Summoner 20, p.13
Summoner 20, page 13
“Are they vicious?” I wondered.
They can be, the umber-skinned Archon answered in a serious tone. This isn’t a threat to be taken mildly. If Hunnah has sent her pack out into the human realm, there’s something wrong.
“Gryff?” Cyra prompted me, and I snapped out of my daze. “You just zoned out and did that thing with your eyes, so I’m guessing you were speaking with the Archons. Did they have anything to say about the creatures?”
“Archon,” I corrected my wife. “It’s only Xan. But she says if the descriptions are true, the monsters are called mistwolves, and they belong to Hunnah.”
“Mistwolves,” Sleet repeated back to me, and he stroked his beard again as he thought about it. “Interesting, I’ve never heard the name before. Well, at least we’ve been given confirmation, and a name to attach to the creature. Did the Archon Xanrith give any more insight?”
“She said there’s a pack Hunnah’s raised over the years, so that answers the question of how one monster could be in several places at once,” I replied. “I can’t speak for the exact quantity, but if Xan’s tone was any indication, there’s a bunch of them, and they’re all under her command.”
“I wonder why Hunnah has sent them here in the first place,” Cyra mused. “And why they would be spread out. If they were seeking revenge against you, wouldn’t it have made more sense for her to send the pack directly to Varle?”
“That was going to be my next question,” I agreed with her, and then I turned to the headmaster. “What’s happened in these encounters? Have the mistwolves attacked the villages in the way Carth’s did, or were they just skulking around?”
“For now, it appears to be skulking,” the headmaster said. “A few of the reports mention snarls and growls when civilians attempted to approach, but there have been no casualties or injuries from the creatures.”
“I’ve never heard of passive monsters,” I said. “It seems odd to me that they haven’t attacked anyone.”
“Are they searching for something?” Cyra wondered.
“That’s an interesting theory, Miss Cyra.” Sleet tilted his head to the side, and the renowned storm mage sat up straighter in his seat as his pale eyes stared at Cyra intensely. “Could you elaborate on that for us?”
“If they’re spread out throughout Mistral and only snarling at people rather than attacking, my first thought would be they’re looking for something,” my wife said. “I don’t know what that would be--”
“From what we’ve figured out from Carth’s book, it seems like Hunnah and Quilla want to merge the realms together,” I pointed out to the pair. “We don’t know how they intend to do it, though, so maybe there’s something they need that they’re looking for, a piece that will help them out, but they don’t know where it is, so they’ve sent the pack out to search the country.”
“Perhaps they seek an ancient artifact of some sort,” Sleet chimed in. “I don’t know if such a thing exists, but that seems like a reasonable guess. Mister Gryff, would it be possible for you to interrogate Carth on the matter since she is newly yours?”
“Well…” I trailed off. “There’s sort of a problem there. The last time I tried asking Carth questions, she avoided them completely. It was almost impossible to get a helpful word out of her. All she wanted was to deflect and play games with me.”
“I can see how that would be a problem.” The headmaster raised a dark sterling eyebrow. “Have the others fought to provide answers as well, or is she the first to be defiant?”
“She’s not the first, but certainly the worst,” I said, and I rubbed the back of my neck absently. “Arwyn and Ashla think it may have something to do with Carth’s influence magic. Her ability is all about manipulation, so her mind might be harder to infiltrate than the other goddesses.”
“Curious.” Sleet leaned back in his chair, and an amused expression crossed his features. “The Archons are truly fascinating. Troubling, and unpredictable, but truly fascinating.”
“It’d be more fascinating if she belonged to anyone else’s consciousness.” I smirked at the headmaster. “I don’t know how to get her to answer our questions, though I haven’t made a second attempt, yet. Perhaps she’ll be more willing now that time has passed.”
“I’d suggest making another attempt, if possible,” the headmaster proposed. “If she could give even the slightest indication of what Hunnah and her pack are after, we could at least get a bit of a head start on thwarting them.”
“Aside from interrogating Carth, what should we do in the meantime?” Cyra asked Sleet. “Gryff’s the only one able to talk with her, so what can the rest of us do to help?”
“For now, we shall continue working on the translations of the texts, and keep an eye on the situation,” Sleet decided. “Should more mistwolves appear, we’ll take action, but until then, all we can do is survey the area and keep the wolves away from the larger villages. A good amount of Mistral is nervous about this new epidemic of monsters, but as long as the mistwolves remain passive, civilians should be free of panic. You’ve given us much to ponder, and I think we should further investigate the theory about the merging of the worlds. Perhaps Carth’s book holds the knowledge of their plan.”
“I think that’s about all we can do,” I agreed with the headmaster. “Now that I’m back from the honeymoon, I can better focus on the research team and taming Carth.”
“Don’t forget about your exam,” Sleet reminded me with a small frown. “The impending Archon attack is obviously a high priority, but so are your academics. If you still wish to take the comprehensive exam instead of just rejoining your third year, make your studying an immediate priority. The research team and I will begin to make a plan in case the situation goes awry.”
I pondered the offer once more but ultimately decided to stick to my guns. I’d committed myself to taking this exam and proving my worth, so I needed to see it through.
“Yes, sir.” I nodded. “I still intend to take the exam, and once I pass, I’ll shift my attention to this.”
The words that came from my mouth weren’t necessarily a lie, but I knew it was going to be hard to focus on taking a test when the entire country was being stalked by Hunnah’s monsters. I would do as the headmaster and Arwyn requested, but only for as long as I had to.
Once the exam was tackled, I would focus on the Archons.
“Good,” the headmaster said, and then he rose elegantly from the leather armchair. “For now, I shall leave you to rest. I look forward to speaking with you soon, and even more so, I look forward to grading your exam in its entirety.”
“Thank you, sir,” I said. “Please, don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
“Will do, Mister Gryff,” Sleet agreed, and the gray-haired storm mage offered me a paternal smile. “Take the next couple of days to recuperate, and once you’re rested, Miss Hamner and I will arrange a time for you to take your test.
“I can do that.” I nodded. Then I ushered the headmaster to the front door, and the storm mage placed his hand gently on my shoulder once we reached the front door.
“Don’t worry, Gryff,” Sleet assured me. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“I know we will.” I smiled at him.
Sleet squeezed my shoulder affectionately, offered Cyra a small wave, and then walked out the door, and once it closed behind him, I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding and made my way back over to the formal sitting room.
Cyra had moved from the arm to the cushion of the chair, and the dark-haired summoner’s chin rested in her hands as she peered up at me.
“I knew things were going to get intense when we returned, but that occurred much faster than I’d have guessed,” she breathed. “None of this sounds good, Gryff.”
“I know,” I agreed with her as I crossed into the room, perched on the arm of the chair, and reached down to stroke her curls. “Let’s not doomsday everything too hard until we get some of the facts together, though.”
“I know you’re right, but it’s hard not to freak out about this,” Cyra sighed. “The mistwolves are passive now, but if they’re really searching for something like we think they are, that lax attitude is only going to change, and when it does, people could get hurt.”
“We won’t let that happen,” I insisted. “We’ll get to the bottom of it soon, I promise. If I need to interrogate Carth today--”
“Gryff, you look way too tired for that.” Cyra shook her head adamantly.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, but my wife turned around to face me head-on. Her chocolate-brown eyes pleaded for me to reconsider, and after a deep breath, I realized Cyra was right. “Okay. It can wait until tomorrow.”
“We wouldn’t be able to stop them today anyway.” Cyra rested her hand on my leg. “Unfortunately, conquering the Archons requires a good amount of time and planning.”
“I wish I could hasten the process,” I sighed. “I’m ready to put all of this behind us.”
“Me, too,” the umber-skinned summoner agreed with me. “We’ll get there soon enough, my love. I promise.”
Cyra offered me a reassuring smile, but our moment was interrupted by a knock on the wall.
“Are you two hungry?” Arwyn asked as she poked her head in the doorway. “I can throw together some lunch if you are, unless you’d prefer breakfast or dinner food. If anything sounds even remotely good, we can make it happen. ”
“Honestly, I’m just kind of beat,” I admitted, and a yawn rose up in my chest and erupted before I could stop it. “I really appreciate the offer, it was very kind of you, but I think I should take the headmaster's advice and get some rest. I’m still feeling pretty tired, and from the sounds of it, I’m going to need to be as focused and attentive as possible for the next week or so.”
“I think that’s a smart plan, Gryff.” Arwyn nodded, and the gorgeous redhead stuck her hands in the pockets of her thin leather leggings. The dark-green pants clung to her long, shapely legs like a second skin, and showed off the contours of her perfect ass. “Well, the offer of a meal still stands once you awaken, whenever that will be. Ashla and I will be working on the translations this afternoon, and the others are out doing some shopping, so the house should be nice and quiet for you.”
“Thanks, Arwyn.” I smiled at the healer mage.
“Of course.” She nodded, and her full lips broke into a smile. “Go upstairs and get some rest. When you wake up, we’ll get some food in you, and then I want to hear all about your honeymoon. Did you have a good time?”
“We did,” Cyra and I spoke in unison, and then my wife and I cracked up.
Arwyn joined in, and it was nice to have a moment of mirth amongst the chaos. Once the laughter died, I glanced up the stairs and then turned to Cyra.
“Cyra, would you care to join me for a nap?” I prompted my wife.
“Is Milo with Maelor?” Cyra addressed Arwyn.
“Yes, but he isn’t set to return until this evening,” the redhead said. “Meriden and Maelor weren’t sure when you and Cyra would be returning, so they offered to keep him at their place for the whole day.”
“That was very kind of them,” I said.
“They were more than happy to do it,” Arwyn replied as she leaned against the staircase railing. “They love Milo, so I’m sure you were doing them a favor as much as they were doing one for you.”
“That’s an adorable mental image,” Cyra gushed. “I’m glad the old man has taken such a shining to our son.”
“How could he not?” I smirked. “Milo’s hard to resist.”
It was then I noticed Arwyn’s hand rested gently on her stomach, and the healer mage’s amber eyes were soft as she peered down.
“How have you been, Arwyn?” I asked her. “With the pregnancy and everything? I know we were only gone for a few days, but I want to make sure you’re doing okay,”
“I appreciate the concern, Gryff, but the baby and I seem to be perfectly fine,” Arwyn assured me. “I know I don’t look my best right now, but it’s due to a lack of sleep, not illness. In between the monster sightings and the work with the research team, there’s been a lot of activity around here, and I’ve admittedly been pushing myself a little too hard.”
“Arwyn, you need to take better care of yourself,” I pressed. “I know you’re just doing your job, but you also need to give yourself a moment of rest as well. You and the baby need to be as healthy as possible, and you can’t be healthy if you aren’t getting sleep.”
“I promise I’ll get to sleep earlier tonight,” Arwyn assured me in a softened tone. “Now, enough about me. Both of you go head upstairs and try to relax.”
“Will do,” I agreed with the healer mage, and even though I wanted to ask her about her research, I decided it would be best to give her some space for now.
“Shall we?” Cyra asked, and after I gave her a nod, we headed up the spiral staircase with our luggage in tow. When we reached the second floor, we filed into my bedroom, and from there, we only mustered enough effort to remove our shoes and coats before we climbed into my nice soft bed.
Cyra curled up on her side, and I wrapped myself around her as if we were two puzzle pieces. I breathed in the scent of her perfume and then closed my eyes.
“Gryff?” my dark-haired wife whispered.
“Yes?”
“I love you,” she replied. “I know I’ve said it a million times, but in light of everything, I just wanted to repeat it.”
“I love you, too,” I murmured, and I pulled the umber-skinned summoner even closer. “Thanks for being my rock.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” she sighed as her eyes fluttered closed.
The bedroom fell silent, and I couldn’t stay awake any longer. Archons, mistwolves, exams… the honeymoon was officially over, and if I wanted to face everything to the best of my ability, I needed sleep.
And soon, Hunnah and Quilla were going to be mine.
For the next few days, I rested, studied, and spent quality time with my family, and then at the end of the week, the dreaded day finally arrived.
It was time to take the comprehensive exam.
The morning of the test, Arwyn and the rest of my women had insisted I eat a nutritious and filling breakfast, so Freya prepared a meal of eggs, fresh bread, bacon, and various fresh fruits for everyone. We all hung around the kitchen table, and as I sipped at my coffee, Nia and Layla quizzed me with a stack of flashcards.
“What was the reported height of a full-grown amosaur?” Nia recited from a card. My ashen-haired wife’s eyes penetrated me with a focused gaze meant to intimidate me, but I couldn’t be swayed.. “And what year did they seemingly go extinct?”
“It was said a mature amosaur ranged around thirty feet if male, twenty-five if female,” I replied. “And they were last seen two hundred years ago.”
“Very good.” The multi-elementalist nodded, and she replaced the card at the bottom of the deck.
“Can you tell me what elemental variations there are of the chimera?” Layla read from another card, and then she took a huge swig from her coffee cup.
“Ice and fire,” I answered. “There’s been speculation that electric variants exist, but no hard evidence to back it up.”
“I think he’s gonna ace this.” Layla grinned at Nia, and I felt myself slightly raise my chin with pride.
I’d been studying hard, and I felt like I was going to pass this test with little difficulty.”
While the pair of mages stashed away the cards, Freya and Cyra appeared with platters of food.
“Eat up, my husband,” the hawk-princess instructed me as she handed me an overfilled plate. “You must prepare your body just as much as your mind. Good food will help.”
“You’re too good to me,” I said as I accepted the steaming plate from her. “Seriously, Freya, thank you.”
“Of course.” My golden-haired wife nodded firmly. “It’s what any wife would do for her husband before battle.”
“Wellllll, I wouldn’t call an exam a battle,” I drawled as I stabbed my fork into my eggs. The steam from the plate kicked up with the effort, and my mouth watered at the delicious smell.
“I would address it as such,” Freya insisted, and her gold-flecked brown eyes flashed. “What is a test if not a battle of your brain against a paper?
“That’s actually a pretty good comparison,” I realized before I scooped up a huge bite of food and chewed it thoughtfully.
“You will do great,” Freya emphasized, and she squeezed my shoulder before she took up the seat beside me.
“You’ve got this in the bag, Gryffie,” Layla agreed with the hawk-princess.
“What I’m going to have is a stomach ache if I keep eating away at this,” I laughed at the petite summoner, and then I patted the cushioned seat beside me. “Get over here and help me get through this food, Bethel.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Layla chirped happily, and she parked her tiny body in the empty chair. I passed her a fork, but she immediately swooped in and stole a big piece of juicy bacon.
“I’m really proud of you, Gryff,” Nia spoke up after she swallowed a bite of toast. “You’ve really been committing yourself to this exam and haven’t let anything else distract you.”
“Thanks, Nia,” I said. “Though I wouldn’t have gotten far without all of you. I appreciate you all helping me with flashcards and quizzes.”
“Of course.” Erin finally spoke up from the far end of the table. She’d been so focused on giving Olivir his bottle, she hadn’t said a word yet, but our strawberry-blond son had finally given in and started sucking at it happily. “I’m glad we could help out.”
“You guys helped a lot,” I assured the orange-haired mimic, and Erin flashed me a brilliant smile.
“Have you guys seen Arwyn and Ashla this morning?” Nia wondered as she looked around the room.
“Ashla left early to get to the research office,” Cyra reported from across the room. “She said she wanted to get a head start before the others arrived. It seemed like she was on the verge of something.”
