by Eric Vall
Ashla shuddered as she climaxed, and her thighs tensed on either side of me as I finally pulled away. She gave me a sultry, satisfied look, and I smiled as I saw how well my performance had played out.
When I pulled my fingers out of her, my hand was coated in liquid, and I could tell she was ready for me.
I picked up her good leg and levered it up to my shoulder as I shifted for a better angle. Ashla quickly moved the pillow from under her head down to her hips, and it gave us the extra incline needed to reach the perfect height.
My cock slid into her easily, and I paused as her intense heat enveloped me and filled me with blissful pleasure.
“You feel so good,” Ashla moaned as the muscles in her thighs tightened and released in desperate anticipation. “Keep going, I want you deep inside me.”
I grasped her upraised leg tightly around her calf as I stepped in close and picked up a steady, slow rhythm.
“More?” I asked as Ashla twisted and squirmed on the cot.
“More,” she demanded in a rough voice. “I want all of you.”
I complied, and I rammed my cock into her with increasing speed. The slap of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the room, and Ashla’s breasts jiggled as each thrust pushed her whole body back and forth.
“Rougher,” she ordered as her dark, dilated eyes flickered up to meet mine. “I want to feel how strong you are.”
I couldn’t resist a command like that, and I gripped her tightly by her good leg as I drilled into her without pause. My cock pounded against the end of her pussy, and Ashla finally began to gasp and moan uncontrollably with every movement.
Still, her dark eyes opened and locked onto mine, and she mouthed the order for more.
“Rougher,” she panted out almost inaudibly. “I know you want to.”
“Just tell me when to slow down,” I told Ashla before I leaned in to knead her breasts with rough, eager strength.
She grinned playfully as I did, and I laid a light slap across her left breast to heighten the sensation for her. Meanwhile, my thrusts took on a slower, heavier rhythm, and I filled her up with every stroke.
“Perfect,” she moaned as my cock slammed in and out of her. “Maker, you feel so good.”
I flicked across her clit with one finger, and Ashla’s whole body jumped as the intense sensation shot through her like an electrical shock. She moaned as I dragged my fingers across her wet folds, and I pressed my hand against her clit with warm, even pressure as I began to rub her off.
Ashla’s moans grew until their volume threatened to get us discovered, so I leaned forward and pressed my other hand lightly over her mouth. I felt her smile grow under my palm, and she nodded eagerly as I increased the pressure to quiet her pleased noises.
Ashla breathed through her nose in quick pants as she emitted more muffled moans and gasps, and she pressed her hips into the hand on her clit as she sought for release. I finally gave it to her with a final, quick series of hand movements, and she came with a suppressed shout as my hand stifled the noise. Her voice fell into a low groan, and I could hear my cock sliding wetly out of her pussy each time before I thrust deeply into her.
Ashla tightened her leg around my shoulder as if to draw me in, and her dark eyes met mine with such heated intensity, I could feel my temperature rise instantly. As the pleasure inside me built, I rammed my cock through her in a final thrust, and I came immediately.
Hot seed spurted from my cock and filled Ashla’s pussy, and we both cried out and spasmed around each other. Each of our climaxes seemed to last an entire minute, and I felt as if I’d filled her to the brim with my seed.
“Damn,” I whispered as I pulled out of her slowly.
“Damn is right,” Ashla sighed in perfect contentment as she relaxed back onto the table. “You really filled me. I’m dripping all over the bed.”
“Want something to clean up with?” I asked.
“No,” she purred. “I really like feeling your seed in me. I’ll keep it inside me all night.”
“Okay,” I said as I pulled her leg down and set it next to her injured one. Then I walked over and kissed her full on the lips. Ashla sucked greedily at my mouth, and I let her explore me with her tongue as we both enjoyed the afterglow that came from such good, simple sex.
“I like this rougher version of you,” Ashla murmured as she pulled away from my mouth to talk. “Reminds me of how you beat Phi and Sera, just like the hero you are.”
“If I’m a hero, you’re just as much one as I am,” I pointed out before I leaned down and pressed a slow kiss to her lips.
“Mm,” she hummed wordlessly.
I pulled away and licked my lips as I took in the glorious sight of Ashla in the dim light. Her face looked regal as the shadows fell over her nose and brow, and her curly hair fell around her shoulders like a waterfall preserved in time. Her legs were slightly spread, and I could see a small stream of my climax dripping out of the lips of her pretty pussy.
“I think I like the taste of this hero,” I said with a pleased smile. “A little more spicy than sweet, but it suits you.”
“I’m no spicier than any other woman,” Ashla laughed at the comment. “You just like using metaphors too much.”
“I do,” I admitted easily. “It’s easy to make them, when you’re so stunning.”
Ashla groaned in protest at the cheesy compliment.
“You’re going to put me in an early grave with that kind of language,” she warned.
“I’ll switch to poetry, then,” I countered lightly.
“If you switch to poetry,” Ashla threatened, “I’m going to switch to breaking both legs. Then how are you going to have sex with me?”
“Very carefully,” I replied with a chuckle. “Beautiful martyrs like you deserve pleasure, after all.”
“I think it’s only martyrdom if I throw myself in front of the next giant hand on purpose,” Ashla pointed out with humor.
“You mean you didn’t do it on purpose this time?” I asked in mock confusion.
Ashla punched me lightly in the hip, and I grinned playfully at her exasperation.
“Go to bed, idiot,” Ashla told me shortly. “I know you slept on the airship, but you look like walking death.”
“Maybe that’s the look I was aiming for,” I suggested.
“Yeah right,” the ice mage snorted as she rearranged her curly hair into a neater look. “You’re just past the point of tired. The minute you hit the mattress, you’re going to be fast asleep. Hand me my gown, would you?”
I knelt obligingly and picked up the clinic gown for Ashla before I handed it over.
“Today has been a successful day,” I murmured, “so what if I don’t want it to end?”
“Too bad,” Ashla quipped succinctly. “Today was shitty compared to how tomorrow is going to be. It’s the people of the future we’re really saving, not the people of today. If you’re feeling good about putting the Archon threat away, just wait until no more soldiers have to be sent out to losing battles.
“You’re right,” I agreed, and I rubbed the back of my neck. “Why did I bring those extra clothes, again?”
“Like idiots,” Ashla responded, “we thought we’d both fit in this cot at once. Doesn’t look likely, though.”
“Not really,” I admitted, and I let out an enormous yawn. “I’ll head back, then.”
“Goodnight, Gryff,” Ashla said with a warm smile. “Get lots of good, dreamless sleep.”
“Goodnight,” I replied, and the realization of my newfound freedom dawned on me like a pleasant sunrise. “I think I will.”
I wandered back through the full clinic and strolled through the night air in the direction of my dorm room. I was sure Braden would notice how I disappeared for a suspiciously long time, but there was nothing to be done for it.
At least I already had my clean clothes with me, so my first stop was to the baths for a good, long soak. The water felt like the best kind of massage on my sore muscles, and the dirt that flo
wed away from me revealed a host of tiny scratches and cuts I sustained in battle. It was amazing to see all the injuries I never noticed in the midst of adrenaline. I also had a reddened mark on my leg from where the craus’lar’s stomach fish bit me earlier, though Doc’s elixir had sealed it up after that battle.
Maybe while I was relaxing after this victory, I could do some monster identification. I’d seen a lot of odd things recently, and it always made me feel better to put names to faces, even if it was after the fact.
In fact, there were a lot of things I was going to now have the opportunity to do. With Phi and Sera under control, I could start really studying again. Arwyn’s study guide was still waiting to be memorized, and I wanted to get back in the habit of dueling and strengthening myself so I could be properly prepared to fight.
Maybe I could even do some research about who my parents were, and where I really came from. After all, the Archons kept saying such vague things about me not really knowing myself. It was time to change that and seize control over who I actually was.
When I started to get too hot from the bathwater, I heaved myself out of the pool and padded over to the wall to snag a towel. The air was chilly against my battered skin, but it was fresh and invigorating, and I felt like new things were just on the horizon.
As I was getting dressed, my hand fell heavily on the leather hip pouch that contained Phi’s essence crystal. It felt wrong to carry it around, but the thought of leaving it in my room dug a deep pit of dread in my stomach. At least if something bad happened to the crystal while I was carrying it, I’d be able to respond right away. If Sleet didn’t propose an idea for Phi’s essence crystal during the next meeting, I definitely wanted to bring it up.
With my mind settled on that matter, I went back to my room and opened the door quietly. It was a little early for Braden’s bedtime, but as I suspected, he was completely knocked out in bed with the covers drawn over his head. I wasn’t surprised he was worn out from his battle in Ortych Sands, and I definitely agreed with his decision to fall asleep early.
I emulated my friend by stripping down for bed as quickly as possible, and within minutes of me slipping under the covers, I was out like a light. Sleep came easy, and unlike so many times before, Sera didn’t bother me even once during the night.
I woke up late in the morning, and I got started on my day with a strong sense of lazy relaxation. I visited Maelor, talked to my friends, and ate lots of Academy food to make up for all the hardtack bread and travel jerky I’d had to consume lately. The day was nearly perfect already, but then during dinner, Nia and Varleth walked into the cafeteria.
“They’re back!” Layla squealed with uncontrolled volume, and she dashed out of her chair to see the two mages as they walked in.
Nia’s eyes met mine from across the room, and my breath caught in my throat at the warm blue color of her gaze. I felt as if I’d been knocked adrift in the ocean of her stare, and I could hardly think, let alone say a word or walk.
Nia solved my problem by hugging Layla briefly before she came straight over to our table with Varleth in tow.
“I heard you did some amazing things, Gryff,” Nia told me warmly in a melodic voice that rang with relief.
“I had more than a little help,” I explained as I glanced at Erin, Layla, and Cyra. “Ashla deserves plenty of credit as well, but she’s still in the clinic until tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll go visit her later,” Nia decided, and her eyes sparkled as she glanced back to me. “Still, I’m glad you’re okay. You don’t know how much I worried about you, since you always insist on doing things the most dangerous way.”
“I do not,” I protested, but I didn’t bother keeping up the pretense. “Honestly, I doubt you could have worried anywhere near as much as I did.”
“It’s true,” Erin pointed out with a knowing glance at me, “he was off in his head up until the minute Headmaster Sleet told us you were alive and well.”
“Also, I lived too,” Varleth inserted dryly. “Hooray, Varleth, we’re so glad you made it back.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I allowed as I patted the banisher dismissively on one shoulder. “You’re alive as well, that’s very tolerable.”
The two of us broke into chuckles, and we gave each other a real hug this time.
“Good to see you, man,” Varleth told me warmly as we broke apart.
“It’s been a rough few days,” I agreed. “I’m really glad we all made it through.”
Nia stepped in to hug me next, and she smelled like cold winters and pine wood, as if she’d stepped straight out of the north to get here.
“When’s the next meeting with the Headmaster?” Nia asked as we stepped back from the hug.
“Three days from yesterday,” I answered, “though I’m not sure if that was an exact timeline, so much as it was wishful thinking from your father.”
“Eh,” Layla chipped in, “why worry about it? Sera’s put away, Phi is in the bag, and we’re thinking the monster attacks are going to go back to normal. What else is there to do but return to school?”
“There’s always something,” Nia answered knowingly. “I like the idea of a break, but I’m not going to put away my travel pack just yet.”
My friends nodded reluctantly, and I had to agree with Nia as well. Even if nothing new came up, Phi wasn’t quite dealt with so much as she was put to the side for now.
Nia and Varleth went to get their own food, and we spent the meal in pleasant, excited chatter as everybody caught each other up. When we finished our roasted mushroom pasta and clam chowder, we started to split to our own tasks. Nia went to give Ashla a visit, and Gawain wanted to catch up on selecting new fabrics to be tailored for him, whatever that meant. The girls all had a dozen different things to do, but Braden and Varleth were both going to the library, and I decided to join them.
The first thing I did was return my book on monster behavior from before, and then I found the largest bestiary of aquatic monsters in the entire building. It was painstaking to flip through the pages looking for the type of fish monsters I now owned, but I finally found them in an enormous section labeled ‘land-capable aquatics.’
The page described them as relatively harmless, Grade E monsters that produced water with varying degrees of pressure. I would probably argue against such a low grade, since I knew just how hard those water bullets could hit. There was nothing written in the book about them living inside craus’lar stomachs, but I was willing to bet it wasn’t a singular incident.
“Robaguas,” I muttered as I read the header of the page to myself. “Kind of a stupid sounding name.”
“Not as stupid as yours,” Gawain retorted from the seat across from me.
“At least I’m trying to educate myself,” I complained. “You’re just reading about horse genealogy.”
“I’m educating myself,” Gawain argued calmly. “Just because horses hate you doesn’t mean they aren’t worth breeding and caring for.”
“Give me an airship any day,” I said as I shook my head. “Horses are pointless if you have the option of flight.”
“Sometimes you don’t have that option,” Gawain said as he flipped the next page, “and then you’ll be wishing you’d had the foresight to breed a perfect steed for your journey.”
“I hope you realize someday just how weird and snobby that sounds,” I told him seriously, “and I wish I had never heard it.”
Gawain huffed in amusement, and I grinned back at him as I snapped my bestiary shut.
“See you later,” Gawain told me, and I gave him a quick wave goodbye as I left the library.
It was time for bed soon, and I wasted no time getting to sleep so I could have my full amount of rest. It was so refreshing to sleep through the night without Sera sending me dreams for me to fight against.
Of course, that night, my expectations of a simple rest were shattered.
Something is stirring, Sera’s voice whispered in my mind. Now that we are one, it�
�s up to you to keep us safe, Gryff.
“What’s happening?” I asked, and my voice echoed oddly in the gray, featureless landscape of the dream. “What do I have to keep us safe from?”
There were nine Archons, Sera warned, when our power was strong, and the land was ours. We cannot die, and so there are nine still. Seven are unaccounted for, either sleeping, or waiting, or trapped.
“Well?” I asked in confusion. “We knew that, to some extent. Why are you bringing it up now?”
One has awoken, Gryff, Sera said, and her voice grew nervous and uncertain. One has awoken, and in her wake, this time of peace will shatter.
“Where is she?” I asked urgently. “What’s she going to do?”
She is in a land far away, Sera whispered, and her voice faded as she spoke. Don’t delay, Gryff. She may be far, but only you can stop her. Only you have that power …
Sera’s voice trailed away, and I fought to cling to the dream as it slipped between my fingers.
I jolted awake as the dream departed, and a knocking at the door interrupted my thoughts.
“Gryff,” Nia’s voice called, “we have an emergency meeting. You have to get up.”
“Nia?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes. “What’s so urgent? Can I eat breakfast first?”
The dream still clung to me like cobwebs in my mind, and I shook off Sera’s warnings as I sat up distractedly in bed.
“You’ve got to come quickly,” Nia pressed as her voice cut urgently through the thick door. “It’s about the southern lands, the country of Luratamba. A new Archon has been sighted.”
End of Book 8
End Notes
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