Summoner 16, page 27
“Let’s get him a bowl,” Gawain suggested, and he turned to wave at one of the tavern wenches.
“If we’re getting the cat drunk,” Varleth observed, “we might as well get the moose drunk, too. Gawain, ask for two bowls.”
“You guys are crazy,” I declared as I shook my head.
“You want to deprive some of your groomsmen from enjoying the fun?” Almasy teased. “Not very groom-like if you ask me.”
“My groomsmen?” I asked as I looked around at my friends.
“Yeah, Mur is anyway,” Gawain supplied over his shoulder as he continued to attempt to get the waitress’ attention. “Nia said Dio was going to carry the rings.”
“Did she now?” I laughed. “First I’m hearing of it.”
“You were so torn when we asked you about the best man thing,” Braden explained. “We all talked it over with the girls and decided to make it easy for you.”
“Unanimous decision in the end,” Varleth added, and his lips twitched into a smile. “I’m your best man, for the record.”
“Works for me.” I shrugged. “As long as you guys aren’t upset about it or anything.”
“I just feel lucky to be included at all,” Almasy offered, and he raised his flask up into the air. “I propose a toast. To friends, and all that.”
He took a deep pull from his container and flashed me a devilish grin as I copied his motion with my own cup.
After that, everyone took turns announcing their own toasts, and by the time the waitress appeared with two bowls and accompanying mugs of ale, we were all ready for another round.
Dio lapped up the ale curiously, and Mur dipped his muzzle in tentatively, but once they each got a good taste of it, they dug into the rest of their beverages with enthusiasm.
We drank for a while longer at the Gargoyle, and then Nayveth declared it was time to move on. So, we all sauntered down the street in search of another tavern. It didn’t take us long, though, and a few moments after we’d spotted the sign, we all sat around a large table on the patio of the Toothless Orc with fresh drinks in hand.
Everyone took a turn picking a tavern, from the seedy tapestry lined hovel, where we sat on the floor and sipped a strong fermented tea from tiny cups and Varleth seemed completely at home, to the white table cloth, crystal wine glass establishment chosen by Gawain.
Nayveth and Almasy shared memories of previous tavern crawls during their younger years, but it was still hard for me to believe Nia’s brother was that much older than me.
After several hours, and too many drinks to count, I was red faced and giggly. Then Gawain declared it was time for the Dancing Dryad, and we all climbed into two carriages, but Mur had to walk beside the horses.
He swore it was okay, but I still felt kinda bad for the moose kid, so I made a mental note to make up for it at the next stop.
My friends seemed even more excited as we approached the mysterious destination, and any attempt I made to learn more about the business only led to vague half answers, so I resigned myself to waiting patiently until I could find out for myself.
I heard the music before I stepped out of the coach. It was loud and lively, and my body moved reflexively to the sound. The building itself looked like a piece of art, with twirling carved stone pillars holding up either end of a large white sign, and the flashing lights all around the roof shone out into the darkness of the sky like signals.
Then I glanced at the sign over the entrance.
Tonight only! See the talents of Lady Love and Juniper Bloomers.
Maelor chuckled eagerly to himself, but his face reddened slightly as he pushed past me to enter the building, and he shot me a sideways glance and a huff. “Don’t say a word, kid, don’t say a word.”
His statement only confused me more, but then realization dawned on me, and I remembered the stories Maelor used to tell me about places like this. It was hard to believe that in all my life and adventures, I’d never been to one of these dancing girls shows before, but this would be my first experience.
“I’ve never been to a place like this before,” Orenn admitted and echoed my thoughts.
“You and me both, buddy,” I replied, and I clapped him on the shoulder. “Can’t back down now, we’d never hear the end of it.”
“You’re right,” he sighed. Then the soft hearted metallogue followed my adopted father into the racy establishment with only a minor amount of reluctance.
Gawain, Varleth, and Braden followed right behind him, and they shoved each other and laughed self-consciously at the same time. Mur trotted along in their footsteps with an inebriated wobble in his gait, but Almasy and Nayveth approached at a slower pace, and they paused at my side.
“Coming in?” Almasy asked as he jerked his head toward the door. “There’s more booze inside.”
“Yeah, I’m coming,” I replied with a laugh. “You had me at more booze.”
“The girls don’t appeal to you?” Nayveth asked in a curious tone as we entered the shadowy chamber.
“I’m plenty happy already,” I informed him with a proud smile. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t even need to finish my thought out loud. With Nia as my fiancée, Freya as my wife, and several of my other women wanting to bear my children, I had no need for paid entertainment of any sorts. I knew it was something of a ritual in the Enclaves to throw a big party for the groom before the wedding, though, so I was more than happy to go along with it.
The broad-shouldered man standing near the door moved to block our path, and his gaze flicked cautiously to Mur.
“No pets,” the man grunted.
“He’s actually a mage,” I said in a confident tone. “I’m surprised you don’t recognize the famous Moose Mage of Mistral, he’s in all the papers.”
“Oh.” The man frowned, but his eyes scanned me over slowly, and then he stood to the side and gestured for us to pass. “My mistake. Have a good night.”
My guy friends had found a table situated with a good view of the stage, and we all crowded around it while a waitress in a mini skirt so tight it was practically painted on wrote down all of our drink orders.
The woman wore a corset which pushed her breasts almost entirely out of her top, and as she leaned forward to whisper into Orenn’s ear, her cleavage rubbed against his shoulder. The metallogue turned crimson red, and he stammered so much the woman eventually gave up on his order and moved on.
“This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.” Mur gawked around at the lights, and his eyes tracked the movements of the women as they sauntered past.
“I’m glad you like it,” I laughed and patted the moose kid’s neck.
I could feel several pairs of eyes trained onto me with every movement I made, but when I swiveled my head to find the source of the sensation, I saw only a handful of scantily clad women standing in a group at one end of the bar. They looked everywhere but in my eyes, and as their gaze darted about the room, I gave up and turned back to my friends.
“Looks like you have some admirers,” Nayveth observed as he jerked his chin toward the group of girls.
I glanced over my shoulder again, and the girls were giggling and looking over at me every few seconds. I sighed and raked a hand through my hair.
“You’ll get used to it the more you’re around Gryff,” Almasy informed the water mage in a conspiratorial tone. “Everywhere he goes, it’s like magic. They just fall at his feet, I’m telling you.”
“Must be the same reason he gets all them girls up at the Academy,” Maelor noted. “They’re all crazy as catfish about him, you can tell.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Nayveth said as he gave me a questioning look. “You have more women besides my sister and your wife?”
“Loads more,” Varleth drawled.
“I mean, yes and no.” I gave him a helpless smile.
“What’s your secret?” Gawain asked suddenly. “How do you get women to like you, let alone love you?”
I sighed and looked around at the expectant faces of my friends. “To be honest, it’s just all about treating each other with respect, trust, and love.”
“Boring,” Gawain complained with a roll of his eyes.
“I think it’s sweet,” Orenn offered.
“Me, too,” Braden agreed. “Don’t listen to Gawain. He’s just an ass.”
“Hey!” Gawain sniffed. “Would an ass buy everyone a round of ale?”
“Is that something you’re about to do?” Varleth asked in a dry tone. “Because actions speak louder than words.”
“Fine, fine,” Gawain muttered as he raised his hands in surrender. “I’ll go get us some drinks.”
A short while later, the show started, and we watched while a handful of women danced to snappy music and slowly removed articles of clothing to toss them into the crowd.
At one point during the show, the performance was halted by the lead girl beckoning for Mur to come up to the front. Then the moose kid let the dancers ride him across the stage, and he bellowed happily when the leading lady planted a thank you kiss on his muzzle.
Orenn’s face continued to grow darker and darker red until I was starting to worry about whether or not the metallogue was okay or not. When I asked him directly, his only response was to burst out laughing, so I assumed he was just fine.
Gawain seemed to take it as a solemn duty to ensure everyone’s mugs stayed full, and I soon lost track of how many rounds we’d drunk by the time the show was over.
We strode out laughing and stumbling, and several of us wore silk scarves or other items kept as souvenirs from the show. I could tell it was late by the total silence of the streets of Varle, but it was hard to judge by the moon since the light of the city obscured the natural cosmos. While I’d had a lot of fun gallivanting around the city with my guy friends, I was starting to miss my wife and my bed back at the Retching Goblin.
I made my excuses and reminded everyone I had classes in the morning, and after some heated arguing, they all consented to let me leave. My friends promised to get Mur back to the Academy stables on their way back to their dorm rooms, and then we parted ways. Maelor rode in the carriage with me back to the Retching Goblin, and even though he’d drunk just as much as I had, he leveled me with a serious stare as soon as we were alone in the coach.
“Your parents would be real proud of the man you’ve become, Gryff,” my father figure said in a solemn voice. “I want you to remember to honor them at yer wedding by bringing yer father’s dagger and yer mother’s necklace with you. They’d like that, I’m sure.”
“I think you’re right.” I grinned, but it was hard to keep my head facing straight, so I ended up smiling at the door.
“Alright, yer about as lit as a spucebore’s ass, so you need to get to bed.” Maelor shook his head in awe at my drunken state. “At least you had a good time.”
“I had a great time.” My grin grew wider, but my vision blurred.
The next thing I knew, Freya was helping me up the stairs of the Retching Goblin, and then I collapsed into bed. I slept the deep sleep reserved only for the highly inebriated or dead, but the song played at the Dancing Dryad echoed through my mind as I drifted off, so I woke up with a smile still on my face.
The sound of heaving, and then liquid splashing into a container woke me up fully, though, and the smile faded as I processed what the noise was. I looked around the room and spotted Freya kneeling on the floor with her blonde waves hanging around her head while she buried her face in a bucket. The warrior princess’ back spasmed as another heaving gag rocked her body, and I heard more of what I could only assume was vomit splattering.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I quickly crossed the distance between us and rubbed her back gently. “What’s going on? Did you drink too much last night?”
My own head was throbbing with a massive headache, but I ignored my pain as I focused on my wife.
“No drinking at all,” she informed me in a voice muffled by the bucket and her hair. “Gryff… I think I’m pregnant.”
All of the air in my lungs escaped in one big whoosh as I stood up and backed away from her like she’d just said she was contagious.
“Whoa.” I raked a hand through my hair as I sank onto the bed.
Freya peeked her head up out of the bucket to shoot me a sympathetic smile. “We should go to Arwyn to make sure.”
“You’re right.” I took a deep breath and reminded myself to calm down. “You’re right, let’s do that.”
I paced around the room while I waited for Freya to get ready to leave, but I couldn’t sit still or do anything else.
I was going to be a father.
It was really happening.
Hopefully.
I’d take my wife to the infirmary to make sure, but if it was true then everything was happening exactly the way me and the girls were hoping.
There was only one way to find out.
Chapter Fourteen
“How are you feeling?” I asked with an anxious frown. “Are you okay? Are you comfortable? Do you want another pillow?”
I’d asked the tavern keeper to summon us a carriage, and my wife and I sat facing each other on either side of the coach. I’d grabbed all the bedding from my mattress and placed a pillow behind my wife’s back and one beneath each arm to support her.
The warrior princess’ lips twitched up into her smile, but her face was pale with nausea.
“I’m fine, Gryff,” she assured me. “The sickness will fade in a few hours, don’t worry.”
“So, it’s almost over?” I asked, and my frown softened. “That’s a relief.”
“Yes,” she said with a nod. “Until tomorrow.”
“Oh.” I blinked. “You throw up every day, but then it just stops at some point? That sounds rough.”
“Pretty much.” Freya shrugged. “I’ve never been pregnant before, Gryff, so there is a lot I don’t know, but my mother told me the sickness will come in the mornings for several weeks. She said I would need to make sure I drink a lot of water while my body purges all toxins to prepare my womb for the child.”
“I wish I could take away your pain,” I said in a sympathetic tone.
“I’m just glad you’re here with me,” my wife replied.
A few moments later, the carriage arrived at the Academy, and I helped Freya out of the coach onto the pavement in front of the black bark doors of the main building. Then I scooped up all the pillows and bedding, rolled it up, and stuck it under one arm while I supported my wife with the other.
“Can you walk?” I asked as the worried crease returned to my forehead. “I can carry you if you want.”
“No, Gryff,” my wife said firmly. “I can walk just fine.”
Freya gave me a sidelong glance full of amusement, but I ignored her as I gingerly led her down the hallway toward Arwyn’s classroom.
After we’d been walking for a few moments, I saw the warrior princess shiver, so I unfurled my roll of blankets and wrapped one snuggly around her shoulders.
My shapeshifting wife gave me a small, grateful smile, and she clasped the edges in one fist as she toddled along at my side like a newly hatched fledgling learning to move on its feet for the first time.
Classes would be starting in a couple of hours, but it was still early enough for the corridors to be completely deserted, so it didn’t take us long to reach our destination.
Worry for my wife and the desire to know for sure if I was about to be a father fueled my stride into a quick pace, but I restrained myself enough to allow Freya to easily keep up with me while wrapped inside her blanket.
When we reached Arwyn’s classroom, the hallway door was cracked open, so I peeked inside before beckoning Freya in behind me, and then I crossed the room to knock softly on the barrier to her private chambers.
Before I’d even finished knocking, though, Arwyn pulled the door open and greeted me with energy and alertness in her amber eyes. The red-haired healer wore a white, sleeveless, button up blouse tucked into a red mini skirt with a small slit up the back. She’d paired the ensemble with white heels, but the combination of her luscious red lips, flame colored hair, and fire hued skirt made her look hot as fuck.
“Oh, Gryff!” she exclaimed in a startled tone, and her amber eyes lit up with joy at the sight of me. “What a nice surprise.”
“Not who you were expecting?” I teased.
Her intelligent eyes flicked to Freya’s pale, sallow face as she stood by my side wrapped up in the blanket, and then her gaze quickly took in my worried frown and anxious energy.
“No, I wasn’t expecting anyone,” she replied with an amused lilt in her voice. Then she stepped away from the threshold and gestured for us to enter. “I was actually on my way out to an early meeting, but from the look on your face, I can tell this is important. Please, come in and tell me what happened.”
We moved into her private chambers, and I helped Freya get comfortable on the low sofa before I situated myself and turned to face Arwyn. The amused expression in the beautiful red-haired professor’s warm amber eyes relaxed me more efficiently than any liquor or medicine, and I took a deep, calming breath.
“Tell me what happened,” Arwyn urged in a compassionate tone.
“I woke up sick,” Freya explained, and in her distracted state she spoke in her native tongue, but her gold-flecked eyes were bright despite her sickly complexion. “I think I am pregnant. I have missed my last moon cycle, and this is the third day I have purged.”
“Wait, three days?” I asked as I gave my wife a stern look. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I didn’t want to tell you the news if it wasn’t true,” my wife replied in a careful tone. “Layla said some people get sick from flying boat rides, so I wanted to make sure the sickness wasn’t caused by our travels.”
“I’m not sure if I understood all of that,” the red-haired professor admitted in the Mistral language. “Did she say pregnant or plague? I also heard ‘sick’, and ‘moon’.”
“Pregnant,” I confirmed with an uncontrollable grin. “She said she has been throwing up every morning for three days now, and that she missed her last cycle.”
