Arcane Dropout 5

by Edmund Hughes

  “Wait, Gen as in… Genevieve Laughton?” asked Eliza. “Primhaven’s current Lead Instructor?”

  Harper gave a small nod. Lee had eaten enough of the stew for the time being, and he passed the ladle in Willow’s direction. She gave him her flask in return, and he took another sip from it.

  “We had very little information to go off other than the sorcerer’s location, but Gen was confident,” said Harper. “Our target was in a penthouse on the top floor of an expensive hotel. We walked into the lobby and announced who we were, which led to a small fight between us and a few security guards. Nothing the two of us couldn’t handle.

  “We found the keycard we needed and took the elevator to the top floor, anticipating we’d be stepping out into the real fight once the door opened. What we weren’t expecting was that our info on our target had been completely inaccurate. He wasn’t a rogue sorcerer. He was an incubus.”

  “An incubus?” asked Willow.

  “The lesser-known counterpart to a succubus,” said Harper. “A masculine supernatural entity that feeds off lust essence and uses powerful illusion magic to disguise itself as a human. They are far more dangerous than a simple description would lead you to believe. A single encounter with one can leave a person enthralled for life.

  “Genevieve stepped out of the elevator into the living room. Seven women in various states of undress were sleeping on the couch, in chairs, on the floor. Celebrities, supermodels, pop stars, all of them too famous for it to be coincidence.

  “It was enough to give us pause, but Gen insisted we continue forward. We approached the incubus’s bedroom. He was waiting for us, and he simply walked out into the open, wearing sweatpants and… no shirt.”

  Harper’s cheeks flushed red, and her lips flickered into a smile.

  “It was a sobering experience, to say the least. For all the intense training we put ourselves through to control the Potential and strengthen our abilities as mages, we’re still human. Gen and I are still women, I mean. A shirtless incubus with a primed seduction aura…”

  She leaned her head to one side. Lee felt an odd mixture of dread and curious arousal at the direction the story was heading in.

  “Did you…?” Willow didn’t even finish her question before Harper gave a small shake of her head.

  “No. The incubus began walking toward us, and my knees quite literally buckled under the weight of his presence. Gen moved to stand in front of me and managed to stare him down. She’s powerful, not just when it comes to the force of her magic, but in terms of raw will.

  “But, again, she is still a woman. The incubus took her by the hand and slowly led her forward. She followed him into his bedroom. The door was still open a crack, but I was… ahem… occupied with other matters.

  “I won’t go into the noises I heard from within that room, but needless to say, for a time, the incubus was clearly getting the better of her. I’m not sure how long it went on for. The only thing I can say for certain is that when the engagement was about to reach its crescendo, Gen managed to cast a spell, and that was that.”

  “She beat him?” asked Lee.

  “The only traces left of the monster afterward were a few bits of ash and charred bone,” said Harper. “The blast was strong enough to level one of the walls and a part of the ceiling of the penthouse.”

  For a moment, everyone was silent. The ladle had made its way around to Harper, and she began eating the stew in small mouthfuls.

  “What do you think would have happened if Gen hadn’t beaten the incubus?” asked Willow. “Do you think it would have come out afterward and, you know, taken you on next?”

  “I think that’s enough storytelling for tonight,” said Harper. “We should all be getting to sleep soon.”

  “I agree,” said Lee. “Which brings up the question of what the sleeping arrangements will be.”

  He eyed the two tents, well aware of how they were both sized to fit two people in close quarters.

  “I don’t mind sharing a tent with you, Lee,” said Eliza.

  Harper was already shaking her head. “I would be remiss in my responsibilities as a Primhaven faculty member to let two students of the opposite sex share a tent. Eliza, you and Willow will take one tent. Eldon and I will take the other.”

  Willow and Eliza didn’t look especially pleased by that arrangement, but neither objected. Harper took the cooking pot outside to scrape it clean in the snow, and Lee headed into their shared tent to unroll his sleeping bag.

  CHAPTER 12

  Even with the remnants of the fire dying down within the cave, the night was cold. Lee was rubbing his hands together as he came back out of the tent to say goodnight to Eliza.

  “Rest up,” he said. “Something tells me we’ll need it for tomorrow.”

  “You too.” Eliza frowned slightly, glancing over at Harper as she came back into the cave with the pot.

  “Goodnight, Lee,” said Willow in a singsong voice. “I forgot to thank you earlier for what you did for me while we were in the frost troll camp.”

  She interposed herself between Lee and Eliza and pulled him into a hug before he could object. Lee patted her on the back, furrowing his brow a bit with good-natured surprise.

  “It was my pleasure,” he said.

  The four of them climbed into the two separate tents, each one dimly lit by the dwindling ash and embers near the cave’s entrance. Lee took his jacket and boots off and slipped into his sleeping bag. He could hear the muffled sounds of Eliza and Willow having a bit of a discussion in the other tent.

  Harper settled down next to him. There wasn’t much extra space in the tent, certainly not enough for them to both stretch out without being in direct contact. He felt her hand reach over and settle atop his sleeping bag, on top of one of his legs. He took it to be incidental until she slowly began to caress up the length of his thigh.

  After Harper’s spiel about her responsibilities as an instructor and students of opposite genders sharing tents, Lee had expected her to play the part of a good role model for the night. Apparently, that wasn’t what she had in mind.

  She slowly unzipped his sleeping bag, along with her own. It took him a few seconds to realize what she was doing when he heard the sound of the zipper pulling upward again. She combined them both into a double-sized unit, sliding closer to him as she finished.

  She was completely naked. Lee grinned in surprise and elation as he ran his hands across her taut stomach and along the bottom edge of her supple breasts. Harper gently pulled his pants and boxers down and then went still, resting her hand on the inside of his thigh mere inches from his cock.

  Willow and Eliza were still very much awake. Lee couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their conversation had shifted tone, and they seemed to have finally found some common ground.

  Harper’s hand took hold of his tool, and within seconds, he was hard as a rock. He turned onto his side and kissed her, feeling her lips move against his with hungry urgency. He let his own hand slide between her thighs, and he wasn’t shocked to find she was already wet.

  Pushing one finger into her, Lee matched each of Harper’s movements, the two of them sharing a slow but accelerating rhythm of mutual pleasure. He rolled onto his side again, kissing her and vying for control.

  Harper pinned him flat on his back with the hand of her free arm, keeping the other tightly squeezed around his shaft, almost like she was using it for leverage. She shifted, caressing it with the utmost softness while continuing to hold him in place.

  She seemed unconcerned by the fact Eliza’s and Willow’s voices were still clearly audible in the background. Lee knew Harper wasn’t a careless woman. The risk of being caught wasn’t lost on her.

  Which left him feeling rather stunned as she shifted to straddle him and began playing with fire, passionate friction on dry, stiff, wood. Lee ran his hands up her body, groping her soft breasts and letting them fall from his hands. There was no way they could both stay quiet or hide the sound
of what they were about to do.

  “Instructor Harper?” Eliza’s voice was like a bucket of ice water over Lee’s head. “Um, I need to go to the bathroom… outside. Willow’s refusing to come with me, and I thought it would be a bad idea to go alone.”

  Harper let out a slow, steadying exhale. “Yes, of course, Eliza. I’ll be right there.”

  Lee’s disappointment was immeasurable. Harper patted her hand once on his chest and leaned in to whisper just to him.

  “It was a bad idea, regardless. I was unusually frisky tonight. But I should have controlled myself. I’m not a teenager anymore.”

  “I still am.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  Harper dressed with silent speed and hurried out of the tent. She left the tent flap partially open. Lee tried, unsuccessfully, to calm down with slow breathing and safe thoughts. He gave up and resorted instead to baser tactics.

  Harper and Eliza arrived back sooner than he’d expected. He heard Eliza whispering her thanks and returning to her own tent. Willow let out an obnoxious giggle as she entered, kicking off a new round of bickering between them. Harper took off her jacket and boots.

  And then the rest of her clothing. And then, almost before Lee could catch up, she was straddling him again.

  Then he was inside her.

  “Mmm,” moaned Harper.

  She kissed him, sucking on his lower lip. Lee gripped her buttocks, trying to slow her down a bit. She was grinding herself on his hard cock, and he wasn’t sure the rustling could be mistaken for anything else.

  “Eldon,” said Harper, in a breathy voice. Perhaps even a touch louder than she normally would have. Again, he doubted it could be mistaken for anything other than what it was.

  He wasn’t sure he cared. Harper leaned forward, and he kissed and then sucked on one of her nipples. Her legs shifted, and she began bouncing herself up and down. Lee could see the dark outline of her breasts caught up in the same motion, jiggling an instant behind the rest of her body.

  “Harper,” he breathed.

  The other tent was silent now, or maybe their noise was just too compelling for him to hear them. Either way, Lee was sure Eliza and Willow weren’t asleep.

  Harper wanted what she wanted, and he was more than happy to give it to her.

  He took a firm grip on her hips, letting her know she wasn’t quite as in control as she thought she was as he levered her around with his strong arms. Harper gripped his bicep and gasped. Lee held her down on his cock for a second or two, preventing her from pushing completely upward in a pointless show of dominance.

  She started grinding into him instead, and then she was leaning forward and kissing him. Lee squeezed her fantastic butt and lifted himself toward her, spearing upward, riding pleasure right up until the wave broke.

  “Oh…”

  He unloaded inside her, and Harper let him. He felt a bit like his work was still unfinished, but Harper only waited a couple of seconds before rolling off him. He suspected her seduction of him was, at least this time, about more than just pleasure.

  “Are you trying to make a point?” he whispered.

  “Go to sleep, Eldon.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Lee woke up before Harper the next morning. They’d gone to sleep separately but he’d pulled her into an embrace sometime during the night, spooning her from behind. He carefully disentangled himself, dressed, and slipped out of the tent.

  Eliza and Willow were already awake, sitting together around the rekindled fire in silence. Willow grinned at him as he took a seat on the cave’s stone floor.

  “Lee,” she said. “Sleep well?”

  He shrugged. “Well enough.”

  Willow leaned in closer. “I knew it. I could tell just from the way my cousin talks about you.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean by that,” he said.

  Eliza was stirring a pot of quick oats and dried fruit, frowning and looking uncomfortable. “It’s one thing to joke about it, Willow, but don’t go accusing people of… Anyway, it’s not as though even if something did happen, he would have been in control of it. He’s her apprentice, after all.”

  “He’s right here,” said Willow. “You can always ask him directly.”

  Eliza’s face turned a deep shade of red. Lee felt his own cheeks burning a bit.

  “Look, Eliza, Harper and I…”

  “I know,” muttered Eliza. “You don’t have to explain. I get it.”

  She shrugged and seemed to let go of whatever emotions she’d been harboring. Lee wanted to say more, but what more was there to say? He wasn’t even sure if Eliza’s take on the situation was that far off. He’d always been a willing participant in his sexual encounters with Harper, but there was an element of power and authority underlying them that certainly blurred the line a bit.

  “I’m of the opinion this trip can’t end soon enough.” Willow sighed and pulled her flask out. “Last night was cold, and not all of us had a naked body to warm ourselves up with.”

  “Seriously?” said Lee, as he watched her take a sip.

  “Oh, sorry.” She offered him the flask.

  Eliza scowled. “It’s not even seven in the morning yet.”

  “Hey, I have to warm up somehow.”

  A tent flap rustled, and Willow made the flask disappear as quickly as it had arrived. Harper emerged, looking sharp and well-rested. She took a seat around the fire, acknowledging the others with a small nod.

  “We’ll set off immediately after breakfast,” she said. “It’s a long way back to Primhaven from here. I doubt we’ll be able to explore the entirety of Kuh-Matton, but we can at least get a sense of what we’re dealing with.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready?” asked Willow. “You can sleep in a little more if you’re still tired from last…”

  The look Harper gave her cousin silenced her mid-sentence.

  The conversation shifted to other topics as they ate. The oatmeal was hearty, with chunks of peaches and blueberries that added a surprising amount of sweetness.

  Kuh-Matton wasn’t far, and after collapsing their campsite, they reached it in just a few minutes. The wind whipped across the partially open entranceway, giving off a faint, ominous whistle.

  “I only brought two flashlights,” said Harper. “I’ll take one. Eldon, you take the other. Eliza and Willow, hold hands with either myself or Eldon to make sure you don’t get separated.”

  Willow threaded her fingers through Lee’s before anyone could object. Eliza frowned at the two of them and sullenly took hold of Harper’s hand.

  Aside from the flashlights and what they each carried on their person, they had no other supplies or equipment with them. Lee felt a bit underprepared in light of that fact, but he wasn’t sure what would have even been helpful to bring into the unknown depths of the unexplored burial tomb.

  Beyond the circular doorway was complete darkness. The sliver of sunlight the crescent-shaped entrance opening allowed into the space only illuminated the first few feet of what appeared to be a very long cave tunnel.

  The path was littered with boulders and rough, rocky slopes. It was a strange contrast against the impression given off by Kuh-Matton’s exterior. They followed the tunnel as it cut back and forth, slowly rising upward. In places, they almost had to climb straight upward, scrambling over massive chunks of rock and smooth stone.

  Time stretched out in the darkness, minutes slogging on like hours, but eventually, they reached the tunnel’s end. It exited out into a massive ice chamber suffused with light from above, like the interior of an igloo or an ice castle. There was enough illumination to see by, and they switched off their flashlights.

  “Huh,” muttered Lee. “We must be above the cliff now, for the light to be reaching us.”

  “I guess the actual tomb was built into the ice on top?” Eliza shrugged at her own guess. “It seems like a lot of work to go through, especially operating on the assumption the ice stays frozen. They had to have known it could
have eventually melted.”

  She was right, but if anything, the chamber they now found themselves in was far colder than it had been outside. It was clearly a constructed space, unlike the cave tunnel. The walls were smooth and even and the ceiling high, almost like an empty gymnasium.

  A few chunks of ice were the only thing marring the room’s perfection. It took Lee a few seconds to notice they were actually pieces of broken ice sculptures. There was a carefully carved frost troll head and the wing of a massive bird, with each feather intricately and painstakingly detailed.

  “This was a burial tomb?” muttered Willow. “Were these… statues, then?”

  “I would assume so,” said Harper. “It may have been a resting place the frost trolls used to honor their own dead before the Unavowed Queen was sealed inside.”

  The acoustics of the space made their voices sound small and muffled, as though silence was the chamber’s fundamental state. A small clicking noise came from behind them. Lee’s hand shot toward his dagger. He felt a bit foolish when he saw the culprit was just a tiny, rather brazen snow fox, no larger than a domestic cat.

  “Oh, hello!” said Willow. She stretched her arms out as though about to give the tiny creature an oversized hug. A faint thrum of yellow arcane energy went out from her in a gentle pulse, landing across the snow fox. It stared at her, blinking in surprise, and then ran over and climbed up her body, sitting atop her shoulder.

  “Nifty,” said Lee. “So, you are a druid in training, after all.”

  “You had your doubts?” Willow frowned at him.

  “A few, but they’ve been put to rest,” he said. “At least for the moment.”

  She rolled her eyes and punched him gently on the shoulder. Harper was casing the outer wall of the chamber, running a hand across the ice. She came to a stop at the section directly across from the cave tunnel’s exit.