Summoner 19, page 26
part #19 of Summoner Series
“That sounds lovely to me,” Arwyn said as she dabbed a napkin at the corner of her mouth..
“Me, too,” Layla chimed in through a mouthful of eggs.
“Sounds good to me as well.” Freya nodded.
“Cyra, Erin, Nia?” I prompted the rest of my women. “What do you think?”
“I’m down,” Erin declared.
“So am I,” Cyra and Nia said at the same time, and the pair of mages cracked up. Their laughter was infectious, and I even found myself chuckling at the two.
Once we’d all finished eating, we filed back into the kitchen and got to work cleaning up after ourselves. Since Freya and Cyra did all of the cooking, they were banished from the room, so the pair decided to head upstairs to ready the children for our walk.
Even though we were scrubbing up dirty dishes, my lovers found a way to make the chores fun, and soon we were laughing and making jokes at each others’ expense as we got the kitchen back to its original state. The task flew by quickly since there were six of us to tidy up, and once the kitchen was sparkling, we all splintered off to grab jackets and shoes.
As I sat on the edge of my bed and laced up my boots, a feeling of comfort washed over me. I was so used to racing to the next task that it felt nice to take a moment to do something so simple and domestic as breakfast and a leisurely walk with my family. We didn’t get moments like this very often, so I had to cherish them when they came.
“Ready, Gryffie?” Layla called out to me as I finished tying my laces.
“I’m ready,” I called back, and when I left the room, I was pleased to see the petite summoner and our daughter out in the hallway.
Layla and Daphne wore matching rosy pink peacoats, and the sight was too cute for words. The pair shared the same button noses, the same enormous hazel eyes, and the same mischievous smiles, so the matching jackets were just another thing that made mother and daughter look like twins.
“Shall we?” Layla smiled at me, and she extended her elbow in my direction.
“We shall.” I looped my arm around it, and then we headed downstairs together.
“I’m happy you’re home,” the auburn-haired mage whispered to me just before we joined the rest of our family.
“I am, too,” I said with absolute certainty, and I couldn’t help but grin.
Life felt nice for once, and I was going to enjoy every moment of it.
Monday came around faster than I’d wanted it to, but I couldn’t just sit around the mansion with my family forever. I was home, and now that the mission to go after Carth was over, I had an academic life to return to.
I rose in the morning at the same time I normally would if I had classes, showered, got dressed, and ate breakfast before I went upstairs and joined Arwyn in her bedroom.
The professor’s space was part library, part bedroom, part study room, with wall-length bookshelves, a fireplace that crackled with nearly white pale embers, and a couple of tables with plush green velvet armchairs to lounge or read in.
I was going to meet with my crimson-haired girlfriend once her history class concluded, but for now, I wanted to get a head start on studying, so I carried my school satchel over to one of the large tables near the fireplace and retrieved my stack of textbooks. I wasn’t entirely sure what all would be on the exam, but truth be told, I hadn’t cracked open one of my textbooks in a long time, and any type of refresher would probably be helpful.
I started with my Monster Identification book, but as I scanned the pictures and statistics of Grade B monsters, my mind began to wander. I turned to the next section of the hefty volume and tried to refocus, but the sight of monsters that were only half as wicked as the ones I’d faced out in the field with the Archons didn’t hold my attention.
I pulled my chair out from the table, stood up, and then began to pace. I gently reminded myself this was my first time studying in nearly a year and that I was likely out of practice, but a voice in the back of my mind had other thoughts.
How could I worry about monsters that didn’t matter when I could instead focus on my mission against the rest of the Archon alliance? The rest of my women were either in class, on their way to class, or up in the nursery, and I had Arwyn’s study all to myself. Private time was rare, so maybe this was the perfect opportunity to try to get a few words out of Carth.
I sat down at one of the sofas and made myself comfortable. I had a feeling Carth was going to fight against my questions, so I wanted to at least put my body at ease. Then I leaned back into the cushion and allowed my mind to go utterly blank. My efforts were likely futile, but I figured going into this with a clear head was the most ideal option.
Once I was relaxed, I closed my eyes and reached deep into my consciousness. Since I became more powerful with each Archon I captured, the wards that sealed the goddesses away were usually so tight that I hardly heard a peep from the monster goddesses unless otherwise prompted, but the moment I reached into my mind, I was met with the sound of screams and snarls.
Let me out! Carth hissed. I demand to be released at once!
“I can’t do that,” I answered her. “You know exactly why.”
If you do not release me this instant--
“What will you do?” I interrupted the Archon. “You can make threats all you want, but you aren’t in control, Carth, I am. You have no hold over me, but I certainly have one over you.”
So, then what do you intend to do with me? the horned goddess spat. Lock me away forever like your Guardian parents attempted so long ago? Trust me, Gryff, you don’t want me stuck inside your head forever. I’ll make every second of your existence incredibly miserable.
“I actually had other intentions,” I admitted. “And things will get a lot better for you if you just cooperate.”
I don’t play nice, Carth sneered. Nor do I cooperate with kidnappers.
“I beat you fair and square,” I reminded her, and it took all of my being to keep my voice level. “And besides, I’m not your kidnapper. I’m your master, and you’d better get used to the idea, or you’re going to be the one with the miserable existence.”
I don’t bow to human men, the green-skinned goddess growled. Not even ones who claim to be the great savior from the prophecy. I will never call you my master. I’d rather rot away than submit my allegiance like my weak sisters before me.
“Shall I force you, then?” I inquired. “I’ve told you before I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get you to speak--”
I am speaking, Carth interrupted me. You can keep your threats of violence to yourself, human.
“Alright, so what were your plans before you involved me in them?” I asked the Archon outright. “The plan you’d concocted with the alliance, what was it?”
Why should I tell you? Carth scoffed.
“Because what other choice do you have?” I pressed, but the horned Archon didn’t seem to care about this.
There’s always a choice, the monster goddess insisted. I don’t have to do what you asked just as much as you don’t have to do what your human friends ask of you. I’ll tell you what, I’ll give in and tell you my plans, but only if you choose to abandon your Mistral pals and fulfill your destiny as the Beastmaker. Deal?
“Never.” I shook my head. “That isn’t going to happen.”
Pity, Carth said.
I considered the best course of action for dealing with the Archon. I’d already threatened to put her under my control by force, but I still wasn’t completely healed. If I were to tame the goddess, I needed to have my full strength back. I had a strong feeling it was going to take a lot to make her submit, and now didn’t seem like the most opportune time to make it happen.
“Fine,” I said. “Rot in here for all I care, but this discussion isn’t over.”
I strengthened the wards around Carth even further and then returned to my place in the library. The sun blazed through the windows, and I looked over at the ornate grandfather clock to the right of the fireplace.
The interaction between Carth and I didn’t seem like it had lasted too long, yet it was already almost time for me to meet with Arwyn in her office. I scrambled to my feet, crossed over to the table, and began to toss my books back into my satchel. The Academy was just up the hill, but I needed to start walking now if I didn’t want to keep the redheaded professor waiting.
I slung my satchel over my shoulder, retrieved my jacket, and then headed out the door and down the stairs. The house was dead silent, so I assumed my other women had already left for the day.
As I left the house and made my way to the Academy, my mind wandered yet again, but this time, I reflected on my encounter with Carth.
She knew we had begun to unravel her master plan, and I was certain the Archon was only going to make things even more difficult for me. I had her trapped away, but until I was strong enough to overpower her, I wasn’t going to get any type of answers from her.
It was doubtful, but perhaps there was a different way I could convince the Archon to trust me. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, though, I waved it away. Carth said it herself, she wasn’t going to cooperate. She wasn’t Xan, and she wouldn’t submit to me of her own accord, so I needed to find other ways to sway her.
Soon, I made it to the Academy, and once I breached the grounds, I started to head in the direction of Arwyn’s classroom. The hallways were fairly crowded, so I managed to keep my head down. I wasn’t in much of a mood to socialize with my peers and wanted to stay as inconspicuous as possible.
To my relief, I wasn’t recognized or addressed, and I got to Arwyn’s classroom in record time. I knocked on the door and then peeked my head inside through the frame.
Arwyn was seated at her desk, and her head was bowed over a large textbook. She seemed so engrossed in the book that she didn’t acknowledge the knock until I cleared my throat.
“Oh, hello, Gryff,” Arwyn greeted me with a gorgeous smile, and then she closed her book. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even hear the door. Come on in and take a seat.”
“Don’t even worry about it.” I smiled back at her, and then I stepped into the classroom and quietly closed the door behind me. The moment we were alone in the classroom, I let out a low whistle that echoed through the chamber. “Wow, Arwyn, you look beautiful today.”
“You may be a little biased,” Arwyn laughed at me, but I shook my head.
“I’m serious,” I insisted. “I mean, you always look gorgeous, but today…”
The beautiful professor had swept her long crimson hair up into a messy bun, and a couple of red tendrils framed her fine-featured face. Her amber eyes were lined with dark kohl that made them smolder, and her already long eyelashes were enhanced by black mascara.
The swells of her curvy figure were fully on display in a sage-green low-cut button-down blouse that was tucked into a black suede miniskirt whose hemline was just long enough to be deemed decent. Black high-heeled pumps finished off the outfit, and I’ll admit the sight of my girlfriend brought me close to drooling.
“This isn’t fair,” I remarked as my eyes trailed over her. “How am I supposed to focus on studying when you’re looking so damn sexy?”
“I suppose you’ll just have to work harder than usual,” Arwyn replied with a mischievous smile. “Perhaps if you get my questions right, I’ll reward you.”
“I like the sound of that.” I winked at her. “What kind of reward do you have in mind, Miss Hamner?”
“Oh, that’s for me to know and you to find out, Mister Gryff,” Arwyn said in a professional tone, and her no-nonsense expression piqued my interest. “But I assure you, you’ll enjoy it.”
“Alright, then.” I grinned as I took a seat at an empty desk in front of her, and I began to pull a few of my books out from my satchel. Then a thought crossed my mind, and I looked up at the professor. “Hey, Arwyn, can I make a request? Just a warning, it’s going to sound a little odd.”
Arwyn’s eyebrows creased together as she waited for me to continue. “Sure, Gryff, what is it?”
“Could you maybe try to call me Mister Porter?” I wondered. “I mean, not just in a suggestive way, but when I’m being referred to in a professional setting as well.”
“Is that what you’d prefer?” the healer mage asked me as she moved a tendril away from her amber eyes. “I’ve never referred to you with your surname before.”
“I haven’t really used it for myself, either,” I admitted. “But in light of everything, something about it feels right.”
“Mister Gryff Porter,” Arwyn tried it out, and the healer’s lips curved upwards. “It has a nice ring to it. If you’d like for me to start using it, I certainly will.”
“Thank you,” I said. The request had felt kind of random when I’d said it aloud, but referring to my professor by her last name made me wish that I had a proper surname as well. It was time to stop thinking about myself as Gryff of Njordenfalls, a rascal summoner from the Wilds. I was Gryff Porter, the son and nephew of three Guardians. It was a small thing to tack on, but I was ready to start embracing change.
Once that matter was settled, Arwyn wasted no time and immediately jumped into our review session. We began by retracing the lessons I’d begun in my second year. To my surprise, I’d retained a lot of the information I’d been given almost a year ago, and Arwyn was equally as thrilled.
“You’re doing wonderfully, Gryff,” she complimented me after I finished identifying the differences between the different elemental imps. “I think you’re going to do just fine with this exam.”
“Thanks, Arwyn.” I smiled at the professor. “What can I say, you’re a great teacher.”
“I’m only here for review.” Arwyn held her hands up. “Everything else is all you. I daresay, Mister Porter, that you might be rejoining your third year fairly soon here if you keep this trajectory.”
“You know, I might need a little incentive to keep my focus on track,” I proposed, and I stuck my lower lip out into a mock-pout. “I can be pretty forgetful sometimes. Do you think you could give me some help, Miss Hamner?”
Arwyn let out a breathy laugh. “I do suppose I could help you, Mister Porter.”
The professor crossed over to my desk, leaned over, and planted a kiss on my lips. Her jasmine perfume flooded my senses, and I pulled her in closer to me. Eventually, she made her way around so we didn’t have a barrier between us, and she perched herself above me on the desk.
I parted her long, creamy white legs and was delighted to see the professor was not wearing panties.
“Awfully scandalous, Miss Hamner,” I noted as I squeezed the soft skin of her thighs. “With a skirt that short, you could have accidentally flashed someone.”
“I like a little bit of danger,” Arwyn murmured.
We continued like this for a while, until Arwyn decided I’d had enough reward and not enough studying to accommodate it.
“Keep progressing, and I’ll reward you with something even greater,” she promised me as she smoothed her skirt back down, and then she went right back into the lesson.
Once Arwyn and I finished up our study session, I was feeling pretty wiped out, so I decided to take a lunch break and head down to the Academy’s cafeteria. It’d been a long time since I’d last entered the hall, and I was a little nervous to face my peers after so long, but my grumbling stomach was pretty insistent, so I let my nervousness fade away and my feet guided me to the hall.
When I opened the twin doors into the dining hall, I was surprised by the sheer number of mages who occupied the room. I’d gone to lunch fairly early, so I hadn’t expected as many people, but I’d underestimated a typical Monday at the Academy.
After I filled my tray with roast chicken, scalloped potatoes, and asparagus, I glanced around the room in search of an empty table. I couldn’t find any of my women or my friends amongst the throng, so I was resigned to eating in silence. However, just as I was about to hole up at an empty bench, I noticed a large hand waving in my direction.
“Gryff!” Braden called out with a smile on his round face, and I broke out into a smile of my own as I crossed over to him.
“Hey, man, good to see you,” I greeted my former roommate as I set my tray down on the table and slid into the bench across from him.
“Good to see you, too,” Braden replied, and his gray eyes trailed over me. “How are you feeling? Better than Friday?”
“A lot better,” I agreed with him. “We kept it pretty calm this weekend, and I think that really helped me out.”
“Out of anyone I know, I think you’re the most deserving of a break,” Braden remarked, and then he took a sip from his glass of water. “I’m glad to hear you had a relaxing time. You certainly look a lot better than you did. You’ve got some color to your cheeks again.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “It’s probably gonna take a little longer to fully recover, but I finally feel like I’m getting closer to it, you know?”
“I totally understand.” My former roommate nodded. “My mana didn’t take half as big of a hit, and I feel like I’m still not back to normal.
I tucked into my chicken and let out an involuntary sigh of pleasure as the savory spices hit my tongue. The dining hall’s food was always impressively delicious, and today was no exception.
“So, how did you spend your weekend?” I wondered after I swallowed a huge bite. “Did you take Mati out?”
“I did.” Braden smiled, and his cheeks darkened slightly. “She was pretty stressed out, so it took a little convincing, but I surprised her with a new dress and took her out to her favorite tavern, and that seemed to do the trick.”
“Good man,” I toasted the ox-like summoner with my glass of water, and after I drank it down, I leaned forward on the table. “Our women have a lot to deal with, so they deserve to be spoiled as much as possible.
“Amen to that,” Braden agreed. “I feel like I’m going to be spending the rest of my life trying to make up for everything I’ve put Mati through.”
“Hey, cut Mati some slack,” I said. “She’s a tough girl, and she can handle anything you throw at her. She understands what this life is like.”
