Wizard's Collar

I'm adding the first chapter. Hope you'll like it.

Thanks to: GellyBelly, InvidiaRed, Ambivalence, clovermax, Perona, Alann, kirjava01, zemar. Thank you for reviewing!

And of course a big thank you for my beta!

Warnings: language, OC, AU

Now you can read. ;)

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Chapter 1


Elias woke up to unknown surroundings. At least that was his first impression when he came back to awareness. He didn’t even have to open his eyes to know that something was amiss. Not long before he had been tied up, hanging from the ceiling in a dungeon, and now he was lying in a very comfortable bed under soft and warm sheets.

‘What a wonderful dream.’ He didn’t want to wake up. After so long being held in a smelly, rat-filled dungeon cell he felt as if he was in heaven.

‘Maybe I’m dead?’ he wondered. He was so confused and his own curiosity urged him to open his eyes and see for himself where he was. Since he felt his body aching he thought that he wasn’t dead, but if not, then where was he? And how come?

He opened his eyes and had to close them again. The bright sunlight was too much for his eyes. After so long without seeing the sun even half-dim light was too much for him. After a while he opened his eyes again, this time slower so that they had time to adjust, and at last Elias was able to see the room clearly. His eyes widened instantly. He wasn’t in the type of room he was used to staying in. This room was filled with luxury and it looked like it was only a bedroom, but large enough for at least two more king size beds, just like the one he was lying in. The windows were large and the sun shone through the curtains that were blocking most of it from invading the room. If it wasn’t for them Elias would have been blinded by the bright sunlight immediately.

He didn’t have much time to admire his surroundings because something moved just beside him. Elias turned his head to his right and looked into two deep, shining blue eyes. Those eyes were mesmerizing. Never in his life had he seen such a bright and pale blue color at the same time. They were almost creepy, and the light sparks of gold he saw in them weren’t helping a lot to overcome the shock of seeing them the first time. He was so shocked that he wasn’t alone in the room that he tried to sit up fast, but as he tried to move and failed miserably he realized how weak he really was.

“Easy there. You’re still recovering. Just lay there and regain your strength,” said the man with a slight laugh. He was watching Elias intently, lying on his side, and propped up on his arm so he could see better.

“Who are you?” Elias demanded.

“You can call me Thunder.”

The man smiled at Elias. It was a sharp smile that made it clear how dangerous a person he could be if he wanted to. Elias was looking quietly at the man‘s face. He wanted to understand who he had to deal with. He couldn’t afford to trust this man. He was afraid that this was only a set up so that they could gain his trust and force him to betray his friends. He didn’t want to fall for it.

“No more questions?” The man looked a little bit disappointed.

Elias didn’t understand anything anymore. What did this man want with him? Did he really save him or was he some new threat? He was so confused that he started to shake involuntarily. The man that wanted to be called Thunder saw it but didn’t say anything and Elias was grateful for it. He was a man and shouldn’t be reacting like some helpless girl.

‘I won’t know anything if I don’t do anything to change that,’ thought Elias.

Elias started asking questions. “Where am I? What do you want from me? You… who are you? I- Why are you laughing?!” Those were basic questions. He thought that he could start with them since they were the most urgent for him right now, but when Thunder started laughing all of a sudden he became irritated. This man was becoming more and more annoying and Elias really hoped that he would be freed from the presence of this mysterious person who was still laughing wholeheartedly and shaking his head in amazement.

“First you are silent and the next moment you don’t even give me a moment to answer at least one of your questions. You just keep asking more and more of them. Oh, Elias, you’re wonderful!” Thunder chuckled, still visibly amused.

“How… how do you know my name? You… I…” Elias was stunned. That this man knew his true name didn’t bode well for him. Now he should find out what this Thunder wanted and whose orders he was following, but the only thing he could do was sit there and stare at the mysterious and dangerous man.

“So, you want to ask more questions or would you rather have me answer those you already asked?” Thunder raised one eyebrow.

Elias didn’t answer; he was sure his captors hadn’t known his true name. How could it be that this man, a complete stranger, knew it? Did somebody betray him? No, that wasn’t possible. There was no one who would do it, but that meant that this man shouldn’t know anything about him. He had been caught due to his own stupidity and he hoped that the Lord didn’t know who he had captured, but if Thunder knew his name then the Lord might know it as well. If that was true then Elias’ trouble went from serious to unbelievably serious.

“Silent at last? Then let us make your situation clear here, shall we? First, I‘m not “you”, I’m Thunder. Second, you are in the same keep that you were brought to and held prisoner in, but this is my chamber, at least for the time of your recovery. Then we will move out of here. I don’t really like the owner of this keep. He isn’t home at the moment and I’m quite glad he won’t be returning within the week. We will have some peace and quiet.” Thunder stretched his body on the bed and then continued, “What I want from you… That’s a bit complicated. I can’t explain it properly. You will have to find out on your own, but I know you will manage. You’re good at it,” he winked at Elias.

Elias froze. ‘How much does he know?!’

“What do you mean? Who are you?! Tell it to me straight, what do you want from me?!” Elias nearly shouted. He wanted desperately for his voice to be stronger and steadier, but after all the torment he had gone through it was impossible.

This time after Elias’ outburst, Thunder didn’t have that gentle smile on his face anymore. His features were hard and serious. Elias knew he was in really deep trouble. After the harsh treatment he had received, awaking in a warm and comfortable bed had lowered his defenses. He knew that he was more vulnerable now and he hated to feel so weak, but fear overtook him.

“Don’t be scared Elias. I won’t hurt you. You must believe me,” said the other man gently before standing up from the bed. He started pacing the room and after visibly making up his mind he spoke again, “I’m a wizard, Elias.”

That confession surprised Elias although it explained the knowledge Thunder had showed to him during their brief talk. Wizards knew more than normal people. He didn’t know how they did it, but some of them could tell you things about yourself that you didn’t suspect anybody could know. It was said that the more powerful the wizard the more he knew about a person after just speaking with said person a short while. It didn’t explain what he was doing here and why, though. Especially why he had helped Elias out of that dungeon.

“And why did you help me? If you helped me that is…” asked Elias. He couldn’t help himself. He didn’t really believe that he was out of danger. It was too good to be true. ‘There must be a catch.’

“You ask why…” Thunder stopped abruptly and looked straight into Elias’ eyes. Eyes deep and clear as crystal bore into his soul, his very core of existence, as Thunder spoke softly, “I want you Elias… and you are mine.” His voice clearly didn’t leave any room to argue.

“Wha… what do you mean, you twisted wizard?!” Elias became agitated. He knew wizards. It was always hard to deal with them for some unknown reason, although Elias could say that he had learned enough about them to have decent conversations with them. Even so, he couldn’t help feeling awkward speaking to some of them. Thunder was a category unto himself, Elias observed. He didn’t know how he knew, but somehow this mage was different from all the others he had met.

Elias was still waiting for Thunder to clarify his previous words, but Thunder didn’t answer his question. At least not with words. He only eyed Elias and the young man followed the mage‘s gaze by looking down. It seemed like Thunder was looking at Elias’ neck, so the young man touched it. His fingers found something thin, and by the feel of it, elegant as well. Elias knew what that was, a silver collar. His eyes grew impossibly wide and he paled. He knew what that meant. He had seen people wearing collars and he was damn sure he didn’t want to be one of them. He searched for a clasp to take the thing off, but it became clear that it had no opening. It was impossible. The collar was too narrow to be put on or taken off without opening it. Elias wondered how Thunder had put it on him. Over his head was impossible, so how?

He was beginning to feel desperate and a little bit panicked, too. Tugging on the thing was futile as well. The silver was firmer than he thought it should be. He at least should be able to deform it, even if just a little, but no matter how much strength he used nothing happened. Was he really that weak? He couldn’t do anything to get rid of the damn collar by himself and he didn’t like that one bit.

“Take this thing off! Do you hear me, you fucker! Take this collar off!” he screamed, still yanking the horrid thing. Elias glared at the mage, who was standing calmly and looking at him, his eyes unreadable just like his face.

“The only way to take this collar off now that it is already there is to cut your head off. Do you want to lose your head, Elias?” asked Thunder quietly, still looking at the young man with serious eyes.

“I want this damn thing off! I don’t care how you do it, just TAKE IT OFF!” Elias glared at the mage, whose expression didn’t change. The only difference was that now Thunder was looking him straight in the eyes.

“Not even I can take this collar off,” the wizard said, his voice firm and sounding final.

Elias froze, his hands still on the offending piece of twisted jewelry. His mind processed what Thunder told him, but his brain was still a bit foggy from the way he was recently tortured and he started to panic. There was just no way he would have a collar on his neck and be somebody’s slave. He refused.

“But you were the one who put it on me!” he tried, hoping with all his heart that Thunder could take the collar off. His mind still hadn’t acknowledged the mage‘s previous statements. He refused to acknowledge them. If he did, they would become final and mean that he was stuck as a wizard‘s pet.

“Yes,” Thunder answered shortly and waited expectantly for Elias’ next words.

“Then take it off!” Elias demanded, boiling with fury inside. “I don’t want to be your pet! I’m a human, not a thing! I won’t be your slave!” He glared at Thunder as if waiting for the other to say no. He didn’t know what he would do if the wizard refused him this time, but he had spent too much time with the collar on as it was. He wouldn’t tolerate it even a minute longer.

“I didn’t put the collar on your neck to make you my property, nor did I put it there to make you my slave,” said Thunder calmly. His tone reminded Elias of a patient parent explaining something to a very slow child.

Elias snorted. He wasn’t so stupid as to believe in the wizard‘s words. He knew exactly what the collar was for. Every single person he saw in these damn things was stripped of pride, dignity and even humanity, reduced to being a mage‘s pet without any right to complain or defend themselves. He always felt sorry for those men and women who were captured by wizards. He knew that the collar meant the end of everything for everybody who was stuck with it. Those people‘s lives were never the way they were before. Elias had never thought that he would be one of them.

He recalled his meetings with wizards that had pets and those that didn’t. Every time he met with the first sort he had visible evidence of how powerful and cruel those sorcerers were. It was all clear when you looked at the people who mostly crawled or sat at the mage‘s feet, naked or almost naked. He never heard them speak, and if they did then only incoherent sounds escaped their lips. It was rare to see one that could speak at all. Not every one of them was treated that badly, but every one of them was treated like they were subhuman and were forced to do everything for the mage‘s pleasure. The more twisted the mage was the worse his pet‘s fate was, that was clear.

Elias thought about those people often after those meetings. They were beyond anybody’s help. How long could they take their fates before they broke completely? Or were they broken already and didn’t care anymore? He couldn’t understand why they hadn’t killed themselves. Death was much better than living such worthless, humiliating lives. Elias had been sure that he would kill himself if he ended up with a collar on his neck. Right now his worst nightmare had come true, and here he was with a collar. Shockingly, he wasn’t thinking about killing himself, but about escaping, and prior to that taking the collar off.

The other kinds of mages, those that didn’t have a pet, were even more scary to meet with. It was always a possibility that the mage would pick you to become a pet. Many people avoided any kind of encounter with wizards without pets. It was simply too dangerous, the risk that the mage would choose you was too high and only a few were willing to take it, Elias included. He never feared those meetings, well not as much as the others he knew.

Some of his friends called it brave stupidity. Elias knew that some wizards wouldn’t ever pick out a pet. They despised those that made animals out of people. Elias thought of them as the true mages and respected them. For those that had a collared pet he felt only scorn, but he had to meet with both kinds of wizards. In his line of work it was unavoidable and often necessary.

Scorn was only one of the many emotions Elias felt right now. He was boiling with rage and hate directed towards the mage present in the room. That wizard put a collar on him, made him one of those poor creatures Elias pitied so much. He was sure either Thunder would release him or he would kill himself. Remaining in this collar was not an option and never would be.

“Take. This. Off,” said Elias very softly, emphasizing every word and pointing at the collar. He felt his body start to shake from unleashed fury and he couldn’t do anything about it. He needed to stay calm and keep his head clear if he wanted to achieve his goal. He looked at Thunder with as much venom and sternness in his eyes as he could muster and waited for the other‘s response. If Thunder denied him his freedom then Elias was positive he would kill himself before the mage had the time to make his life miserable. There was no way Thunder was a good guy since he had taken a ‘pet’. He was as twisted as the others.

“No.” Thunder’s answer was soft as well although it lacked emotion. He didn’t avert his eyes from Elias’ as he spoke again, “And you’re not allowed to take your own life.”

This time his voice lost the softness and became sharper than Elias would have given the mage credit for. It was more like a command then anything else. When Thunder said those words, Elias felt something funny happen within him. That one sentence affected his whole being more strongly than anything ever had before. Finality was noticeable in Thunder‘s voice. Elias felt with a strength that scared him that there was no room for disobedience or insolence. He felt a weird obligation to obey Thunder‘s command and that was just not possible. There was just no way he would actually do as he was told to do, especially not when the one commanding him was a twisted wizard. So why did he feel like doing just what Thunder said?

“What have you done…?” Elias asked, his voice dull, feeling strangely numb inside. He looked at the mage and noticed that Thunder was perfectly calm. That sight set Elias off and he snapped out of his bizarre state.

“I gave you some instructions that you will follow. From now on it will be impossible for you to kill yourself and you will find it impossible to ask anybody else to kill you. I need you alive Elias, don’t try anything,” said Thunder.

Elias didn’t know what to think. He couldn’t believe that only with Thunder’s order he wouldn’t be able to do anything to himself. The mage couldn’t have such power over him, right? Elias really hopped that wasn’t possible, but if it was true then that would explain why all those poor humans claimed as ‘pets’ didn’t do anything about it. If they weren’t allowed to die then they couldn’t escape their fate. He really hoped he was wrong, but unfortunately he was rarely wrong when it came to using his brain and making assumptions. ‘I have never wanted to be wrong in my whole life like I want to be wrong right now.’

“Why?” he choked out. He didn’t want this. Elias wished for this whole situation to be just a bad dream. That he never had been captured, that he hadn’t been tortured and that he had never met Thunder. He wanted to get away from here, but in this state he doubted that he would make it even to the door. Elias wanted to know why the mage had put a collar on him and it seemed that Thunder knew exactly what Elias wanted to know.

“I have good reasons,” he stated.

Before Thunder could say anything more, Elias shouted with all of his lung power, “THEN TELL ME WHAT THOSE REASONS ARE, WIZARD!”

Thunder winced from the force of it, and then he tried reasoning. “Calm down and hear me out.”

“Calm down? CALM DOWN?! DON’T YOU THINK I HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE SHOUTING?!“ Elias was upset. He had never been this upset in his entire life. Screaming was a good way of showing it so he yelled, “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO O-“He cut off abruptly when he heard Thunder’s quiet but stern command.

“Silence.”

That one little word was all it took to make Elias shut up. He found himself unable to speak in the exact moment that Thunder gave him the order. Elias’ eyes widened in disbelief as he tried to say something, anything, and failed. Apparently Thunder was controlling him even more than Elias had thought the mage would be able to. Now he really understood the whole tragedy behind becoming a mage‘s ‘pet’ and he once more wished he had never found out.

“You’ll be able to speak as soon as you calm down,” Thunder said. He regarded Elias for awhile, waiting for any kind of response or new outburst. When nothing came he continued, “I don’t want a doll without his own mind, so don’t worry so much, but if you really want to know why I collared you, you have to give me a chance to explain. I can’t do it if you interrupt me constantly.”

Thunder waited a moment longer and when Elias didn’t say anything he smiled. Not that Elias understood why. The mage controlled his voice anyway. Even if he wanted to speak he couldn’t, could he? Something wasn’t right here, but before Elias could try out his theory the wizard started to speak.

“First, I wouldn’t have had a chance to get you out of that dungeon and out of this place if the people here suspected that I wanted to help you,” Thunder confessed.

Elias snorted upon hearing those words, but he didn’t comment. He thought that if he had tried then he could have spoken, but didn’t want to anger the mage more so he remained silent.

Thunder continued, “I know, just like everyone living here, what those other mages are doing to the collared ones, so it won’t be that hard to convince Lord Mayfield to abandon all claims he thinks he has on you. Now you’re mine even if you don’t appreciate it yet.” He smiled slightly upon seeing the dark look Elias sent his way, and then continued. “The Lord here was sure that if his men couldn’t make you speak then I would and then tell him everything he wanted to know,” the wizard shook his head with a half disgusted, half amused look visible on his face. “What idiots. I would have gotten you out of that cell even without their approval. It would have been a lot harder, but I wouldn’t have relented. I need you Elias. You are very important to me.” With that last statement he ended his little speech and pinned Elias with his heated gaze.

“Why’s that?” Elias couldn’t stop himself from asking. Thunder‘s gaze unnerved him but he let it slide for now. He didn’t believe the mage‘s words. There was just no way that Thunder wanted to help him.

‘You don’t save a person by putting a damn collar on him. You’re a very skilled sweet talker, but I’m not that dumb, wizard,’ Elias thought grimly. Even so he was still curious and waited for the answer.

“You ask why… you see… the collared ones have their purpose for the mages. Those idiots here have apparently forgotten that people wearing collars are to be respected and treasured because of their value to the mage who has collared them. It’s infuriating to see those poor victims of human stupidity and ignorance being manhandled like they are. You must believe me that I’m not like them and that you are the most precious and the most treasured man in whole world.”

“What do you mean? You still aren’t making any sense.” Upon seeing Thunder’s annoyed look thrown in his direction, Elias settled down and didn’t speak anymore.

“You’ll see for yourself soon enough. You must understand that you are not a ‘pet’ to me. You are far more.”

‘Bullshit,’ thought Elias but remind silent. He just stared at the mage, thinking how twisted and how much of a hypocrite the other man was. He wanted clarification, a very detailed explanation, but it seemed that Thunder wasn’t eager to give him that.

“I know you don’t believe me, but you will eventually and you will be quite pleased to be mine, Elias.”

Elias stared hard at the mage. ‘So he wants me to trust him? By putting a collar on my neck? Without explaining anything to me?’

“In your dreams wizard,” he hissed out.

Thunder chuckled. “We’ll see, Elias. But… I wouldn’t bet on it if I were you because you’d lose the bet. Now sleep. You need your rest. I need you to recover as soon as possible. We must leave this place before Lord Mayfield returns. I’ll leave you now.”

Elias heard the other man open the door and leave the room. He was so tired and his eyelids were closing of their own volition. They hadn’t talked for long, but the conversation had been so intense that it had drained all of Elias’ strength. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to move, he wasn’t even able to make his eyes stay open.

Before sleep overtook him he wondered, ‘Did Thunder order my body to go all weak and drowsy on me? Did he order me to sleep? What a liar he is. I won’t be fooled. I won’t.’

With those dark thoughts Elias succumbed into a dreamless sleep.

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Note: This is the first chapter. Next time you’ll learn more about Thunder and his motivation. This story will have sexual scenes somewhere in the far future. I’m not going to rush things for them. Although Thunder could easily take Elias, that would only end in disaster and more mistrust and Thunder needs Elias to trust him! That’s very important. You’ll find out why later on. Hope you liked it until now. XD Tell me what you think, please! ;)