“Magic Marks II”
A continuation of @whumping-every-day’s request for branding
Occuldous woke up in the snow, his torso bare against the ice. He shivered, he was so cold, so so cold. But his back burned, worse than any whipping he’d ever gotten. There was a line of agony all the way down his spine, like when Master had used something caustic to make his horns flat on the tip.
He sat up slowly, little breathy gasps escaping his open mouth. There was the whipping post, and the glowing coals of a smothered fire. He went still and reached around to gingerly feel the edges of the burns. He gritted his teeth with a whine as he felt out the 6 evenly spaced characters that ran down his spine. They were runes but he couldn’t tell what they meant, he’d never learned to do runic magic.
But Noni did. She could help him, she always helped him. He started to get up, his head swimming with pain and cold and burning all at once. He took one step before he remembered Master hadn’t said he could leave. Master had left him there, and he couldn’t leave without master’s permission. He sat back down quick and shivered. He wrapped his arms around his bare chest and hunched his back, letting out a sharp scream when that movement set all the brand alight with pain.
“Oh shut up!” Master snapped, coming out of the house door to his left.
Against his will, Occuldous’ jaw snapped shut, crushing his tongue between his sharp teeth, his mouth filling with the coppery taste of blood. Occuldous’ eyes bulged in terror. What had happened? His cry of pain died in his throat.
Master looked back towards the house, “It works!” He laughed and leaned over Occuldous, spilling some beer onto the snow from the bottle in his hand. “Stop breathing.” He ordered.
Occuldous’ throat felt like a hand was crushing it slowly, cutting off his air supply. He clawed desperately at his throat, unable to open his mouth to scream, his eyes bulging in terror, tears streaming down his face. He tried to draw in another breath through his clenched teeth, only managing to suck in blood. He needed air, he needed to cough. His vision started to go black near the edges.
“Peter! Stop screwing with the Magi. The runes are for necessity only, they’re not for you to get your jollies off.” Master’s brother snapped his fingers and Occuldous’ throat and jaw were released.
He gasped desperately and coughed, blood and drool dripping from his mouth onto the snow. He shook from head to toe. This was what the runes did? They made him into a living puppet? Terror raced through him, causing his heart to pound. What would Master do to him now?
( @haro-whumps @0idril0 @imagination1reality0 @castielamigos )
