Summoner 20, p.2
Summoner 20, page 2
The horned goddess had slumped into the bed and looked thoroughly spent, so I climbed off her and searched the floor for my pants.
“That was quite the time, Beastmaker,” Carth called over to me. “Even better than the last. I could get used to that magnificent member of yours.”
“Don’t get too used to it,” I countered. “You belong to me now, so I decide when you get to be rewarded.”
“Is there a point system?” Carth mocked me.
“If there was, you’d be losing,” I replied as I finally located my pants and dressed myself quickly. The rest of the Archons looked disappointed as I zipped up my trousers, but before they could protest, I raised my chin.
“Thank you for your help,” I announced to the group. “Each of you. I will call upon you soon.”
I dismissed the Archons with a wave of my will, and once the monster goddesses were gone, I slumped down onto the bed I’d manifested. I concentrated hard, and soon, the bed was outfitted in pristine sheets.
“Much better,” I sighed as I let my head hit the pillow and stared up at the dimly-lit ceiling.
Carth was conquered. I would celebrate my victory later, but for now, I was exhausted from the entire affair, so I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and drifted into a thankfully dreamless slumber.
Sometime later, I awoke in my own bedroom with a start.
“Oh, Gryff, you’re finally awake,” Arwyn sighed the moment I blinked my eyes open. “Thank the Maker, I was beginning to worry.”
The healer mage’s form was blurred as if I were peering at her while underwater, but after I rubbed my eyes she came back into focus. Her amber eyes were round with concern as I slowly sat up, and her auburn eyebrows were creased together.
“It’s done,” I managed to say after a few more blinks. “Carth, she’s under my control now.”
“Gryff, this is amazing,” Arwyn gasped, and the professor wrapped me into a tight embrace. “You’re such a powerful mage, and you never fail to impress me with your endeavors.”
“Thanks, Arwyn,” I replied, and once we broke apart, I peered over at the window. Sunlight streamed into the room through a break in the curtains, and my eyes ached at the brightness. “What time is it?”
“It’s almost the afternoon,” Arwyn answered. “But if you’d like to rest a while longer--”
“I think I’ve dreamt enough for now,” I laughed as I rubbed the back of my neck.
“Fair enough,” the healer mage laughed right back. “Well, take a couple of minutes to wake up, and then we can get dressed and head upstairs. We have quite a bit of news to share with the others, and I don’t think I can keep my secret from them any longer. I’m too excited.”
“I’m excited, too,” I admitted to her. “About the pregnancy bit, anyways. I know they’ll be glad to hear Carth is handled, but your news is much more pleasant.”
“They’ll be happy to hear both,” Arwyn assured me. “Our family is important, but so is the war, and now that Carth is under your control, there are only two Archons left to conquer. This puts us in an advantageous position.”
“I agree.” I nodded. “Now that Carth is mine, we can try to get information about the remaining Archons and what their plan for Mistral is. Hopefully, we can further decipher the book and figure out Hunnah and Quilla’s intentions.”
“Yes,” Arwyn agreed. “Carth’s cooperation should help us and the research team immensely.”
I was thrilled by this development, so I leaned forward and kissed my lover. I was so happy to be a step closer to victory, and my favorite way to celebrate was by giving my women as much affection as I could manage.
“I love you,” I murmured against the professor’s lips.
“I love you, too,” Arwyn giggled into my mouth.
After we spent a few minutes enjoying the taste of one another, we finally pulled ourselves out of bed, and Arwyn began to search for her clothing. Her green dress and panties from the night before were crumpled in a pile on the floor, and I watched with admiration as the healer began to dress herself. Arwyn was stunningly beautiful, and I often found myself distracted by her perfect hourglass body.
I forced myself to look away, and then I crossed over to my wardrobe and pulled out a pair of clean trousers and a simple long-sleeved shirt to take upstairs with me. After everything I’d been through, a shower sounded amazing, and I didn’t want to go all the way downstairs just to retrieve clothing after I’d bathed. Granted, my women probably wouldn’t complain at the thought of me walking around our mansion naked…
“Shall we?” Arwyn asked as she stretched her arms up into the air and let out a sigh as her back cracked.
“Let’s do it.” I nodded after giving a stretch of my own.
The gorgeous professor offered me a beautiful smile, and then we headed out the door. I followed Arwyn up the spiral staircase to the third floor and down the hall until we reached the professor’s bedroom. I lingered out in the hall while Arwyn collected a change of clothes, and once she emerged, we walked back down the corridor and into one of the many bathrooms of our mansion.
We spent a good amount of time in the shower together, washing each other’s back and exploring each other with our hands and tongues, until finally, we relegated ourselves to actually getting clean.
Once we were fresh and presentable, we dressed for the day and left the room to get to the nursery. It was around time for the kids to settle down for their naps, so I knew the rest of my family was likely gathered in the room together.
My heart raced in my chest as we moved down the hall toward the nursery. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous to share the news of Arwyn’s pregnancy, and the claiming of Carth, but something about the news made me feel antsy. Perhaps it was more excitement-based than fear, but either way, I was ready to tell my wives and girlfriends everything that had happened in the past twelve hours.
“Are you ready?” Arwyn asked as her hand hovered over the doorknob. The professor’s amber eyes sparkled as she awaited my answer, and I could tell she was just as excited as I was.
“Definitely.” I nodded, and once I took a deep breath, we stepped into the nursery.
Chapter Two
Just as I’d suspected, the rest of my family were gathered in the nursery, and each of my wives and girlfriends greeted Arwyn and I with knowing smiles.
“Well, look who it is.” Erin grinned at us as she bounced our son Olivir in her arms. The sunlight that streamed in through the open curtains made the mimic’s already bright orange hair look even more vibrant, and her brilliant smile was infectious. “It’s about time the two of you came up for air.”
“Good morning to you, too, Erin,” I chuckled as heat spread through my cheeks.
“Actually, it’s the afternoon now,” Nia Kenefick chimed in from the other side of the room. My ashen-haired wife was seated on a rocking chair and held our daughter Nessa in her arms as she rocked.
“It’s Sunday, time doesn’t exist,” I said, and the rest of my women cracked up at that. Then I crossed over to Nia and took a seat in the other rocking chair beside her.
Nessa peered over at me with an odd-eyed stare. Mine and Nia’s daughter had inherited both of our eye colors, and so she had one blue iris and another deep walnut brown one. I smiled at the infant, and she flashed me a tiny little grin that made my heart swell.
“Did someone celebrate a little too hard last night?” Cyra teased me as I cooed at Nessa. The curly-haired summoner held our equally curly-haired son Milo in her dark-skinned arms, and her chocolate-brown eyes glittered with mischief as they flickered between Arwyn and me.
In all of the excitement between Arwyn’s news and then the Archons, I’d nearly forgotten that just last night, we’d held a wedding for my best friend Braden and his fiancée Mati in our backyard. It’d been a small affair, but the size of it didn’t take away from the fun. We’d all had an amazing time dancing, drinking, and celebrating the union of our friends, and my women had gone above and beyond to make the venue and the wedding itself perfect.
“Nope, just been busy doing other things,” I replied to my girlfriend vaguely.
“Like Arwyn?” Layla quipped with a waggle of her eyebrows, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the petite summoner’s fast response. “You two spent quite a while in your room, Gryffie.”
“Hush it, Bethel,” I groaned.
“I’m just calling it as I see it.” The auburn-haired mage shrugged as she set our daughter Daphne into her crib. It was still so strange to see my spritely girlfriend in mom mode, but motherhood didn’t lessen her spirit at all.
“You two look as though you’re cats who got the cream,” Ashla pressed as she cradled mine and Nia’s son Nicolis to her chest. The umber-skinned former mercenary was also pregnant with my child, but for now, she helped out Nia whenever she needed it. My multi-elementalist wife had been the only one of my lovers to bear twins, and she definitely needed an extra set of hands to keep them under control.
“You truly do,” Nia assessed with a curious expression as she rocked Nessa in her arms. “What’s going on?”
“Yeah, spill it, Gryffie!” Layla insisted with an amused smile on her lips.
“Well…” I looked over at Arwyn, and the healer mage’s porcelain cheeks darkened until they were nearly maroon.
“Arwyn is pregnant,” Freya observed as her gold-flecked brown eyes flickered over Arwyn with a knowing expression. The blonde hawk-princess had no filter, and she often declared whatever statement came to her mind. “Am I correct?”
“Well, I was just about to say it myself, but I’m relieved I don’t have to stutter over the words myself,” Arwyn chuckled. “Freya is correct. I am pregnant.”
The room erupted with squeals of delight that were echoed by our newborns, aside from Olivir and Lahrra, who managed to remain fast asleep as my lovers moved about excitedly.
“Congratulations, Arwyn!” Nia gushed, and my ashen-haired wife set baby Nessa down in her crib, rushed over to the professor, and wrapped her in a tight embrace.
“Thank you, Nia.” Arwyn smiled as she accepted the hug. “I really appreciate it.
“Oh, Arwyn, you and Gryff are going to have the cutest baby,” Cyra sighed dreamily.
“Aww, I wonder if he or she will have red hair!” Ashla chimed in, and the girls all let out collective coos of delight at the idea.
I caught myself breaking into a huge grin at the thought of a baby with my dark eyes and Arwyn’s unusual merlot hair. Each of my children seemed to favor their mothers, so there was a strong possibility my son or daughter would inherit the professor’s red tresses.
“That would be precious.” Arwyn’s smile widened, and she placed a hand on her still flat belly. “My mother had the same hair, and it would mean a lot to me if I could pass that along to my child.”
“I didn’t know that,” I remarked. “Maker, I don’t know much about your family in general, Arwyn.”
“There isn’t much to know,” my lover replied, and her amber eyes dropped to the ground.
While I wanted to press the healer mage for more information, I could tell the subject of her family was a hard one, and now didn’t seem like the right time to ask.
“I am very happy for you, Arwyn,” Freya declared. “You have been wanting a child for so long, and now your patience has been rewarded. You have been so supportive throughout all of our pregnancies, and I look forward to helping you in any way I can. You will be a most wonderful mother to your son or daughter, I just know it.”
“Freya, that means so much to hear,” Arwyn said, and her lower lip trembled as she fought back tears. “Thank you for your kindness.”
“You’ve always been kind to me,” Freya insisted. “Allow me to return the favor to you. You are an amazing sister-wife, and I love you.”
“I love you, too,” the crimson-haired healer whispered, and as she broke into tears, my hawk wife crossed over to her and wrapped her in her arms.
A knot formed in my throat as the pair clung to each other, and the rest of my family seemed to share similar bouts of emotion.
“Ugh, you guys need to stopppp!” Layla sniffled. “This is all so cute. I love our big family.”
“Me, too,” Ashla said as she wiped a tear from her dark eyes.
We all gathered around each other and shared a big group hug that only broke apart because the babies started to fuss.
As my women bounced the children in their arms, I took a deep breath and prepared myself to give them the other part of my news.
“There’s something else I wanted to mention,” I said. “It’s no big deal, so don’t get nervous or anything, but… I conquered Carth. She’s under my control now.”
The women instantly broke out into overlapping chatter, but then Layla’s voice rose above the rest.
“Gryff, holy fuck!”
“It’s no big deal!” I insisted.
“Only you would say taming a monster goddess falls under the category of ‘no big deal’, Gryff.” Nia shook her head in disbelief. “But this is wonderful news, right?”
“Of course,” I answered her. “Now, only Hunnah and Quilla remain, and not only that, we can use Carth’s knowledge to help track them down. She was their leader once, so she has to have an idea of where they are.”
“That’s very true,” my wife mused with a thoughtful expression.
“She can also assist with the translation of the Shadowscape books in the meantime,” Arwyn added before she glanced at me. “She was responsible for their enchantment, was she not?”
“That’s what Xanrith thinks.” I nodded.
“Wow,” Erin remarked with wide eyes. “This is amazing news.”
“I now understand why you were in bed so late,” Cyra chimed in.
“Yeaaaaah,” I drawled. “It took a little longer than I meant for it to. Carth certainly put up a fight.”
“And now she’s yours,” Layla said with a smirk. “Face it, Gryffie, you’re a badass.”
While conquering an Archon felt so normal to me, I had to remind myself that others saw the situation differently. I didn’t feel like a hero by any means, but it was nice to be hyped up by my women.
“Thanks, Bethel,” I said to the petite summoner, and before she could reply, the babies began to fuss again.
Once we got the kids to settle down, we worked together to tuck them into their cribs, except for Nicolis, who wasn’t interested in taking a nap and instead wanted to stay in Ashla’s arms.
“Do you want me to take him off your hands?” I asked the former mercenary as she bounced my ashen-haired son in place.
“No, I’ve got it under control,” Ashla insisted as she planted a soft kiss on Nicolis’ forehead, and the baby let out a gurgling breath and gave the ice mage a gummy smile. “I’ll need all of the practice I can get before our baby arrives.”
“Well, if the way you handle Nicolis is any indication, you’re going to be a wonderful mother.” I smiled at her.
“Thanks, Gryff.” The ice mage smiled back at me.
Now that the kids were settled, my women and I parted ways. Nia, Freya, and Ashla decided to stay in the nursery while Layla, Erin, and Cyra elected to take quick naps of their own. At first, I tried to linger around with Nia and the children, but the others insisted I get some rest.
“It sounds like you’ve been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours,” Nia pointed out with concerned eyes. “You should take the rest of the afternoon to relax and restore your strength.”
“I feel perfectly fine,” I assured the beautiful multi-elementalist. “Besides, you all have been up with the kids all day--”
“All the while, you conquered a monster goddess on your own,” Nia replied with a raised eyebrow. “We have this under control, Gryff. You’ve done so much for us, take a moment for yourself.”
Once Nia Kenefick had her mind set on something, it was hard to sway her, so I knew there was no way out of this argument except for conceding.
“If you insist,” I finally sighed.
“I do.” Nia winked at me, and my heart melted at the sight. My ashen-haired wife was stubborn but kind, and I appreciated how much she prioritized my well-being, even when I wanted to push it aside.
“I love you, Kenefick,” I said, and I leaned down and kissed my wife’s cheek.
“I love you, too,” Nia replied with a brilliant smile. “Get some sleep, darling. We’ll be here when you wake up.”
Freya and Ashla nodded their heads in agreement, so I kissed them and the children goodbye before I left the nursery.
I went back to my bedroom and briefly considered crawling back into bed, but I wasn’t ready to face any more dreams quite yet, so I decided to take the opportunity to study up a bit for my exam.
I began reading at my desk, but the incoming sunlight from my bedroom window called out to me, so, after some deliberation, I decided to take one of my textbooks and spend some time outdoors. A change of pace seemed like a good idea after days of holing up in either the library, Arwyn’s room, or the professor’s office, so I gathered up my things and went out into the backyard.
The air around me was slightly brisk, but not so unpleasant that I wanted to head back inside. I’d half expected to see the yard in a state of disarray after the events from the night before, but the cleaning crew Nia hired was apparently quite thorough, so much so it appeared as if there’d never been an event in the first place.
I located one of the large hammocks that’d been hung between a pair of tall trees, and after I unfastened my belts and pouches and rested them in a neat pile on the ground beside the tree’s trunk, I climbed into the hammock. The fabric of the structure was sturdy but surprisingly comfortable, and I let out a sigh of delight as the hammock curved into me. The wind around me was strong enough to shift the fabric beneath me, and soon I rocked gently between the trees. Then I propped open my book and began to read about the history of Mistral.
I maintained focus for a while, but as the time went on, my mind began to wander. The afternoon sun was bright, and the sunbeams against my face disrupted the cold chill of the air. I briefly closed both my book and my eyes, and I allowed the light to bathe my face in its glow. The heat was pleasant against my cold skin, and even though I hadn’t been studying for very long, my eyelids felt too heavy to reopen. Within moments, I drifted off into a daydream-like state somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.
