by Logan Jacobs
gone on a night hunt and still hadn’t gone home for the day. Their clothes
were dark, their faces were coated with some dirt, and they had their bows
and arrows nearby or slung over their backs. There were also a few who sat at
the tables and chatted amongst themselves, but I decided I’d try my luck with
the men at the bar first.
I sat down next to a male about my size. He had short blond hair and a
large bow strung across his back. There was a half-finished pint of mead in
front of him, and he looked exhausted from the hunt.
The man glanced over at me and nodded before he noticed Blar and
reached his hand down to pet the little dragon’s head.
“Long night?” I asked as I sat down.
“Long night indeed, warrior,” he agreed with a nod, then he looked
over at me again, and his eyes narrowed slightly. “I’ve only seen you in here
a few times before.”
“I’m not much of a regular,” I admitted.
“I see,” he said with a nod. “Something bring you in here today? I’m
sure you know most of the good times are had at night.”
“I know,” I agreed. “But I figured I could find a few night hunters if I
came by early enough.”
“Well, you found one,” the young man chuckled and took another
drink of mead. “What can I do for ya?”
“I’m hoping to get some information on the birds in Asgard,” I said.
“You lookin’ to start hunting birds?” the guy asked as he eyed me.
“I am,” I lied. “A friend of mine caught a big one recently, and it was
pretty tasty. I was hoping to catch one of my own.”
“Hm,” the guy said, and he pressed his tongue against his cheek as he
looked at me, then he shrugged and turned back toward the bar. “Well, you
might want to start small. Unless you’re looking for a challenge.”
“A challenge?” I asked.
“The careena are what you want if you’re looking for a challenge,” the
guy said with a nod. “They’re as territorial as you can get, they fight with
each other all the time, but they really hate hunters.”
“Huh,” I mused. “And where do I find them?”
“It’s summertime, so they’ll be down by the ocean near the Bifrost,”
the young man said with a point over his shoulder. “They make their nests in
trees down there.”
“Any specific area of the beach?” I asked, and my eyebrows pulled
together as I thought about how large the ocean area was that surrounded the
bridge to the Bifrost.
“Should be a few miles to the left of the Bifrost,” the guy said.
“There’s a patch of sand over there called Kyro Beach. Most people avoid it
this time of year because of the birds.”
I’d never been to Kyro Beach, but I’d heard of it before and I knew I’d
be able to find it on a map easily.
“Thanks,” I said with a smile, and I pulled out a couple copper coins
and set them down on the table. “Next round’s on me.”
“Thanks,” the guy grunted, and he lifted his glass to me as I hurried
back out of the lodge.
Blar and I walked for a while longer, it was already afternoon and the day had grown hot as all hell. I wiped the sweat from my brow as we walked,
but Blar seemed incredibly cozy in the heat. He strutted along as if it wasn’t
nearly ninety degrees outside.
The market was busy as we walked through, so I stopped by one of the
shops and looked at the boots they had on their back wall.
“What are you looking for?” the shopkeeper asked. He was a small,
older man with large teeth and gray hair.
“I need shoes for my two female companions,” I said as I held my
hands out at about the size for each of my lovers’ delicate feet.
“Ah.” The old man nodded, and he picked up a black pair of leather
boots and set them in front of me. “How about these?”
“They’re nice,” I agreed as I held them up to ensure they were the
correct size. “How much?”
“Twenty copper a pair,” he said, and his eyes narrowed on me slightly.
“How about thirty for two?” I countered.
“Eh, alright,” the guy said with a wave of his hand. “Sold.”
Blar gave me a little smile, and the shopkeeper wrapped up the boots
for me.
After we bought the boots, we stopped by a couple of other shops and
grabbed some fresh meat to keep at the house, then we made our way through the market and down the street that led to our little home. The walk took
some time, but I was satisfied with the purchase of their boots, and as the late
afternoon set in the heat of the day dissipated, so the walk didn’t seem nearly
as bad.
It was nearly dark as we approached our house, and just before we
broke through the tree line, the twins ran toward us. Inger tackled Blar to the
ground, while Uffe hopped up onto my leg to climb up to my shoulder.
“Hello,” I chuckled as I reached up and stroked the little red dragon.
“Sorry,” Kas panted as she and Asta skidded to a halt in front of us.
“We tried to catch them so they wouldn’t be seen outside the tree line,”
Asta explained breathlessly. “But they’re so fast.”
“It’s alright,” I assured them. We were nearly through the trees when
they got to us, and there was nobody on the road anyways. Besides, they were
disguised as dogs, though it would look odd that a dog could climb up my
body like Uffe had done.
I pulled the wrapped boots out of my satchel then and smiled at the
girls.
“I have a surprise for you two,” I said as I handed them each a pair.
“Oh, Rath,” Kas gasped as she looked at the boots I handed her. “You
didn’t have to do this.”
“Of course, I did,” I laughed. “You’re my women, I’m going to take
care of you.”
“Thank you,” the sorceress said, and she kissed me on the cheek.
“Yes, thank you so much,” Asta echoed, and she kissed my other
cheek.
“I figured you could use them after you lost your shoes in Vanaheim,”
I chuckled.
“Let’s not even speak of that,” Asta snickered with a shake of her
head.
“How did it go with the council?” Kas asked, and she looked at me
with concerned violet eyes.
“Better than I thought it would,” I said with a lopsided smile. “I have a
lot to explain, so let’s go sit down.”
“Okay,” Asta agreed, but both she and Kas looked utterly confused.
I led the girls over to the fire pit and had them sit down so I could
explain what the council had told me. They listened quietly as I repeated the
story of Vinrar and the council’s desire to bring dragons back to Asgard.
“I can’t believe I never knew about that man,” Kas said after I’d
finished.
“Preyna cast a spell on everyone,” I explained with a shake of my
head. “I don’t think anybody knows.”
“I bet my father does,” the blonde said with an eye roll.
“You know, I had the same thought,” I chuckled.
“I am happy your council is not as wicked as I had originally thought,”
Asta said with a smile. “I understand now their caution and secretive
&n
bsp; behavior.”
“That was my thought as well,” I agreed.
“I can’t blame them after what Vinrar did,” Kas spat. “I hope he rots in
Helheim.”
“I hope so, too,” I grumbled and shook my head. “I can’t imagine
using fear to train them.”
“Speaking of training,” Kas said. “How did it go with the hunters this
morning?”
“Oh, the birds we need to look for are the careena,” I explained. “In the
warmer months they can be found at Kyro Beach. Apparently, they’re very
territorial.”
“I know where that is,” Kas said with a smile. “My father and I used to
go down there.”
“Ooh,” Asta gasped with a little clap of her hands. “Does this mean
we’re going to the beach?”
“In a sense,” I laughed.
“Beach trip,” Kas exclaimed with a wide grin. “Let’s go!”
“It’s already almost dark,” I reminded her.
“Oh, right,” the blonde pouted.
“We’ll leave first thing in the morning,” I assured her. “But right now,
I’m starving. Let’s cook some dinner.”
“I’ll get the mead,” Asta said, and she bounced toward the house.
“She’s really taken a liking to the stuff, hasn’t she?” I laughed.
“Who can blame her,” Kas said with a shrug. “You’re a good cook.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call making mead cooking,” I teased.
“You know what I mean,” the strawberry-blonde chuckled, and she
looked at me with playful violet eyes.
I leaned in and kissed her on her soft red lips then, and she breathed
into me before she pulled her mouth just an inch away from mine.
“We missed you today,” she whispered.
“I missed you, too,” I told her, and it was completely true. I didn’t
think I’d really missed anyone before in my life, but even being away from
the girls for a day's journey into town felt like too much.
“Got it!” Asta exclaimed, and Kas and I both laughed as the elf girl
bounded over to us with three pints in her arms that sloshed over the sides
from being so full.
Chapter 21
The next morning, I tossed on my armor and gathered up some fruit
while the girls got ready to go. Blar and Inger played in the grass, but Uffe
sat next to the basket and watched carefully as I picked apples, peaches, and
oranges, and placed them inside.
“Okay!” Kas called out as she and Asta stepped out of the house.
“We’re ready.”
“Really?” I asked as I turned, and then my eyes widened with surprise.
Both girls had on nothing but short white sleeveless tunics and some
leather sandals. I did see each of them had their weapons on their hips, but it
wasn’t enough to distract me from the fact that their nipples were completely
visible under the thin cloth they wore.
Kas’ hair was down in its mane of honey blonde curls, and somehow
her lips looked redder than usual. Through the veil-like fabric of her top, I
could see her red nipples and the gentle curve of her hourglass figure.
Asta’s white hair was pulled back into a long, thick braid that ran down
her back, and the hairdo showed off her angular features. Two small pale
stands hung down at each side of her face, and her yellow eyes glistened in
the sun. I could clearly see her small, pink nipples and her thin frame under
the tunic, and I couldn’t help but stare.
“Why are you two just wearing under garments?” I asked with a
chuckle.
“It’s hot.” Kas shrugged. “And if we’re going to go swimming, then
we didn’t want to dirty our clothes.”
“I see,” I said, and I couldn’t help but grin as I took in the sight of the
nearly naked women. “Perhaps we should head to the shore through the
woods, then.”
“What’s the matter?” Kas teased. “Don’t want anyone else to see us?”
“Definitely not,” I growled. “Some poor sap might lose his head if he
looks at you for too long.”
“I do feel much cooler now than I did earlier,” Asta said with a small
smile.
“I’m sure you do,” I laughed and picked up the basket full of fruit.
“Blar, Inger, let’s go.”
The two little dragons came to sit by Uffe, then we all started to walk
through the woods toward the sea. The city of Asgard and where we lived
were close to the Bifrost, the city had been designed that way so it was easier
for those who needed to travel to get to the bridge. Behind the city were
plenty of mountains, the countrysides, some small villages, and some ruins
from the first cities Odin kept around, but for the most part the city itself was
where people lived, or at least where they came to buy or sell wares.
As long as we walked in the general direction of the Bifrost, we would
get to the ocean eventually, but I let Kas lead the way since she knew where
Kyro Beach was.
I didn’t have the heart to tell the girls we probably wouldn’t end up
swimming today. They were so excited, and if we could manage to find a
spot away from the careena birds that was safe, then I didn’t see why they
couldn’t take a quick dip. It was a hot day, after all, and I wouldn’t mind
seeing those tunics wet and clinging to their perfect bodies.
Just the thought of it made my pants tighten slightly.
The girls walked beside me, with Kas slightly ahead as we made our
way through the trees, and the little dragons ran ahead and darted back and
forth as they played. The air smelled of fresh grass, flowers, and pine needles,
and I smiled as we walked through the forest.
After about an hour, I could feel sweat bead on my forehead, but it was
around this time that I began to hear the light crash of waves and the calls of
birds.
“We’re nearly there,” Kas said, and her voice was filled with
excitement.
“I haven’t been to your beach yet,” Asta remarked as she practically
skipped beside me. “I’m excited.”
“My dad and I always go to the beach in the summer,” Kas said. “It’s
nice to swim, but we could usually find some neat things for spells as well.”
“Like what?” I asked, and I was curious as to what kind of spells used
things near the ocean.
“Well, ocean water itself can be used in spells,” Kas explained. “But
seashells can also be used to amplify hearing, and sand can be used to ground
you. There’s a lot you can do.”
“Yes,” Asta agreed with a nod. “Water is a magnificent source of
magical energy. I always have loved to be near it.”
“Can you control the water, too?” I asked, since I wanted to know
more about Asta’s powers.
“A little,” the elf girl admitted. “But it is also a great way to cleanse
and recharge yourself.”
“What do you mean?” Kas wondered.
“Sometimes, things can become complicated,” Asta said, and she
pursed her lips as she thought. “Sometimes, you overthink things, and your
magic can become muddled. At least for my people. When that happens, we
go to the water and purify ourselves. There is one spot that is sacred among
&nb
sp; my people, and the water there is always cool and light blue. There’s a
magnificent waterfall, and the taste of the cool liquid is unmatched. No matter what time of year it is, the pool is always there, and always the same
level of fullness.”
“It sounds beautiful,” Kas breathed.
“It is,” Asta said, and she smiled softly as she stared out in front of us
as if she were remembering the feel of the water on her skin. “I must take you
sometime.”
“I’d love that,” Kas told her with a grin.
“It does sound very nice,” I agreed, and the elf girl smiled up at me.
After another twenty minutes or so of walking the sounds of the birds
and the waves came more clearly, and I called the little dragons back over to
us so they would be nearby. If the careena were as territorial as my hunter
friend had suggested, then I didn’t want the dragons to come face to face with
one on their own.
“Follow me,” I whispered, and when the girls nodded, I led all of us
slowly toward the shore. I could see the rush of waves just through the trees
ahead, so I knew we were close. I made sure to take careful footsteps as we
walked, and the girls and dragons were quiet behind me.
I came up to the last of the trees and looked out in front of me. The
ocean spread out for miles, and the sun was a bright, white orb in the sky that
cast a beautiful sheen on top of the water. The beach was just down a ridge below us, but I could still hear the call of the birds, so I scanned the area and
found them off to our left.
There was a large grove of trees there that seemed to grow closer to the
water, and I could see huge nests all throughout them. The careena were
large, purplish colored birds with bright red beaks, and they soared around
the trees and dove into the water only to come up a few seconds later with a
fish in their mouth.
“Come look,” I whispered, and the girls crowded behind me to get a
good view while the dragons came up between my legs and looked out to the
water.
We watched for a few moments as the birds squawked and hunted for
fish, then a loud screech made me look up to the top of the tallest tree. There
a large careena stood on top of his nest with his huge wings spread out, and
another, smaller bird clung to the edge of the giant bird’s nest and squawked
back. The two began to screech at each other, and soon enough the smaller
