"Karma"
VIII.
The short young woman with the blond curly hair glared at me with her fists so tight her knuckles went white. Her face flushed red with anger though and it was all directed straight at me.
"You must be mistaken," I said defensively feeling extremely uncomfortable as she focused pure hatred upon me. “I’m Raymond Butler. I don’t know you and I can’t imagine I’ve done something that deserves the kind of look you’re giving me.”
"No mistake," she hissed again. I felt suddenly warm as if I were basking in the sun on a hot day. "You are Hadrian Constantinius and I have come to destroy you."
"Who are you speaking with?" Claudia asked from the kitchen.
I was tempted to call on the word that would make her sleep, but I hesitated uncertain of what to do.
It did not matter and it was probably for the best. Before Claudia could arrive the blond girl make her move.
"Let us settle this on the other side," she said reaching out and touching me with her hand.
Time stood still as we stepped into a parallel world. The apartment disappeared and so did Claudia as she entered the hall. Suddenly the warm glow I felt grew exponentially into a raging inferno. My skin burned and my lips and mouth went dry.
We were suspended in the air and we sank gently down to the ground below as if were were floating on air.
Were were alone in a clearing in a forest. It was like no forest I had ever seen before. It felt different and alien, but it still somehow had an air of home that I could not describe.
“That was a full turn, Constantinius,” she said.
The short thin and angry woman remained in front of me but she was now covered with tattoos of symbols I had never seen before. Her eyes literally and figuratively smoldered with hatred.
“Mortals don’t exist here. Only those of this plane or planeswalkers are manifest here. Beings like myself in the first case or Houri swines like you in the second.”
“Someone made a mistake. I’m just an ordinary guy,” I insisted feeling my usual cowardice chill my burning body.
“No mistake!” she shouted once more.
She attacked and it was a torrent of fire that engulfed me. It was being in a storm of flames and incredible heat.
I felt the fire engulf my body. Pain shot through my body as I felt my flesh burn. I was in agony.
I should have been dead, but I was not. Terror consumed me as much as the flames as I was certain that my body was turning to ash.
“That is for one hundred years of torment and torture at your ticklesome fingers,” she said spitting. “That is for one hundred years of servitude. I’ve slain you before and I will slay you every time you return. Your torturous fingers will never touch me again.”
She touched me through the flames and the world shifted again but not quite back to the normal world. The apartment was there but it was like a ghost image. We began to sink through the ground and into the basement of my apartment. Once there the phasing was complete and we were back in the world again.
I lay on the cool basement floor and my body was no longer in flames. I was hot and sweating profusely. My skin was red as if sunburned, but nothing more. The memory of the pain and terror was real however.
“I don’t even know you,” I said trying to stand and failing terribly as I slipped to the ground in exhaustion. “I don’t know who you are. You must believe me.”
"You might not remember your sins but ignorance is no excuse," she said. She was the same short angry young woman she was before without the tattoos wearing overalls and heavy boots.
“What are you going to do to me?” I asked fearing the worst.
"Our duel is over," she said. "J'sella claims victory once more. Until your next incarnation, Houri pig!"
She grasped the gas lines in the basement with her hand and tore them to shreds. The basement filled with the pungent smell of gas.
She smiled but her eyes still radiated hatred. She kissed her fingers and blew me a kiss.
She then snapped her fingers and a spark formed. As she did the gas exploded and blackness engulfed me as I watched the woman fold back into space away from the explosion.
IX.
Claudia was over me as I awoke. She touched my body and her touch was cool on my burning skin. My skin was not burnt though. Nor were my clothes which I found very strange.
"Ray," she called to me, “I thought you were dead!"
I looked around. My apartment building was in flames and I saw firefighters trying to put out the fire.
“The apartment burned down,” Claudia said excitedly. “It was a miracle that no one was hurt. Only you were missing. I found you here on the lawn unconscious. It seems were were near the basement at the moment of the blast. “
I touched my head. My head was pounding and in particular the place where Emma wrote her word was burning hot.
“I'm sorry,” Claudia said. “Your place and all your things are gone. I just had time to escape myself.”
“Ma’am,” an officer called from behind Claudia, “we need a few words with your...”
“Boyfriend,” Claudia completed naturally.
I smiled a bit at listening to her say the word and then my eyes went wide as I recognized the officer.
It was Jeanie dressed in a police uniform.
“Young man, I need a few words with you,” she said her eyes shining as she spoke to me.
I stood up and she took me aside to speak privately.
“You’re a police officer?” I asked.
“Of course not,” she replied tersely. “Just a bit of chicanery. Let’s be somewhere more private.” She touched my arm and we slided only partially into the other world. Claudia remained there. As did police cars, firefighters and such, but they paid us no heed.
Jeanie wore the clothes she had worn on my birthday.
“What’s going on? What just happened?” I asked.
"I did not think J'sella would move so quickly,” Jeanie explained. “Last time we had six months before she located you. And even that was not enough.”
“I don’t understand anything. Who is this J’sella?” I asked. “What did I do to her that has her so pissed off.”
“Anger is part of an Ifreet’s nature,” she explained. “She would be angry even if she were friendly to you. You see, Raymond, you have a very particular heritage. A heritage and a legacy that come with great power and even greater obligation to use your gifts for good.”
“Who am I?” I asked not understanding anything.
“You are the thirty-second reincarnation of Hadrian Constantinius. Roman Centurion, independent mercenary, imaginative scholar of the obscure and more importantly, former Grand Master of the Houri.”
“Who are the Houri? What does that mean?” I asked shaking my head incredulously.
“The Houri. Mortal man is bound to this plane, but some mortals can exist in the Primal Plane. Furthermore they can use magic.”
“I can use magic?” I asked.
“Yes, some,” she explained. “Your best magic is channeling the magic of others such as that of an Ifreet such as J’sella.”
“What are you? A Houri as well?”
“No. I am a Djinn. J’sella is an Ifreet. We are immortal creatures of the Primal Plane where were are at this moment. Her element is fire. Mine is water. I am sworn to serve the Houri. J’sella seeks freedom from Houri and their immortal enemies, the Ghuls. The Ghuls are similar to the Houri in many senses, but they use their gifts to leech off Humanity. They use all their resources to destroy the Houri who hound them at every turn protecting Humanity.”
I had a thousand questions but the one I asked was one I did not expect.
“Is your name really Jeanie?”
“No,” she answered. “You will know my name in due time. Once you do know my name, I will be bound to you. A servant who must obey your every command.”
“I can’t imagine you’d want that,” I said.
Jeanie shrugged. “I have served your every whim before in your other incarnations. I look forward to serving your will once more. But you are not ready yet. Your will is weak and it will lead us to disaster if you command me so soon and so untried.”
“Why am I still alive?” I asked. “A gas explosion in the basement should have killed me instantly.”
“Emma’s ward,” Jeanie said. “J’sella could have unraveled the protection but she was angry as usual and hasty. When she discovers you are still alive, she will take extra precautions to make certain you are dead next time.”
“Next time,” I said to myself overwhelmed by the idea of there being a ‘next time’.
“Why did she take me back from the Primal Plane to here to kill me in the basement? I thought she was doing a fine job of roasting me alive over there.”
“She can only slay you in the Multi-verse. In the Primal Plane you can be harmed and bound to her will, but the risk of your escaping is too much. She hates you because you have bound her before. And while a fair master, you are a demanding one.”
“You make it sound like I deserve her anger,” I said.
“It is not for me to judge,” she shrugged. “I have been a Ghul’s minion in my time. I understand her ire. Any more questions?”
“Hundreds,” I answered. “What is Emma?”
“A Houri like you. A special one with very special skills. Her role is clear and she has embraced it. We have great expectations for your role.”
“And what are these quarter turns and half turns you keep talking about?” I asked wanting to understand more.
“Turns refer to how we phase from one plane to the next. A quarter turn makes us visible but intangible in the Primal Plane, and in the Multi-verse we remain, but mortals will ignore us. At your birthday party we did a quarter turn and we could speak uninterrupted. A half turn is half way between the planes and we disappear in the Multiverse although mortals will not notice. Their minds do all possible to ignore us during the quarter and half turns. A full turn means we abandon fully the Multi-verse and we stand only in the Primal Plane. J’sella took you to the Primal Plane to harm you and then shifted you back a half turn to take you in the basement. Then, to make it appear an accident, she chose to attempt to slay you without her power in the Multi-verse. She wisely prefers to not draw the attention of the Houri.”
I shook my head. Too much information. “What are we going to do now?” I asked.
“I’ll shift you full turn back into the Multi-verse. I can’t teach you how. You will learn when you are ready. Meanwhile I’ll be close by but no one will notice me. There will be time for more questions later.”
“How did it go?” Claudia asked me as Jeanie disappeared.
“Uh...” I saw her concerned face.
“With the officer,” she prompted.
“Yeah, everything is okay. She just had some questions.”
“Tell you what, why don't you come over to my apartment?” Claudia suggested. “You can shower. I have some clothes there and we can rest.”
Jeanie was no where to be seen.
“Okay,” I answered mechanically with a nod.
IX.
I called my folks to let them know about the fire and that I was okay. I called from Claudia’s cell phone. Mine had fried during the fire.
They were glad to hear I was safe and sound and glad I would be staying with Claudia a few days. They were very good friends with Claudia’s parents.
I was still somewhat shell shocked by all that had happened and I did not say much on the way to the apartment.
As soon as we got there, Claudia showed me to a spare room with its own shower and left me there.
I stripped and stepped into the shower and let the hot water clear my head.
What was happening? Just a month past my birthday and my life had changed completely. I was feeling more confident with myself. I felt better than I had ever felt in my entire life.
On the other hand, my apartment had burned to the ground. Most of my personal possessions were gone. I’d been hunted down by some crazy demon from a different dimension for things I did in a past life.
Was it worth it?
“Room for a friend?” Claudia called as she entered the shower naked.
I immediately went erect.
She turned me toward the shower and placed her body on my back. I could feel her nipples on my back. She reached over from behind and grasped my erection with a soapy hand and stroked it firmly and confidently.
Ifreets and Djinns, Houri and Ghuls, past lives and future all disappeared.
Was it worth it?
Hell yes.
X.
I made love with her three times that night.
I tickled where and when I could and I did so with better skill eliciting more and better laughter from her. She enjoyed it and let it blend in well with our lovemaking.
It was Sunday. Not much to do looking for a new apartment and such. We stayed in bed together under satin sheets enjoying our company and talking about nothing and everything and all in between.
Claudia lay at the foot of the bed and teased me with her bare foot trying to tickle my underarms.
“You like tickling,” Claudia said abruptly. It was a simple statement. Not a question. “Really like.”
I gulped feeling a little embarrassed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“I see how you enjoy it, how you get harder when you tickle me. It really turns you on,” she stated based on her simple observations of the obvious.
I drew my fingers up and down her foot and beamed as she squealed and pulled away.
I remained somewhat pensive before answering the obvious. “I guess it does. Does that bother you?”
Claudia shook her head.
“I kind of like it. Losing control,” she said smiling at me. “Being under the will of your fingers as they make me squirm and laugh whether I want to or not. I find it sexy.”
“That is very good to know,” I said. “It kind of sugar coats those kicks you give me when I tickle you.”
“Well,” Claudia whispered sensually. “I’ll have to let you tie me up and tickle me sometime so you can keep me from kicking you.”
I got lightheaded and excited all at once.
“There are some silk scarves in my drawer,” Claudia said pressing her foot through the sheets against my erection. “They’ll do fine if you tied me to the bed posts.”
I was ready to get up and find the silk scarves when a single word uttered broke the mood.
“Skittlequirk!”
Claudia’s eyes glazed over with sleep and her head gently hung to one side as she fell into a deep slumber on her bed.
Jeanie was in the room.
“We need to move on,” Jeanie said businesslike. “You needed a bit of companionship to settle down. Now we need to go back to business.”
“Jeanie,” I pleaded. “I have a beautiful girl asking me to tie her up and tickle her because it turns her on. I’ve never had that before in my life.”
“Never?” Jeanie asked feigning surprise. “Hadrian had that before breakfast most days. You have a great tickling heritage. I’ve seen you tickle. You tickle too hard and bruise or too light and you fall short of full effect. This woman wants you to tickle her and I can’t watch you tickle this woman in an amateurish way.”
“You weren’t supposed to be watching,” I groaned.
“I call on another tickle,” Jeanie said suddenly. “You still owe me one hundred.”
“Can’t I do this one first?” I said gesturing to Claudia.
“That one can wait until you see how well you can do it. In fact, this tickle you’ll pay me you’ve already done,” Jeanie said.
“What do you mean?” I asked confused.
Jeane removed a vial from her pocket.
“This vial exists on both planes,” she said gently rolling the vial between her finger. “In different format perhaps but it is the same. A scientist will tell you this is simple salt water. But it is not. As you drink the contents of this vial you will sleep but you will also dream. You will dream back to a past life and you will live one specific tickle I wish you to live. You cannot change what has happened, so do not resist and no not panic. The past is written and the ink is dry but you will feel you make the decisions because it is in fact you.”
“I don’t understand, but I trust you,” I said taking the vial.
I broke the seal and drank its contents.
“I’ll watch over you as you dream,” Jeanie said.
“Who long does it take to act?” I said sitting in the edge on the bed next to Claudia.
“Sweet dreams, Hadrian Constantinius,” she said smiling.
Everything went instantly black like a switch turning off a light.
XI.
I awoke in a large tent with two warm bodies upon me. We lay on some soft bedding on the ground.
I was naked and so were they.
They slept soundly and I slipped my way out from under them without disturbing their slumber. I saw their vulnerable bare soles and was tempted to tickle them know how ticklish they both were, but I refrained.
I enjoyed my first morning moments alone. Even as a centurion I rose before my comrades to contemplate the next day before the break of dawn.
The slaves were beautiful. One was a Gaul and the other Egyptian. I knew they were my personal slaves and they attended to my every need that my man servant Caelius could not.
“Caelius!” I called out.
A short balding man rushed in bearing cool water in a pitcher and a clean towel. My clothes were lain out. My sandals were brushed and all was in order.
I washed and dressed and strapped a short sword in its scabbard to my belt.
I sat outside and I broke fast on hard bread and sweet dates. I was in North Africa in a vast desert. I knew where as Hadrian knew where, but I could not say exactly in what country. The morning air was still cool and I could breakfast in peace.
As I did my thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of one of my scouts who I had sent out the day before.
“Vandals, my lord!” he shouted as he arrived. “Maybe fifty of them.”
“By Vandals you mean...” I prompted. He was of the Houri. He knew the difference between simple Vandals and things of the Primal Plane.
“Ghuls, my lord. Three or four strong Ghuls, plus the men on horseback,” he reported. “If we broke camp immediately mayhap we could hide in the caves.”
I frowned at the idea.
I was Grand Master of the Houri. I would not run like a rat from the Vandals or the Romans or the Ghuls.
“How much time do we have?” I asked calmly.
“An hour at most, my lord,” he answered. “They suspect something and they move with purpose.”
“Prepare the camp. I want everyone armed and ready,” I commanded. “I’ll be away, but I’ll return before the Vandals arrive.”
I returned to my tent and my slaves vacated the room immediately. They knew I needed privacy.
I opened a chest and pulled out a long necked bottle with a cap.
The cap was sealed with wax and words of power were written on the cap.
They were unfamiliar to me, Ray Butler, but to Hadrian Constantinius they had real meaning.
Warding, protection, confinement.
The bottle was black decorated with gold and embedded with rubies.
I had commissioned its manufacture by a Houri craftsman in Damascus years ago.
I stared at a single ruby in particular.
At first nothing happened, but then my vision began to blur and as it did I phased and when my vision cleared I was in a very special place.
XII.
I could hear and see the ocean outside but I knew there was no sea here. This place was made in the form of a Roman villa but I knew it only existed within the confines of the bottle. It was always twilight here. Not dark, not bright. Always the same. I thought that might have a calming effect on the only resident of this fabricated world.
I was wrong.
“J’sella,” I called.
“Houri swine,” she greeted venomously. She wore a while gown and had her curly blonde hair tied behind her head. She was stunning as usual. Her tattoos were dark and covered her skin and face.
“It is quite pleasant here,” I said looking around. “I should spend more time here.”
“An ivory prison is a prison nonetheless,” she said her jaw clenched tightly.
“Well, so it is,” I said coolly. “I need your help.”
“You want my powers or you want my knowledge?” she asked. Both would not be given easily.
“Powers,” I said.
“I could offer you my body,” she said deftly opening the fasteners to her gown revealing her beautiful body. She was not tall but her body was voluptuous. Her breasts were round and firm and her small pink nipples pointed towards me as if they invited me to draw closer. Her small feet were bare and they were a perfect crowning touch to an already perfect body. She stepped out of the gown and was certain to keep her feet clear in sight. She knew I fancied them.
“And I would have to decline,” I said my blood racing despite my efforts to remain calm. “I might be persuaded to release you from this place and I could not do that.”
“You will, Houri dog,” she vowed. “Then I will wreck havoc on you and your future incarnations.”
“That is a risk I am prepared to take,” I said. “You can give me your powers willingly, you know.”
“I could,” she replied.
“But you won’t,” I concluded.
“I will resist you,” she vowed.
“You are like a little girl here,” I said. “Your powers do not work here. I can change anything I want here with a whim. Resistance is simply a formality. You cannot win.”
“Then do what you must,” she said. “I am prepared to resist with every fiber of my will.”
“I sincerely hope you do,” I said. “I enjoy watching your will break.”
She sneered at me while I imagined a fine wooden table with stocks set at the top and bottom.
The table came into existence. The wood was smooth and polished like no rack in any dungeon in the world. I just had to imagine it and it became so. This world was affected by my imagination.
I imagined J’sella on the table secured in stocks and wearing her gown once more and it instantly became so.
I would not be seduced by J’sella. A single slip would mean a moment of bliss followed by perhaps centuries of servitude. An Ifreet is much crueler master than I. Her anger coupled with her imagination would make life long and miserable for me.
She pulled on the restraints just to test them. She knew they would be tight and she would not be able to escape.
“Comfortable?” I asked sincerely.
“Do not stall, Houri dog,” she sneered.
I took her big toe between my fingers and she gasped gently.
“Come now. You enjoy this, don’t you?” I teased.
“I hate you. I despise you.”
“Smile for me,” I knew her body well and I chose to start with her bare feet. They were pretty feet. They were small with short and round toes. They were terribly ticklish but she could resist.
For a time.
I released the big toe and placed my index and middle finger on her sole just below the ball of her foot. J’sella involuntarily released another sexy gasp.
It was unusual for me, Ray Butler, because when offered the opportunity to tickle I’d just dive in and get while the getting was good. No strategy, no real teasing. Just getting there any way possible.
What I was doing now as Hadrian Constantinius was the work of a master tickler. I admired my former self for his self control and skill.
I began to turn those two fingers ever so slowly into the sole of the foot. J’sella’s face twisted with anger and frustration as she did her best to contain her reactions. The foot twitched but nothing happened.
“I hate you Hadrian Constantinius! I’ll despise you for all eternity!” she grunted her breath short as she futilely resisted.
I smiled. I loved her angry. While my modern 21st century self was terrified of J’sella, my past self was comfortable enjoying the anger of the Ifreet. He might as well have been basking in the sun.
I twisted the fingers for half turns getting some twitching and some muffled reactions.
Her face was twisted with anger and hatred and the moment approached which Hadrian Constantinius lived for. He began to stroke the sole lightly with the tips of his fingers in a studied and timed motion. That was already too much for her. She could not resist any more and her foot squirmed wildly and her angry face instantly faded away.
Her face transformed from one of ultimate hatred to one of sweet laughter. The change was magical.
This was what I cherished most of having J’sella as my servant. This moment when despite all her will to hate, she laughed tenderly. He face was beautiful and sweet. So very unlike the angry face she usually showed.
“Will you grant me leave of your power, J’sella?” I asked knowing full well she would refuse.
“Never!” she shouted between bouts of laughter. “I hate you! I --”
I tickled up her calves and to her knees and the jumped to her torso. She laughed in a frantic frenzy and her body twisted and pulled in all directions. The tickling was calculated and teasing at the same time. Never too much, but never so little as to offer her respite. I knew her best spots well. I tickled her underarms and her neck and her breasts through the fabric. All was ticklish. The way Hadrian Constantinius tickled was perfect. I was for this brief moment a master. It was a touchstone for which I could compare all my future tickling.
I, as Contantinius, would normally spend perhaps hours tickling J’sella. But today I was pressed for time.
After all, the Vandals were coming.
I cut to the chase, but even that was technical and calculated.
I raised her gown revealing her creamy thighs and her sex. She was wet and moist and inviting, but I would not be distracted.
J’sella was most ticklish right between her thighs. It did not take a master tickler to discover this. But hitting that point just right required the touch of a master.
I no longer teased. I took my two index fingers and placed them on each thigh just short of her sex. It touched and I gently moved the fingers in a practiced motion guaranteed to maximize her response.
She screamed and shook violently on the rack. She laughed and screamed and shook. It did not take much to undo her. She was sweating profusely and her eyes darted back and forth in a desperate manner as she laughed more than her body could ever channel.
“I surrender!” she shouted. “Stop this torture!”
“Will you serve?” I asked not removing my fingers.
“I will, I will!” she shouted. “Ask and my magic is yours. Ask and my knowledge is yours. Ask and my body is yours!”
“Very well,” I said stopping. She stopping laughing instantly. Her word was guarantee enough. All members of the Primal Plane and the Houri and the Ghuls are bound by their word.
She lay there on the table spent. The restraints disappeared, but she remained there on the table unable to move. She moaned gently.
I kissed her on her forehead and I left her. I felt strange and I wondered if Hadrian Constantinius felt the same. A strange sort of affection towards a raging force of hatred and chaos.
But as soon as I felt it, it was gone.
The Vandals were coming.
The Ghuls were coming.
XIII.
I returned to camp.
It was like waking from a dream.
The Vandals were coming.
“My lord, they arrive.” Caelis said urgently.
And indeed they were arriving. They were mounted and rushing our position.
I could feel the Ghuls. They were four. The rest were mortals. Simple minded barbarians. No match for a Houri Grand Master.
I held the Ifreet bottle in my hand and caressed it gently as a reassuring gesture.
“J’sella, give me your power,” I whispered.
J’sella had promised. She could not deny me.
I did a half turn into the Primal Plane and I drew upon J’sella’s energy where it was most potent. There was so much vitality in her. So much spark. It was intoxicating. The fire channeled through me and I cut loose with reckless abandon.
The fire cut into the Vandal ranks. Ghul and mortal alike were struck down. The mortals would not see the flames. They see a volley of arrows or spears flying threw the air sending them to their deaths.
The Ghuls would burn however. And only they mattered. Mortal would come and go, but the Ghuls had to be dealt with.
Burn, burn, burn... the words were etched in my mind. J’sella and I were one in a way lovers could never be. Her power and my will were bound together and there would be no resisting my will.
The Ghuls called upon their runes and their amulets of protection. They were no match. I undid their protection as a reflex and as I did they were vulnerable.
I cut through to their cores slaying them in the Multi-verse preventing any escape to the Primal Plane.
They cried out with their last breaths to their masters. Begging for their aid, cursing me as I sent them into oblivion.
I was exhausted.
I stared out on to the battlefield and saw the work I had wrought with J’sella’s magic and my will.
Fifty men dead. A battlefield still burning on the desert sands.
I looked back on the faces of my fellow Houri and the mortals who served me.
They looked on me with awe. But behind that awe was a hidden terror. They feared me. Maybe more than the Ghuls themselves.
We walked out calmly onto the field and inspected the dead. It was not unlike my days as a Centurion. Just as a Centurion we expected to find dying among the dead. Here all were dead.
The war against the Vandals had been lost and Roman Carthage was Roman no more. This minor victory here would certainly not turn the tide for Rome.
But it was a victory for the Houri. And however sweet, it was but a moment. The war against the Ghuls would continue throughout the centuries.
Of that there was no doubt.
“You got them good, my lord,” Caelis said observing the battlefield.
“This time,” I said in a rather gloomy mood. It was not unusually to feel depressed after having been in contact with J’sella’s immense power. “How long will we succeed before we die in a similar manner? You’ve been a Houri longer than I, Caelis. Does it ever end?”
“No, my lord,” he answered in a calm and confident tone. “It does not end.”
“That is what I fear most, my friend,” I said grimly. “To fight in vain.”
XIV.
I awoke next to Claudia on her bed.
Jeanie watched me intently.
“That seemed so real,” I said. I could still feel the sun and the sand on my skin.
“It was real,” Jeanie said. “It was no illusion. It was a real moment in the past.”
“Now what?” I asked.
“I do not want to remove you yet from your normal life,” Jeanie said. “I will slowly collect the tickles you owe me and I will continue to train you. J’sella thinks you dead which is fortunate. I will not present you to the Houri until you are ready to harness J’sella and claim her in servitude once more.”
“I don’t think I could do that,” I said automatically.
“You’ve done it and you will again,” Jeanie stated sternly. “You will lead the Houri and a tame nature will not do. We need you bold or better not all.”
I gulped nervously.
“It is no threat,” Jeanie said. “You will either lead or you will die. Not by my hand but by the hand of one as J’sella or any of the many Ghuls outside who will see their fortunes advanced by sending a reincarnation of Hadrian Constantinius to an early grave. You succeed or you die.”
“That is encouraging,” I said sarcastically.
“It is realistic,” Jeanie said. “In past lives you have trusted my knack for not sugarcoating information. Trust me once again.”
“What do I do now?” I asked my mouth suddenly dry.
“Tickle you woman. Wake her with the words Ave Mekal. Learn to tickle efficiently. When she is exhausted and spent say Renkal Seg. That will send her back to sleep and in a moment she will awaken refreshed without recollection of you having tickled her so you may try again and again until you are satisfied that your skills are growing.”
“I don’t think that she’d appreciate me manipulating her like that,” I said uncomfortable with the idea.
“Ghuls will not hesitate to manipulate mortals. To them, mortals are cattle. Claudia’s attracted to you because you are Houri. She wants to be tickled by you. One day you will claim her as your mate and she will entertain your every ticklish whim. We manipulate as much as the Ghuls but our intentions are different.”
“Hadrian had two ticklish slaves,” I said. “I don’t think they appreciated being slaves.”
“Hadrian had slaves and they were with him against their will. But he treated them better than most men will treat their wives and if allowed to leave, they would have chosen not to.”
“It’s a lot to swallow at once,” I said feeling overwhelmed.
“It is. But you need to learn fast, Ray,” she said in a more soothing tone. “You need to be able to turn the will of an Ifreet, to be able to extract information from a Ghul and you need to conquer the heart of your mate. Tickling is the key to all of that.”
I nodded.
“I am leaving,” Jeanie said. “I will consult with other Houri on the matter. You should be safe for the time being. You will feel tempted to enter the Primal Plane. It is your nature. Avoid it. The Ghuls will still see you as a mortal for now. However, the more time you spend in the Primal Plane, the more you will be marked as a Houri until the moment comes when you will be impossible to hide. If something should happen, go to Emma. She can help you.”
“Am I doing okay?” I asked. “I mean, are we progressing as we should?”
Jeanie smiled. “You’re still alive and in one piece, aren’t you?”
XIII.
“Ave Mekal,” I said.
Claudia awoke with the word and she looked at me tenderly yet teasingly.
“Are you going to tickle me or what?” she asked as if nothing had happened.
I smiled and realized how much I loved her. I also felt guilty in my gut that I was keeping all this from her.
“Well?” she asked.
“Let’s do it!” I said smiling.
I went for the scarves and I went about tying Claudia to the bed posts.
I was strangely less exciting than I expected. I was more focused on my tickling plan and its execution.
I shook my head. Above all this should be fun, I realized. I nodded to myself and resolved to enjoy the moment as much as I could.
“Are you ticklish?” I asked once I had her tied tightly to the bed posts.
She smiled. “Of course I am,” she said. “That’s why I’m all tied up here, isn’t it?”
“Just answer the question,” I said in mock interrogation.
“Well, I think so,” she answered and she laughed. “I KNOW so. I’m very ticklish.”
“Where?” I asked.
“My feet,” she answered thinking about it a moment. “My ribs, my underarms, my neck, my belly. All the normal ticklish spots.”
“We’ll have to check those spots then,” I said seriously. “And then we’ll see if you’ve missed any spots.”
I took her left foot. I thought to copy Hadrian’s technique, and I decided against it.
We might be the same person spread across the century, but I was Ray and this was my woman and I’d tickle her the way I felt was right.
I began to nibble on her toes.
“No, Ray, not with your mouth,” she protested as she dissolved into giggling and giddy laughter.
I sucked on her toes and she found that quite pleasurable. As she moaned with pleasure, I was lost in whirlwind of excitement. Her toes in my mouth were delicious to all my senses. My tongue explored between her toes and around as I gave attention to each and every digit.
I switched feet and Claudia curled her toes in expectation. I explored the new toes with equal gusto switching between sucking and nibbling, causing moans and laughter at will.
I finally pulled her toes back exposing her sole.
Claudia knew what was coming.
“No, Ray. Come on, don’t do that...” she begged.
I could have attacked with my fingers but I decided against it. I nibbled her soles and she went wild. I had to hold her foot tight to prevent her from moving it and I grazed her sole with my teeth from under the toes to the back of her heel.
She laughed and screamed as I nibbled away.
I kissed passed her ankle and made my way up her shin to her knee taking care to stroke her calves and the back of her knees which to my delight were also excruciatingly ticklish. I marveled as he knee locked tight in a futile attempt to lessen the ticklish feeling.
I looked up at her sex and her lips were moist and excited.
I resisted the temptation of approaching and I continued up her thigh to her hip. The kissing made her giggle, but the nibbling made her scream.
“Ray, Ray, Ray,” she said panting. I loved hearing her say my name.
I nibbled and bit at her sides and she went wild. The thrashing was marvelous and the laughter intoxicated me. Her belly button was round and pretty and I dug in kissing and inserting my tongue swirling around. The playful, yet effective tickling had her laughing despite herself.
“I think you grossly underestimated you ticklish spots, Claudia,” I said seriously.
“I think you are absolutely right, Ray,” she said breathing heavily her senses overwhelmed. “Right as rain.”
“We can stop if it is too much,” I offered. I cringed at the thought of what Jeanie would say, but I really loved Claudia and I could not live with myself if I pushed her too far.
“I’m okay,” she said gathering herself for a second round. “Anyhow we need to know where all those ticklish spots are.”
“All for the sake of science,” I said chuckling.
“All for the sake of thoroughness,” she added.
I started sucking on her nipples and she responded in again with gently and soothing moaning.
As she relaxed, I struck at her armpits with my fingers. It started lightly and she laughed gently . As we kissed I tickled harder and her kisses melted into a smile before it faded into laughter.
I nibbled her ears and neck and she went wild. I kept at it a few minutes so there would be no doubt about their ticklishness.
I stopped finally and she relaxed.
“That was thorough,” she said.
“Not quite,” I said moving down her torso.
“No, Ray! Please, not there,” she pleaded as I approached her inner thighs.
I kissed her inner thighs and she began to protest despite my not having started to tickle her. I reached below with my hands and placed my fingers in between her buttocks cheeks. Her buttocks went tight and hard and she screamed so loud I was certain a neighbor must have heard. She laughed madly and with no reservation.
“No! No, Ray! Stop!” she shouted as she laughed uncontrollably.
I turned my attention to her inner thighs and tickled as Hadrian Constantinius had on J’sella. Claudia reacted in lesser degree, but she was still extremely ticklish there and her desperately laughter continued.
I then took my fingers and dedicated them to tickling her sex. My fingers danced around her moist lips and I watched her get more wet and more excited. She laughed at the tickling sensations but she was more horny than anything.
“I want you in me,” Claudia said her face flushed, her need great.
Who was I to deny her that? I placed myself over her and I slid into her smoothly and with no resistance.
When we finished, Claudia was spent, I was spent and the world seemed not to exist. It was just the two of us, on that bed. Together and happy.
Claudia was free of her bondage and she lay in my arms.
I did not use the words Jeanie had taught me. I found it dishonest and unfair.
“I think you know my body better than I do,” Claudia murmured. “I think I’ll have you answer when anyone asks where I am ticklish.”
I smiled. The thing was that I wanted to know more about her. Not just her ticklish spots.
“I need to be the best tickler in the world,” I said in a serious tone. I just sort of blurted it out. “I need to know if you can help me be that.”
“It would be my pleasure,” she replied just as seriously. Her frankness was evident.
”I’ll need to tickle you on a fairly frequent basis,” I mentioned with an eyebrow raised.
“I think I can handle that,” she said smiling. “Any fringe benefits to being your tickle toy?”
I thought for a moment. “Tickling you makes me hard as rock.”
She kissed me.
“I’m at your service, Mr. Butler. We’ll make a master tickler out of you or I’ll die laughing in the attempt,” she said smiling.
I felt good.
It had not been a tickling session on par with Hadrian Constantinius.
But it was a damned good Ray Butler tickling session.
And I was damned proud about it.
XIV.
Life went on.
And it was good.
I went back to classes. I moved in with Claudia.
And true to her word, we worked together to make me a better tickler. And I remained true to my commitment and I continued to get better and better at. I controlled pressure and tempo. I used all my body to tickle and I began to incorporate tools out of ordinary items. Brushes, feathers and all kinds of objects were incorporated into our tickling.
I was growing more and more confident. I felt truly blessed by life.
The thought of the war to come was somewhat daunting. More daunting when I knew I was expected to somehow lead this war against Ghuls. But I stopped worrying.
I decided would live the moment.
Weeks went by and I was alone with my life with Claudia.
Jeanie did not communicate with me.
She was right that I would keep feeling the pull of the Primal Plane. I did. And the pull was alluring and tantalizing.
We had agreed to wait and wait I would. I did not want another bout with J’sella or another creature of that plane of existence.
But eight weeks into my perfect existence, the bout came to me in a way I never anticipated.
It was a calm Saturday and I had agreed to meet Claudia in the park near our apartment for an afternoon picnic.
I arrived early and watched her approach our agreed picnic spot with basket in hand. She had stopped by the apartment and came walking to in my direction. She waved at me and I waved back.
She was crossing the street when a white van rolled up next to her. The door slid open and two men grabbed her and forced her into the van.
I was shocked. In broad daylight this was happening. I ran towards the van, but the van had disappeared.
Impossible!
“Did you see the van? The one that just rode off with my girlfriend?” I asked a man on the corner. He could not have missed it. He was scarce meters away from the abduction.
“I didn’t see any van, young man. Are you unwell?”
Disappeared, disappeared. My mind raced. No one saw.
I stood thinking...
“Quarter turn. The world will try to not see. Half a turn and you’ll phase between worlds,” I repeated the concepts to myself.
Quarter turn! I said to myself focusing.
Focus, focus! I had to focus.
Desperate, the world started to unfocus and I slipped a step into the Primal Plane. I could see the van just it was no longer a van. It was a sort of carriage.
I chased after the carriage. I could feel Claudia inside. I had to stop this from happening. She had nothing to do with all this.
The back doors opened on the carriage and a man long black hair and a long wicked scar on his face smiled at me.
“A gift from the Ghuls, Houri,” he said as he pulled a blue jewel from his vest and threw it in my direction.
The jewel bounced twice on the ground and I could almost catch it.
I decided not to try and catch it and rather I dodged it.
But it didn’t need to touch me to harm me. It just had to get close enough.
All exploded in burst of blue and my world went black.
My last thought before losing consciousness was that I had lost Claudia.
And my life.
To be continued...
Next: “Claudia’s Story”
VIII.
The short young woman with the blond curly hair glared at me with her fists so tight her knuckles went white. Her face flushed red with anger though and it was all directed straight at me.
"You must be mistaken," I said defensively feeling extremely uncomfortable as she focused pure hatred upon me. “I’m Raymond Butler. I don’t know you and I can’t imagine I’ve done something that deserves the kind of look you’re giving me.”
"No mistake," she hissed again. I felt suddenly warm as if I were basking in the sun on a hot day. "You are Hadrian Constantinius and I have come to destroy you."
"Who are you speaking with?" Claudia asked from the kitchen.
I was tempted to call on the word that would make her sleep, but I hesitated uncertain of what to do.
It did not matter and it was probably for the best. Before Claudia could arrive the blond girl make her move.
"Let us settle this on the other side," she said reaching out and touching me with her hand.
Time stood still as we stepped into a parallel world. The apartment disappeared and so did Claudia as she entered the hall. Suddenly the warm glow I felt grew exponentially into a raging inferno. My skin burned and my lips and mouth went dry.
We were suspended in the air and we sank gently down to the ground below as if were were floating on air.
Were were alone in a clearing in a forest. It was like no forest I had ever seen before. It felt different and alien, but it still somehow had an air of home that I could not describe.
“That was a full turn, Constantinius,” she said.
The short thin and angry woman remained in front of me but she was now covered with tattoos of symbols I had never seen before. Her eyes literally and figuratively smoldered with hatred.
“Mortals don’t exist here. Only those of this plane or planeswalkers are manifest here. Beings like myself in the first case or Houri swines like you in the second.”
“Someone made a mistake. I’m just an ordinary guy,” I insisted feeling my usual cowardice chill my burning body.
“No mistake!” she shouted once more.
She attacked and it was a torrent of fire that engulfed me. It was being in a storm of flames and incredible heat.
I felt the fire engulf my body. Pain shot through my body as I felt my flesh burn. I was in agony.
I should have been dead, but I was not. Terror consumed me as much as the flames as I was certain that my body was turning to ash.
“That is for one hundred years of torment and torture at your ticklesome fingers,” she said spitting. “That is for one hundred years of servitude. I’ve slain you before and I will slay you every time you return. Your torturous fingers will never touch me again.”
She touched me through the flames and the world shifted again but not quite back to the normal world. The apartment was there but it was like a ghost image. We began to sink through the ground and into the basement of my apartment. Once there the phasing was complete and we were back in the world again.
I lay on the cool basement floor and my body was no longer in flames. I was hot and sweating profusely. My skin was red as if sunburned, but nothing more. The memory of the pain and terror was real however.
“I don’t even know you,” I said trying to stand and failing terribly as I slipped to the ground in exhaustion. “I don’t know who you are. You must believe me.”
"You might not remember your sins but ignorance is no excuse," she said. She was the same short angry young woman she was before without the tattoos wearing overalls and heavy boots.
“What are you going to do to me?” I asked fearing the worst.
"Our duel is over," she said. "J'sella claims victory once more. Until your next incarnation, Houri pig!"
She grasped the gas lines in the basement with her hand and tore them to shreds. The basement filled with the pungent smell of gas.
She smiled but her eyes still radiated hatred. She kissed her fingers and blew me a kiss.
She then snapped her fingers and a spark formed. As she did the gas exploded and blackness engulfed me as I watched the woman fold back into space away from the explosion.
IX.
Claudia was over me as I awoke. She touched my body and her touch was cool on my burning skin. My skin was not burnt though. Nor were my clothes which I found very strange.
"Ray," she called to me, “I thought you were dead!"
I looked around. My apartment building was in flames and I saw firefighters trying to put out the fire.
“The apartment burned down,” Claudia said excitedly. “It was a miracle that no one was hurt. Only you were missing. I found you here on the lawn unconscious. It seems were were near the basement at the moment of the blast. “
I touched my head. My head was pounding and in particular the place where Emma wrote her word was burning hot.
“I'm sorry,” Claudia said. “Your place and all your things are gone. I just had time to escape myself.”
“Ma’am,” an officer called from behind Claudia, “we need a few words with your...”
“Boyfriend,” Claudia completed naturally.
I smiled a bit at listening to her say the word and then my eyes went wide as I recognized the officer.
It was Jeanie dressed in a police uniform.
“Young man, I need a few words with you,” she said her eyes shining as she spoke to me.
I stood up and she took me aside to speak privately.
“You’re a police officer?” I asked.
“Of course not,” she replied tersely. “Just a bit of chicanery. Let’s be somewhere more private.” She touched my arm and we slided only partially into the other world. Claudia remained there. As did police cars, firefighters and such, but they paid us no heed.
Jeanie wore the clothes she had worn on my birthday.
“What’s going on? What just happened?” I asked.
"I did not think J'sella would move so quickly,” Jeanie explained. “Last time we had six months before she located you. And even that was not enough.”
“I don’t understand anything. Who is this J’sella?” I asked. “What did I do to her that has her so pissed off.”
“Anger is part of an Ifreet’s nature,” she explained. “She would be angry even if she were friendly to you. You see, Raymond, you have a very particular heritage. A heritage and a legacy that come with great power and even greater obligation to use your gifts for good.”
“Who am I?” I asked not understanding anything.
“You are the thirty-second reincarnation of Hadrian Constantinius. Roman Centurion, independent mercenary, imaginative scholar of the obscure and more importantly, former Grand Master of the Houri.”
“Who are the Houri? What does that mean?” I asked shaking my head incredulously.
“The Houri. Mortal man is bound to this plane, but some mortals can exist in the Primal Plane. Furthermore they can use magic.”
“I can use magic?” I asked.
“Yes, some,” she explained. “Your best magic is channeling the magic of others such as that of an Ifreet such as J’sella.”
“What are you? A Houri as well?”
“No. I am a Djinn. J’sella is an Ifreet. We are immortal creatures of the Primal Plane where were are at this moment. Her element is fire. Mine is water. I am sworn to serve the Houri. J’sella seeks freedom from Houri and their immortal enemies, the Ghuls. The Ghuls are similar to the Houri in many senses, but they use their gifts to leech off Humanity. They use all their resources to destroy the Houri who hound them at every turn protecting Humanity.”
I had a thousand questions but the one I asked was one I did not expect.
“Is your name really Jeanie?”
“No,” she answered. “You will know my name in due time. Once you do know my name, I will be bound to you. A servant who must obey your every command.”
“I can’t imagine you’d want that,” I said.
Jeanie shrugged. “I have served your every whim before in your other incarnations. I look forward to serving your will once more. But you are not ready yet. Your will is weak and it will lead us to disaster if you command me so soon and so untried.”
“Why am I still alive?” I asked. “A gas explosion in the basement should have killed me instantly.”
“Emma’s ward,” Jeanie said. “J’sella could have unraveled the protection but she was angry as usual and hasty. When she discovers you are still alive, she will take extra precautions to make certain you are dead next time.”
“Next time,” I said to myself overwhelmed by the idea of there being a ‘next time’.
“Why did she take me back from the Primal Plane to here to kill me in the basement? I thought she was doing a fine job of roasting me alive over there.”
“She can only slay you in the Multi-verse. In the Primal Plane you can be harmed and bound to her will, but the risk of your escaping is too much. She hates you because you have bound her before. And while a fair master, you are a demanding one.”
“You make it sound like I deserve her anger,” I said.
“It is not for me to judge,” she shrugged. “I have been a Ghul’s minion in my time. I understand her ire. Any more questions?”
“Hundreds,” I answered. “What is Emma?”
“A Houri like you. A special one with very special skills. Her role is clear and she has embraced it. We have great expectations for your role.”
“And what are these quarter turns and half turns you keep talking about?” I asked wanting to understand more.
“Turns refer to how we phase from one plane to the next. A quarter turn makes us visible but intangible in the Primal Plane, and in the Multi-verse we remain, but mortals will ignore us. At your birthday party we did a quarter turn and we could speak uninterrupted. A half turn is half way between the planes and we disappear in the Multiverse although mortals will not notice. Their minds do all possible to ignore us during the quarter and half turns. A full turn means we abandon fully the Multi-verse and we stand only in the Primal Plane. J’sella took you to the Primal Plane to harm you and then shifted you back a half turn to take you in the basement. Then, to make it appear an accident, she chose to attempt to slay you without her power in the Multi-verse. She wisely prefers to not draw the attention of the Houri.”
I shook my head. Too much information. “What are we going to do now?” I asked.
“I’ll shift you full turn back into the Multi-verse. I can’t teach you how. You will learn when you are ready. Meanwhile I’ll be close by but no one will notice me. There will be time for more questions later.”
“How did it go?” Claudia asked me as Jeanie disappeared.
“Uh...” I saw her concerned face.
“With the officer,” she prompted.
“Yeah, everything is okay. She just had some questions.”
“Tell you what, why don't you come over to my apartment?” Claudia suggested. “You can shower. I have some clothes there and we can rest.”
Jeanie was no where to be seen.
“Okay,” I answered mechanically with a nod.
IX.
I called my folks to let them know about the fire and that I was okay. I called from Claudia’s cell phone. Mine had fried during the fire.
They were glad to hear I was safe and sound and glad I would be staying with Claudia a few days. They were very good friends with Claudia’s parents.
I was still somewhat shell shocked by all that had happened and I did not say much on the way to the apartment.
As soon as we got there, Claudia showed me to a spare room with its own shower and left me there.
I stripped and stepped into the shower and let the hot water clear my head.
What was happening? Just a month past my birthday and my life had changed completely. I was feeling more confident with myself. I felt better than I had ever felt in my entire life.
On the other hand, my apartment had burned to the ground. Most of my personal possessions were gone. I’d been hunted down by some crazy demon from a different dimension for things I did in a past life.
Was it worth it?
“Room for a friend?” Claudia called as she entered the shower naked.
I immediately went erect.
She turned me toward the shower and placed her body on my back. I could feel her nipples on my back. She reached over from behind and grasped my erection with a soapy hand and stroked it firmly and confidently.
Ifreets and Djinns, Houri and Ghuls, past lives and future all disappeared.
Was it worth it?
Hell yes.
X.
I made love with her three times that night.
I tickled where and when I could and I did so with better skill eliciting more and better laughter from her. She enjoyed it and let it blend in well with our lovemaking.
It was Sunday. Not much to do looking for a new apartment and such. We stayed in bed together under satin sheets enjoying our company and talking about nothing and everything and all in between.
Claudia lay at the foot of the bed and teased me with her bare foot trying to tickle my underarms.
“You like tickling,” Claudia said abruptly. It was a simple statement. Not a question. “Really like.”
I gulped feeling a little embarrassed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“I see how you enjoy it, how you get harder when you tickle me. It really turns you on,” she stated based on her simple observations of the obvious.
I drew my fingers up and down her foot and beamed as she squealed and pulled away.
I remained somewhat pensive before answering the obvious. “I guess it does. Does that bother you?”
Claudia shook her head.
“I kind of like it. Losing control,” she said smiling at me. “Being under the will of your fingers as they make me squirm and laugh whether I want to or not. I find it sexy.”
“That is very good to know,” I said. “It kind of sugar coats those kicks you give me when I tickle you.”
“Well,” Claudia whispered sensually. “I’ll have to let you tie me up and tickle me sometime so you can keep me from kicking you.”
I got lightheaded and excited all at once.
“There are some silk scarves in my drawer,” Claudia said pressing her foot through the sheets against my erection. “They’ll do fine if you tied me to the bed posts.”
I was ready to get up and find the silk scarves when a single word uttered broke the mood.
“Skittlequirk!”
Claudia’s eyes glazed over with sleep and her head gently hung to one side as she fell into a deep slumber on her bed.
Jeanie was in the room.
“We need to move on,” Jeanie said businesslike. “You needed a bit of companionship to settle down. Now we need to go back to business.”
“Jeanie,” I pleaded. “I have a beautiful girl asking me to tie her up and tickle her because it turns her on. I’ve never had that before in my life.”
“Never?” Jeanie asked feigning surprise. “Hadrian had that before breakfast most days. You have a great tickling heritage. I’ve seen you tickle. You tickle too hard and bruise or too light and you fall short of full effect. This woman wants you to tickle her and I can’t watch you tickle this woman in an amateurish way.”
“You weren’t supposed to be watching,” I groaned.
“I call on another tickle,” Jeanie said suddenly. “You still owe me one hundred.”
“Can’t I do this one first?” I said gesturing to Claudia.
“That one can wait until you see how well you can do it. In fact, this tickle you’ll pay me you’ve already done,” Jeanie said.
“What do you mean?” I asked confused.
Jeane removed a vial from her pocket.
“This vial exists on both planes,” she said gently rolling the vial between her finger. “In different format perhaps but it is the same. A scientist will tell you this is simple salt water. But it is not. As you drink the contents of this vial you will sleep but you will also dream. You will dream back to a past life and you will live one specific tickle I wish you to live. You cannot change what has happened, so do not resist and no not panic. The past is written and the ink is dry but you will feel you make the decisions because it is in fact you.”
“I don’t understand, but I trust you,” I said taking the vial.
I broke the seal and drank its contents.
“I’ll watch over you as you dream,” Jeanie said.
“Who long does it take to act?” I said sitting in the edge on the bed next to Claudia.
“Sweet dreams, Hadrian Constantinius,” she said smiling.
Everything went instantly black like a switch turning off a light.
XI.
I awoke in a large tent with two warm bodies upon me. We lay on some soft bedding on the ground.
I was naked and so were they.
They slept soundly and I slipped my way out from under them without disturbing their slumber. I saw their vulnerable bare soles and was tempted to tickle them know how ticklish they both were, but I refrained.
I enjoyed my first morning moments alone. Even as a centurion I rose before my comrades to contemplate the next day before the break of dawn.
The slaves were beautiful. One was a Gaul and the other Egyptian. I knew they were my personal slaves and they attended to my every need that my man servant Caelius could not.
“Caelius!” I called out.
A short balding man rushed in bearing cool water in a pitcher and a clean towel. My clothes were lain out. My sandals were brushed and all was in order.
I washed and dressed and strapped a short sword in its scabbard to my belt.
I sat outside and I broke fast on hard bread and sweet dates. I was in North Africa in a vast desert. I knew where as Hadrian knew where, but I could not say exactly in what country. The morning air was still cool and I could breakfast in peace.
As I did my thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of one of my scouts who I had sent out the day before.
“Vandals, my lord!” he shouted as he arrived. “Maybe fifty of them.”
“By Vandals you mean...” I prompted. He was of the Houri. He knew the difference between simple Vandals and things of the Primal Plane.
“Ghuls, my lord. Three or four strong Ghuls, plus the men on horseback,” he reported. “If we broke camp immediately mayhap we could hide in the caves.”
I frowned at the idea.
I was Grand Master of the Houri. I would not run like a rat from the Vandals or the Romans or the Ghuls.
“How much time do we have?” I asked calmly.
“An hour at most, my lord,” he answered. “They suspect something and they move with purpose.”
“Prepare the camp. I want everyone armed and ready,” I commanded. “I’ll be away, but I’ll return before the Vandals arrive.”
I returned to my tent and my slaves vacated the room immediately. They knew I needed privacy.
I opened a chest and pulled out a long necked bottle with a cap.
The cap was sealed with wax and words of power were written on the cap.
They were unfamiliar to me, Ray Butler, but to Hadrian Constantinius they had real meaning.
Warding, protection, confinement.
The bottle was black decorated with gold and embedded with rubies.
I had commissioned its manufacture by a Houri craftsman in Damascus years ago.
I stared at a single ruby in particular.
At first nothing happened, but then my vision began to blur and as it did I phased and when my vision cleared I was in a very special place.
XII.
I could hear and see the ocean outside but I knew there was no sea here. This place was made in the form of a Roman villa but I knew it only existed within the confines of the bottle. It was always twilight here. Not dark, not bright. Always the same. I thought that might have a calming effect on the only resident of this fabricated world.
I was wrong.
“J’sella,” I called.
“Houri swine,” she greeted venomously. She wore a while gown and had her curly blonde hair tied behind her head. She was stunning as usual. Her tattoos were dark and covered her skin and face.
“It is quite pleasant here,” I said looking around. “I should spend more time here.”
“An ivory prison is a prison nonetheless,” she said her jaw clenched tightly.
“Well, so it is,” I said coolly. “I need your help.”
“You want my powers or you want my knowledge?” she asked. Both would not be given easily.
“Powers,” I said.
“I could offer you my body,” she said deftly opening the fasteners to her gown revealing her beautiful body. She was not tall but her body was voluptuous. Her breasts were round and firm and her small pink nipples pointed towards me as if they invited me to draw closer. Her small feet were bare and they were a perfect crowning touch to an already perfect body. She stepped out of the gown and was certain to keep her feet clear in sight. She knew I fancied them.
“And I would have to decline,” I said my blood racing despite my efforts to remain calm. “I might be persuaded to release you from this place and I could not do that.”
“You will, Houri dog,” she vowed. “Then I will wreck havoc on you and your future incarnations.”
“That is a risk I am prepared to take,” I said. “You can give me your powers willingly, you know.”
“I could,” she replied.
“But you won’t,” I concluded.
“I will resist you,” she vowed.
“You are like a little girl here,” I said. “Your powers do not work here. I can change anything I want here with a whim. Resistance is simply a formality. You cannot win.”
“Then do what you must,” she said. “I am prepared to resist with every fiber of my will.”
“I sincerely hope you do,” I said. “I enjoy watching your will break.”
She sneered at me while I imagined a fine wooden table with stocks set at the top and bottom.
The table came into existence. The wood was smooth and polished like no rack in any dungeon in the world. I just had to imagine it and it became so. This world was affected by my imagination.
I imagined J’sella on the table secured in stocks and wearing her gown once more and it instantly became so.
I would not be seduced by J’sella. A single slip would mean a moment of bliss followed by perhaps centuries of servitude. An Ifreet is much crueler master than I. Her anger coupled with her imagination would make life long and miserable for me.
She pulled on the restraints just to test them. She knew they would be tight and she would not be able to escape.
“Comfortable?” I asked sincerely.
“Do not stall, Houri dog,” she sneered.
I took her big toe between my fingers and she gasped gently.
“Come now. You enjoy this, don’t you?” I teased.
“I hate you. I despise you.”
“Smile for me,” I knew her body well and I chose to start with her bare feet. They were pretty feet. They were small with short and round toes. They were terribly ticklish but she could resist.
For a time.
I released the big toe and placed my index and middle finger on her sole just below the ball of her foot. J’sella involuntarily released another sexy gasp.
It was unusual for me, Ray Butler, because when offered the opportunity to tickle I’d just dive in and get while the getting was good. No strategy, no real teasing. Just getting there any way possible.
What I was doing now as Hadrian Constantinius was the work of a master tickler. I admired my former self for his self control and skill.
I began to turn those two fingers ever so slowly into the sole of the foot. J’sella’s face twisted with anger and frustration as she did her best to contain her reactions. The foot twitched but nothing happened.
“I hate you Hadrian Constantinius! I’ll despise you for all eternity!” she grunted her breath short as she futilely resisted.
I smiled. I loved her angry. While my modern 21st century self was terrified of J’sella, my past self was comfortable enjoying the anger of the Ifreet. He might as well have been basking in the sun.
I twisted the fingers for half turns getting some twitching and some muffled reactions.
Her face was twisted with anger and hatred and the moment approached which Hadrian Constantinius lived for. He began to stroke the sole lightly with the tips of his fingers in a studied and timed motion. That was already too much for her. She could not resist any more and her foot squirmed wildly and her angry face instantly faded away.
Her face transformed from one of ultimate hatred to one of sweet laughter. The change was magical.
This was what I cherished most of having J’sella as my servant. This moment when despite all her will to hate, she laughed tenderly. He face was beautiful and sweet. So very unlike the angry face she usually showed.
“Will you grant me leave of your power, J’sella?” I asked knowing full well she would refuse.
“Never!” she shouted between bouts of laughter. “I hate you! I --”
I tickled up her calves and to her knees and the jumped to her torso. She laughed in a frantic frenzy and her body twisted and pulled in all directions. The tickling was calculated and teasing at the same time. Never too much, but never so little as to offer her respite. I knew her best spots well. I tickled her underarms and her neck and her breasts through the fabric. All was ticklish. The way Hadrian Constantinius tickled was perfect. I was for this brief moment a master. It was a touchstone for which I could compare all my future tickling.
I, as Contantinius, would normally spend perhaps hours tickling J’sella. But today I was pressed for time.
After all, the Vandals were coming.
I cut to the chase, but even that was technical and calculated.
I raised her gown revealing her creamy thighs and her sex. She was wet and moist and inviting, but I would not be distracted.
J’sella was most ticklish right between her thighs. It did not take a master tickler to discover this. But hitting that point just right required the touch of a master.
I no longer teased. I took my two index fingers and placed them on each thigh just short of her sex. It touched and I gently moved the fingers in a practiced motion guaranteed to maximize her response.
She screamed and shook violently on the rack. She laughed and screamed and shook. It did not take much to undo her. She was sweating profusely and her eyes darted back and forth in a desperate manner as she laughed more than her body could ever channel.
“I surrender!” she shouted. “Stop this torture!”
“Will you serve?” I asked not removing my fingers.
“I will, I will!” she shouted. “Ask and my magic is yours. Ask and my knowledge is yours. Ask and my body is yours!”
“Very well,” I said stopping. She stopping laughing instantly. Her word was guarantee enough. All members of the Primal Plane and the Houri and the Ghuls are bound by their word.
She lay there on the table spent. The restraints disappeared, but she remained there on the table unable to move. She moaned gently.
I kissed her on her forehead and I left her. I felt strange and I wondered if Hadrian Constantinius felt the same. A strange sort of affection towards a raging force of hatred and chaos.
But as soon as I felt it, it was gone.
The Vandals were coming.
The Ghuls were coming.
XIII.
I returned to camp.
It was like waking from a dream.
The Vandals were coming.
“My lord, they arrive.” Caelis said urgently.
And indeed they were arriving. They were mounted and rushing our position.
I could feel the Ghuls. They were four. The rest were mortals. Simple minded barbarians. No match for a Houri Grand Master.
I held the Ifreet bottle in my hand and caressed it gently as a reassuring gesture.
“J’sella, give me your power,” I whispered.
J’sella had promised. She could not deny me.
I did a half turn into the Primal Plane and I drew upon J’sella’s energy where it was most potent. There was so much vitality in her. So much spark. It was intoxicating. The fire channeled through me and I cut loose with reckless abandon.
The fire cut into the Vandal ranks. Ghul and mortal alike were struck down. The mortals would not see the flames. They see a volley of arrows or spears flying threw the air sending them to their deaths.
The Ghuls would burn however. And only they mattered. Mortal would come and go, but the Ghuls had to be dealt with.
Burn, burn, burn... the words were etched in my mind. J’sella and I were one in a way lovers could never be. Her power and my will were bound together and there would be no resisting my will.
The Ghuls called upon their runes and their amulets of protection. They were no match. I undid their protection as a reflex and as I did they were vulnerable.
I cut through to their cores slaying them in the Multi-verse preventing any escape to the Primal Plane.
They cried out with their last breaths to their masters. Begging for their aid, cursing me as I sent them into oblivion.
I was exhausted.
I stared out on to the battlefield and saw the work I had wrought with J’sella’s magic and my will.
Fifty men dead. A battlefield still burning on the desert sands.
I looked back on the faces of my fellow Houri and the mortals who served me.
They looked on me with awe. But behind that awe was a hidden terror. They feared me. Maybe more than the Ghuls themselves.
We walked out calmly onto the field and inspected the dead. It was not unlike my days as a Centurion. Just as a Centurion we expected to find dying among the dead. Here all were dead.
The war against the Vandals had been lost and Roman Carthage was Roman no more. This minor victory here would certainly not turn the tide for Rome.
But it was a victory for the Houri. And however sweet, it was but a moment. The war against the Ghuls would continue throughout the centuries.
Of that there was no doubt.
“You got them good, my lord,” Caelis said observing the battlefield.
“This time,” I said in a rather gloomy mood. It was not unusually to feel depressed after having been in contact with J’sella’s immense power. “How long will we succeed before we die in a similar manner? You’ve been a Houri longer than I, Caelis. Does it ever end?”
“No, my lord,” he answered in a calm and confident tone. “It does not end.”
“That is what I fear most, my friend,” I said grimly. “To fight in vain.”
XIV.
I awoke next to Claudia on her bed.
Jeanie watched me intently.
“That seemed so real,” I said. I could still feel the sun and the sand on my skin.
“It was real,” Jeanie said. “It was no illusion. It was a real moment in the past.”
“Now what?” I asked.
“I do not want to remove you yet from your normal life,” Jeanie said. “I will slowly collect the tickles you owe me and I will continue to train you. J’sella thinks you dead which is fortunate. I will not present you to the Houri until you are ready to harness J’sella and claim her in servitude once more.”
“I don’t think I could do that,” I said automatically.
“You’ve done it and you will again,” Jeanie stated sternly. “You will lead the Houri and a tame nature will not do. We need you bold or better not all.”
I gulped nervously.
“It is no threat,” Jeanie said. “You will either lead or you will die. Not by my hand but by the hand of one as J’sella or any of the many Ghuls outside who will see their fortunes advanced by sending a reincarnation of Hadrian Constantinius to an early grave. You succeed or you die.”
“That is encouraging,” I said sarcastically.
“It is realistic,” Jeanie said. “In past lives you have trusted my knack for not sugarcoating information. Trust me once again.”
“What do I do now?” I asked my mouth suddenly dry.
“Tickle you woman. Wake her with the words Ave Mekal. Learn to tickle efficiently. When she is exhausted and spent say Renkal Seg. That will send her back to sleep and in a moment she will awaken refreshed without recollection of you having tickled her so you may try again and again until you are satisfied that your skills are growing.”
“I don’t think that she’d appreciate me manipulating her like that,” I said uncomfortable with the idea.
“Ghuls will not hesitate to manipulate mortals. To them, mortals are cattle. Claudia’s attracted to you because you are Houri. She wants to be tickled by you. One day you will claim her as your mate and she will entertain your every ticklish whim. We manipulate as much as the Ghuls but our intentions are different.”
“Hadrian had two ticklish slaves,” I said. “I don’t think they appreciated being slaves.”
“Hadrian had slaves and they were with him against their will. But he treated them better than most men will treat their wives and if allowed to leave, they would have chosen not to.”
“It’s a lot to swallow at once,” I said feeling overwhelmed.
“It is. But you need to learn fast, Ray,” she said in a more soothing tone. “You need to be able to turn the will of an Ifreet, to be able to extract information from a Ghul and you need to conquer the heart of your mate. Tickling is the key to all of that.”
I nodded.
“I am leaving,” Jeanie said. “I will consult with other Houri on the matter. You should be safe for the time being. You will feel tempted to enter the Primal Plane. It is your nature. Avoid it. The Ghuls will still see you as a mortal for now. However, the more time you spend in the Primal Plane, the more you will be marked as a Houri until the moment comes when you will be impossible to hide. If something should happen, go to Emma. She can help you.”
“Am I doing okay?” I asked. “I mean, are we progressing as we should?”
Jeanie smiled. “You’re still alive and in one piece, aren’t you?”
XIII.
“Ave Mekal,” I said.
Claudia awoke with the word and she looked at me tenderly yet teasingly.
“Are you going to tickle me or what?” she asked as if nothing had happened.
I smiled and realized how much I loved her. I also felt guilty in my gut that I was keeping all this from her.
“Well?” she asked.
“Let’s do it!” I said smiling.
I went for the scarves and I went about tying Claudia to the bed posts.
I was strangely less exciting than I expected. I was more focused on my tickling plan and its execution.
I shook my head. Above all this should be fun, I realized. I nodded to myself and resolved to enjoy the moment as much as I could.
“Are you ticklish?” I asked once I had her tied tightly to the bed posts.
She smiled. “Of course I am,” she said. “That’s why I’m all tied up here, isn’t it?”
“Just answer the question,” I said in mock interrogation.
“Well, I think so,” she answered and she laughed. “I KNOW so. I’m very ticklish.”
“Where?” I asked.
“My feet,” she answered thinking about it a moment. “My ribs, my underarms, my neck, my belly. All the normal ticklish spots.”
“We’ll have to check those spots then,” I said seriously. “And then we’ll see if you’ve missed any spots.”
I took her left foot. I thought to copy Hadrian’s technique, and I decided against it.
We might be the same person spread across the century, but I was Ray and this was my woman and I’d tickle her the way I felt was right.
I began to nibble on her toes.
“No, Ray, not with your mouth,” she protested as she dissolved into giggling and giddy laughter.
I sucked on her toes and she found that quite pleasurable. As she moaned with pleasure, I was lost in whirlwind of excitement. Her toes in my mouth were delicious to all my senses. My tongue explored between her toes and around as I gave attention to each and every digit.
I switched feet and Claudia curled her toes in expectation. I explored the new toes with equal gusto switching between sucking and nibbling, causing moans and laughter at will.
I finally pulled her toes back exposing her sole.
Claudia knew what was coming.
“No, Ray. Come on, don’t do that...” she begged.
I could have attacked with my fingers but I decided against it. I nibbled her soles and she went wild. I had to hold her foot tight to prevent her from moving it and I grazed her sole with my teeth from under the toes to the back of her heel.
She laughed and screamed as I nibbled away.
I kissed passed her ankle and made my way up her shin to her knee taking care to stroke her calves and the back of her knees which to my delight were also excruciatingly ticklish. I marveled as he knee locked tight in a futile attempt to lessen the ticklish feeling.
I looked up at her sex and her lips were moist and excited.
I resisted the temptation of approaching and I continued up her thigh to her hip. The kissing made her giggle, but the nibbling made her scream.
“Ray, Ray, Ray,” she said panting. I loved hearing her say my name.
I nibbled and bit at her sides and she went wild. The thrashing was marvelous and the laughter intoxicated me. Her belly button was round and pretty and I dug in kissing and inserting my tongue swirling around. The playful, yet effective tickling had her laughing despite herself.
“I think you grossly underestimated you ticklish spots, Claudia,” I said seriously.
“I think you are absolutely right, Ray,” she said breathing heavily her senses overwhelmed. “Right as rain.”
“We can stop if it is too much,” I offered. I cringed at the thought of what Jeanie would say, but I really loved Claudia and I could not live with myself if I pushed her too far.
“I’m okay,” she said gathering herself for a second round. “Anyhow we need to know where all those ticklish spots are.”
“All for the sake of science,” I said chuckling.
“All for the sake of thoroughness,” she added.
I started sucking on her nipples and she responded in again with gently and soothing moaning.
As she relaxed, I struck at her armpits with my fingers. It started lightly and she laughed gently . As we kissed I tickled harder and her kisses melted into a smile before it faded into laughter.
I nibbled her ears and neck and she went wild. I kept at it a few minutes so there would be no doubt about their ticklishness.
I stopped finally and she relaxed.
“That was thorough,” she said.
“Not quite,” I said moving down her torso.
“No, Ray! Please, not there,” she pleaded as I approached her inner thighs.
I kissed her inner thighs and she began to protest despite my not having started to tickle her. I reached below with my hands and placed my fingers in between her buttocks cheeks. Her buttocks went tight and hard and she screamed so loud I was certain a neighbor must have heard. She laughed madly and with no reservation.
“No! No, Ray! Stop!” she shouted as she laughed uncontrollably.
I turned my attention to her inner thighs and tickled as Hadrian Constantinius had on J’sella. Claudia reacted in lesser degree, but she was still extremely ticklish there and her desperately laughter continued.
I then took my fingers and dedicated them to tickling her sex. My fingers danced around her moist lips and I watched her get more wet and more excited. She laughed at the tickling sensations but she was more horny than anything.
“I want you in me,” Claudia said her face flushed, her need great.
Who was I to deny her that? I placed myself over her and I slid into her smoothly and with no resistance.
When we finished, Claudia was spent, I was spent and the world seemed not to exist. It was just the two of us, on that bed. Together and happy.
Claudia was free of her bondage and she lay in my arms.
I did not use the words Jeanie had taught me. I found it dishonest and unfair.
“I think you know my body better than I do,” Claudia murmured. “I think I’ll have you answer when anyone asks where I am ticklish.”
I smiled. The thing was that I wanted to know more about her. Not just her ticklish spots.
“I need to be the best tickler in the world,” I said in a serious tone. I just sort of blurted it out. “I need to know if you can help me be that.”
“It would be my pleasure,” she replied just as seriously. Her frankness was evident.
”I’ll need to tickle you on a fairly frequent basis,” I mentioned with an eyebrow raised.
“I think I can handle that,” she said smiling. “Any fringe benefits to being your tickle toy?”
I thought for a moment. “Tickling you makes me hard as rock.”
She kissed me.
“I’m at your service, Mr. Butler. We’ll make a master tickler out of you or I’ll die laughing in the attempt,” she said smiling.
I felt good.
It had not been a tickling session on par with Hadrian Constantinius.
But it was a damned good Ray Butler tickling session.
And I was damned proud about it.
XIV.
Life went on.
And it was good.
I went back to classes. I moved in with Claudia.
And true to her word, we worked together to make me a better tickler. And I remained true to my commitment and I continued to get better and better at. I controlled pressure and tempo. I used all my body to tickle and I began to incorporate tools out of ordinary items. Brushes, feathers and all kinds of objects were incorporated into our tickling.
I was growing more and more confident. I felt truly blessed by life.
The thought of the war to come was somewhat daunting. More daunting when I knew I was expected to somehow lead this war against Ghuls. But I stopped worrying.
I decided would live the moment.
Weeks went by and I was alone with my life with Claudia.
Jeanie did not communicate with me.
She was right that I would keep feeling the pull of the Primal Plane. I did. And the pull was alluring and tantalizing.
We had agreed to wait and wait I would. I did not want another bout with J’sella or another creature of that plane of existence.
But eight weeks into my perfect existence, the bout came to me in a way I never anticipated.
It was a calm Saturday and I had agreed to meet Claudia in the park near our apartment for an afternoon picnic.
I arrived early and watched her approach our agreed picnic spot with basket in hand. She had stopped by the apartment and came walking to in my direction. She waved at me and I waved back.
She was crossing the street when a white van rolled up next to her. The door slid open and two men grabbed her and forced her into the van.
I was shocked. In broad daylight this was happening. I ran towards the van, but the van had disappeared.
Impossible!
“Did you see the van? The one that just rode off with my girlfriend?” I asked a man on the corner. He could not have missed it. He was scarce meters away from the abduction.
“I didn’t see any van, young man. Are you unwell?”
Disappeared, disappeared. My mind raced. No one saw.
I stood thinking...
“Quarter turn. The world will try to not see. Half a turn and you’ll phase between worlds,” I repeated the concepts to myself.
Quarter turn! I said to myself focusing.
Focus, focus! I had to focus.
Desperate, the world started to unfocus and I slipped a step into the Primal Plane. I could see the van just it was no longer a van. It was a sort of carriage.
I chased after the carriage. I could feel Claudia inside. I had to stop this from happening. She had nothing to do with all this.
The back doors opened on the carriage and a man long black hair and a long wicked scar on his face smiled at me.
“A gift from the Ghuls, Houri,” he said as he pulled a blue jewel from his vest and threw it in my direction.
The jewel bounced twice on the ground and I could almost catch it.
I decided not to try and catch it and rather I dodged it.
But it didn’t need to touch me to harm me. It just had to get close enough.
All exploded in burst of blue and my world went black.
My last thought before losing consciousness was that I had lost Claudia.
And my life.
To be continued...
Next: “Claudia’s Story”
