Summoner 20, page 31
“Well, now that that’s settled, I have some news,” Arwyn began, and a smile spread across the crimson-haired healer mage’s face. “I received correspondence from the headmaster while you were upstairs. He’s a little nervous when it comes to the idea of capturing a mistwolf as bait, but he trusts your judgment, Gryff. If you want to proceed with the plan, you have Sleet’s approval to do so.”
“That’s great news.” I grinned. “Wow, I wasn’t expecting to hear from him so quickly. I also wasn’t expecting to get the plan approved, if I’m being honest. It seems like one of the riskier ones I’ve proposed to him, so I’m surprised you got him to agree with it.”
“I think Headmaster Sleet’s overnight trip made it easier to convince him than it usually would be,” Arwyn continued, and her amber eyes dulled slightly after the remark. “He just returned from one of the villages near Nattanger. There was another attack yesterday evening, and the headmaster wanted to do some solo investigation before he sent out a team.”
“Did he find anything when he was there?” I asked.
“He managed to locate some tracks heading into the forest beyond Nattanger,” the professor revealed. “He also spoke with the victim of the attack and got some information about the mistwolves themselves. A better physical description than the one we’d been given before.”
“Are you serious?” I raised my eyebrows. If the headmaster had managed to locate mistwolf tracks, there was a serious chance we could actually locate the pack and isolate one of the wolves.
“Yes.” Arwyn nodded. “Up until now, the wolves hadn’t left any distinguishable marks at the scene of their attacks, but the headmaster found a trail of tracks as plain as day leading into the woods beyond Nattanger.”
Layla whistled. “That’s wild.”
“This is amazing news,” Erin declared. “If we follow the trail, we should be able to locate the pack with ease. It’s unfortunate an attack had to happen in order for it to be possible, but I’m glad we have a lead.”
“Doesn’t that all sound a little too simple?” Nia wondered. The ashen-haired mage’s eyebrows creased together, and her lips drew into a thin line. “Out of all of the attacks that have happened over the past couple of months, why is this the first time we’ve seen a trail left behind?”
“Are you suggesting it’s a setup?” I clarified, and my wife shrugged.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I don’t want to rule it out completely on the off-chance I’m right. The Archons are usually very calculated in their attacks. I just find it suspicious this is the first time her monsters have left evidence aside from some bite marks and some random body parts. What made this attack different from any other attack?”
“Nia brings up a good point,” Ashla allowed. “I don’t want to think it’s as complex as that, but there is some weirdness we have to take account of.”
“What would they have to gain by leaving a trail?” Cyra wondered.
“It could be a trap,” I said, and suddenly, the room fell silent. I didn’t want to say it out loud, but if we were taking all possibilities into account, I had to speak my mind on the matter. “If you want someone to follow you, you leave a trail. The mistwolves haven’t left one up until now, so my only thought is Hunnah is trying to lure us to a certain point for one reason or another.”
“We can’t fall for it, then,” Ashla said, and the umber-skinned mage tugged on one of her braids. “She’s expecting us to fall for the ploy.”
“I almost think we have to,” I contradicted her, and I was met with stunned expressions from all of my women.
“Okay, Gryff, I know you’re still exhausted from all the air travel we just did, so you might not be thinking about this with a clear head, but please tell me you’re joking,” Erin said with widened eyes.
“I’m not,” I replied to her, and my mind went in circles as I tried to figure out how to explain the logic behind my idea. “She wants us to get close to the pack so they can likely rip us apart, right? The answer is simple. We do just that and reverse it back on her.”
Nia frowned as she tried to understand my thoughts. “She’s setting us up to get attacked, so we’re just going to… get attacked?”
“Yeah, that’ll really show her,” Layla muttered under her breath.
“She’s expecting us to fail,” I sighed. “Her pack has never lost a fight before, so she’s expecting this to be a piece of cake. So, we need to make sure we do the exact opposite of that. We need to go in, kick as much ass as possible, and show her that she isn’t calling the shots, we are.”
“That’s pretty confident, Gryff,” Nia replied, and my ashen-haired wife didn’t seem fully convinced by the idea. “Are you sure this is the best idea?”
“I’m all about the confidence,” I chuckled.
“I’m not certain about this, either, but we need to get Hunnah subdued as quickly as we can, so I’m not going to argue the plan any further,” Arwyn said. “Now, we need to appoint a team to check out the trail. Gryff, who would you like to accompany you? For obvious reasons, most of which revolve around the children, not everyone is going to be able to go.”
“Before you answer, Gryff, I’m just going to let you know I intend to stay behind,” Ashla decided. “I don’t like the idea of missing out on the action, but I also don’t want to run the risk of hurting our unborn child.”
“I would feel better if you stayed as well,” I agreed with the ice mage. “Under any other circumstances, I would want you with me to kick some mistwolf ass, but our child and your health need to be taken seriously. You, too, Arwyn.”
“I was already planning on staying behind,” Arwyn confirmed.
I turned to look at Nia and Layla. “Would either of you like to come on the mission?”
“I will,” Nia decided.
“Nia’s got enough magic for the entire team,” Layla joked. “But in all seriousness, I think I should remain behind again. I want to go out and kick some ass, but I need to be here for Daphne, and Arwyn and Ashla are going to need some help with Nessa and Nic.”
“I support whatever decision you make.” I nodded at the petite summoner.
“Vahla and I will come,” Freya’s voice rang out. The warrior princess walked into the room, and I was happy to see her sister wasn’t far behind. The pair of hawk shifters wore similar smiles, and I felt a sigh of relief escape my lungs as they took a seat at the table.
“I would like to help your team in any way I can,” Vahla agreed.
“We’d love to have you both,” I said, and then I looked to the remaining pair of mages. “Erin, Cyra?”
“If someone would watch Milo, then maybe,” Cyra replied.
“I can stay behind and watch him,” Erin offered. “If I’m being honest, I’m still pretty tired from the air travel. I’m a little out of practice, so I’m feeling drained. Not enough to not babysit, of course, but enough to not feel confident in my flying skills.”
“I don’t mind at all,” I assured her. “You’ve done more than enough for us, Erin. Take some time to take care of yourself for a change.”
“Thanks, Gryff.” Erin smiled at me.
“Cyra, Nia, Vahla, and Freya,” I repeated back to the group. “That’s a sizable group. I think if we round it out with Gawain, Braden, and Mur, we’ll be set.”
“Is eight too many?” Arwyn wondered. “I know there’s potentially an entire pack to face, but that’s a big number of mages to send out into the woods.”
“I guess that’s a good point,” I allowed.
“I can stay behind,” Cyra decided. “If it comes down to cutting anyone out, it should be me. Besides, Milo will probably appreciate having me around.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.” The curly-haired mage smiled at me. “Between you, Nia, the hawk squad, and the boys, I think you’ll be able to do enough damage for the lot of us.”
“When should we leave?” Nia wondered.
“As early as we can,” I said. “It’s too late to head out now, but I think we should gather everyone together in the morning, formulate the game plan, and leave for Nattanger soon after. I don’t want to wait too long on this. Too many people are getting hurt to put it off.”
“Tomorrow it is.” Arwyn nodded. “I’ll get in contact with the others and send word for them to join us at the mansion in the morning.”
Arwyn rose from her seat and hurried out of the room, and the rest of my women fell into silence.
“So, now that everything’s been established, can we eat?” I requested. “All of this battle strategy has me starving, and I’m sure Freya and Vahla are hungry, too.”
“I’ll grab your plates,” Nia offered.
As the elementalist disappeared to retrieve our leftover dinners, my brain ran in circles. My life had become a constant cycle of missions and adventures, and while it was exciting to battle monster after monster and save as many lives as I could, the constant effort was somewhat tiring.
But I had a duty to Mistral to keep everyone safe.
No matter how exhausted I was, mentally and physically, I owed it to my people to keep them protected, and Maker, that’s what I was going to do.
Chapter Sixteen
The following morning, I gathered my friends and family together to brainstorm on the best course of action regarding the mistwolves. I couldn’t stand to sit idly by while Hunnah’s monsters were out terrorizing the Wilds, so we needed to put an end to her attacks as soon as possible.
Braden, Gawain, and Mur showed up just after dawn, and each of the men wore sleepy expressions on their faces as they stepped into the foyer.
“Good to see you all looking so chipper,” I joked, and if looks could kill, Gawain would have maimed me on the spot.
“Please tell me there’s coffee,” the haughty fire-mage grumbled.
“Freya just brewed a fresh pot,” I promised him, and I gave him a reassuring pat on the back. My golden-haired friend grimaced and shrugged me off him, but his lips curled up into a smile.
“Take us to it,” Braden yawned, and he stretched his muscular arms out to the side. “Mati wouldn’t let me get any sleep last night, so I could use all of the caffeine I can get.”
“How scandalous.” I waggled my eyebrows suggestively. “What was she keeping you up for, pray tell?”
The ox-like summoner’s cheeks darkened until they were nearly maroon. “… shewantstomakeababy.”
Braden said the entire sentence so quietly and so quickly I could hardly understand him.
“Would you like to repeat that for me?” I teased him.
“I’ll tell you later,” Braden grumbled, and while I wanted to press him for more information, we had urgent matters to discuss, so I would have to try again later.
“And how are you this morning, Mur?” I addressed the moose shapeshifter. I noticed my friend’s dark brown curls looked neater than usual, and he was outfitted in a nice pair of pants and a knit sweater.
Had he made a point to dress up for a certain russet-haired princess?
“I’m well,” he responded in heavily-accented Mistral. “Are we going on a mission to the s-shadow lands?”
“Not this time,” I responded in his native language. It was far too early to force him to speak the common tongue. “Though, this mission does involve the Archons like last time.”
“Have Hunnah and Quilla been spotted?” Gawain asked as we stepped into the kitchen.
“Not yet, but we’re hoping to change that,” I revealed.
“Ah, so we’re finally going after them.” The fire mage smirked.
“I’ll explain it all in a bit.” I winked at my friend, and I gestured at the counter. “Go ahead and grab some coffee, and then come and meet us in the living room for the briefing.”
My friends did just that, and after they filled a set of mugs to the brim with the dark, fragrant liquid, they took a seat in the empty leather sofa nearest the fireplace.
Nia, Freya, and Vahla joined us minutes later, and I noticed Vahla and Mur shared a cute smile straight away. Freya seemed to notice, too, but if she was irritated, she did an amazing job at hiding it. She just settled into one of the plush armchairs beside me and offered me a dazzling smile of her own.
“Good morning, my mate,” the warrior princess greeted me.
“Kenefick, will you be joining us on this mission?” Gawain addressed my ashen-haired wife, and the multi-elementalist grinned at him.
“Got a problem with that, Maddox?” she challenged the fire mage, and Gawain let out a single laugh.
“Not at all,” he replied. “It’s been a while since we’ve fought together in the field. It’s nice having you back in the action.”
“Oddly enough, it feels good to be back,” Nia responded with a surprised expression. “All things considered.”
“So, Gryff, about this mission,” Braden prompted me in a slightly louder voice, and I gave my former roommate a grateful glance. I didn’t mind all of the small talk, but we needed to talk about the mission so we could leave the Enclave sooner rather than later.
I cleared my throat and then launched into a retelling of the game plan I’d concocted the night before. It was simple and straightforward: we would spend a few hours to pack a travel pack, our best weapons, and weather-friendly clothing, and then begin the trek to scope out the mistwolf trail. Rather than bother with an airship, I decided it would be best for us to travel via monster. Using my flying creatures didn’t require a lot of mana on my part, and I had plenty of the monsters to spare.
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Gawain said once I concluded. “Risky, but not the worst plan I’ve ever heard.”
“Thanks, I think,” I laughed at the fire mage. “Does anyone have any questions?”
When no one replied, I dismissed the group, and everyone set forth to accomplish their assigned tasks. My women and I enjoyed a quick breakfast, and then I showered and dressed myself in warmer clothing. I made sure to pack an extra empty essence crystal in my bandolier and a backup in one of my side pouches in case I really needed it.
A few hours later, everyone returned back to the mansion outfitted in their mission attire and their travel packs. Once we were all gathered out on the front lawn, I reached into my bandolier and retrieved a few essence crystals. Braden did the same, and soon, we were surrounded by my pyrewyrm, my vingehund, and Braden’s king gryphon.
Freya and Vahla insisted on flying in their hawk forms, and while I wasn’t sure about the idea at first, they made convincing enough arguments for me to give in.
“We’re used to flying long distances with our Clan,” Freya reminded me. “Vahla and I have gone almost entire weeks in our hawk forms with little issue.”
“If you can handle it, go for it,” I finally gave in. “Besides, what’s the point of being a shapeshifter if you can’t use it to your advantage?”
“I’m jealous of your ability to fly,” Mur mused, and he cracked a shy smile at Vahla. “Unfortunately, I can only become a lowly moose.”
“I think moose are very interesting,” Vahla giggled in a girlish tone. “Don’t doubt your abilities.”
“Yes, but think of how much more improved I would be if I had wings,” Mur insisted, and Vahla erupted into laughter once again. The conversation wasn’t funny enough to warrant the type of laughter that escaped the hawk-princess’ lips, but then again, she was clearly flirting with the moose shifter.
Freya fixed her gold-flecked brown eyes to me and let out a silent sigh of irritation. I retorted with a raised eyebrow, and Freya laughed to herself.
“Shall we get a move on?” Nia suggested.
I nodded in agreement and then reached into my bandolier and retrieved a pair of crystals. I equipped myself with a speed slug, but then a thought struck me.
When my friends had battled alongside me against Carth in the Shadowscape, I’d used my magic to give them armor from the bullet bass. If I could share that particular monster’s ability, couldn’t I do the same with others?
I closed my eyes and concentrated as hard as I could. I mentally pictured my magic spreading all around, and as I did, I physically felt the slimy creature’s ability shift to the rest of the flying monsters. I also shared the magic with Freya and Vahla, but I opted to not tell the hawk sisters about it just yet.
Braden’s eyes darted over to me, and he flashed me a knowing smile. I winked at my friend and mentally willed him to keep the information to himself. When he winked back, I knew he would keep the secret.
I mounted my pyrewyrm first and then held my hand out to Nia. The elementalist accepted it, and I helped ease her up onto my serpentine monster. My ashen-haired wife looped her arms around my waist once she was settled, and she rested her cheek lovingly against my back.
“Is it wrong to say I’m excited to get some alone time with you?” she murmured. “I know we’re about to go on a dangerous mission and all…”
“It’s not wrong at all,” I laughed lightly. “And even if it was, I wouldn’t tell anybody. I was glad when you offered to come along.”
Nia squeezed my waist even tighter, and I rested my hand on top of hers.
“Is everyone ready?” Braden called out to the group from atop his king gryphon. He and Mur were on the back of his enormous lion-eagle monster, while Gawain had taken up residence on my vingehund.
Freya and Vahla had shapeshifted into their hawk forms, and before I could give the official command, they pumped their wings and flew up into the air.
“Let’s go,” I called out before our monsters followed the shapeshifters up into the bright blue sky, and adrenaline coursed through my veins as the pyrewyrm gained altitude.
After about an hour and a half, the village of Nattanger came into sight, and my stomach dropped slightly. It seemed like almost every village I’d grown fond of suffered some kind of attack either when I was there, or shortly after I’d left it. Luckily, Nattanger didn’t seem to have sustained the same damage that Adorna had when I’d returned after mine and Nia’s honeymoon. The village appeared almost exactly the same, aside from a few trees that had fallen askew.
