Summoner 19, page 3
part #19 of Summoner Series
“It does, doesn’t it?” I agreed with the goddess as the wind whipped against my face. “It feels like the twins were born just yesterday.”
“Your seed is rather potent, my master,” the dark-winged Archon observed. “So many children already, and you’re about to have two more. If only you would give one of us the same pleasure as your human women. Our children would be powerful warriors, indeed. With them on your side, you wouldn’t have to worry about battle ever again.”
I felt a sigh rise up inside my chest as the monster goddess snuggled up to me. A while ago, I’d struck a deal with the Archons: I would impregnate one of them if they could come together and decide which of them was most deserving of it.
However, this deal had a few more factors that had arisen after my visit to Carth’s palace. The monster goddess had revealed to me that the Archon who’d foretold the Beastmaker prophecy claimed whoever carried my offspring would be able to walk in the moonlight, along with the monsters at her command.
While I wasn’t too keen on the idea of having demi-god monster offspring in the first place, the idea of the Archons having such an advantage filled me with dread. The six Archons under my command were loyal to me, but that didn’t mean I could fully trust them.
“Let’s maybe revisit this conversation later,” I suggested, and I felt Sera loosen her grip around my waist.
“You always want to put it off, master,” the Archon sighed. “Just once I’d like to talk about the idea of creating children of our own.”
“Sera, it’s really not a great time right now,” I replied. “Layla and Erin are waiting for us, and I’m honestly feeling a little overwhelmed by everything.”
Sera fell silent for a moment, and I felt her sigh against my back.
“Yes, master,” she finally whispered. “We shall resume this discussion later. But I will not forget about it. You cannot avoid me forever.”
With that final thought floating through my mind, Sera settled back into her place against me, and she rested her cheek on my shoulder blade. I dreaded the future conversation with the Archon, since Sera was not one to let things go, but what I’d said to her was the truth.
Right now, I needed to focus on getting back to Erin and Layla. Everything else could come later.
Finally, after what felt like the world’s longest journey, we made it to the xanyarstone fortress of the Varle Enclave, and once we reached the walls of the city, we flew up toward the cloud line until we were high enough to breach the sunset orange walls that surrounded the Enclave.
The snapdarner, Kalon, and Freya all deftly wove past the airships that hovered far above the Enclave, and we descended to a more suitable altitude. I had no doubt in my mind the citizens of Varle were tired of seeing me race by on a giant monster, but until there was faster transportation, they’d just have to get used to it.
Once we reached the sprawling grounds of the Academy, it didn’t take long to reach our mansion at the bottom of the hill. The location was certainly helpful when it came to moments like this, and I silently thanked Nia for choosing a home so close to our school.
The snapdarner, Kalon, and Freya landed gracefully on the lawn, and once I hopped off the creature, I recalled Sera back into my consciousness. Sera didn’t put up a fight, but her yellow eyes were downcast as she faded away. I knew she was still disappointed I didn’t want to talk about hypothetical baby-making, but I had more than my fair share of offspring to worry about at the moment.
“Are they upstairs?” I asked Freya once she shifted back into her human form.
“Yes.” The hawk princess nodded as she shook out her mane of thick blonde hair. “Arwyn, Ashla, and I have been running between Erin and Layla’s rooms to check on them both. Ashla had suggested we try to move them, but Meriden wasn’t sure if it was acceptable in their conditions.”
“That doesn’t sound like it’s going to be complicated at all,” I sighed. “Okay. Well, luckily they aren’t too far from each other, and they’ve hopefully worked out a system so we can deal with them easier.”
Cyra, Freya, and I then ran up the circular drive and into the mansion, and as we stepped into the foyer, I was surprised by the lack of activity within the house. I’d expected quite a bit of commotion, but the house was as silent as a museum.
“Why is it so quiet?” Cyra wondered before I could ask the question myself.
“I do not now,” Freya admitted with a perplexed expression. “It was quite loud when I left.”
We all started to head to the spiral staircase, but before we could get there, I heard the soft tread of footsteps approaching, and I turned around to see the fanged smile of my familiar.
Boss! Dio exclaimed, and my mountain lion-sized monster ran straight at me and nearly tackled me to the ground. Thank goodness! You made it! I was really worried about you.
“Dio, where is everyone?” I inquired after I gave the saber-toothed cat an affectionate scratch behind his ear.
Oh, they left, Dio replied simply.
“They left??” I repeated back. “Where did they go?”
The pretty redhead lady left you a note, Dio remarked, and he inclined his tawny head toward the formal sitting room just off the foyer.
I darted over to the small room, searched it quickly, and discovered a piece of parchment with my name written on it sitting atop a side table.
Gryff, Cyra, and Freya,
I apologize if you are already here. We were able to call a carriage and transport Layla and Erin to the medical wing at the Academy. Please meet us there as soon as you can. Don’t worry, the children are being taken care of.
Love,
Arwyn
“Shit!” I declared as I set the note back down on the table. “They went to the Academy. We gotta turn back.”
I can get you there, boss! Dio proclaimed.
“Buddy, we’re probably going to need to fly,” I admitted to the cat monster. “Nothing against how fast you can run--
I understand, Dio interjected, but I could tell the cat was bummed out as his tail and ears drooped.
“We can take Kalon,” Cyra insisted. “She’ll get us there fast enough.”
“And I will follow.” Freya nodded at the dark-skinned summoner.
“Perfect,” I agreed with my lovers. “Let’s get going so we can hopefully make it on time.”
Can I still come with you? Dio asked me quietly.
“Of course, you can, silly!” I replied. “Shrink down and hop aboard. I know the girls would want you to come, too.”
Yay! Dio flashed his large fangs in the equivalent of a grin, and then the saber-toothed cat monster shrank down to a kitten-sized form and gleefully jumped into my arms.
I carefully placed the cat inside of my hip pouch, and once he was settled in, Cyra, Freya, and I headed out the door.
While I couldn’t fault my lovers for moving my pregnant girlfriends to a more-equipped facility, this was a highly stressful situation, and I prayed to the Maker the babies would wait another fifteen minutes or so to arrive.
Once we reached the lawn, Kalon hopped out from beneath Cyra’s nest of thick curly hair and grew into her larger form.
“Climb on!” Cyra instructed, and without hesitation, we mounted the dragon.
Beside us, Freya shapeshifted into her hawk form, and once the blonde was completely avian, Kalon flapped her silver wings, and we began our flight to the Academy.
While I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I’d been when Nia had given birth to our twins, Nessa and Nicolis, my heart still pounded inside my chest as the white marble walls of the Academy loomed closer. Throughout my life, I’d faced countless monsters, squared off against ancient Archons, and gone on more perilous adventures than I could count, but the act of childbirth still rattled me more than all of those combined. It was such a fragile process, and even though I knew Arwyn and Meriden would help my girlfriends and give them the best medical and magical care imaginable, I was still a bundle of nerves. The sooner we got to Erin and Layla, the sooner I could begin to relax.
“They’re going to be fine,” Cyra assured me over her shoulder. “We’ve done this before, and this time, they have the advantage of being at the medical ward. The fact that they could be moved was a good sign. Things would be a lot more stressful if this were a home birth.”
“I guess that’s true,” I agreed as we reached the grounds of the Academy. “Last time was pretty intense. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.”
“I swear to the Maker, if we have another surprise twin situation…” Cyra shook her head.
“Oh, please don’t even put that notion out there,” I groaned. “There’s no way we can handle three babies on top of Nessa and Nic right now.”
“I’m kidding,” the curly-haired summoner giggled. “Relax, Gryff.”
“No promises,” I laughed. “You can’t tease a guy about twins.”
Finally, Kalon landed outside of the Academy’s front doors, and once we dismounted and Freya regained her legs, the three of us sprinted down the corridor and made our way to the medical ward.
Luckily, the Academy’s halls were mostly clear, so we were able to reach our destination in a timely manner without too much trouble. Before we walked through the doors to the medical ward, I forced myself to take a few centering breaths because while I was still scared as hell, I needed to present a calm front to my women. This was likely to be tense, and I didn’t need to add any more stress to Erin and Layla.
“It’s all going to be okay, my husband,” Freya murmured, and the beautiful blonde placed her hand on my shoulder. “I promise you.”
“Thanks, Freya.” I smiled at my hawk wife. “You always know the right thing to say.”
I kissed the shapeshifting princess, and once we pulled apart, we entered the ward.
The double doors opened up to reveal the multi-windowed infirmary, and as we walked inside, I had to shield my eyes from the bright sunlight.
While the house had been completely silent, the infirmary was a whole other story. The room was filled with whimpers and general other noises of discomfort. Arwyn, Ashla, and Nia were all crowded over a pair of beds, engrossed in conversation, but the moment my boot squeaked against the floor, they all looked up and let out varying degrees of sighs and exclamations.
“Oh, thank the Maker,” Arwyn let out a sigh of relief. “You’re all okay.”
“More than okay,” I promised the crimson-haired professor. “How are the patients?”
“Gryffie?” Layla’s voice called out from across the room. “Is that you?”
“I’m right here, Bethel,” I assured my girlfriend.
My lovers stood aside and revealed the bed the petite summoner was propped up in. To my delight, Erin was in the bed beside her, and both of my women wore grins that looked out of place on their tired faces.
“Gryff!” Erin exclaimed. “You’re here! Oh, thank the Maker! We were so scared you weren’t going to make it on time.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” I assured the orange-haired mimic as I rushed over to her bedside.
“Yeah, Gryffie, it’s about time you showed up!” the petite summoner joked. Her auburn hair was lightly plastered to her forehead, and her golden skin had a slightly green hue to it.
While she was still cute as hell, Layla certainly looked sicker than I’d ever seen her, and it made my heart ache, but I had to remain positive and pretend everything was totally fine.
“My apologies,” I replied with a grin. “I was only fighting off a big ‘ole crystal dragon--”
“A what?” Layla demanded, and then suddenly she let out a groan of pain.
“Miss Bethel, you need to relax,” Meriden chastised as she approached us from across the room. “Unless you’re ready to birth that baby right this instant--”
“I’ll behave!” Layla interrupted her with wide hazel eyes.
“Good,” the healer said softly, and then she turned to me. “Mister Gryff, I’m glad to see you could make it. If possible, I would like to suggest we keep talk of battles and war outside of this room, please. I don’t want the girls to be overwhelmed right now.”
“Of course.” I nodded. “I’m sorry, Meriden.”
“Don’t apologize, sweetheart.” Meriden waved me off. “ I just want to keep this environment as tranquil as possible--”
The moment the words left the adept healer’s lips, Erin let out a whimper that sent a pang of fear through me.
“Everyone stand aside,” Meriden ordered us, and we all obliged and gave the healer adequate space to attend to Erin.
The auburn-haired nurse reached into a pouch at her side, retrieved a vial of deep blue potion, and handed it to Erin.
“Drink this, Miss Lindblum,” Meriden instructed in a soothing voice. “It should help with your discomfort.”
Erin uncapped the vial and downed the contents instantly, and her facial features relaxed significantly.
“That’s much better,” she sighed.
“Gryff, did you really fight a dragon?” Ashla whispered, and Meriden whipped her head around and glared at the ice mage.
“We’ll talk about it later,” I promised the former mercenary leader.
“Can I get some of that, too?” Layla asked Meriden as she pressed her lips together into a thin line. “I feel like I’m going to hurl.”
“Miss Bethel, we can’t give you any more pain potions right now,” Meriden replied in a sad tone. “We’ve already given you the full amount. Anything else might hurt the baby.”
“Ugh,” Layla sighed and dropped her head back against her pillow. “Fineeeee.”
“Is the potion not working?” I frowned at the nurse.
“For some reason, Miss Bethel seems to have a higher tolerance for medication,” Meriden answered. “Some people are just like that. We’ve given her the same dosage as Erin, so she’ll probably need to try to relax--”
“Owwww!” Layla whined, and her face contorted into a grimace as she scrunched her eyes closed. “I change my mind, get this baby out of me!”
“Arwyn, is there anything you can do?” I asked. “Any type of magic?”
“At this point, Layla is going to need to just stay calm,” Arwyn said, but her amber eyes shone with sympathy. “I wish there was more I could do, but I’m worried too many potions and elixirs might harm the infant.”
“I understand.” Layla sighed as the contraction passed, and she relaxed back into the bed. “I don’t wanna hurt the baby. This just sucks!”
“I’m sorry, love.” I frowned, and like Arwyn, I wished there was more I could do to help soothe my girlfriend.
Suddenly, Erin let out another sound of discomfort, and Meriden and Arwyn immediately began to assess her.
“Gryff, can you hold my hand?” Erin asked me in an uncharacteristically timid tone.
I positioned myself closer to her and extended my hand. “Absolutely.”
Erin squeezed my hand as another spasm ran through her, and I began to grow impatient as I waited for the healers to say something.
“I believe it’s time,” Meriden finally declared to us, and my heart rate accelerated.
Holy shit, this was happening. Again.
“What should we do?” Nia asked the healer. “Can we help in any way?”
“Right now, Miss Lindblum could use some space,” Meriden replied gently. “But if there’s anything else we need, Miss Kenefick, I’ll let you know, okay?”
Nia, Ashla, and Freya all stood aside as Arwyn and Meriden scrambled around to get set, and as the healers prepared, Erin looked up at me with enormous eyes.
“Is it bad that I’m ready to get this over with?” the mimic asked me with a forced smile.
“Not at all.” I shook my head. “I can’t say I blame you. But I’m right here, and soon we’ll get to meet our new little son or daughter.”
“That’s true,” Erin realized, and her smile became a little less forced. “I’m definitely ready to meet them.”
“You can say that again,” Layla agreed weakly.
“Owww, fuck!” Erin groaned as her body suddenly spasmed.
“Alright, Erin, I’m going to need you to push,” Meriden encouraged my orange-haired girlfriend, and the mimic’s face scrunched up as she did as the healer instructed.
Erin gripped my hand forcefully, but I was willing to endure any discomfort necessary if it meant she would feel better.
“That was great, Erin!” Arwyn complimented my girlfriend. “Now, we just need you to keep breathing, and then give us another good push.”
Erin nodded weakly, and when the mimic clenched again, she let out a low whine of pain.
“Just look at me,” I insisted, and Erin’s amber eyes darted over to me. “We’ve got you, Erin. You can do this. I know you can. I love you, and I’m so proud of you.”
“I love you, too,” Erin gritted out, and she took a long, deep breath and closed her eyes. She took a moment to compose herself and then opened her amber eyes and fixed them back on mine.
“Give me another push, sweetheart,” Arwyn said. “You’re doing amazing.”
“You’re a badass, Erin!” Cyra chimed in.
“You are so strong, Erin,” Freya added. “Remember your breathing.”
“You’ve got this, Erin!” Ashla agreed.
“Keep breathing,” I said as I squeezed Erin’s hand.
“You can do this, Erin,” Nia assured her.
The encouragement seemed to help Erin’s confidence, and the pushing continued for a little while until suddenly, her face contorted even further, and with one final motion, a child was born.
As a cry left the newborn’s tiny lips, tears streamed down my face.
“It’s a boy,” Meriden declared.
“A boy?” Erin repeated back, and her lips quivered as her amber eyes grew watery. “I swore it was going to be a girl.”
“Nope, just an incredibly perfect little boy.” Meriden smiled at the mimic.
A boy.
Erin and I had a son.
“I guess I lost that bet,” Erin giggled as she wiped away a tear from her cheek, and then she happily looked at me. “We have a son, Gryff.”
