seek justice and spread her love of the world. Her calling from Syn had brought her here to this moment. Before, the calling had been merely to help this circle find it's strength and to bring Amber into the fold. When that task had finished, she had been sent south.