“That was wonderful,” Asta whispered breathlessly after we had kissed.
“I thought so, too,” I chuckled.
“You don’t think they heard us, do you?” she asked, and she raised her head to look over at the cottage.
“I don’t.” I smiled. “Though I don’t see how it would matter if they did.”
“I do not wish to wake Kas.” Asta frowned. “She studies so very hard for us.”
“She does,” I agreed and kissed the top of Asta’s head. The elf girl was sweet and soft spoken compared to her Valkyrie counterpart, and I loved her for being such a concerned member of the group. Her kindness was what initially drove me to ask her to stay with us, since I could tell she was a sweet soul the moment I saw her. She was also incredibly gorgeous, which was an added bonus.
After our lovemaking session, I set out a blanket for the two of us, and Asta and I laid down for the evening. We didn’t want to wake Kas up by crawling into bed with her, and besides, it really was a beautiful night to sleep under the stars. Especially with a beautiful woman in my arms.
The next morning, I woke to Blar’s tongue on my cheek. I grimaced and lightly pushed the little dragon away, only to have him return a second later.
“Okay, okay,” I chuckled as I sat up. “I’m awake.”
“Me, too,” Asta said as she sat up next to me, and Inger and Uffe rolled off her.
“Good job, little ones,” Kas laughed, and she tossed each of them a small piece of pumpkin.
“Bribing the dragons now, are you?” I laughed.
“To do my bidding, yes,” Kas teased.
“Would anyone like some tea this morning?” Asta asked, oblivious to our joking with one another. “I’m craving a cup.”
“That would be excellent.” I smiled.
“I’ll be right back,” Asta said as she stood up and headed toward the woods at the edge of our yard. It was there she would collect the herbs and things she needed to make tea.
Asta might not have been able to cook very well, but she could make a very nice cup of tea, nicer than any cup I’d had before. I suspected it was something to do with her nature powers, but her tea tasted like the herbs came to life in the cup, and I was looking forward to having some after our passionate lovemaking session the night before.
Before Asta could make it to the edge of the woods, the little dragons all rushed over to her. The elf girl turned to look at me and make sure it was alright if they went with her, so I nodded, and she continued on her way with the dragons right beside her.
“You all could have come to bed last night,” Kas told me as she fed the fire.
“We didn’t want to wake you,” I explained.
“I understand.” She nodded. “I slept well.”
“Are you alright?” I asked, and my head cocked to the side.
“Oh, yes,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’m simply concerned about this quest.”
“I think we all are.” I smiled softly at the beautiful Valkyrie girl. She was always the most concerned out of the group.
“We’ll be able to do it, though, right?” She pulled her plump bottom lip between her teeth and stared at me with worried violet eyes. “I just feel so bad for the dragons. Every time I think about them, I just…”
She trailed off then, and I saw there were tears in her eyes.
“Of course,” I said as I rushed to her side and wrapped her up in my arms. “We’re going to save them all.”
“Good.” Kas looked up and smiled at me sadly.
The Valkyrie’s concern was touching, and I knew it was genuine. She wasn’t as bubbly of an individual as Asta was, but she was sincere and loving, it just took some time to see.
I started breakfast while Asta gathered things for her tea, and by the time she got back, I had the water already heated for her so she could simply drop the herbs and leaves inside.
Once breakfast was over, I decided the girls and I would work with our new weapons, and Blar could practice his portal making. I didn’t want to put him on the spot first thing, though, so I had the girls and I get out our weapons and head to the field.
Then Blar, Inger, and Uffe practiced various fighting moves while the girls and I worked on our own.
Asta practiced casting over her weapon to change it while it was moving, and she was getting good at it. I watched her throw the weapon in the air as a sword, turn it into an axe while it was still above her, and catch it as two small daggers. She was an excellent student, and a quick learner.
Kas spun around with her great sword while she practiced slicing and stabbing at an imaginary opponent. Her strawberry-blonde curls whipped around with each motion, and she was like a moving work of art.
While the girls worked with their own weapons, I practiced with mine. The one aspect I didn’t have down yet was changing the length of the blade. I could do it with a mere thought, but remembering to cognitively think about it was something I had to work on.
My ability to summon my weapon with dragon fire was incredible, too, but my favorite thing about the blade was I was able to change the length. It seemed like a small thing compared to the sword's other capabilities, but that small action could really throw off an opponent, and I was all about working smarter, not harder.
I’d never been the largest guy in my warband, in fact I was one of the smallest when it came to body size. I was tall, but I wasn’t large and wide the way some of the men were. That never stopped me from being an excellent fighter, though.
The men loved to tease me about my small stature, but Eira, my warband leader, understood my techniques. She used a similar fighting style herself, and she was quite fun to watch. The red-haired Aesir woman was absolutely stunning, and she fostered a wonderful comradery between the members of our troop.
I missed my warband sometimes, but I had other things going on which required my attention. Besides, Eira was never short over volunteers. Anybody would happily join her troop, and I had no doubt she’d replaced me for the time being.
I knew I would always be welcome back, but since warbands weren’t obligatory, there was no reason for me to explain my absence. Besides, I was getting enough fighting at the moment for three warbands.
We all practiced our various techniques for about an hour, and then I had everyone settle down in the grass.
“Good job today,” I told my small team. “Now, if Blar is up for it, I’d like to try some more portal training.”
The little blue dragon jumped up and took a fighting stance before he let out a little huff and nodded.
“I think that’s a yes,” Kas chuckled.
“I’d say so,” I agreed. “Alright, Blar. Remember what we did yesterday?”
The little dragon nodded.
“Let’s start there,” I suggested.
Blar nodded and closed his eyes, and a few seconds later, a portal appeared in front of him. It was the same hazy spiraling air that the portals in the countryside were, but it was still quite small. There was no way the girls or I would be able to fit through it, it was just big enough for Blar, but I didn’t want to discourage him.
“Good job.” I smiled at the little dragon.
Blar opened his eyes but then immediately frowned when he saw the size of the portal. He closed his eyes again, but this time he squeezed them shut as if he were concentrating with all of his might.
I could feel his effort, but the portal didn’t change in size, and he opened his eyes only to be disappointed once more.
“You’re doing great, Blar,” Asta said with a sympathetic smile.
Blar stomped his little front feet and shook his head.
“She’s right,” I told him. “You’re trying your best. That’s all we can ask for.”
“I have an idea,” Kas said with a grin.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I think it might help him if he could see a portal,” she explained.
“That’s a good idea,” I agreed.
&
nbsp; “Perhaps he won’t need to try as hard then,” Asta said. “I know it is always easier for me to conjure rain if there is a storm nearby. I think Blar could do the same and draw some of the energy from the portal.”
“Looks like we’re going on a little adventure.” I smiled.
“I’ll find the closest portal.” Kas grinned and reached into her satchel to pull out her enchanted map.
Once she found the portal, I grabbed us some apples from the tree, and we took off toward the countryside. It was only mid-morning by then, and the sun shone brightly in the sky.
It was about a couple mile’s walk to the portal, and Blar and Inger were clearly irritated that they had to remain on the ground, but I couldn’t exactly explain a flying dog.
The two of them ran ahead, and occasionally I caught them gliding just above the ground so I had to chastise them. Uffe, on the other hand, walked right beside me and was curiously taking in our surroundings as we walked.
It didn’t take long for us to reach the portal, and once we did, we all stood in front of it and looked at it for a moment. We were at the far end of the countryside, and to my right I could look out and see the water that surrounded Asgard. We had passed a couple about a mile back, but I hadn’t seen anyone nearby so I figured it was safe.
“Alright, Blar,” I said. “Where does it go?”
“Jotunheim?” Asta asked, but Blar shook his head.
“Alfheim?” Kas guessed, and once again Blar shook his head
“What about Vanaheim?” I asked, and this time Blar nodded.
The girls and I each took a step back at the confirmation that it was Vanaheim we were looking into. The last time we’d gone there, the girls had wound up naked, and I’d been lying on the ground feeling the grass for hours while the dragons filled up on berries and fruits.
Blar had woken me up just in time for us to jump back through the portal before it closed, but that wasn’t an experience I wished to repeat.
“Okay,” I chuckled. “So, it leads to Vanaheim, then. Do you think you can make a portal to Vanaheim?”
Blar nodded, but Asta held her finger up and bit her lip as if she wanted to say something.
“Asta?” I asked. “What is it?”
“I was wondering if I could try and coach Blar this time?” she inquired softly.
“Of course.” I smiled at the elf girl and stepped aside so she could move next to Blar. She had been the one to suggest we head to a portal, so I felt like she’d earned the right to try and coach him.
“Thank you,” she said, and she kissed me on the cheek before she crouched down in front of Blar. “Okay, you see the portal, but can you feel it?”
Blar closed his eyes for a second, and then he nodded.
“Good,” Asta told him. “Feel its energy. Take as much time as you need, then, when you’re ready, try and duplicate that energy.”
Asta took a step back with a huge grin on her face as she waited for Blar to make his move.
The little dragon squeezed his eyes shut for a second, and then his brow slowly began to unfurrow, and a portal appeared. It was identical to the one we’d been staring at in every way, even down to its large size.
“Blar!” I yelled happily as I picked up the little dragon and spun him around. “You did it!”
Blar opened his eyes and looked over to see the portal, and then he promptly flapped his wings and did a celebratory circle above us all.
“That was wonderful,” Kas congratulated.
“Yes, very good work,” Asta said with a smile.
It was indeed a great effort, and it got us one step closer to being able to go to Helheim and find Vinrar. Blar could now duplicate portals, but that would still mean we had to wait for a portal to Helheim, and at that point we could simply use that portal instead.
We needed a way for Blar to harness his powers so he could use them more efficiently and without having to strain himself so much. I could feel the amount of effort he put into creating the portal just now, and while it was impressive he’d been able to do it, I didn’t want to tire him out too quickly. We would need his energy once we got to Helheim. Plus, it would be beneficial to be able to conjure a portal wherever we were, that way, once we had completed our task, we would be able to leave without having to wander back to the portal we’d come from. It would also come in handy if we happened to run into trouble and needed to leave quickly. I couldn’t imagine Helheim was full of rainbows and sunshine. I suspected it was a far more sinister place with monsters just waiting to attack around every corner.
“Kas,” I said as I glanced at the strawberry-blonde.
“Yes?” She looked up from where she had been petting Blar.
“Do you think your father might know of a way to help Blar harness his abilities?” I asked.
“It’s possible,” she answered as her eyebrows pinched together in thought. “My father has a wealth of both strange and useful knowledge. It’s worth a try.”
“Let’s head to his shop,” I suggested. “I’d like to speak with him.”
“We should ask him about the prophecy as well,” Asta said. “He seems very knowledgeable about dragons.”
“We’ll do that, too.” I nodded.
Kas was right, her father knew a lot of strange things, though whether they would be considered strange for a sorcerer or not was something I wasn’t sure about. Ramir was ancient, and he’d put those years to good use with learning and practicing his craft.
“Should we stop by the house and gather him some vegetables and fruit?” Asta asked. “It’s not much out of the way.”
“I think that’s a sweet idea.” I smiled. Ramir did whatever he could to assist us, so bringing him some food was the least we could do.
I had Blar practice duplicating the portal one more time, and then we all headed back toward home so we could gather some produce for Ramir. Asta picked some apples and peaches while Kas and I gathered vegetables from the garden, and once we had a large basket full, we started toward Ramir’s place.
Once again the dragons were confined to the ground, but this time they didn’t mind so much since we had to go through town. There were always children ready and willing to pet them on the streets, and I thought how fitting it was the dragons were disguised as dogs, since they had such similar behaviors at times. Dragons were more human-like in the way they acted and thought, but their love for attention was all dog.
I watched as two young children ran toward the little dragons. The mother chased after them, but I smiled at her when she saw me, and she waited for the kids to finish petting the dragons before they left.
Even though the kids saw the dragons as dogs, I saw them for what they were, and it was amusing to watch the children get such joy from petting the scaly little things.
We were nearly to Ramir’s house, and it was starting to get dark when I rounded the corner and bumped into someone. I apologized and kept going, but then I heard the person speak to me.
“Rath?” the female voice asked, and I turned to see Eira standing a few feet behind me with her hands on her hip and her eyebrows raised.
Chapter 4
“Eira,” I said, and I shook my head with surprise.
“Where have you been?” the redhead asked as she walked toward me and looked me over. “We’ve missed you.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” I chuckled. “My brothers were never very fond of me.”
“Well, perhaps it’s just me who misses you, then,” she said boldly, and her eyes locked with mine.
Asta and Kas started to giggle behind me, and I turned around to shoot them a look.
“I see you’re still hanging around with your new… friends.” Eira smiled.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“And three dogs?” Eira looked me up and down. “Didn’t you only have one last time I saw you?”
“It’s, uh, a new thing,” I said, and I noticed I was rubbing the back of my neck nervously, which only made Asta and Kas giggle even more.
“I see.” The redhead smirked at me, and I had a feeling she knew Asta and Kas were more than just friends. “When I sent you to Ramir for information, I wasn’t betting you would have left with his daughter.”
“I, uh.” My eyes widened, and I sputtered as I tried to think of what to say to that. Was Eira coming on to me? She looked partially amused, but I could feel something else behind that. Was she jealous?
“Hello, Eira,” Asta said sweetly as she walked over to us.
The dragons followed, and they each circled Eira’s legs and sniffed at her boots until I shooed them away.
“Hello,” Eira said, and she looked at the bubbly elf girl with the kind of amusement that came with knowing she could snap her like a twig.
Asta was becoming a good fighter, that wasn’t debatable, but I doubted she could go up against Eira. I’d seen the redheaded warband leader take out opponents three times her size easily. She was a warrior through and through, and that was one of the things I admired about her.
“You should come to our home sometime,” Asta said. “It’s clear Rath likes you, and Kas and I would love to get to know you some more.”
I held back the urge to cover my face with my hand, but I couldn’t stop my cheeks from turning red as the elf girl spoke.
“It is pretty clear he likes me, isn’t it.” Eira eyed me up and down and put her hand on her hip in the sexiest way.
“Come have dinner with us soon,” Kas suggested. “Rath is a great cook.”
“He is, is he?” Eira chuckled. “He’s never invited me over, although I have asked him to grab an ale with me.”
“Oh, we really should do that,” Asta said as she nodded.
“Soon,” Kas clarified.
“We are actually in the middle of a mission, Eira,” I said with a forced smile. “We really should be going.”
“Oh, yes, we do have things to do.” Asta smiled at the redhead. “It was very lovely seeing you again.”
“You as well,” Eira said with a sincere smile. “I might have to take you up on that offer for dinner sometime.”
“Please do,” Asta encouraged.
Dragons of Asgard 2 Page 5
