Summoner 20, page 37
Hunnah and Quilla couldn’t roam free, not with their threat of merging the realms.
A splitting headache bloomed behind my eyes, but I gritted my teeth and ignored the pain. I couldn’t let it take a hold of me. This was too important for me, for Mistral… for the whole realm. So, I ignored my discomfort and continued to picture the Archons retreating into my consciousness.
“Gryff,” I heard Sera whisper moments later. “Gryff, it’s done.”
I parted my eyelids just enough to see Hunnah and Quilla slip out of their restraints and dissolve into essence. The tingle that ran through me grew more concentrated, and I felt it blossom on my left and right ankles as the streams of essence entered my body.
Finally, the feeling settled, and it was finally done.
I knew when I shifted my pant leg aside later, the final Archons’ marks would be visible on my skin. With every goddess under my control, they left a tattoo on my flesh, and now that Hunnah and Quilla belonged to me, my collection was complete.
I’d done it.
I’d captured Hunnah and Quilla.
All nine Archons were mine. Every moment, every battle, had led up to this moment, and now, it was over.
I opened my mouth to let out a sound of victory, but before it could leave my lips, the world went dark.
Chapter Nineteen
Beastmaker...
Wielder of the fell and bearer of the nine marks…
Bearer of the nine marks…
The nine marks…
Years may pass, and years may change…
Yet prophecy’s Beastmaker shall remain.
I awoke to an expanse of pitch-black nothingness.
My eyes blinked rapidly as they struggled to adjust to the lack of light, and I suddenly became aware of the dull pain that had blossomed in the back of my head. I tried to stretch out my aching limbs, but my body felt submerged, as if I was underwater, and the effort was like slogging through molasses.
Where was I, and how did I get here?
My surroundings were warm and calm, and despite the pain that throbbed in the back of my head, something about the darkness brought me comfort, so instead of fighting against the heavy atmosphere, I allowed myself to relax into it.
I’d been here before, or at least somewhere similar, and the weightless sensation was familiar, but I couldn’t place why. I tried to search my memory for clues, but there was nothing there.
Master, you must not succumb.
My eyes darted around as I tried to find the source of the voice. It sounded so far away that I almost wasn’t sure if it was a figment of my imagination, but then I heard it again.
Gryff, come back to us. You’re so close to victory, you cannot give up now.
“Hello?” I tried to respond to the pleading voice, but my words caught in my throat.
Follow my voice, Gryff, the feminine voice called out to me. Follow it back to us, please. You still have so much to accomplish, so much life to live. Don’t throw it all away.
“Where are you?”
I’m right here, the voice replied in a honeyed tone. I know succumbing is the easier option, the one that’s the most comfortable. You’ve been fighting so hard, for so long, and you do deserve to be at peace, but not now. It’s too soon, Gryff. You have wives, a family, and a realm to protect. You have people who love you, who need you to pull through. Please, don’t abandon them just yet. They-- I, need you to live. So, please, follow the sound of my voice, and come back to us.
I flexed my limbs once more, but I still couldn’t move through the thick air around me.
Concentrate, the voice instructed me. Envision my words as a path and follow it until you reach me.
Wives, a family… faces and features flickered through my mind, and I realized the voice was speaking the truth. There were people who needed me, and while all I wanted was to give in to the restful peace of the darkness, I knew I couldn’t.
So, I followed the voice’s instructions, closed my eyes as tightly as I could, and tried to picture a physical path amongst the darkness.
That’s it, the voice urged. Keep going, Gryff. I’m right here with you.
I imagined myself moving down a winding trail, and as I did, the air around me grew thinner and thinner. I began to feel a weight to my limbs, and the pressure against my chest ceased.
The warmth gave way to a slightly chilling breeze, and when I shivered, relief flooded through me. Then, when I no longer felt like I was underwater, I opened my eyes and was greeted by a pair of brilliant yellow irises.
“Sera?” I choked out, and I blinked my eyes rapidly.
“Oh, Gryff,” the dark-winged Archon let out a sigh of relief. “You found your way back to us.”
When I glanced around, I realized we were on the ground, and Sera had my upper half cradled in her arms.
“You… it was your voice,” I realized. “You led me back here.”
“I thought you were lost for good.” Sera gave me a saddened look, and she brushed my dark bangs from my eyes. The strands were moist with sweat, and I shivered when I realized just how cold I was.
“I almost was,” I admitted. “But you helped lead me here… wherever we are.”
“I think you know exactly where we are,” the Archon whispered. “Just look around.”
I looked away from Sera and peered around at my cavernous surroundings. This place was empty, but not in a bad way. Mist swirled around us, and when I admired the blue hue that cloaked the space, the realization struck me.
We were in my dreamscape.
I let out a sigh of relief and shivered as an icy chill ran down my spine. For some reason, the air was incredibly cold, so with a wave of my will, I shifted the temperature until it was warm enough to be comfortable.
“Much better,” I muttered, and then I peered around at the empty space. I didn’t remember going to sleep, but if I was in the dreamscape, the fight against Hunnah and Quilla had ended.
“What do you remember?” Sera whispered as she gently brushed my cheek.
Suddenly, a rush of images flooded my mind, and my head felt as if it was going to explode from the influx of sounds and memories. The overwhelming sensation crashed over me, and I covered my ears with my hands as if it would help dull the pain.
I remembered it all: the mistwolves, Nia and Gawain’s fiery inferno consuming the regarat, Braden’s gryphon, my faun’s magic ensnaring Quilla, and the shapeshifter’s battle cries ringing in my ears.
“The battle,” I replied, and I carefully sat up as I recalled the events leading up to this. “I remember the battle, capturing Hunnah and Quilla… everything. The only thing that’s hazy is the events following the capture. I can’t recall anything that happened once they entered my mind.”
“I think it would be best for the others to help me explain,” Sera suggested in a softened tone. “Do you have the strength to summon my sisters?”
“I think so,” I said before I took a deep breath and focused on manifesting the rest of the Archons into the dreamscape. I pictured the seven goddesses I’d already claimed, and the effort made my headache flare up, but I gritted my teeth and bore the pain anyway.
When I reopened my eyes, I was surrounded by my seven monster goddesses, and each of them greeted me with similar expressions of happiness.
“Oh, Master, you’re alive!” Miralea squeaked out, and the jaguar goddess rushed over to where Sera and I were seated on the ground. She threw her golden arms around me, much to Sera’s irritation, and I watched the dark-winged Archon roll her eyes at her sister.
“Hi, Miralea,” I greeted her with a small chuckle. “Good to see you, too.”
“Master, are you alright?” Phi pressed as her eyebrows creased together.
“As far as I know,” I replied to the white-winged Archon, and then I addressed the entire group. “Can everyone gather around me? I’m still a little hazy on the details post-battle, and I need you to fill in the pieces.”
The Archons obliged, and after they shared concerned glances with one another, they joined us on the ground.
“Where do you want us to begin?” Xan asked me in a careful tone.
“After the battle,” I addressed the flame-winged Archon. “I remember everything that led up to it, but I don’t remember what happened once I caught Hunnah and Quilla.”
“Your mana was depleted, and you fainted, Gryff, ” Carth spoke up first.
“Fully depleted ?” I asked, and my eyebrows shot skyward. “I guess that explains why I’m here in the dreamscape rather than out there.”
“The moment Hunnah and Quilla faded from the physical world, you lost consciousness,” Xan elaborated further. “No matter how many potions your Nia Kenefick tried to pour down your throat, you didn’t respond. I even tried to use my resurrection magic to bring you back, but it didn’t work. You were in a place where I couldn’t reach you, and no matter how hard I pushed the limitations of my magic, I couldn’t resurrect you.”
“Wow,” I breathed. I hadn’t realized Xan’s powers even had limitations, and if she couldn’t bring me back, I must have been pretty far lost.
“It was bad, master,” Utuni added in. The snake goddess’ mouth was a hard, thin line, and it was strange to see her expression so serious for once. “Your friends were certain you’d met your demise.”
“But I didn’t,” I reminded her. “I’m clearly here speaking with all of you, which means there’s a chance I could wake up, right?”
“Right,” Veopa agreed.
“So, how do I wake up?”
“That’s the thing, Gryff,” Xan said slowly. “You’re… in a coma.”
“A coma?” I repeated back to the Archon, and I shook my head back and forth in disbelief. “No, there’s no way. I’m just asleep, aren’t I?”
“Xanrith speaks the truth,” Sera insisted. “There was always a possibility that housing nine Archons within your consciousness was going to have some adverse effects, and you pushed your body to its limits when you accepted Hunnah and Quilla.”
“I can’t be in a coma,” I pressed. “I have people I have to return to, remember? You told me that when you helped guide me back to the dreamscape.”
“We think we have a way to get you back to your friends and family,” the dark-winged Archon soothed me. “Before you can awaken, you must subdue Hunnah and Quilla and claim them as your own.”
“That headache you’re experiencing is a direct result of the conflict and turmoil Hunnah and Quilla are unleashing upon your mind,” Xan explained to me softly. “They’re purposefully trying to drive you mad and keep you here so you won’t ever wake up. Humans can only remain in a coma for so long before their bodies begin to deteriorate, and should you die--”
“They would be released, wouldn’t they?” I finished for her, and the azure-winged goddess nodded.
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“We can’t have that,” I said. “There’s only one option, then. I have to claim Hunnah and Quilla, and once they’re handled, I can wake up.”
“Yes.” Xan nodded.
I nodded my head back as the Archons’ words settled in. Succumbing to a coma and risking the goddesses’ escape wasn’t an option, and furthermore, I couldn’t leave my family behind. If claiming the last two Archons as my own was the solution, I had to do it.
“I’m going to need everyone’s help to bring them here,” I ordered. “Restrain them, bind them, whatever it takes, I need you to bring them to me.”
“Yes, master,” the Archons said collectively, and then they rose to their feet and vanished.
I pulled myself up from the floor and dusted off my trousers as I waited for their return. Then I studied the empty dreamscape and realized claiming them on the ground alone wasn’t a task I wanted to do, so I concentrated and imagined a large, frameless bed. I wasn’t looking for lush commodities, but if I was going to claim both Archons, I wanted to do it somewhere comfortable for me at least.
I stripped out of my jacket and threw it to the ground behind me. My shoes and ripped-up shirt were next, and once I was free of the garments, I took a long, deep breath. I’d done this seven times before, so this practice wasn’t new to me, but there was still a nervousness I needed to shake.
I thought of my women and children back home and how much I wanted to wake up and get back to them. We had an impressive victory to celebrate, and I knew with every second that passed, they grew more worried.
Luckily, I didn’t have to think about that subject for too long, since the Archons reappeared moments later. Just as it’d been done in the physical world, the seven goddesses under my control restrained Hunnah and Quilla in their arms. Hunnah was thrashing and kicking, but Quilla remained in place. The skeletal Archon’s dark-blue eyes were thoughtful as they studied me, and she wore a plain expression on her face.
“I can’t say I’m particularly thrilled to see you, Beastmaker,” the petite goddess sighed. “You defeated my monsters, after all.”
“I would apologize, but I’m not sorry about it.” I rolled my eyes at her.
“Fair enough,” Quilla chuckled.
“Release us, Beastmaker,” Hunnah snarled. “Or I swear--”
“You swear what?” I laughed at the wolf-eared Archon. “The last time I checked, you hold no power here. You’re trapped, Hunnah, so it would be best if you just listened to me instead of fighting against it.”
“We seem to have a bit of power,” Hunnah mused as she looked around. “But you’re trapped in here, and if my sisters were speaking the truth to you earlier, you can’t leave until you claim us.”
The warrior Archon was trying to get under my skin, but I wasn’t about to let her bother me.”
“Here’s how this is going to work,” I began in a confident voice. “You belong to me now, so you don’t have any other choice but to submit to me completely. It’ll make it easier for all of us in the long run if you just offer yourselves willingly, but if you’re opposed to the idea… well, I have other ways to make you mine.”
“Submit as in make love to you?” Quilla raised a dark eyebrow. “That’s how you claimed my other sisters, is it not?”
“It is,” I confirmed as I crossed my arms against my chest.
“Love implies something deeper,” Hunnah scoffed. “The Beastmaker has no love for us. He only seeks to make us his property.”
“If you’d like to think of it as making love, I won’t argue the terminology with you,” I replied to the skeletal Archon. “But essentially, yes, Quilla.”
“I’ll never give myself to you,” Hunnah snarled as she thrashed in her sister’s arms. “And neither will my sister. I’d sooner let you rot than let you take my body as a trophy.”
“Don’t speak for me, Hunnah,” Quilla snapped at her sister, and the space suddenly fell silent. The skeletal Archon’s navy-blue eyes flashed with irritation, and I was surprised to see the mild-mannered goddess go off on Hunnah like that. “You always think you know what’s on my mind, but you don’t.”
Hunnah blinked rapidly like she was taken aback by the sudden outburst, but she chose to ignore it rather than engage with Quilla on the matter.
“So, what will it be?” I prompted the skeletal Archon.
“I offer myself to you,” Quilla murmured in a breathy voice. “Do what you will with my body. I won’t fight it.”
“You’re giving in?” I clarified with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes,” the skeletal Archon replied. “But the way I see it, I have no other option. It’s just as we learned centuries ago. You must adapt to your surroundings or perish. It’s easier for me to accept you as my master, and it will be much less physically taxing in the long run.”
“That’s… surprisingly mature of you.”
“I am one of the three eldest Archons, Gryff.” Quilla rolled her navy-blue eyes at me playfully. “I’ve learned a thing or two in my time.”
“If you truly learned as much as you claimed, you wouldn’t have lost so easily,” I heard Utuni grumble, and I shot a glare in the snake goddess’ direction before I turned back to Quilla.
“You’re willing to submit fealty to me,” I repeated back to her. “You would pledge yourself as mine and obey me as your master?”
“Of course,” the skeletal Archon said. “Do what you must to claim me as your own, Beastmaker.”
I inclined my head at the other goddesses, and with my blessing, they released their hold on Quilla. Then I stepped forward and drew the petite Archon to me. I pulled the zipper of her dark-blue military jacket down, and when the garment parted, I was delighted to see the goddess wore nothing but a pair of filmy underwear beneath her clothes.
I eased the jacket from her shoulders, and once Quilla was free of it, she ran her hands through her gorgeous hair. Her golden-brown mane cascaded in perfect waves down to her hips, and the color against her lightly tanned skin was beyond beautiful.
Quilla’s tiny body was incredibly sexy and well-proportioned, and while her breasts were on the smaller side, they were perfectly pert. Her nipples were a lovely light-brown shade, like coffee with milk stirred in, and I longed to taste every inch of her.
I cupped her right breast in my hand and brushed my thumb over her nipple, and Quilla shuddered beneath my touch.
“Please, just…” she whispered in a breathy voice. “I’m ready for you to penetrate me, Beastmaker.”
I led the Archon to the bed I’d manifested and gently laid her down on top of it.
“Don’t be a traitor, Quilla!” Hunnah called out to us from across the space. “Don’t give in to the enemy.”
“I’ve made my choice, Hunnah,” Quilla murmured, and then she pressed her lips against mine.
The petite goddess tasted like raspberries, and the taste of her exploded against my tongue as I pulled her in deeper. Each of the Archons were great lovers, but Quilla had a passion about her that immediately drove my heart into overdrive. She wound her fingers in my hair as she bit down on my lip, and a shudder rippled through me.
