Summoner 19, page 24
part #19 of Summoner Series
We scooped up Lahrra and Nicolis and then made our way out of the nursery and back down the stairs. We walked down the corridor and into the living room, which had become a centralized location for us to chat and relax.
“Hold her for a moment,” Nia said as she passed Nessa over to me and then stepped over to the fireplace. Seconds later, a strong fire smoldered within, and the room’s temperature became nice and toasty.
We all settled into the plush sofas that surrounded the room, and as we sat there with the babies, I could feel the tension rise. I knew they were all ready to hear about Carth and the Shadowscape, but none of the women wanted to be the one to start the conversation.
The babies cooed and gurgled, and as my wives and girlfriends held them close, I cleared my throat.
“I know you’re all ready to hear what happened,” I finally said. “There’s no sense in tiptoeing around it anymore, so I can tell the story if you’d like. Or we can wait a little longer, if that’s preferable.”
“We didn’t want to press the subject if you weren’t ready,” Arwyn replied, and the brilliant light of the fire made her amber eyes appear golden.
“I appreciate that,” I thanked the healer. “But I’m okay to discuss it, and there’s no point in putting it off any longer.”
I took another breath and then launched into the thrilling tale. For the most part, my women remained silent, but when I told them all about my encounter and battle with Crystyn, their eyes collectively widened.
“You battled a Guardian?” Erin gasped, and her excited tone made Olivir jerk his head up.
“Yeah,” I admitted as I rubbed at the back of my neck. “It was the only way to gain her trust.”
“Well, I sure hope you got it, then,” Cyra remarked as she shook her curly-haired head back and forth.
“I did,” I assured the chocolate-skinned summoner.
“So, what happened next?” Freya prompted me.
I continued the story, and once I revealed what Crystyn had told me about my parents, Carth, and the Guardians, the room grew increasingly silent. It was so quiet that I almost didn’t want to breathe for fear of making a sound.
“The Guardians wanted you dead?” Arwyn clarified quietly.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “They believed Carth’s declaration to be true.”
“And what about you, Gryff?” Nia wondered with a strange look in her blue eyes. “Do you believe it, too?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Carth’s power is that of influence. I don’t know if she told the Guardians I was the Beastmaker because she believed it or because she wanted them to.”
“With a power like that, it’s difficult to know the truth,” Arwyn mused, and the professor’s expression was thoughtful but slightly downtrodden. “No matter, we will face the problem when the time comes, should it come.”
“Thank you, Arwyn,” I said to the red-haired healer in a grateful tone. I wasn’t ready to analyze the subject, and there was still so much to discuss.
Once my women got the hint that I was ready to move on, I did just that and told them all about the final battle and capture of the horned Archon. Their awed expressions resumed as I recounted every monster, every scenario, and the final standoff between me and Carth, and once I concluded, my women were stunned.
“Holy shit.” Cyra whistled. “Damn, Gryff, you’re quite the badass.”
“Our husband is a mighty warrior,” Freya agreed with the curly-haired summoner. Then the hawk princess peered down at Lahrra and muttered something in the language of the Clans.
“Have you tried to speak with Carth since you captured her?” Arwyn wondered with a twinkle in her amber eyes.
“Not yet.” I shook my head. “I passed out after I caught her, and once I woke up, we teleported back here. There hasn’t been a whole lot of time between the two.”
“I hate to be the one to ask, but now that Carth isn’t running loose, what’s the plan?” Layla wondered.
It was a great question, though one I didn’t have an answer for. Back in the Shadowscape, I’d been prepared to hunt down both Hunnah and Quilla at any costs, but the circumstances were different now. I still had a lot of healing to do, both physically and mentally, and not only that, but I didn’t want to rob my family of my presence so soon after I’d returned. Sure, my children were young and likely wouldn’t remember my absence, but I would always remember.
“I think we need to stay put for a while,” I decided. “I want to get Hunnah and Quilla under my control as well, but I want to do it in a responsible and intelligent way.”
“Whoa, who are you and what have you done with my Gryffie?” Layla snickered, and I resisted the urge to chuck the throw pillow beside me at the petite summoner.
“I think that’s a good idea, Gryff,” Arwyn acknowledged, and the professor gave me an appreciative smile. “
“Carth told me the two of them split off from her, but I’m hoping she might have a clue of their location,” I replied. “Out of all of the Archons, she’s spent the most time with them, and up until recently, they were a part of her plans. We just need to figure out what those plans were.”
Arwyn’s porcelain cheeks suddenly darkened until they were nearly the same shade as her crimson hair.
“I… might have an inkling,” the professor admitted to me.
“Wait, what?” I inquired. “How?”
“We’ve been hard at work since you left, Gryff,” Arwyn explained to me, and she tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. “As we discussed briefly before your mission, we decided to utilize our time and commit ourselves to translating the book you stole from Carth’s palace.”
“Did you… find something?” I wondered.
“Yes.” Arwyn nodded. “We believe we have.”
“Whoa,” I breathed. “Arwyn, that’s great news, right?”
“Well, it’s a double-edged sword,” the professor said. “On the one side, it’s wonderful we were able to decipher anything at all, but on the other…”
“You found something bad, didn’t you?” I realized, and my heart raced inside my chest in anticipation.
“We don’t know for sure,” Arwyn began slowly, and the buxom professor leaned forward. “But if our translation is correct, the Archon alliance’s plans might have been far more sinister than we’d originally thought.”
“More sinister than conquering Mistral?” I frowned at my crimson-haired lover. “Is that even possible?”
“Oh, Gryff, it far exceeds control of only Mistral,” the healer mage revealed. “From the passage we’ve translated, it appears the Archons intend to reverse the enchantment that keeps the human realm and the Shadowscape separated.”
Chapter Twelve
“Reverse the enchantment?” I clarified as a knot gripped the base of my throat. “Meaning, the two dimensions would become one?”
Arwyn nodded as she tucked a stray tendril of crimson hair behind her ear. “That would be our best guess.”
I blinked rapidly as the gravity of the situation weighed down upon my mind. If the Archons successfully brought the human realm and the Shadowscape together, the results would be nothing short of catastrophic.
The only advantage humans had over the monsters in the shadow realm was separation. If the two worlds were combined, the civilians of Mistral would have nothing to protect them from monster attacks. Our military forces would do all they could, but even in its entirety, the army of Mistral couldn’t handle an influx of monsters that great.
I’d thought Phi’s plan to open up a permanent rift had been evil, but she’d only wanted to create a permanent portal, not combine the worlds into one.
This was bad, or at least it had the potential to be if the Archon alliance was successful.
“Shit,” I muttered, and I leaned forward and rested my head into my hands. “Maker, this isn’t good.”
“Before you panic too much, just know we aren’t one hundred percent certain,” Arwyn reminded me in a softened tone. “The glyphs are difficult to read, and it’s written in a language that has been unknown to humans for centuries. For all we know, it could be a mistranslation or a broken cipher.”
“It may be unknown to any living humans, but not the Archons,” I brought up.
“Exactly,” the buxom professor agreed. “We can make guesses, but at the end of the day, they’re only theories. Until the master plan is confirmed by an Archon herself, we’re solely operating on speculation.”
“Now that Carth is under my control, I should be able to interrogate her,” I proposed. “She was the leader, after all, so she would have the answers we need. The sooner I can get the information out from her, the sooner we can track down Hunnah and Quilla.”
“We shall arrange that in a timely manner,” Arwyn decided. “But for now--”
“I don’t know if we have the time to waste, Arwyn,” I interjected. “We finally know what the Archons have been planning--”
“Well, we think we know,” the professor corrected me. “This translation isn’t as clear as we’d prefer it to be.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “If we think we know their plan, we need to get Carth to confirm and then go from there. I have ways to make her speak, I assure you.”
“Damn, Gryff, you can be scary when you want to be,” Layla noted after a short period of silence. “It’s kinda sexy.”
“Gryff, you just got your strength back,” Nia reminded me as she gently placed her hand on my arm. “You aren’t in any position to interrogate Carth or any other Archons. Right now, we need you to focus on your recovery. I understand you want to get this deciphered as quickly as possible, but you told us just a few minutes ago Hunnah and Quilla have little chance on their own without Carth. We have the upper hand in this situation, and I think we need to take advantage of that by letting you rest up.”
“Your mana was depleted so far you nearly died,” Arwyn chimed in. “We cannot risk another situation where your magic gets drained that deeply, especially considering you aren’t healed yet.”
“I’m doing so much better,” I pointed out to the healer mage. “Meridan wouldn’t have released me if she thought otherwise.”
“Gryff, please,” Nia begged me. “I know this is a lot to take in, and I know it changes some of the immediacies of the situation, but Arwyn’s right. She’s a healer after all, and I think we need to heed her caution.”
I turned to the rest of my women. “What do the rest of you think about this?”
My wives and girlfriends all glanced around at each other and again waited for someone to speak.
Ashla readjusted in her seat. “Gryff, I want to know everything as well. I’m sure the others agree. If the Archon alliance wanted to merge the dimensions, we owe it to the people of Mistral to get to the bottom of it. Yet at the same time, Nia and Arwyn make a good point. You’ve been gone for a little while now, and no offense, but you look exhausted. Still extremely sexy, by the way, but definitely exhausted.”
“The more I hear it, the more I believe it,” I groaned. “Here I thought I was making a full recovery.”
“Gryff, you know we all love you,” Erin chimed in. “Which is why we want to prioritize your health above everything. We can’t risk losing you.”
“You won’t,” I assured the orange-haired beauty. “I’m not going anywhere but my own dreamscape.”
“I think speaking with Carth is a good idea,” Freya spoke up, and her gold-flecked brown eyes were soft as they gazed into mine. “But perhaps you could wait a few days, my husband. We aren’t suggesting you take a year to rest, only a short while longer.”
The hawk princess’ words still held a slight accent, but I was impressed by her fluency in Mistral. The shapeshifter had come a long way since she came back with me to Varle, and I admired her dedication to learning our language.
My women eyed me with similar expressions of concern, and the sight made my desire to push forward fade away into nothingness. If my women wanted me to rest, I had to rest.
“You’re all probably right,” I agreed with them. “I’ll take some time to rest up and get my mana and everything back into order. Maker only knows I could use a moment to take care of myself.”
“I think that’s the best possible option, Gryff.” Arwyn nodded as she elegantly crossed her ankles.
“You always take such good care of us, so let us take care of you for once,” Ashla added with a smile.
“I can think of a few ways we can take care of you.” Layla waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Oh, we’ll need to revisit that idea soon,” I agreed with the petite mage.
“All the more incentive to rest up.” Nia winked at me with a suggestive smile of her own. “It’s been a while since we’ve all had some fun with each other.”
“Too long,” I replied. “I’ve definitely missed you all.”
“We’ve missed you, too.” Freya smiled at me. “And your delicious cock.”
My hawk wife’s forwardness was always something I found super sexy, but tonight, as she studied me with her striking eyes, I found her completely irresistible.
“Forgive me for delaying my husbandly duties,” I apologized.
“You’re forgiven.” Cyra smirked. “For the most part. A verbal apology isn’t going to be enough.”
“I like this idea,” Erin agreed with the curly-haired summoner as she absently stroked Olivir’s strawberry-blond hair.
“As do I,” Arwyn giggled, and she bit her lower lip. “But ladies, we need to practice restraint. At least for tonight. Perhaps if we allow Gryff to get some rest, we can regather tomorrow once the children have been put to bed.”
“Yes, please.” I nodded.
The redheaded professor had leaned forward ever-so-slightly, and her black lace-up blouse did little to conceal the swell of her impressively large breasts. My eyes lingered on them for a moment and then rose to meet her amber gaze.
Maker, how had I gotten so lucky?
“On that note, I think we should retire for the evening,” Nia decided as she peered down at Nessa. My ashen-haired daughter was fast asleep in my wife’s arms, and the rest of the children looked like they were soon to follow. “It’s been a long day, and I know that if I’m tired, everyone else must be, too.”
“Good idea,” I agreed with my ashen-haired wife just before a yawn escaped my lips. I was more tired than I wanted to admit, and though I wanted to spend more time with my family, my eyes were getting a little bleary.
“I’ll make us breakfast in the morning,” Cyra declared. “We’re overdue for a nice family meal, and it might be a good way to start our day.”
“That’s a great idea, Cyra.” I smiled back at the curly-haired summoner. “Speaking of mornings, I’m still a little out of it. Don’t laugh at me for asking, but what day of the week is it?”
“Friday, so tomorrow is a Saturday,” Nia answered. “Lucky for you, you came back to us just in time for a nice relaxing weekend.”
“Thank the Maker,” I sighed in relief as I rested my head against the back cushion of the couch.
“Not that I want to remind you of it too soon, Gryff, but starting Monday we’ll have to start preparing you for your exam,” Arwyn reminded me gently.
“Fuck,” I cursed, and my head leaned even further back as I stared up at the ceiling. With all of the excitement lately, I’d completely forgotten about the comprehensive exam I had to take.
My week in the Shadowscape with Carth lasted nine months in the human realm, which had disrupted the back half of my second year and the beginning of my third. Headmaster Sleet gave me the option to take a comprehensive exam that would cover everything I would need to enter my third-year classes but had also proposed allowing me to pass. While I dreaded the idea of studying for such a long exam, I wanted to prove to my professors and the headmaster that my time in the field had given me adequate experience, and I also didn’t want to be the type of man who took handouts. Sleet’s offer was generous, but I wanted to do what I felt was the more honorable thing.
That being said, I was not looking forward to studying.
Of course, one-on-one tutoring with my favorite crimson-haired professor certainly had its perks, and I could use a little extra time with my lover…
“It won’t be too bad,” Arwyn assured me in a tone that hovered somewhere between professorial and concerned girlfriend. “You’ve had more than enough practical experience to pass this exam, and besides, you’re incredibly smart and motivated. I have no doubt you’ll do just fine on the test, Gryff. Plus, you have me to catch you up on everything you’ve missed.”
“Thanks, Arwyn,” I replied, and I sat back up to meet the healer mage’s eyes. “I really appreciate all of the help.
“That’s what I’m here for.” Arwyn smiled at me.
“Ugh, extra studying sounds miserable,” Layla remarked as she wiped a smudge of drool off Daphne’s cheek.
“Yeah, that’s why we’re just gonna make that a Monday problem,” I laughed, and the rest of my lovers joined in.
Once the laughter subsided, we all got up from our seats and headed back up to the nursery. The babies were fast asleep in our arms, which made it that much easier to tuck them into their cribs. As far as behaviors go, I certainly hit the lottery when it came to well-behaved children.
Freya and Cyra decided they were going to hang around for a while, so after we all shared hugs and kisses, we splintered off to retire for the evening.
My bedroom was a welcome sight after my nights in the infirmary, and the moment my door closed behind me, I unfastened my bandolier and stripped out of my clothes. Nia had brought me a fresh set while I was in the infirmary since the garments I’d worn in the battle against Carth had been ripped and worn beyond compare, but it felt nice to stand bare in the comfort of my room.
I lifted the corner of my soft gray comforter and let out a sigh of relief as I climbed into my king-sized bed. The mattresses in the medical ward were comfortable enough, but nothing was better than the feeling of my own plush bed. It cushioned my still-sore body in a caress, and it was nearly enough to immediately put me to sleep.
