Chapter 1

I knew I was dreaming, but I didn’t want to wake up. My eyes were closed, and a feeling of serenity blanketed me along with the warmth of the bright noon sun.

Gryff! Sera’s voice interrupted my dreamscape as she tugged on the bond between us, and I felt more than heard the alarm in her voice. Utuni!

I barely had time to process the dark Archon’s warning before my dreamscape shifted and flowed away from me like water down a drain. As my dream receded, I found myself in a shadowy and dark room. A red aura flowed over my consciousness and drifted around to bubble into red tinted hazy clouds. Then I sensed the cage I’d shoved Utuni into splinter and shatter as the demi goddess’ lithe silhouette walked into view through the plumes of red around us. I heard Sera and Phi struggling with the rabid Archon, Miralea, and knew I would be on my own for now.

You cannot hold me forever, mortal boy, Utuni hissed as she launched at me with one swift, powerful movement. Her serpent eyes narrowed as her sharp nails reached for my throat, and the snake tail that extended behind her snapped back and forth with her movement.

I gathered my will and met her with a sideways kick that landed square on her stomach, and at the same time, I shot out a spear of mental force.

Utuni slid backwards from the impact, but she didn’t lose her footing as she skidded to a stop. Her tail swayed with a shivering motion, and it reminded me of the poisonous snakes in the Wilds with rattle-like appendages at the end of their tails that warned of impending danger.

I watched the Archon regain her balance, and she crouched down into a squat and considered me with furious, bloodthirsty eyes.

“I won, Utuni!” I declared and towered over her.

Suddenly, I heard a fierce growl from behind me, and before I could react, Miralea slammed into my back, and her claws tore through my clothes and dug into the skin of my shoulders.

I grimaced from anger more than pain and reached back to grab the jaguar by the neck before she could sink her fangs into my neck. Then I pulled her over my shoulder and slammed her to the ground in front of me.

Miralea whimpered and rolled away from me, but I grabbed onto her jaguar tail and pulled her back as she hissed and clawed at my hands. Finally, I managed to wrestle her onto her stomach with a foot between her shoulder blades.

Her orange eyes blazed with hatred and fury at me over her shoulder. Her hair was disheveled, and the tattered remains of her flowered crown fluttered down to the ground below her.

Filthy mortal! How dare you lay hands on me! The jungle goddess hissed, but she still wasn’t at her full strength. She twisted and squirmed, but I had her steady with one hand still firmly grasping her twitching, writhing jaguar tail.

Where the hell were Sera and Phi? I could sense both of their consciousness’ still, but they were weakened.

The red aura surrounding me began to thicken, and I scanned for Utuni within the swirling clouds. Then I heard the sound of her laugh echo through my mind, and a chill went down my spine.

She couldn’t escape me, could she?

Miralea growled low and menacing and drew me out of my thoughts. She bucked and thrashed beneath my boot, and I struggled to hold her in place. The vines that wrapped around her body and barely concealed her breasts and groin began to grow out tendrils, and then those tendrils grew sharp thorns that lashed out at my foot and leg.

Then a flash of tan skin moved through my peripherals, and I turned to look.

Utuni was running straight for me, and the mists parted around her as she pushed forward.

“Sera, Phi, any time now would be nice!” I called out.

I had just enough time to grab Miralea’s twisting body by a thrashing elbow, and I lifted her by her tail and one arm and spun in a circle. When I came back almost face to face with Utuni, I released the jaguar goddess’ body, and she hurtled through the air with an animalistic screech and tumbled into the other Archon. Then they flew backwards in a tangle of limbs and tails.

Sera and Phi rushed into sight a moment later, and both sisters looked flustered and angry, but not injured.

How powerful was Utuni if she could fight off the two Archon guards helping me keep her locked away?

“Let’s put these bitches back in their box,” I growled to my winged Archons. Rage pumped through me, and I gathered my will power.

With pleasure, Sera purred, and her yellow eyes gleamed with anger. There was no love lost between any of the Archons, but Sera had a personal vendetta. Utuni had aided her sister, Phi, in imprisoning Sera in a crystal mine for a thousand years, after all.

Fucking bitch bit me! Phi pouted with a growl of rage as she eyed Miralea.

The two hostile goddesses had regained their footing and came at us with hisses and growls. I sent out a spear of my will, and Sera and Phi joined their powers with mine. Our combined attacks hit Utuni and Miralea, but they pushed back with their own power, and my head felt like it would explode as a wave of red and orange hit my mental attack.

I wasn’t about to lose, though, so I grimaced and pushed forward until their wave faltered and began to recede.

The hostile Archons screamed and struggled against the blast of our combined powers bearing down on them, and the red clouds around us swept back into shadows. Then I shoved Miralea and Utuni back into the confines of their mental prison and slammed the locks closed.

Even in this dreamscape, I panted from the effort, and sweat trickled down my forehead. I swiped a hand across my face and took a breath.

“How did that happen!” I demanded as I whirled on Phi and Sera.

They may be captured, but they are still strong. Sera’s black wings fluttered in displeasure, and her long, silky black hair shifted with the motion. We can hold them back, but it isn’t a permanent solution, especially not when they join forces.

They will pay for their insolence. Phi bristled with anger.

“They are contained for now, but I need to subdue one or both of them soon.” I swept a hand through my hair and sighed. “One angry goddess is bad enough, but containing two is going to be harder than I thought.”

You have more power than those two weaklings could ever dream of. Sera smiled seductively, and her fangs gleamed behind her full lips.

Before I could respond, I felt an odd sensation and instinctively looked down at my pants. Then the dreamscape swirled and faded around me as I woke up.

I found myself on the lavish bed of Queen Lisi in the private chambers of her own personal ship. The balcony doors were open, and the smell of the sea wafted in on the gentle breeze. My gaze circled around back to the bed where I laid, and I saw Queen Lisi regarding me with amusement.

She knelt between my naked legs and had one hand wrapped around my stiff cock. Her dark eyes glittered lustfully, but instead of saying a word, she slowly lowered her mouth down to the tip of my member and rolled her soft lips over the head of my dick.

I moaned, and my hips lifted as my hard cock pulsed in her hands. Then I felt her soft breath as she planted wet kisses on my shaft, and shivers ran across my skin.

So, this was the odd sensation I’d experienced in the dreamscape.

I chuckled before I laid my head back and let the queen continue her ministrations. She had spent the majority of the past few days attempting to convince me to join with her as King of the Southern continent. After I defeated Utuni in the port city of Umo Portana, Queen Lisi considered me the perfect candidate to take over the nation of Utun and rule as her consort. I enjoyed her attempts, but I knew I couldn’t stay.

But I wasn’t going to stop her from trying to persuade me.

Lisi continued to trail her delicate tongue around the head and down the shaft of my cock, but I knew from previous experience that this was meant to tease me. I was patient, though, and I let her perform at her own pace.

“That’s great.” I looked down at her as she lowered her face until her tongue was flicking softly at the base of my shaft.

“Mmmm,” she moaned around my tip.

The sunlight reflected off her tan, caramel skin and made her glow with a warm light. Her eyes were hooded and lustful, and she kept them glued to mine as she rubbed the flat of her tongue up my length, wrapped her mouth around the mushroom shaped head, and barely paused before sliding down the entire shaft in one motion.

I hissed with pleasure as the hot, wet grip of her mouth moved down to the base of my dick, and I shoved my hips upwards toward the sensation. My hands shot to her hair, and I buried my fingers in the dark strands as I pushed her head down even further. Then I hit the lining at the back of her throat, and her nose dug into my abdomen.

“Maker,” I grunted.

Lisi looked up at me and moaned with pleasure as her eyes watered, and her body shuddered between my legs. I held the queen’s head firmly by the hair, and then I thrust a few times deep into the back of her throat before I released her.

She pulled off me with a gasp and a moan. Then her hand grasped me firmly and slid up my slippery length, and the pressure and friction felt amazing. Lisi winked seductively at me and slid her mouth back over the tip of my cock, but she paused and looked up at me while her lips still bulged around my girth.

I grinned and put my hands back behind my head.

Lisi focused on her task and slid her mouth up and down my shaft with steadily increasing pressure and speed. Her motions made a wet sound that reminded me of her entrance when it was swollen with arousal, and I closed my eyes and moaned as she picked up her pace. She sucked harder, and the pressure threatened to overpower me as my climax built.

The queen slowed down and alternated her rhythm by taking my whole length into her warm mouth before she returned to the steady sucking motion. Several times, she built up the intensity until I almost erupted, but then she slowed down before I could reach the threshold.

Maker, she was good at this.

Lisi pulled off my cock with a wet plop, and saliva dangled down her chin in wild tendrils. She grinned when she noticed where I was looking, and she wiped her mouth with one hand before she smeared it down my length with a tightly squeezed fist. I moaned and lifted into her hand, and I was growing more desperate for my release the longer she stalled.

“Rule with me, Gryff. Be my king and father my children.” Her voice was sultry and heavy with her own arousal as she spoke in accented Mistral, but it also had the demanding tone of a queen who wasn’t used to being refused.

“Is that all you want from me?” I teased. “Children?”

“Eventually, we would have children, but for now all I want is for you to say yes,” Lisi purred as she stroked her hand up and down my length. “Do children scare you, Gryff?”

My cock twitched in response to her touch, and her lips curled up into a smile.

“Not scared.” I frowned slightly. This wasn’t the sexiest topic, but I didn’t want Queen Lisi to think she could manipulate me so easily. “I’m not done saving the world, so thinking about settling down isn’t a priority of mine right now.”

Lisi leaned down and licked the underside of my cock, and it pulsed toward her lips, which elicited a pleased purr from her.

“You will agree soon,” Lisi said with confidence, and then she dipped her head down to take my full length again in one swift slide.

Sex with the queen was amazing, but I wasn’t desperate enough for it to let it change my mind. Lisi may not understand my reasoning for leaving Utun and Luratamba to return to Mistral, but it was happening whether she liked it or not.

As she reached the end of my length, I grabbed her head again and pulled her hair back into my hands so I could get a good look at her face. Then I held her steady as I thrust in and out of her mouth, and she moaned and shuddered as my cock’s head pounded into her throat. I felt her gag, and I knew she was reaching the edge of her limits as my climax neared. So, I bucked my hips once more and held onto the back of her head while my seed released and sprayed down her throat. The load was too much for her to swallow all at once, so white cream erupted from her lips and slid down around my twitching cock.

Queen Lisi pulled back with a gasp and moaned in pleasure. She licked her lips, and I shuddered as I saw a line of my seed get swooped up by her tongue and pulled between her soft lips.

“Mmmm, you taste just as good as you feel inside me,” she purred, and she swished her tongue over her lips to gather up the rest of my cum.

My cock laid in a puddle of it, and I glanced at it with a mischievous gleam in my eye.

“There’s more left,” I said with a grin, and Lisi eyed my spent member and smiled.

“Indeed, there is.” She lowered herself down between my legs again and lapped up my seed with slow gentle licks that sent shivers up my spine. When I was all cleaned up, the queen laid down beside me with her head on my shoulder while her fingers traced lines down my chest and abdomen.

Then my stomach grumbled under her hand, and we both chuckled.

“You already ate, so guess that means it’s time for my breakfast,” I said.

“I’m sure your team is anxious to see you, as well,” Lisi replied in a reluctant tone. “I’ve been keeping you all to myself for days now.”

I did wonder what my friends had been up to while I’d been busy entertaining the queen. They were likely just as ready to head back home as I was, if not more. Days had passed since the battle for Umo Portana. A beach vacation had been a welcome reprieve from marching an army of Utun warriors around the country, not to mention the intense battle against the horde of monsters Utuni had sent against us, but I knew we were all ready to go back to our normal lives.

What we would call a normal life, anyways.

As students of the Academy, my team and I were also part of the military in Mistral. The Academy recruited anyone who showed magical talent, whether they were willing to enroll or not. I was technically a second-year student, although I’d yet to attend any second-year classes since I’d been travelling all over Mistral, and now the Southern continent, chasing after the Archons for months now.

It was a little hard to save the world and be a perfect student at the same time.

Queen Lisi sat up and slid off the bed, and I stared unabashedly at her ass while she crossed the room to a tall wardrobe against the wall. She opened the wardrobe and revealed rows of flowing silks and gowns made from the highest quality of fabrics, and she shot a knowing smile over her shoulder as she pulled out a green dress etched with gold silken hems. Then she wrapped it around herself, and as a dress formed around her, I noticed how her nipples were still visible through the sheer fabric.

“Like what you see, Gryff of Njordenfalls?” Lisi murmured.

“Like watching a masterpiece being painted right in front of me.” I grinned and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.

“Is that what you say to all your women?” she laughed, and the sound was soft and melodic.

“You are a work of art, Your Majesty,” I said and gave her an exaggerated bow.

She rolled her dark eyes playfully at me, but I noticed her smile never faded.

“Come, I had fresh clothes supplied for you as well,” Lisi remarked with a smirk. “I knew I would eventually have to let you leave my chambers. You are not my prisoner, after all.”

I dressed quickly in the Luratamba style clothes she handed me and ignored the fact that I was wearing Queen Lisi’s colors. I would humor her for now since she was hosting my team and me on her warship, but soon we’d have to go.

Queen Lisi had sailed into the bay of Umo Portana in the nick of time to prevent my army of Utun warriors from being annihilated. When I first recovered from the massive mana drain I suffered while beating Utuni, I’d woken up on a smaller boat in Lisi’s fleet, and I assumed my friends had been staying there for the last two days while I’d been occupied with the Queen. I’d caught glimpses of their beach side shenanigans from the balcony that opened up to the back of the ship, and I had waved a few times, but I knew they trusted me as their leader and would come get me if something unexpected happened.

In the meantime, Queen Lisi worked with determination, persistence, and expertise to entertain and argue her case. I lost count of how many times I’d sprayed my seed inside of her perfect body in various positions in this room, and I smiled as memories flashed everywhere I looked.

Still, I missed my friends and was anxious to get back home. I was looking forward to having everyone together, to talk to Arwyn and Marangur Sleet about my mission successes and to catch up with Nia, Braden, Cyra, and Gawain. I also wanted to see Maelor and tell him all about my travels while he came up with new slurs to fit the new animals and monsters I’d encountered on my journey.

Maelor had raised me in the Wilds of Mistral since I was a little kid. He was a cranky old codger with a heart of gold, and he taught me everything I knew about summoning until the Academy swooped in and recruited me over a year ago. He’d found me after my parents were killed by monsters, or so I’d always thought, but recent information made that part of my life more confusing. I knew he was worried about me, and I wanted him to see me in one piece soon.

I grabbed my bandolier of crystals from the floor by the bed and put it across my chest. I trusted Queen Lisi, and the war was over, but I felt naked without my crystals within easy reach. I swept a hand across the pockets and bags made of leather and relaxed at the habitual gesture. Then I scraped my hands through the knots in my hair and gave my head a quick shake.

“Ready?” Queen Lisi asked with a girlish giggle that sounded contradictory to her royal air.

“Ready,” I said with a grin.

The sun was high in the sky as we climbed up to the deck of the ship. It was probably close to mid-day, and a few white clouds floated in the bright blue sky. The sandy white beach to one side reflected the sunlight even stronger, and the waves splashed against the hull of the boat.

It was another beautiful day on the Southern continent.

“Gryffieeee!” I heard Layla scream with obvious delight from the beach, and I could barely make out the shape of the rest of the team behind her. She stood knee deep in the waves and seemed to be in the midst of a splash battle with Erin and Orenn, and Varleth and Ashla were sitting on the beach close to the others.

I waved over my head, and everyone waved back. Layla started to wade through the water between her and Lisi’s boat, but I waved her back.

“I’m coming down!” I shouted and hoped she understood me from this distance.

“Your friend sounds happy to see you,” Lisi commented from behind me. Her caramel skin gleamed in the sunlight, and she looked toward the beach with a graceful hand on her hip. Then she arched an eyebrow at the sound of Layla splashing through the waves. “Is that the hungry one?”

“Yep, and the very impatient one,” I chuckled. “But still, I need to check in with my team and start planning our next step.”

“Very well, Gryff.” Lisi smiled and inclined her head. “We will pause our discussions, for now.”

“I get the feeling we still have a lot to discuss.” I grinned at her, and she responded with a wink. Then I gave the queen a quick bow before I turned and looked for a way off the ship.

I noticed a rope ladder dangling over the side of the boat, so I swung over and climbed down quickly, but I had barely jumped from the ladder into the waist deep water before Layla’s petite form pounced onto my back.

“I thought I would never see you again!” The small summoner squeezed me tightly from behind, like a baby monkey.

I chuckled and turned to make my way to the beach with Layla riding on my back and babbling into my ear about what I’d missed.

“I kept thinking we should go check on you, but you would come out and wave before I really started to worry.” Layla barely paused for a breath between words, so I didn’t even try to respond. “But then, I thought, what if that Lisi chick killed him and the Gryff waving at us isn’t even the real Gryff, but then Varleth said we would know when you died because we would all be getting attacked by Archon ladies, and I told him that he needed to shut up--”

“Layla!” I interrupted with a laugh. “Don’t forget to breathe.”

I hefted her a little higher on my back to resettle her weight into a spot more comfortable for both of us. The water barely reached my knees at this point, and we were about twenty yards up the beach from the rest of the team, but I didn’t move to put her down. She was small enough that I could carry her much further without tiring, and besides, I enjoyed the feeling of her perky breasts pressed into my shoulders.

As I neared the group, Varleth stood and motioned to the others. The gypsy looked out of place on the beach in his banisher uniform, but I knew the mage rarely wore anything else.

My team smiled when they saw me, and we ended up meeting halfway.

“Did you pick up a new gremlin crystal recently?” Varleth said dryly, and Layla stuck her tongue out at him.

“I’m more like the Archons. I’m a powerful goddess, Varleth. Fear my wrath!” Her serious tone made us all laugh, and I sat her down and was immediately crushed into a hug by Orenn.

“I’m glad to see you, Gryff! Are you feeling okay?” His sincere concern always warmed my heart. The metallogue could turn himself into metal, but he had a gooey, warm center. He wore a pair of baggy swimming pants that cinched under his knees, and his broad chest was tanned from the sun, but I knew Orenn felt more at home on a beach than the rest of us. He grew up in Balvaan, after all, a seaside town in Mistral.

“I’m feeling great, Orenn,” I assured him with a smile.

“One guess as to what’s made him feel so great,” Ashla snickered, and I turned to hug the ice mage. Her chocolate eyes were twinkling with her teasing jab about my time with Queen Lisi. The beautiful mercenary wore a light blue bathing suit that crisscrossed over her stomach in strips of tight water-resistant fabric, and she also wore a billowing white cloak made of sheer, almost see-through material, and a wide brimmed straw hat.

“I can imagine Queen Lisi isn’t looking forward to us going back to Mistral,” Erin said, and I heard the empathy in the mimic’s voice for the queen’s plight. “I know I wouldn’t want Gryff to leave if I was her.”

Erin’s short, bright orange hair swayed slightly as she nodded her head. The mimic wore a two-piece bathing suit. The top was a strapless strip of white fabric, cinched between her perfectly round breasts, and below her toned stomach were the matching white bottoms.

“Good thing we are leaving together, then,” I said and hugged the petite girl tightly.

“Wouldn’t want it any other way.” Erin smiled up at me sweetly, and her amber eyes were full of warmth.

“You sure she is going to let us leave?” Varleth asked, and I smiled as the predictable banisher pessimistically prepared for the next problem ahead of us.

“She just wanted some time to debate the politics since Utun is leaderless and both countries are suffering from the effects of the Archons.” I hoped my friends didn’t question my explanation, but I could tell by the smiles and elbow nudges that my thinly veiled white lie was obvious.

“I bet she is a vigorous debate partner,” Ashla chuckled as she shot an over exaggerated wink to my team.

“She means you both fucked a lot,” Layla said to me in a loud, fake whisper behind her hand.

“Yeah, I got that,” I said as I shook my head. I guess I earned the treatment after disappearing for two days right after I woke up from being asleep for two days.

“So, what’s the next step, boss?” Layla asked, and we all ambled down the beach in the direction of the port city of Umo Portana. “We going home or what?”

The walls of the capital were crumbled remains, and I glanced up to see most of the city was demolished from the fight with Utuni. Before I could reply to Layla, though, we saw three people climb over the sand dune ahead of us from the direction of the ruined city.

“Utuni’s Bane!”

I recognized the voice as belonging to Iso, the Utun villager who had joined my fight against the snake goddess after her blood aura took over the capital city. He was a young man with a thin frame, and when I first met him, he cowered and stuttered, but after some guidance and training, he’d flourished into a capable soldier and strong lieutenant in my army. The name he shouted was a nickname I’d earned from my fight against the Archon. Now, her green snake tattoo laid on my forearm, and I’d proven good on my word to rid Utun of the demigoddess and her Reign of Blood.

With Iso was General Iun and a man I recognized from the Rolesse Guard, Chief Kada. They were smiling and walking casually, even though their straight backs and shoulders and purposeful strides marked them all as military men used to marching in sync with a thousand other warriors. They also all wore the billowy black pants and long tunics common in Utun.

“Good to see you up and around, Utuni’s Bane,” General Iun said in the Southern language, and he smirked as he took my offered hand in a firm grip.

I felt Sera’s presence slide gracefully into the forefront of my mind, and she translated the Southern language so smoothly it almost seemed like I heard the general speak in Mistral.

“I have waited many days to speak with you, Gryff of Njordenfalls,” Chief Kada added as he also shook my hand. “You are healed from the battle, now, and my patience is thin.”

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” I said and arched an eyebrow. “I guess you’re anxious to get home to Rolesse and tell the council of our victory.”

“They know we are victorious from the disappearance of Utuni’s blood aura, but yes, I am ready to return to Rolesse.”

“Very well, you are free to go. Divide up the remaining provisions we brought here from Rolesse. Take some with you and the men who will return with you. The rest will be divided up between the men returning to Small Bend and the elder’s village as well as whoever chooses to stay here in Umo Portana.” I looked up at the remains of the city as I spoke. “If any wish to stay, that is.”

General Iun frowned. “You are not staying to rebuild the city under your rule?”

I supposed his assumption that I would stay and seize power over Utun was logical considering the man had watched me kill the previous ruler, King Konu, while impersonating the king’s dead son, Prince Kecha. I shook my head, though, and jerked my chin in the direction of my friends standing behind me. They were listening curiously but were mostly unaware of what was being said since they didn’t speak Southern fluently.

“We are going back to our home, Mistral.” I clapped the tall Utun man on the shoulder. “I have to get back to school.”

“It’s hard to picture Utuni’s Bane as a student,” Iun chuckled and shook his head. Then he shot a wary glance toward the bay full of warships behind me. “What will happen to Utun when you leave?”

“I don’t think Queen Lisi has any plans of ruling Utun,” I reassured him. “She wants me to stay and be her king, but that is not my future.”

“She would make a powerful ally, you should consider her offer seriously,” the general said. “The future of Utun rests on what happens next. You would have no contest against your rule. No one would challenge you.”

“Not many would challenge you, either,” I countered, “and those who did would regret it. No, I have no desire to be king, and Utun is not my home.”

“I would support General Iun as king,” Chief Kada said as he nodded at the man beside him. “He is strong and has a mind for strategy.”

It seemed to me the two men had formed a bond of friendship during the battle against Utuni’s horde of monsters. I’d been busy with the goddess and her three summoned monsters and had left the army under the guidance of Iun and Kada.

“Very well,” I said and grinned at them proudly. “Iun is king. Utuni’s Bane has decreed it.”

I put my hands on my hips, pushed out my chest, and lifted my chin in a heroic stance. The stoic warrior men did not seem entertained or impressed, but I saw Iso struggle to keep a straight face.

“Will Queen Lisi fight this?” General Iun seemed skeptical the exchange of power could be so simple.

“I’ll tell her when I return to her ship.” I nodded firmly, and that settled things.

The men shook their heads in awe at my casual attitude toward the queen of Luratamba, but they didn’t comment. Instead, they saluted and turned to head back toward the city where the surviving members of my army were camped around the ruined wall.

Iso turned and gave me a big smile and a wave, and I grinned as I thought about how much the people of Utun had grown from the savages who sacrificed their own people against their wills to worship the goddess Utuni.

“What was that all about?” Layla demanded the second the men turned away from us.

“They wanted to know what to do next.” I shrugged. “So, I made Iun king of Utun and told them to divide whatever rations remain between all the different groups returning to their homes.”

“You made Iun king?” The petite summoner’s jaw dropped. “You can do that, like just point at someone and say, you’re king now?”

“They wanted me to do it,” I told them with a wry smirk. “Queen Lisi, too.”

“Wow, Gryff, you could have been king?” Orenn guffawed and clapped me on the shoulder. “That would have been really fun. I bet it’s a lot of work, though.”

“How kind of you to lower yourself to travel with us peasants,” Varleth drawled sarcastically.

“Gryff wouldn’t want to miss out on the flight back with us,” Erin said with a grin. “I bet I can give you a smoother ride than Almasy did.”

I grinned at the petite pilot, and she bumped her shoulders against me while we walked back toward Queen Lisi’s ship.

Yes, she did give me some great rides, and even though I’d just spent the last few days fucking the queen’s brains out, I was really missing making love to my girlfriends.

“Plus, we need to get you back to Arwyn and the research team so we can add our notes about Utuni to what they are learning from the ciphers,” Ashla added as she came up on my left side, and she glanced pointedly at the new tattoos on the back of my hand and my forearm. “A lot has happened since they last examined you.”

“I’m ready to get back to the food at the Academy,” Layla chirped. “Also, I’m starving, when’s dinner?”

The young summoner had a bottomless stomach and was more food motivated than a wild animal.

“We will have plenty of food between now and when we get home,” I assured her. “We should eat with Queen Lisi tonight before we take one of her ships north to Erin’s airship.”

“You really think she will help you after you turned down her marriage proposal?” Ashla asked with a grin. “We may have to fight our way out of here now that she knows what she will be missing.”

The innuendo was obvious, and I rolled my eyes in response.

“It will be fine,” I told the ice mage, but doubt clouded my smile slightly.

You would destroy her if she stood against you, Sera purred in my head. No one can stand against your power and survive.

You would make such a fearsome king, Gryff, Phi added in a sultry voice.

I ignored the Archons and shoved them out of the forefront of my mind with a dismissive mental wave. It was getting easier to control the dark angels, and having their powers at my disposal had proved invaluable many times, but that didn’t mean I had to listen to everything they said.

We returned to the smaller boat Queen Lisi had given my team after the battle. It hadn’t left the harbor since the day she sailed in to act as our vanguard, but it was better than camping on the beach or under the ruined walls of the city.

A Luratamba man jumped to attention when we climbed up the rope ladder that hung over the side of the deck railing.

“Queen Lisi has provided a meal and requests your presence on the upper deck of Lisi’s Pride immediately,” he said in his native tongue. With his message delivered, the man nodded stiffly and grabbed onto the rope he’d used to swing over from the Queen’s ship to ours, and then he shimmied up it back to the deck of the bigger ship.

My team dispersed to change out of their beach gear and into something more appropriate for dinner with a queen, but I stayed in the outfit she’d given me. I knew she would enjoy seeing me in the colors of her realm, and I wanted to be on her good side when I told her we were leaving tomorrow.

Once my friends rejoined me in their dinner clothes, we all made the climb onto Lisi’s Pride. The upper deck was crowded by a large table covered in a green silk runner, and plates full of various Southern food wafted their tempting aromas. I inhaled hungrily, my stomach rumbled again in response, and I heard Layla lick her lips eagerly at my side.

Queen Lisi stood near the head of the table. She wore the same dress I saw her put on earlier, but she’d added gold dangles to her ears, a golden circlet over her hair, and bracelets jingled on her wrists and ankles. Her eyes were shadowed in dark, smoky colors, and her lips were painted in a red rouge.

She looked like a queen, to say the least.

“Your Majesty,” I said to announce our arrival, and I dipped my head in a small bow. With my team present, I made sure to keep my tone respectful and polite.

“Gryff of Njordenfalls,” Queen Lisi acknowledged me with a flirtatious smile. “Please, come sit and enjoy this meal with me.”

Her Mistral had improved greatly in just the short time since I’d met her, and I was sure our bedroom conversations had helped.

“I have one request first,” I said as I held up my hand. “Can we send for General Iun to join us? I think the three of us have much to discuss today.”

The queen’s eyebrow arched, but she nodded and waved a hand dismissively. “I have already sent for him. I have heard reports of his bravery and skill in battle and wanted to reward him for his part in our victory.”

With that settled, my team and I crowded around the table. I sat to Lisi’s right, with Erin beside me, and Orenn on the other side of her. Layla, Varleth, and Ashla sat across from me, which left an empty seat for the general.

A few minutes later, I heard the sound of a throat clearing and looked up to see General Iun climbing the stairs to the upper deck. He bowed to Queen Lisi and nodded his head in my direction before he took the empty seat to the queen’s left.

“Thank you for the invitation, Your Majesty,” Iun said in a halting Luratamba dialect.

Queen Lisi’s eyes sparkled with obvious delight, but she narrowed them as she considered the tall Utun man.

I ground my jaw tensely as I steeled myself for a confrontation. The two nations were at war when I’d arrived in the south. General Iun was made a general in the first place because I’d kidnapped Prince Kecha and delivered him to Lisi. Both people were proud and loyal, but I knew neither country was in any position to keep fighting.

“Early for dinner, isn’t it?” I asked to break the tension, as I loaded my plate with smoked mutton, rice, and some interesting looking vegetables in a tangy sauce.

The sun was still high in the sky, although it had progressed toward the horizon since I’d left Lisi’s chambers.

“I wanted to give you plenty of time to prepare for your journey before sleeping,” Lisi said smoothly.

How did she always seem to be one step ahead? She’d struck me as a big picture type when we’d spoken in Lisi City, and she casually handled all the affairs of running a country with a calm regal air.

“We were planning on leaving in the morning,” I admitted with a nod before I filled my mouth with a combination of everything on my plate and chewed it with gusto. I didn’t even realize how hungry I was until I started to smell it. I washed the food down with a gulp of what looked to be fruit juice, and the sweet citrus flavor was refreshing. “I was hoping your ship could help us get to the northern side of the continent where our airship is docked.”

“If this is what you wish.” Queen Lisi nodded, and her earrings wobbled with the motion. “But I will ask once more, Gryff. Join me, be king of the southern lands, build a new unified nation at my side.”

Her voice dropped an octave suggestively, and her dark eyes bored into me across the table.

“While it pains me to say no to you, Your Majesty,” I sighed and pushed back a stray strand of hair from my face, “I have a duty to return to Marangur Sleet and report on my mission. I have to go home.”

Lisi shot me a girlish pout for a split second before she regained her regal expression, but her shoulders still slumped slightly.

She knew this was a losing battle.

“I think Iun should do it,” I added and cleared my throat before I inclined my head toward the Utun man across from me. “He knows Utun better than I ever could. He is a fierce warrior, talented shaman, and strong leader.”

Iun’s eyebrows were drawn down tightly, and he held his mouth in a well-controlled line as his gaze flickered from me to the queen.

“Those are big compliments coming from Utuni’s Bane,” Lisi mused. “I am inclined to trust your judgement. If you truly think General Iun is the best choice, then I will respect his claim to rule.”

“I want peace,” General Iun said with a firm nod. “Luratamba came to help the people of Utun, and I know we will not forget it.”

“I want peace as well,” Lisi said as she put out her hand to the general.

He clasped it gingerly and they gave a brief shake to seal their agreement.

Then in Mistral, Lisi said, “Let this begin an era of peace for all of the Southern Continent!”

Cheers erupted around the table as my friends realized everything had fallen into place. Then we all lifted our cups of various drinks in the air to toast the end of the war.

What would the Southern continent be like after this? Would they continue with their blood sacrifices? While I preferred the Luratamba way of voluntary ritual sacrifice, they still glorified suicide as worship to their goddess.

Miralea growled and fought at the locks that restrained her. I sensed my thoughts on her worshippers had angered her, but I didn’t care. So, I ignored her howls and returned my focus to the conversation around me.

We ate and drank with idle chatter about the tides, sunburns, and new animals and monsters spotted on the southern continent. It was weird to hear the conversation float between three different languages. The differences between the languages of the south and Mistral were obvious, but the Luratamban and Utun dialects varied in small ways that were harder to pick apart. The sun drifted down to the horizon while we sat together, and then the celestial orb burst into the sky with a brilliant orange and purple sunset over the waters of the bay.

It was a good ending to what had been a long war against the demigoddesses.

After the meal was over, I followed my team back to the little ship, and on the deck was a stack of crates with a scrawled note.

Provisions for your trip. Wouldn’t want your shaman friend to starve before you get home. Yours, Queen Lisi

I chuckled to myself at the obvious reference to Layla, and then I shoved the note into my pocket and followed my friends to the sleeping cabins below deck.

There were two rooms, the one I’d woken up in a few days ago where another bed had been added, and directly across the narrow hallway was another room. This one had no beds, but four hammocks stretched from the rafters at different angles around the room. Varleth and Orenn took the room with two beds, and it seemed their packs were already inside. So, the girls and I took the hammock room. My pack was already against one wall, and when I raised my eyebrows, the women giggled in tandem.

“Seems like you guys always have it figured out perfectly.” I grinned and plopped down into the hammock closest to my pack.

“We get bored,” Layla said with a shrug.

The girls each picked a hammock, and soon, the occasional snore was all I could hear. I sighed happily and closed my eyes as I drifted off to sleep as well.

We set sail as soon as the sun rose the next day. Queen Lisi had sent us with a crew of Luratamban sailors, and they worked efficiently to maneuver the boat out of the bay of Umo Portana. We’d only been sailing for a couple of hours before I could no longer make out the shape of the continent behind us, and the ocean surrounded us on all sides.

Layla, Erin, and Orenn sat down to play cards, while Ashla lounged on the deck reading something that looked old and mysterious. Her axe, Bessie II, laid on the deck beside her, and I knew she was always ready for a fight no matter how relaxed she looked. Varleth, on the other hand, disappeared below deck and muttered something about waking him up when we got home.

I sat cross legged on the deck and took stock of my travel pack and bandolier. It was a travel habit I’d acquired from riding in the military airships with the Monster Response Squad. When I was finished, I sat back, leaned my head on the mast, and slid in and out of sleep as the waves bobbed us gently.

Suddenly, a loud crack of thunder erupted through the air, and the hairs on my arm stood on end as I snapped open my eyes.

Clouds rolled on the horizon, but it wasn’t a storm, and I frowned and jumped to my feet as the familiar smell of a rift opening hit my nostrils. It stunk of death, like decaying earth, or if hopelessness had a smell.

I spun and searched for the rift and groaned when I saw it. It was huge, twice as wide as our ship and four times as tall.

And it was right in front of us.

The sails spun quickly, and I noticed the Luratamban sailors tugging on the helm desperately attempting to dodge the rift. It was no use, though. The rift was sucking in the water, and the boat would be pulled across the portal in moments.

“What’s the plan, Gryff?” Ashla questioned as she walked up to stand beside me.

“Who all has gas masks?” I gritted my teeth when I was hit by the full stench of the Shadowscape.

“We have enough for everyone,” Erin said as she joined us, and her eyes were wide as she looked around at the Shadowscape.

Layla, Orenn and Varleth joined us, and Varleth handed me one of the gas masks as he slipped on his own.

By the time I’d pulled on my gas mask and adjusted the strap, the hull of the boat slid past the boundaries of the rift.

“I can already feel the catalyst,” Varleth said in a surprisingly optimistic tone. “I could probably get to it in ten minutes if I could fly.”

The banisher looked at me pointedly.

“Right,” I said and reached for two crystals.

My friends automatically backed up, and I chuckled as I tossed the two essence crystals onto the ship’s deck. They shattered against the wood, and two plumes of smoke erupted as my vingehund and pyrewyrm took shape.

“Take her, and I’ll stay close higher up and watch your back.” I nodded in the direction of my vingehund.

Varleth nodded back and climbed between the wings of the canine-like monster. Then I gave her a mental command to carry the banisher over the rolling waves as we searched for a catalyst in the middle of the ocean.

Easy, right?

“Watch out for water monsters,” I told my team that remained on the ship.

Without waiting for their comments, I ran up to my pyrewyrm and climbed onto its back. The large, shadowy wings extended, and the faceless worm-like head peered backwards at me as my monster waited for my command.

“Follow,” I commanded, and the pyrewyrm pushed off the boat and into the air with a flurry of wind that smacked me in the face. I ducked my head and waited for the pyrewyrm to level out. Then I looked down and saw the boat we’d pushed off was rocking violently from the force.

Oops. They wouldn’t capsize, but the waves created could attract something from the water.

Better get to this catalyst quickly and get back to our trek home.

Varleth and the vingehund circled below me before darting off in a southern direction, and I directed my pyrewyrm to follow slightly behind and above my friend. I wanted to keep the vingehund close enough to me that I didn’t lose control of it, but also have a broader view to see any oncoming enemies.

Thunder clouds loomed ahead of us, and soon we were swooping through dark mists. No rain came out, like how the storms in the Shadowscape were always looming but never came.

Then I heard the screech of something bird-like and scanned the clouds that quickly blocked my view of Varleth.

“Goat balls,” I cursed as I urged my pyrewyrm to fly lower to escape the clouds.

When we broke through, I found myself in the middle of a swarm of every kind of flying monster I’d seen since coming to the Southern continent. I struggled to see through the wings and beaks and talons as they scraped and bit and lunged at my pyrewyrm, and I could feel the bond with my vingehund grow fainter as she got further away from me. I slashed out at the flying birds with my rhin dagger as I held a spiky ridge on the back of my pyrewyrm with my other hand.

What would happen to Varleth if I lost control of the monster he was riding over the ocean?

“Get us out of here,” I commanded as I reached for my kalgori crystal, but before I could crush it and summon my butterfly-like monster, the world around me shuddered.

The rift dissipated, and the feeling was like water being sucked from my clothes all at once. Then I blinked and found myself buffeted by strong winds, and rain lashed out and slammed into my skin like icy needles.

My pyrewyrm screeched and veered, but a strong updraft of wind sent him spinning.

Thunder boomed so loudly I couldn’t even hear myself think as I scrambled to figure out what to do. My pyrewyrm was being flung around by what appeared to be a hurricane. The waters spun in a large cyclone, and we were trapped in the air currents above it.

Not good.

I commanded my monster to find land and clung onto my pyrewyrm’s back. The bird-like beast struggled to get its wings under control, and when he made one powerful pump of his wings, it sent us flying sideways. The ocean quickly approached, and I gasped as I hit the water with the full force of my fall. It felt like slamming into a brick wall, but then everything went black.

I clamped my mouth and eyes shut and mentally recalled my monsters with a quick thought before I slid into unconsciousness.

I floated. Or was I tugged? The sky exploded with thunder above me. I wasn’t dead? That was weird. I could still feel the ocean surrounding me, and the push and pull of the water lulled me back to sleep.

Something scratched my back, and I moaned and rolled. Then rocks met my hand in sharp jagged edges. I winced and pulled my hand back as I stopped moving. The sky was stormy gray and rolled with distant thunder, and I saw a tree branching out into the sky above me. I didn’t know trees could grow in the ocean.

A hooded figure bobbed in the corner of my vision, and I twisted my head to see, but there was only sand and rocks. Rocks didn’t wear hoods. I sighed in confusion, and my eyes fluttered closed as I fell back into the deep ocean, asleep.

I might be drowning, but at least I was able to rest.

Chapter 2

When I woke up, I was alone on the beach.

Well, it was less like a beach and more like a shore. It looked a lot different than the beaches outside of Umo Portana. Where the port city of Utun had brilliant white gold sand that reflected the warmth of a brilliant orange sun, this shore was dingy and gray in comparison.

Algae and seaweed dried on the gray gravel rocks, the air felt colder, and I shivered as I realized I was sopping wet and stranded in unknown territory. My muscles ached, my lungs burned, and there were cuts and scrapes down my arms and back, likely from being dragged across sharp rocks.

Someone dragged me, right? Or had I dreamed that part?

A … strange … woman appeared through a portal and pulled you to shore. Sera’s voice sounded unsure of herself, but the description sounded like someone I’d encountered before.

Jace. At least that’s what she’d told me her name was. The woman was mysterious to say the least, and both times we’d talked, I’d been left with more questions than answers. I had a vague memory of a black hood backlit by a rainy sky, and that matched what I remembered of Jace.

She didn’t seem to wish you harm, Sera said. She could have killed you in your weakened state.

I would have flailed her flesh from her bones if she tried to attack you, Phi added with a fierce growl.

I chuckled as I shook my head. The white-winged Archon had grown quite attached to me lately, it seemed.

Hmph! The Archon sniffed, offended. I’m not a fan of dying while your weak human body is unconscious!

The comment made me worried about the bonds holding Miralea and Utuni prisoner in my consciousness, so I quickly checked the locks and shields until I was satisfied they were secure.

I made sure they didn’t move a muscle until you woke up again, Sera proclaimed. I would never let anything happen to you, Gryff.

I shook my head and pushed her away for now. I had to have a clear head to figure out where I was and what had happened to me, and I didn’t need the Archons’ comments right then.

I looked around at the unfamiliar territory before me. The banks of the shore rose outwards from the center, and trees grew up to the edge of the water. Each side of the shore was sheltered by a steep cliff wall, and my eyes followed the line up the ridge behind me to a tall hill covered in trees. This area was lower than the rest of the island, like a scoop had been dug out with a giant spoon.

The last thing I remembered was riding my pyrewyrm through the eye of a hurricane before we’d crash landed into the ocean. I clenched my fists in frustration and gasped when I realized I held an essence crystal in each hand. In my right hand was the crystal for my pyrewyrm, and the grayish wing shaped crystal fit easily in my palm. In my left hand was another wing shaped crystal, but this one was the same pale blue color as my vingehund’s feathers.

So, I’d recalled her before I lost the bond after all. I’d yet to lose control of one of my monsters, and I was glad that still hadn’t changed, but I mulled over what this meant while I put the crystals away.

Where was Varleth? Did the vingehund dump him out into the ocean when it returned to its crystal?

I could only hope he’d made it safely back to the boat by then, but I could imagine his glare if he had to be rescued from the water. I didn’t think Varleth cared for water, since I never even saw him swimming with the rest of the team while we were in Umo Portana.

I frowned as I recalled the storm that had pushed me away from where the rift had opened. I knew Varleth rode south when we left the ship yesterday, so I would start by heading north then.

I stood up, brushed my hands on my pants, and took stock of my situation. My wet clothes clung to my skin, and I was already starting to shake from the cold settling into my bones. I had my bandolier, though, and all the pockets and pouches looked secure. I knew there was a possibility I’d lost some of my smaller Grade E monsters from my hip pouch since the opening wasn’t entirely waterproof, but those summons were easily replaced back in Mistral.

The shoreline wasn’t the only thing about this place different from Utun. The chill in the air was the first clue I’d travelled far from the tropical climates of the Southern continent. The trees behind me soared upwards to staggering heights, but they were more like evergreens and pines than the viney jungle trees. The ground was rocky, and I saw clumps of granite and chalky white gravel. The sky was a gray-blue that hinted at snow, and the sun broke through the clouds with a bright white halo of refracted light.

I sense humans, but not near enough to be precise, Sera said.

If I could get to the top of one of the trees, I would have a good view of where I was and how to get back to the others. If there was a human village on this island, I would be able to see their fires and other signs of civilization, too.

I stretched my arms and winced at their waterlogged stiffness. I remembered the view from the tops of trees in Luratamba when I tried to trick Miralea into thinking Arwyn was Utuni, and a smile crept up my face while I reached for my vingehund crystal.

I tossed it on the gray beach rocks, and it erupted in a plume of smoke that dissipated to reveal my summoned monster. The vingehund’s tongue lolled out of its mouth, and I felt through our bond it was very happy to see me awake.

The drain on my mana was minimal. I’d captured the vingehund myself when I fought against Phi in the Shadowscape, and part of my mana was infused with the essence crystal, which made the canine-like monster easier to summon. Still, I felt so strong and full of energy I deduced I’d been unconscious for at least a day.

I scratched her behind the ears before climbing up between the wings that grew from her shoulder bones. Then she leapt off the ground with graceful beats of her wings, and the air surged around me as we shot up into the sky.

“Good girl,” I encouraged as we quickly reached the skyline at the top of the trees. The world expanded out around me, and I whistled with awe as I flew in a small circle and looked around.

I didn’t see any boats or ships on the horizon or anywhere in the ocean, so either I was further away from the ship than I thought, or something had happened to the ship my team and I were on.

I didn’t like that idea and quickly dismissed it.

My friends were strong and capable, and the rift dissipated so quickly they likely didn’t have any issues and were just busy looking for me right now.

I was on an island currently, and I could see the hazy purple shapes of more islands in the distance. The shoreline where I woke up was the only spot on this island that had such easy access to the water, though. The rest of the island was surrounded by steep cliffs and sheer rock walls like an entire mountain was crowded onto this small circle of rock. The island itself looked maybe five miles across at the widest spot, and the shape was something like a biscuit with a bite taken out of it. The spot on the shore I was familiar with was part of that missing section of island.

My stomach grumbled at the thought of food. I was cold, wet, hungry, and stranded, and things could get bad quickly if I didn’t act fast. I considered flying out over the ocean, heading north, and hoping for the best, but lots of things could go wrong.

I could run out of mana and be right back where I started, drowning in the ocean. Or my vingehund would tire out, and I’d have to somehow switch monsters midair and also keep them under control. The worst thing that could happen, though, was I would end up getting even further away from the ship and my friends.

I couldn’t let any of that happen, so I decided to stay on the island for now and figure out my next moves.

I directed my vingehund to land back on the now familiar shoreline and quickly set to work. I couldn’t figure out my next move if I was cold and miserable, which meant my first course of action was to set up a fire and campsite. None of my axe goblins had been lost, so I pulled them out of my hip pouch and tossed them toward the trees with a quick command to get burnable wood.

The difference between a regular goblin and an axe goblin were the bone-like metal wedges they had instead of hands that could chop through trees and limbs. They weren’t the smartest monster, or the fastest monster, or the coolest monster … Well, anyway, I’d owned them for a really long time, and after a while I grew attached to the ugly creatures. Their green skin stretched over taut wiry muscles, their red eyes gleamed with battle lust, and they gnashed their rows of razor-sharp teeth as they rushed forward toward the trees at my command.

Soon, there was a trail of cut wood, so I sent out a couple of box trolls to gather it up and recalled the axe goblins. The box trolls’ heads came up under my shoulder, and they had broad torsos and bulging, muscular arms. Their bodies were covered in long fine hairs, and their faces were almost humanoid but like someone had squeezed their heads in a giant fist. My monsters followed my commands and piled the foraged wood up on the gravel beach. Then I tossed out a fire imp to set it ablaze.

My stomach grumbled again as I warmed myself with the heat pouring off the flames. Food was next on my list of tasks. I only had my daggers with me, but maybe I could catch a fish. Or maybe some small rodent would stumble into my path. I would have to skin it before cooking it, but with the daggers strapped to my sides, I wasn’t worried about that part.

After my clothes dried a little from sitting beside the fire, I set off on foot through the trees and hoped to find something I could eat. I tossed out the crystal for my arachness as I walked, and an instant later, a spider-like monster with the head of a beautiful woman burst forth. I felt the crackle of static electricity as her legs scuffled along the rocky shore behind me, but she quickly caught up to me. Then I gave my monster the mental command to hunt and paralyze a small animal, and I attempted to relay an image of a rabbit through our bond.

The arachness chittered in response and followed her more animalistic instincts as she dashed from tree to tree with a spider’s agility.

The spider monster hadn’t been hunting for very long when she sent me an alert. My arachness had found a rabbit already. I grinned with eagerness but reminded my monster to paralyze but not kill. By the time I walked up behind the spider monster, all I had to do was pick up the frozen rabbit by the back of the neck and pull my father’s dagger across its throat. I dangled the carcass in my right hand by the feet so the blood could drip down, and then I wiped my dagger blade clean on the grass.

“This will be enough for dinner for one,” I muttered, and for a moment, I couldn’t help but miss my friends, Layla in particular, who I knew would have complained about eating such a cute animal, but then asked for seconds anyway.

Back at my fire, I skinned and cleaned the rabbit before sharpening a long straight stick and shoving it into the rabbit’s body along the spine. Then I propped this stick up with the meat pointing toward the fire and sat back to wait for it to cook.

Gawain would have been disgusted if he’d watched me skin a rabbit, and I chuckled to myself then frowned as I thought about my friends. I was separated from my team and all on my own. It was a weird feeling, since they had all taken to watching me closely and making sure to keep me company ever since I started collecting Archons …

Are we nothing more than baubles and trinkets to you, Gryff? Sera’s voice had a pouty tone.

“You know you are invaluable to me, Sera,” I told the demi goddess with impatience.

No reason to miss your friends, Gryff, I will keep you company for a millennia, Phi purred seductively in my head.

He does not need your company, Sera hissed at her sister. I am all he needs.

“Enough!” I shouted with frustration and pushed the Archons to the back of my mind. Thankfully, I was alone, since anyone watching would likely think I was a madman talking to himself if they saw me.

I couldn’t think about that now. I needed to focus. I knew how to take care of myself, I just had to be prepared for anything.

I scanned the skies and the horizon in what was becoming a new habit. Clouds out over the ocean to the east grew darker and bigger, and I realized I would soon be rained out.

I needed a shelter.

The fat and tendons on the chunk of meat began to pop and sizzle as the rabbit roasted over the fire. I didn’t have any seasonings, but my mouth still watered as I thought about eating. The dinner on Lisi’s Pride felt like it had been days ago.

It looked to be almost midday now, but the sky was getting dark fast due to the approaching storm. I needed something to shelter me from whatever that storm was brewing up. A flash of lightning arced across the sky, and I began to count the seconds under my breath until I heard the loud clap of thunder that followed it.

Ten seconds. The storm was roughly ten miles out from the island but approaching fast.

So, I would have to act fast if I was going to build a shelter before the storm hit.

I ran a hand down my bandolier as I thought over my options and resources, and even though my rival was an ocean storm, I felt the familiar thrill of competition run down my spine. I was half tempted to summon my baroquer and have him chop down a huge swath of trees and position them into a lean-to. It seemed ridiculous to use such a huge monster for the simple task of making a shelter, though, and I wondered if my urge was driven by loneliness or impatience.

I can give you the cure for your loneliness, Sera purred seductively. Summon me, and I will entertain you with pleasure beyond anything you have experienced yet!

That was quite a tall order, even for a demigoddess. I smirked as I considered the entertainment I’d experienced in my life so far. I suspected even Sera would have her work cut out for her trying to out-perform the women in my life.

Sera hissed with obvious jealousy but slid back into the recesses of my mind to nurse her displeasure in silence.

With her gone, I turned my focus back to building a shelter. I had several monsters perfect for construction, so I knew it would be easy enough.

I eyed the forest and considered the thick looming evergreens as I formed a plan in my head. I would need a waterproof structure, with sturdy walls, a floor, and a roof. A lean-to would do, but I would rather be protected on all sides.

Besides, I could make something way better than a lean-to before the storm hit.

I had years of experience with construction, lumber mills, and basically every field I needed to know in order to build something awesome. A design formulated as I pictured the kind of building I needed, so I rolled my shoulders and grabbed a handful of crystals from my bandolier.

I tossed out all the crystals to the ground, and a moment later, axe-goblins, speed slugs, and drillmoles crowded around me. I attached a speed slug to each axe-goblin, and my monsters practically vibrated from the buzz of energy the slugs sent through them. Then I put my speed slug enhanced axe-goblins to work chopping down trees.

Finally, I instructed my drillmoles to dig out a square shape in the rocky ground. I wanted the foundation to be thick and sturdy so I would need to make the hole fairly deep. When I was confident my drillmoles followed the layout I’d shown them through our bond, I left the talented little diggers to their task and checked in on my other monsters.

My axe-goblins already had a sizable stack of timber piled up as the green skinned monsters tore through the surrounding forest with machine-like efficiency. I was happy with the amount of wood I had to work with so far, but I would need a lot more since lumber would be my main building material, so I let my monsters continue.

I looked around and grinned at the progress of my campsite. Not that long ago, before I went to the Academy and joined the Monster Response Squad, it would have been a lot harder for me to control this many monsters at once. I’d gotten a lot stronger, that much was obvious. Now, I could cast out Grade E monsters over and over again and still have plenty of mana to spare.

I noticed my drillmoles had almost finished excavating the foundation hole, so I moved on to the next phase of my design plan.

I tossed out a cementroll, which was another grade E monster, and many people dismissed the odd creature for only menial labor. I’d proven the construction monster had other uses, though, and I’d even used the cementroll in battle a few times. The small troll oozed a gray mush from its pores that hardened into cement, and the helpful summons could even shape the mush into bricks or paving stones, or just squish it where it was needed.

The smooth, sturdy, and waterproof monster byproduct would be perfect for my plan.

I gave the cementroll a mental command, and soon, my monster had filled in the square hole. While the slushy cement was still wet but firm enough to hold, I placed a tree log in each corner for the main supports. Next, I found two smaller poles and stuck them into the cement to make a doorway on the side that faced the ocean.

Then I found the biggest logs and rolled them in between the posts, and they sank a couple of inches into the still damp concrete. I stacked the wooden poles into walls around the edge of the cement square, and I continued until the logs were several feet above my head. Then I commanded the cementrolls to heave armfuls of their sludgy goop between the logs to seal in all the gaps. Lastly, I circled the building and pointed out weak spots to my monsters until I was satisfied the dwelling was air tight.

All that was left to build was the roof, but before I did that, I checked on the progress inside.

The cement floor inside the little house had almost completely dried, so I got to work on the floor quickly before it set. The cement would prevent the floor of the dwelling from becoming a mudhole once the rain started, but the monster-produced material had a lumpiness I wanted to even out while it was still pliable. I brought in a smooth round log about the size of my forearm and rolled it across the spongy floor like a baker rolling out dough. After a few passes, the lumps in the floor leveled out, and the concrete dried with a smooth texture.

When the floor was done, I scanned the cloudy sky, but the storm still appeared to be several miles away, so I took a moment to decide what to do next. The wind had started to pick up as the storm approached and added a sense of urgency to the air, but the gusts felt cool and refreshing against my back as I faced away from the ocean.

Maelor would flip a bucket if he knew how fast I’d turned trees and dirt into a little house. I’d only been working for about thirty minutes, and I’d already built more than I used to be capable of after hours of labor.

I’d spent most of my life performing hard labor in the Wilds, working for small villages and traveling when the work ran out. Maelor had taught me everything I knew about building things, but I was stronger now than I’d ever been while working with him.

I eyed the approaching storm as I tried to gauge how much time I had left. It was hard to judge the distance across the ocean waters, but the wind was strong and fast, so I guessed there were less than a couple hours left before the rain started.

At this pace, I had plenty of time, but I wanted to finish sooner rather than later. I just needed a roof, but I also wanted to make a sleeping pallet and a fireplace.

With the threat of the storm growing, though, I decided to focus on the roof next.

So, I pulled out another crystal. This one was about six inches long and had a muted silver color with specks of amber. It was shaped like a stinger, with one side narrow and pointy, and when it shattered against the ground, my roosa sprang out behind the plume of smoke.

My roosa chittered with discontent through our bond when I gave it the command to gather the low hanging branches of the evergreens. The scorpion-like monster was used to rushing into battle, and it was obvious the metal clad monster was unhappy doing menial labor.

I ignored the metallic monster’s complaints, though, and got to work gathering up the branches it had snapped off with its giant pincers. The pincers were about twelve feet long, and they had the strength to snap a body in half before the roosa devoured its prey. The appendages worked great at cutting down long limbs covered in leaves and skinny pine needles, too.

I layered the branches over the empty hole at the top of my small shelter and made sure they overlapped enough that the cement would layer on top nicely. The wind would likely knock them off before the cement could set, though, since the wind grew stronger as the storm drew near. I would need some sort of rope to hold down the branches before I layered the top with cement.

So, I took a deep breath and resummoned my arachness. However, I was pleasantly surprised when summoning the arachness again didn’t drain my mana as drastically as it used to, but I didn’t take the time to congratulate myself on my growing strength.

I had a shelter to finish.

I turned my focus to the task at hand and gave my spider monster the mental command to start producing her strings of sticky webbing.

She shot the webbing in long arcs over the top of my small shelter, and she layered the sticky net like a piecrust over the branches and leaves. The webbing stuck to the log walls and held firmly, and when I was satisfied the roof wouldn’t fly off in the storm, I ordered the cementrolls to fling their goop up onto the roof.

Between the branches, webbing, and cement, no amount of wind could knock that roof off. I would stay warm and dry inside no matter how strong the storm was.

My structure was almost finished, but I still had enough time to make a bed and a fireplace before the storm would hit the island.

I gave my cementroll an image of what I wanted through our bond, and the helpful monster went to work on the final tasks. A few moments later, a fireplace rose up to the ceiling on one side of the dwelling, and a low platform for a bed formed against the opposite side. The cement dried quickly beneath my hands as I smoothed out the edges and perfected the shapes. Then, when I was satisfied with the final product, I piled the platform with dried leaves and pine needles to make a soft padding.

I built a fire in the hardened cement of the fireplace, and as the flames began to lick around the logs, I heard the first drops of rain splatter against the roof of my dwelling.

I examined the inside of my shelter to see how it was holding up against the storm, but I didn’t see any leaking spots on the ceiling, so I was satisfied that my roof was waterproof.

I leaned against the doorway and gazed down the slope at the looming clouds. Thunder cracked the air, swiftly followed by bolts of lightning so close to the island that my vision filled with floating streaks of light for several seconds. Since I’d finished my to do list, I recalled my monsters with a tug of my will, and their essence crystals appeared back in my hands.

Once I’d tucked all my crystals back into their respective pouches on my bandolier, I stretched out on the nest of leaves and pine needles with a contented sigh.

I watched the rain out the doorway for a time, and I drifted in and out of sleep while the rain beat against my small cabin. I saw an occasional splash bounce in the doorway, but I wasn’t worried about the small puddle. The water in my threshold was nothing compared to the deluge that turned the shore to mud outside.

The storm raged on for a couple of hours, and by the time it passed by and the clouds began to clear, the sun had started to dip toward the west. I stomped through the mud as I walked around my shelter and inspected it. I could see a couple places where light shone through cracks, but overall it was sturdy.

Quite a palace for a stranded king, Phi snorted with amusement. I bet all your little pets just love building instead of killing.

I didn’t care what my monsters preferred. As their summoner, I was their master. Just as I was the master of the Archons I’d defeated and subdued. I didn’t care what they thought, either.

Rude, Sera huffed, but she didn’t say anything else.

I returned to the doorway and leaned against one side as I looked out over the ocean in front of me. If a boat came to this island, I would know it.

The fire behind me sputtered as drops of rain splashed down the chimney opening.

I had to admit, it was kind of nice to take a break from fighting monsters, and I always liked making things with my hands. Still, I hoped it didn’t last very long. I had no gear, no rope, no rations. If I wasn’t careful, I could be fighting for my life without a single enemy in sight.

For now, though, I had fire, shelter, and food. While I was anxious about being separated from my friends, I knew I could handle things on my own.

The bonfire in front of my house still had some smoldering coals hissing as the water around them evaporated, and my rabbit skewer was where I’d left it. I’d forgotten about it during the rush to get my shelter finished ahead of the storm.

I crossed the clearing to the remains of the campfire, then I grabbed the stick, yanked it from the dirt, and carried it back to my little hut. I sat on my bed of leaves and leaned against the wall while I ripped chunks of meat off the bone straight from the stick.

It was surprisingly good. It was like the rain and fire had added some natural seasonings of their own. It wasn’t anything like the food from the Academy, but it would keep me from starving for now.

Humans are near, Sera spoke the warning into my mind, and my head snapped up to scan the area reflexively.

Suddenly, I heard a woman’s voice cry out in pain, and I watched in shock while a group of men in gray furs dragged a woman out of the forest and toward the shoreline. There were twenty of them by my count, but it was hard to see them through the brush under the trees. Four of them surrounded the woman, and I could see a splash of dirty blonde hair flash between the green and brown of the forest as she struggled against them.

One of the men cursed, and the woman broke free and dashed across the beach in front of me. She was tackled around the waist a moment later, and the men swarmed around her again.

I had to help her.

“Hey!” I shouted as I jumped to my feet and rushed forward. “Leave her alone!”

Chapter 3

I jogged toward the shoreline as my hands lingered near my daggers, but I kept my posture loose and tried to appear casual. If there was any chance I could help the woman without any bloodshed needed, I would take it, but I wasn’t afraid to fight if I had to.

Still, I was excited to see humans, even though my instincts told me the situation didn’t look too good. More humans meant civilization. Maps. Boats. Even finding out exactly where I was would help me get back to my friends faster.

“What’s going on?” I shouted as I got close enough for them to hear, but not close enough for them to be able to attack me easily. “Why is this woman fighting against you? Who are you?”

The group of men held short handled axes or crude iron swords, and they all wore a similar gray fur tunic. I noticed a couple wearing bone handled daggers at their waists, but I didn’t see anything that would prove a challenge to me. I’d fought against more men and hordes of monsters and won, after all.

The men scoffed at me, and one man spat on the ground at my feet. He sneered something in a language I didn’t understand at first, but Sera translated after she listened for a brief pause.

He said, “This does not concern you, foreigner,” the Archon chuckled. I didn’t recognize the language of Vay at first, it’s been a very long time since I have heard it spoken … I can’t wait to see this foolish mortal’s face when you kill him, Gryff.

I brushed off her bloodlust and commanded her to continue to translate. The language sounded slightly like Mistral but also kind of like Southern, and it reminded me of how the different languages had merged into one sound during the meal on Lisi’s Pride.

The black-winged Archon huffed but gave me the translation for what I wanted to say without another comment.

“One woman against twenty men. Either you are hairless boys, or she is a powerful goddess.” I crossed my arms over my chest, and I watched with amusement as their eyes widened when I spoke in the same language.

The woman pulled against the arms that restrained her, and I caught a brief glimpse of her mud streaked face through the fur clad men who surrounded her. Her eyes blazed with rage, and she held her chin up with stubborn pride. She wore a leather tunic decorated with feathers and bone segments, but it looked like several pieces were missing. They had likely been ripped off her while she fought.

“Are you ok?” I asked the woman directly. “Do you need help?”

“This woman attacked our people,” the man at the front of the group said and shuffled to block her from my sight. “She must pay for her crimes.”

I assumed he was the leader of the group from his stance and the fact that he was the only one talking.

“I can’t stand back and watch a woman fight off twenty men by herself.” I arched my eyebrow.

“Then don’t watch,” the man sneered. “This is not your business.”

“What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t step up to help a damsel in distress?”

“You can stay out of it or die with her,” he growled, and I sensed his growing irritation. “This is not your business!”

“What if I make it my business?” I asked as I inched my hand toward my bandolier.

“Then you will die a pointless death.” The man bared his teeth with a threatening growl.

“I’m harder to kill than most,” I replied with a confident grin. “Still trying to find someone strong enough to beat me.”

I grabbed two crystals from my bandolier and tossed them toward the men on the shore. I’d used a lot of my inventory of reliable monsters building my shelter, but I still had a few tricks up my sleeve.

A plume of smoke erupted when the crystals shattered on the rocks, and I quickly commanded my bullet bass to coat both me and my daggerdillo in its chrome armor. The bullet bass was small and shaped like a fish with stubby arms and rubber like wings, but its ability to extend its metallic properties to humans and monsters made it an indispensable tool.

The daggerdillo’s metal spikes reflected the light of the sun as it turned to face the men, and I narrowed my eyes to avoid being temporarily blinded. My monster was the size of a pig but could roll into a ball and barrel down on its enemies. As if to prove this point, the daggerdillo rolled down the gravel beach in front of me and churned up clumps of dirt in its path.

I scanned the scene in front of me and pulled out my daggers with my next breath.

It looked like I wasn’t going to avoid bloodshed after all.

Pity, Phi giggled, but I could tell she was excited.

Suddenly, six men growled and ran straight for me with weapons raised, while the rest of them hung back in a tight circle around the woman. My daggerdillo crashed into the man in the lead, and blood coated its spikes as it rolled him to the ground and kept going. My monster took down another two men in a row, but the other three managed to jump out of my summon’s path of destruction.

The men who had rushed forward hesitated and glared at my monster as the daggerdillo rolled toward the huddle of men. Then they shuffled closer to the woman as my daggerdillo circled them, and I took advantage of the momentary distraction and sprinted forward.

As I closed the distance between the man and me, I flipped my rhin dagger around to grip it by the blade and chucked it at my opponent’s chest. The warrior gasped as my dagger dug into his stomach. He lurched forward and dropped to his knees, and blood began to pool around the hilt of my dagger stuck in his torso. Then the gray fur he wore quickly turned red as he bled out onto the rocky shoreline.

I passed him in the next stride, grabbed my dagger by the hilt, and pulled it from the wound as I continued toward the others. I sensed my daggerdillo close in on the one to my right, so I focused on the man to my left.

Easy.

My skin crawled as the man laughed in loud animalistic barks, so I eyed him carefully and waited for his next move.

Then the man threw back his head and howled a battle cry. It sounded exactly like a wolf, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I shuddered.

The men on the beach joined the howl with their own until the noise echoed off the cliffs, and the sound had a ghostly tone to it that I didn’t care for.

I stopped my sprint, adjusted my grip on my daggers, and shot glances at the men scattered across the beach.

What in the Maker’s name?

Suddenly, the man rolled and stretched his shoulders, and I noticed his body had started to shift and change under his fur tunic. His spine arched and lengthened as he stretched out, and his legs bulged into canine-like haunches. He stretched out his arms until they almost reached the ground, and thick, gray hair sprouted down his knuckles. His hands grew and twisted as claws sprang out of his fingertips. Then he howled again, and his mouth extended out into the shape of a muzzle as his teeth sharpened into fangs.

He was a fucking shapeshifter. I didn’t even know they were real, but I couldn’t deny what I’d just seen.

I have long been curious about the humans of Vay, Sera mused. Veopa has always been very secretive down here. It appears she has some tricks up her sleeve.

The names sounded familiar, but I didn’t have time to entertain the Archon right now as I focused on the hairy man-beast in front of me.

“Fuck, you’re an ugly bastard,” I cursed and took a step back.

A quick glance at the rest of the group confirmed my suspicions that all the men had shapeshifted into wolves to some degree. A few looked so similar to an actual wolf it was hard to believe they were humans moments before, but most took on a half human, half wolf mix that allowed them to still grasp their weapons.

I’d never fought against a man-wolf before, but I didn’t have time to come up with a plan because the closest wolf-man lunged toward me in the next breath. I brought up my daggers just in time to keep the powerful jaws from snapping around my throat, because even with the protection of the bullet bass, the force of his bite could have been deadly.

How did I always end up fighting the big, crazy things? It seemed the stronger I became, the more trouble I ran into.

Isn’t it delightful? Sera purred with dark glee.

I staggered under the weight of the man-wolf’s attack, and my boots slid backward in the muddy dirt. Then I heaved forward with an angry growl and shoved him off me.

My heart pounded, and sweat beaded on my forehead. The large wolf-man watched me with dark eyes, and we circled each other slowly. My opponent walked on all fours, and with each step, it looked more like a wolf than a man. I wondered what other powers these people might have.

I did say I needed to be prepared for anything, but it was hard to prepare for something I didn’t even know about.

I felt for the bond with my daggerdillo, and it flashed images of the bloody remains of two more wolf-men. Since my monster was rolled into a balled-up shape, the metal spikes made it impossible for the wolf-men to land a single bite or blow. They nipped and lunged at the monster, but then they had to dart away again when the daggerdillo’s spikes rolled toward them. It hardly needed the added protection of the bullet bass, but it never hurt to be careful.

All of the sudden, I saw the wolf-man in front me dash to my right, and I snapped out of my thoughts just as he lunged for me again.

This time, I predicted his attack and ducked my head right before the gaping jaws snapped closed, and then I dug both of my daggers deep into the wolf-man’s ribs.

He let out a ferocious snarl and twisted away from the blades, but it was no use. Blood poured from the wounds and splashed across my hands, and I gripped the hilts firmly and twisted the blades until the shapeshifter went limp and slumped to the ground.

Seven down.

I scanned the shoreline and watched my daggerdillo mow down another enemy. Behind my monster, the woman still struggled against the men who restrained her arms. The bastards who held her had only partially shifted into their wolf forms, and long clawed fingers gripped the woman’s arms with obvious strength. They watched my monster with wide eyes and shuffled away from the rolling spikes with obvious fear.

If my daggerdillo scared them, then they were in for a treat.

I grinned, reached for another two crystals, and threw them onto the ground at my feet. Then the mana drain twisted my stomach into a knot as my roosa appeared and launched at the men on the shore.

A speed slug materialized on the ground below me after the puff of smoke cleared, and I picked up the slimy, green monster. It was about the size of my forearm, and I grabbed it quickly and attached it to the back of my neck. Speed slugs were low grade monsters, but hard to find and valuable for their ability to enhance the speed of monsters and humans.

A second later, energy buzzed through my muscles, and it was hard to hold still. The extra speed did little to counterbalance the strain of summoning the roosa a second time, but it was just the added edge I needed to finish off this pack of wolves. So, I gripped my daggers in my hands and dashed forward so fast I barely felt my feet hit the ground.

Even with my enhanced speed, my roosa had outpaced me and reached the group of men a few strides ahead of me. The bloodthirsty monster relished the chance to kill some humans, and it lunged into the midst of the wolf-men with enthusiasm. The force of the scorpion barreling into the man-wolves scattered their formation around the imprisoned woman.

My scorpion monster wasted no time, and it grabbed a wolf-man in each of its giant pincers and snapped them in half with one motion. Then its long tail darted forward, stabbed at a third, and killed him instantly with the poisoned stinger.

Eleven down.

“See,” I said and smiled at my monster’s obvious glee, “if you help with the labor, you get rewarded.”

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and ducked as I felt the slash of an axe over my head. I lifted up under the wolf-man’s hairy arm to drive my father’s dagger under its chin and straight into its skull. Then I shoved the wolf-like man off me and paused to catch my breath for a quick second.

Wolves that could hold axes. I shook my head in disbelief as I glanced at the crude weapon laying discarded on the beach.

Still, I had to admit it felt good to fight side by side with my monsters like this. I’d spent a lot of time fighting demi goddesses and giant grade A monsters, so I relished the chance to fight something my own size.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of running feet and turned to face the shapeshifter who launched his wolf-like body at my back.

My new opponent snarled and sank his fangs into my left arm, but the bullet bass armor held firm. So, I shoved my arm further into his mouth, and he stumbled backwards as he released me. The shapeshifter quickly regained his footing and lunged at me again, but I held up my arm and blocked him from biting my face. The man-wolf growled, and his hackles raised while he attempted to dig his sharp teeth into my metallic armor.

In a movement so fast it was barely visible, I stabbed my rhin dagger into the top of the wolf’s skull with my right hand. My enhanced speed slug agility added to the force of my blade, and I felt the bone shatter as I buried my dagger to the hilt in the wolf-man’s head. He spasmed once as I yanked my dagger free, and when the shapeshifter fell limp at my feet, I turned to face the next opponent.

I watched my roosa snap another wolf in half and noticed my daggerdillo chase another wolf-man who trotted along the water’s edge on his four nimble legs.

I couldn’t figure out if they were monsters or mages, and their quick transformations were confusing and distracting. I had to stay focused.

So, I turned my gaze to the woman and the last five men struggling with her.

The woman was fast and strong and held her own against the wolf-men. I saw her twist and free her arms, and I grinned while I watched her fight. While she’d been overpowered by twenty men, I could tell from her experienced movements that she could have handled five on her own before they’d transformed into the man-beasts.

Surprisingly, the shapeshifters held her prisoner, but they made no move to injure or kill her. Why keep her alive if her crimes were so horrible?

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I saw the woman make a sudden movement. She darted forward and threw a jab at the man in front of her, and her dirty blonde hair swayed with the motion. He ducked, and she kneed him in the gut. The man snarled, curled back the lips, and flashed the rows of sharp teeth in his muzzled face. Then he lunged, but she rushed forward in the same instant.

The woman crouched low then lunged up and extended her arms, and brown, white, and gray feathered wings burst out of the sleeves of her tunic. The leather ripped and fell away as the woman hovered off the ground, and she pumped her wings and rose higher.

Meanwhile, my mouth hung open in awe while I watched her legs shift and change into the talons of a bird of prey.

Then the woman screamed, but it came out as the screech of a hawk as she dove toward the wolf-man below her. She gripped him by the fur on the back of his neck, and the sharp talons that had replaced her legs dug into his skin. He twisted and snarled in her grasp and swung long, clawed fingers up at her, but he couldn’t get a grip on her.

She pumped her wings again and rose up over our heads until she hovered near the trees before she let go of the wolf and let him plummet to the rocks below. His body crashed to the ground and remained still.

Fifteen down.

I swallowed hard and watched her soaring movements with wide eyes. I thought I’d already seen all the crazy magic possible in this world, but this was incredible.

Arwyn would have drooled with excitement over my recent discoveries, and I fought back the pang of homesickness that twisted my stomach at the thought of the red-haired healer.

I would find a way to get back to my friends, but right now I needed to kick some man-wolf ass.

The beach was covered in clumps of bloody gray fur and the bodies of the dead. I sensed my daggerdillo had finally caught up to its prey, and it cornered the shapeshifter against a tree before its spikes skewered him.

A few moments later, the armadillo-like monster returned to the shore at my command. It rolled back toward me, and I felt its satisfaction with this small victory through our bond. Viscera covered the monster, and chunks of furry skin stuck to patches of dried blood.

“Good job,” I chuckled. Then I felt a surge of urgency, and I turned to find my roosa surrounded by the four wolf-men who remained.

They circled and darted at the scorpion monster with the hunting tactics of a carnivorous pack. They’d all fully shifted into wolf form so they had four legs instead of arms, and I noticed this gave them more speed and agility, but made it impossible for them to hold their weapons.

Their tongues lolled out of the side of their mouths, and they loped with an easy gait as they snipped and bit at my roosa’s metallic chitin shell. My large monster turned and snapped out at them with its pincers and tail, but the agile wolf bodies kept out of the monster’s reach. I could sense the roosa’s frustration grow, but I knew it wasn’t likely to take any damage.

Were the shapeshifters really trying to tire out my giant monster?

I was more accustomed to fighting monsters and Archons than wolves, and trying to strategize against an enemy I knew nothing about was making my head throb.

The shapeshifters had all seemed pretty scared of my monsters at first, like they’d never seen anything like that before. I wondered if any of them had journeyed into the Shadowscape.

I studied the wolf-men who stalked my roosa, and I looked for any signs of weakness. Then I heard the screech of a hawk ring out like a battle cry from above me.

The hawk woman dove down with her wings folded, and I caught a murderous glint in her dark brown bird eyes as she narrowed in on her prey. She swooped down, grabbed one of the wolf-men, and unfurled her wings to stop her descent, and a few short pumps of her wings later, she dropped another wolf onto the beach with a loud thump.

Seventeen dead.

My daggerdillo followed my command to help the roosa with the last three, and the monsters quickly cornered the wolf-men between the daggerdillo’s spikes and the roosa’s snapping pincers.

I watched in satisfaction as my monsters tore the wolves to pieces, and my roosa devoured the bloody pieces of the shapeshifters with unrestrained glee as blood flowed down the gray rocky beach in rivets.

Yesss, Sera purred, tear them limb from limb. Soon, all of humankind will bow before your power, Gryff, and I will be by your side every step of the way…

I didn’t want that kind of power, but these men were some hairy assholes, so I wasn’t bothered by their deaths. Plus, it felt different when I watched my monsters devour the wolf bodies than if they were still in their human forms.

Anyway, I knew without a doubt if I hadn’t killed them, they would have killed me.

All they had to do was talk to me, but they didn’t manage to do anything but insult me. Even though I’d never been the type to hold a lady back who wanted to fight, and I knew several strong women who could easily hold their own against twenty men, I wouldn’t just sit back and watch some asshole wolves gang up on a lady.

They’d struggled to restrain her before I even showed up. What was her deal? The leader had said she’d committed crimes, so had I helped the wrong side? What crimes had she committed to deserve that kind of treatment?

I’d have to wait until she came back to get any answers. If she came back at all, that is.

Almost as if my thoughts had summoned her, the hawk-woman fluttered back down to the shore and transformed into her human shape before her feet plopped gently on the ground. Then I watched with fascination as the feathers around her hawk head lengthened and softened into the dirty blonde hair she’d had before.

When she was fully human again, the woman leaned down and inspected the carcass of a wolf man for a brief moment before she pulled out a dagger. Then, with her blade in one hand, she gripped the wolf tail with her other and separated it from the body with one swift slice.

I frowned and headed toward her with long strides. She’d reached another gray lump on the beach and repeated the tail removal process the same as before.

“Hey!” I shouted and waved to get her attention. “Who are you? Why were you captured by those men?”

She didn’t respond, but I could tell she understood from her shocked expression as I spoke in her language.

“Also,” I added, “what is up with all the shifting changing magic you were doing?”

The woman tossed her dirty blonde hair and looked at me with wide eyes. She was obviously afraid but made no move to attack me. The two severed tails the woman had collected dangled from one hand, and she wiped the blood from her dagger with her other hand before she stashed the blade back on her belt loop. Her eyes never left my face, and I got the impression she wasn’t easily scared.

“Hey,” I said in a softer tone. “I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to ask you a few--”

“Beastmaker!” she shrieked as she lifted a finger to point at me, and it sounded like she spoke in my Mistral language.

Chapter 4

I froze in my tracks and stared at the woman in shock.

“Did you just speak in Mistral?” I questioned her in the language of my homeland, but then her words registered in my mind, and I shook my head with disbelief. “Wait, why did you call me Beastmaker? How do you know that word?”

The shapeshifter tilted her head to one side and listened to me speak for a moment, and it reminded me of the way a raptor moved when it stalked its prey. Her large, round, brown eyes watched me closely as she tried to understand what I said, and even in her human form, it was hard to tell where the bird ended and the woman began.

After she’d listened carefully, though, the woman shook her head to show she didn’t understand and stayed silent.

How strange. Had the word “beastmaker” simply been a coincidental translation? Perhaps she didn’t know anything about the prophecy.

I was disappointed, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from getting some answers. I just needed to start off with something simple.

“So, you don’t speak Mistral,” I said in her language, with the help of my Archon’s translations. “That’s okay. What’s your name?”

The bird-woman hesitated, and I noticed her glance down at my bandolier.

My monsters.

She’d seen me fight alongside them against the wolf-men, and she was obviously just as terrified of the monsters as the wolf-men had been.

I’d used those monsters to save her, though, and I suspected this was the only reason she still stood facing me.

“Okay, okay,” I muttered more to myself than to her and pulled my bandolier over my head. I slowly took two paces backward and gestured my bandolier toward my cabin behind me. Then I turned away from her, jogged up the shore to my shelter, and put my bandolier inside.

I didn’t know if she understood me or not, but she hadn’t moved when I returned.

I’d always hated being separated from my bandolier, but I would tolerate it, for now, if it made it easier for her to talk to me. At least I still had my two daggers at my side. I felt confident I could handle pretty much anything with my daggers on hand.

I showed the woman my empty palms in the universal gesture of peace, and then motioned for her to come closer.

I half expected her to turn around and fly away, but she moved toward me with small, careful steps. I was able to get a better look at her now that she stood near me, and I was pleasantly surprised by how pretty she was.

She looked close to my age, maybe a little younger, but it was hard to gauge anything about her body under the baggy leather tunic that hung below her knees. The garment was decorated in various animal pieces in a pattern that spiraled out from the center of her torso. I noticed bone segments carved into beads, strips of fur from several different animals, and large teeth from both carnivores and herbivores.

The sleeves of the tunic had split open during her earlier transformation, and the loose leather dangled at her sides, which revealed the pale, smooth skin of her arms. When I gave the sleeves a closer look, I noticed the strands of leather that had tied the sleeves closed were still in one piece, and I wondered if the outfit had been designed for her bird form.

Her ensemble was completed with a simple leather belt, which held a dagger with an antler hilt and a few pouches, and my gaze finally flickered up to her face.

The woman wore her dirty blonde hair loose, and it hung well below her shoulders in wild waves. Tendrils of hair whipped around her face as a cool breeze swept across the cove from the ocean, and her eyes had seemed brown before, but they were full of flecks of gold and ringed by a dark circle. The hawk woman’s eyes angled up slightly at the corners and were framed by full, dark blonde eyebrows. She had an oval face dotted with pale freckles, a pointy, slightly curved narrow nose, and full pink lips.

She was beautiful, to say the least, and the smudge of dirt on her forehead appealed to me in a way I hadn’t expected.

She looked wild and fierce.

“Let’s start over.” I cleared my throat and gave her a soft smile as I continued to speak to her in her own language. “I’m Gryff. I’m from a place called Mistral.”

I arched an eyebrow to indicate it was her turn to introduce herself, but waited patiently for her to respond.

“Freya,” she said slowly, with a small frown. Her voice was soft and deep, but I detected a tremor of fear before she cleared her throat and stood a little straighter. Then she raised her chin proudly, and her eyes burned into mine as if daring me to comment on her fear. “Freya of Hawk Clan.”

Thank the Maker, I’d gotten her to speak.

“Nice to meet you, Freya of Hawk Clan.” I grinned and extended my arm for a handshake.

Freya stared at my outstretched hand, but she didn’t move to grasp it with her own. I held it out for a long moment, until the awkward tension broke my resolve. Then I dropped my hand down to my side and shrugged.

What a rude woman, Sera crooned with obvious amusement. She should be thanking you for saving her life!

I will make her show you the proper respect, Phi hissed. Summon me, and I will make her beg for mercy for insulting you.

Freya hadn’t exactly insulted me, so I dismissed Phi’s comments with a small wave of my will. There had to be more than a few cultural differences between us, but despite her frigid reaction to my friendly gesture, Freya hadn’t done anything to deserve an attack from a summoned Archon. While she didn’t seem eager to talk to me, I knew she could have left already if she’d wanted to.

Besides, I needed answers, and I wouldn’t let her stiffness keep me from getting them.

“You said ‘Beastmaker’ and pointed at me.” I frowned as I returned to my original question, but kept the tone of my voice light and calm to mask my uneasy feeling about the word. “Why did you say that?”

It wasn’t the first time I’d encountered the word “Beastmaker.” Arwyn, Ashla, and the other researchers back at the Academy had decoded an ancient language with the stone ciphers I’d had to hunt down. They’d learned about something called the Beastmaker Prophecy, and it mentioned some uncanny similarities to me that I couldn’t ignore.

The prophecy was vague, though, and the process of decoding the ancient language was painstaking and time consuming, which required a team of researchers. I’d even helped Arwyn and Ashla decode pieces of the puzzle a few times, and I was proud to say my scribbled notes contributed to the overall translation. Still, there was a lot we had to learn about the prophecy, and it had seemed to create more questions than answers in the last year.

My resemblance to the prophecy had weighed heavy on me for a while as I struggled to figure out what it meant. I didn’t like the idea of some ancient words deciding my future, though, and I’d taken my thoughts to Marangur Sleet and Arwyn Hamner at the Academy a while back.

They’d agreed they had similar thoughts about the decoded prophecy but didn’t seem to be worried that I would suddenly destroy the world.

I absently scratched the snake tattoo on my forearm as I thought about the part where the prophecy said something about nine marks. There were nine Archons all together, and so far, I’d acquired tattoos from four of them. It was hard to ignore the uncanny resemblance.

In the end, though, Arwyn had reassured me I still chose my own path, regardless of any prophecy.

I knew who I was, no matter how many Archons I’d captured, but I didn’t need the shapeshifter to understand any of that. So, I brushed off my thoughts of the prophecy and returned my attention to the bird woman in front of me.

“The shadow beasts.” Freya’s voice wavered, and her eyes froze as she stared at my face. Then she swallowed and shook off the look of fear with a lifted chin. “You called them.”

“I summoned monsters to fight for me.” I nodded slowly. “Are there any summoners among your people?”

Freya tilted her head and listened, with a now familiar gesture that made her human features eerily bird-like.

There is no word for “summoner” in this woman’s language, Sera mused. The closest I could come up with was a combination of “master” and “called.”

No wonder she couldn’t understand me. I’d used made up words.

Mortal languages are so inefficient, the dark Archon huffed. But the cries of dying men are the same in all languages.

I brushed off Sera’s words and tried to figure out how to say what I wanted to.

“Do any of your people call the shadow beasts?” I questioned after a moment.

“No one in Hawk Clan would join with the shadow beasts,” Freya retorted with a scowl. “We would die first.”

“My monsters follow my commands,” I responded in a calm tone. “They are my allies.”

“The shadow beasts devoured Wolf Clan.” Freya gestured to the remains of the shapeshifters on the beach behind her. “Their souls are doomed and forever lost in the shadow.”

“Well, yeah,” I agreed hesitantly. “But my beasts helped me save you from the wolf men.”

Freya’s frown deepened, and I could tell she was torn on how to react to me. On the one hand, I’d summoned terrifying monsters from the Shadowscape, but on the other hand, I’d used those monsters to help her.

“You saved my life,” she agreed with a solemn nod. “I do not know how to repay you.”

“Here’s the thing,” I sighed and gave her a soft smile. “I need your help.”

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she held her lips in a thin line as she considered my words. Then I watched her glance around at the cabin behind me and the remains of my bonfire.

“What help do you need?” she asked, and her eyes regarded me cautiously.

“I was separated from my friends, and I need help getting back to them,” I explained and gestured toward the ocean. “I washed up on shore alone.”

“You are alone?”

“You and those wolf guys are the first people I’ve seen since I woke up here.” I shrugged. “I didn’t think anyone even lived here.”

“No one lives on this island,” Freya responded, and she sounded confused.

I shrugged again in response, and her eyes trailed away from mine and scanned the area. She looked like she was expecting enemies to pop out and attack her at any moment.

“I just didn’t expect to have a pack of rabid wolf-men interrupt my dinner.” I smirked.

“Do you have a boat?” The shapeshifter ignored my attempt at humor. Her quick, bird-like eyes flitted across the shore and to the open water beyond it as she quickly scanned the horizon. Then her gaze returned to my face. “How many foreigners travel with you?”

I could tell she was nervous. After the sudden appearance of the shapeshifters, I wasn’t confident this area was safe myself. Still, I didn’t like the hostile tone I heard in her voice.

“I was on a boat,” I explained cautiously. “My team and I were sailing toward our home, Mistral, when a rift opened … ”

I cannot translate “rift”, Sera sighed with frustration. The closest I could come up with was “shadow hole.”

Maker, this would be harder than I thought.

“Anyway,” I continued, “we ran into trouble, and I had to leave the boat. I flew my pyrewyrm over the ocean while my friend rode on my vingehund to look for the … strange crystal … when I ran straight into a hurricane and crash landed. Next thing I knew, I was awake on this beach.”

You predicted there was no word for “catalyst,” Sera chuckled. These humans need to get out more.

“You call shadow beasts to cheat at flying,” Freya scoffed and puffed out her chest a little. “I earn my wings.”

“Trust me.” I grinned. “I had to earn every pair of my wings.”

“I am not ready to trust you,” Freya countered as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “I do not trust friends of shadow beasts.”

“That’s fair, but consider this,” I requested. “If I’d wanted to hurt you, I could have by now, and those shadow beasts attacked your enemies, but not you.”

“The shadow beasts stole my trophies,” Freya spat and glared at me as she waved the two wolf tails still clenched in her left hand. “Two is not twenty.”

“Go get the rest, then,” I snapped as my patience with this stubborn, ferocious, mysterious woman wore thin, and I gestured to the scattered carcasses. “Take as many as you want!”

“I take what I kill.” The blonde shapeshifter frowned, but the heat was gone from her voice. “And two is not twenty.”

I groaned and raked a hand through my hair. I’d saved her life, and she was mad about not killing all the wolves herself. This woman was something else.

“Can you at least tell me where we are?” I pleaded and resumed my attempt to get her help.

“One of the islands in the Wolf Clan territory.” Freya eyed me with obvious suspicion. “No one lives here.”

“Then why are you here?” I questioned, but the blonde didn’t respond.

I winced as I was suddenly gripped by a pinching headache. The sun had made steady progress toward the horizon, and I knew it was going to be dark soon. I’d eaten part of a rabbit today, and I’d only washed up on shore a few hours ago, but it felt like it had been years since I’d relaxed with Lisi on her boat.

Still, I needed to speed this up.

“Okay.” I rubbed my hands together and refocused on the conversation. “So, we are on Wolf Clan’s island. That’s a good place to start. How far is that from Mistral?”

“Mistral … ” Freya softly muttered to herself, and it was cute how she rolled her lips over the unfamiliar word. “I’ve heard of lands across the ocean in the old tales. One was called Mistral.”

“So, you’ve at least heard of it.” I nodded, “Good. How far is it from here?”

“Far away.” The blonde woman shrugged. “Across the ocean to the north.”

I blinked in shock. How did I manage to get so far away from where our boat was sailing toward Mistral?

Varleth and I hadn’t flown that far, and we’d only been in the Shadowscape for a brief time. I frowned as I remembered the massive storm and how it had overpowered my pyrewyrm. If my giant flying monster had struggled, there was a chance the boat my friends were on wouldn’t have fared much better. The boat could have taken a lot of damage, or even capsized, but I had no way of knowing if my friends were even still alive.

I had to get back to them. No matter what.

“I don’t care how far it is,” I said with fierce determination. “I have to get back to my friends.”

“I want to help you,” Freya sighed. “It’s the least I could do to repay you.”

“Good.” I smiled. “I could use the help.”

“My people do not have boats strong enough to sail that far,” she warned. “We do not travel far from our islands.”

“Hawk Clan are not the only people in this area, though,” I suggested. “Wolf Clan could have a boat.”

“No.” She shook her head, and her mass of blonde waves swished with the motion. “The people of Wolf Clan use a ferry to travel from island to island.”

“Well, couldn’t we use the ferry to get to another island to get a boat?” I questioned her, and I felt a growing urge to get off this island and find a way back to my team.

“I burned the ferry,” Freya declared as she pulled her shoulders back and put her hands on her hips.

“Is there any way to get a boat?” I asked. “Or any other way I could cross the ocean to get home?”

Even though it was a bit of an inconvenience, I had to admit, I was impressed. The blonde woman had managed to eliminate any chance of escape for the man-wolves by burning their ferry.

The shapeshifter eyed me for a moment, but she looked more curious than afraid. Then she nodded hesitantly.

“There is one clan with boats big enough to cross any ocean. They sail to other lands and trade goods with foreigners.” She grimaced and curled her nose, and I sensed she disapproved of anything that involved foreigners. “There is a big harbor in Skara, the city on Moose Clan’s main island.”

Finally, I had a lead.

I know a few methods of questioning that will make this mortal tell you all her deepest, darkest secrets in exchange for one brief second of relief, Sera purred. Summon me, and I will get all the answers you want.

The predictable violent comment made me want to roll my eyes at the winged Archon, but I easily ignored her.

“Okay,” I pushed, “then take me to Skara.”

“No,” Freya immediately refused. “To enter their territory alone would be a death wish. I am not an unblooded fledgling, but even at my strongest, there are too many for me to fight.”

“Who said anything about fighting them?” I countered. “I just want to catch a ride north.”

“Hawk Clan has fought against the people of Moose Clan for many generations, and they outnumber us tenfold, but we are fierce warriors with a growing territory.” She grinned with pride for her people, and her eyes glittered in the last light of the setting sun. “Someday, the people of Hawk Clan will fly freely through the skies without fear.”

“If your people fight anything like you do, the other clans would be wise not to fight against them.” I arched an eyebrow and chuckled. “I’ve never seen anything like it before, and I’ve seen a lot of crazy things.”

Freya ducked her head dismissively, but I noticed a smile lift the corners of her mouth.

“It sounds like I’ll have to take what I need from Moose Clan and worry about the consequences later,” I said. “I can live with that.”

“If you live,” Freya added as she directed her soft smile straight at me, and I detected a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

“I’m pretty hard to kill,” I laughed, and the tension in my shoulders relaxed slightly. “Well, at least I have been so far.”

Freya’s smile brightened, and warmth bloomed in the pit of my stomach. She was even prettier when she smiled.

“You are a strong warrior,” she said, and I noticed a twinkle of admiration in her eyes. “I watched you fight from the sky.”

“Freya,” I said with a mischievous grin, “you haven’t seen anything yet!”

She laughed, and my pulse quickened at the melodic sound.

“So,” I questioned her when she fell silent again, “how do I steal a boat from Skara without having to fight a war against a horde of moose people?”

I tried to imagine what a moose person would look like, but I couldn’t force my brain to merge the two images and finally gave up on trying. I had a feeling I would find out exactly what a moose-man looked like soon enough, though.

“I do not have that answer, Gryff of Mistral,” Freya said with a shrug. “But I will do what I can to help you.”

She eyed the setting sun for a moment before her gaze returned to my campsite, and I noticed an amused gleam in her eyes as she studied my work.

“You built a house,” she said and inclined her head toward my shelter. “It looks like you intend to stay.”

“No,” I reassured her. “This was just a temporary fix to avoid the storm earlier.”

Then my stomach grumbled as I remembered my meager dinner, and Freya raised one eyebrow in response to the sound.

“I haven’t eaten much today,” I explained with a sheepish grin.

“I have food stashed with my boat,” she replied. “I am happy to share it with you, since I owe you a life debt.”

“Wait, you have a boat?” I demanded as my heart skipped a beat. “This whole time, you’ve had a boat?”

“Yes,” Freya scoffed. “How else was I supposed to get here and then back home?”

I gestured at her arms, extended the motion to include the rest of her body, and then waved my arms in the air in an over exaggerated mimicry of wings.

“You could fly!”

“I cannot leave the supplies behind,” Freya said with a dismissive wave of her hand, “and they are too heavy for me to carry. My village is far from this island.”

I ran my hands through my hair and shook my head.

Talking to this woman felt like running in circles. My head throbbed with the pressure of the building headache, and the shadows of the trees behind me lengthened across the beach as the sun disappeared behind them.

“Alright,” I said as I gathered my remaining patience. “Let’s go find your boat.”

With that settled, Freya waited by the waterlogged remains of my bonfire while I gathered up my bandolier and grabbed my remaining rabbit on a stick. Then I stomped out the last few embers of the fire that still burned inside my shelter and followed her up the hill into the tree line.

I munched on the cold meat with gusto while we walked, and I saw Freya stifle a giggle behind her hand.

“Want some?” I asked around a mouthful of rabbit meat and offered her my stick.

“No, thank you,” she replied, but she gave me a grateful smile before she turned to continue further into the forest.

It seemed the stoic shapeshifter had already warmed up to me a little.

There’s just something irresistible about you, Gryff, Sera purred seductively. The power emanating from you is attractive even to these lesser mortals.

I waved off her comment and trotted ahead until I walked side by side with the blonde warrior woman. Then I finished off what meat I could tear from the stick and discarded it into a bush as I walked.

Freya watched me with amusement, but didn’t make any comments.

“You still haven’t told me why you were on this island in the first place,” I said with a casual air. She hadn’t responded the last time I’d asked, but maybe now that she knew I wasn’t an enemy she would open up some more.

“I led a raid on the Wolf Clan’s outpost on the far side of the island,” she said and then growled with anger. “The rest of my party died at the hands of the wolves. They overpowered us and captured me this morning.”

“I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your team,” I told her for lack of something better to say.

The shapeshifter brushed off my words with a wave of a hand.

“Their deaths brought honor to Hawk Clan.” She cast a small smile at me. “Thanks to you, I can return to my island with news of our victory.”

“Happy to help,” I said and grinned. “What kind of gentleman would I be if I ignored a lady in distress?”

“I am grateful for your help,” Freya repeated with a nod. Then a thoughtful frown creased her eyebrows, and her eyes watered for the briefest moment. “We had been confident of a swift victory, but then they raised the alarm, and my people fell one by one until I was the only one left.”

“You fight well,” I said and inclined my head, “but you were still vastly outnumbered.”

“My raiding party killed thirty men before the alarm was raised,” Freya said with fierce pride. “We would have killed them all if Trentan hadn’t hesitated. It was his first raid, and he wanted the wolf awake when he made his first kill. Then his opponent escaped his grasp and alerted the rest of the Wolf Clan in the outpost.”

The hill rose as we walked, and the steep grade made conversation more difficult as I struggled to keep up with the shapeshifter. She barely even looked winded, though, and I wondered if her hawk powers gave her extra stamina.

The trees around us thickened, and I pushed aside branches of pine needles as I trudged behind Freya through the forest.

“I flew my vingehund around this morning and I didn’t see any boats,” I mentioned curiously after we had walked a while in silence. “How much farther till we reach your boat?”

“We hid the boats in a crevice in the cliff wall, so they wouldn’t have been visible from the air,” Freya explained over her shoulder. “Not much farther, though.”

“We could get there a lot faster if we didn’t have to walk,” I suggested. “I could summon--”

“No,” Freya declared firmly and whipped around to face me. “Do not call the shadow beasts on me.”

“N-No, no, not like that,” I stammered and tried to explain. “I just meant we could ride them.”

“No,” she repeated with a scowl, but then her expression softened. “Besides, you can’t reach the boat from the air, we have to go through the rock.”

Her statement just confused me even more, but I shrugged and let it go.

“Fine,” I relented. “No shadow beasts.”

Suddenly, Freya stopped, and I came up beside her and stood at the edge of the sheer cliff wall. It dropped about thirty feet down to the water below, and the trees crowded to the edge at the top, leaving very little room to walk. Waves crashed against the base of the cliff and revealed jagged rocks just below the water level. Even if someone managed to survive the fall, they would be dead the instant those waves crashed them into the rocks below.

“Maker … ” I swallowed hard and eased away from the edge. I wasn’t afraid of heights, but I didn’t want to take any chances either.

The shapeshifter scanned the forest to either side before she turned to the east and followed the tree line to our left. Her steps were slow and careful as we walked along the edge of the cliff, and I watched curiously as I followed closely behind her.

The woman could fly in her hawk form, but that didn’t seem to make her any less careful. We continued on the narrow path for a few paces, and I watched the moon start to rise on the eastern horizon.

Then Freya veered sharply to the left and disappeared into the underbrush. I grumbled as I shoved past the branches, and I almost barreled into her as she crouched near a small bush.

It was hard to see her face in the shadows beneath the thick tree cover, and I wondered why we had stopped.

“We are here,” the shapeshifter explained with a satisfied sigh.

“This is your boat?” I teased and arched an eyebrow at the very unboat-like bush in front of her.

“Almost,” the shapeshifter laughed at my joke and pulled the bush aside to reveal a dark hole behind it.

The hole wasn’t very big, maybe three feet wide and four feet tall, and I eyed it with suspicion, but Freya didn’t elaborate.

“Follow me closely,” she warned. “It will be too dark for you to see, so I will lead.”

“How are you going to see, then?” I questioned, and doubt began to gnaw at me.

Was I wise to trust this strange woman? For all I knew, she could be leading me to my death. She’d said the rest of her raiding party had died in combat, but that could be a lie. The shapeshifter could be leading me straight into a trap.

I didn’t have any other options, though, since as far as I knew, we were the only living humans on this island right now. So, I shrugged off my doubt and refocused on the task at hand.

“Hawk eyes,” Freya said in a pleased voice and pulled me out of my thoughts. “I will be able to see well enough.”

She paused for a moment, and even though I couldn’t see her face clearly in the dark, I sensed she was shifting partially into her hawk form. Then she turned, crouched, and headed into the crevice.

I followed her, and the narrow crack brushed against my shoulders as I crouched and moved forward into the pitch-black crevice. The roof was too low for me to do more than squat, so I shuffled awkwardly forward until I bumped into Freya’s back.

The shapeshifter had waited for me, and once I was behind her again, she continued to shuffle down the path.

The crevice twisted and angled slightly downward into the side of the cliff, and the ground below me was slick with mud. I didn’t know how far we’d travelled already, but when I looked back, I couldn’t see the opening we’d crawled into anymore.

Then the walls widened slightly, and the roof began to rise steadily above me. I could hear the sound of water, and the air felt cooler, but I stumbled over a rock and cursed under my breath.

“Not much further,” Freya reassured me when she heard the sound. “The boats should be right ahead of us.”

A few moments later, the tunnel widened even more, and the floor leveled out. There was plenty of room for me to stand up and walk, but it wasn’t quite wide enough to be side by side, so I stayed a few paces behind Freya. I stretched my arms in the bigger space and rolled my aching shoulders. It was still pitch black, so I trailed my right hand along the wall until Freya touched me softly on the shoulder to signal me to stop.

“Don’t get lost, Gryff of Mistral,” she teased. “We don’t want you to be bat food, do we?”

“Nope.” I glanced around, even though I wouldn’t have been able to see the bats in the dark anyway.

The sound of water had been getting steadily louder as we continued down the tunnel, and echoes vibrated off the rocks. The air was damp from the condensed water on the tunnel walls, and the ground was slick beneath my feet.

Then the room opened up into a large cavern, and the water was so loud I suspected we’d reached the hawk-woman’s dock. I could see moonlight reflecting off the water to my left, so I knew there was an opening to the ocean near there.

“Stay here for a moment while I grab a torch,” Freya said as she shuffled away and left me alone in the darkness.

I held my breath as I waited for a surprise attack.

I do not sense any other humans, Sera assured me. It seems this woman is worthy of your trust after all.

I heard the sound of a rock and then, a spark of flame flared up. Freya lit her torch and held it high, and I couldn’t contain my gasp as I finally got a look at the cavern we were in.

I stood on a rocky ledge that surrounded a small inlet of water. Five long boats jutted against the ledge, held secure by ropes wrapped around a large stalagmite. The pale, frosty rock formation glinted with a wet sheen in the light of the torch, and water dripped down over the layers of rope wrapped around the stone.

Outside the entrance to the small cavern, the ocean waves beat against the cliff wall. The hidden dock was tucked into an overhang in the cliffside, and it looked ideal for launching a sneak attack or making a quick escape.

I shook my head in amazement and looked up at the domed ceiling spiked with dangling stalactites. The roof of the cavern was about ten feet over my head, and I noticed the blackened stains from many campfires over a period of time. A clump of bats blinked down at me, startled by the sudden light, then they took flight and swooped out of the cavern mouth over the water.

I frowned as I realized the danger I’d been in while I’d briefly explored the island and built my campsite. How many other hidden places had I missed from the back of my vingehund?

Freya returned with the torch held above her head and gestured for me to follow her. She led me over to where she’d gotten the torch, and I saw wooden crates and bulging leather sacks stacked in a pile in the far corner of the cavern.

“What’s that?” I asked and motioned to the pile.

“My bounty,” she replied with a wicked grin. “Most of it was stolen from the Wolf Clan outpost. We stayed here during our raid, and the first phase was very successful.”

I eyed the proud warrior woman as she turned swiftly and stuck the handle of the torch into a crack in the wall. The blonde woman dug into the contents of an open crate, quickly removed some food, handed me a wooden bowl, and motioned for me to hold it steady. Then the shapeshifter grabbed a bulging skin of liquid from behind her and poured a thin brown soup into my bowl.

Freya poured some broth into a bowl for herself before she handed me a couple rolls of bread and grabbed another waterskin from the crate. Then she walked over to a clear, dry spot of the rocky ledge we stood on and sat cross legged with one swift, graceful movement.

I followed her lead, and smiled at her before I turned to my food.

The soup was cold, but still delicious. Small chunks of vegetables and roasted meat swirled in the salty, brown broth. She hadn’t given me a spoon, so I slurped it from the edge of the bowl until I had gulped down most of it. Then I grabbed the rolls she’d given me and dipped them into the bowl to quickly finish off the rest.

When I finished my meal, I sat the wooden bowl down on the rocky floor and let out a satisfied sigh.

“Thank you for sharing your food with me, Freya,” I said with genuine sincerity. “That was amazing.”

The blonde woman arched an eyebrow, and a corner of her lip curled up, but she didn’t respond.

When we had both finished eating, Freya gathered up the empty bowls, rinsed them in the water, and stashed all the supplies back in the crate.

“It will take me a while to load my boat,” the hawk woman told me. “I need to bring as much of the loot back with me when I announce the victory over Wolf Clan.”

“I’ll help,” I offered. “One of my box trolls would make quick work of this pile.”

Freya frowned sternly and gave me an icy glare.

“Gryff of Mistral, do not call the shadow beasts to these lands,” she said. “You saved my life so I will take you to my village and help you however I can, but if anyone saw you call a shadow beast, you would immediately be put to death.”

“I told you,” I argued, “my monsters follow my commands. We just have to explain that they are not a threat.”

“Shadow beasts are always a threat,” Freya scoffed.

“Listen,” I tried to explain, “you shift into a bird to fly and fight, right?”

The shapeshifter nodded slowly.

“Well, my power is calling the shadow beasts, and that’s how I fly, fight, and build,” I continued and crossed my arms as I cast a stern look at the stubborn woman. “They are more than vicious, bloodthirsty, monsters. They can be used as a tool, or a weapon, just like your hawk powers.”

“Even so,” Freya responded, “Hawk Clan will always be enemies with the shadow beasts. I do not want you to be Hawk Clan’s enemy.”

“Fine,” I sighed. “I won’t use my magic.”

“Thank you,” the woman replied with relief, and without another word, she turned and began loading boxes and bags into a boat.

I followed her lead, hefted a crate up onto my shoulder, and then grabbed a heavy cloth sack, which jingled with a metallic sound when it moved. Once my load was safely stashed on the boat, I turned and went after another armful.

You have grown very proud of your monsters lately, Sera mused.

Her words made me uncomfortable, and I frowned as I thought about the dark winged Archon’s observation.

Had I been more prideful lately?

You have much to be proud of, Sera purred.

I remembered the way Miralea had affected my emotions back in Utun. The jaguar Archon’s animalistic, bloodthirsty impulses had seeped through our bond and caused me to act differently. I’d learned to control it, though, once I realized what had happened.

Was Utuni influencing me in some way now?

I still hadn’t fully mastered the two most recent Archon additions to my consciousness, so I only had one of their tattoos each. If Miralea and Utuni’s fit the patterns of Phi and Sera’s, then the other half of the tattoo set would appear when they’d surrendered to my will.

Sera didn’t offer any response, and her white winged sister stayed silent as well.

Either way, I needed to master the two rebellious Archons sooner rather than later, but until I did, I would have to keep a close watch on my own emotions and behaviors.

I pushed aside my thoughts on the Archons and dug into the simple task of moving things from one spot to another with enthusiasm. I also peered at the boat as we loaded it and asked Freya questions about the parts I’d never seen before.

The boat was roughly twenty feet long and was shaped like a canoe, but twice as wide. Rows of planks in the concave opening served as seats, and a mast stood at the center. The vessel looked like it could easily seat twenty men, but we’d covered most of the available space with Freya’s loot. There were still spaces around the mast, as well as the bow, and the stern, but the shapeshifter had instructed me to leave room for her to steer and maneuver the ship.

The vessel appeared to be carved from a single, giant tree, and the bow was carved into a bird shaped figure head that spread its wings out over the water. The bird was intricately carved, and I marveled at the detail on the feathers and the seamless transition from bird to boat.

“Is your boat a shifter, too?” I questioned the hawk woman as I studied the carving. “I cannot tell if this bird is frozen or carved.”

“My people are proud of our wings.” Freya smirked. “We like to show them off.”

It didn’t take the two of us much longer to finish piling almost everything into the boat, and I noticed it had gradually sank lower and lower into the water as we added the heavy weight. Finally, Freya dusted off her hands and nodded in satisfaction at the completed task.

“That didn’t take as long as I expected,” she said and shot me a quick smile. “Although, I didn’t expect you to help.”

“I’m happy to, especially if it means I’m one step closer to a seaworthy ship.” I grinned and ran a hand through my hair. I’d worked up a sweat with the labor, and tendrils of hair stuck to my cheek and forehead. “Are we ready to leave, then?”

Freya nodded in confirmation, then glanced over at the remaining loot still left in the corner of the cavern.

“I’ll have to leave the rest,” she sighed. “I don’t want to weigh down the boat too much.”

“You are returning with so much,” I said in a comforting tone. “I’m sure your people will be happy when you return with your treasure.”

“Eventually, I will return for the rest.” The shapeshifter shrugged. “But I didn’t leave any food just in case it takes me a while before I can get out this far again. No point in coming back for spoiled food, after all.”

Freya stood by my side and looked out at the ocean with a soft, pleased smile on her face while she spoke. She smelled faintly like lavender and damp earth from our climb down to the dock and whatever soap she used, and I fought back the urge to lean forward and sniff her hair. The warrior had come a long way since she’d tensely introduced herself. With every passing moment, she seemed to relax a little more and smiled easier.

“Good point,” I agreed and shook off my desire to get closer to the warrior woman. I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize my chances of getting a ship, after all.

“Let’s get going,” Freya said as she gestured to the boat. “I am ready to get back to my village.”

“And I’m ready to find a way back to my friends,” I laughed.

Freya motioned for me to board the ship, and I clambered on and climbed over the stashed loot to the bow. She pulled out her antler handled dagger and severed the line from the boat to the big stalagmite it was anchored to, then climbed up and stood in the stern.

“By the way,” I called to her from across the boat, “I don’t know anything about sailing.”

“Do not worry, Gryff of Mistral,” she called back with confidence. “I can handle this vessel by myself.”

She grabbed a long, wooden pole tucked along one side of the boat and lowered it partially into the water. Then the shapeshifter pushed off from the dock, and we glided out of the cavern mouth toward the open ocean.

The moon was high in the clear, black and purple sky, and I looked up at the shining crescent trying to gauge what time it was. I guessed it was nearing midnight and sighed as I realized how exhausted I was.

It had been a very, very long day.

“How long will it take us to reach your village?” I asked Freya.

“No more than three days,” she told me. She held the long pole in the stern of the ship, and her observant eyes scanned every direction.

“Three days?” I groaned with disbelief. “How will you sleep if you have to steer the boat?”

“Trust me, Gryff,” she said, and I stared at her in surprise as she used my words from earlier. “I’ve done this before.”

“I do trust you,” I told her honestly and was pleased with the flush that crept up her neck.

It was true. I’d just met this woman a few hours ago, but I already felt like I could trust her. Plus, I admired her skill in battle, as well as her stubborn tenacity. I may not have known her for a long time, but I knew I was a decent judge of character, and I trusted my instincts most of all.

Unless she did something really horrible, I was sure we would become friends.

“I only meant you should not worry about my ability to get us back to my village,” the stoic woman said as she regained her composure. “This is not my first raid, after all.”

“While I do not doubt your skills, three days is a long time,” I replied with a small frown. “Let me help you.”

“Very well.” The shapeshifter inclined her head, but didn’t look at me. “When I need to rest, I will let you help.”

From what I had learned about Freya of Hawk Clan, I would be waiting a long time before she asked for my help. The woman was obviously proud and determined to carry her own weight in life.

I wasn’t one to sit back and let the woman do all the work, but for now, I would wait until I was needed.

So, I settled into an empty spot at the stern, leaned back against the hull of the boat, and gazed up at the stars as Freya pushed the boat through the water.

After a while, the water deepened, and the blonde woman stored her long pole back along the side of the boat. Then she crossed the pile of supplies and scavenged treasure to the mast with nimble steps and quickly unfurled the mainsail. It was a large triangle made of a thick, water resistant fabric, and it was decorated with an image of a huge raptor in flight.

The sail snapped and extended as it caught the wind, and the boat lurched forward with renewed speed. Freya quickly angled the canvas correctly and tied it down with long lengths of rope. Then the shapeshifter returned to her position in the bow and grasped the rudder in her hands.

“The wind is decent,” she commented to me as the wind whipped her hair away from her face. “If it keeps up, we will travel quickly and reach my island within two days.”

Two days was still way too long for my tastes, but I didn’t argue.

Then an idea came to me that I couldn’t resist.

I kept a watchful eye on Freya and hunkered down lower into the hull of the ship. When I was confident she could not see me, I snuck a hand up to my bandolier and retrieved a crystal.

I held the essence crystal in a closed fist, then I stretched my arm over the side of the boat until my hand touched the water. I glanced at Freya, but she still looked ahead of us at the open water as she steered and had not noticed my movements. So, I crushed the crystal in my hand and let the shattered pieces float away into the water.

I sensed my duvarku as soon as it appeared in the water below us, and I quickly gave it the command to stay out of the woman’s sight. Instantly, the green otter-like monster dipped lower below the waves and swam beside the ship out of sight.

After all the summoning I’d done today, I strained to maintain my control of the bond between my monster and me. I wasn’t completely drained, but I hadn’t slept yet, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep the duvarku out for very long. It was a price I was willing to pay, but I decided to recall him in a few hours so I could sleep.

In the meantime, I commanded the duvarku to push along the back of the boat to add to its momentum. I couldn’t see its location, but I sensed through our strengthening bond that it had divided into its two, identical otter forms. Then the duvarku leaned their bodies into the underside of the boat and began to pump their back webbed feet, and I sensed the vessel pick up speed.

I chuckled, leaned back again, and placed my hands back behind my head with a satisfied smile.

Freya may never ask for my help, but that didn’t mean I would just sit back and let the woman do all the work for me.

Chapter 5

After a few hours, I recalled my duvarku. We’d been skimming through the water at a steady pace, and I amused myself by watching Freya eye the sail and the waves suspiciously. She hadn’t commented on our mysterious speed boost, though, so I knew I’d remained undetected.

As the boat lost the added momentum from my otter monsters, I watched Freya’s head snap up to gaze at the boat and water around us. The warrior woman stood stiffly in the back of the small sailboat and grasped the rudder in her clenched fists.

I’d looked around a little while we’d travelled, and I’d noticed the hazy blob of islands in the distance off the starboard side of our small sailing vessel. Clouds of fog clung to the shapes, though, so I hadn’t been able to see any details. We were far enough away from the islands that we wouldn’t be seen by their occupants, and we were far out of range of any arrows that could have been shot our way.

From the small amount of information I’d managed to dig out of the hawk woman, her tribe of people were at constant war with several tribes, so I assumed all of the islands we passed were enemy territory as well.

Did she have any allies, though?

My eyes grew heavy, and I yawned. Freya hadn’t shown any signs of tiring, but from the story she’d told me about her raid on the Wolf Clan, I didn’t think she’d slept in over a day. I’d offered to give her a break about an hour ago, but she’d refused, so I let her be and decided to get some sleep myself.

I grabbed one of the less lumpy cloth sacks from the stash of loot and used it as a pillow. Then I let my eyes close and drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

The first rays of the dawn sun had just begun to peek over the eastern horizon when I opened my eyes again. I’d managed to get a few hours of rest, but I knew I would need more sleep before I was fully recovered again.

Freya sat slumped over the rudder in the back of the boat with her shoulders sagging from exhaustion, but her eyes stayed glued to the water ahead of us, as though she could keep going through sheer force of will alone.

“Good morning, Gryff,” she called to me without looking.

“Morning,” I replied in her language, and I yawned again as I stretched my arms up over my head.

I stood cautiously on stiff legs and balanced myself as the boat bucked beneath my feet. Then I clambered over Freya’s loot and joined the hawk woman in the back of the small boat.

She tore her eyes from the horizon when I came toward her, and she wrinkled her nose as she glanced over my muddy, bloody, and tattered clothes. I’d washed up on shore yesterday morning with just the clothes on my back, and they looked like rags at this point. I’d drifted in the ocean, built a campsite, fought shapeshifting asshole-wolves, and climbed down a muddy crevice since I’d last showered and changed clothes.

No wonder the blonde shapeshifter wrinkled her nose at me.

“There are extra clothes in one of the crates,” she told me and pointed to one of the containers close to us, almost as though she’d heard my thoughts.

I nodded gratefully and turned to rummage in the crate. Inside there were several pairs of leather pants, tunics and shirts made from a thick coarse woven fabric, and a couple pairs of boots made from stiff leather and metal buckles. I also found a thick wool cloak, and I gathered up some things that looked like they would fit and headed to the other side of the boat. There weren’t any curtains on the small vessel, so the sail would be the only thing that separated me from Freya’s view while I changed.

Not that I was ashamed of my body, far from it, but I didn’t think we’d known each other long enough for me to strip down naked right in front of her.

I’d picked out a pair of dark brown leather pants and a dark blue shirt, and both pieces of clothing fit me a little loosely. I transferred my belt from my ripped and muddy pants and cinched it around my new trousers. Then I kicked off my mud stiffened boots and slipped on the scavenged pair. They were lined with soft fur, and they fit me perfectly. I completed the outfit with the wool cloak and instantly felt warmer.

I ducked under the sail and rejoined Freya at the back of the boat. She scanned my new outfit, and then nodded her approval. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold air, and her sleeves still hung open at her sides. The warrior woman’s blonde waves whipped behind her in the wind, and I caught a glimpse of her pale, petite ears.

“Aren’t you cold?” I inclined my head toward her exposed arms, which were lined with goosebumps from the chilly sea air.

“I cannot remove or cover my war tunic.” She set her lips in a hard line and looked away from me. “Not until I have returned to the village.”

“Can you at least fix the sleeves?” I asked and pointed to the thin strips of fabric that dangled around her side like feathers.

“I … I cannot do them myself,” the shapeshifter said hesitantly, and I noticed a blush creep up her neck. Freya’s eyes darted to my face for the briefest moment before they dropped, and she stared at her own feet.

“Freya,” I chuckled, “let me help you.”

The stubborn warrior glared at me with eyes of steel, then her harsh expression relaxed, and she sighed as she gave me a small nod.

I scooted to stand behind where she stood holding the rudder, and I caught the smell of lavender and salt water from her hair. I took a deep, steadying breath, and then I turned my attention to the ties that held the sleeves together.

I started at her shoulder, and the beautiful shapeshifter shivered when my fingers brushed across her bare skin as I lashed the two strings together. My pulse quickened at her reaction, but I worked my way down her sleeve, until every pair of strings were connected and she had one arm completely covered. As I finished the last tie, I couldn’t help letting my fingers linger against her wrist.

Freya inhaled sharply and pulled her hand away from me. Then the warrior woman shot me a suspicious frown over her shoulder, and I tried my best to look innocent. I could tell from the heat visible on her cheeks that she’d enjoyed the touch more than she wanted to admit.

I moved on to her other arm, and Freya didn’t tell me to stop, so I got to work tying her other sleeve closed. While I worked, I let my fingers randomly rub against the skin of her arm as I tied knots from her shoulder down to her wrist.

The shapeshifter stared straight ahead and held her arm out stiffly in obvious discomfort. Her hand clenched the rudder in a tight fist, and she struggled to control her reaction to my teasing touches.

I traced a small circle on the inside of her wrist after I’d finished the final knot, and I was rewarded with a small gasp from the stoic woman. I stifled my pleased smile as I dropped my hand and circled back around to face her. Then I took a seat near where she stood and leaned back against the side of the boat with one leg stretched out and one knee bent up.

“Thank you,” Freya grunted after a moment of silence, and she cleared her throat before she refocused on the water we sailed on.

“My pleasure,” I replied with a soft chuckle and watched her blush deepen.

The shapeshifter didn’t say anything else, so I turned my gaze to the line of islands on our side. We passed a clump of several islands close together, and even at this distance, I could see plumes of smoke rising from the dense green of the trees.

It appeared we were passing islands that were occupied by someone.

When we’d sailed further, and the islands had disappeared from view and we had empty ocean on all sides, I cleared my throat to get Freya’s attention.

“Who lived on those islands back there?”

“Wolf Clan,” she replied without looking at me. “We are almost out of their territory, but we won’t reach Hawk Clan’s islands until nightfall.”

“You’ve told me about Wolf Clan and Moose Clan,” I prodded, “but what other people live in this area?”

“There are several tribes, but some only have one or two islands, and they pay tribute to one of the larger clans for protection,” Freya explained. “Wolf Clan territory extends out into the ocean, so it is farther from the mainland than the rest. Soon, we will enter Bear Clan territory, and then Hawk Clan islands lay beyond that.”

Suddenly, the wind shifted, and the sail jerked. I’d kept track of our direction by watching the location of the moon, and now the sun. It seemed we sailed in a southeastern direction, angled toward the east slightly.

The stoic shapeshifter adjusted the angle of the rudder in her hands as she scanned the water around us. When she was satisfied with the direction of our small vessel, she continued her description of the people who lived in the area.

“The people of Bear Clan have a large territory, and since we share a border, we are often at war over the islands between us.”

“So,” I began thoughtfully, “all the different clans can shapeshift into the animals they’re named for?”

“Exactly.” Freya nodded.

“Where do you get your power?” I asked, and I felt the familiar excitement from learning about new kinds of magic.

“My people prove ourselves worthy of The Gift.” The blonde puffed out her chest slightly, and her lips twitched with the hint of a smile. “When I was born, I could shift a little, but was no more than a flightless fledgling. Then, after I passed the trials, I earned my flying feathers.”

“Is it the same process for the other clans?” I asked.

“I do not know the ways of the other clans,” Freya said with a dismissive shrug. “But I would assume they had some kind of ritual before they receive The Gift. The goddess does not give her Gift to those who are not worthy, after all.”

“Is Hawk Clan at war with all of the tribes in this region?”

“Sometimes,” Freya said with a thoughtful frown. “Ever since Wolf Clan joined forces with Moose Clan, we have been sandwiched between hostile territories on all sides. Moose Clan mostly left us alone before that, although they would shoot our people out of the sky with their long rifles if we flew too close to their lands.”

The people who lived in this region were unlike anything I’d ever experienced so far, and my brain raced over the endless shapeshifting possibilities that could exist. I suspected Arwyn would demand as much information as I could give her, and I decided I needed to find something to write notes on. I pictured the red-haired healer’s bright smile when I presented my research on the strange southern people, and I grinned to myself at the image.

“Is Moose Clan on the other side of the Hawk Clan territory, then?” I inquired as I thought about my plans to steal one of their ships.

“No.” Freya shook her head, and her eyebrows creased. “The Snow Leopards lay beyond Hawk Clan. Moose Clan’s territory is beyond theirs, and their islands are the closest to the mainland far to the south.”

We fell into a comfortable silence after that, and I began to piece together a map of the territories in my mind, but I needed more information before I had a clear picture of the trail of islands. The warrior woman had mentioned a mainland further south, and I shook my head as I thought about how far I’d travelled since leaving Mistral.

What had started as a brief excursion into Luratamba to defeat Miralea had ended up being a journey around the world. I’d found myself further from home than I’d ever been before and in an unfamiliar, hostile land. I needed to get back to my team, and I frowned as I thought about how long it could be before I was reunited with them.

I couldn’t focus on that, though. I had to take it one step at a time, and right now the goal was making it to Freya’s village.

But how would her clan react to the arrival of a foreigner?

“So,” I said and cleared my throat as I broke the silence, “are your people going to be okay with me showing up in your village?”

“I don’t know.” Freya frowned and held her lips in a tight line. “I owe you my life, though, and my duty to repay you is more important to me than the opinions of my people.”

Then the shapeshifter stifled a yawn behind one hand and shook her head to ward off her exhaustion. The muscles in her jaw twitched as she clenched her teeth, and I gave the woman a sympathetic smile.

“Freya,” I said, “let me steer for a while so you can rest.”

The warrior woman shot me a glare, but then sighed and gave me a reluctant nod.

“Keep the boat parallel to the line of islands,” she instructed me as she pointed to the hazy purple shape of more islands visible on the eastern horizon. “Don’t get too close, though. Bear Clan may not attack us just for sailing through, but I do not plan on taking that chance.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a confident smile, and then I took the rudder from her hands and grasped it firmly in my own fist. I could feel the pull of the water on the wooden lever, and it took me a moment to get used to the tug while I held it steady.

Freya watched me carefully for a moment until she was satisfied that I was capable of maintaining the direction on my own. Then she grabbed a blanket from a nearby container and hunkered down in the bottom of the small sailboat at my feet.

I couldn’t resist the occasional glance at her, and I watched as the warrior woman’s usual stony expression softened into peaceful sleep. Her face was softer and more feminine without her eyebrows furrowed into a frown, and her lips pouted slightly as her breath deepened.

Freya fell asleep in only a few moments, but I didn’t blame her. She’d obviously been running on fumes for hours now. Maybe even days.

I was pleased I’d gotten her to take a break, but I was determined to keep the boat headed in the right direction so she would trust me to help even more. As soon as I knew she was fast asleep, I tossed out my duvarku crystal and once again gave the command to speed up the little sailboat.

When my monster burst free from the essence crystal, I gave the command for the single beast to split into its twin form. Then I reminded my summon to stay out of sight and to keep us away from the islands, and I settled in to a sitting position near the rudder. With the aid of my otter monsters, I barely had to touch the rudder to adjust our direction, and we skimmed through the water at almost double the speed.

The sun was almost directly over my head when Freya stirred and stretched. The blonde warrior scanned the horizon, and her eyes widened slightly.

I checked on my duvarku’s location through the bond we shared and confirmed they were too far beneath the boat for Freya to see them.

“You said you don’t know how to sail a boat,” the shapeshifter commented with obvious suspicion.

“You must be a good teacher.” I winked, and the blonde woman rolled her eyes at me, but didn’t argue.

Freya left me at the rudder and began to rifle around in her pile of supplies. She returned after a few moments with a couple biscuits, strips of dried meat, and a waterskin. The hawk woman handed me a portion of the food, and I accepted the offered meal with a grateful nod of my head.

We finished the small meal in silence and passed the waterskin back and forth to wash down the dry travel food. I drank with a strong thirst and was delighted at how cold the water was as it slid down my parched throat. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was, but the salt water that surrounded us seemed to absorb the moisture in the air.

After we ate, Freya took the rudder from me, and I returned to my spot against the side of the boat. The hawk woman resumed her constant scan of the area around us, and her eyebrows creased into a small frown. Then the shapeshifter’s eyes widened and narrowed slightly as she shifted briefly in and out of her hawk form to boost her sight.

What could Freya see that I couldn’t?

Her power was incredible, and the blonde warrior had amazing control. It reminded me of Phi’s ability to create illusions, except Freya actually became a giant hawk, while the illusion was more of a temporary mirage. I’d used the blue-skinned Archon’s power to disguise myself as Prince Kecha back in Utun, but it was difficult to maintain for very long. Plus, Phi had warned me it was harder to make dramatic changes. It was easier to make myself look like a different man than to change myself into a giant monster or a tiny mouse.

It’s true, Phi confirmed in a reluctant tone. My power would not fully transform you into a hawk. You would look like you had wings, but you wouldn’t be able to fly.

I owned a couple monsters I could fly with ease, so I wasn’t worried about not having hawk powers.

Your power far surpasses this shifty mortal’s, Sera moaned lustfully, and I sensed the dark-winged Archon’s proud smile. With me by your side, no shapeshifter could withstand our power. Summon me, and I will make these barbaric shapeshifters give you anything you want.

I brushed aside the Archons’ words with a wave of my will and returned my eyes to the horizon ahead of us.

The bow of the boat bobbed up and down as we sliced through the waves at a quick pace. My duvarku still propelled us forward with all their might, but I sensed them tiring. I would only be able to use them once today, though, or the extra drain on my mana would make my magic use more obvious to Freya. I could keep my otter monsters out of sight, but I wouldn’t be able to conceal sweat dripping down my forehead or heavier breathing.

The shapeshifter already eyed the white foam in our wake with suspicion. Her observant eyes seemed to catch every detail, and I doubted the hawk woman was surprised very often.

Freya’s gaze lifted to analyze the clouds overhead, and I heard a frustrated sigh.

“I don’t understand it,” she said with a frown after a long moment of silence. “We are going faster than we should be.”

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked with mock confusion.

The blonde woman’s frown deepened as she considered my question.

“I don’t know … ” she finally admitted. “While I’m glad we are making good time, I am not sure why.”

“Maybe the winds are just on our side.” I grinned. “Or maybe I’m lucky. No point in worrying about it for now.”

“I suppose.” Freya gave a reluctant sigh and shook her head slightly. “I think we should be prepared for some bad luck anyways, just in case.”

“Worst case scenario, we reach your village faster.” I shrugged. “Besides, I’m always prepared for anything.”

Her stone face cracked at my words, and her eyes twinkled when she smiled.

“If we stay at this pace, we will reach my village in the morning,” Freya relented, and her face brightened even more as she lifted her gaze to the horizon ahead of us. “It will be good to be home. I left on the raid almost a week ago.”

“I’ve been away from home for a long time, myself,” I replied and sighed as a renewed wave of homesickness washed over me. I shrugged it off, though, and smiled up at the beautiful warrior woman. “I’m sure your people will be very happy to see you return safe and sound.”

“My father, especially.” Freya nodded in agreement. “Even though I have led many raids already, I know he always worries about me.”

“I understand, my dad’s the same way,” I murmured as I thought about Maelor, and I smiled as I pictured him throwing his head back and giving a big belly laugh. “Well, he isn’t my father, but he might as well be since he raised me. He knows I have work to do, but that doesn’t stop him from worrying about me when I’m off fighting monsters.”

“Why do you fight the monsters if they obey your commands?” Freya’s gaze snapped to my face, and she regarded me with cold eyes.

“Not all monsters obey me,” I explained and raked a hand through my hair. “The essence crystals I own are the only monsters that obey me.”

“Your monsters fight against their own kind?” The blonde woman cast a doubtful glance down at my bandolier.

“Yes, and against shapeshifting wolf-men, or crazed worshippers trying to kill us.” I started to get tired of defending my monsters to this stubborn woman. “But my monsters also helped me build that campsite, and back in Mistral, I used them to help towns rebuild after attacks from the Shadowscape.”

Freya didn’t look convinced, but that didn’t bother me. I was confident I could use my magic without her finding out. I wasn’t about to let some strange woman keep me from summoning monsters when I wanted to. I would play along for now, since I didn’t want her to get into any trouble for helping me, but I would do what I needed to get back to my team.

We continued at our duvarku enhanced speed for the rest of the afternoon. The sun was setting behind us, and my monsters were close to exhaustion before I dangled my hand in the water and recalled them. I inhaled a deep breath as the drain on my mana stopped, and I relaxed the muscles I hadn’t even realized I was clenching. I wasn’t used to masking all the visible signs of my magic use. It wasn’t something I’d ever had to think about before.

As soon as my monsters stopped adding to the boat’s momentum, it began to slow. The wind was still strong enough to keep the sail fully extended, but the decrease in speed was noticeable.

Freya’s wary eyes flicked around the boat and into the blue-green water. She glanced at me for a brief second before she shook her head in confusion and returned her gaze to the horizon ahead of us.

“You should sleep some more,” she said without looking at me. “I’ll wake you up when I get tired.”

“Okay,” I agreed with ease. I’d only summoned one monster today, but controlling my facial expressions and body language while I communicated through the bond was a new exercise for me. I was more tired than I realized.

So, I wrapped the thick wool cloak around my shoulders and hunkered down into a more comfortable spot. I watched the sunlight darken overhead, the bright orange, red, and pink rays arcing into the growing purple and dark blue of twilight. After a little while, I noticed the sparkle of a few stars visible in the deepening darkness, and I closed my eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

The moon was high in the sky when Freya woke me, and we switched places. She yawned and gave me a grateful smile before she huddled up and went to sleep, and I stretched and yawned as I shook myself awake.

When I was confident the shapeshifter was deep asleep, I cast my duvarku crystal into the water, and I panted from the sudden pull of mana as the single otter burst free into the water. I’d only slept for a few hours, so my mana hadn’t renewed enough, but Freya was asleep and wouldn’t notice me straining, so I decided it was worth it.

The green monster chirped at me, and when I blinked, it had separated into two. Then I grinned and gave the command to resume their position beneath the boat.

The shapeshifter had said that with the monster enhanced speed we would reach her village in the morning. Well, she hadn’t said exactly that, but in the end, the meaning was the same.

I smiled with satisfaction as I took up my post at the rudder, and I made sure to keep the boat far away from the islands that staggered through the water to one side. After a while of nothing happening, I started to get hungry. So, I dug through the container I’d seen Freya get food out of and retrieved a biscuit and another strip of dried meat.

I chewed the small meal with one hand while I rested my other hand on the rudder. I maintained enough pressure on the round wooden lever to feel any changes in its position, but I wasn’t worried about going the wrong way with the duvarku beneath us.

After some time, the moon set behind me, and I noticed the first rays of dawn peek up over the horizon directly in front of the boat. In the distance, I saw a group of islands with towering mountain peaks and steep jagged cliffs. A plume of smoke rose above the island, and my breath caught in my throat.

“Freya,” I whispered to the sleeping woman, and she stirred with a sleepy murmur. “Freya!”

The warrior woman’s head snapped up, and her eyes shot open in shock.

“What’s wrong?” Freya asked as she jumped up and stepped closer to me. Her eyes scanned the area around us, but when she noticed the islands, she gasped and grinned at me in delight. “We are here!”

“That’s your island?”

She nodded, and her eyes lit up with excitement. She took a deep breath and brushed her hands together, then took over the rudder and aimed it toward the biggest island in the clump.

I could see four other islands nearby, but I knew there were likely more things I couldn’t see from this far away.

The island Freya angled the boat toward looked like a single mountain peak rising up out of the ocean. The peak rose hundreds of feet into the clouds, with trees growing in random clumps up the steep slope. I still didn’t see any buildings or houses, but the smoke tendrils that rose up from the peak were unmistakable signs of people.

I clambered over the piles of supplies into the bow of the ship to get out of the hawk woman’s eyesight. This time, before I recalled my duvarku, I gave them the command to ease off from the boat more slowly to make the decrease in speed less noticeable. Then I dipped my hand into the water as I recalled the otter-like monsters, and the essence crystal returned to my hand.

I almost dropped it when a cold wave splashed against the boat, though, and rocked me against the hull. I hit the wooden side of the ship and groaned from the impact, but I held my crystal firmly in my fist.

“The waves are fierce around here,” Freya commented in response to my groan.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I muttered and rubbed my sore ribs.

In a couple of moments, we closed the distance between us and the island. I scanned the slopes for signs of humans and frowned when there were none to be found.

“Where do your people live?” I asked Freya. “I don’t see any houses.”

The blonde warrior didn’t respond. Instead, she untied the rope that held the sail in place, wrapped it around one hand, and grasped the rudder firmly in the other. She braced her legs as she heaved the sail sideways, and the boat veered in the water.

I looked ahead and saw the shapeshifter aimed for a small hole in the flat cliff wall ahead of us.

These people with their cliffside docks.

I shook my head, but my own excitement grew as the boat pushed forward through the waves. I craned my neck as I tried to see to the top of the cliff, but then we sailed beneath the rocky archway.

I was ready for another cavern dock, and I squinted my eyes to prepare for sudden darkness as the tip of the boat entered the shadows of the cliff. I blinked, but when I opened my eyes again, my jaw dropped open in shocked disbelief.

The cliff wall arched over the opening, and the boat was cast under a shadow for a brief second, but then we were past the rock wall and in a small circular pool in the middle of the mountain. The inside of the peak was a hollow cone that was wide at the base and narrow at the top, and I almost fell over backwards when I tried to bend my head back to see the sun shining down into the core.

As my gaze travelled down from the sky, I gasped in awe and took in the full glory of Hawk Clan village.

The inside of the mountain was carved out into twisting mazes of dwellings built into the rock. I counted fifteen levels before I reached the rocky ledge of the dock at the bottom. Stairs carved into the rock wall connected levels in sharp zig zags around the interior of the mountain cone, and I swiveled my head around trying to absorb as much of the view as I could.

Rope bridges connected levels and spanned the gap above the circular pool at the base of the mountain. Hundreds of hawk people flew everywhere I looked, and the shapeshifters perched on high ledges in front of dark openings I assumed led to dwellings and shops. The hawk people swooped in from the opening in the peak and spiraled down in tight circles at dizzying speeds. The sound of wings fluttering and flapping all around me created a constant hum of noise. Then I heard a few raptor screeches in the cacophonous din, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I heard a few different voices call out Freya’s name, but I couldn’t locate their sources. I turned to see the stoic warrior woman standing with her back straight and her lips pursed. The shapeshifter waved up at the people who had greeted her, but she didn’t call out to them.

Then the bow of the small ship bumped against the edge of the dock, and I clambered out onto the rocky ledge with sea heavy legs and held the boat steady while Freya stepped off and tied down the boat.

A small raptor with brown feathers and a dark red tail swooped down from the air and started to transform into a young girl. The girl had a petite frame, with narrow shoulders and a tiny waist. She appeared to be in her teens, not quite a full-grown woman, but past the age of childhood. She wore a long strapless dress the same dark red color her tail feathers had been only a moment ago, and she shook loose a mane of tangled russet colored hair. Then her hawk face began to morph into more human features. Her skin was tanned, and she didn’t appear to be cold even though the strapless dress exposed her arms and shoulders. She stared at me in unrestrained surprise with large, round green eyes before her gaze landed on Freya.

“Vahla!” Freya greeted the girl with a smile, but the warrior kept her hands clasped behind her back.

“Freya.” The girl grinned and threw herself at the slightly older woman to wrap her in a hug.

Freya blinked at me over the girl’s shoulder and blushed as she hesitantly wrapped her arms around the younger woman. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who made the stoic warrior uncomfortable in close proximity.

“Father’s been worried sick, you know,” Vahla said as she released the blonde shapeshifter, and I assumed from her words that this young woman was Freya’s sister.

“He always does,” Freya sighed and nodded her agreement.

Vahla’s eyes trailed from Freya’s face and looked toward the opening in the cliff expectantly. Then she turned back to the blonde shapeshifter and raised her eyebrows.

“You are the only one who came back.” The brunette frowned as she realized what had happened.

“Our people died with the cry of battle on their lips,” Freya responded with fire in her voice. “The Wolf Clan outpost on Last Island is empty, so they can rest in victory.”

“Let their souls fly free,” Vahla said with a solemn nod. Then the young woman released Freya and spun to eye me.

“Hello,” I greeted in their language, and I gave the girl my best smile.

“Is this a prisoner?” She tilted her head to the side as she considered me with a dark twinkle in her emerald green eyes. “A new slave, perhaps?”

“No,” Freya replied, and the fierce tone of her voice shocked me. The blonde shapeshifter cleared her throat as Vahla shot her a surprised look, and then she explained in a calmer tone. “This man saved my life and helped me claim victory over the Wolf Clan. I am indebted to him, so I have agreed to help him get back to his people in exchange for saving my life.”

“Well, then,” Vahla huffed and peered at me with curiosity. “Does this man have a name?”

“Gryff of Mistral,” I said and extended my hand to the girl. She stared at my empty hand in confusion for a moment, then her eyes returned to my face, and I felt like she was analyzing every inch of me with a predatory gaze.

I raised an eyebrow as I looked her straight in the eyes, and she ducked her head with a small smile.

“I am Vahla of Hawk Clan,” the young girl introduced herself with a proud toss of her hair. “Daughter of the Chieftain Fenrir and sister to the fearsome warrior princess, Freya.” The girl giggled and waved her hand dismissively at her stone-faced sister. “But, you already know her.”

Freya growled quietly under her breath and glared at her little sister.

“A princess, huh?” I asked my stoic guide with an amused grin. “You failed to mention that before.”

“It was unnecessary information.” Freya gave a frustrated sigh and released her sister from her icy glare as she looked up at me. “It can be dangerous to tell strange men that I am the daughter of the chief.”

“I’ll let it slide for now,” I teased her. “But, no more secrets, okay?”

Freya responded with a firm nod, then returned her attention to the younger woman.

The two sisters turned away from the dock and began to climb a steep rocky staircase against the mountain wall, and I followed along behind them while I looked around at the village.

So, that was why the wolf men had been determined to keep her alive, even though she’d murdered their kin. The Wolf Clan warriors had likely intended on holding her hostage, or using her in some way as leverage against the Hawk Clan.

Freya hadn’t told me she was a princess in fear that I would use it against her people in some way, but she seemed more than capable of handling herself, regardless of her position within the tribe.

Vahla’s description of the blonde shapeshifter was spot on. Freya was indeed a fearsome warrior princess.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when we came to the top of the stairs, and the two women stepped onto a rope bridge that spanned the gap inside the hollow mountain. I followed behind them and felt the bridge heave and sway beneath the weight of our bodies, and my breath caught in my throat.

I kept my eyes up, grasped the rope railing firmly, and focused on moving forward without looking down. The wind pulled at my shirt and whipped pieces of my hair into my face, but I ignored it and crossed the bridge at a steady pace.

The two hawk women had barely seemed to register the bridge as they chatted away with village gossip, and they left me to follow silently in their wake.

Shortly after crossing the gap to the other side of the cavernous mountain, we arrived at a large dwelling made out of mud bricks that extended out from the cliff wall. A woven tapestry hung over the entrance, and I noticed embroidered birds of all colors woven into the design. Freya and Vahla pushed aside the cloth door, and Freya beckoned for me to follow her inside.

The interior was dimly lit by two torches along the far wall. A shadowy doorway led to another room to one side, and across from that door was a window that looked out to the village and the interior of the mountain.

A man stood at the window, and I swallowed as I took in his full height. His long black hair nearly brushed the ceiling as he towered over the two women in front of me, so he had to be at least seven feet tall. He wore a long black cloak covered in feathers so dark they looked purple in the light of the torches over a plain leather tunic. His thick, bushy black eyebrows were set in a line over dark hooded eyes, and his gaze took in the two women before they landed on me. Then he frowned.

“Father.” Freya bowed her head respectfully, and the large man smiled as he peered down at his daughter. “I have returned from the raid on the Wolf Clan outpost. The wolves on Last Island have taken their last breaths.”

The Chief of the Hawk Clan nodded in approval at the news of his daughter’s victory, then he flicked his dark eyes in my direction before he gave Freya a questioning look.

“This is Gryff of Mistral.” Freya frowned and cleared her throat as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. “He was stranded on Last Island, and we crossed paths while I battled the Wolf Clan warriors. He saved my life.”

Her face held no emotion as she waited for her father’s response, and the silence was heavy as he considered her words for a long moment.

“I will let you two catch up … ” Vahla murmured and broke the tense silence. Then she dipped her head in a small gesture of respect to her father before she turned and pushed aside the curtain as she left the dwelling.

Chief Fenrir watched her leave for a moment, then he turned and stared at me like he could see into my very soul, and I shivered briefly before I controlled myself and met his hard eyes.

“I thank you for saving my daughter’s life, Gryff of Mistral.” The tall man said my name with a heavy accent and inclined his head in a gesture of respect. “You will be rewarded for your act of bravery, but then you must leave our island.”

“No, Father,” Freya said, and Chief Fenrir turned and frowned at the warrior princess. She raised her chin, and her eyes blazed with defiance. “I gave my word that I would help Gryff return to his people.”

“You may have given your word, but you cannot speak for Hawk Clan.” He spoke calmly as he eyed his daughter, but the air in the dwelling was heavy with tension. “We will provide him with one of the boats and enough supplies to make it out of our territory.”

“His people are far away,” Freya continued stubbornly. “He needs a big ship so he can cross the ocean to the north.”

“Then you have promised him something we cannot give, Freya.” His voice softened, and his eyes showed his affection.

Freya scowled and planted her hands on her hips.

“We must help him get a ship from the harbor in Skara,” she declared, and her eyes burned with determination.

The chief scoffed and shook his head in disbelief at his daughter.

“I will not throw away the lives of my people to help a foreign man steal a ship.” He turned and moved to a rocky bench that sat between the torches on the far wall. He swept back his cloak as he sat down, then leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

“Father, you have to help him,” Freya insisted. “I gave him my word.”

“We are stretched thin enough as it is,” the chief countered. “I will not waste time and resources on a foreign man. He will have to find his own way back to his people.”

“If he joined Hawk Clan, we would be honor bound to help him.” Freya raised an eyebrow at her scowling father, and she seemed undaunted by his refusal. “You know Hawk Clan would never turn their back on one of their own.”

“He would have to pass the trials if he wanted to join our clan, but that doesn’t mean our people would be obligated to help him.” The chief frowned deeper as his eyes leapt from Freya’s angry glare to my blank face. “Hawk Clan takes care of their own, this is true, but this man is not one of us, Freya.”

I didn’t know what to say, and Freya didn’t ask for my help, so I stayed silent and held my breath while I listened. I just controlled my facial expression and worked the muscles in my jaw as I clenched my teeth.

“If he was your son, you would have to help him,” the blonde shapeshifter countered as she crossed her arms in a defiant stance.

The chief’s eyes narrowed as he peered at his daughter with confusion, and she met his gaze with a determined glare.

“He is a foreigner, and he is not Hawk Clan,” Chief Fenrir responded slowly. “How could he possibly be my son?”

“If I marry Gryff, then he will be your son,” Freya announced with a firm nod, as if that settled things. “Then you would have to help him.”

Chapter 6

My jaw dropped, and I stared at the warrior princess in shock.

Maker, did she just say marry?

Is this mortal warrior attempting to claim you for herself? Sera said with a jealous hiss. How dare she assume she is worthy to be your mate!

I swallowed hard and glanced at Chief Fenrir to gauge his reaction. I didn’t know what the Hawk Clan marriage customs were or if Freya had just defied several traditions. She’d led the raid on Wolf Clan, so she was regarded as an experienced fighter, but she was still the chieftain’s daughter.

As I expected, he wasn’t pleased.

“You cannot marry this foreign man!” Chief Fenrir bellowed as he leapt to his feet and towered over Freya with an angry scowl.

Despite my urge to convince this man to help me, I’d have to agree with him on this topic. Freya and I couldn’t get married.

The whole situation was completely ridiculous, right?

The blonde shapeshifter stared up at her father with steely resolve and didn’t back away from where she stood.

“Help the man who saved your daughter’s life,” she said through clenched teeth, “or I will marry him and leave Eyrie Island forever.”

The leader of Hawk Clan held his daughter beneath his glare for a long moment, and I held my breath. My hands instinctively hovered near my daggers as I quickly planned an escape route just in case I had to fight my way out of here.

“You would choose this foreign man over your own people?” Chief Fenrir demanded in disbelief, and he curled his nose in a disgusted grimace.

“I owe this man a life debt,” Freya retorted. “If you will not help me fulfill my duty to this man, then I dishonor Hawk Clan with my presence. I would have to leave or risk shaming the entire clan with my failure.”

I held my breath as I watched him consider her words.

Then the tall hawk man sighed and ran one of his massive hands through his long black hair. Chief Fenrir’s eyes flickered with pride for a brief moment, and he watched his daughter’s rebellious face darken into a scowl.

“Very well, Freya,” the chieftain said after a long silence. “I will help this man get his ship, but--” He held up one hand to silence his daughter as Freya opened her mouth. “First, he must pass the Test of the Warrior to show he is worthy.”

“He will pass the test, Father,” Freya replied with a confident grin, and the warrior princess jerked her head in my direction. “He is a fierce warrior, and any clan would be proud to have him fight for them.”

Wait, what just happened? Did I just agree to completing some sort of test?

I shook my head and cleared my throat.

“Hello, hi, Gryff of Mistral here.” I waved, and the two hawk people blinked at me like they had forgotten I could speak. “No one said anything about any tests before now. I just need to get to Moose Clan’s island and steal a ship so I can go home. I don’t intend on joining Hawk Clan at all. I’m only trying to get back to my team.”

“Hawk Clan will not help you unless you prove yourself.” Freya frowned. “If you want to get that ship, then this is the only way.”

“You will agree to completing the trial, or you will leave my village immediately,” Chief Fenrir said with finality. “What is your answer?”

“Okay,” I groaned as doubt threatened me, but I shrugged it off and accepted the situation for what it was. I’d faced obstacles and trials before, and I knew I could handle this one the same way I always did. “I’ll complete your test, then you will help me get a ship.”

Chief Fenrir nodded in agreement, but then he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

“If you complete the Test of the Warrior, Gryff of Mistral.” His tone was skeptical, but at least we had managed to make a deal.

“Oh, I’ll pass the test.” I smirked and saw Freya’s lips twitch with a proud smile. Then I straightened my shoulders and gave the big warrior chief a steady nod.

Chief Fenrir frowned but didn’t respond.

How hard could it be to prove myself as a warrior?

Fenrir may doubt me for now, but I was confident he would see what I could do soon enough. Shapeshifting powers were cool, but I knew what I was capable of.

“Thank you, Father.” Freya bowed her head slightly with a restrained smile tugging at the rigid line of her lips. “Gryff will need a room while he completes the tests, and there is an empty one nearby I will take him to.”

“Very well, Freya.” Chief Fenrir inclined his head. “We will discuss your last mission in more detail later. Report back here once the foreigner gets where he needs to.”

“Yes, Father,” Freya said with a firm nod, and then she turned and motioned for me to follow her out of the dwelling.

I took a deep breath to calm myself as we headed up another rock staircase behind the chieftain’s dwelling.

“Why did you tell him you would marry me?” I demanded as soon as I knew we were out of earshot of her father. “He looked like he was going to murder me where I stood!”

“Would you not marry me, Gryff?” The shapeshifter didn’t look at me as she walked up the stairs ahead of me, and I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. Her voice was low and sounded heavy with emotion.

The last thing I needed to do was to insult the one person who was willing to help me.

“Look … ” I hesitated. I didn’t want to upset her, but I didn’t want her to think I wanted to marry her either. She was beautiful, but I had other lovers and other duties awaiting me back home.

When did everything get so complicated?

I sighed and raked my hands through my hair, and I gathered my thoughts before I said the wrong thing and stuck my foot in my mouth.

“I’ve only known you for a couple of days, Freya,” I started again, but I kept my tone calm and positive as I continued to explain myself. “I like you, but we barely know each other … Plus, I have a whole life back in Mistral, just like you have your own life here with your people.”

Freya stopped climbing, then turned around to look at me, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. She laughed, and I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding.

“I needed my father to agree to help you.” She smiled playfully. “Looks like I scared both of you.”

I grinned up at her in relief and shook my head.

“I wasn’t scared, I was just confused … and shocked.” I struggled to respond then gave her a big smile as I collected myself. “It’s not every day a beautiful shapeshifting warrior princess declares that she is going to marry me, after all.”

Freya blushed at the compliment, and I noticed her hands pluck the edge of her war tunic with nervous movements. Then, without saying anything in response, she turned and continued the climb up to the next level of the cliff city.

I stared at the back of her head as I considered what I knew about this fascinating woman so far. Shapeshifter, warrior, princess, daughter, sister. Freya held a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, and I started to understand why she used her stoic mask to shield her against the hundreds of people watching her every move.

It was odd, though, for someone so pretty, and a princess no less, to seem so uncomfortable with any flattery.

In a way, she reminded me of Nia Kenefick. As a member of the famous Kenefick family, Nia had grown up under a spotlight, but the elemental mage had a fierce determination to prove herself, stand apart from her famous name, and earn her own reputation.

I smiled as I remembered that the ashen-haired mage had also taken some time to warm up to me, too.

But once she’d warmed up to me, Maker, was she hot.

I shook off thoughts of my lover far away at the Academy and reminded myself that I was headed in the right direction.

I would get back to my team and return to Mistral. No matter what.

Freya stopped at a landing and stepped into a small courtyard in front of an earthen wall with a dim hole for an entryway.

“This is where you can stay while you are here,” the blonde woman said and pointed to the entrance. “It’s a small dwelling, just two rooms. You will find plenty of food and bedding inside, but if you need anything else, I will do my best to provide it.”

“This is fine,” I said and smiled at her appreciatively. “I just need a place to sleep for a couple days, after all.”

“Yes.” Freya nodded, then turned and started climbing back down the stairs without another word.

I supposed it was pretty important for her to finish her report in private, and I was sure she was anxious to finish her raid once and for all. Then she could take off her war tunic and finally relax.

I watched her go for a moment, with a small smile on my lips as her blonde waves swished with her steps, and then I turned back to inspect my new quarters. The exterior wall was built out from the cliff with earthen bricks. There were two small holes for windows on either side of a small entrance, and I had to stoop to clear the short doorway, but once I was inside and straightened up, I realized there was no ceiling.

I stood in the middle of the room and looked up at the underside of the mountain wall as it stretched over my head and arched toward the opening far above me. I could hear the sounds of the shapeshifters flying through the air above my dwelling, and an occasional shadow drifted across the floor at my feet when a hawk person blocked out the sun as they flew across the opening far above me.

My gaze lowered to the room around me, and I peered with curiosity at the Hawk Clan dwelling. A ring of stones directly in front of me designated a small circle in the center of the room as the fire pit. To my left, a small wooden table and a couple chairs sat against the wall beneath one of the windows, and a cabinet stood against the wall behind the table.

I turned my eyes to the right and saw a pile of cushions and thick pillows covering a low bed built into the stone wall below the other window. A shadowy doorway sat in the corner behind the bed, and I peeked in to find a small bathroom.

The bathroom was built further into the cliff wall, and my head brushed the curved rock ceiling. A bench with a hole in it sat back in the small recess, and I wondered briefly where it led before I dismissed the thought and returned to the main room.

A stack of firewood and kindling sat next to the wall behind the firepit, and I turned my mind to the task of starting a fire. Once I had a solid flame burning inside the stone circle, I pushed some of the cushions and pillows off the bed, stretched out with a satisfied sigh, and watched the fire lick at the sticks as it began to devour the fuel.

It was hard to tell the position of the sun through the small bit of sky I could see above my head, but judging from the shadows that crept along the wall, I guessed it to be after midday.

My stomach grumbled, and I grinned. Freya had mentioned there was food here.

So, I heaved myself up off the low bed and went to explore the cupboard, and I opened the simple wooden door to the top cabinet and found a variety of food. Bags of grains and rice, a smoky smelling meat of some kind, bowls of fruit and vegetables I didn’t recognize, bread, and jars of seasoning and spices lined the shelves. I opened a few jars and sniffed them, but I couldn’t identify them by scent. The food didn’t seem very exotic, and I wondered if this was the normal fare in this area or if she’d provided me with things she thought I would like. In the bottom cabinet, I found iron pots and pans, wooden bowls and plates, and a few mugs.

I had everything I needed to cook a nice stew, or to make a hot sandwich with the mystery meat.

I considered my options, but laziness outweighed my appetite, so I ended up using my father’s dagger to cut a chunk off the smoked meat and grabbed a few pieces of bread.

I knew how to cook, and I wasn’t daunted by having to fend for myself food-wise, but for now I was satisfied with the quick and easy snack.

The meat was delicious, and I let each bite dissolve in my mouth for a moment before I chewed and swallowed. I’d have to ask Freya what it was and how to make it. The bread was a little stale, but I didn’t mind.

I noticed the waterskin tucked against the wall beside the cupboard and retrieved it, then took several long gulps of the cool water.

Once my stomach was full, I returned to the bed and stretched out luxuriously. The fire had settled, but the dwelling was warm and comfortable, so I removed my wool cloak and tossed it toward the end of the bed. I felt a little uncomfortable being alone in the middle of Hawk Clan’s village, but it was also nice to have some time to process recent events without Freya’s keen eyes watching me.

Would Freya come back here after she finished her mission report?

I shrugged to myself and relaxed into the bed. The Hawk Clan princess knew where to find me, and after sleeping in the bottom of a wooden sailboat for the last two days, I was grateful for the small dwelling.

What else was I supposed to do, other than wait here?

So, I closed my eyes and attempted to sleep, but I struggled for a while as my thoughts raced.

What if her father had caved to her marriage threat?

I couldn’t think about what ifs, though, so I let my thoughts wander to my friends and Mistral. I pictured each of their faces in my mind, and my heart ached to see them again. While the thought exercise was a little painful, it strengthened my resolve to complete the task ahead of me and get back to them as soon as possible.

I would prove myself to Hawk Clan, and then they would help me get a ship so I could return to my friends. I wouldn’t accept any alternative other than success.

My eyes grew heavy as my mind finally relaxed, and I drifted off into sleep.

I didn’t get to rest for very long, though, because I heard a familiar angry hiss echo through my consciousness as soon as my eyes had closed.

Utuni.

I sensed the Archon had escaped her confines within my consciousness, and I scanned the area around me for the hostile goddess. Then I pulled on the bond between the Archons and me, and I quickly realized Miralea had also broken out of the locks that restrained her.

Had my days of constant travel weakened my mental cages?

I looked around while I prepared for an ambush, and I saw that I stood in an empty, dark room, and clouds of red and green twirled around the edges of my awareness.

“Sera! Phi!” I called out to my winged Archons through the bond between us, and in the next moment, they appeared at my sides.

“They’ve grown stronger,” Sera noted, and her black feathers bristled with eager anticipation as she steeled herself for the fight we both knew was ahead of us.

“I’m bored with playing jailor, Gryff,” Phi pouted, and her red eyes gleamed with bloodlust. “I want to make them suffer.”

“Oh, they will suffer,” I assured my white winged Archon, and I gathered my will as I prepared for the attack.

No matter how strong they became, I knew I would be able to defeat them again.

Then the colorful tendrils of smoke parted, and Utuni leapt at me from the edge of my awareness with a blood chilling screech of rage. The snake goddess slashed at me with sharp nails, but I ducked beneath her arms and stepped to the side with split second instincts.

Utuni’s snake tail twisted as she whirled on me with a vicious snarl. Her straight black hair swung crazily around her face, and the broken remains of her golden circlet slid down her forehead haphazardly.

I eyed her carefully as I waited for her move, then I spotted the telltale quiver in her leg and sprung into motion.

I straightened to my full height in the same breath that the Archon lunged at me, and I struck her with the blunt force of my will. Utuni fell backward from the impact of my attack and screamed with red hot fury as she skidded along the floor.

I caught my breath and gathered my resolve.

With my next breath, I saw Utuni creep forward out of the shadows with cautious, but determined steps. The Archon circled me, and her eyes locked onto mine with a cold, malicious glare.

“Give it up, Utuni,” I taunted the snake goddess. “You’ll never defeat me. I was stronger than you in Umo Portana, and I’m stronger than you now.”

“Ignorant mortal boy,” Utuni hissed and narrowed her eyes. “You cannot comprehend the power I possess.”

Then, almost as though to emphasize her words, her snake-like tail curled behind her and twined around her ankle before it flicked loose and returned to its side-to-side wave. I could see Utuni shaking with rage, and the gold rings around her wrists jingled with the motion.

“Maybe you’re the one who is ignorant,” I retorted as I turned in tandem with her circling path so I could keep her in my eyesight. “I have more power than you know. You’re the prisoner here, after all.”

“Your threats do not scare me,” Utuni responded and gave a low, menacing growl as she leapt with nails extended toward my throat.

I took advantage of the opening the predictable Archon left for me, and I clenched my fist and focused my will into it. With one swift movement, I dodged her attack, growled fiercely, and slammed my fist into her torso. I heard bones crunch beneath the force of my blow, and Utuni crumpled with a painful whimper.

I dropped my hand, and the snake goddess fell to the ground in a heap. Then I watched her closely for a long moment, but she didn’t move from where she’d collapsed. I hesitated to take my attention off the vengeful goddess of pride and ambition, but I sensed Phi and Sera struggling through the bond I shared with the winged Archons.

The two angel-like Archon sisters were in the throes of battle with Miralea, and even with two against one, the jaguar goddess had obviously grown stronger since the imprisoned Archons had last attacked me.

Miralea thrashed with her sharp claws and snapped at Sera and Phi with her fanged teeth gleaming. The jaguar goddess writhed against the Archons’ grasp and howled with an animalistic rage that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

My two angel Archons each held onto one of Miralea’s twisting arms, and they ripped at her skin with their long, dagger-like nails. Miralea screamed and twisted in pain, but only seemed to be renewed by the fresh surge of pain induced rage.

Suddenly, Miralea twisted and ripped an arm free from Phi’s grasp. The jaguar goddess wasted no time with the new freedom and slashed her nails in a deep slice across the blue-skinned Archon’s face.

Phi howled but instantly rebounded from the attack. The white winged Archon lunged forward and latched onto Miralea’s neck in a firm bite with her fanged teeth. Then she pulled back, and the skin on the goddess’ neck tore beneath Phi’s fangs.

Miralea howled and twisted as her blood sprayed on the blue-skinned Archon’s face. Phi grinned with delight, which revealed her blood coated fangs, and grasped the writhing jaguar goddess with renewed strength.

Sera glared at her sister as she slashed at the thorny vines that twisted defensively around Miralea’s entire body.

“At least you’re having fun,” Sera hissed, and Phi’s wings bristled angrily, but she was too busy restraining Miralea to respond.

It looked like they had Miralea under control for now, and I paused while I tried to decide my next move. I could go help my winged Archons finish dealing with Miralea, but that would be leaving me vulnerable to a surprise attack from Utuni.

No, I needed to handle Utuni before I dealt with Miralea. So, with that settled, I returned my focus to where I stood over the snake goddess’ crumpled form.

But Utuni was not where I’d left her.

I scanned the area around me and searched the red smoky plumes for any sign of her, but I couldn’t find her anywhere.

Shit. I’d been distracted, and now the angry Archon had a slight advantage. I could still sense her consciousness, so I knew she remained my prisoner, but it made me uneasy as I waited for her next move.

I didn’t have to wait long, though. The ambitious goddess didn’t know when to quit, and I knew what was coming as soon as I heard her ferocious battle cry from behind me.

I smirked as I prepared my attack.

When would Utuni learn a new move? Had she used hordes and armies for so long she didn’t know how to fight with her hands?

The snake goddess was a fierce opponent, but I’d fought against her enough times now that I’d studied her patterns. I knew without a shadow of a doubt she would lunge at me with her full force behind her upper body.

Just as I’d expected, Utuni pounced at me from behind, and her feet left the ground as she reached for me with her fingers curled into sharp claws.

I waited until the last possible moment, since I was determined to make this hit count, and my eyes locked onto her already damaged ribs.

I dodged her attack by dropping into a squat, and I twisted around quickly as Utuni’s fingers snapped through the empty air above me. Then, with my next breath, I pushed up with my legs and threw out a punch and a blast of my will directly into the snake goddess’ torso.

She howled in pain and fell to the ground with a hard thump, but this time, I didn’t give the vicious snake goddess a moment to catch her breath.

“You’re not going anywhere.” I reached Utuni in three long strides and grabbed her wrist to twist her around onto her back.

The snake goddess hissed and struggled furiously against my grasp, but I managed to flip her onto her back and straddled her across her chest. I sat down hard on her torso, and Utuni gasped out as her broken ribs slashed against her insides. Then I restrained her arms beneath my knees and glared down at Utuni.

“Give up, Utuni,” I repeated.

“Never!” Utuni spat and twisted with all her might. “I will die before I submit to you!”

I knew she was secured in my grasp, but I was sick of these mental battles when I was trying to sleep. Rage pulsed through my veins, and I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth as Utuni struggled against me.

A part of me wanted to punch her in the face over and over again until she stopped moving, but I took a deep breath and calmed down my rapid heartbeat. Then I gathered up my will and used it to drag Utuni’s writhing body back into her cage.

I secured the locks and shields once again, and I panted when the task took more energy than it had in the past.

Was that a consequence of the imprisoned Archons’ growing strength?

Whatever had caused the extra strain on my power was a question for another day. Utuni was secured for now, so I turned my focus back to Phi and Sera and their fight against the jaguar goddess.

My two winged Archons herded the wounded Miralea toward her own cage, and the jaguar goddess was hunched on all fours as she desperately tried to escape them. Phi and Sera lunged at the jaguar with furious slashes of their clawed nails, and the orange eyed Archon already bled from numerous cuts all over her body.

Miralea hissed and swiped at the sisters with her claws, but they merely jumped away from her attack as Phi leapt forward with another slash of her long nails.

I stood behind my winged Archons and added my power to theirs as we shoved Miralea back into her cage. Then I secured the locks and shields restraining the jaguar goddess within my consciousness and dusted off my hands.

With both hostile Archons safely stowed away in their crates, I turned to face the goddess sisters and shot my winged Archons a pleased smile.

“That went well,” I observed.

Phi rolled her eyes, but Sera’s yellow gaze gleamed with amusement.

“They grow stronger every day, Gryff,” Sera admitted reluctantly. “I have already warned you this is not a permanent solution.”

“If they couldn’t work together, it would be easy to gang up on one of them,” Phi pouted.

“I know, I know.” I shook my head and pondered their words. “I need to subdue one of them as soon as possible, then use their powers against the other one.

“You’ve said that before,” Phi complained in a whiny tone. “How much longer is it going to take? I am bored with fighting stupid, lesser Archons.”

“Enough, sister,” Sera hissed and rolled her eyes. “Can you stop acting like a petulant child for one second?”

“I’ll handle it,” I assured my Archons and frowned thoughtfully.

I wasn’t sure how I would handle it just yet, but I knew I would figure something out.

I had to.

“Mmmm … ” Sera moaned lustfully, and I snapped out of my thoughts as a thrill of pleasure shot up my spine in response to her tone. “I just love it when you handle things, Gryff.”

A moment later, she was by my side and pressed her soft breasts against my shoulder as her hand twined through my fingers. She leaned forward and breathed in my ear, and goosebumps erupted down my arms at the sensation.

“Control yourself, sister.” Phi sniffed with disapproval, then gave me a look full of longing herself as she licked her lips. “After all, Gryff prefers a more innocent approach from his lovers.”

I swallowed hard, and my eyes flicked from one Archon to the other as I grinned at their predictable banter.

Sera tossed her head, and her long, shiny black locks fluttered across her pale skin as she rolled her eyes.

“Gryff prefers someone a little out of control,” Sera chuckled and revealed rows of sharp fangs. “He appreciates a woman who knows what she wants.”

I licked my lips as my mouth watered instinctively.

“Now, now, ladies,” I interrupted their verbal sparring match with an easy-going smile, and I held up my hands in an attempt to calm them. “Let’s just agree to disagree for now and try to get along.”

Fighting against the angry goddesses wasn’t at the top of the list of my favorite kind of dreams, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t still turn this into a good dream.

Before I could act on the sudden urge to explore Sera and Phi’s bodies with my hands and mouth, though, I felt a tug on my consciousness and frowned as I followed it to figure out what had happened.

There was no way the hostile Archons would be able to break the locks again so soon, was there?

Next thing I knew, I was awake in my bed, and I stared up into Freya’s eyes as she straddled my chest.

Chapter 7

“What happened?” I gasped when I realized I was awake. I was sprawled on the low bed in the dwelling I’d been given yesterday. The room was dark, but I could see the glow of coals in the firepit, and the open roof above me let in the predawn light, so I could see fairly well.

Freya perched on my chest with her feet on either side of my ribcage, and the blonde shapeshifter peered down at me with her big, bird-like eyes. She wore a fur lined cloak over a simple gray shirt tucked into tight fitting leather breeches. The warrior woman’s body heat pressed against me, and my own body responded to her presence.

Freya tilted her head and blinked at me with her brows furrowed in curiosity. Then she smiled and hopped off me to stand beside the bed.

“You were muttering in your sleep,” the hawk woman informed me with a shrug. “You said such strange things … I thought you might be sick.”

Maker … Had I been talking during my dream interactions with the Archons?

I swallowed hard and eyed the warrior princess cautiously as I prepared for the worst. My eyes flicked down to the dagger at her side, and my Academy trained reflexes snapped into focus. I knew I could overpower the hawk woman if I needed to, but she didn’t move to attack me, so I stayed frozen and watchful.

How much had she heard? Had I spoken in her language or Mistral? Even if I’d spoken in her language, would Freya have understood anything, anyway? What did this woman know of Archons, or even the Shadowscape?

Questions raced through my mind, but I reminded myself of the things I did know. I’d observed even more than the shapeshifter had told me directly, and I was starting to piece together an idea of Freya’s culture.

I didn’t get the feeling rifts and monster attacks happened very often in these lands. Which, so far, had worked out in my favor. I already had more than enough to deal with without having to fight off hordes of monsters at the same time. This fact made it more difficult to show the reclusive people of Hawk Clan that I was one of the good guys, though.

Normally, I would just show up at a rift, take care of the issue, and whoever lived nearby would see that and thank me for saving their lives. It was a little bit different without my monsters, but for now, it was a price I was willing to pay.

Freya didn’t elaborate on my sleep induced mutterings, and the blonde shapeshifter appeared more curious than alarmed, so I shook off my concerns and gave her a wry smirk.

“You were watching me sleep?” I arched an eyebrow up at her as I stretched and shook the sleep from my arms.

“Well, no … ” Freya blushed, and her eyes flicked briefly down my body before they returned to my face. I could barely see the small flecks of gold glittering in her brown eyes, but the internal battle the stoic warrior woman fought was obvious. “I came to wake you up, and … ”

She really was cute when she was flustered.

Her words trailed off into silence, and I chuckled when I realized that was the only explanation Freya would offer. So, I shook my head and swung my legs over the edge of the bed as I sat up.

“I’m awake now,” I replied. “What’s going on?”

“Oh.” Freya’s eyes widened as she remembered why she’d woken me up in the first place. Then she cleared her throat quietly and resumed the hard tone and guarded frown I’d grown accustomed to. “The first trial is starting. You need to come with me.”

“The first trial?” I asked as I stood up and did a quick sweep down my body to straighten my shirt, adjust my bandolier, and checked that my daggers were still secured at my side. I’d passed out without even bothering to get undressed, which I supposed was a good thing considering how I’d woken up with Freya watching me. Lastly, I ran my hands through my hair, untangled a couple knots, and pushed it back away from my face.

That was just about as presentable as I was going to be without getting a shower or a bath of some kind. It didn’t bother me, though. I’d grown up in the Wilds, and I’d spent many years travelling around Mistral doing odd jobs. With a life like that, hot showers were a luxury I often didn’t have.

“Yes,” Freya responded with a nod, and then she turned to the small cupboard on the other side of the room. She talked while she rifled through the little kitchen and gathered up ingredients and tools. “The Warrior’s Test consists of three trials. They are designed to assess a warrior’s breaking point and beyond. Many have died while attempting to prove their worth, and the unworthy shame their clan with failure.”

Freya pulled the antler hilted dagger from her side, and she twirled it in her hand as she deftly chopped some vegetables into small chunks and tossed them in a small iron pan. Then the blonde shapeshifter attacked the chunk of meat with the same deft movements, and the pan quickly filled with the pile of food.

“I’ve passed my fair share of dangerous tests already. Back at the Academy in Mistral there was a test where a student died, and I’ve been on the Monster Response Squad for a while now.” I shrugged. “Basically, I’m familiar with danger.”

“Father expects you to die,” she said bluntly and flashed me a concerned look over her shoulder as she grabbed the water skin. “You have no Gift, so it will be more difficult for you than for others.”

“I have my monsters,” I replied with a small frown. Then I turned to the task of making a fire. “I have plenty of power.”

Even though the topic was intense, it was still nice to go about the simple tasks of making food with someone while we talked. Once I had the left over coals burning in big flames over the new tinder, I made a little ledge of coals to fit Freya’s pan of diced food.

“You gave your word,” Freya reminded me with a sharp expression. “You cannot call the shadow beasts in my land.”

She didn’t sound upset, more like she understood I would still argue my point even if I’d agreed to keep my monsters hidden. Well, I’d told her I wouldn’t summon my monsters, but she didn’t know I’d added “where you can see” under my breath.

“I won’t,” I reassured her and chuckled. “I’m just saying, I’ve been in a few tricky situations, with and without my monsters, and there hasn’t been anything I couldn’t handle so far.”

Freya sprinkled some dried herbs and seasonings over the top of the chunky stew and returned everything to the cupboard with quick, efficient movements. Then she brought her prepared meal over to the fire, and she gave me a grateful smile when she noticed the bed of coals I’d gotten ready.

“You do seem to carry your own weight,” Freya noted in an amused tone. She settled the pan over the heat of the coals and gave it a small stir with a long wooden spoon to disperse everything evenly, then braced her spoon against the rock boundary and turned to face me. “You would be wise to eat as much as possible before we leave. You will need a lot of energy today.”

“What exactly am I doing today?” I questioned the warrior princess, but she gave me a vague shrug with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

I frowned as I imagined a hundred different scenarios that could test a warrior’s endurance and skill. I would find out soon enough, though, so I shrugged off my gnawing doubts and committed myself to taking it step by step. I’d proven myself so many times at this point, I could probably complete these trials in my sleep.

It didn’t take long for the water in the little pan to start boiling, and then the aroma filled my nose with an exotic blend of spicy and savory. My mouth watered with anticipation as I waited for the vegetables to soften and the broth to thicken. Freya poked at the stew a few times before she announced it was done, and she used a corner of her cloak to grab the hot handle and carried the meal back to the little counter.

The blonde shapeshifter returned a moment later with a steamy bowl of chunky stew in a thick, brown sauce. Then we grabbed some of the large, firm pillows from the pile I’d shoved them into and sat down near the fire to enjoy the meal.

I hungrily gulped down one bowl in seconds and almost moaned in delight as I tasted the combinations of the meat, vegetables, and seasonings Freya had added. It was unlike anything I’d ever tried before, but also comforting in its familiar stew like form. I crossed the room and scooped another serving into my bowl, but this time I took more time to savor the different flavors. There was something spicy about it that made my nose drip, but then a mellow sweetness followed that created a perfect balance of flavors.

After we finished eating, I doused the fire and grabbed the wool cloak from the foot of the bed. I glanced around the dwelling, and the habitual motion reminded me of leaving my dorm room on the way to class. I chuckled to myself at how out of place the old gesture felt in this unfamiliar landscape. Then I turned to follow Freya out into the courtyard.

The hum of flying shapeshifters was less intense this early in the morning than it had been yesterday when thousands of the hawk people had flown overhead, but I still heard the unmistakable sound of wings.

Freya headed toward the stairs we’d climbed the day before, and it suddenly struck me that I hadn’t seen her fly since I’d first met her. The other inhabitants of Eyrie Island did not seem as restrained with their power and flew around like they didn’t even have legs.

Did she walk for my benefit?

“You really won’t tell me about the life-threatening test I’m about to face?” I teased Freya as she walked ahead of me.

“My father will likely give a speech on the boat.” Freya shrugged. “Why waste my breath saying all the same things?”

“So,” I chuckled, “we are getting on a boat. That’s a hint, at least.”

Freya cast an amused glance at me over her shoulder.

“That’s the only one you’ll get.” Her eyes were bright and reflected the growing light coming in from the open peak. “Come on, I’m sure the others are waiting for us by now.”

After a moment of silent walking, we passed the dwelling where we’d spoken to Chief Fenrir. I glanced in the windows out of curiosity, but couldn’t make out anything in the shadowy interior.

Is this where Freya lived? Or was she old enough to have a dwelling of her own?

I didn’t know what the family structure was like in Hawk Clan, but if it was anything like the other lands I’d visited, I was certain the princess would be kept close to her father. Neither Freya or Vahla had mentioned a mother, which made me wonder if there was a reason for that.

The princess didn’t offer up any more conversation as we continued the downward climb to the dock, so I entertained myself with observations of the village.

I felt more confident in myself than I had before as we crossed the wobbly rope bridge. I even took the opportunity to get a good glimpse of the village from the high vantage point.

I peered up at the opening at the top of the mountain and attempted to gauge the distance across. Smoke curled up in thick columns from the countless dwellings and billowed out the opening. The edges of the cliff wall were dark with soot and smoke stains in the levels higher up. I couldn’t make out a lot of details on the upper levels from this distance, but they seemed to be dirtier, shabbier, and more haphazardly built.

As the mountain widened, the levels grew more elaborate and extensive. I noticed a line of shops where the people of Hawk Clan flitted in and out of stone arches painted in various colors. I watched as a male shapeshifter exited a building on a high level across the gap from me, and he waved to someone inside before he walked to the edge of the stone path, kicked off into the air, and shifted into bird form faster than my eyes could track. The raptor had a cloth sack clasped in his curled talons, and he swooped past me with so much speed my hair flew back away from my face.

These people were incredible, and it was just about all I could do not to stare with my jaw open. I controlled myself, though, and I kept a neutral, but curious look on my face as I followed Freya down the stairs.

As we descended the final set of steps, I could see the looming form of Chief Fenrir as he stood with his back to us and spoke with several people of Hawk Clan who crowded the dock. I took a moment to observe Freya’s people. Then I spotted Freya’s sister, Vahla, and the younger princess stood with one hand resting on a cocked hip and grinned with obvious eagerness.

Most of the people of Hawk Clan had the same dark tanned skin as Vahla, although I noticed some shapeshifters who were paler, but Freya’s skin tone was still lighter than anyone else I’d seen so far. All of the shapeshifters were dressed in similar looking tan leather breeches and simple leather tunics. A few wore cloaks around their shoulders, but no one appeared cold regardless of the icy bite in the air. I didn’t see any of the embellishments I’d noticed on Freya’s war tunic on their clothes, and in comparison to the clan’s day to day garb, the princess’ war tunic stood out even more in my memory.

Fenrir heard our approach and turned to greet his daughter, and every pair of eyes on the dock locked on my face. I saw a few scowls and more than one glare, but I ignored the hostile expressions and kept my face blank.

I hadn’t expected a warm reception from the people of Hawk Clan, and I knew their attitudes would change after they saw what I could do.

“Ah, Freya, at last.” Chief Fenrir raised his eyebrows as he spoke to his daughter, but his eyes glimmered with the hint of a smile. “We have been waiting.”

“I’m sorry we are late, Father.” Freya inclined her head but didn’t return his smile. “I made sure our guest was provided with food before the trial started.”

Then she stepped to the side and gestured me forward.

“Good morning, Chief Fenrir,” I greeted the tall man with a friendly smile, and I held my back straight as I stepped into the chief’s view and met his eyes with firm resolve.

“Gryff of Mistral,” the chief replied with a steady gaze. “Are you ready for the first trial?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” I shrugged and smirked. “Still not sure what sort of trial I’m ready for, though.”

“All things in good time, foreigner,” the tall chief chuckled. “I would not be so eager to die, if I were you.”

“Good thing I don’t plan on dying today, then,” I countered in a confident tone, and I saw Freya struggle to restrain a smile out of the corner of my eye.

The chief narrowed his eyes but didn’t argue, then the shapeshifter turned and spoke to the entire group.

“We will take two boats to Miste Island. The foreigner will ride with me.” Chief Fenrir jerked his head in my direction, and I straightened my shoulders as twenty pairs of eyes scanned over me. Then the tall hawk man turned his eyes to the warrior who Vahla had been speaking to. “Trjegul will captain the other ship.”

The man he’d indicated puffed out his chest and gave the chief a firm nod to acknowledge the assignment.

I eyed the warrior man Fenrir had picked to captain one of the boats with curiosity. Trjegul stood with a straight back and a raised chin, and despite the obvious stature he held within the clan, he appeared to be fairly young. The hawk-man wore a sleeveless white shirt that exposed his thick, muscular arms, and he had long, dark hair he wore pulled back at the nape of his neck.

“Alright, Hawk Clan,” Fenrir announced in a booming voice that echoed through the hollow mountain peak. “Let’s load up and head out!”

With that settled, the people standing on the dock scrambled into motion and quickly dispersed themselves between the two boats closest to where we stood. From the quick glance I’d given the long sailboats tied to the dock, each boat could hold twenty people. Trjegul, Vahla, and ten others climbed into one boat, and the rest quickly clambered in to the other, which I assumed would be the vessel I rode in.

When Fenrir, Freya, and I were the only ones still on the dock, Freya shot me an encouraging smile and followed her father to the boat with fewer occupants, and she beckoned for me to follow after her. So, I climbed over the edge of the hull and made my way past the eight hawk people already seated to join Freya and Fenrir in the bow.

I heard a low scoff as I passed by a shapeshifter near the mast, but when I glanced back to confront the hostile warrior, I was met with a blank stare. I flashed an exaggerated smile at the silent hawk man and continued forward without a word.

The shapeshifters would see who I was soon enough.

Besides, I felt the familiar thrill of a challenge take hold of me. I almost preferred the automatic animosity I sensed from the people of Hawk Clan, since it would make it much more enjoyable when I got the chance to show them what a Mistral mage was really capable of.

Yessss, Sera moaned. Show these barbarians what power you are truly capable of! Make them quiver in fear before you.

I didn’t plan on making them afraid of me, though, since my goal was to get their help, so I ignored the dark-winged Archon and focused on the trial ahead of me.

The boat lurched forward as a warrior in the stern pushed off from the dock with a long pole, and we moved toward the cliffside archway with short, jerking movements. I sat down on the plank bench closest to the bow, and Freya sat beside me. Chief Fenrir stood in front of us and kept a steadying hand on the carved bird shaped figurehead on the tip of the boat, and he called out directions to the man in the stern.

After a moment, we passed beneath the archway and pushed out of Eyrie Island into the ocean. The waves immediately whipped at the boat, the small vessel heaved and bobbed in the water, and I bumped against Freya as the motion jostled me. The warrior at the rudder stashed the long pole, and at the same moment, another hawk-man near the mast unfurled the sail.

With the teamwork of multiple hands, the boat quickly leveled out and moved forward to catch the wind, and then we were skimming through the water. The tip of the boat angled to the left from the entrance to Eyrie Island, and we headed in a direction I hadn’t been able to see yesterday.

I looked back to see six of the hawk warriors had grabbed paddles and were pushing into the water to boost the speed of the wind in the sail. Behind our boat, I saw Vahla standing in the bow of the second boat, while Trjegul held the rudder. The young woman held a similar stance as Chief Fenrir, and I couldn’t help but smile at the resemblance between the two.

Freya, on the other hand, seemed out of place in more than one way in comparison to the rest of her family, and I observed the stone-faced woman subtly out of the corner of my eye. The warrior princess hadn’t returned the same warmth her family had greeted her with, but I knew Freya’s people were important to her.

Chief Fenrir cleared his throat and pulled me out of my thoughts. Then he spoke loud enough for the entire boat to hear, and likely even the boat behind us as well, but he looked at me as he talked.

“We head to Miste Island for the first trial in the Warrior’s Test,” he explained. “Gryff of Mistral seeks to prove his worth to the goddess, or to serve her in death if he fails.”

I could tell from his somber tone that the second option was his expectation, and I fought the urge to argue. Instead, I just bit my tongue and listened in silence as he continued since I needed to hear about the task ahead of me before I could really start preparing myself.

“The first trial is the Climb,” Fenrir continued. “Reach the summit and return with a golden eagle feather. If you fall, you fail the test. If you give up and return without the feather, you fail the test. If you die--”

“I fail the test?” I couldn’t help but interject with a smirk, and the chief glared at me as his jaw snapped shut mid-word.

Freya inhaled sharply beside me, but didn’t say anything.

“Yes,” he grunted out in confirmation, then he cleared his throat and returned to his speech. “If you fail the test but survive, you will leave Hawk Clan territory and never return. I will not let your failure bring shame to my people.”

“And when,” I responded with emphasis, “when I complete the trial, you will help me get a ship from Skara.”

A murmur of surprise passed between the hawk warriors behind me, but I kept my eyes on Fenrir.

“One trial is not enough to prove your worth,” Fenrir countered. “I agreed to help you if you completed all three.”

“Alright, then.” I shrugged. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to get your help, but I appreciate you giving me your word.”

Fenrir huffed, and his eyebrows creased into a frown, but when he didn’t speak again, I realized the explanation was over.

So, I’d climb up a mountain and grab a feather. No big deal.

I settled into a more comfortable spot and crossed my arms as I turned my gaze to the water ahead. Then I mentally ran through everything I knew about climbing mountains, but I knew I worked best when I didn’t overthink, so after a moment, I tried to empty my mind and focused on reserving my energy.

We sailed in relative silence after that, but the grunts of the warriors behind me and the staccato splash of their paddles hitting the water created a steady soundtrack to the journey. We’d travelled for less than an hour, and the sun had barely risen above the horizon, when a cold shadow fell over the boat, and I looked up at the towering spire of a rocky island.

The monstrous, jagged peak jutted a hundred feet out of white-foamed waves like a large fang growing out of the ocean, and the entire island seemed to lean precariously to one side. The gray colored rock looked somber under the pale sky, and the fog that blanketed the ocean all around the island added an ominous atmosphere to the air. The peak of the giant tower of rock was hidden in thick clouds, and I squinted as I tried to make out more details from this distance.

Ice and stalactites dangled down the sheer rock edge, but closer to the base I saw a few scraggly trees clinging to the slope of the ridge. The trunks spiked out from the cliff wall like thorns on a vine, but about a hundred feet up the side of the rock spire, all vegetation stopped, and I couldn’t see anything but rock and ice.

Beyond the small island, I spotted several other small islands, some no more than boulders, while others were wide and flat, but the island directly in front of us was by far the tallest. All of the isles appeared to consist of the same gray rock as the island we sailed toward, and I only noticed a few with trees or vegetation of any kind.

I shivered in the shadow of the peak, pulled my wool cloak tighter around my shoulders, and eyed the obstacle before me thoughtfully.

This might be a little harder than I had thought.

Hmph! Phi scoffed. I could fly to the summit in ten minutes.

It would take you that long? Sera mocked her sister. I could do it in half that time with Gryff in my arms.

I barely registered the bickering Archons and stayed focused on analyzing the island as much as I could before I had to climb it. I had a broader view from this distance, and once I was against the slope, I would need as much information as I could get.

Freya bumped her shoulder against me and pulled me out of my thoughts. She held her lips in the same tight line as usual, but I detected a shimmer of worry in her gold-flecked eyes.

“Be careful,” the princess warned in a soft voice, “and go slow. You do not have wings to catch you if you fall.”

“How long does it usually take?” I asked and eyed the sun’s position.

“A long time.” She frowned. “The moon was high overhead when I finished, but there have been people who completed this trial faster than that. No one can finish before sunset, though, and it is much harder to climb down in the dark.”

“All day, huh,” I said and I glanced around the boat. “No one brought any food?”

“No one will eat during your trial,” Freya explained. “We will all fast until we return to the village. If you succeed, we eat. If you fail … ”

“No one gets dinner?” I finished her thought when her words trailed off.

“Basically.” Freya nodded with a frown, and the worry in her eyes grew stronger. “We fast during the trial, because until you return alive, we must assume you are dead. The Climb represents a journey into death and back, and success proves that the goddess has blessed you with the breath of life.”

“Well, I don’t plan on attending a funeral today,” I chuckled. “So, you better start planning what you’re going to have for dinner while I get this over with.”

The boat drew steadily closer to the island, and the air grew colder as we circled around it. On the other side where the curve of the slope rounded out into the ocean, a small mound of dirt extended out from the rock and created a small shore big enough to use as a dock.

Chief Fenrir stepped out of the boat and held it steady when the bow bumped against the island. Suddenly, Freya grabbed my hand and gave it a quick squeeze, and I stared at the stoic warrior woman in shock at the show of affection, and she blushed as she released my hand but didn’t say anything.

“Come forward, Gryff of Mistral,” Chief Fenrir commanded in a loud, ceremonial voice, “and face your trial.”

I swallowed hard but grinned eagerly at the chief as I stepped onto the island next to him. The ground was slick and muddy beneath my boots, and the waves sprayed me with a salty mist as I got my balance.

“We will watch from the boats, and retrieve your body when you fall into the water,” Fenrir intoned.

Maker, this guy really expected me to die today, didn’t he?

“Don’t hold your breath.” I smirked. “I’ll be back faster than a goblin can milk a goat.”

The hawk man blinked his dark eyes at me in confusion but didn’t respond, so I turned to the rock wall and rubbed my cold hands together to get my blood pumping. I watched over my shoulder as Chief Fenrir returned to the boat, and without him holding onto it, the waves pulled the small vessel away from the island.

When I was alone on the fang-shaped island, I pushed the people of Hawk Clan out of my mind and focused on the task at hand. Then I let out a low breath as my eyes traveled up the slope in front of me.

Why hadn’t I asked for some rope?

Now that I thought about it, no one had offered me any climbing tools, so maybe that was against the rules. The shapeshifters had wings and talons in their bird forms, after all. I didn’t have their shapeshifting powers, though, so I would have to make do with what I did have, which included the strength of my body, my Archons, and my monsters.

I frowned as the hawk people from the boats behind me returned to my thoughts. It would be difficult to summon monsters or Archons under their watchful gaze.

Priority number one right now was avoiding death, though, so I would do what I needed to do.

I took one last deep breath and strode toward the sheer rock wall. I noticed the cliff face wasn’t as smooth as it had appeared from further away, and now that I was close up, I saw it actually looked like a rough clump of boulders and jagged ledges.

I grasped the cold ledge over my head and heaved myself up as I started the climb. The ledge was cut deep enough into the rock that I could stand easily, and with the single move, I gained about six feet.

It wasn’t a lot, but it was a start.

The tower of rock was wider than it had appeared when I first saw it, too. It had looked like a skinny tower of stone, but at the base it was actually pretty wide. It curved on out over the ocean on one side, and I assumed a millennia of water erosion had eaten away at the island before the fang shape was established.

I climbed from the ledge to a group of rock outcroppings with small careful movements. When I had a firm grasp on a new position, I shifted one foot before I pushed my weight up and grabbed a crack higher above my head. I continued like this for a while, and when the wind whipped at me with more strength, I paused and took stock of my position.

I was already about twenty feet up the slope. The people of Hawk Clan were still visible behind me, but they were too far away now for me to make out facial expressions. My direction had angled sideways slightly, too, so now I was to the right of the muddy shore I’d started at.

My hands were already stiff from the cold, and I carefully freed one hand at a time to blow my warm breath into each fist while I planned my next move. The dampness of my breath made my palms sweaty, though, so I made sure to wipe them on my shirt before getting a secure hold on the wall again.

My mind was empty as I pushed aside everything except the next hold, the next step. It wasn’t long before sweat began to drip down my back, and I gained an appreciation for the refreshing chill of the wind. Academy trained muscles instantly responded to my every command, and a grin grew across my face as I relaxed into the activity. With each movement, I edged further away from the boats until the people below me were completely hidden behind the curve of the spire.

As I moved in a sideways angle, I circled about halfway around the circumference of the spire. I climbed up the curve as it sloped over the water and clung to a large stalactite with my hair dangling out behind me. My pulse pounded in my ears, and my fingertips ached from holding the weight of my body.

Suddenly, my hand slipped off the icy crack above me, and I had to scramble to catch my grip. The rock beneath one of my feet crumbled with the movement, and I gasped as my legs dangled over the water for a heartbeat before I regained my foot hold. The ocean thrashed below me, and I shivered as I realized how close I’d come to plummeting into the icy water. I was only about thirty feet up, so I would have survived the fall, but it would still count as failure.

Failure wasn’t an option for me, though, so I clenched my teeth and gathered my resolve.

This would be so easy if I could summon a monster to help me. I pictured my baroquer erupting out of the ocean and climbing the peak in a few quick steps, while the shapeshifters gasped in shock and terror from their tiny ships. I grinned despite myself at the ridiculous thought. No matter how tempting it was to show off one of my larger monsters and make quick work of this climb, if the shapeshifters saw me summon anything, they wouldn’t help me get to Skara.

I ran through my inventory of monsters as I tried to think of a plan while I clung to the side of the cliff. None of my larger monsters would work, since even at this distance they would be visible from the water. The bullet bass was probably my smallest monster, but I didn’t think metallic armor would help me much in this situation. The bullet bass was a very handy summons to keep on hand, but it would be harder to climb if I was weighed down with armor.

The sun was high overhead now, and I frowned as I realized how much time had already passed while I’d been climbing. I needed to speed this up.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me as I circled back to my strange metallic fish monster.

What was so different about the bullet bass that allowed it to transfer its power to me and other entities? None of the other monsters I owned could do that, could they?

I worked my jaw muscle with my teeth clenched as I thought this over. Then an idea began to form, and a thrill of excitement ran down my spine. I’d never heard of any summoner using monsters like this, but I’d learned that long ago with the bullet bass. I’d had a tendency to shock people with my unusual combinations and out of the box use of my monsters’ powers.

Before I’d defeated the Fire-Eye in Ralor’s Stead, most of the people back in Mistral had never even seen a summoner use monsters to fight. I’d proven to the Academy that summoners could do more than menial labor, just like I would prove to the Hawk Clan I was worthy of their help.

I had to try it.

So, I heaved a steadying breath of the thin, cold air and carefully removed one hand from the cliff wall to retrieve a crystal from my bandolier. With the next breath, I smashed the crystal against the rock wall, and before my arachness had even fully materialized, I gave her the command to stay out of sight. The large spider-like monster scrambled out onto the cliff wall above me and quickly grasped the sheer slope with her agile spider legs.

I scanned the water below us, but didn’t see either one of the boats, so it was safe to assume the shapeshifters couldn’t see me either. I’d remained undetected for now, so I returned my attention to my monster.

My arachness seemed at ease on the rocky terrain and waited patiently for my next command. I peered up at her feet and noticed how they were covered in hairs that gripped the slick rock. That would definitely come in handy on this climb.

Well, here went nothing.

I held my breath as I gathered my will and commanded the spider-like monster to extend her powers to me the way I did with my bullet bass. Then I stared in shock as my arms began to morph into chitinous appendages covered in thousands of tiny hairs. I could sense the texture of the rock beneath me with enhanced awareness as the tiny hairs covering the ends of my spider arms wiggled and clung to the icy stone. I looked down and realized I’d also grown additional limbs along my torso that strengthened my hold. The four additions were smaller than my arms and legs, and I wondered if that was a consequence of having nothing to shape them out of other than magic.

“What in the Maker’s name … ” I muttered as my heart skipped a bear.

I hadn’t expected that.

While the new limbs would increase my climbing abilities, it would also be very hard to explain to the shapeshifters if they saw me with extra legs. The people in this area were accustomed to seeing humans shift into animal forms, but as far as they knew, I was a normal human. With how territorial and violent the island clans were, I doubted they would handle my new powers very well.

I quickly scanned my perimeter, but I couldn’t see the boats anywhere. I was out of sight for now, but I would have to stay that way if I didn’t want to have to explain myself. I would just have to get the hard part over with as fast as I could before the boats circled around again. From what I’d observed before I started the climb, the people watching would expect me to climb up the opposite slope and not up the underside of the curve. Plus, the hawk people had to at least partially physically transform to use their enhanced eyesight.

So, as long as I stayed on this side of the mountain, and as long as the Hawk Clan had no reason to shift, I would be safe for now.

With that decided, I turned my focus back to my experiment.

I hadn’t noticed a pull on my mana with the command, so I knew it would be easy to maintain the new powers for the remainder of the climb.

I tested my new limbs gingerly, half expecting them to falter and leave me scrambling to hold on again, but I barely had to think about holding on as my spider-like appendages moved under subconscious direction.

“Maker,” I breathed.

This was incredible.

My mind raced with excitement as I thought about all the ways I could use my new spider powers.

Could I paralyze someone with a look?

I laughed out loud, and the sound echoed off the rocky spire, but it was soon swallowed by the dense fog settling along the base of the mountain far below me. I couldn’t wait to get back to my team and tell my other summoner friends about this new ability.

With renewed energy, I pushed forward quickly and grinned as I raced to the summit. My arachness and I were almost completely upside down along the inside of the curve of the fang-shaped peak before I scurried up the edge and onto the top.

I hadn’t even noticed the bank of clouds I’d climbed through, but as I looked down from the summit, all I could see was the fluffy, gray-white clouds. At the peak, I noticed a small crater in the rock formation that led to a crevice that ran down the back side of the mountain.

And tucked inside the dip of the crater was what looked like an old, abandoned eagle’s nest.

I released my spider powers and squatted down low to minimize the pull of the wind. Without my arachness’ abilities, it was harder to keep my balance on the sloping summit, so I inched closer to the nest and grinned when I saw a feather stuck within the twigs and leaves. Then I grabbed it eagerly and secured it in my hip pouch.

It was still early in the afternoon, and I gave a satisfied sigh as I took a moment to sit and absorb the view from what felt like the top of the world. My lungs struggled in the thin air, but I didn’t care, and I shook my head in amazement as I processed what I’d just done.

Layla would wreak such havoc with her Keichim’s invisibility powers transferred to herself, and I smiled at the mental image of the petite summoner’s mischievous grin.

You are much more appealing with human limbs, Sera teased, but then her tone turned thoughtful. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Your power is stronger than even I realized, Gryff.

I grinned wider at the Archon’s words, but I would still need to experiment more before I was completely confident in my new found powers. For now, I pulled my shoulders back and prepared for the climb down.

I could celebrate more after I’d completed my current task.

With a wave of my will, I commanded my arachness to again transfer her spider-like appendages to me. The transformation happened slightly faster than it had the first time, and the immediate improvement was encouraging to my goal of mastering my new abilities. I’d reached the summit and retrieved the feather, so all that was left to do was to climb down without being seen.

Easy.

I decided to retrace my steps and go beneath the arching curve. I knew the hawk people would not expect me to climb on the more difficult side, so I assumed they would be less likely to watch it. My stomach lurched as I followed the curve of the summit and hung upside down from my eight spider legs, but I took a quick breath and shook off the disorienting feeling.

I angled my downward climb slightly sideways, and I aimed for the small mound of earth on the far side where I’d started out the day. I was shocked at how much distance I covered in only a few moments, and only a couple of hours had passed when I saw a couple of trees below me. I constantly scanned my perimeter for signs of the shapeshifters’ boats while I descended the slope, but hopefully it was still so early in the day that they wouldn’t be watching for me this far down yet.

I scurried into the shadow of a tree and wedged myself between the trunk and the rock wall, then recalled my arachness. My arms returned to their normal shape and size, and I was grateful for the tree at my back as my fingers slid over the slick rock wall in front of me.

I took a moment to carefully plan my trajectory from that point, but this had been the area that had been easiest to climb up, so I wasn’t worried about finding holds with my human hands.

The sun hovered over the horizon, but it looked like it was still a couple of hours before sunset. I’d climbed down in under an hour thanks to the spider legs.

Looked like we would be back on Eyrie Island in time for dinner after all.

I couldn’t restrain my wide smile as I clambered down the next ten feet and found myself back on that first ledge I’d climbed onto. I could see the two boats bobbing in the ocean, and I waved over my head to get their attention. Then I scanned the faces until I found Freya, and I couldn’t have predicted a better reaction if I’d tried.

Freya stared at me like she was looking at a ghost. Her jaw hung slack, and her round eyes were wide in shock.

I jumped down from the ledge into the mud on the shore as the hawk people paddled their boats up to the island’s edge. A shocked silence filled the air, and the sound of the wind snapping the small sails on the boat seemed to echo across the distance between us.

I had to duck my head to hide my grin when I noticed Chief Fenrir scowling darkly as he realized I was still alive.

I waited until the nose of the boat bumped into the water, and then I was face to face with the tall shapeshifter.

“I have completed your trial,” I declared and pulled out the golden eagle feather with a flourish. “One down, two to go.”

Chief Fenrir narrowed his eyes skeptically, took the feather from my hand, and looked at it closely, like he thought I’d made a fake.

“You have retrieved a feather from the summit,” Fenrir acknowledged reluctantly. “The goddess has approved of your journey into death and blessed you with the breath of life.”

I climbed into the boat with my head held high and looked each warrior who watched me in the eyes before I sat down next to Freya.

The blonde shapeshifter snapped her mouth shut as I sat down, like she’d only just realized she’d been gaping at me. Her eyes were still wide, though, and they burned into my face as she continued to stare silently at me.

“You okay?” I arched an eyebrow, and my mouth twitched as I fought to restrain the self-satisfied smile burning in my cheeks.

“You … You were so fast … ” Freya stuttered and shook her head in bewilderment. “When I saw you, I thought you had given up.”

“I’m not the kind to give up easily,” I replied with a cheerful smile.

“The sun hasn’t even set yet!” Freya gasped as she snapped out of her entranced stare and scanned the western horizon. “I don’t think anyone has ever finished the climb that quickly.”

“I am a fast climber, I guess.” I shrugged and bumped my shoulder against her. “Are you jealous that I’m faster than you?”

Freya snorted, and my eyebrows shot open at the uncharacteristic noise. She glanced at me sideways as she blushed, but her eyes still sparkled with obvious amazement.

“I was glad I finished the climb at all,” she replied after a moment. “I am not driven by the urge to be the best.”

“Well, that’s why I’m the best, I guess,” I teased the blonde shapeshifter and was pleased when she seemed to relax a little. “You’re not too far behind me, though. I’m sure with a little practice, you can climb as fast as me.”

The warrior princess rolled her eyes and didn’t respond, but she leaned against my shoulder as she turned her face to the water ahead of us.

Then the boat lurched beneath us as the paddles again pushed us through the water, and the bow of the boat turned as we angled back to the west toward Eyrie Island.

“I wouldn’t be so confident in yourself, Gryff of Mistral,” Chief Fenrir warned in an ominous tone from where he stood a few paces in front of me. His eyes swept over his daughter at my side before he regarded me with a hard glare. “The climb is only the first trial, and by far the easiest to complete. You have yet to fully prove your worth to Hawk Clan.”

“That climb was pretty easy.” I flashed a bright smile at the scowling chieftain. “I’m looking forward to actually working up a sweat with the next one. I’m ready for anything.”

And with my newly discovered powers, I was confident I could pass this Warrior’s Test with ease. Then Fenrir would have no choice but to help me steal a boat, and I’d be back in Mistral in no time at all.

Chapter 8

The return trip to Eyrie Island passed in a blur as I finally relaxed my tense muscles, and my small victory fully sank in. Freya pressed warmly against my arm, and she stared out at the ocean with unfocused eyes. The sun reached the horizon behind us, and as the sky deepened in color, the chill in the air sharpened.

Freya shivered when an icy blast of wind raked over the boat, and I automatically moved to wrap her inside my cloak. The blonde shapeshifter stiffened when I put my arm around her, and her face froze as she stared straight ahead at her father’s back, but I ignored her reaction on a hunch and pulled her closer against me into the warmth of my cloak.

The smallest gasp escaped Freya’s lips as she looked up at me in surprise. Her head fit perfectly in the crook of my shoulder, and her face was only a few inches away from me as she tilted her chin up to look into my eyes. Her gold-flecked eyes reflected the dying light as she looked at me, but I saw a smile lift a corner of her mouth.

Then Freya blinked and regained her composure as she set her lips in a firm line, but she didn’t pull away from me. The blonde shapeshifter shifted slightly, snuggled into my arm, and settled her weight against me. My pulse quickened as I felt her body heat pressing into my side, but I nestled my hand around her hip and reminded myself to relax.

After a while, the warrior princess fell asleep with her head resting against my chest. Her face softened as I watched her under the light of the rising moon, and my breath caught in my throat.

This crazy, wonderful, wild woman had threatened to marry me yesterday.

I chuckled under my breath as I thought about how much had happened since I’d been separated from my friends. No one would believe me when they heard about the crazy things I’d seen on my first solo adventure.

I stared into the water as I thought about my friends, and then my thoughts turned to my arachness and how I’d used her power to climb the fanged mountain. I scoured my memory for any mention of this method of transferring abilities, but I couldn’t recall ever learning about it in my studies at the Academy. I’d spent a lot of time devouring books from the enormous Academy library, and as a summoner, I’d naturally read just about everything I could on monsters and their powers.

Suddenly, the sight of Eyrie Island ahead pulled me out of my thoughts. I nudged Freya to wake her up, and the blonde shapeshifter yawned as she sat up and greeted me with a sleepy smile.

“Are we there yet?” she asked as she peered around and shuffled away from the shelter of my cloak. She gave a firm nod when her eyes noticed the island we approached, then she turned her focus to smoothing and straightening her hair and clothes. “Everyone will be so surprised we are back already.”

“Good surprised or bad surprised?” I laughed and smoothed out my own hair. If Freya expected people to stare, then I wanted to at least look presentable. I couldn’t help my mud streaked clothes, but I wasn’t worried about it. With what I’d learned about these people so far, it was likely common for the warriors to return muddy and tired after leaving for the day.

“Both,” Freya replied and straightened her back as she watched the archway hole get steadily closer.

A few moments later, we dipped below the hole in the cliff wall and slid into the dock of Eyrie Island. The moon was directly overhead and bathed the circular pool at the base of the mountain in a silver light through the hollow peak. The air was quiet and still, but as we neared the dock, most of the hawk people on the two boats jumped into the air, shifted into their bird forms, and flew off in different directions. Trjegul and Vahla, however, stayed with the second boat and worked together to secure it to the dock. Our boat bumped the rocky ledge a moment later, and Chief Fenrir stepped off and secured the tie in a few efficient movements.

I clambered off the boat and stamped my feet to ease the numbness from my legs while I waited for Freya. The warrior princess jumped nimbly from the boat to the dock, and then she rubbed her arms and cleared her throat to get her father’s attention.

“I’m going to escort Gryff to his dwelling,” she informed him in a firm voice.

Her father frowned and glanced at me briefly as if to argue, but then he sighed and met Freya’s hard eyes.

“Very well, Freya.” Fenrir nodded and then turned away from us and strode toward Vahla and Trjegul without another word.

I was too exhausted from the long day of climbing to question Freya about her coldness toward her father, so I followed her as she started up the stairs. Then a nagging thought tugged at me, and I couldn’t ignore it.

“Hey, Freya,” I said to the shapeshifter as she walked ahead of me, “why don’t you ever fly around the village?”

“Then you wouldn’t know where to go, foreigner,” she teased me over her shoulder. “I can’t just fly off and leave you to find your own way to bed, now can I?”

“So, it’s only because of me?” I asked and ignored her harmless teasing.

“Is that bad?” Freya questioned, and she turned to look at me with a worried frown. “I was trying to be polite, but I don’t know your customs.”

“No, no, nothing like that,” I reassured her and shook my head. Then I gave her my best smile and shrugged. “I was just curious, I don’t care what you do.”

Freya’s eyebrow twitched, but she turned, continued up the stairs, and didn’t respond.

We completed the rest of the walk in silence, and Freya paused at the courtyard in front of the small dwelling.

“Get something to eat before you fall asleep,” she advised, “the next trial starts at sunrise.”

“I don’t get a day to relax first?”

Before she could answer, I grabbed her hand and tugged until she stood with her chest pressed against mine.

Freya gasped, and her eyelids fluttered as her gaze leapt to my face.

I didn’t give her any time to process the shock to her nerves. Instead, I leaned down and brushed my lips lightly against hers. Then I smirked as I released the princess, and her eyes widened as her face flushed a vibrant pink.

Her hand shot to her lips as though my brief kiss had burned her, and she shivered as she regained her composure. Then she met my gaze with a tortured stare, and I could tell she was torn from the way her eyes darted like a caged animal while she fought an internal battle.

I would let her process her feelings, but I knew she felt something for me, and I couldn’t ignore the obvious chemistry. I was a patient person, and I enjoyed the building tension between us, so I was satisfied for now.

“Goodnight, Freya.” I smiled and bowed my head to the warrior princess, then I turned and headed into the shadowy dwelling without waiting for her response.

“Goodnight … Gryff … ” I heard her murmur softly before I ducked my head under the doorway with a satisfied grin.

Morning came too soon, and I groaned when Freya called out my name before she entered the dwelling. The single room living space didn’t give me any privacy, but I shrugged it off and got dressed in clean clothes without any complaints.

Freya’s neck burned with a crimson blush when she realized what I was doing, and she turned and busied herself with preparing some food until I was dressed.

I smirked as she handed me the cold breakfast, and I watched her swallow hard as her eyes scanned over my outfit before they returned to my face.

“Sorry.” I shrugged. “I can barely fit into the bathroom, and I ruined my other clothes on the rock wall yesterday.”

“It’s fine.” Freya shook her head and dismissed my apology, and then she focused her attention on her food.

Did she wait to eat so we could share a meal together?

After her declaration of marriage the day I’d arrived in her village, I was cautious not to give her the impression I intended to stay here, but I couldn’t help my attraction to the fierce warrior princess.

We ate in a silence heavy with the building tension between us, and when I’d finished, I quickly stood up and dusted off my hands.

“Alright,” I declared. “I’m ready to kick this trial’s ass.”

Freya rolled her eyes at me as she stood and piled our dishes on the counter, but the corners of her lips lifted slightly when she turned and led me out of the dwelling toward the stairs.

I didn’t even bother to ask her about what was expected of me today. Like the chief had said yesterday, all things in good time. So, I held my head high as we descended toward the dock and caught the gaze of more than one hawk person zooming by to get a better look at me.

The dock was covered in a crowded throng of people, and I saw Chief Fenrir’s dark head above the heads of the people who jostled around him and argued loudly. The chief held out his arms and motioned for everyone to step back, and the din of conversation quieted as the shapeshifters let him speak.

“I understand your curiosity,” Chief Fenrir spoke in a loud voice that echoed off the cavernous walls, and I watched a flock of birds take flight far above us. “However, I cannot allow everyone to witness the trial of the foreign man. The water dragon den is dangerous, even during the day, and bringing more people would only increase the risk.”

I heard a few cries of disapproval and muttered arguments about who should go, then the chief spoke again.

“Enough!” the clan leader bellowed, and the crowd instantly fell into a hushed silence. “We will only take one boat and ten warriors to witness the trial of the foreign man.”

As he began to bark out the chosen names, disappointed boos filled the air as those who were passed over voiced their displeasure and took off in a flurry of feathers, and by the time the chief had completed his list, only ten people stood on the dock.

I pondered why the chief had chosen these particular people while I looked over who was left. Some, like Freya, Trjegul, and Vahla, were obvious, but other than the people I could recognize, I couldn’t see the pattern for who the chief had picked.

Maybe it was completely random, or maybe there was something I didn’t notice, but I shrugged off the thought and refocused on the task ahead of me. In the end, it didn’t matter who went in the boat to watch me, but I was still happy Freya would be there.

It didn’t take long for the ten of us to climb into the boat and push out of the island’s entrance, and a few moments later, we were sailing around Eyrie Island toward the rising sun once again.

I sat next to Freya as I waited for Chief Fenrir to describe the second trial of the Warrior’s Test. The blonde shapeshifter kept her face blank and sat stiffly on her seat with her hands clasped together in her lap. She stared straight ahead and didn’t look at me for several moments while we sailed to the east. I started to worry that I’d pushed her too far last night, but then she glanced sideways at me, and a smile twitched across her face in a brief flash before she resumed her controlled expressionless stare.

I let her sit in silence, reassured that she didn’t harbor any hard feelings over my kiss, and cleared my mind as I watched the clouds skirting us on the horizon.

After we’d been travelling for about an hour, Chief Fenrir turned and faced everyone seated in the boat with a stern gaze.

“The second trial of the Warrior’s Test is dangerous not only for the warrior challenged, but for the witnesses, as well.” He let his words sink in as he regarded his people for a long moment. “To act recklessly endangers us all, so I urge you all to proceed with caution. The water dragons are sneaky beasts, and once they spot their prey, they refuse to relent until they have devoured it.”

“What are water dragons?” I interrupted and fought the urge to raise my hand for permission to speak.

“Large sea serpents with giant fangs and bloodthirsty eyes,” Vahla whispered loudly from behind me. “They build their nest on land and sleep during the day, then dive underwater to hunt at night.”

“So, what?” I asked and glanced from Freya to Fenrir to include them in my question. “I’m supposed to kill them or something?”

“No, nothing like that.” Freya smiled and shook her head. “It’s just passed their mating season, and the nest should be full of eggs.”

“Steal the egg from the water dragon’s nest, Gryff of Mistral,” Chief Fenrir finished the explanation with an air of finality. “If you manage to survive and return with an egg, you will have passed this trial.”

As he finished speaking, the boat drew close to a small island covered in evergreen trees and scattered with large boulders, and I noticed a small cove on the western side as we circled the rocky coastline.

“The nest will be up in that cove,” Freya said as her eyes followed mine while I scanned the shoreline. “We cannot get any closer than this, or the water dragons will feel the vibrations of the boat in the water. They are very sensitive and alert creatures, Gryff, so please be careful.”

“I’m always careful.” I gave her a confident smile and shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“I’m serious, Gryff.” Freya’s voice grew firm, and she gave me a hard look. “The water dragons aren’t the only danger, here. The water you must swim through is icy cold, and the waves are harsh, so you will have to swim hard and fast to get past the reef without being beaten to a pulp. This isn’t one of the trials commonly used, although tradition technically allows for it … but I’ve never even seen one of the eggs before, so I don’t know of anyone who has successfully completed this trial before.” She drew a quivering breath and regained her composure as she realized she’d started to raise her voice, but her tone showed her anxiety when she continued. “To attempt this task without any powers is unheard of, but you must survive, Gryff, you must!”

“Don’t worry, Freya,” I reassured the warrior princess, and her hard expression softened a little. “I’ll be back before you can climb a mountain.”

Impatience gnawed at me. I was ready to get it over with and move on to the third, and final, trial. Then the only thing standing between me and my friends would be getting a ship out of Skara. So, without waiting for any more words of advice from the princess or ritualistic words from the chief, I stood up and dived over the side of the boat and into the icy water.

The cold water snapped around me, and goosebumps prickled along my skin by the time I came up for air.

Freya stood and glared at me over the edge of the boat, and Fenrir blinked at me in surprise from behind her.

“I’ll be back in a little bit,” I said cheekily and waved at the boat full of people. Then I turned and began to swim through the choppy waves toward the small island cove. When I was about a hundred feet or so away from them, I paused and treaded water while I grabbed a crystal from my bandolier. My lungs burned from fighting the waves, and my body lurched in the water as I kicked my feet and held my position.

With my duvarku crystal clenched in my fist, I took a deep gulp of oxygen and ducked below the waves. Then I crushed the essence crystal and let the shards wash away into the water.

Before my green otter-like monster had completely manifested, I sent out the command to stay underwater and out of sight of the hawk eyes on the boat behind us. Then I gave the command for the single otter to split, and in the next moment, there were two identical otter-like monsters hovering in the water in front of me.

The green orbs that dangled from the appendage on their foreheads lit up the ocean water around us, and I analyzed their webbed feet and the gills on their neck as I decided how I wanted to do this.

First things first, I needed to breathe, so I sent out a wave of my will and commanded my monster to grant me its ability to breathe underwater. I instantly felt gills extend from my neck, and the sensation was incredibly strange, but I sighed in relief as the burn in my lungs vanished. Then I transferred the webbed feet and insulated layer of blubbery skin and felt myself become more and more comfortable beneath the waves as my body took on my monster’s powers.

I grinned when the transfer was complete and watched the bubbles escape my open mouth and rise in the water in front of my face.

This was so fucking awesome. As far as I knew, no summoner had ever done something like this.

My new ability changed everything.

Now, time to gather some eggs.

I returned my focus to the water around me and pushed forward toward the water dragons’ island home. I swam in tandem between the twin otter-like monsters, and the glow of their hypnotic antennas illuminated the ocean around me in a ten-foot radius.

After I swam another hundred feet or so toward the island, the ocean floor seemed to rise up beneath me, and I realized the water was getting shallower. I noticed a system of coral reefs ahead of me that created a fence like obstacle between me and the small inlet I headed toward, and I paused as I considered my options.

With how shallow the water was this close to the island, I risked being spotted by either the water dragons or the hawk people on the boat, or both. I could use the duvarku to bash through the coral, but it felt a little cruel to ask them to injure themselves in order to make a hole in the reef. I could swim around and hope to find an opening, but that would take more time, and an urgent need to get this task completed in record time burned through me. I could use Sera’s ability to portal in, but I would be going in blind, and the risk of waking the water dragons was too high.

Then I had an idea, and my blood pounded in my ears as my excitement grew.

I reached into my bandolier and pulled out a crystal shaped like a small marble, and I rolled the shiny grayish sphere in my hands before I crushed it against the hard reef.

My robaguas burst into the water, and it swam easily beside me as the fish-like creature kicked at the water with humanoid legs and blinked at me with its beady eyes. Then I gave my monster the command to shoot a pressurized blast of water at the coral reef.

The robaguas was an interesting little creature I’d picked up while I was inside the belly of a giant craus’lar, and the slimy skinned fish monsters had already proven their worth more than once.

I watched with satisfaction as the robaguas quickly blasted a hole in the reef, but I made sure it would be wide enough for me and the duvarku to make a quick escape if needed. Then I recalled my fish monster, slipped the essence crystal back into my bandolier, and headed into the opening in the reef wall with my duvarku right behind me.

The water was warmer here where the reef had kept back the brunt of the icy waves. I poked my head above water briefly to scan the shoreline, and when I glanced back, I noticed the boat full of hawk people was no more than a shadowy blob on the horizon behind me. There was little danger of them observing me closely enough to see my summoned monsters at this distance.

The shore appeared empty, too, so I dipped below the water again and swam closer. When I felt the cool current of a stream emptying into the cove from the island, I stopped again and sent my duvarku in to find the water dragons’ nest.

I kicked my otter enhanced feet and bobbed in the water while I followed my duvarku’s movements through the bond I shared with the nimble swimmers. They reached the water’s edge in moments, and a few seconds after that, I sensed their delight through our bond when they spied the sleeping water dragons and the pile of eggs heaped in a nest beneath them.

I held my breath as I gave the command to gather some eggs, and I concentrated on my will until I sensed the otters returning to the water. I squinted in the darkness of the sea, and then I saw the two glowing orbs bobbing through the water ahead of me. When my duvarku stopped in front of me, they presented their scavenged eggs with pleased chirps.

Each otter monster had managed to carry several eggs back. I looked the eggs over curiously as I transferred them from my monsters’ grasp to the inside of my shirt, and the eggs clinked softly together as they settled into the pouch made by my tucked in shirt. The eggs were larger than I’d expected, and each one was slightly bigger than my hand and resembled a large pebble. They were a blue gray color, and the shells had a rough, stone-like texture.

What did the hawk people want with all these eggs, anyway?

I shrugged and decided I would find out soon enough. That was how things were with Hawk Clan, after all.

With my bounty safely secured in my shirt, I followed my duvarku out of the cove through the hole in the reef and pushed through the water with my webbed hands with efficient ease. I stayed close to the ocean floor as the water deepened and cast a glance around as I prepared for an angry water dragon to jump out at me.

Nothing happened, though, and I grew more confident that I’d accomplished the task without waking the temperamental creatures. Finally, I saw the underside of the boat silhouetted on the water’s surface above me, so I stopped and recalled my duvarku.

As soon as their powers receded, I felt the pressure on my lungs from the depth of the water around me, and I pushed off the ocean floor and kicked my way to the surface as quickly as I could. I broke through and gasped in a big gulp of air, then blinked up at the shocked faces that stared back at me from the boat.

I’d surfaced two feet from the side of the boat, and judging from the open mouths and wide eyes, I’d caught them all off guard.

“Hello.” I smirked up at Freya as her open mouth slid into a wide toothed grin. I heaved myself up onto the side of the boat, and Freya and Vahla leapt forward to pull me up over the edge. Then I splashed into the boat as it rocked violently from the motion, and I caught my breath for a moment before I started to unload the eggs from my shirt.

As I stacked the six eggs in a little pile in front of me, Freya’s eyes grew even wider.

“Gryff!” she exclaimed in disbelief. Her hands shook a little as she reached to touch an egg, and her hand hovered in the air as she shot me a questioning look.

I smiled and nodded, and I was rewarded with another bright smile as her hand shot out and grabbed one of the eggs from the top of the little pile.

“You got six of them!” the usually stoic warrior princess breathed in awe. “How did you do that? I’ve never even seen one before, this is incredible!”

She didn’t pause long enough for me to respond, and I chuckled as I watched the other shapeshifters stare in awe at the eggs and pass them around.

“There are so many,” Vahla gasped, and her eyes flicked between my face and the eggs hungrily. “I’ll actually get to taste one! I never thought I’d even get a chance!”

So, they ate the eggs. Well, that mystery was solved at least.

Trjegul frowned as he eyed me suspiciously, but he gently cradled an egg in his hands and seemed reluctant to let go of it.

I raised an eyebrow at the hawk warrior, and he shuffled for a second then handed the egg back to me.

“You are indeed a fierce warrior, Gryff of Mistral,” the shapeshifter said, and his eyes held new respect for me as he met my gaze. “You honor Hawk Clan with this gift.”

“Yes,” Chief Fenrir agreed and cleared his throat. Then he nodded solemnly when I turned to him, and his eyes betrayed his amazement despite his furrowed brow. “The trial demanded one egg, and you have returned with six.”

“It’s incredible!” Vahla chimed in, clearly unable to contain herself.

“I knew you could do it,” Freya whispered beside me.

I couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across my face, and I leaned back against the hull of the boat and put my hands behind my head with a casual air.

“There’s not really enough for everyone, though,” I said after a moment of silence. “We can’t feed a whole clan with just six eggs.”

“It is more than enough,” Chief Fenrir countered and then shocked me to my core when he gave me a small smile. “It is more than our people have had in over a generation.”

I took a moment to think about his words and studied the reactions of the hawk people in the boat. Then a thought struck me, and I glanced around the small sailing vessel until I saw exactly what I needed. My companions watched me curiously as I stood and crossed the ship to the mast, and I heard a gasp of understanding when I reached down and picked up the small fishing net.

“Gryff, no … ” Freya started to object, but I just turned and gave her a smirk before I jumped over the side of the ship and once again splashed into the water. Freya, Vahla, and the others crowded to the edge to stare at me in shock as I treaded water and balanced myself in the fierce waves.

“You guys like them so much.” I shrugged the best I could while submerged in the ocean. “I’m just gonna run back in and grab a few more.”

“Crazy foreign man!” Vahla cackled, and her eyes gleamed with delight as she turned and grabbed her sister’s hand. “Where did you find this wonderful deranged man?”

“Be careful!” Freya called to me as she ignored her sister. A worried frown creased her brows, and she gripped the hull of the boat with white knuckles.

I saluted the warrior princess and turned away from the boat to swim back toward the island. When I’d gained some distance from the boat, I once again took a deep breath and dove beneath the thrashing waves.

I shrugged off the ache in my gut when resummoning my duvarku pulled deeply on my mana reserves, since I definitely needed their swimming powers if I was going to get more eggs back to the boat before the sun set.

As it had with my arachness yesterday, the transference of power flowed quicker and smoother this time, and I was shooting through the water with otter-enhanced speed a heartbeat later. This time, I didn’t pause or slow down at all, and before I knew it, I’d crossed through the gap in the reefs made by my robaguas.

When we neared the shore, my curiosity got the better of me, and I followed my duvarku up the slope of the bank as they led the way to the water dragons’ nest. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and after facing a multitude of different monsters from the Shadowscape, there were very few things in this world that intimidated me.

My twin duvarku traced the path of the stream, and the otter monsters’ webbed feet splashed against the wet, rocky crevice as we climbed over a small hill. On the other side of the hill, a grove of trees crowded around a rocky outcropping that shadowed the mouth of the stream, and under the rocky ledge, tucked into the shadows, I saw the curled, blue-gray scaled necks of the water dragons.

The water dragons resembled their eggs’ appearance in color, and the rocky coloring helped the creature blend in to the rock it slept under. A long, serpentine neck arched out from a round oval body, and four webbed feet jutted out from beneath it. The two water dragons curled their necks together and rested their reptilian heads on each other, and they slept peacefully, unaware of the thievery that occurred beneath their noses. Each water dragon looked to be about ten feet long from the tip of the large blunt snout to the end of the spiked lizard tail behind it.

Maker … Why had I never heard of these things until now?

The water dragons looked every bit as predatory and violent as the shapeshifters had warned me they were. If I woke them up, I’d have a fight on my hands, and that would be a huge pain in the ass I wasn’t about to let happen.

So, I crept forward slowly until I could see the nest built into the rock to the side of the stream. The nest, made up of large rocks and heaps of mud shaped in a circle, laid less than a foot away from the sleeping guardian, but I saw a pile of eggs still heaped inside it, so I went ahead with the next phase of my plan. I settled back on my haunches, partially screened from the grove in the low hanging evergreen limbs, and gave my duvarku the command to carefully transfer every single egg from the nest to the net in my hands.

It took the green otter monsters three trips back and forth to empty the nest, and my net bulged under the weight of the stone crusted eggs. I held my breath every time the eggs shifted and clinked together, and for a brief second, it looked like an egg had moved on its own. I blinked hard and watched the globes suspiciously, but I didn’t see it move again, so I dismissed the thought.

I kept watch as my otter monsters worked, and I observed as many details about the mysterious creatures as I could with a mental note to sketch it out once I could get some paper. I looked forward to exploring the shops back in Freya’s village once the trials were over with. I’d need to stock up with supplies before I journeyed across the ocean in search of my friends.

Suddenly, a blue-gray scaled neck shifted as the creature exhaled, and my pulse quickened. The duvarku were making the final trip back to my net, and I waited with clenched teeth as I watched the sleeping creatures, but they didn’t stir again. Once all the eggs were safely stashed inside my net, I crept backward through the trees slowly until we rose up over the small hill.

Then I turned and ran into the water with my duvarku splashing right behind me, and I clenched the fishing net sack with my teeth as I transferred my otter monsters’ powers to myself once again. I pushed forward through the waves faster than ever before, and I felt more control over my webbed limbs the more I practiced with them.

I recalled my duvarku and bobbed to the surface near the boat, but swam with long strokes to cross the last ten feet. Then I handed up the net first before I accepted the offered hands pulling me in.

Trjegul stood holding the net in one hand as he counted the eggs, and Fenrir hovered near his shoulder as though urging the warrior man to hurry his count with his looming presence.

“Thirty! Thirty!” The shapeshifter turned and thrust the sack in my face, and spit sprayed when he spoke. Trjegul threw back his head with uninhibited joy and cackled out a loud, reverberating war cry that sent shivers down my spine.

Then, one by one, the other shapeshifters on the boat joined in the call, with harmonizing combinations of caws and howls, and even Chief Fenrir added his voice to the victory song.

I grinned. It looked like I had passed the second trial with flying colors.

Chapter 9

Once the war cry fell off into scattered echoes, the people of Hawk Clan leapt into action in a flurry of motion.

Freya and Vahla wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, and I smiled with gratitude as the warmth encased my shivering body. Trjegul stashed the sack of eggs next to me and clapped me on the back with a wide grin before he returned to his position at the rudder. Then other hawk people grabbed paddles and unfurled the sail, and a moment later, the small ship began to turn and push through the water.

We sailed toward the west and retraced our path to Eyrie Island while the sun set on the horizon in front of the bow. I gingerly eased my aching body into a more comfortable position and winced when the blanket opened and the icy wind hit my damp clothes.

After we had travelled for a while, Chief Fenrir turned to regard me silently. His expression was blank, as though he was still deep in thought, but then the clan leader blinked out of his daze, and he cleared his throat.

“Gryff of Mistral,” Fenrir said in a reluctant tone, “you have completed the second trial of the Warrior’s Test … ” He paused for a long moment, and his jaw muscles twitched as he clenched his teeth. “You have proven yourself a fierce warrior, and you bring honor to Hawk Clan with your success.”

“Thank you,” I replied with a respectful nod. Then I arched an eyebrow and smirked. “Like I said, nothing I can’t handle.”

Chief Fenrir shot me a sharp look, but then dropped his hostile expression with a sigh.

“You must understand my doubt, foreigner,” the hawk man chuckled and shook his head. “I honestly didn’t think you stood a chance against the Miste Isles, let alone the savage water dragons.” His tone grew serious, and his eyes revealed his respect. “I know I have treated you unfairly.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I grinned. “You only did what you thought was best for your people. I’m just glad the trials have been easy so far. I’m ready for the final trial and to see if these eggs live up to all the fuss.”

“Be patient, Gryff,” Chief Fenrir chuckled. “Even though you have been very successful so far, there is much left to be done before the final ceremony. And only after all the trials are completed can we partake in the water dragon egg ritual.”

“Do not worry, fledgling,” Freya added. “We will feed you well tonight.”

“I guess I can wait a little while longer to eat these eggs.” I smirked. “The third trial will be done before you can lasso an eel.”

My stomach grumbled in response at the mention of food, and Freya giggled when she heard the sound.

“You have the bottomless appetite of a new hatchling,” the blonde shapeshifter teased. “No wonder you did so well with the hunger test.”

“The hunger test?” I arched an eyebrow at the princess questioningly.

“Yes,” she explained. “The second trial proves that the goddess has blessed you with a hunger for life.”

“I hope I get the water dragons for my test,” Vahla interjected from behind us. “I’m always hungry!”

“I know the feeling.” I winked at the young woman over my shoulder. “So, you haven’t completed the Warrior’s Test?”

“Not yet.” Vahla shook her head, and her disappointment was obvious. “Father says I am still too young … ”

“Do not be so eager, sister,” Freya warned, and even though her voice was kind, I still detected a bittersweet edge. “Once you are a proven warrior, your life will not be all glory and spoils. It is a dangerous life, and, yes, it is rewarding, but enjoy your youth while you can.”

“I saw your boat full of loot,” Vahla retorted. “You’re one to talk about glory and spoils, you’re the fiercest warrior in the whole village! You run off on adventures and come back with hordes of treasures!”

“Your people died for those treasures,” Freya snapped, and her eyes blazed with anger as she glared at her younger sister. “Bite your tongue before you dishonor them.”

Vahla bristled and opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Chief Fenrir interrupted the argument.

“Enough!” Fenrir’s voice boomed, and silence fell immediately. Then the hawk man gave his daughters a hard look. “Today, we celebrate a victory, and the two of you bicker about the past. Sit down, Vahla, and remember your place in the clan.”

The brunette shapeshifter shot her older sister a scathing look as she settled into her seat and crossed her arms in front of her. Then Vahla turned her eyes to the water and sat in silence with her back held in a stiff line.

Hmph! Things were almost interesting, Phi huffed in a flat tone, but I could sense the white winged Archon’s pout. I wanted to see the mortal women fight to the death for your attention.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and shot Freya a sideways glance. The blonde shapeshifter held her lips in a tight line as she stared down at her hands in her lap, so I bumped my shoulder against her and was rewarded with the brief flash of a smile from the stoic princess.

After we had travelled in silence for a while, Freya cleared her throat and got her father’s attention.

“Father, it is true the people of Hawk Clan have a lot to celebrate.” Freya spoke softly, and her eyes were full of emotion as she looked up at her father. “Gryff has completed two trials now, but we forget his presence in our land has already affected our people in another way worthy of celebration. This foreign man defeated the warriors of Wolf Clan, and our fallen died with honor because of his victory.”

“I agree, Freya.” Chief Fenrir inclined his head to his daughter. Then he cleared his throat, and when he spoke again, his tone was solemn and reverent. “Tonight, we celebrate the glory of Hawk Clan. May their souls fly free.”

The chief glanced around the boat and signaled to two hawk women who held paddles. The two shapeshifters moved forward and handed their paddles to Freya and Vahla before they stood in the bow of the ship.

I glanced over at them but hadn’t learned their names yet.

One middle-aged woman had silver streaked black hair, and her eyes were a pale gray. She stood with a straight back and had an air of calm that showed her experience.

The other hawk woman who came forward was younger, but also had black hair and pale eyes, and I noticed a resemblance between the two shapeshifters as the younger woman darted an anxious glance between her companion and the chief.

“Haida, Aquila, fly ahead and alert the elders to prepare a feast,” Fenrir commanded the two hawk women. “We celebrate our victories when we return.”

The female shapeshifters nodded in unison, and in the next moment, they began the shifting process. Hair flickered and extended out into gray and black striped feathers, legs shrank away to form a speckled, downy abdomen, and feet twisted into sharp yellow talons that dug into the wood planks of the ship.

Then, with a wave of their arms, their wings expanded in a flurry of feathers, and I squinted from the gust created by the transformation. When I blinked, the shapeshifters’ faces were replaced with the dark, curved beaks and the crested head feathers of a large hawk. The hawk women’s eyes remained the same color as before, and the pale gray gave them a ghostly look in their bird forms.

I barely had time to process the details of seeing a shift so closely when Haida and Aquila took to the sky with a fierce, harmonized cry. The two hawk women spun in a tight circle formation as they launched from the boat, but when they were high overhead, the shapeshifters pumped their wings and leveled out, then angled their wings and headed west.

I traced the path of their flight for as long as I could see them, but after a few moments, they were nothing more than dark blobs in the distance.

Freya and Vahla took up the paddles then and moved with sharp, determined motions. There was an air of competition between the two sisters, but their rivalry only encouraged the rest of the hawk people to paddle harder. The small ship pushed through the water at a brisk pace, and we churned up a path of foamy waves in our wake.

With Freya preoccupied, I settled into a comfortable spot and watched the setting sun while I replayed the events of the day in my mind. Ever since I first tried to extend my monsters’ powers to myself, a constant buzz of possibilities circled through my thoughts.

I wonder if you can transfer the power from my summons as well… Sera mused thoughtfully, and I could tell she was just as curious as I was about the limits of my new abilities.

I’d have to play around with my ideas soon, but for now, I had to focus on getting through the final trial and stealing a ship from Skara.

The rest of the journey to Eyrie Island passed in a blur, but when I saw the cone shaped hollow mountain ahead of me, I shook off my idle thoughts and prepared to arrive in the village. I could already smell the aroma of cooking meat, and my mouth watered.

Freya grunted from the effort of paddling the boat toward the archway, but she thrust the paddle into the water with strong movements and a determined expression. Her grunts echoed around the boat as the shapeshifters labored against the waves, but the small ship angled steadily toward the opening in the cliff.

A moment later, we were gliding up to the dock. A huge mass of large shapeshifted hawks swirled through the air around us, and the hawk people screeched in delight when they saw our boat. The wind created from the multitude of wings whipped at my hair and the blanket I clutched around my shoulders. I met the eyes of a shapeshifter as the raptor flew less than a foot away from me, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up, but when I blinked, the hawk person was gone.

By the time our small vessel was secured at the dock, a crowd of hawk people had gathered to greet us. I stood on stiff legs and clambered onto the rocky ledge to stand beside Freya. The lingering smell of roasted meat teased me, and my stomach growled.

I definitely had a hunger for life.

Summon me, Gryff, Sera moaned. I want to satisfy your hunger…

Then Chief Fenrir gestured for the crowd to be silent, and I shook off Sera’s suggestive tone and my gnawing hunger to focus on his words.

“People of Hawk Clan,” the chief boomed, “tonight we celebrate the victories of our warriors. Our visitor, Gryff of Mistral, is our honored guest tonight.”

The shapeshifter motioned for me to come closer, and I stepped up to his side and held my chin high.

“This foreign warrior fought for our clan and defeated the wolf warriors on Last Island, then completed two trials and collected more water dragon eggs than anyone before in the history of our tribe,” Fenrir went on. “Our people owe him our respect and gratitude.”

A cheer erupted, and the sound was full of bird-like trills and caws, and a moment later, I was swarmed by people. Hands clapped me on the back, people babbled out questions faster than I could hear, and I sensed countless eyes analyzing every inch of me.

Then Freya was by my side, and her eyes were fierce as she pushed back the excited hawk people. The shapeshifters reluctantly retreated just enough to create a bubble of space around me and the warrior princess, and the stoic woman gave the people before her a scolding glare.

“Let’s focus that energy on getting the foreign man some food and mead,” she said as she crossed her arms. “I’m sure Gryff will be able to answer your questions in the dining hall later.”

A disappointed grumble swept through the crowd, but the people of Eyrie Island began to disperse to various tasks in a scattered flurry of wings. When we were alone on the dock with her father, Freya gave him a small bow of her head and an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, Father,” the princess murmured. “I didn’t mean to disrespect you or dishonor our people by arguing with Vahla.”

Fenrir smiled affectionately down at his daughter’s blonde hair as she looked at her feet.

“Apology accepted.” Chief Fenrir cleared his throat. “Your grief is understandable, Freya.”

The princess swallowed and nodded at her father, and when she turned to me, she was blinking back moisture from her eyes.

“Let’s go get into some clean clothes,” Freya said with a small smile, “and then find some food in the dining hall.”

I followed her to what I now thought of as my dwelling, and she left me at the entrance with instructions to clean up and that she would be back to get me soon. Inside, I found a stack of clean clothes sitting next to a washtub that steamed with the heat of the water inside, and I also noticed soap, towels, and a comb.

How did they time everything so perfectly?

I shook my head with grateful awe as I sank my aching body into the warm water. After spending so much time underwater and then in wet clothes, it was like the cold had taken root in my bones. I hissed with pleasure as my stiff muscles began to thaw, and I laid my head back on the rim to soak for a while.

After the heat of the water began to dissipate but was still comfortable, I scrubbed myself clean and dipped my head under to rinse out the soap. As I dried off with the coarse towel and shook the water droplets from my hair, I thought about how the dwelling was always perfectly stocked with what I needed, even though Freya had mentioned it had been empty for a while.

I dressed quickly in the soft, dark blue tunic and black pants I’d found in a neat stack. After I put on my belt, boots, and bandolier, I ran the comb through my damp hair until it was knot free, then pulled it back into its tie. I secured my father’s dagger and my rhin dagger to my belt, and then I ran a habitual hand down the pouches of my bandolier.

I decided to wait for Freya outside near the stairs, but I almost barreled into the warrior princess as I ducked under the doorway.

“O-Oh, sorry … ” I began to stutter out an apology, but then I fell silent as I took in her outfit.

Freya wore a dress made of soft, pliable leather that had a sharp ‘V’ cut from her collar to her belly button, which exposed the curved edge of her breasts and the toned ridges of her spectacular abdomen muscles. The leather cinched behind the shapeshifter’s neck, and the strips that covered her breasts expanded into a long skirt that hung down to her ankles. The dress was dyed in a rich yellow-gold pigment, and it brought out the lighter flecks of golden color in her eyes.

The shapeshifter had also braided her blonde waves in a semi-circle band above her ear on one side. The other side seemed even wilder in comparison, and as tendrils snapped in the wind around the hawk woman’s face, the smell of lavender hit my nose.

My mouth watered, but I shook off the distraction and cleared my throat. Freya was blushing and hesitated to meet my gaze, but I gave her my best smile, and her eyes brightened in response.

“You look wonderful, Freya,” I murmured. “I’m sorry for bumping into you, I was just coming outside to wait for you.”

“Thank you, Gryff,” she said as her neck flushed, “and it’s quite alright, you have good timing. I was on my way to fetch you. Let’s go get some food!”

With that settled, the blonde shapeshifter turned to the stairs and descended with enthusiasm, but when we crossed the rope bridge, she veered to go up the stairs on the other side instead of down to the docks.

I’d never gone in this direction before, and I was grateful for the scattered torches tucked into nooks along the way. After we had climbed the stairs for a short while, we hit a landing, and Freya turned to go down a tunnel that led into the mountain.

The tunnel had smooth stone walls and was well lit by torches, and the floor was paved with large flat rocks worn smooth by hundreds of feet. I could hear music and voices ahead, and then we entered into a large domed cavern full of tables and chairs. The room was crowded with the people of Hawk Clan. Some gathered around the long table covered in food, others circled around a large fire pit on one side with mugs in their hands, but most of the people sat at the many tables around the room.

Freya led me up to the food, and I almost moaned as I saw the platters. There was an entire pig, a goat, some kind of fowl, fish, roasted vegetables, baked potatoes, several different kinds of rolls, rice, and roasted ears of corn. I grabbed as much as I could fit on the large, slightly rounded plate Freya offered me, and then I followed her to an empty spot at a table near the circle of musicians.

The warrior princess gestured for me to sit, set down her plate next to me, then turned and disappeared into the throng of people moving around the cavernous room. I didn’t wait for her, though, since my stomach had been growling loudly for a while now, and I dug into a chunk of smoked meat with hungry enthusiasm.

After I’d tried a large bite of everything on my plate, I swallowed a mouthful and realized I could use a drink. I moved to stand and find it myself, but before I even got out of my chair, Freya appeared with two frothy mugs in each hand. I accepted the mead gratefully and gulped down half a mug before I wiped the foam off my face and saw Freya still tilting her mug up and drinking.

A moment later, the warrior princess slammed her empty mug down on the wooden table, gave a satisfied sigh, and shot me a proud grin.

“You may climb faster,” she teased, “but I can drink faster.”

“Be careful who you challenge, princess,” I chuckled. “I’m not one to lose a bet.”

“I do not often lose, either.” Her eyes twinkled, and she smirked as she grabbed her second mug. “We will see who closes their eyes first tonight.”

“Oh, you’re on!” I grabbed my mug, downed the remaining half with a couple deep gulps, and sighed as I sat the empty cup next to Freya’s. Then I grabbed the last mug and matched the blonde shapeshifter drink for drink and set down my empty mug an instant before she did.

Freya slammed her second empty mug down onto the table with so much force the dishes jumped, and the stoic warrior woman released a loud satisfied burp. Then she glanced at me sheepishly and let out a girlish giggle.

“How do the people of Mistral celebrate victories, Gryff?” The shapeshifter turned to her food as she spoke, so I did the same.

I chewed slowly while I thought about the best way to answer her.

“Much the same, I suppose,” I said with a shrug after I’d swallowed. “My father figure Maelor and I used to travel around and stay in a bunch of different towns, but we always found out who had the best booze and tried to drink each other under the table.” I smiled as I thought about the old man. “He could give me a run for my money, but I can still out drink him.”

“I’m sure he misses you,” Freya said with a sympathetic smile. “We will have to make sure you don’t get out of practice until you can out drink him again.”

The warrior princess scanned the wall of the cavernous room behind us and then beckoned to a short, mousy haired girl who stood against the wall. The young woman approached with downcast eyes. She wore a plain gray tunic that hung below her knees, and her feet were bare and dirty.

“Fetch more mead for our guest,” Freya commanded in a sharp tone, “and keep his cup full the rest of the night.”

The young woman nodded and scurried away without responding. When the mousy haired woman was out of sight, Freya continued to eat her food.

“Who is that?” I asked and jerked my head in the direction the young woman had darted.

“A slave from Mouse Clan,” Freya explained with a dismissive wave. “They scurry along the edges of the village and perform menial tasks in exchange for our protection.”

“I’d never noticed them before … ” I mused.

The slaves explained the almost magical appearance of supplies and provisions in my dwelling, but it made me wonder how much more I didn’t know about the people of Hawk Clan.

Do they eat their slaves if the winters get too harsh? Sera chuckled in amusement. Is it cannibalism if a hawk person eats a mouse person?

I wanted to ask Freya so many different questions, but I didn’t want to offend her by sounding judgmental, so I ignored the Archon’s comments and refocused on the party. Before I could say anything else to the warrior princess, Trjegul approached the table, followed by three other men.

“Gryff,” Trjegul greeted, and I could tell from his wide grin and the color in his cheeks that he’d already been drinking heavily, but he stood steady on his feet. “These men do not believe me when I tell them you made two trips into the water dragons’ den. Tell them, Gryff, tell them I’m not a liar.”

“He’s right,” I chuckled and motioned for them to sit with us. “When I realized Hawk Clan intended to eat the eggs, I had to get enough for everyone.”

The four warriors grabbed chairs, crowded eagerly around the table, and looked at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath and paused to build up dramatic tension, then launched into a careful retelling of the second trial. I fudged some of the details regarding my monsters, but overall, I was proud of my storytelling.

Recounting the details of the trial reminded me of how my friends and I always huddled around our table at the Academy and shared stories together.

My friends were all going to love my tales about my time in the Hawk Clan territory.

When I completed my tale, I looked around and realized my audience had grown by a dozen people while I was lost in the story. A crowd gathered around the table, and I gulped as I stared around at all the attentive faces.

Freya watched me from her seat at my side, and her chest puffed out with pride as her people urged me to tell another story.

“Give him space,” Freya spoke in a commanding tone, and the people edged away a little but didn’t move to leave. “He is our honored guest, so show him the respect he deserves.”

“I think I’ve got one more story in me,” I chuckled. “Who wants to hear about the first trial and how I climbed faster than Freya?”

The warrior princess scowled, but her eyes twinkled playfully. Then she settled into her chair and added her face to the expectant eyes of the crowd as she waited for me to start.

I launched into the next tale with gusto, and I was rewarded with gasps and groans from the crowd as they clung to every word about my climb. I drank as I spoke and barely registered when an empty mug became a full mug, until the heaviness of the alcohol settled over my mind. I slurred a few words as I wrapped up the ending of my tale, complete with an imitation of Freya’s shocked reaction, but no one seemed to notice.

Even Freya laughed at the end of my story, and the blonde shapeshifter’s hair shook as she threw back her head and cackled with inebriated glee. I stared at the pale hollow of her throat when she laughed and licked my lips as my body responded to her energy.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I leaned forward and whispered into the shapeshifter’s ear. “Do you want some water or something?”

Freya shivered, and her eyes were dilated with desire when she looked up at me. The warrior princess shifted toward me as she wrapped one arm around my neck and pulled me closer until our faces almost touched.

“I feel wonderful, Gryff,” she purred. Then her eyes shot open, and she gasped and turned her attention to the musicians getting louder in the corner. “Let’s dance!”

Before I could respond, the hawk woman leapt to her feet and grabbed my hand, then led me to a small open area near the musicians. A few hawk people danced with a stomping, shuffling pattern, and they twisted and harmonized their movements with synchronized steps.

Freya stepped up and gave me a couple quick instructions and examples before she turned her attention to the dancer at the front. The hawk man before the crowd appeared to be leading the dance, and he called out in sharp caws and trills that the dancers echoed back to him.

I followed along the best I could and tried to quickly memorize the steps.

Step to the right, swivel, step to the left, stomp, shout.

Sweat dripped down my forehead, and my heart pumped from the exertion, but I couldn’t help grinning while I danced. I caught Freya’s eyes as she spun, and she laughed with unrestrained enjoyment. I managed to reach out and snag one of her hands before she danced out of my reach, and the warrior princess twirled smoothly into my arms until she was pressed against my chest.

“You’re really good at this,” I murmured into her ear with a sly grin.

“Thank you,” Freya breathed. “You’re a good dancer, too.”

Her eyelids fluttered as she blushed and looked away from me. Then the hawk woman nestled her head against my chest and twined her arms around my waist as she hugged me.

I wrapped her in my arms with a tight squeeze, and my blood pumped faster when her breasts pushed into me.

“Freya,” I whispered as I stroked her hair with one hand. “I like to watch you in action. The way you move your body … ”

The blonde shapeshifter shuddered in my arms and arched her hips toward mine. I held her firmly with one arm as I slid my hand down her back to the curve of her ass and gripped it in my fist.

Freya gasped and leaned into my touch, and when she looked up at me, her gaze was unfocused from desire. Her gold flecked eyes sparkled in the torchlight, and there was no mistaking the way she looked at me.

My body responded to her urgency, but I managed to keep a clear head and act rationally.

We were in the middle of a crowded gathering, after all.

I scanned the cavernous hall and traced a path to the exit, then tucked Freya’s hand on my elbow and led her through the throng of people to the tunnel. A couple shapeshifters tried to get me to stop and talk to them, but I shook them off with polite farewells and kept moving.

I could apologize and blame the alcohol later if I’d accidentally offended someone.

A devilish grin spread across my face as I retraced the path Freya had taken from my dwelling, and I walked with brisk, determined steps. Freya giggled beside me a couple times, but didn’t complain about our pace. After we crossed the rope bridge, I slowed down, and we walked hand in hand the rest of the way.

Freya’s palms were covered in calluses and scratches, not the typical hands of a princess, but then again, she wasn’t what I would call a typical princess. I traced the lines gently with one finger, and Freya shivered when I hit a sensitive spot.

“Freya,” I said softly after we’d walked in silence for a while. “I’m sorry about the warriors you lost … I am starting to understand what it means to you, and well … ” I raked a hand through my hair as I struggled to find the right words. “I get it, that pain from loss. It’s a lot to carry, though, so it’s important to remember you’re not alone.”

“Thank you, but it’s more than that … It’s complicated.” She glanced at me and gnawed at a corner of her lip for a second before she continued. “One of the warriors who died was my trial brother, Brygul. We grew up together, took the trials together … and now he’s gone. ”

“I’m so sorry, Freya.” I squeezed her hand reassuringly, but she just shrugged and gave me a small smile before turning back to the stairs.

“He died with honor, a brave warrior.” She lifted her chin and set her lips in the familiar pursed line. “A warrior of Hawk Clan could not ask for a better death.”

“Sorry if I’m intruding, I know we only met a few days ago, but …” I paused until she looked over her shoulder at me with an eyebrow arched questioningly. “I care about you, Freya, so if you need to talk about anything, I want to be there for you while I can.”

“You are very sweet, Gryff.” Freya smiled and shook her head. “But this is the way things are with my people. Our lives end quicker than they begin. Everyone accepts they can lose … well … I have my own ways of healing the emotional pain.”

I shivered when I caught the innuendo, and then I hastened my pace up the stairs while Freya trotted to keep up with me.

A few moments later, we reached the stone courtyard in front of my dwelling. Shadows crept toward us from the overhanging cliff wall, but I could see a sliver of the moon from my view of the opening.

I regretted not grabbing a torch on our way here when I peered into the dark dwelling, but before I even moved toward the opening, a spark flared up, and the doorway was silhouetted with light.

I squinted from the flash, but I made out the shape of a person squatting near the firepit, and my hands flew instinctively to my daggers. I blinked in the growing light of the fire as I entered the dwelling, but then realized I recognized the person inside as the mousy haired slave I’d see in the dining hall.

I relaxed my clenched jaw and eased out of my adrenaline-fueled fight mode. As a guest of the Hawk Clan, I didn’t think they would appreciate me killing one of their servants.

The proud birds care little for the lives of scampering mice, Sera chuckled. These barbarians would probably see the death of an insolent slave as another example of your power. They would throw themselves at your feet, Gryff …

It could be fun to make a little mouse squeak, Phi snickered. I need a new toy, anyways.

I dismissed the Archons and their commentary with a wave of my will, but then I frowned as I realized this mouse woman had been in my dwelling multiple times by now. While that did make me feel slightly uncomfortable, I trusted Freya and her people.

The Mouse Clan woman stood and bowed quickly to me and Freya before she scampered out the door and out of sight without a word.

“Do they talk at all?” I arched an eyebrow at the warrior princess as I cast a glance around the room. I didn’t intend to have any more surprises tonight.

I had things to do, and I wanted to be able to focus.

“I discourage it.” Freya shrugged and moved to the pile of cushions and pillows. “Less room for arguments that way.”

The blond shapeshifter rearranged the cushions into a broad pallet close to the heat of the fire and plopped down into the middle of them. Then the warrior princess cast me a mischievous grin and patted the empty cushions beside her.

I eyed her with desire growing in the pit of my stomach, but I kicked off my boots and laid my bandolier on top of them. Then I left everything in a pile by the door before I joined Freya next to the fire.

I crawled up the length of her body, and when I reached her face, I cupped her cheek gently in my hand and slowly lowered my lips to hers. Freya moaned and opened her mouth to press into my kiss, and when I slid my tongue against her lips, she shivered from the touch.

“Gryff …” she moaned and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’ve wanted you almost since the moment you saved me from those wolves.”

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, princess,” I teased and nibbled on the corner of her lip as I spoke.

Her lips twitched against my face as she smiled, and then we melted into another kiss. This time, I prodded deeper into her mouth with my tongue, and Freya tilted her head to open her lips to me even more.

I moaned as she began to massage my tongue with hers, and my hands slid from her face along the curve of her body. I grabbed the hawk woman’s hip and pulled her close to me as I ground my growing bulge against her.

Freya’s breath quickened, and she clenched my hair in her hands as she arched her back to lean into me.

I planted light kisses along her jaw and down her neck as I explored her with my hands, and my blood throbbed in my cock when my hand slid across the exposed skin of her stomach below her cleavage. Then I sat back on my haunches and took a deep, steadying breath.

Freya looked up at me beneath lust hooded eyes and stretched toward me impatiently.

“Be patient, woman,” I growled as I struggled to control my own desire. “I plan on taking my time and enjoying this.”

Her eyelids fluttered, and a blush crept up her pale neck, but she smiled up at me with earnest eyes.

“Okay, Gryff,” she murmured. “We can go as slow as you want. I just want you to be mine tonight.”

“Oh, I’m all yours tonight, princess.” I grinned as I leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Dawn is still far away.”

Then I reached behind her neck and tugged loose the knot that cinched her dress together. I separated the strips of leather and pulled them away to reveal Freya’s pale, perky breasts.

Her rosy pink nipples stiffened from the sudden exposure to the air, and goosebumps sprinkled across Freya’s chest. She watched me quietly with short, gasping breaths as I lowered my face and flicked my tongue over her hard nipples one at a time.

I traced a line from her throat down around her breasts in a spiral, and when I twirled around her nipple, I gave it a sharp squeeze before I rubbed the palm of my hand in a circle over her breasts.

Freya moaned and writhed beneath me, and her hips bucked against my knee as I bent over her. Her head was thrown back, and she stared up at the ceiling with wide, unfocused eyes.

I chuckled to myself as I teased her with soft kisses down her stomach until I reached the leather skirt. Then I hooked a finger under the fabric, and Freya lifted her hips as I slid the leather off her legs.

A moan escaped my lips as I got a good look at her in the light of the fire. Her pale legs were slender, but muscular, and curved into a generously round ass.

Freya looked up at me with smoldering golden-flecked eyes and spread her legs.

Between her open thighs was a fuzzy stripe of pale hair, and beneath the fuzz, her lips parted to reveal a bright pink entrance.

“Maker,” I breathed with appreciation.

I licked my lips, and my cock throbbed almost painfully against my pants.

“Your turn, foreigner,” Freya commanded and eyed my clothes.

“Not like you haven’t peeked already,” I chuckled and pulled off my shirt and pants. I stood above her with my full length extended before me, and Freya licked her lips as her eyes trailed hungrily all over my body.

“If I did peek,” she replied playfully as she beckoned me to get closer to her, “it just made me want to see even more.”

I shifted toward her and moaned when she wrapped a slender hand around my throbbing cock. Freya stroked me with slow motions, and a smile pulled at her lips when my member pulsed in response to her touch.

“Take me, Gryff,” she purred and caught me in a wet, deep kiss.

I stroked the length of her thigh as Freya shivered beneath my hand until my fingers brushed across her entrance. Freya gasped and pushed her hips into my hand, so I slipped a finger between her moist lips and stroked upward to the stiff nub at the top of her tight tunnel.

The blonde woman melted in my arms as her juices coated my fingers, and I rubbed her wetness down my shaft as I situated myself between her legs and slid the head of my cock against her lips.

Freya bucked her hips against me and moaned.

“Please, Gryff … ” she murmured as she panted in short gasps.

I grabbed my cock and held it firm as I slid into her wet pussy. I hissed with pleasure as her entrance encased me, and her strong muscles squeezed around my shaft. Then I wrapped my arms around the shapeshifter and held her by the back of the neck while I thrust my tongue deep into her mouth and my cock deep into her pussy.

“Ohhhh!” Freya gasped and twitched as she clutched at my shoulders and arched her spine. Her tunnel spasmed, and her moans turned to a silent croak as her orgasm shook her entire body

Damn. An orgasm with the first thrust? She must have really wanted me.

While she was still shivering from the aftershock of her orgasm, I pulled out until the tip of my member bulged against her lips, then slammed into her with a swift thrust.

Freya squeaked, and her eyes shot open as she stared at the ceiling above her with an open mouth.

“Freya. You are so tight. Damn. Sooo good.” I slammed into her again, and again, and my desire grew more urgent with every squeak she made.

“Yes. Ohhh. Love me. Please. You are so hard and thick. Please. Give me your seed. Please. Gryff. I want it. I want all of it.” Freya wrapped her legs around my shoulders and threw back her arms as she submitted to my hard thrusts.

“As you wish.” I slammed into her wet pussy one more time and paused as my tip rubbed against the wall of her womb. Then I grabbed Freya’s hips, lifted her ass up, and pushed deeper into her while I climaxed and released my seed into her.

The warrior princess let out a guttural sound as her body shook again, and her hips twitched as she spasmed around my cock. We both stayed frozen for a few beautiful moments while she enjoyed the sensation of my cream filling her up, and I enjoyed the sensation of her body vibrating around me.

Finally, we came down, and I collapsed onto her, laid my head between her breasts, and tried to control my breathing.

“You are indeed a fierce warrior,” Freya said with a satisfied sigh while she stroked my hair. “I enjoy battling with you.”

“Is that what they call it here?” I smirked and shifted so I was lying next to her, and the hawk woman scooted against my side and laid her head on my shoulder.

“Mmmhmm,” the shapeshifter murmured sleepily in response.

I chuckled and looked down at Freya. Her eyes were already closing, but a pleased smile stayed on her lips.

I was able to reach one arm up to pull the blanket off the bed behind me, and I tossed it over our naked bodies before I settled down to fall asleep myself.

It felt like I had just closed my eyes when I heard Freya calling my name. The sun shone brightly down from the opening, and I squinted drowsily as I realized I was awake.

“Gryff … ” Freya’s voice was soft and sweet, but I heard excitement and impatience in her tone, and the blond shapeshifter gave me a wide grin when I peered up at her sleepily. “Come on, get up! It’s time to go kill some enemies!”

I chuckled and shook my head as I grabbed my clothes and got dressed.

If there was one thing I could say about life with Hawk Clan, it was never boring.

Chapter 10

Freya nodded her approval, and she offered me a steaming plate of food after I finished dressing.

“I had some of the leftover food brought up here this morning,” she explained. “You’ve been asleep almost all day!”

“I guess you wore me out last night,” I teased, and I bent down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek as I accepted the offered plate.

The shapeshifter blushed but didn’t respond.

We ate quickly and stacked the dishes on the counter, then Freya led me out of the dwelling and down the stone stairs to the dock. The hawk woman kept a brisk pace and practically floated down the stairs. Her excitement was infectious, and by the time we reached the lowest level of Eyrie Island, I wore a big grin.

A few people gathered on the docks, some familiar faces among them, and I scanned the crowd until I saw Chief Fenrir’s dark hair. I smiled at the gray-eyed Haida when she inclined her head to me in greeting, and I also saw Aquila and Trjegul near the chief.

Freya had said we were going to kill enemies, so I knew the people chosen to join the party would be experienced warriors. Despite my urgency to get back to my friends, my blood pumped with adrenaline as I prepared for the upcoming fight.

Then Chief Fenrir turned and saw us walking toward him, and my mouth almost dropped open when he shot me a friendly smile.

“Gryff, Freya, are we ready?” Chief Fenrir eyed my bandolier and daggers with a curious look, but didn’t comment on them. Then he turned and gave Freya a similar inspection. After he was pleased we were prepared, he gave a firm nod. “We will take a small party into Bear Clan territory, and I want to keep the battle clean and fun, understand?”

“Yes, Father, I understand.” Freya nodded.

“Good.” With that settled, the dark-haired shapeshifter cleared his throat and spoke to the whole crowd of hawk people gathered around him. “Today, Gryff of Mistral joins a Hawk Clan war party! The foreign man seeks to prove his worth to the people of Hawk Clan, so the final task I present to him is to gather some Bear Clan scalps!”

Cheers erupted, and a few hands clapped me on the shoulder or back as I grinned and waved off their enthusiasm.

The chief paused and waited for the crowd to grow quiet again. Then the hawk man grinned and bellowed so loud the sound echoed off the mountain above us.

“Let’s go show Bear Clan how real warriors fight!”

We all clambered into two boats, and once we were pushing out into the ocean and headed to the north, I settled into my familiar spot near the bow at Freya’s side. After we had travelled in silence for a while, I leaned forward and spoke into Freya’s ear so she could hear me over the crash of the waves and grunts of the people working the paddles.

“So, this the third trial, then?” I asked the warrior princess,

“Basically.” She shrugged. “It is a big honor to be invited on a war party. My father is showing his approval of you while still following the traditions of our people.”

“Ahh,” I snickered. “So, he approves of me?”

“Yes.” Freya looked down at the bottom of the boat, blushed slightly, and cleared her throat. “You are a very good man. Powerful, cunning, and handsome. I am happy he finally realizes these facts. Every Warrior’s Test must consist of three trials, but at this point, I think my father just wants to see you in action for himself.”

“I am more than happy to oblige,” I chuckled. “Especially if it means he will help me get a ship from Skara soon.”

“After you gather a few enemy scalps,” Freya said in a cheerful tone, “you’ll be a full-fledged member of Hawk Clan, and our people are honor bound to help you in any way we can.”

I frowned at the reference to joining the people of Hawk Clan.

She knew I was leaving as soon as I got a ship, right?

“While I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you,” I said cautiously, “and all your people, I am anxious to get back to my own friends. I never intended to stay with Hawk Clan … ”

“I am not trying to convince you to stay, Gryff.” Freya smirked. “I know you are honor bound to return to your people.”

I sighed under my breath as relief washed over me. I hadn’t even realized how worried I’d been about Freya attempting to convince me to stay, but my caution was understandable given my recent experience with Queen Lisi.

The warrior princess had been amazing and helpful ever since I first started to crack her stony shell and revealed the very human woman behind the stoic mask. I knew I would remember my time here with her for a long while.

“Thank you, Freya,” I said and bumped my shoulder against her affectionately.

“It’s been my pleasure, Gryff,” she purred, and my body responded automatically to her sensual tone.

I chuckled and nuzzled my nose against her hair, but I resisted the urge to kiss her in front of everyone. Even though she hadn’t shown any signs of being embarrassed before now, I didn’t think it would be a good idea to kiss the princess right in front of her father while we sailed toward enemy territory.

Freya snuggled against me, and I sighed and calmed my breathing.

Time to focus on the battle ahead.

I always enjoy watching you spill the lesser creatures’ blood, Gryff, Sera purred, and I sensed her eagerness for battle. This is going to be fun …

I pushed aside her blood thirsty comments with a wave of my will. I needed a clear head before I found myself up against an enemy I knew very little about. I didn’t know much about the people of Bear Clan, and while I didn’t have time to learn more than was necessary for this fight, I still tried to remember everything Freya had said about them before.

When it came down to it, though, they were an enemy of Hawk Clan, and I needed to defeat them in order to reach my goals.

It was as simple as that.

I looked around and realized I recognized the area we sailed through. The three small sailing ships were headed back in the direction I’d arrived from several days ago. I remembered from what Freya had told me that Bear Clan shared a boundary with Hawk Clan’s territories. The small boats travelled swiftly across the water, and it seemed as though we were racing the sun for a short while as we veered toward the northwest.

If I remembered correctly, we would reach the boundary between the clans’ territories by nightfall, but that had been with duvarku enhanced speed, and I didn’t think I could get away with summoning my otter monsters in front of so many watchful hawk eyes. It was still a few hours before sunset, though, so I settled down into a more comfortable position and prepared myself for the longer journey ahead.

I watched the horizon as we passed a group of islands to my left, but they were too far away to see any details of the landscape, and a moment later, the hazy shapes were out of view. I stifled a yawn and stretched out my stiff arms. Even though I’d slept till noon, I was still exhausted from the past few days of trials and boat rides.

Then, as the sun dipped across the sky, I sensed the paddling warriors’ energy begin to falter. Between the multiple people rowing and the wind pushing against the sail, we’d been travelling at a fast pace, but our forward momentum slowed slightly. Then the sound of the paddles slicing into the water scattered into a disjointed, uneven melody.

Chief Fenrir turned to eye his warriors with furrowed brows. The dark-haired shapeshifter barked out a stiff shout, and the hawk clan warriors returned his call and pushed their paddles into the water with a unified grunt. The shapeshifters continued the call and response until they chanted and rowed in perfect harmony. The ship’s speed increased, and the staccato sound of the shapeshifters’ shouts rang out across the water.

I grinned and glanced up at the hawk man with respect. Not only did the chant keep our ship at a faster speed, but the warriors would also go into battle as a team. A good leader knew we were stronger together.

This was more like it.

The hawk warriors kept up the chant for several hours, and the shadows of twilight fell across the ships like a blanket before we slowed again. Then we sailed steadily toward the northwest, but without the background of the call and response.

Freya had pulled out a whetstone and sharpened her dagger while we sailed in silence, and her eyes were clear and bright when she smiled at me and offered me her sharpening stone.

I returned her smile and accepted the stone, but my fingers lingered on her hand until I saw her neck redden. I chuckled and turned my attention to sharpening the edge of my father’s dagger with the whetstone. My rhin dagger was made from a metal created from essence, and I wasn’t sure if the whetstone would even work on the blade, but I knew it was sharp enough already. When I was satisfied with the fine edge on my dagger, I returned the whetstone to Freya, and the blonde shapeshifter stashed it in a pouch on her hip.

After a while, Chief Fenrir held up his palm to get everyone’s attention, and I straightened my shoulders as I prepared for the next step. The warriors waited in silence as the chief eyed the northern horizon with hawk powered vision. I squinted around his shoulder and tried to see what he was looking at, but all I could make out from this distance was a purple blob of an island.

Then as my eyes adjusted to the darker light, I noticed a few strands of smoke curling over a line of thick evergreen trees.

It appeared we had finally arrived in Bear Clan territory.

I scanned the shoreline as I cracked my knuckles, stretched my neck, and mentally prepared for the battle. Freya shifted at my side, and I glanced over to see her eyes shifting in and out of her hawk form as her gaze swept across the island in front of us.

“What do you see?” I whispered into her ear.

“It looks quiet on the shore,” she whispered back, “but even I can’t see past the trees.”

Chief Fenrir dropped his hand and cleared his throat. He scanned the faces on the boat, then nodded when he spotted Haida a few places behind me. She came forward silently and stood at attention in front of the chief.

“Scout the village from the air,” Fenrir instructed. “When you give the all clear, I’ll send in the first wave.”

I nodded in approval at his strategy as Haida shifted into her hawk form and took off into the sky.

With that settled, Chief Fenrir laid out his battle plan to the rest of us. The first wave would attack from above, with a second wave attacking from the ground shortly after. Two warriors would remain with each boat and pick off any enemies who crossed the rocky beach. Trjegul was named when the chief listed out the first wave, but Freya and I were both picked for the second wave.

I chuckled to myself as I realized the chief would never get to see me fight from the air on the back of my pyrewyrm.

We could always show them what they’re missing, Sera murmured, and I sensed the Archon was eager for some action. Summon me, and I will show them a victory they will talk about for generations.

It’s about time something interesting happened. Phi yawned with feigned boredom, but I could tell she was anticipating the battle as much as I was.

“I’m ready to get some revenge on Bear Clan.” Freya bristled at my side and mirrored the energy of my Archons.

“Revenge, huh?” I arched a questioning eyebrow at the warrior princess.

“They are … How did you say it?” She tapped her lips thoughtfully then shot me a bright smile as she remembered. “Ass-bears.”

Then she frowned, and her eyes burned with anger as she pressed her lips together and looked back to the shoreline.

“What did the Bear Clan do to you?” I asked.

“They burned our crops and murdered unarmed slaves,” she sighed, but she waved off her sadness with a shake of her head. “The Bear Clan people seem determined to destroy as much of our food as possible. My village has suffered several hard winters, and some died from starvation. Bear Clan are cowards, and I will get my revenge tonight.”

I took a deep breath and ran my hands through my hair as I thought about her words. The people of Hawk Clan fought a constant battle for survival in the rugged landscape of rival clans and an unforgiving climate. Instead of buckling and migrating elsewhere, the shapeshifters had adapted and staked out their territories with a fierce, tribal pride.

“I am honored to fight with your people tonight,” I told the warrior princess after a moment of silence. “You are my friend, so your enemy is my enemy.”

Freya flashed me a pleased smile and responded with a firm nod.

Suddenly, I heard a single sharp trill from the tree line and saw Haida fly in a circular pattern above the shore.

All clear.

Chief Fenrir signaled to the first wave, and a moment later, a flock of hawk people flew toward the island. The remaining warriors paddled the boats closer to the shore until we bobbed steadily toward the entrance of a small cove.

I heard a sharp cry of pain followed by the screech of a raptor, and my attention snapped to the tree line. The first wave had hit the village. An alarm bell rang in the distance as the bear people must have realized they were under attack, but the sound was soon drowned out by the bird-like war cries coming from the sky.

Before the boats bumped against the shore, Fenrir instructed us to approach the village in three groups to create a pronged attack. With the warriors attacking from the sky and distracting the bear people, we could surround them completely if we moved fast.

Blood pumped in my ears as adrenaline began to rush through me. I was on my feet in the next breath, and I’d jumped to the shore before the boat bottomed out on the shallow gravel and came to a stop.

Freya was by my side in an instant, and she darted forward into the shadow of the tree line before she glanced back and waited for the rest of the group to join her. We joined the middle prong and would take the brunt of the bear warriors defense while the others circled their flanks.

The warrior princess watched patiently while the two groups to either side of us slipped into the tree line and disappeared from view. We crouched beside a clump of bushes, and the sounds of battle grew louder. I clenched my teeth as I waited for Freya to give the signal, but she paused for a long moment before she nodded.

We rushed forward as a group through the underbrush, and I darted between trees as I headed toward the Bear Clan village a few paces behind Freya. After we had covered about a hundred feet of forest, the trees began to thin, and further ahead, they glowed in the silhouette of several fires.

Ahead of me, I noticed Freya had pulled out her dagger, so I ran a quick hand down my bandolier, plucked out a small crystal, and held it in my palm as I pulled out my own blades. With the essence crystal sandwiched between my hand and the hilt of my rhin dagger, I could smash it easily without being noticed and summon my bullet bass if I needed some armor.

It was going to be a challenge to fight without my monsters, but I wasn’t about to let some ass-bear take me down before I could get a ship. I was confident in my hand-to-hand combat skills, but I’d grown very accustomed to fighting with my summons, and it wasn’t like this was just a sparring match at the Academy. This would be a battle to the death with every opponent I encountered, and I wasn’t about to go into it without a backup plan for my backup plan.

All I had to do was keep my monsters out of sight, and no one would even know I’d lifted a finger.

Easy.

While Freya crept through the forest ahead of me, I grabbed another essence crystal and smashed it beneath my boot as I followed her. A small puff of smoke erupted, but before my drillmole had fully materialized, I gave it the mental command to burrow out of sight. The small mole-like monster had a rocky textured skin and huge, dagger-like fangs, and it dug through the earth with long claws and the drill-like horn that extended from its head.

A second later, it was out of sight.

I glanced around and made sure no one had spotted me summoning the drillmole, and once I was satisfied that I’d remained undetected, I tugged on the bond between me and my monster and gave the command to follow me. My monster trailed slightly behind me and several feet beneath the dirt as we left the shadows of the trees and leapt into the chaos of the village.

I took a moment to scan the scene in front of me and squinted through the smoke that filled the air. Several log structures stood nearby, and flames licked up over the timber roofs. Hawk warriors swooped down from the air in tight spirals and raked at the bear people who stood in the clearing. I saw a group of bear warriors and noticed most of them had shifted into a half bear, half man form with huge, furry paws and long snouts filled with rows of fangs, but with the torsos and legs of a human.

Bear warriors swiped at the hawk people attacking from the sky, and loud growls echoed through the clearing. The hawk shapeshifters quickly flew out of reach of the bears claws and circled before darting in again.

“Let’s move,” Freya commanded and motioned our group forward.

I charged forward behind her, and the hawk people who ran beside me let out a shrill cry as their faces shifted into sharp beaks. Most held daggers, but I spotted a couple axes as well.

Then the bear people huddled together in the clearing heard the screech of our attack and rushed forward. I aimed for a bear-faced man barreling toward me and steeled myself for the impact.

A moment later, he lunged at me, and I swerved to the side to avoid his attack. The bear man snapped his teeth on empty air and turned to face me with a low, rumbling growl. The shapeshifter rolled his shoulders and shook his legs, and I noticed the rest of his body began to shift into bear form. The bear man towered over me on his thick, muscular legs, and his entire body was covered in the long, coarse brown fur of a bear.

The shapeshifter swiped at me with a long arm, and I ducked below the attack and plunged both my daggers into the flesh of his stomach. The bear warrior howled as blood splashed the dirt at my feet, and I wrenched my blades free before I shoved the shapeshifter away from me.

The bear man stumbled backward, then lunged for me again with unfocused eyes as blood dripped from his stomach wound. I spun away from his attack and lifted my rhin dagger to slice his throat. The bear warrior gurgled out a strangled moan as he died, and I turned to find a new opponent.

I saw Freya being circled by two bear warriors, and she stood with her dagger at her side and waited for their attack. I flung my rhin dagger at the warrior closest to me, and the shapeshifter roared in pain as my blade dug deep into his shoulder bone.

Freya took advantage of the opening and launched herself at the other warrior. She stuck her dagger between her teeth and shifted into her hawk form moments before she collided with the bear warrior and grabbed him with her sharp talons. The warrior princess pulled the bear man into the sky with determined pumps of her wings, then she let out a shrill cry and released him from her grip. The shapeshifter thumped into the ground below, and I heard his head snap with a satisfying crunch as he landed.

I didn’t know how the hawk princess could lift something so heavy, but it was definitely an impressive feat.

I returned my focus to the bear warrior still stumbling around trying to remove my rhin dagger. I crossed the distance between us in a few long strides, and the bear man turned to face me just as I buried my father’s dagger into the side of his neck. The warrior’s eyes went blank, and he fell in a limp pile while I removed my father’s blade. Then I reached down and jerked my rhin dagger from his shoulder and looked around for another opponent.

I scanned the clearing and spotted Trjegul grappling against three bear men. He was too far for me to reach, so I sent out my drillmole with a silent command, and my monster stabbed at the bear warriors feet from below the surface.

Trjegul quickly gained the upper hand, and when a bear warrior turned and stared at the ground for the new attacker, the hawk man leapt forward and sliced the bear’s throat with one efficient movement.

The hawk shifter twisted away as his opponent fell and used his momentum to fling his dagger at another bear warrior, and the blade sliced through the shapeshifter’s eye as it landed deep inside his skull.

My drillmole kept the third bear warrior distracted, and the shapeshifter danced around and growled with frustration as he tried to find my monster. Trjegul strode toward the bear shifter and transformed into hawk form as he moved, then grabbed the dancing bear warrior with his talons and lifted him into the air.

My drillmole had tunneled through the dirt and was once again waiting patiently below my feet when I heard the familiar sound of a body hitting the ground.

Then I heard a loud raptor screech, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end at the blood chilling sound. I looked up into the sky to see a huge, black winged hawk circling the clearing above me. I caught the steady, watchful eye of the jet-black bird for a brief moment and sensed that the shapeshifter was Chief Fenrir.

Suddenly, I heard a low, rumbling growl from behind me, and I turned to see a bear galloping toward me on all fours. I had just enough time to flip my daggers around by the hilts, and I stabbed the bear warrior in the chest as he reared and lunged at me.

I toppled over beneath the weight of the heavy bear man, but I held the hilts in a firm grasp as we rolled. I squeezed the essence crystal in my palm against the hilt, and a moment later, my bullet bass burst out of a plume of smoke into the space between me and the bear man. I commanded my monster to transfer its metallic armor seconds before a giant bear paw slashed across my chest and ripped through my shirt.

The bear claw rebounded off my chrome skin harmlessly, and I clenched my teeth and ripped my rhin dagger free from the meat of his chest. The shapeshifter growled and snapped at me with his fanged muzzle, but I thrust my dagger up under his jaw and pushed his head away from me with my blade.

The shapeshifter moaned as the life faded from his eyes, and he rolled off me. I swiped the sweat from my brow with the back of a hand and eyed my bullet bass as I caught my breath.

All my efforts to befriend the hawk people would be wasted if I was caught with my fish-like monster summoned.

So, I sighed reluctantly as I recalled the bullet bass and tucked the essence crystal back into my bandolier. While I preferred having the security of my monster’s chrome armor, I knew I would be okay without it.

Besides, I still had my other monster back up plan.

My drillmole circled the dirt a few feet below me, and I sensed through our bond that it was eager to cause more chaos. So, I sent the monster out to the fringes of the clearing where it could attack more boldly from the shadows, and after a few moments, I sensed its satisfaction as it darted up from the ground straight into the body of a bear warrior and dug through the warrior’s torso to emerge from its chest.

My monster dove back into the dirt and went in search of another enemy, but I made sure to keep it close enough to me to control it easily.

The bear warriors fought with a lazy, sloppy style, which fit in with Freya’s description of the rival clan. If the shapeshifters were anything like their animal namesake, they were likely more scavengers than hunters, more opportunistic than strategic.

The hawk people had a clear advantage in this fight, and I smiled as I remembered Fenrir had described it as fun.

I had to admit, it had been pretty fun so far.

I turned my attention back to the clearing and watched Freya lift another bear warrior into the sky. I waved at her cheerfully as the man plummeted, but couldn’t tell what expression she made in her hawk form.

“How many?” I called up to her with a playful grin.

Freya flew lower, and her face shifted slightly into her human features as she got closer to me. The corner of her lips lifted in a smile, and her eyes danced across my face.

“That was five.” The warrior princess puffed out her bird chest as she pumped her wings and hovered above me. “How many for you?”

“Four, I think.” I shrugged. “I didn’t check to see if the last guy survived the hole in his chest.”

Freya laughed, and the sound felt foreign in the context of the battle around us.

I grinned up at the flying shapeshifter and gave her a small salute. Maker, she was a great woman.

“Let’s finish cleaning up these ass-bears.” I smirked, and Freya gave me a firm nod in reply before she pumped her wings and rose up into the air once more.

I sensed my drillmole take out another bear warrior who wandered into the tree line, and I scanned the clearing for an opponent. It took a moment to find someone who wasn’t already evenly matched with a hawk warrior, but then I saw Haida pinned against a timber dwelling with a giant bear paw against her throat.

I ran toward the bear warrior’s back, jumped when I was a foot away, and stabbed my daggers into either side of his neck. The bear warrior released Haida and growled as he spun and tried to knock me off him, but the motion only helped my daggers carve deeper into his throat, and a moment later, blood spilled out of his mouth as he fell to the ground.

I stood on shaky legs and looked over at the older woman to see if she was injured.

“You okay?” I asked while I yanked my daggers out of the dead man’s neck.

“Yeah, thanks,” Haida panted and rubbed at her bruised throat, but she shot me a grateful smile. “I’ll be sore tomorrow, but I’ll live.”

She eyed me for a second and shook her head like she lost an internal debate, then shifted into hawk form and leapt into the air with a couple fluid movements of her striped wings.

“Be careful, Gryff!” she called down to me before she rose higher and circled the clearing.

“I’m always careful!” I shouted up at her with a wide grin.

Suddenly, a bear man stumbled out of a doorway a few houses away, and he roared out a war cry before he rushed toward me.

I grimaced as I prepared for his attack and shifted in the dirt to balance on the pads of my feet.

The bear man crashed into my shoulder first and knocked me against the wall at my back. I winced as sharp pain shot down my side, and I almost dropped my rhin dagger from my right hand. The heavy weight of the shapeshifter squeezed against my chest, and I struggled to breathe.

I twisted in the same direction he pushed, and I pulled my body out from beneath his crushing weight. The bear warrior pushed off from the wall with one giant bear claw and snapped at my neck with glistening fangs.

I swiveled to the side, lifted my father’s dagger up, and caught the bear warrior in the armpit with my blade. His muzzle brushed against my face, and I gulped as I realized how close he had come to digging his fangs into my throat.

Then I turned again and jerked my dagger out of his side, and I landed a kick to the side of his head. The shapeshifter’s head bounced against the timber wall, and he shook his head to dispel the dizzying effect.

The bear warrior howled with rage as he spun to face me, but his eyes were unfocused as he lumbered toward me with a swing of a sharp claw. I stepped inside his attack before he made contact, drove both of my daggers into his chest, and gave the hilts a vicious twist as blood sprayed over me.

The shapeshifter stared blankly up at the sky with a slack jaw, and then he slid backward off my blades and crumpled to the ground.

I spat out blood and did my best to wipe my face with a shirt sleeve as I caught my breath and scanned the perimeter. The sounds of battle were scattered more faintly around the clearing, and as I glanced around, I couldn’t find any bear warriors still standing. A couple surviving bear warriors struggled against their attackers, but at this point, the people of Hawk Clan outnumbered them dramatically.

Was Hawk Clan going to return with prisoners?

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I watched as the hawk warriors sliced the throats of the bear men they’d herded into the center of their group.

Well, that question was answered with a solid no.

I wiped my bloody daggers on my pant leg, tucked them back into my belt, and looked around for Freya. I didn’t have to look for very long, though, as I spotted the hawk woman banking her wings and landing on the ground ahead of me.

The warrior princess had shifted back into her human form by the time I approached her, and she greeted me with a bright smile.

“How many, foreigner?” She arched an eyebrow as she questioned me playfully.

I tugged on the bond to my drillmole and sensed my monster had killed another shapeshifter.

“Eight,” I said with a casual shrug.

“You are so fast!” Her eyes widened. “How did you get more than me?”

“I’m just lucky I guess.” I smirked and bumped my shoulder against her.

“Then I am lucky to have your company,” she purred, and her voice dropped an octave with her suggestive tone. Then her eyes flicked down my body and back up to my face with a quizzical expression. “Where are your scalps?”

“You mean, like go and cut off their hair?” I asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” Freya chuckled, and she shook her head as she took my hand. “Show me the first one, and I’ll teach you what to do. You’ll need to bring something back to show the clan your success.”

“I guess I can manage that.” I grinned and led her to the last shapeshifter I had killed.

Freya knelt down near the head that was still in the shapeshifter’s bear form and pulled out her dagger. Next, the warrior princess cut a thin line in the skin between the hairy, bear ears in the shape of an oval about the size of my hand. Then she handed the scalp up to me and wiped the blade of her dagger clean before putting it back in her belt.

“You want the scalps big enough to have a hold on it,” Freya explained with a cheerful tone, “but they will shrink as they dry out, and then you can attach it to a war tunic.”

“Alright,” I muttered as I eyed the hairy skin pinched between my fingers while blood dripped into the dirt with little splashes. “If it will end up with me getting a ship, I’ll gather up some chunks of skin before we head back.”

“Good.” Freya dusted off her hands and stood. “I will meet you on the shoreline where we left the boats. Try not to take too long. I’m ready to get back to the village and spend some more alone time with you … ”

The blonde shapeshifter gave me a brief nod before she turned to walk away.

“Oh, I can be fast.” I grinned. “See you soon.”

With that settled, I turned my attention to completing the final task of the final trial and retraced my steps back to my kills. I recalled my drillmole after I followed my monster back to all the shapeshifters it had taken out, and I removed their scalps as well.

While it had been messy, bloody, and chaotic, I had to admit I was pleased with the third trial of the Warrior’s Test. Not bad for a night’s work.

Now, I could focus on the next phase in my plan to get back to my friends: stealing a boat from Skara.

Chapter 11

I found Freya on the rocky shoreline where the blonde shapeshifter squatted over a pile of bloody scalps. She used her dagger to scrape some gore from the hairless side of the skin, and then she flung the discards to the side with deft flicks of her wrist.

I joined her with my own pile of hairy scalps and copied her actions on my trophies. Some of my scalps had human hair while others had the coarse fur of a bear, and I realized the shapeshifters stayed in whatever form they’d died in. My hands were already coated in blood before I started the task, but soon a fresh layer was added to my skin as I scraped the scalps clean.

Mmmm, Gryff, Sera moaned, and the Archon sent me the image of her licking her lips. You look delicious in the blood of your enemies. Summon me, and I’ll lick your fingers clean.

Why just take a piece of hair? Phi snickered. Toys are more fun when they make noises. These shifty mortals bore me.

You bore me, sister, Sera drawled, and Phi huffed angrily but didn’t respond.

My Archons were obviously restless and had been acting a bit bitchy since I came to this new country, but I ignored them with practiced ease, and a moment later, the sisters slid wordlessly away into a corner of my consciousness.

I’d have to punish them with my cock later.

After a while, Freya sat back and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, which smeared blood across her forehead. Then the warrior princess set her last scalp down on the gravel and eyed my progress. The pile of viscera had grown considerably from our combined efforts, but I still had three left.

“Want some help?” Freya arched an eyebrow at what remained.

“Sure.” I grinned as I finished the scalp in my hand, and we both reached for another. As I worked on the last one, I paused and raised my head to scan the shore. Most of the hawk warriors had returned and performed their own scalp cleaning on the rocky beach around us. “Looks like everyone has made it back except your father.”

“He’s still in the air.” Freya shrugged without looking up from her task. She had almost finished, so I returned to the scalp in my hand and completed the cleaning process.

As I stood and stretched out my stiff limbs, I spotted the chief in his large black raptor form circling just below the clouds. My knees were numb from the last hour of kneeling on the gravel beach, and my back ached from holding myself in a hunched position.

When I turned back to Freya, she was gathering up her trophies, but before I followed her and did the same, I crossed the beach to the water and cleaned the bloody muck off my blade. Then I stashed my father’s dagger in my belt as I returned to my pile of scalps and grabbed them by the hairy tendrils. By the time Freya and I climbed into the boat, the rest of the shapeshifters were ambling toward the small ships, and when everyone had gathered, Chief Fenrir descended from the sky.

The chief hovered a short distance from the water as he shifted into human form. Then Fenrir dropped as his wings became arms, and he landed on the gravel shore with human legs. The black-haired shapeshifter strode toward us, and he signaled to the other ships to push off as he climbed into our boat.

A moment later, the three ships left the small cove and launched into the ocean waves. From a quick glance around the boat, I’d noticed the hawk warriors around me all carried scalp trophies of their own. Chief Fenrir was the only one who was empty handed. He’d spent most of the battle in the sky keeping watch, but I knew as a leader he was likely more focused on the success of the entire group than his own bragging rights.

Or, he could secretly be a coward, Sera snickered. After all, what do you really know about his leadership skills? How do you know he is trustworthy?

I frowned as I thought about the black winged Archon’s words. The chief and Freya had both given me their word that once I completed the Warrior’s Test, they would help me get a ship from Skara, and that was good enough for me. In the end, all I could do was wait to see what happened next, so I shoved away my doubts and continued to look around.

Trjegul manned the rudder, and he had a decent sized pile of hairy skins next to him. He caught me staring at his trophies, so I nodded appreciatively and shot him a friendly grin, and the shapeshifter returned my smile as he puffed out his chest.

I’d known Trjegul was an experienced warrior from the respect he received from the chief, but I respected the hawk warrior even more after I’d seen him fight. He was definitely deadly with his blade, and quick on his feet. Better to befriend the dark-haired warrior than make him an enemy.

“Now you know what it means to be a Hawk Clan Warrior,” he called over the noise of the ocean waves.

“I’m honored to have joined you,” I replied. “You certainly know how to have a good time!”

“As do you.” He grinned at me. “Brother.”

I chuckled to myself as I thought about when he’d killed a bear warrior with a dagger to the eye, and then I turned and brought my gaze back to the bow of the ship.

The sun rose ahead of us as we sailed to the southeast, and I sighed as I realized we still had a long trip back to the village. I yawned and stretched into a more comfortable position, and Freya readjusted against my side until she was snuggled under my arm.

I smiled at the warrior princess as I wrapped my arm around her, and I was grateful for her added body heat and the pleasant lavender smell that clung to her hair.

Freya had a way of making everything more enjoyable, even long boring boat rides.

I dozed in and out of sleep, with my head rested against Freya’s or dipped forward with my chin to my chest, but I struggled to keep my eyes open for the rest of the journey to Eyrie Island. I’d slept half a day yesterday, but then we’d been up all night killing ass-bears, so I took the opportunity to get some rest.

The sun traced a line through the sky overhead as we sailed, and it was well past noon when I spotted the tall peak of Eyrie Island in the distance. We’d kept a steady pace, but the rowers lacked the same sense of urgency they’d had on their way to battle, so the return voyage took a little longer.

“We are here already?” Freya stirred as we approached the rock archway, and the blonde shapeshifter blinked away some sleep as she looked around. “That was fast.”

“I guess we slept for most of the trip.” I yawned and rolled my stiff shoulders. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to sleeping on boats.”

“By the time you get across the ocean to Mistral, you won’t be able to sleep on land.” Freya smirked. “Better get used to it soon, fledgling.”

“Fledgling?” I echoed and arched an eyebrow at the shapeshifter.

“I can’t really call you a foreigner anymore since you’ve completed three trials.” Freya grinned. “But until the ceremony, you are technically still considered a fledgling.”

“So,” I countered with a sly smile, “what are you going to call me tomorrow?”

“Gryff … or just warrior.” Freya shrugged, but when she spoke again, her tone was serious and reverent. “After the ceremony, you will be a full-fledged Hawk Clan warrior, and you will always have a home on Eyrie Island.”

“I hope to always bring honor to Hawk Clan.” I inclined my head to the warrior princess and mirrored her tone respectfully. “I am proud to join such brave people, even though my path leads me away from these lands soon.”

Before the warrior princess could respond, we dipped below the cliff archway and floated into the circular pool. A crowd gathered on the dock to greet us, and I straightened my back as I prepared for our landing.

I was determined to make it very clear to the people of Eyrie Island that I planned to leave soon. I was grateful for their hospitality and friendship, but my intention from the beginning had always been to get back to Mistral. I would play along with the shapeshifters, complete their trials, and participate in their ceremony for now, but I’d done my part. It was in the hands of Hawk Clan now.

I’d just have to remind Chief Fenrir of his part in our agreement after the ceremony.

If these foolish mortals get in your way, I’ll destroy them all, Sera chuckled, but the sound was more malicious than amused. The little birds won’t like their island home very much with my leviathan hunting them.

I waved off the gruesome image, but I smiled as I thought about Sera’s eagerness to help me achieve my goals. I didn’t anticipate that I would need to use the Archon’s summons, but it was still nice to have a few tricks up my sleeve.

I wouldn’t let anything stop me from getting back to my friends.

The bow of our ship bumped against the dock and pulled me out of my thoughts. Then I followed Freya off the boat and stood by her side while we waited for Chief Fenrir to speak.

The black-haired shapeshifter stood on the dock and watched patiently while more and more hawk people landed around us.

“People of Hawk Clan,” Chief Fenrir bellowed, “our warriors return victorious! Last night, we reclaimed our island and defeated the Bear Clan warriors who occupied our territory.”

Cheers erupted from the gathered crowd, but after a moment, Fenrir motioned for silence.

“Not only did our warriors defeat every single Bear Clan man on the island,” the chief continued with a proud smile, “but Gryff of Mistral also successfully completed the third trial and proved his worth to the goddess. He has earned his wings, so tonight we celebrate the newest addition to Hawk Clan.”

The shapeshifters roared their approval as another cheer burst forth from the gathered people, and my ears rang as the bird-like screeches and flutter of feathers added to the chaos.

Chief Fenrir turned to me as the cry began to fade, and his eyes twinkled with obvious amusement.

“It has been a long time since my people had much to celebrate,” the chief explained. “I plan to give them a night they will remember, with your help of course. You need to prepare for the ceremony. The elders will retrieve you from your dwelling.”

The black-haired shapeshifter nodded as he dismissed me, but I hesitated. There was no way I was going to do anything without agreeing to it first. The shapeshifters had a tendency to be vague, and I wanted to avoid any future awkwardness with the ceremony and get the full description.

“What exactly am I supposed to do at this ceremony?” I raised an eyebrow as I questioned the chief.

“The ritual to accept you into the clan works as a symbol of rebirth,” Fenrir replied after he’d eyed me silently for a moment. “You will need to cleanse your body and present yourself before the clan, then if the elders approve, you will eat the egg of a water dragon and claim your wings.”

“Will I be able to shapeshift after this?” I almost gasped as the thought struck me.

“The goddess decides how she gives the Gift.” Fenrir shook his head doubtfully. “We do not often let foreigners join the clan, so I do not know if she will give you any gifts. The goddess is mysterious, but it would be unwise to question her.”

“I guess that makes sense,” I sighed, since I didn’t want to offend the shapeshifters by voicing my skepticism of their goddess. “Oh, well, I’ll find out soon enough.”

“I’ll walk you to your dwelling,” Freya said as she slipped her hand into mine.

We said goodbye to the chief and headed up the stairs, and the warrior princess pressed a soft kiss to my cheek before she left me at the courtyard entrance. When the swaying mass of blonde hair dipped out of view, I turned and went inside to wait for the mysterious elders.

I plopped down on the bed still fully clothed in the outfit I’d fought in. My shirt fluttered around the shredded claw marks as I stretched out, but I didn’t care. I expected a long night of ceremonies and celebration ahead, and I intended to sleep as much as possible before then. Fortunately, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep as soon as I got comfortable on the low bed.

Suddenly, though, I heard people moving in the courtyard outside, and my eyes shot open. I couldn’t see any light coming from the opening above, and the room was dark so I knew it was after sunset, but one of the approaching people carried a torch, and the flames sent shadows jumping against the far wall. I stood with a groan and rolled my stiff neck as I moved to the entrance.

“Hello,” I said with a friendly wave to the three men who stood in the courtyard.

The three hawk men blinked at me in surprise when I appeared in the doorway. The man in front handed the torch to one of the men behind him, then he gave a short bow and cleared his throat.

“Gryff of Mistral,” he said, and the shapeshifter spoke in a deep, low baritone. “We will take you to the bath.”

Without another word, the three men turned and headed back toward the stairs.

The rituals of the ceremony had started.

I followed the men as they walked down a flight of stairs, turned down a tunnel, and darted into the maze of the village toward a lower level. I kept track of the turns for a while, but eventually gave up. Then I turned my attention to my guides and eyed them carefully as we went.

They were all much older than me, but they had the thick muscles and long strides of capable warriors, and all three of the shapeshifters wore a long black tunic that hung below their knees. The man in the lead appeared to be the oldest, since his gray hair thinned at his temples and his back hunched slightly with age, but he kept a brisk pace. The other two men both had more black than gray in their salt and pepper hair, but they walked with raised chins and straight backs behind the leader.

The people of Hawk Clan were a proud bunch, and my respect for them grew stronger every day. I was eager to stand with the shapeshifters as an equal.

Suddenly, the elders took a right turn at an intersection of tunnels, and the air around me grew hotter. The carved stone walls also bore a moist sheen in the torchlight, and at the end of the short tunnel hung a large, wooden door, and steam escaped around the cracks around the threshold.

“The bath is inside,” the lead elder said and gestured to the door.

I swallowed hard, but I crossed the hallway and grabbed the handle without hesitation. I had to tug hard on the heavy door, but when it swung open, steam billowed out around me in a thick cloud. Then I squinted into the cavern room and saw a pool of steaming water in a large crater.

The elders ushered me forward as they entered the room behind me and closed the door. The stone beneath my feet was damp and slippery so I moved with careful shuffles, and when we were all inside, the leader tucked the torch into a nook in the wall and then turned to me.

“We must help you cleanse your body before you are presented to the goddess.” He spoke in a ritualistic monotone as he indicated a wooden bench nearby, with soap and towels stacked neatly on top.

“I can clean myself just fine,” I replied and held up my hands as they moved toward me.

“This is how it is done.” The leader tilted his head to one side and eyed me warily.

“I agreed to take a bath,” I argued, “I never agreed to let three strange men clean me.”

“I understand,” the elder shapeshifter chuckled as his confused expression dropped into an amused smile. “We are unaccustomed to a foreigner participating in our rituals. There are many differences between our people, and I will try to be more sensitive to this.”

Then the elder turned to his companions and motioned them away. The three shapeshifters pulled off their tunics, slipped into the large, hot pool, and left me to clean myself. They sat with their backs to me, so I quickly tore off my damaged clothes and kicked off my shoes, and I left the discarded clothes next to my boots, belt, and bandolier behind the bench. On the seat was a jug of water, a stack of washcloths and towels, a couple different kinds of soap, and a mysterious looking oil.

So, I grabbed what I needed and quickly scrubbed over my entire body with a soapy lather. The rough washcloth grated on my skin and left red streaks where I cleaned, but I gritted my teeth and attacked the task with determination. I stood naked on the stone floor, and I wanted to get this over with as fast as I could. When I’d covered myself in soap, paying extra attention to my scalp and groin, I grabbed the jug of cold water and dumped it over my head.

I hissed as the icy water washed over me, and a moment later, I was shivering as water dripped off me onto the dusty stones beneath me. A puddle of mud immediately formed around my feet, and goosebumps covered my arms and legs.

“Alright,” the elder called from the pool, “you can get in now.”

“Thanks.” I grinned as I crossed the room, and I stepped into the blissfully warm water with a grateful sigh. The extreme temperature switch shocked my system, and icy needles of pleasure and pain sparked over my entire body. Then I settled onto a stone bench carved out of the perimeter of the pool and looked around with curiosity.

I judged from the sulfuric odor in the air and the bubbles that plopped on the surface of the water that this was a natural formation. The rocky crater didn’t look handcrafted, but the hawk people had added to it by carving out the benches and enclosing the room to trap the heat.

I leaned back, rested my head on the edge of the pool, and let my muscles relax into the warm water. Then I closed my eyes to block out the torchlight, but I didn’t sleep. I didn’t know how long I needed to sit there before I was deemed clean enough, but I would enjoy it for as long as I could.

Could I come back here later, or was it reserved for rituals?

I made a mental note to ask Freya, then pushed the thought out of my mind. I needed to focus on the ritual. Once I was a member of Hawk Clan, I could remind the chief about his promise.

Suddenly, the elder cleared his throat and pulled me out of my meditative soak.

I glanced up and noticed the three men had climbed out of the hot pool and were drying off with coarse towels by another bench along the far wall. I joined them reluctantly and grabbed a towel of my own. I wrapped the fabric loosely around my waist, and when I joined them, the leader of the trio held out a plain leather tunic.

“This is your war tunic,” he intoned in a voice heavy with ritual. “With each victory, attach a memento of the battle, and one day you could be a fully decorated warrior.”

I took the tunic in my hands and tugged it on over my head. Then I tossed my towel into the corner and shook my wet hair as I settled the outfit around my shoulders.

The elder eyed me for a moment before he nodded his approval.

“Now, we will continue on to the ceremonial hall,” he explained, and the three men turned to the door.

I grabbed my bandolier and slung it on over the tunic, slipped on my boots, and cinched my belt around my waist as I followed after them. I had to trot to catch up to the men in the tunnel, and the elders glanced back when I fell into pace behind them.

“Your things would have been returned to your dwelling,” the leader informed me with a small frown. “It is not common for the approaching warrior to be armed in the ceremonial hall.”

“I don’t mean to offend,” I replied, “but I cannot leave my gear behind. It is a part of me, I feel naked without it.”

“I suppose we can compromise on a few details,” the shapeshifter relented and dropped the subject.

He led the group through the maze of tunnels in silence, but we hadn’t walked far when we entered a wide tunnel crowded with hawk people. Everyone moved in the same direction, and we joined the throng as we headed toward a large cavern doorway. I heard several mutters of my name from people who passed us, but I kept my chin high and my eyes forward as I walked behind the elders.

A small gap formed around the elders as the people of Hawk Clan skirted around them at a respectful distance, and the leader quickened our pace once the path ahead was clear.

I glanced around the wide tunnel before we entered the ceremonial hall and attempted to calibrate my location. Torches jutted out from anchors in the stone wall between shadowy doorways, and I could tell from the low slope of the cliff ceiling above me that we were deep inside the mountain, but the twisting tunnels made it difficult to judge our direction.

As we approached the wide entrance to the ceremonial hall, I spied Freya’s blonde waves as she waited with a dark lump clasped in her arms, and she smiled brightly at me when our eyes met.

“There you are, fledgling,” she teased and held up the lump. “I need to give you this before you go in.”

“What is it?” I eyed it curiously and noticed it was made of the long, coarse brown fur of a bear.

“The ceremonial cloak,” the warrior princess explained as she unfurled the garment and wrapped it around my shoulders.

“Thank you.” The thick cloak was heavy and smelled a little musky, but I smiled as I accepted the blonde shapeshifter’s gift.

I noticed she wore her own war tunic, and my smile grew when I noticed two wolf tails had been added to the shoulders. The gray and white fur strips dangled down the princess’ back and waved with her movements, but before I could comment on the new trophies, Freya cinched the cloak around my chest and nodded her approval.

“I’ll see you inside!” She winked and reached up to plant a quick kiss on my cheek before she turned and disappeared into the crowd that gathered inside the ceremonial hall.

“I guess that means I’m still following you guys,” I said and turned to look for the elders.

The older men had waited quietly behind me while Freya had given me the cloak.

“Yes.” The leader cleared his throat and inclined his head toward a side door I hadn’t noticed before. “Follow me this way, please.”

The elders pulled open a small wooden door and led me into another tunnel. There weren’t as many torches down this hallway, and the path ahead was dark, but I followed behind the elders without complaint. We walked along the dark hallway for a few moments, and then we stood before another wooden door.

When we passed through the threshold, we were inside the cavernous ceremonial hall, and I exhaled a low breath as I looked around in awe. The ceiling arched high overhead, and several shapeshifters flew around the dome in their hawk forms. Shadows danced on the ceiling across stalactites and jagged edges of raw stone, and the effect was mesmerizing.

A huge bonfire blazed nearby, and as my gaze swept out from the fire, I noticed the rows of benches carved into the cavern wall like steps. Hawk people covered the benches in crowded groups, and a loud murmur of excited chatter filled the air. Torches lined the wall above the seats and the aisle down the middle of the hall from the doors to the bonfire.

The elders ushered me forward to stand beside the fire and then retreated to stand in a half circle behind me. I took a deep breath and ignored the hundreds of hawk people staring at me. Then I saw Chief Fenrir striding toward me from the entrance.

When the black-haired shapeshifter reached the bonfire, he circled around it and waved his arms to the people in the hall.

A hush fell across the room as the excited hawk people descended into silence.

Chief Fenrir stopped and stood in front of the bonfire as he faced the crowd.

“Hear me, goddess, hear our call!” The chief spoke in a loud, clear voice as he started the ritual, but his tone was more subdued than the dock-side shouts I’d grown accustomed to. “With your blessing, a new life joins Hawk Clan on this night. We ask you now if he is worthy.”

The chief motioned for me to come closer, and I stood at his side with my back to the fire. I could feel the warmth of the flames through the heavy bear skin cloak, and sweat started to seep from my forehead.

“Gryff of Mistral,” the chief continued, “you petition the goddess of your own will and choice?”

“I do,” I responded in a clear voice.

“Have you proven yourself worthy of the breath of life?” He spoke more to the crowd than to me, but the correct response was clear.

“I have.” I grinned as I thought about the climb on Miste Isle.

“Have you proven yourself worthy of the hunger for life?”

“I have,” I replied automatically when I recalled the water dragon cove.

“And.” Chief Fenrir paused to build dramatic tension before he recited the final question. “Have you proven yourself worthy of the thirst for blood?”

I hesitated, and a frown creased my brow. I hadn’t realized the meaning of the third trial, it had seemed like the theme of the excursion had just been having fun, but the metaphor was obvious.

I swallowed and shook off my reluctance.

“I have,” I said in a firm tone.

Chief Fenrir nodded solemnly as he accepted my response. Then the shapeshifter turned to usher forward a couple people I hadn’t noticed before. It was two hawk women I didn’t recognize, but I drew in a sharp breath of realization when I spotted my hairy scalps in their hands.

I’d been so tired during the boat ride, I hadn’t even realized I left my trophies on the vessel. Apparently, someone had known they were mine and collected them before the ceremony.

“The trophies from your victory against Bear Clan will be the first pieces added to your war tunic,” Fenrir explained as the women stepped up to me.

The women pulled needles and thread from pouches on their belts and set to work. They quickly secured the scalps in a fringe along the bottom of my tunic then stepped back and merged into the crowd without a word.

I took a deep breath and turned back to the chief, and the new fringe swung heavily around my legs with the motion.

“Gryff of Eyrie Island,” the chief proclaimed with a flourish of his arms, “welcome to Hawk Clan!”

Shouts, hoots, screeches, whistles, and several other types of noises filled the hall as the hawk people cheered in celebration of their newest member.

I stood and stared around at the people of Eyrie Island with a huge grin until the cheer quieted. Then I arched an eyebrow at the chief questioningly, and the dark-haired shapeshifter chuckled as he motioned for me to wait.

“There is one more step,” he said, and I stifled a groan.

But then I noticed Freya walking up the pathway to the bonfire holding a bowl, and understanding hit me like a wave.

The eggs. I’d forgotten about the eggs.

The warrior princess smiled at me as she approached, but she paused a few feet away and looked to her father expectantly.

“I present you with the drink of the goddess,” Chief Fenrir intoned in his loud ritual voice and motioned Freya forward with her bowl. “The eggs of the water dragon will take you to meet the goddess.”

The blonde shapeshifter grinned and lifted the bowl to my lips.

I noticed the contents were a blue gray liquid, and I winced as the sour, rotten smell hit my nose.

Freya’s eyes twinkled with amusement at my reaction, but she pushed the bowl steadily up and poured the liquid into my mouth without mercy.

I glared at the princess as I choked down the thick, acrid liquid, then my eyebrows shot up in surprise as she tilted the bowl to her own lips before handing it off to her father. I felt justified when I saw them wince at the nasty flavor, too, but the shapeshifters shook off their distaste quickly. I marveled at their straight faces and grimaced as I tried to swallow down the burning taste in my throat.

Freya dipped her head and shot me a quick smile before she turned and took the bowl to the elders who stood behind the fire. When I glanced around, I noticed several other hawk people drink from other bowls and then pass them on.

It seemed everyone in the clan would get a taste of the water dragon egg mixture.

I licked my lips as I watched the process, and I realized my tongue felt thick and scratchy. My mouth was dry, and my throat burned, but I kept my face blank as I waited for the next part of the ritual.

The fire snapped and crackled loudly behind me, and I focused on the sound as I turned and stared into the flames. My heart thudded against my ribs, and I blinked as the flames distorted in my vision.

“Seek her … Seek her … ” A low chant echoed around the room as the hawk people began to murmur in one voice. It grew louder, and shivers ran down my spine as the intensity rose. Then the hawk people moved down from the rows of benches, crowded around the bonfire, and stomped their feet in unison as the chant grew louder and louder.

I swallowed around the thick feeling in my throat as my vision began to blur. I blinked and tried to keep the faces around me in focus, but every time I opened my eyes, the faces twisted and distorted even more. My hands grew sweaty, and I brushed them against my tunic as I scanned the crowd for Freya with growing unease.

What the fuck did I just drink?

Freya’s gold flecked eyes peered out at me from the faces swarming from the shadows, but before I could reach for her, she faded back into the strange faces of the crowd.

I inhaled and tried to shake off the unnerving sensation, but the air was heavy with smoke, and my body grew leaden. I turned to find the chief, but all I could see were the twirling flames of the bonfire. The fire drew me in, and I stared deep into the flames as the room faded away from me.

I blinked, and the ceremonial hall was gone. All around me stretched the empty pale gray sky, and I leaned into the wind as I flew through the clouds. I looked down and saw islands surrounded by ocean far below me, and I gasped as I realized I was flying. I scanned the sky with clear eyes and marveled at how far I could see.

Suddenly, I spotted the familiar fang shape of Miste Isle below me, and I dipped down to circle the spire with a few pumps of my wings.

I eyed the feathers on my wings suspiciously as I followed the instincts of my bird form and banked upwards on an air current.

I had to be dreaming, right?

I flew in a daze for a while with nothing but clouds all around me until they parted and revealed a small island cove. I saw the hole in the coral reef that encircled the island and realized it was where I’d gathered the water dragon eggs.

How was this happening?

I couldn’t stop the pumping of my wings as something pulled me forward. I soared with ease, and squinted into the wind, as I headed in some unknown direction.

Then the clouds parted again, and I saw another island. This time I could see the charred debris of the Bear Clan village and the scattered remains of the dead warriors in the clearing. My stomach dropped, though, when I looked down through a caved in roof and saw a child sized arm stretched out from beneath the rubble.

I hadn’t seen any children in the Bear Clan village, but then again, the fight had already started by the time I’d reached the clearing.

Before I could process the scene and piece together the puzzle of my flying ability, the clouds surrounded me again, and all I could see was the color gray.

I thought I heard a scream in the distance and pushed my wings through the air to get closer, but I couldn’t tell what direction the sound had come from. The clouds swirled around me, and I blinked as my vision blurred and the clouds turned into faces twisted with pain and anguish.

“Stop!” I tried to yell, but all that came out was a shrill caw. I growled in frustration and tried to fly lower to escape the clouds, but they surrounded me on all sides. No matter how fast I flew or what direction, I remained trapped in the endless clouds.

Then I got an idea, and I stopped flying. I floated motionless in the air with my wings hanging at my side, and I smirked as I realized none of this was real.

As soon as the thought struck me, the clouds swirled away, and everything went black.

“Gryff … ”

I heard Freya’s voice and opened my eyes to find her peering at me with a worried frown. I laid on my back on the floor of the ceremonial hall, and Freya squatted by my side with her father standing behind her.

“Good,” the warrior princess said as I sat up on my elbows, and she looked me over carefully. “I was worried you hit your head when you fell.”

“Something happened to my head … ” I muttered as I climbed to my feet and rubbed the back of my neck. My skull throbbed, and a lump had already started to form where I’d hit the ground.

“The goddess approved your petition,” Freya said as if that explained everything.

I shook my head in awe at her simple words and tried to clear my head of visions of flight. I wiggled my fingers and peered at my limbs, and I half expected feathers to grow spontaneously as I thought about what I’d just experienced.

“What was in those eggs?” I shot Freya an accusatory glance, and she chuckled.

“The eggs of the water dragon are very special,” she explained. “When a fledgling eats them, they travel between worlds since they haven’t been fully claimed by a clan yet. If the goddess approves of you, then you return to the land of the living and join the clan. If not, you spend eternity serving her in the land of the dead.”

“You people and your journeys into death,” I laughed but shook off my uneasiness.

Whatever had just happened, it was over now. I was a full member of Hawk Clan, and the trials and rituals were over.

I sighed as I finally began to relax, and I peered curiously around the cavernous ceremonial hall at Hawk Clan. I saw several people thrashing on the floor with wide unfocused eyes, apparently still under the influence of the mind-altering egg drink, and I thought about Freya’s words as I noticed the varying reactions. Some of the shapeshifters seemed unaffected, like Freya, while others seemed deep in a hypnosis as they fought an internal struggle.

Were the ones who were still lost in visions the fledglings of the tribe?

I spotted Chief Fenrir nearby, and the dark-haired shapeshifter hovered over Vahla’s writhing body as she twisted on the floor at his feet. The chief looked concerned for his daughter but watched calmly as she thrashed and moaned.

“She will be okay,” Freya said when she followed my eyes over to her sister. “Sometimes the effect lasts longer. I didn’t expect you to recover so quickly.”

“It felt like forever,” I replied and ran my hands through my hair. “I don’t even know how long I was like that … ”

The whole experience was disorienting, and I longed to get away from the hall and process the visions in privacy.

“Not too long.” Freya watched me for a moment from the corner of her eye before she returned her gaze to her sister. “I’m sure you are exhausted, though.”

“Pretty much,” I chuckled. “Any chance we can get out of here?”

“I’ll tell my father,” Freya said with a nod, and then the blonde shapeshifter moved to Fenrir’s side and whispered in his ear.

The chief’s eyes shot over to me, and he nodded, so Freya returned to my side and took my hand in hers.

I smiled gratefully at the warrior princess and then followed her out of the hall and through the village to my dwelling. My brain felt fuzzy and blank as I walked beside her, and I barely noticed half the turns we took. Before I knew it, we were leaving the stairs and walking into the courtyard in front of my dwelling.

I groaned and collapsed into bed without bothering to remove my cloak or boots. I heard Freya chuckle from the doorway, and I beckoned her to join me.

“Another time,” she said in a reluctant tone and turned to leave. “You need to sleep.”

I smiled sleepily and waved at the departing princess, then sighed and closed my eyes.

I didn’t have time to enjoy the chance to rest, though, since as soon as my eyes closed, I heard the familiar hiss of the hostile Archon Utuni. A moment later, the sound was followed by Miralea’s menacing growl.

I clenched my teeth and prepared for a fight.

It didn’t seem like I’d be getting much rest tonight after all.

Chapter 12

I summoned Phi and Sera with a tug on our bond, and a moment later, the Archons rushed into view ready to fight.

A red and green aura twisted around my dreamscape and filled the space around me, and I scanned my consciousness for the hostile Archons. My locks had failed once again, and I sensed the two goddesses as they approached.

“The two of you hold off Utuni,” I commanded the sisters. “I’m going to subdue Miralea once and for all.”

“Gladly,” Sera said, and her fangs gleamed as she bristled her wings. Her hair fluttered against her pale skin, and she curled her fists as she readied herself for battle.

“I will make her scream,” Phi added with a proud lift of her chin, not to be outdone by her sister.

I sensed Utuni’s presence like a hot glare on the back of my neck, and then I heard a low menacing hiss behind me. I spun around to face the snake goddess, and Sera and Phi did the same. Then I steadied my breathing as I scanned the mist, and I balanced on the balls of my feet as I prepared for her attack.

“Is this a party?” Utuni laughed as she ambled through the parting mists like she didn’t have a care in the world, but her eyes were cold and hostile. The red strips of fabric that covered the Archon’s body flitted around her as she moved toward us with snake-like fluidity. “I feel like an honored guest.”

“You would have to be honorable, first,” Sera retorted, and her black feathered wings bristled beside me as we watched Utuni’s approach. The dark winged Archon’s hatred of Utuni was understandable, since the snake goddess had contributed to Sera’s imprisonment before I met her.

“I have more honor than you two sniveling pets,” Utuni hissed as her snake tail flicked with short, twitchy movements. “You both disgust me. Kissing this mortal’s boots, among other things … ”

“How dare you!” Phi growled at the insult, and her red eyes burned with rage.

Suddenly, the blue skinned Archon rushed forward and launched a spear of her power at the snake goddess. The attack hit Utuni on the shoulder and made her scramble to maintain her balance, but the impact did little damage.

I steeled myself for battle and brought my fists into a defensive stance, but Sera motioned for me to stay back.

“Do not waste your energy with Utuni,” she warned as she put a restraining hand on my shoulder. “Phi and I will handle the snake. Go! Concentrate on Miralea!”

Then the Archon strode forward, stood by her sister’s side, and blocked my view of Utuni. Sera and Phi slashed at the snake goddess with their sharp nails, their combined attacks sliced into Utuni’s side, and a line of blood slid down the hostile Archon’s skin from the wound.

Utuni hissed and retaliated with a furious slash at Sera’s face, which only enraged my dark winged Archon further.

Before I could offer any help, the smoky aura before us parted once more, and Miralea pounced from the shadows with a ferocious roar. Her jaguar claws dug into my shoulders as the Archon landed on my chest and snarled in my face. Saliva dripped from her sharp fangs as she snapped at me, but I shoved against her arms and held her away from my throat.

I grabbed the rabid Archon by the throat and squeezed with both hands until her eyes widened, and she released my shoulders to scratch desperately at my wrists. I shoved Miralea away from me, and her claws dug deep gouges into my skin as I released her. I hissed sharply when the air hit the cuts, but I clenched my jaw tight and ignored the pain.

Miralea landed in a squat, and her jaguar tail twitched as she balanced on the balls of her feet.

“Submit to me, Miralea,” I commanded. “You will never escape.”

“Never, ” the jaguar goddess growled, and the vines that covered her body twisted defensively.

“You might as well submit now,” I pressed in a taunting voice. “Stop wasting your energy fighting me, and then if you’re good, maybe I’ll let you out to play.”

“Ignorant mortal,” Miralea hissed, “I am a goddess, an Archon ruler of the Shadowscape, not a toy for you to play with!”

Then she lunged for me, and a look of pure hatred burned in her orange eyes. The jaguar goddess latched onto me and dug her claws into my skin, and before I could get a grip on her to push her away, she sank her fangs into my neck.

I roared as the pain shot through me, and a white-hot light blinded me. I flung out my fist and struck Miralea on the side of her face, and she released me from her bite. I blinked to focus my eyes as I continued to jab my fist into the jaguar goddess’ face and the back of her head, but she twisted away from me and tore at me with her claws.

Finally, Miralea growled and leapt away from me, and I stumbled back from the force of her movement. I caught my balance and watched carefully as she circled and eyed me with a predatorial glare.

“If you won’t listen to me,” I informed her, “I’m going to have to beat you into submission.”

“I’d love to see you try.” The Archon’s eyes flared with rage as she leapt at me again.

I took a quick breath and braced myself for the impact, and a moment later, she slammed into my torso, and my feet slid back from the force. The jaguar goddess pulled back her head and revealed her fangs, but before she could bite into my skin, I felt my Academy trained muscles snap into action.

I thrust the heel of my hand up and smacked her jaw closed as her head flung back. I followed up the attack by slamming my elbow down onto her arm, and she released her grip on my shoulder as her arm crumpled beneath the blow.

With my other hand, I grabbed the claw still clinging to my shoulder and twisted it sharply until I heard the snap of bones, and the jaguar goddess howled in pain. Then the Archon fell down to the ground and whimpered as she nestled her broken wrist against her chest.

I crossed the distance between us, and Miralea shuffled away from me as she hissed. I clenched my teeth and grabbed her firmly before she wiggled out of reach, and before she could retaliate, I punched her in the face with a hard right hook.

The Archon spat blood at my face and snapped at me with her sharp fangs, but I just punched her again. She growled as her head whipped back from the impact, and I punched her again. My blood pounded in my ears, and I held the jaguar goddess steady as I wailed against her face over and over.

After a few moments, I paused and let Miralea catch her breath.

“Submit to me, Miralea,” I growled.

The Archon blinked up at me with bruised, puffy eyes, and for a brief second, I saw her eyes flicker hesitantly, but then she hissed and struggled against my grip.

I sighed and resumed my barrage of punches.

This could take a while …

I sensed for Phi and Sera through our bond and watched them attack Utuni with taunting, unified jabs. The snake goddess was getting frustrated, and she snarled viciously as she tried to get past my winged Archons.

They had the angry snake under control for now, so I returned my attention back to Miralea.

I paused again and gave the Archon a chance to surrender, but as soon as I stopped punching the jaguar goddess, she twisted in my grip and wriggled loose.

Miralea jumped to her feet and disappeared into the mists before I could grab her again, and I growled as I scanned the area for signs of the feline Archon.

I was getting angry. She’d been fighting against my consciousness for weeks now, and ever since I’d captured Utuni, I’d barely been able to keep them restrained. I was sick of the constant struggle, and I was determined to end it.

Now.

I needed to get the other half of her tattoo to seal our bond permanently, and I decided I wasn’t going to stop until it happened.

I just had to figure out how to make that happen, and everything would be fine.

Before I could formulate a plan of action, Miralea sprang from the mist once more and cut into my thigh with a slash of her sharp nails. Then she disappeared into the colorful aura again.

I raked a hand through my hair and exhaled sharply as I searched my memory for everything I knew about Miralea. The Archon had to have a weakness I could use to my advantage.

Like the other Archons, the jaguar goddess held no love for humans. Miralea had been worshipped as the goddess of the jungle in Luratamba, and her love for nature drove her desire to wipe mankind from existence. Unlike the other Archons, Miralea hadn’t spent very much time in the Shadowscape after she’d awoken. While Phi popped in and out of rifts to preserve her skin, she’d also spent a lot of time in the black palace she’d built in the Shadowscape. However, the jaguar goddess had shown a preference for the human realm.

I wasn’t sure how any of that could possibly help me right now, but I felt like I was heading in the right direction.

“Miralea … ” I called out as I scanned for the jaguar goddess. “Talk to me. Tell me what you want.”

“I want you to die slowly,” the Archon snarled, and her voice sounded so close to me, my hair rose on end.

I spun to face her but found nothing but the red and green aura.

“I can’t do that.” I shrugged and spoke loudly into the mist. “Isn’t there anything else you want?”

“Once you are dead, I will have my freedom,” Miralea hissed from the shadows, “then I will destroy every human who trampled through my jungle.”

“What if we started with a little garden and went from there?” My tone was light and cheerful, but I kept my muscles tense and prepared as I waited for her next move. “You like plants, right?”

“How dare you mock me!” Miralea screeched as she raced at me through the mist on my right.

I swiveled away to dodge her attack but wasn’t fast enough to avoid the impact, and I lost my footing as she barreled into me. My feet flew out from underneath me as I stumbled over the jaguar goddess, and I fell to the ground on my back.

Miralea was on me a moment later and attacked with a flurry of claws that shredded my shirt and sliced into the skin on my chest.

I gritted my teeth against the pain, wrapped my arms around the writhing Archon, and rolled to get on top of her. Then I straddled the jaguar goddess and held her arms down above her head.

Miralea bucked and twisted beneath me, and her hisses grew more enraged with every breath she took.

“Submit!” I shouted down into the defiant Archon’s face. “Submit, Miralea!”

Suddenly, the jaguar goddess stopped straining against my hold and gave me a cold, deadly glare.

“Go ahead and kill me, Gryff.” Her voice was low and calm, but I sensed her barely restrained rage. “If you can … ”

“I’m not going to kill you, Miralea.” I frowned. “I don’t even think that’s possible.”

She laughed, and the sound chilled my blood.

I shuddered but held on to her firmly, and a moment later, she pulled against me with renewed vigor.

I needed to figure something out fast before I ran out of steam or someone woke me up. I didn’t know what would happen if the rebellious Archons weren’t locked away by the time I regained consciousness, but I didn’t plan on finding out.

Since I felt confident Miralea couldn’t do any damage or break free from my grip, I took a few calming breaths and planned my next move.

It wouldn’t do any good to get frustrated and lose my cool. The Archon would take any opportunity to get the advantage, and I needed to be completely in control right now.

So, I held Miralea tightly as I thought about my previous experiences with the Archons and how I’d gotten both halves of their marks.

Sera had submitted to me willingly, and Phi had come around on her own after a while, so I wasn’t sure how to force Miralea to submit to my will, but once I figured that out, I could use the same method on Utuni.

Every Archon I’d captured so far had been difficult to defeat in their own ways, and I’d had to beat them down for a long time before they’d been weak enough. I’d beat Miralea relentlessly already, but maybe I needed to take a different approach to get her second mark. It was worth a shot, at least, and it sure beat sitting here doing nothing.

Sera’s full mark, the second black angel wing, had appeared after I’d had sex with the dark winged Archon for the first time, and Phi’s second mark started to appear when I’d driven her to an orgasm.

Maybe the secret to their submission had something to do with sex?

At this point, I was ready to try anything, but it was a little hard to switch gears from beating the Archon senseless to seducing her.

So, I stood and lifted Miralea by her arms. She swung her head defiantly with her hair stuck to her face in bloody clumps, but the jaguar goddess’ movements lacked their previous energy. Her tail hung behind her motionless, but she held herself up when I lifted her to her feet.

Since this was my dreamscape, I knew I could manipulate the environment with my will. I’d done it before, but it was harder when I was in the midst of a conflict and couldn’t focus my thoughts.

I held Miralea firmly, but she seemed to regain some of her energy and began to resist my grip again. Before I gave her my full attention, though, I checked on Sera and Phi.

They still held Utuni back, and I sensed they were conserving their strength and resisted attacking the snake goddess with their full force to buy me more time alone with Miralea.

That was fine with me. Once I had the jaguar goddess subdued, Utuni would be easy to restrain.

I drew in a steadying breath and shook my head in disbelief at what I was about to attempt, but I squared my shoulders and gathered my will.

A moment later, a low pallet bed appeared in the shadowy room of my dreamscape, and in the next breath, I’d manifested four wooden posts at each corner of the bed.

Miralea caught sight of my creation and fought against me with a frenzied panic. She had the wild-eyed look of a caged animal as she watched chains extend from the four posts.

I wasn’t sure what sort of magic Utuni had used to keep Miralea chained in a temple back in Umo Portana, but I knew from experience that Miralea would not enjoy being chained down. So, I’d focused a healthy dose of my will into the chains until I was confident they wouldn’t break easily.

I wrestled the jaguar goddess as she fought desperately to escape her fate, but her efforts were in vain. I pressed forward with calm determination until I’d secured one, then two chains around her wrists. When I moved down to her feet, the jaguar goddess took the opportunity to fling her body around in a wild arch as she pulled against the restraints.

She howled in pain as the metal ring cut into her broken wrist, though, and immediately ceased her rabid struggle.

I clicked my tongue disapprovingly at the Archon.

“The more you fight me the more it will hurt you,” I told her in a gentle tone.

Miralea glared at me as she paused her defiant thrashing but didn’t respond, so I grabbed her legs and secured the other two shackles around the Archon’s ankles. The jaguar goddess bucked her hips and twisted her body, but the restraints held her firmly.

She laid on the low bed with her arms and legs spread, and my body finally started to catch up with my plan as I raked my eyes over her form. Her tail flicked angrily beneath her, and her eyes darted as the Archon began to panic. The vines covering her body extended across her abdomen in a protective shield, but I could still see the tan color of her skin through the plants.

I grinned in satisfaction as the chains held against her jerking movements, and then I sat back and let her struggle for a while as I watched her expression grow more and more desperate. After a few moments, her thrashing slowed in momentum until the jaguar goddess tugged idly against one chain with her uninjured hand.

Her tail explored the pallet with bored rolls as Miralea glared at me with less heat than I’d ever seen in her eyes before. The look she gave me was still far from friendly, almost neutral, but it was a start.

I straddled her again and stared down at her snarling face with a patient smile.

“Miralea … ” I cooed to her softly, and she snapped her teeth at me in response.

Then I bent down and pressed my lips to hers in a firm kiss.

Miralea shuddered beneath me and thrashed with new energy as my lips pressed against her mouth. Then the Archon whipped her head sideways, and my teeth smacked against my lips.

I winced, spat out some blood, and glared at the jaguar goddess.

I wasn’t going to let her get to me, though, so I shook off my frustration and put on a friendly expression.

“That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” I grinned. “Let’s try it again, shall we?”

Miralea growled and twisted her face away from me when I leaned forward again, but I grabbed her chin to hold her head still and kissed her roughly. I felt her moan softly against my lips, then I released her again.

The jaguar goddess wouldn’t look at me. She held her eyes frozen toward the air above my head, and the muscle in her jaw twitched as she pulled away from my touch.

I repeated the motion and planted another rough kiss against her bruised and bloody lips, but this time, her lips shifted beneath me slightly.

I was making progress. Very, very slow progress, but it was something.

So, I gripped the Archon by the neck with one hand while I traced my rough kisses along her swollen face and below her chin.

The jaguar goddess shivered from my touch, but she’d stopped her resistant movements, so I assumed she’d enjoyed the sensations.

I pushed her chin up as I nibbled on her neck, then I ran my tongue along the smooth skin of her throat and flicked the tip across the hollow base.

Miralea let out a choked moan, and I released a little pressure from her neck.

“You like that, don’t you?” I chuckled as I leaned back and licked my lips.

I’d felt my desire grow as the Archon’s reactions to me softened. My blood pumped with a loud hum, and my mouth began to water. I slid the tips of my fingers across the skin of her throat to her shoulders, started to trace a line toward her breasts, and watched her eyelids flutter.

Suddenly, though, the vines that encircled her body lashed out at me, and the thorns stabbed at my hands. The sharp prongs dug into my skin and pulled my hands away from the jaguar goddess, and Miralea chuckled as I ripped out the thorns and waved my hands to help relieve some of the sting.

“You are foolish to think I would be so easily swayed.” Her orange eyes regarded me with amusement. “I am an Archon, not some human wench.”

“You can’t lie to me, Miralea.” I smirked. “I could tell you enjoyed that kiss.”

“I enjoyed making you bleed,” she snarled.

I’d thought I was making progress there for a moment, but before I could do anything to get through to the Archon, the vines had made it practically impossible. It would be a lot harder to seduce Miralea if I couldn’t even touch her.

I had to figure out a way to remove those vines.

“I know you can feel it,” I taunted. “Your body can’t lie, not to me.”

I eyed the vines for a moment and tried to find a weakness. The green tendrils seemed to be a part of the Archon, they reflected her moods and protected her, and unlike some of her other items, the vines remained on her body at all times.

Were the vines like Sera and Phi’s wings? Was it even possible to remove them?

I had to try, but if the vines were a part of Miralea’s power, I would need something powerful to destroy them, but the only thing I could think of that was accessible within my dreamscape was my own magic.

I’d grown steadily in power over the last few months, captured two Archons in the Southern continent, and every time I’d summoned a monster recently, it felt easier and easier.

If anything could put a dent in those thick vines, it was my will.

So, I clenched my teeth and searched inwardly for my pool of mana. Then I gathered up a bright, hot ball of blue energy and placed a hand on either side of the power orb. When I held the pulsating globe in a firm grip, I pushed inward as I pictured my fingers absorbing the power until my hands were enveloped in the sphere. The energy crackled in the air around me, but I ignored it and focused on my task.

I wasn’t sure if this would work or not, but I trusted my instincts and did what felt right to me.

After I’d filled my fists with the power of my will, I turned back to where the Archon laid imprisoned, and Miralea eyed my glowing fists with trepidation as she writhed against the restraints.

“I’m just going to do a little gardening,” I chuckled, “then we can go back to having fun.”

“Keep your filthy hands away from me!” Miralea spat, but I thought I saw a spark of something like desire in her orange eyes.

“Calm down,” I teased. “If you behave then you get rewarded. It’s simple.”

“I do not need your rewards,” she hissed.

I smiled down at the jaguar goddess and straddled her body once again. The vines immediately began to lash out at me, but I was prepared for that, so I grabbed onto the plant stem with my magic enhanced fist and ripped.

The vine began to shrivel and turn brown where I touched it, and the decay spread along the stem like a disease. I furrowed my brow in concentration as I pulled away chunks of plant material and discarded the pieces in a heap beside the bed, and a few moments later, Miralea laid bare and defenseless before me.

With my goal completed, I shook away the magic gathered in my hands and dispersed the energy with a wave of my will. The blue glow slowly faded, and the skin of my hands returned to its normal appearance.

Miralea whimpered and turned her face into the pillows. Even though her words had been hot with defiance, it was obvious the Archon knew she was in a losing battle.

I didn’t usually enjoy my partners being afraid of me, but this wasn’t about my own enjoyment. Besides, I could hardly compare the immortal goddess to my experiences with my human lovers. This whole situation was far outside of my comfort zone, but I was determined to subdue the Archon once and for all.

Once Miralea’s plant defenses were gone, I returned my attention back to her body. Her breasts were small and pert, and the jaguar goddess’ nipples were a soft brown color that fit her lithe form perfectly. She had strong, sinewy arms and legs, and I observed her hands and feet curiously as I noted the resemblances between the Archon and a feline. Her limbs appeared human, but the fingers and toes had the thick pads of animal paws, and her sharp claws were a clear reference to the big jungle cat she favored.

The downy hair along her skin was soft and fuzzy, not thick enough to be considered fur but thicker than the body hair of a human. The hair grew coarser and curlier around her groin, but I noticed her slick wet crack was smooth and hairless beneath her mound.

My heart pounded in my chest as I raked my eyes over her exposed body. The Archon was definitely female, but the animalistic characteristics added a twist I wasn’t familiar with. I licked my lips as I thought about my next move and repositioned myself above her.

Miralea had responded with arousal before her thorns had attacked me, so I was confident this was going to work.

I bent down and brushed a teasing kiss along the side of her cheek.

The Archon hissed, but didn’t meet my eyes, and her hair covered her face so I couldn’t see her expression.

I swept back her dark locks with a gentle hand and grazed my fingers against her ear lobe as I tucked her hair out of her face. Miralea’s orange eyes shot me a sideways glare, but she continued to turn away from me and pushed her face further into the pillow.

I grabbed the jaguar goddess by the chin and straightened her face until we were eye to eye. Then I pressed my lips to hers in a rough, demanding kiss. Miralea twisted and fought to escape the kiss, but after a moment, I sensed the fight leave her. She held herself rigid but no longer pulled away from me, so I pushed forward and ran my tongue along her lips.

The Archon gasped, and her lips parted with the motion, and then my tongue was exploring the cavern of her mouth. I ran the wet muscle along her sharp teeth until her long, textured tongue met mine and then twined around it.

I moaned as the sensation made shivers run down my spine, and I released her to catch my breath. Miralea laid with her mouth slightly open, and her breath came in short, panting gasps. When she looked at me, the hatred and rage had faded into confusion and curiosity.

I seized her in another kiss, and this time the jaguar goddess parted her lips and opened up to me almost instantly. Our tongues danced to a silent song until it was difficult to tell where I ended and she began.

My blood heated as the kiss deepened, and my clothing started to feel very restrictive.

“I want to untie you,” I said after I’d pulled away from the kiss. “Are you done fighting, Miralea?”

The Archon growled beneath her breath, and the sound lacked her normal fire, but she didn’t say anything in response.

I guess that was a no.

I shrugged and shot the jaguar goddess a confident smile. No matter how much she tried to deny it, I could tell she wanted me to touch her more. She would give in very soon, I could tell, but I wanted to speed things up. There was no way of knowing how much time I’d spent struggling with the Archon in my dreamscape, and someone could wake me up at any moment.

So, I slid backwards down the Archon’s body until I was situated between her chained legs. With her feet pulled taut to the corners of the bed, her thighs were parted enough that I could easily reach every inch of her. I started by running my fingers against her skin in slow circles. I began at her hips and went down her legs to her knees, but when I turned to circle my fingers back up, I angled them toward the crack between her thighs.

Miralea inhaled sharply as I brushed a finger against the outside of her entrance, and I saw the muscles of her groin twitch as the jaguar goddess twisted beneath my touch. I waited patiently, and a moment later, she calmed again and held still. Then I dipped my finger between her folds and slid it against her slick wetness.

The Archon gasped, and her eyes shot wide open. I expected her to argue or try to insult me, but she remained silent as I pressed my forefinger into the warmth of her entrance. I massaged her tunnel with deft flicks and pushed up and in until I felt the ridged texture of a sensitive spot.

Miralea moaned and arched her spine, and her tunnel grew even more moist.

Then I dipped my head down and ran my tongue up the length of her crevice until I hit the nub of her clitoris. Miralea shuddered and pushed her hips up toward me slightly, so I picked up the pace and lapped up her juices as I pressed my tongue inside her.

“Gryff … ” My name escaped her lips and shocked me from my concentration. Her eyes were hooded with pleasure, and her mouth hung open limply.

My body responded instantly to the lustful sound of her voice, and an impatient feeling grew in my chest as I stood up and ripped off my clothes. My member was stiff, and it angled searchingly toward the restrained Archon as I tugged off my pants and discarded them in a pile.

Miralea looked up at me, but her eyes widened when she took in the view. I saw a glint of fear in her expression, but it was overshadowed by the obvious desire that filled her eyes.

“Gryff … ” Miralea whispered my name again as she eyed my stiff cock.

I could tell the Archon was confused by her own response to my body, and I watched while the cat-goddess fought an internal struggle.

Had the jaguar goddess ever been penetrated before?

Sera had mentioned previous consorts, but the dark winged Archon was more sensual in her every action than I’d ever seen Miralea be. The goddess of the jungle seemed more interested in nature and annihilating mankind than in physical pleasures.

“Shall I continue?” I asked as I ran my fingers down her chest and gently scraped them across her nipples.

“Ohh,” she gasped, and I saw more goosebumps of pleasure roll across her skin.

“Is that a yes?”

The Archon frowned but didn’t respond, and her silence only confirmed my suspicions that the jaguar goddess had enjoyed being stimulated by me.

So, I positioned myself between her legs and continued with my plan.

I leaned over her and kissed her again, and this time Miralea returned the kiss with passion. Our tongues twirled together as the kiss deepened, and my desire grew even more urgent.

My stiff cock throbbed against her stomach with increased urgency. Miralea arched her spine as she leaned into the kiss, and the motion pressed my member against her body. I growled as I pulled out of the kiss and nibbled on her bottom lip.

The Archon looked up at me, and her orange eyes showed her own urgent desire. Her breathing was shallow, and the warmth of her body increased as I explored her body with my hands.

“I want to make you feel good,” I said and stretched my fingers down to her moist entrance. “Would you like that?”

“I-I … I think so.” Miralea stammered distractedly, and I could tell she was still torn.

“You’ll like this,” I said, and then I ran my tongue along her pussy lips while I stroked my finger tip against her slick folds.

“Ohhh … ” Miralea moaned again and arched her hips into my hand, and the heel of my palm rubbed her clit as I slid my finger deep inside her. Then I moved my finger in slow, deep strokes as the Archon’s moans escalated in response.

Her panting breaths spurred me on, so I continued to lick her pink nub while my fingers gently explored her soaking wet tunnel. It only took a few minutes, but I soon felt Miralea shudder and convulse as her body began to climax.

“Gryff!” the Archon gasped-growled as the sensation overpowered her, and she climaxed all over my fingers and tongue.

Before her convulsions had a chance to fade, I pulled my fingers from her, grabbed my shaft, and rubbed her juices down my shaft. Next, I leaned forward and slid my cock between the lips of her hot, wet pussy.

Then I thrust into the goddess.

I hissed with pleasure as her tight tunnel encased me, and the strong muscles clenched my member firmly as if her hand was milking me.

Miralea gasped, and her eyes shot wide open in shock as I slid inside her.

“Ahhh, that feels so good!” The jaguar goddess shuddered beneath me, and her slick wetness gripped me even tighter.

Maker … this was incredible.

If I hadn’t experienced the sensation of an Archon already, I would have climaxed from that first thrust. While I’d expected the feeling, I still had to pause to calm down my breathing before I pulled back and thrust inside her again.

Miralea bucked her hips up to meet my thrust, and a deep, guttural growl escaped her lips. Her mouth hung open in a limp smile, and her eyes were unfocused as she lost herself in the feeling.

I echoed the animalistic sound with my own growl as I fucked the Archon with long strokes.

“My arms!” Miralea exclaimed with desperation. “Please?”

The chains that restrained her vanished with a wave of my will, and the Archon purred as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in closer. The jaguar goddess was obviously eager to please as she kissed me and twined her fingers through my hair.

The change in her attitude toward me drove me over the edge, and I gave a ferocious growl as I thrust so deep inside her that my hips ground into her groin.

Suddenly, the Archon twisted her legs, and in the next moment, I laid on my back as the jaguar goddess straddled me. Miralea smiled, and her eyes twinkled as I realized what happened, then she rose along the length of my shaft and slid down with a satisfied hiss.

I grabbed the Archon by the hips, and I matched her rhythm with my own as she arched her spine and threw her head back. Desire burned through me, and I sensed my climax nearing as I looked up at the majestic image of the jaguar goddess riding my cock.

The intensity built as we moved in unison with heavy breaths. Then I pulled her face to mine, kissed Miralea deeply, and pumped my cock furiously into her pussy until I felt a mind-blowing explosion building deep inside me.

“Gryfffff … ” Miralea gasped as another orgasm shuddered through her. This one seemed to be the most powerful yet, and her gasp of pleasure turned into a growl that turned into a screech as her body tensed around my cock.

And by the Maker. Her tunnel was desperately squeezing and milking my shaft.

“Give. Me. Your seeeeeeeedddd,” she panted, but I remembered how desperate Sera and Phi had been for me to impregnate them, so with my last bit of control, I pulled her vibrating body off my cock as my seed erupted.

Miralea gave me a surprised look as I coated her stomach and thighs in white tendrils, but then she smiled and eyed my spent member curiously.

“You know what,” the Archon mused thoughtfully as she watched my cock twitch from the fading sensation of my climax, “I do not think you are a human after all.”

“Maybe I’m just special,” I chuckled and motioned for her to lay down beside me.

The jaguar goddess frowned as she hesitated for a brief moment, then she stretched out on the soft bed by my side and rested her head on my chest. I let out a contented sigh as my breathing began to calm down, and I stroked lazy circles on Miralea’s shoulder with one hand.

“You are special,” the Archon repeated in a solemn tone after a long moment. “I would never let a normal mortal man master my body like that, but yet I crave it from you. Why didn’t you give me your seed?”

“Maybe next time,” I muttered.

“Yes,” she purred. “Next time. I need it all in my womb, Gryff.”

Suddenly, I felt a tickling sensation on the back of my hand, and when I looked down to examine the source of the feeling, I saw a golden paw print tattoo spread across my skin.

I had done it. I’d gotten Miralea’s second mark and completed the bond between us.

A triumphant grin spread across my face, and I gazed at the dark hair of the jaguar goddess as I processed everything that had just happened.

It was hard to believe Miralea had fought me tooth and nail only a short while ago as she snuggled against me and rubbed my chest with soft fingers.

Before I could linger on my success, however, I sensed Sera pull cautiously on our bond to get my attention. The dark winged Archon seemed hesitant to interrupt me, but I scanned my consciousness to see what she wanted.

Utuni is secured, Sera informed me. Then, after a moment of silence, she continued in a grave tone. She will not stay put for long. She grows stronger each day.

“Utuni can grow as strong as she wants, I can handle her.” My grin grew even wider. “Without Miralea to help her, Utuni’s rebellion is pointless.”

So… It is done? Sera sounded nervous. Did ... Did she please you?

“Not nearly as much as you do,” I reassured my dark winged Archon. “You know you will always be my favorite.”

I exist at your mercy, Sera purred with obvious relief at my words, the least I could do is keep you satisfied.

I was certainly satisfied. With Miralea nestled peacefully at my side, and her second mark still fresh on my skin, there wasn’t much that could bother me right now.

Utuni was next, but I felt confident she wouldn’t be able to resist me for too much longer.

Chapter 13

The sun was high overhead when I woke up. My mouth was dry, and my tongue felt scratchy and puffy. I scanned the dwelling for the water skin and lumbered heavily to my feet to go retrieve it. My muscles were stiff and sore, and I stretched with a groan.

Even though it was late in the day, I didn’t feel very well rested since I’d spent most of the night struggling with Archons in my dreamscape. Still, it felt good to wake up without the extra strain of keeping Miralea locked away. Then I almost gasped when I looked down and noticed the appearance of her second mark. The fresh tattoo on the back of my hand sparkled gold in the sunlight as I held it up for a closer look.

With the newest addition, I had seven marks on my skin. Two black angel wings on my shoulders, two white angel wings on my chest, the single green snake on my forearm, and two gold colored jaguar paws on the backs of my hands.

How many more marks would I get before humanity would finally be safe from the Archons?

I pushed the marks from my mind, and I scanned my consciousness for the jaguar goddess as I gently tugged on the newly formed bond between us.

Miralea purred sleepily as she slid into the forefront of my mind.

You want me again so soon? The Archon sounded pleased. Maybe there is something special about me, too.

“I just wanted to see how you’re doing,” I chuckled. “Get your rest, I’ll let you know when I need you.”

If you insist, lover, Miralea murmured as she receded into a corner of my consciousness.

I turned my thoughts to Utuni, and I checked the locks and shields that restrained her until I was satisfied she was held securely. The snake goddess was alone in her efforts to rebel since I’d completed my bond with Miralea, and I was confident the serpent woman would be easy enough to manage on her own.

I wasn’t in a hurry to fully subdue Utuni. The hostile Archon wasn’t going anywhere, and now that I’d tamed Miralea, I had more important things to focus on.

Like getting back to my friends.

And getting some water.

I suddenly remembered my thirst, so I crossed the room quickly and snatched up the skin. Then I drank greedily until drops ran down my chin, and I sighed in satisfaction.

I put the skin back where I found it and glanced around my dwelling. It was strange to wake up on my own. Freya had woken me every other day I’d been here, and I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. It was the first free time I’d been given since I’d agreed to undertake the trials. Since I’d completed the Warrior’s Test, I supposed the warrior princess wasn’t in a hurry to wake me up anymore.

That was fine by me, I was happy to put the challenges and trials behind me and get back to my friends. So, I decided to seek out the chief and remind him of his part in our agreement.

I got dressed quickly, tugged on my boots, strapped my bandolier across my chest, and ducked out the door. Then I headed down the stairs toward the dwelling where I’d first met Chief Fenrir. I didn’t know if the leader of the Hawk people would be there, but I figured it was the best place to start since it was close to my dwelling.

It didn’t take me long to climb the stairs, and after a few moments, I could see the wall of Chief Fenrir’s house.

“I’m going, and that’s final!” Freya’s sudden declaration was loud and carried up the stairs to where I stood.

I paused midstep. I was hesitant to interrupt an argument between the princess and her father, but if I stayed where I was, it could look like I was eavesdropping. I didn’t know what they were discussing, and it could have nothing to do with me. I needed to speak to Chief Fenrir as soon as possible, though, so I decided to press forward.

“Hello!” I called out as I circled around the dwelling and approached the door.

Freya’s head popped out from behind the tapestry that hung across the threshold. The warrior princess blinked in surprise for a moment, like she hadn’t expected me to show up, then she smiled and beckoned me inside.

“You’re up!” Freya said as she slid her hand into mine and pulled me into the dwelling. “I was going to come check on you when I left here.”

“It was odd to wake up on my own,” I admitted and gave her hand a warm squeeze. “I didn’t know you would be here, though. I came to see your father.”

I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the chief’s living quarters, and I noticed Chief Fenrir seated on the bench against the back wall. The dark-haired shapeshifter had his arms crossed, and his eyebrows were furrowed, but he gave me a wide smile when I met his gaze.

“Gryff of Hawk Clan,” he intoned with a twinkle in his eyes. “You have recovered from your ceremony sooner than I had expected.”

“Chief Fenrir,” I greeted the leader with my own friendly grin. “Hawk Clan certainly knows how to throw a party, but nothing half a day of sleep can’t fix.”

“Those who participate in the Warrior’s Test are not usually seasoned warriors yet,” Chief Fenrir mused as he eyed me closely. “You do not seem affected by the trials the way most people are.”

“Try not to hold it against them.” I smirked. “I was far from unblooded before anyone even considered me a fledgling.”

Freya snorted.

I shot her a curious sideways glance and saw her eyes sparkled with amusement. Then I winked at the warrior princess before I turned my attention back to her father.

“You are a powerful addition to our people,” Chief Fenrir agreed with a nod. “May you always bring honor to Hawk Clan.”

“My intention was never to join Hawk Clan,” I reminded the chief. “All I’ve wanted from you was help getting a ship.”

“We were just talking about that,” Freya said before the chief could respond. “My father and I were discussing who would go with the war party to Skara.”

“It is still my wish that you stay behind, Freya.” Chief Fenrir frowned darkly at his daughter. “Moose Clan has stolen too much from me already.”

“For what it is worth, sir,” I interjected, “Freya can handle herself. Your daughter is a strong warrior, she would make a solid addition to the war party.”

“I do not mean to imply Freya is weak,” Fenrir said and waved his hand dismissively. “I respect your words, Gryff, but this is a family matter.”

“I understand.” I bowed my head as I stepped back.

“Like I already told you,” Freya continued, and her tone grew heated as she shot her father a defiant glare, “I am going with Gryff. I gave my word I would help him, and I intend to honor that.”

“Freya,” Chief Fenrir sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I cannot lose you.”

“I am not my mother.” Freya lifted her chin proudly, but her voice wavered with emotion. “I will not let Moose Clan capture me again. Let me get my revenge, Father. Let me correct the mistakes of my youth.”

Chief Fenrir didn’t respond, and the tension built as the silence lengthened.

I held my breath and did my best to disappear into the background, but my curiosity kept me from trying to leave altogether. Besides, I still hadn’t accomplished what I’d come here to do, and I needed to stay to find out the rest of the plan.

Finally, Chief Fenrir cleared his throat, and his expression softened as he met his daughter’s eyes.

“Alright, Freya,” the dark-haired shapeshifter said, and he shook his head in surrender. “You are a grown woman and allowed to make your own choices. I must trust you to do what you think is best. Get your revenge on Moose Clan, if that is your wish.”

“Thank you, Father,” Freya replied, and I saw the tension drop from her shoulders. Then the blonde shapeshifter bowed her head respectfully, but kept her face neutral. “I will not disappoint you. Moose Clan will regret the way they have treated our people.”

“Very well.” Chief Fenrir gave his daughter a resigned look, but his eyes showed his pride for the fierce warrior princess. “Now, let’s wrap up our discussion so I can alert the warriors.”

“Yes, Father.” Freya nodded, and a small smile stretched across her lips.

“So,” I interrupted, “when are we going on this war party thing to Skara?”

“We will depart at sunset,” Chief Fenrir explained. “It will take a day and a half to reach Skara, and it will be best to approach at night to avoid detection. We will stock the ships and sail through the night and all day tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me.” I grinned. “I’m ready to go.”

“I understand your impatience,” Chief Fenrir chuckled. “However, I want to make sure we are prepared before we make such an attack. Even though you are officially a member of Hawk Clan, I do not intend to lose any lives for your cause. Moose Clan is a large tribe with many more warriors than us, but they would not expect an attack directly on Skara, so we have the advantage of surprise.”

“I do not intend on anyone dying besides the warriors of Moose Clan,” I reassured the dark-haired shapeshifter. “Trust me, I don’t want anyone to risk their lives for me, either.”

“Thank you, Gryff of Hawk Clan.” Chief Fenrir gave me a firm, dismissive nod.

With everything settled, Freya and I said our goodbyes and left the chief’s dwelling. Then the warrior princess slipped her hand into mine and tugged me down the path toward the dock.

“Where are we going?” I asked and cast a glance overhead to determine the sun’s position. It was still a ways before sunset, so I knew it was too early to wait on the dock.

“To find us some food,” Freya said with a smile. “I want to make sure you are fully energized before we leave.”

“I’m not going to argue with that,” I chuckled and followed after her with a grin.

We walked down the stairs until we reached an intersection, and then Freya pulled me into a tunnel that led deeper into the mountain. I followed her down the torch lit hall until it opened up into a cavern, and I realized I recognized the room. It was the dining hall where we’d celebrated after the second trial.

The room was crowded with people milling around the tables, but the line at the food table was relatively short. My stomach grumbled as we joined the back of the line, and Freya chuckled.

“Sounds like I had perfect timing,” the blonde shapeshifter teased and squeezed my hand.

“You always do,” I replied, and my mouth watered as the delicious food smells wafted over to me.

When we had plates heaped with a variety of food, we found an empty table and started to devour our meals. My thoughts wandered to the upcoming journey to Skara as I ate, and I could feel anticipation build inside me. I was eager to get my ship, and I found myself eating quickly as if that would speed up the whole process.

One more task to accomplish, and then I would be on my way back to my friends.

I felt a pang of homesickness as I thought about my team, and the familiar worries returned to my thoughts.

Had Varleth managed to get back to the boat? Were they looking for me? Did the Luratamban ship survive the hurricane?

I shook my head to dispel my thoughts and refocused myself on my food. One thing at a time. I would need to concentrate if I wanted to get a ship out of Skara without losing any lives. I risked more than my own safety by being distracted.

As my thoughts turned to the warriors who would soon risk their lives to help me, I remembered the interaction between Freya and the chief that I’d witnessed earlier.

“Hey, Freya,” I said and bumped my shoulder against hers to get her attention.

The warrior princess looked up at me with a mouth full of food, and I chuckled as she swallowed.

“What did you mean earlier when you said you aren’t your mother?”

Freya frowned and looked down at her plate, and for a moment, I regretted my question and tried to think of some way to change the subject.

“My mother was a fierce warrior, but she showed weakness,” Freya responded after a long silence, and her eyes were dark with emotion. “It was during my first raid. We attacked an island in Moose Clan territory, and I was the scout … I got hit and fell from the sky, and they captured me.”

She swallowed hard, and I gave her hand a comforting squeeze.

The blonde shapeshifter smiled weakly and shrugged as she finished her story. “My mother surrendered herself in exchange for my life.”

“I’m sorry about what happened to you, Freya,” I murmured. “I’m glad you survived, though, and didn’t die before I got a chance to meet you. Still, I shouldn’t have asked, and I’m sorry. You can tell me to shut up in the future, I don’t want to upset you.”

“No,” she said and shook her head. “You didn’t upset me. It is good to remember. I fight better when I’m angry.”

“Well, then, I’m happy to help.” I smirked.

The warrior princess nodded and turned her attention back to her food, so I did the same.

When I finished eating, Freya took my empty plate with hers and deposited them both in a bin along the wall. Then she held my hand once again and led me out of the dining hall. The sun had lowered considerably by the time we emerged into the center of the village, so we headed for the docks.

The rocky ledge that surrounded the circular pool at the base of the mountain was bustling with activity as shapeshifters loaded supplies and weapons into boats. It looked like there were ten vessels being prepared for departure, and I whistled under my breath as I thought about how many warriors could be included in the war party. If each boat held twenty men, then even heavily loaded with supplies, the ten ships could carry over a hundred warriors to Skara.

I spotted Chief Fenrir as he directed warriors with a loud, clear voice that rang out above the din. Trjegul approached the chief and asked a question I couldn’t hear. Then Fenrir caught my eye, and the tall hawk man beckoned us over without pausing his discussion with Trjegul.

“I want you to captain the Osprey because I trust you to lead a team to victory,” Chief Fenrir finished when we reached him. He nodded firmly to emphasize his decision and then turned his attention over to me.

Trjegul responded with a quick salute, then turned and merged with the crowd on the dock.

“The sun is low,” I said and turned my gaze to the opening above us. “How much longer till we leave?”

“Once the boats are loaded, we will depart immediately,” Chief Fenrir replied, and he put a warm hand on my shoulder. “You are welcome to stay on Eyrie Island for as long as you wish, Gryff. I know you are worried about your people, and are in a hurry to return to them, but you are a strong leader, so I know you have taught them well. No matter what you decide in the future, I want you to know you will always be Hawk Clan.”

I swallowed hard as I fought the tears that threatened to pour out of my eyes from his heartwarming words. It was a very different attitude than the leader of Hawk Clan had first given me.

“Thank you, sir.” I grinned and extended a hand out to the dark-haired shapeshifter.

“I do not know what you want … ” Chief Fenrir eyed my palm with a confused look for a moment, so I took his hand, placed it in mine, and showed him how to squeeze and shake. The shapeshifter grinned wide as he shook my fist strongly, and my arm vibrated from the motion.

“Now, you know a Mistral greeting,” I laughed and clapped the hawk man on the back.

“I will remember it,” Chief Fenrir replied. Then he cleared his throat and scanned the dock around us before he gestured to a boat down the row. “Freya will captain the Eagle, so I assumed you would want to ride with her.”

“That’s correct,” I confirmed. “You won’t be on the same boat, though?”

“We will have a stronger attack if each boat has an experienced leader,” Chief Fenrir explained. “Freya is more than capable, so I am more useful elsewhere.”

“That makes sense.” I nodded and eyed him with respect.

Chief Fenrir had more than impressed me with his leadership skills during the attack on Bear Clan, but Moose Clan was a more powerful opponent, so I was reassured by the shapeshifter’s ability to strategize.

I followed Freya as she dodged hawk people and moved to her boat. The warrior princess walked with her shoulders back and her head held high as she scanned her ship with keen eyes. I smiled as I climbed on board and took up a seat in the stern. If Freya was the captain, then I knew she would be positioned at the rudder the entire trip.

It reminded me of the journey to Eyrie Island after I’d first met the warrior princess, and I grinned as I thought of an idea.

While Freya supervised the warriors who loaded the ship with food, water, and other supplies, I reached into my bandolier and pulled out the crystal for my duvarku. I wanted to try something before we left, so I broke the essence crystal on the hull of the ship and dropped the fragments into the water.

My duvarku erupted into the pool, and my monster automatically went below the waves to stay out of sight.

I smiled with pride as I realized my monster had tried to predict my command, but I had something a little different in mind this time. I glanced around to make sure no one watched me, then leaned over the side of the boat until my hand dipped completely into the water. My duvarku responded to my silent command to swim below my hand, and I rested my palm on my monster’s forehead.

I pulled on Phi’s illusion power as I gave my monster a mental order to keep his head beneath my hand. Then I concentrated on an image of a normal otter and worked to shape my duvarku into a mirror of my mental image. My skin itched, and I felt Phi’s consciousness as the Archon guided my actions.

A moment later, an adorable otter blinked up at me from beside the boat, and I grinned and wiped the sweat from my brow.

That had been easier than I expected. I didn’t have to worry about my monster being seen as long as I could maintain the illusion. I remembered from my previous experience that the deceptive magic was harder to maintain on other things than on myself, but I felt like I’d grown even stronger since then. Worst case scenario, I would feel it slip and recall my duvarku before it was noticed.

Still, it was always a good idea to have more tricks up my sleeves.

A short while later, we pushed off from the dock in groups of two. The pairs of boats slid beneath the archway and angled to the southeast as the sun danced on the horizon at our backs. Freya stood at the rudder and shot me a wide grin before she focused her attention on directing the warriors who maneuvered the ship.

The setting sun turned her blonde locks into a golden halo as we followed the line of ships leaving Eyrie Island. The warrior princess squinted into the wind as she gripped the rudder firmly, and her cheeks were flushed a bright pink.

“This is your natural environment,” I chuckled. “You look like you were born to lead a war party.”

“It is true enough,” Freya said. “This is the way of my people.”

Suddenly, the wind whipped at the sail, and the ropes that restrained it snapped. Freya cursed, then shouted directions to the other warriors over the sound of the ocean. I left her to it and gazed out at the turbulent ocean. When the sail was secured and the ship straightened out, Freya returned to her watchful stance at the helm.

I kept my face neutral as I gave my duvarku the command to aid the ship’s progress. It was difficult to restrain my smile, though, when I noticed Freya’s suspicious squint.

At least I had some entertainment for the long trip ahead.

By the time the sun rose on the eastern horizon, the Eagle outpaced the other ships by a hundred feet, if not more. I didn’t want to get too far away from the others, though, since it would be pointless to move forward without them. Still, I noticed a competitive tension sparked through the hawk warriors as we passed them, and after a while, every boat rowed furiously to keep up with us.

I could feel my stamina waning, and sweat dripped down my face every so often. I had maintained the illusion all night, and I was proud of my ability to lengthen the time of the spell. It would be unwise to exhaust myself before we even reached Skara, though, so I decided to recall my duvarku soon.

When the sun was almost directly overhead, I yawned, stretched, and pretended to splash my face off with ocean water. Under the guise of cooling off, I recalled my monster and discreetly tucked the essence crystal into my bandolier. Then a legitimate yawn seized me, and I chuckled as I returned to my seat.

“Get some rest,” Freya said with a sympathetic smile. “You will need all your energy when we reach Skara.”

“What about you?” I arched an eyebrow at the stoic warrior princess. “Do you plan on going the next few days without any sleep?”

“I’ll let Sif give me a break soon.” Freya shook her head, and then jerked her chin at a hawk man who sat a few seats away from me. “He practically taught me how to sail anyways.”

“Alright,” I relented and settled into a more comfortable position.

Were we still in Hawk Clan territory?

I had a vague mental map of territories Freya had described during our first boat ride together, but I hadn’t seen any maps among the shapeshifters. It seemed everyone instinctively knew where all the boundaries lay.

I continued my thoughts as I gazed at the islands we sailed past until I felt myself getting sleepier. It wasn’t difficult to fall asleep, even with the bright noon sun, and I smiled sleepily as I thought about how close I was to getting a ship. I trusted Freya and the people of Hawk Clan to get us to Skara quickly, and then the next step would be to take what I needed. So, I pulled the hood of my thick, wool cloak over my head until it covered my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, I heard Freya murmur my name, and I snapped my eyes open. The blonde shapeshifter’s eyes twinkled when I met her gaze, and she jerked her chin at the eastern horizon.

I scanned the sky quickly before I turned my eyes where Freya had indicated. Judging from the position of the sun above the western horizon behind us, I’d been asleep for several hours, and the boat had continued to sail in a steady southeastern direction.

I focused my gaze on the east as I looked for the reason the warrior princess had woken me up. The skies ahead were orange and purple in the gathering shadows of twilight, and a heavy fog blanketed the water in the distance, which made it hard to see much. Stars glinted dimly above the ocean waves, but the lights blurred with hazy shadows in my vision. More and more blurry stars came out gradually in a large clump, and I frowned as I scanned the horizon.

Then I blinked, and I suddenly realized the lights I saw weren’t stars, but torches. A mile from our boat was a large mountainous island lined with a tall, metallic fence above a sheer cliff edge. Beyond the fences, I could just barely make out the shapes of buildings and towers crowded into every inch of space on the sloping scope of the mountain. The torch light reflected off the fog and added to the warm glow of the sunset, but after a moment, it was too dark for me to see any details.

“Is that Skara?” I squinted into the growing shadows as I tried to find the harbor.

“Yes,” Freya confirmed, and the warrior princess held her lips in a firm line as she scanned the island ahead of us with her heightened raptor vision.

I observed the tell-tale sign of shapeshifting in her eyes, and I flashed an innocent smile when she glanced at me.

The blonde shapeshifter ignored me and instructed the other warriors to bank the ship, since we needed to wait for the others to gather closer to discuss our next moves.

I nodded to Chief Fenrir as he pulled his boat alongside ours. Then the hawk people reached out and grasped the boats firmly to hold them steady. A moment later, Trjegul’s warriors had done the same with their boat on our other side. One by one, all the boats linked up, and then our war party was completely connected.

“The harbor is on the far side,” Chief Fenrir said clearly but without his normal dockside volume. “We will split here to circle around in two groups.”

“What about the chain?” Trjegul interrupted with a sharp frown. “We can’t get a single ship in or out of the bay with that chain up.”

“That’s true,” the chief agreed and frowned.

“Wait, no one mentioned a chain before,” I said and arched an eyebrow.

“I forget you are a foreigner.” Chief Fenrir smiled apologetically. “I did not intend to keep information from you.”

“Just tell me what you know so we can plan the next step,” I replied.

“The island surrounds the port almost completely,” Chief Fenrir explained, “but the bay opens to the east. There is a large chain that stretches across the opening underneath the water and blocks off the dock, but they lower it to let ships go in and out.”

“So, we could get in with our smaller ships,” I summarized, “but we couldn’t get the big ones out?”

“Exactly.” The chief inclined his head, then brought his eyes back to mine. “What do you want to do?”

I gulped as the eyes of the entire gathering locked onto my face. I’d been a leader of more men than this back in Utun, and I’d led some pretty intense battles all around the world at this point. Still, it felt a little overwhelming to have the shapeshifters trust me to lead them so quickly.

You were born to lead, Gryff, Sera proclaimed. It should be obvious to you by now. Accept your power. Rule them.

Despite my reservations, I had to admit her words had a ring of truth to them. While being in command of this many people was a big responsibility, I knew I could manage it. So, I took a deep breath and thought about the challenge ahead of me.

“Okay, if we are going to get the ship out of the harbor, we have to take out the chain,” I mused. “The chain will most likely be guarded on both sides, at the very least with the intention of keeping track of what boats go in and out, but there is no way of knowing which side the switch for the chain will be on.”

“So, we should still split into two groups,” Chief Fenrir suggested, and he spoke in a respectful tone with obvious deference to my command.

“Yes.” I nodded. “Each group should scout and infiltrate one end of the chain. If there are guards, take them out and get to the chain. That way we won’t have to try to guess where the lever is, we will be ready either way.”

“Good,” Chief Fenrir grunted. Then he raised his voice slightly so all the boats could hear him clearly. “I will take five ships to the left side, you lead five to the right side. Rejoin once the chain is removed.”

He called out four names I didn’t recognize, and the boats began to slowly disengage and separate into two groups. I waved at the chief as the two parties of ships veered away from each other and angled in opposite directions around the island.

I grinned at Trjegul when he caught my eye. He was a strong, tenacious fighter, and I was familiar with his style. While I could handle myself in any situation, I was pleased to have the addition of Trjegul to my team.

I turned my attention to the walls of Skara as our ships sailed into the fog. We gave the island city a wide berth, but I could still see the shapes of buildings looming over the tops of the enclosure. The shadows grew darker as we approached, and the sunlight faded into the west.

I observed the island as closely as I could while we circled around, and after a short while, I noticed the rounded edge of the fence where the harbor began. It looked like the island was in the shape of a crescent moon. The large city arched around the port at its center with a tall tower stretching up over the wall on both points. The multistory walls continued along the sheer edge of the cliff and protected the island on all sides. Smoke curled up from the dwellings and shops and joined the thick cloud of fog that blanketed the entire island.

My eyes swept to the sides of the port entrance and to the towers that stood facing the open sea. Each tower was several stories tall and well-lit by torches, and the sides consisted of the same rough hewn metal as the fence. Algae and lichen clung to the walls where the water level changed from the tides. At the top of the guard post, the upper level was open to the elements, with posts holding a patchy roof at the peak.

I hadn’t seen any people in the tower or on the dock. Skara looked empty. If it wasn’t for the signs of recent activity, the city appeared abandoned.

As we sailed closer, I could see a chain extended from an opening just above the water line, and I noticed large gears in the wall of both towers. The chain was massive, each link appeared to be the size of a full-grown man, but I couldn’t see more than a couple links since the chain dipped into the water and disappeared beneath the waves. Any large ship would be halted if not wrecked if they dared sail into it. The wind blew in a strong gust, and the chain groaned with a metallic creak as it shifted slightly.

Beyond the chain and the guard towers, I could see a dock full of ships much larger than the Hawk Clan vessels. Freya had been true to her word about Moose Clan’s boats. While I’d traveled through the ocean for several days on one of the small sailboats used by the hawk people, they were still miniscule in comparison to any of the Moose Clan ships.

Freya tugged on the rudder to bring the boat closer to the island, and the wind whipped tendrils of her blonde hair across her face. I watched the shapeshifter appreciatively for a moment as she stood with her chin raised and her shoulders back, and my heart swelled in my chest.

The warrior princess was a force to be reckoned with, and I was glad to have her with me. It was a shame I would have to leave her when I got a ship. I couldn’t think about that, though, so I shook off my thoughts and took a deep breath.

Then I returned my gaze to the chain stretching across the opening to the bay. It hung above the water at the edges in a twisted spiral, like a giant sea serpent launching for its prey. There was no way to cut through metal that thick, which confirmed that our only option was to lower the chain.

I eyed the walls of the guard tower below the chain and attempted to judge the distance. The ships that normally sailed in and out of this port were drastically larger than the Hawk Clan vessels, so it looked like our ship was small enough to maneuver below the chain if we could sail close to the tower. Then we could get to the dock and access the tower from inside the bay.

It didn’t look like Moose Clan expected an attack any time soon, and I planned to use that carelessness to my advantage.

I explained my idea to Freya, and she nodded before she leapt into action. The warrior princess called out her commands in a low, clear voice, and the hawk warriors quickly unfurled the sail, stowed it securely, and grabbed paddles.

A moment later, the ship’s mast slipped easily beneath the links of the chain, and we entered the harbor.

I scanned the area closely, but I didn’t see any movement on the dock below the guard tower. I looked back and watched the other four ships in our group as they followed our lead. At the far edge of my line of sight, I could see the other half of the boats round the opposite edge of the bay.

I noticed a hawk flying high overhead, and I wondered briefly if it was a normal bird of prey or a shapeshifter from Fenrir’s group who scouted the enemy city. It would be a good idea to scout, though, so I whispered the suggestion to Freya, and she quickly delegated my command to a warrior.

The shapeshifter saluted and jumped into the air. An instant later, he was in hawk form and flew over my head before turning to circle the island.

It was fairly late in the night at this point, and I’d noticed the moon had begun its easterly ascent. I hoped the moose people were either asleep, or not observing the harbor closely at this time of day.

The air was still and calm, and the only sounds were the soft splashes of water as the warriors paddled the boat closer to the dock.

I watched with bated breath until I saw the all clear formation, and then I released the air from my lungs with a sigh. I nodded with approval to the other warriors as they checked their weapons and gear. With axes, daggers, and short bows in hand, and fierce gleams to their eyes, they looked more than ready for a fight.

“Alright,” I said in a low tone as the hawk people huddled around me. “Sneak in, drop the chain, get to a ship. Let’s get in and out before Moose Clan knows what happened.”

“Yes, sir.” Freya grinned, and her gold-flecked eyes were alight with excitement and adrenaline.

It was time.

The assault on Skara had begun.

Chapter 14

As the boat bumped against the dock, the hawk warriors jumped out and secured the vessel to the harbor. Then I climbed out onto the wood planks of the dock and looked around.

We’d landed about twenty feet away from the guard tower, but I couldn’t see a door or access point from here, since the thirty-foot-tall metal boundary ran inward from the ocean side and circled around the dock.

I saw an archway to one side, and from what I could see around the stacked boxes and crates that crowded the dock, there was another archway a little further on. There was no way of knowing what was hidden down those pathways, but I couldn’t see any other way to the chain from the harbor.

“I think that is our only access point to the guard tower,” I said quietly and pointed to the closest archway. “We will have to find a way to get to it from there.”

“Some of us could fly up … ” Freya sounded hesitant, and her eyes flicked from me to the other warriors around us. Then she swallowed and gave me a steady look. “We could cover more ground if we split up. A force to secure the guard tower and a force to secure the path to the dock.”

“I think that could work.” I frowned as I mulled the problem over.

Without being able to summon my pyrewyrm and fly myself to the top, I would be forced to join the ground troops. On the other hand, I’d have more opportunities to duck out of sight through the streets, even with the added risk of running into moose people. I felt an itch to have my bullet bass armor prepared, and I wanted to experiment more with the new adaptation to my fighting style.

The hawk warriors around me scanned our perimeter and kept watch while they waited for me to make a decision. I had about fifty shapeshifters under my command, which meant it would be difficult to take them all through the streets. The warriors’ ability to fly was an advantage, so I decided to use it.

“Alright,” I said to get their attention. “We separate into two groups. Freya and I will take eight warriors through the streets, the rest of you fly to the guard tower, secure it, and wait for us.”

My words were met with firm nods, and the experienced warriors snapped into action at my command.

“Yurok, Wyott,” Freya called out softly before the group dispersed, and two younger men stepped forward. “Stay with the boats, rear guard formation.”

The two shapeshifters nodded firmly and turned on their heels.

“Thank you,” I said to the warrior princess as we turned toward the entrance to Skara. “That was a good idea.”

“It was nothing.” Freya waved a hand dismissively, but her eyes burned bright as she eyed the path ahead. “We should leave warriors to guard our path of retreat. I don’t want anyone getting lost in the city tonight.”

“I admire your ability to stay cool,” I whispered. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Freya replied with a soft smile.

“Let’s show Moose Clan what happens when they mess with our people,” I declared in a low tone.

The warriors behind me followed silently with excited eyes and careful breaths, so I directed the hawk people to extinguish the torches along our path. With their heightened raptor vision, the darkness would work to our advantage. The shapeshifters bristled with energy that I sensed more than felt as we paused at the archway, and the air practically hummed with restrained power.

These warriors may be more powerful than I first thought, if you can sense it like that ... Sera mused. Still, your power is far greater than all theirs combined. The shapeshifters follow you willingly now, just imagine how they would worship you if you summoned me.

A group of shapeshifting hawk warriors, a bandolier full of essence crystals, and three immortal goddesses fully bonded to my consciousness. I had a lot of tools in my arsenal at this point, but with the necessary stealth involved in my current mission, I knew it would be unwise to summon the Archons.

That didn’t mean I couldn’t still use some of their abilities, though.

I enjoyed stretching the limits of what summoners were capable of, and my recent experiments would change everything. I wanted to have more data before I brought the information back to Mistral, so the attack on Skara was the perfect opportunity to try out a few ideas.

If I could use Phi’s power fast enough, I could remain completely undetected and still have full use of my crystals.

I peered into the shadows of the archway and saw a stone paved pathway lined with buildings. It looked like a market street, with vendor windows and signs hanging over doorways, and crates of fish and other goods lined the road as it stretched into the maze of the city.

Our best course of action would be to take the first left turn we found and keep angling in the direction of the guard tower. The buildings along the left side were packed densely, some with only a narrow crevice as an alleyway.

I traced the distance to the tower and scanned the skies.

Three hawks flew high overhead, and they swooped low to circle above the city in tandem as they kept watch from the air. Then I saw a flock of birds dip from the clouds and land on the roof of the guard tower. From this distance, I could only see the dark outline of their shapes, but it was obvious that our force had arrived at the tower.

I returned my eyes to the street ahead of me and noticed a wider space between buildings about a block up. I jerked my chin to signal to the others as I aimed for the alley with long strides, and a moment later, everyone had slid into the shadows of the side street.

At the end of the small path, the narrow buildings opened onto another wide street that ran from north to south. Everything looked deserted. The road ahead was empty, and none of the buildings had any lights on inside them. Torches lined the main streets, but they did little to illuminate the dark alleyways.

We’d traveled a block away from the entrance in the wall, but I wanted to stay as close to the boundary as possible. That way there would be a clear path back to the archway. So, I gestured to my team to keep moving and turned to the left down the street ahead.

The buildings on this street looked more militant, with no sign of the previous decorations and advertisements. The road was paved with dark stones, and very few torches lined the buildings. The path led straight to the inside of the thirty-foot wall at the bottom of the sloping hill.

I aimed for the wall and looked for a right turn that would lead to the guard house. Freya walked closely behind me, and I noticed her glance inside the glass paned windows of the buildings we passed.

Suddenly, the blonde shapeshifter gasped and grabbed my hand.

I turned to see what happened and automatically angled for my daggers.

Freya stood in front of a building made of a sooty, black metal and indicated the greasy window of a door.

“This is where they store the guns,” Freya spoke in a hushed voice, but her gold flecked eyes sparkled with mischief. “I want to burn it.”

“After the chain,” I chuckled as quietly as I could. “Be patient, woman.”

“Okay, Gryff,” the warrior princess relented and gave me a sweet smile.

I grinned, but I kept her hand in mine as I turned to continue the search for an opening to our right. I knew the warrior princess had a personal vendetta against Moose Clan, so I hoped she would be able to temporarily put her personal feelings aside and focus on the mission.

Then, at the very end of the street, I noticed an alley that turned to the right directly beneath the metal wall.

I grinned as I ushered the Hawk Clan warriors into the street ahead of me. As the last shapeshifter passed in front of me, though, I gestured for the final warrior to stop.

“What’s your name?” I asked as I pulled him closer.

“Tyre, sir.” The hawk man puffed out his chest and smiled proudly.

“Okay, Tyre,” I said, and I scanned the warrior with a swift examination. The man looked to be around my age, and he had a shaggy head of brown hair that covered parts of his face. From my time with the shapeshifters, I could already see some bird-like features in his appearance, and I easily imagined his hair transforming into feathers. “Stay here and hold the path to the dock at this intersection.”

The brown-haired hawk man gave me a salute as he took up a position against the wall. Tyre could see all directions clearly from his position, and he stood with his axe hanging loose in his hand. He eyed the area with his sharp vision, so I was confident nothing would escape his observant watch.

With that settled, I turned to follow the rest of the warriors into the shadows of the wall.

My group of ten had diminished by one, but I knew I could handle anything on my own, so any warriors at my back just made it easier to win. Besides, it was one less pair of eyes to avoid when I summoned my monsters.

We walked down the path under the shadow of the wall, and the guard tower loomed closer ahead of us with each step. Freya led the line of warriors, and I walked at the back. Then Freya stopped and held up her hand, so I peered ahead and saw we had arrived at another intersection.

The warrior princess signaled the group forward, and when I got closer to the intersection, I saw the alley continued on the other side of the road.

The hawk warriors shuffled quickly across the street and back into the shadows of the alley on the other side.

I directed another warrior to stay and guard the trail and made a mental note that her name was Bryn before we continued on.

While I followed the warriors down the next street, I took the opportunity to summon my monsters. I reached for a crystal, and at the same time, I latched onto the thread of Phi’s power. I slowed my steps to let the shapeshifters get a few paces ahead of me, then I crushed the essence crystal in my hand.

The instant my bullet bass erupted from its crystal, I initiated an illusion spell and started to cloak the rubber-like fish monster. I gritted my teeth as I struggled to keep my breathing quiet and my actions silent. My eyes shot to the shapeshifters’ backs directly ahead of me, but the hawk man continued to sneak down the alley behind Freya.

I steadied my breathing and focused on shifting the appearance of my monster. A moment later, I completed the spell, and I released my hold on my summons. Then a small flying bug buzzed around my head and hovered over my shoulder.

With my next breath, I transferred the bullet bass’ metallic armor to my body and simultaneously disguised it as my normal skin. I had to restrain a sharp gasp as the magic curled around me, and I shivered from the sensation. I was also amazed at how easily my body returned to its original appearance from the chrome layer.

Then I remembered how Phi had explained it when she’d established the limits of her ability. It was easier to maintain an illusion that was closer to my original appearance. That would definitely make it easier to use the Archon’s ability to hide my new powers. If the goal of my illusions were to look like me, I could possibly maintain the ruse the entire time without feeling drained.

I’d used my monster’s metallic properties so many times before, it felt like second nature, and the chrome armor felt comfortable and familiar on my skin. I would be almost impenetrable, and my fist would hit heavier from the added weight.

With my new ability, I could transform my body into a weapon.

The thought sparked an idea, and I grabbed another crystal. An instant later, I had an illusion prepared and spread my magic over my monster. My kalgori burst from its essence crystal and blinked its butterfly-like eyes at me. I smirked as my monster’s appearance shifted, and it started to look more like a moth as the illusion took hold. My monster’s glowing green wings faded into smaller shapes, and I caught a brief glint of light as it reflected off the kalgori’s blade tipped wings.

I held my breath and eyed the hawk people ahead of me for a moment, then released a low sigh before I returned my focus to my kalgori.

The winged insect flitted innocently into the air above my head, but I felt its bloodthirst through our bond when it noticed the hawk warriors nearby. The multiplying monster was easy to reign in and control, though, since I planned to keep it in its singular form.

With a mental command, I transferred the sharp-edged blades of my monsters’ wings to my forearms and hands. I stretched my fingers as I felt a ridge of sharp metal form along my knuckles, and then I tugged on Phi’s illusion power and shifted the appearance of my skin back to normal. The sleeve of my shirt stretched to accommodate the added width of the protrusion, but I knew the fabric would tear away from my arms as soon as I started fighting anyway.

The bladed wings were what inspired the kalgori’s many nicknames, such as blade wings, the gale, or storm of knives. The murderous butterfly-like monster could multiply into hundreds, and they attacked with deadly efficiency by circling an enemy in a tornado of blades until nothing but a bloody mist remained.

If I had to fight, I could throw on a speed slug and easily mimic the kalgori’s violent technique with my own body. The idea made my blood pulse rapidly as my excitement grew, and I took a deep breath to calm my heartbeat.

Nothing was going to stand in my way.

When I was fully armored beneath the guise of my normal appearance, I checked my companions for signs of discovery again. I was reassured I’d remained undetected, so I silently congratulated myself and felt my anticipation rising.

Even with the three illusion spells and the transformation of my body, I had barely felt a dip in my mana. I felt more confident than ever.

I was ready for anything.

Suddenly, the group paused, and I noticed my companions’ eyes had started to trail upward. I followed their gaze and saw the guard tower looming above the line of buildings less than a block away. Our destination was more visible since the alley ahead opened up into another side street right below the guard house.

The road was paved with dusty, broken stones, and several mud filled craters split the pavement on the path up the hill. I glanced from side to side as I joined Freya at the end of the alley.

To our left was the guard house. The metal lined walls created an impenetrable cylinder, but a door hung open at the base. Light poured out of the entrance onto the stones, and I scanned the building for my shapeshifters. I thought I could hear the faint sounds of metal clashing from inside the tower, and fought the urge to rush in.

So far, everything was going as planned, so I just had to take it step by step.

I turned my focus back to my sweep of the perimeter. The road to our right was lined with ramshackle buildings and haphazardly placed lean-tos. The whole street looked dirty and rundown. Trash and debris covered every nook, and the stench of human waste filled the air. I couldn’t make out many details beneath the shadows of the awnings, but I thought I saw a metal fence or cage in the flickering light of a torch.

“Do you see anything?” I asked Freya and jerked my head toward the road leading away from the guard tower.

Freya stood by my side as she peered into the shadows and shifted her eyes into hawk form. Then the warrior princess gasped, and her face blanched bone-white.

“Mother?” The blonde shapeshifter croaked out the word. She looked like she’d seen a ghost, and her chin shook as she took a step backward. “That’s impossible … ”

“You saw your mother?” I questioned and scanned the building Freya had looked at. I didn’t see anyone, though, so I arched an eyebrow skeptically at the blonde shapeshifter. “Do you want to go check it out?”

Freya gulped, and her eyes locked to mine. Her gold flecked eyes held a hint of fear, but I could sense she was more afraid of the unknown than she was of danger.

“Yes,” the warrior princess said after a moment. “I have to know for sure.”

I motioned for the hawk warriors in our group to wait in the alley, and then I inched into the intersection toward a building across the street. The roof leaned sideways and looked like it could collapse at any moment, but as we drew closer, I noticed the rows of cages beneath the awning.

Inside the cages, people huddled and shivered, and I glanced around as my eyes flew open. Eight people were imprisoned in the dented and rusty metal enclosures under the dilapidated shelter. The people had muddy hair matted to their heads in clumps, and they wore tattered and dirty coarse tunics. None of them moved when we approached, but I saw several pairs of eyes blink up at me.

Freya’s eyes aimed for a cage toward the back, and she marched with urgent steps. When she reached the cage, Freya moved to touch the metal bars, then froze in midair.

The woman inside the cage turned and locked eyes with the warrior princess.

I watched curiously over Freya’s shoulder as the two women eyed each other, and a thick tension hung in the air between them. The imprisoned woman had long, dirty hair that hung in knotted tendrils down her back, and she squatted in the low cage and held her arms wrapped around her knees. The woman was barefoot, and her feet were covered in cuts, bruises, and old scars.

Her eyes were the same gold-flecked honey brown as Freya’s, but that wasn’t the only resemblance. The caged woman regarded the warrior princess silently, but I realized the look of recognition the two women had shared.

“Mother,” Freya breathed and crossed the remaining distance to the cage. The blonde shapeshifter curled her fingers around the metal and reached for the woman inside. Silent tears dripped down the warrior princess’ cheek, but she ignored them and kept her gaze locked on her mother.

“Could it be true? Am I dreaming?” The woman shuffled over to us and narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and I almost snorted at the familiar expression I’d witnessed on Freya so many times. “Are you a vision?”

“I didn’t know you were still alive!” Freya dismissed her mother’s skepticism, and her thoughts rushed out all at once. “What happened, why are you still here, how are they holding you like this? I have to help you, I have to fix this, I have to--”

Suddenly, Freya turned to me and shot me an apologetic smile like she’d just remembered our whole reason for being in Skara in the first place.

“I’m sorry, Gryff,” she murmured. “I forgot myself for a moment.”

“Freya,” I said in a comforting tone and grinned. “Obviously, we are going to free your mom. In fact, let’s free all these people. I don’t know what they could have done to deserve this kind of horrible treatment, but at the very least, if we help the prisoners escape, it could cause a distraction.”

“Thank you, Gryff,” the warrior princess gasped. Then she jerked her head behind us toward the guard tower. “You go ahead and take care of the chain, I’ll meet up with you once I get these cages open.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I nodded, then I turned and left the warrior princess alone with her caged mother.

I don’t want you to worry, but there is something I think you should know... Miralea suddenly said hesitantly as she inched into the forefront of my consciousness. I’ve been sensing something. At first, I thought it was a fluke, but it just keeps getting stronger…

What now? This wasn’t the best time to be distracted by conversations with an Archon, but the fear in her voice was unsettling.

Another Archon has woken up, but she is much further to the south, Miralea declared, I’m sure of it.

I had no way of knowing if the jaguar goddess was correct, and I didn’t have any reason to doubt her, but another Archon was the last thing I wanted to deal with right now. Besides, there wasn’t anything I could do about it anyway. So, I ran my hands through my hair and shook off the jaguar goddess’ warning.

Whoever this new Archon was, I knew I was more than capable of dealing with them, but all I wanted was to get a ship and get back to my team.

Even as I tried to concentrate on the task at hand, I felt my thoughts wander over everything I’d just learned. The Moose Clan had countless shapeshifters imprisoned in disgusting conditions, and my blood burned as I thought about the pain the moose people had caused.

I didn’t know how long Freya’s mother had been a prisoner in Skara, but I did know how much it had hurt the warrior princess to lose her mother. Freya had blamed herself for her mother’s capture, and it had driven her to be a strong warrior, but it still angered me to think about how much time together they had lost.

I didn’t know what had sparked Miralea to mention the new Archon, and I wondered if our location in Skara had anything to do with it.

Maybe this Archon was closer than I thought.

I shook myself out of my musings and looked around. The people in the cages watched me with wide, fear filled eyes, and they shuffled back into corners with defensive postures as I scanned the enclosures. Anger pumped through me, and I clenched my teeth.

I had to do something.

So, I took a deep breath and swung at a lock with my bladed forearm. The lock split with a loud crack of metal on metal and fell to the dirt in pieces, and I continued on to the other cages until every lock was shattered.

“You’re all free,” I told the prisoners. “I can’t do much else to help you, but I hope this is enough.”

“Wait!” a woman called out as I turned to leave. “How do we get off the island?”

“There’s plenty of boats for everyone.” I grinned. “I only need one. Once I take down the chain, take one of the ships in the harbor and go back to your people.”

I didn’t wait for any more questions. I didn’t have time to herd prisoners to safety. The shapeshifters would have to figure out the rest of their escape plan on their own.

It was time to get this chain lowered so we could get out of here.

As I entered the street and turned to the guard house, I saw my summons in their insect disguises flit around my head out of the corner of my eye. I’d gotten so accustomed to managing my abilities that I’d almost forgotten about my monsters.

The little bugs appeared so benign it was almost hard to believe they’d turned my body into a weapon with their powers.

Suddenly, I heard scuffling sounds behind me, and I turned to see the imprisoned people emerge from beneath the ramshackle awning. Then the prisoners ran off in various directions. I noticed some went to other cages, while some headed toward the dock, and others ran up the street into the city.

The sounds of a struggle echoed through the air from the direction of the guard tower, and I swiveled to eye the platform at the top. I saw several shapes at the top of the tower, but I couldn’t tell if they were Moose Clan or Hawk Clan.

I quickened my steps and rushed forward, but I’d only managed to get a few feet when I heard a man’s voice call out from behind me.

“Hey, you! Stop! What are you doing here?”

A tall man trotted down the hill across the broken pavement with long strides. Antlers stretched out from his head, and rounded points branched away from his face at odd angles. Other than the antlers, the man appeared to be human, but he had a long, flabby nose that reminded me of an herbivore muzzle and massive legs that ended in hooves. The moose man drew a sword as he crossed the distance between us.

It looked like I’d been spotted by Moose Clan after all.

I grinned and felt a thrill of excitement rush through me.

I’d been aching for a fight all night.

Chapter 15

I drew my daggers with my next breath and steeled myself for the oncoming attack.

My opponent’s eyes were dark as he charged with his sword extended, and he let out a bellowing war cry.

I supposed the shapeshifter didn’t want to know the answers to his questions, after all.

Oh, well, I could communicate better with my blades, anyway.

A moment later, the moose man reached me and swung his sword at my chest in a broad arc. I followed the momentum of the blade as I swiveled around just out of reach. Then my well-trained body reacted automatically, and when I completed the turn, I stood behind the moose warrior.

Without pause, I slammed bladed knuckles into my opponent’s ribs on his right side. The shapeshifter bellowed in pain, dropped his sword to the broken pavement, and shot his hands to his side. I didn’t let him recover from the wound, though. Instead, I grabbed him firmly by the antlers on one side.

I felt adrenaline pumping through me, and the rage fueled energy spurred me on. So, I growled fiercely as I yanked the moose man by the antlers, and at the same time, I placed a low kick into the backs of his hooves. The shapeshifter’s dense feet were hard as a rock, and I knew without my bullet bass coating that even kicking him would have hurt.

The moose warrior roared as his legs flew out from underneath him, and he crashed into the pavement. Several prongs of the shapeshifter’s antlers broke off from the impact and laid scattered around him, but the warrior moved to scramble to his feet.

I wasn’t about to let him regain his footing.

I slammed the moose man in the chest with my bullet bass armored feet, and then I reached down and slid my rhin dagger across the shapeshifter’s throat.

The warrior sputtered out a low cry, and blood pooled from his lips. His eyes stared up at me wildly, but within moments, he bled out and slumped down onto the cobblestone street.

I took a deep breath and scanned the area.

Maker … It looked like the end of the world had started around me.

I hadn’t even noticed the chaos ensuing throughout the city while I’d fought the moose man, but the entire street was now crowded with the people who had been trapped in cages. The prisoners didn’t appear to be in a hurry to get off the island, though. Instead, they roamed the street breaking things, starting fires, and causing general mayhem.

The prisoners had given my fight a wide berth, and it looked like they were moving away from the guard house toward the city.

I turned with a frown as I remembered the guard house.

Freya and her mother should have come out of that building by now.

I looked back at the awning, but I didn’t see any signs of the warrior princess or her mother among the crowd of people below it. Freya could handle herself, but I’d still feel better when I knew she was okay. I was sure I would find her once I took care of the guard house, though, so I continued on with the mission.

I was only a few steps away from the door that hung open at the base of the tower when I heard my name being called out from the shadows. I turned and noticed a Hawk Clan warrior from our group at the end of the dark alley to my left, and I recognized him, but I didn’t remember his name.

“Gryff!” the shapeshifter called out and pointed to the top of the tower behind me. “The others went inside, but no one has come out! Something bad has happened!”

“I’m on my way,” I replied. “I’ll handle it!”

“Freya said to keep watch while she took her mother to the dock,” the warrior continued with a proud lift of his chin. “But I’m not a coward, I want to fight with you!”

“Staying here to save lives is braver than rushing toward action,” I told the younger man in a firm tone. “Freya gave you a command. Follow it.”

“Yes, sir.” The shapeshifter snapped a salute and straightened his shoulders.

Satisfied, I turned and dashed inside the threshold of the guard tower.

And I was met with a scene that made my stomach lurch.

Bodies piled at the base of the stairs in a tangle of limbs, wings, and feathers, and blood dripped down the steps beneath them and pooled on the stones at my feet.

I’d hoped to avoid losing any lives today, but it looked like that was a lost cause. At least I’d managed to free a bunch of people.

I grimaced as I climbed over the bodies to get to the stairs. The stone steps circled upward around the tower but angled too sharply for me to see the top, so I repositioned my grasp on my daggers and inched forward with cautious steps.

I heard scuffling and muffled voices ahead, and I held my breath as I rounded the corner. A few steps up, a group of hawk warriors crowded a landing in front of a door, and they leaned against the portal and whispered to each other between labored breaths.

A warrior spotted me, and the group bristled into a defensive stance, but I gave a friendly wave, and they relaxed as they recognized me.

“What’s going on?” I asked and arched an eyebrow at the door behind them.

“We decided to regroup here and wait for reinforcements.” A shapeshifter cleared his throat and stepped forward.

I eyed the group carefully. There were about ten people from Hawk Clan huddled around me. Some had minor cuts and other injuries, but they looked capable of fighting still.

“You were at the top?” I asked.

“We never made it that far.” The warrior frowned. “There was a guard at this door, and he was too strong. We barely managed to get him behind the door.”

“Why didn’t you fly to attack from the top?”

“It was too crowded when we got to the roof.” The warrior’s eyes flitted nervously across my face. “There were people everywhere. We thought it would be best to approach from the ground.”

I nodded silently and thought over his words.

While I knew Chief Fenrir wouldn’t have let any unblooded fledglings come along with our war party, it did seem like the Hawk Clan warriors were intimidated by the fortress of their biggest rival.

The Moose Clan’s powers were strong assets for shapeshifters bent on domination. The one man I’d fought already had been a strong warrior, but while I’d eliminated him easily, he’d been alone. I didn’t want to lose any more lives, though, and it seemed like the hawk warriors were outgunned.

“Get back to the harbor,” I commanded after a moment. “Guard the ships and the bay. I’ll handle the tower.”

“You don’t want us to stay and fight with you?” The hawk man gaped at me.

“I want you to get as many people off this island as possible.” I clapped the man on the shoulder and flashed him a confident grin. “I got this.”

“I hope to see you victorious on the other side,” the warrior replied in a solemn tone. Then he turned and motioned for the others to follow him.

The hawk warriors shook their heads in awed disbelief as they reluctantly shuffled down the stairs away from me. I noticed a few doubt filled glances cast over shoulders, but then they were out of sight, and I was alone on the landing.

I eyed the door as I considered the obstacles in my path. The Moose Clan assholes had sealed their fate when I’d seen the fallen warriors at the bottom of the stairs. I was ready to get some payback. So, I tugged on the door, and it opened with a rusty creak.

On the other side of the threshold, a tall moose man stood with his back to me. He wore thick plated armor that covered his entire body and held a double-edged axe in his hand. His giant antlers arched toward the ceiling of the stairwell, and the knobby protrusions  filled the space around the shapeshifter.

The warrior spun when he heard the door open and lashed out at me with his axe, but I stepped back into the landing and dodged the attack with quick reflexes.

The huge shapeshifter ducked his head as he tried to follow me, but his antlers were too large for the moose man to fit through the doorway without careful deliberation.

I grinned and waited for my opening.

The shapeshifter lunged, but he only managed to get his antlers stuck on the frame of the portal, and his axe swung through empty air a foot away from me. Before he could recover his stance, I stepped inside the reach of his arm and drove my dagger into his armpit, and the warrior’s metal armor crunched as my blade sliced through into my opponent’s flesh.

I knew the defensive covering was weakest at the place where the arm connected to the torso, and the solid hit confirmed my expectations.

Then the moose man hit me with a right hook to the face, though, and even with my bullet bass armor, my ears rang from the impact.

I ripped my dagger from his shoulder as I pulled back, and I stood in the landing outside of his reach and caught my breath as the ringing in my ears faded. Then I grabbed a crystal from my bandolier and gritted my teeth as I crushed it.

My speed slug erupted into my hands, but I didn’t bother to disguise it since there were no members of Hawk Clan around anymore. I just attached the speed slug to the back of my neck and sighed as the familiar buzz of energy flowed through me.

I glanced down at my arms as a plan of attack formulated in my mind. With a wave of my will, I extended another kalgori blade down the inside of my forearm, and my skin tingled from the magic as the blades extended into place.

If I could get enough momentum, I could sever the shapeshifter’s head through the armor.

I smirked and turned my attention back to the monstrous warrior.

The moose man gripped the doorway with both hands and shoved backward, and the tips of his antlers snapped off as he freed himself from the portal.

I eyed the hallway and planned my trajectory as I took a few steps back. Then I charged through the threshold with speed slug enhanced movements, and I aimed to the right of the warrior and at the wall just behind him.

He lunged forward to meet me, but I dodged in a blur of motion. Then I kicked off from the wall as I twisted to land on his back.

The moose man stumbled as he realized what had happened, but I had a firm grip around his neck. I squeezed my forearm experimentally and felt the grinding of metal against metal as my kalgori-enhanced body scraped against the warrior’s armor.

The shapeshifter reached up to wrench my arm away from his throat, but he only sliced himself on the blades that covered my arm.

My blood pumped through me so fast I felt my muscles vibrate. I needed to get closer to the wall, though, so I tugged against the warrior’s throat again, which caused him to stumble backward.

As soon as I could reach, I kept my arm locked in a circle around the shapeshifter’s neck and kicked off from the wall. My body spun through the air as I whipped around the moose man’s shoulders with monster-enhanced speed, and the friction between my bladed arms and the shapeshifter’s armored neck made hot sparks spray out in every direction.

I didn’t stop, though, and managed to swing over his arms to the other side with my grip around his neck still secured. So, I kicked off from the wall again and repeated the buzz saw attack. I built up momentum with each kick until I rotated so rapidly, I couldn’t see the wall through the blur of my legs. My arms buzzed with a metallic screech as they split through the warrior’s armor, and my mind was blank as I listened to the sound of weakening metal. Finally, I heard a crack, seized the opening, and stopped my buzz saw attack.

Then I landed on the shapeshifter’s back and growled as I squeezed my arm as tightly as I could. Finally, the kalgori blades on my arm cut through the weakened armor and sliced off the moose warrior’s head.

His body fell into a crumpled heap as his heavy antlered head crashed into my chest, and I fell to the ground beneath the warrior’s body with a hard thud that knocked the air out of my lungs.

I groaned as I heaved the giant shapeshifter off me and climbed to my feet. My shirt laid in tattered ribbons down my arms, and the illusion spell faltered. The metal blades along my forearms dripped blood onto the stone floor as they glinted in the torchlight, and I took a deep breath as I reestablished my disguise. I made sure to include my speed slug, but my monster was mostly hidden by my cloak anyway.

Then I turned and eyed the stairs behind me.

I’d enjoyed my experiment with mimicking the kalgori attack method, but I would need more practice before I could consider it perfected.

I had a pretty good feeling I would get more practice at the top of this staircase, though, so I shook the blood off my arms and continued forward.

If there were more than one shapeshifter at the top of the guard tower, I would need to be prepared. I’d had the advantage in the stairwell because the moose man had been too big for the space in his shifted form, and I ran a hand across my bandolier as I thought over my available weapons.

Between my daggers, the kalgori blades, my bullet bass armor, and my speed slug energy, I was a killing machine.

But I wanted more.

I licked my dry lips as my fingers hovered over a pouch. Then, with my next breath, I threw an essence crystal down on the stones, and my roosa skittered over the steps through a plume of smoke. The big monster filled the stairwell, and even with Phi’s illusion magic, it would be difficult to disguise the beast.

But I didn’t expect any more hawk warriors to come up the stairwell. Freya had gone to the dock with her mother, and I had a feeling she would have flown to the top if she was going to come back to the tower.

So, I would leave my roosa in the stairwell as my rear guard, and maybe I’d borrow his powers if I needed them.

I grinned as I climbed the stairs with my roosa behind me. I had to admit, I’d missed my scorpion-like monster. I hadn’t been able to summon my monsters very much since I’d been in the Hawk Clan territory, so it felt good to have my summons at my back as I marched into battle.

My roosa clicked its giant pincers, and I felt it mirror my feelings through our bond.

My kalgori flitted around my head, and the disguised bug shape of my bullet bass hovered over my shoulders. My bloodthirsty monsters had enjoyed the warm up fight in the stairwell, but I could tell they were eager for more.

Then we came to a wide landing with a metal banister along the edge, and the links of the boom chain stretched from a pulley on the ceiling down to the base of the tower. I leaned over and looked down into the center of the tower. The bottom was shrouded in shadows, but I could hear the splash of waves echo up into the chamber.

I scanned the landing and saw a doorway on the far wall across from the rail. I gave my roosa the mental command to guard the top of the stairs before I crossed the platform to the entryway.

Then I took a deep breath and tugged it open.

The room inside was open to the elements on all sides from wide holes in the concrete walls, and the posts situated every few feet held up the roof that peaked about ten feet over my head. I saw a large winch built into the stone floor to the left side of the room, but I suddenly realized several pairs of eyes had locked onto my face.

A group of Moose Clan guards turned to stare at me as I stood in the doorway, and they all wore various levels of the same plated armor I’d just seen in the stairwell. It was hard to see how many warriors there were through their thick bodies and arching antlers, but they filled the room.

Suddenly, a hawk warrior screeched and swung into view from under the roof’s awning. The moose warriors turned, slashed out at the attacking shapeshifter with their antlers, and prevented the hawk from landing. The hawk screeched and retreated out of the tower, but before the moose warriors could recover from the distraction and turn back to me, I aimed at a moose guard in the center of the group who didn’t wear a helmet.

Beneath his wide antlers, his head was in full moose form, but he stood on two legs and held a short sword in a human fist. The rest of his body was covered in metal, but the skin of his throat was exposed, and that was all I needed.

I dashed forward in a blur, and I dodged between the moose guards’ bodies to reach the warrior at the center. With my next breath, I pushed off from the balls of my feet and launched my fist at his throat. The combination of speed, my chrome covering, and the sharp blades on my knuckles ripped straight through the shapeshifter’s flesh and out the back of his neck.

By the time I pulled my fist back to my side, the moose man was already falling to the ground, dead.

The shapeshifters surrounding me blinked in shock as they realized what I’d just done, and it felt like time stood still as the frozen warriors stared at me.

So, I quickly scanned the group as I watched their reactions and planned my next move.

There were eight heavily armored moose guards crowded into the tower room. I was outnumbered, but the bulk of their bodies and their limited agility worked to my advantage.

Then a moose warrior to my left chuckled as he realized I hadn’t moved to attack again.

“You are surrendering yourself?” he asked in a deep baritone that echoed from behind his helm. I couldn’t see his face through the plain silver helmet, but he sounded amused.

“No.” I smirked. “I’m giving you guys the chance to surrender before I kill you all.”

Several of the moose guards laughed at my words and then edged in closer.

Good. I wanted them as close to me as possible.

“You are outnumbered,” the warrior replied. “You will be the one dying.”

“I’ve already put one of you down.” I shrugged and forced myself to keep a neutral face. “Not to mention the guy in the stairway. Actions speak louder than words.”

While I spoke to the guards, I silently commanded my kalgori to start multiplying at the edge of the room, and the butterfly illusion flickered as the one monster split into two, then four, then sixteen.

I frowned as I glanced at the edges of the guard tower. I didn’t care if the moose warriors saw me summon monsters or use magic before they died, but I wanted to make sure no one else could see anything.

So, I pulled on more of Phi’s power and spread an illusion spell over the big windows. It was a challenge to use this much of her power at once, but after a moment, I was able to communicate to the Archon what I intended, and Phi guided my efforts with her experienced touch. Since I only needed to blur or distort the view of the inside of the tower, it acted as more of a mirage or glare than a complete transformation.

That will be easy to hold since it’s not creating a new false image, Phi assured me as we completed setting the spell in place.

The moose warriors glanced around as they sensed the magic that arched through the air, and then they noticed my horde of kalgori that hovered by the door.

I saw a shapeshifter point as he shouted to the others, but before they could fully assess the new danger, I sent the kalgori forth with a wave of my will.

The flock of butterfly-like monsters twisted through the air and surrounded the moose warriors in a buzzing circle.

Just as I expected, the shapeshifters crowded forward away from the onslaught of bladed wings and huddled closer around me. I grinned as I lowered into a squat and gathered my strength for my next attack.

As the circle of kalgori tightened, I sprang into a speed slug enhanced arc of motion with daggers extended from my blade lined arms. I ran in a clockwise angle inside the formation of moose guards and sliced at them with the force of my entire body. I felt my blades hit steel armor, but a couple of times, I felt a slick cut into skin where the armor weakened. At the very least, my onslaught of blades was crushing their ribs.

I continued to sprint around the center of the room with my monster enhanced speed, and I lashed out at the shapeshifters with my blades. The room was nothing more than a blur, the air was hot from the friction, and I heard the sizzling sound of burning flesh as the shapeshifters were practically cooked alive inside their armor.

Suddenly, I noticed a crack in a chest plate from my blurry spiral, and I jumped at the warrior with my dagger raised. Then I drove my rhin dagger through the crack in his chest plate and into his heart, which knocked my opponent backward.

He stumbled into the other warriors near him and drove them into the wall of flying kalgori. I heard the screech of metal, then a crash as one man’s armor splintered and shattered beneath the force of the kalgori, and the murderous butterfly-like monsters leapt at the opening and circled the shapeshifter in a buzz of wings.

An instant later, my monster returned to tighten their circle formation, and they left the bloody remains of the moose man in a heap on the tower floor.

I smiled as I felt my monster’s satisfaction through our bond. We were like a well-oiled killing machine.

The remaining guards stumbled back from their comrade’s corpse, but that only pushed them further into the steel tipped wings of my kalgori storm. Only four moose guards were left inside the circle created by my flying monsters, and the shapeshifters stared at me with wide eyes as their gaze flicked from me to the door with building panic.

I had them right where I wanted them, but I needed a better way to get through their tough armor.

Time to experiment.

I inhaled and tugged on the bond between me and my roosa, then with my next breath commanded it to transfer its giant claws to my body.

I watched my hands, and I felt the familiar tingle on my skin as they shifted into scorpion-like pincers. The claws were covered in the same metallic chitin as my roosa, but they merged fluidly with the bullet bass chrome on my wrist. My pincer hands were double the size of my normal hands, and I snapped them open and shut a few times to feel them out.

“What … what are you?” a moose warrior gasped, and he stared at me from behind his helmet with horror filled eyes.

Tell him you are a god, Phi cackled, and I heard Sera echo the laughter.

I didn’t care to respond, so instead I lunged at the moose with my roosa hand, snapped at his wrist, and cracked the bone in between my pincher. Then I severed the limb with a twist of my claw. Blood sprayed from the amputated hand, and the moose man bellowed in pain as he grasped his wounded arm to his chest.

Then I commanded the kalgori to tighten the circle, and I ran in the opposite direction, so the moose guards were caught between us. I felt the squeeze of bodies close in around me, and I snapped relentlessly with my roosa pincers until I started to trip over the severed limbs that scattered the floor. The cries of pain and the clash of metal on metal filled my ears, and one by one, the moose warriors fell to the deadly storm my kalgori and I created. Then I lunged at the final warrior with a snap of my clawed hand, and he fell to the ground as his leg was severed.

“Kill me quickly,” he begged as he quivered at my feet.

I grimaced as I reached down and clipped through his throat with a pinch of my roosa claw. Blood sputtered from the wound in his neck, and I watched as the shapeshifter’s eyes started to glass over before his life finally faded away.

Then I quickly glanced around the room and sighed with satisfaction when I found myself alone with my fluttering flock of kalgori.

I discarded my roosa pinchers with a wave of my will and ran a hand through my hair as I processed what had just happened. I looked over the bodies of my opponents and stretched my back as I caught my breath.

The armor worn by the guards had been thick and durable, which made me wonder how it was forged. It hadn’t given the warriors much maneuverability, but it had taken a lot of effort to penetrate, so it was definitely a strong defense.

In this case, though, scissors had beaten rock.

I chuckled to myself at my joke as I commanded my kalgori to return to its singular form, and I smiled when I felt my monster’s cheerful mood through our bond. I sensed the connection between us deepen, and I wondered if mimicking the blade-winged monster’s fighting style had contributed to that.

Either way, I felt like I understood my monster better after I’d joined it in a tornado of blades.

The pressure of maintaining the multiplied horde lifted from my shoulders like a weight I hadn’t even realized I was holding. My butterfly-like monster floated down into my hands as I guided it with my will, and then I reapplied the benign bug disguise to my summons.

With that taken care of, I lifted the spell masking the view of the tower windows. Then I crossed the room to the winch bolted to the floor against the far wall and eyed it closely. A lever extended from the side of a large gear, which was wrapped in a thick chain. The chain was tiny in comparison to the boom across the bay, but I hadn’t noticed anything else in the room that looked like a switch, so I assumed this was what I needed.

I didn’t know for sure if this was the mechanism controlling the chain, but I didn’t have any other options, so I grasped the handle of the lever and gave it a firm tug.

The metal creaked, and the gear turned slightly, but nothing else happened. So, I pushed the lever harder, and a moment later, I felt the floor beneath my feet vibrate. I heard the echoing sound of squeaking metal resonating up the tower, and the gear started to spin. The noise level intensified as the gear spun faster and faster until it snapped to a halt, and the rope around it shivered slightly in the air as it stretched tautly against some unseen weight below me.

Then the whole tower started to shake, and I heard the giant chain scrape against the metal wall far below in the bay. I leaned over the edge of the window opening and looked down at the waves that shook and splashed from the motion of the chain.

I’d captured the guard house and lowered the chain. The hard part was over.

Suddenly, an explosion blasted through the air with a loud cracking sound, and flames erupted in the city below the tower. I squinted in the direction of the commotion and saw debris spraying out of the epicenter.

From what I could tell at this angle, it looked like the explosion had come from the militant street where Freya had pointed out the gun storage.

Then another explosion shook the air from a different part of the city, and I scanned the bay and realized fires had sprouted up all over Skara. Between the sounds of the blasts, I could hear distant screams and war cries. I also noticed people rushing toward the ships anchored in the bay, and I grinned.

It was time for the final stage of my plan: to steal one of those ships and get out of here.

I shoved off from the ledge and ran to the door. I paused briefly to recall my roosa then thundered down the stairs of the tower to the street outside.

The once chaotic road was deserted, but fires licked at buildings, and busted cages littered the broken pavement. I turned to my right and dashed down the alley beneath the shadow of the wall.

I barely registered the mayhem around me as I zoomed through the streets of Skara at a speed slug enhanced pace. In a few short breaths, I’d retraced the path back to the archway at the edge of the dock.

I needed to find Freya and get a ship.

I eyed the ships in the harbor and noticed people crawling over decks and climbing up ropes everywhere I looked. I scanned the end of the dock where our group had anchored the Hawk Clan vessels, but I didn’t see anyone.

“Gryff!” I suddenly heard Freya’s voice call from behind me.

“Freya?” I swiveled to scan the street into Skara and spotted the blonde shapeshifter as she trotted toward me.

The warrior princess’ face was streaked with black soot, but her eyes danced with excitement.

“You made it!” she exclaimed. “I heard the chain lower a second ago and came rushing back to find you.”

“You have good timing.” I smiled as she approached and stood by my side. “I was just about to go looking for you.”

“I burned the guns,” she declared with a smug grin.

“I heard,” I chuckled, and I slipped her hand into mine as we turned toward the dock.

Skara burned at our backs as we stepped through the archway. The people of Moose Clan would have a hard time recovering from our attack, but I also knew Hawk Clan would remember the events of this raid for many years to come.

I wondered what would happen with the territories and the conflict between the clans, but that was a question for another time.

For now, I still needed to find a ride.

So, I scanned the dock as I decided what ship I wanted, and after a moment, I noticed a medium sized vessel with a wide deck and three sails. The deck looked empty, and that was good enough for me.

“I’m taking that one,” I said and jerked my head in the direction of the ship.

“Better hurry, then,” Freya teased, and her eyes trailed over a boat further away as it pushed off from the dock. “Someone might claim it before you can reach it.”

“Well, let’s go, then,” I laughed and tugged her hand as I headed to my chosen ship.

A few moments later, Freya and I scrambled up a rope ladder and stood on the deck. I glanced around for the anchor winch and found it at the very back of the ship, and while I cranked it up, I smashed my duvarku crystal and let the shards fall into the water below.

I couldn’t reach my monster from the ship’s deck in order to disguise him, so I gave the command to stay out of sight. Then, as I thought about the size of the ship, I dropped all of my robaguas crystals into the water.

When I sensed my two duvarku and my herd of robaguas gathered below the hull, I gave the command to move the vessel out of the harbor.

Before we’d moved very far, though, I heard voices call out to me from the dock below, and I leaned over the rail and saw several prisoners waving at me.

“Take us with you!”

“Is that okay?” I cast a questioning glance at Freya.

“I suppose we could take them back to Eyrie Island.” The blonde shapeshifter shrugged. “We will figure out what to do with everyone later, but it doesn’t do any good to free people and then leave them stranded in Skara.”

I grinned and tossed the rope ladder down to the people, and I halted my monsters below the ship while the prisoners climbed up and joined us on the deck. Then I sent out a wave of my will, and my summons continued their pressure on the hull.

“Whoever knows how to sail should help get the ship out of the bay,” I declared as I crossed the deck to the helm. “The rest of you find some place comfortable, it’s a long trip.”

I grasped the spokes of the helm in one hand and gazed out over the deck of my new ship. Shapeshifters shuffled across the wood planks and quickly maneuvered the sails as the boat pushed out of the bay. I glanced behind me at the burning city and saw several other ships following my vessel out of the harbor.

The hawk clan warriors whooped and shouted out victory calls as the fleet filtered out of the bay into the sea, and the sounds echoed across the waves.

A few moments later, the freed shapeshifters had unfurled the sails of my ship. The thick fabric snapped as it caught the wind, and the boat lurched beneath my feet.

I grinned as I sensed my monsters pick up their paces under the hull. I bet we would outpace every other boat on the trip back to the Hawk Clan village.

I would wait until everyone made it back to Eyrie Island for an official head count of survivors, but from where I stood behind the helm of my new vessel, the mission felt like a success.

I’d gotten my ship, saved some prisoners, and reunited Freya with her mother.

Not bad for a hard day’s work.

I turned my gaze to the northwest as I tugged the wheel in my hands.

Now, once I got back to Eyrie Island and said my goodbyes, I could finally go find my friends.

Chapter 16

As the ocean opened up around my vessel, I felt my hair whip around my face, and my ripped clothes snapped against my body as the wind grew stronger. Goosebumps erupted down my flesh from the cool midnight air that hit my exposed skin, but dawn was still a few hours off. I wasn’t worried about time, though, since I knew it would take a day and a half to return to Hawk Clan territory.

It was going to be a long trip back to Eyrie Island, but with my team of monsters speeding up the boat’s progress, we would get there fast enough. Still, it would be much easier to enjoy the short voyage if I could get a replacement shirt.

A moment later, Freya climbed to the upper deck and returned to my side.

I greeted the blonde shapeshifter with a smile and bumped her shoulder with mine.

“I forgot to ask you,” I said. “Where did your mother go?”

“I took her to my father,” Freya explained as she smiled up at me, and her gold flecked eyes sparkled. “By the time we reached the far side of the bay, he’d taken the tower and was directing people to boats. He was overjoyed to have her back, so I’m sure he didn’t let her out of his sight after that.”

“Good,” I replied and wrapped an arm around the warrior princess.

Freya snuggled against my side and leaned her head on my shoulder, and we stood silently staring into the distance for a long while before the blonde shapeshifter stirred.

Freya reached up, planted a soft kiss on my cheek, and pulled away.

“I am going to inspect the lower cabins and see if there are any supplies,” she said and gave me a small wave as she turned to leave.

“Look for a shirt!” I called out after her with a grin.

Then I turned my focus back to the helm with a satisfied sigh. It was easy to feel like I was on top of the world from the upper deck of my own ship, and now I understood why Erin and Almasy were so smitten with their vessels.

Freya returned a short while later, and the blonde shapeshifter looked pleased with herself as she handed me a shirt and some food.

“Looks like this was a merchant ship,” she said. “There are boxes full of fancy clothes and weird looking fruit.”

I ate quickly and then examined the garment. The shirt Freya handed me was made from a soft, smooth material dyed in a rich dark blue. The fabric felt like liquid as I slid it over my skin, and I hissed in pleasure from the sensation.

“You look good,” Freya observed as she licked her lips.

“Thank you,” I chuckled. “For the shirt, too.”

“My pleasure,” Freya replied with a nod. Then the blonde shapeshifter frowned as she gazed down at the people on the lower deck. “It looks like we have more than enough food for the journey home, but I don’t know if there is enough to last you if you’re going to cross the whole ocean.”

“I’m not worried about it.” I shrugged. “I can take care of myself. Remember, I promised not to summon any monsters in these territories, but once I’m headed back to my team, that oath is done.”

“We will eat your shadow beasts?” Freya blinked at me in confusion as she tilted her head to one side.

Did she just say we? Or was it a weird translation? Maybe I was just tired and misheard. I supposed it didn’t make much difference either way, though, so I shrugged it off.

“No,” I laughed. “They can hunt for me. I have a swimming monster perfect for catching fish, and I even have a monster that can create fresh water.”

“That’s incredible,” Freya breathed, and for the first time since I’d met her, the warrior princess didn’t balk at the mention of my summons.

Maybe she would eventually relent her stubborn animosity toward my monsters, but I didn’t have time to stick around to find out. What I did have, though, was a long boat ride and a beautiful companion to enjoy it with.

“If you think that’s incredible,” I said with a broad grin, “then you’d love what some of my other monsters can do.”

“Oh?” Freya giggled and snuggled into my side. “It’s a long journey back to Eyrie Island. Do you think you could tell me about all of them by then?”

“You seriously want to hear about my monsters?” I asked and narrowed my eyes in suspicion. Freya had mirrored my thoughts perfectly like I’d spoken them out loud.

“I trust you completely, Gryff,” Freya said and looked up at me with earnest eyes. “If you say your monsters are your allies, then they are mine, too.”

My heartbeat quickened as I lost myself in her gold flecked eyes for a long moment, and I could feel my own eyes burn as her words sparked an emotional reaction. Then I swallowed hard, blinked rapidly, and squeezed the warrior princess in a tight hug.

“That means a lot to me, Freya,” I said when I’d recovered my composure. “I will keep my oath, though. I don’t want to scare any of your people before I leave.”

I checked the position of my monsters far below the ship to ensure they swam discreetly out of sight. Reassured that the technicalities of my promise were being followed, I pushed them from my thoughts and gave Freya my best smile.

“Now, what monster should I tell you about first?” I asked as I wrapped my arm around the warrior princess and pulled her in closer to me.

“Tell me about the one that makes fresh water,” Freya said as she settled into my arms. The blonde shapeshifter stood with her back to me and her head tucked below my chin. “How can you use water to fight?”

I chuckled as I thought about the best way to start.

This return voyage was going to be more fun than I would have expected.

The sun was setting the next day when I finally spied the towering peak of Eyrie Island. There were already several large ships crowding the waters around the Hawk Clan village, so I had my monsters guide my ship as close as I could before I dropped anchor.

A shapeshifter circled overhead in hawk form and shouted a shrill bird cry when they spotted our arrival.

Freya whooped out a return cry and waved her arm, and her blonde locks mimicked her gesture as tendrils swayed across her back.

A short while later, a small boat bobbed into view between the vessels anchored closer to the island. Freya rushed to the rail of the ship and waved again as the Hawk Clan boat paddled toward us.

“Vahla is coming to get us,” she told me over her shoulder, and her eyes were bright with joy. “I wonder if my mother and father beat us back.”

“We will find out soon enough,” I chuckled as I joined her at the rail. I was amazed anyone had made it back from Skara already. We’d travelled with monster enhanced speeds, and it still took us a full night and day to get here.

Then the small boat of hawk warriors drew alongside my larger vessel and pulled me out of my thoughts. I waved down and smiled at Vahla, but I didn’t recognize the woman with her. The hawk woman had slick, jet black hair, and she looked to be around Vahla’s age.

“We’re coming down,” Freya called out to her sister. “But there are a lot of people with us, too.”

“I assumed as much,” Vahla shouted back, but it was hard to hear the younger woman over the sound of the waves. “A few of our people came back with a bunch of strangers. The village is getting filled with newcomers!”

“We noticed the ships,” Freya said then gestured for her sister to wait. “Stay there, I’ll get the ladder.”

A few moments later, the small Hawk Clan boat was crowded with passengers. Vahla and her friend passed out paddles to the new additions, and then the two women turned their attention to guiding the smaller vessel back to the dock.

I sat next to Freya in the prow and couldn’t keep from grinning the whole way. I had to admit, Eyrie Island had started to feel like a second home, and it was nice to return victorious from my journey. I was also anxious to see who had made it back. I hoped the casualties in the stairwell were the only lives lost in Skara, but I wouldn’t know for sure until everyone made it home.

The Hawk Clan warriors were a sturdy, self-reliant bunch. It seemed every warrior was held to the same high standards of performance, and each one could be trusted to take the lead and make hard choices when necessary. I was confident even if the other hawk warriors hadn’t received a direct order before we left Skara, they still would have managed to do what was needed to get to a ship.

Loud cries of celebration pulled me out of my thoughts as we approached the dock. Before we’d even slipped beneath the stone archway at the entrance, hawk people swarmed the air around the small boat.

It felt like I was in the middle of an entire flock of birds. Then a stray feather fluttered from the air and landed in my lap, and it was dark brown with white stripes. I grinned and tucked it into my hip pouch. I had no idea whose feather I’d just taken, but it would make a neat memento to bring home with me.

“Enough!” Freya shouted as she stood and slashed the air with her arms.

The swirling flock of shapeshifters edged away and flitted to land on the dock, and I chuckled as I watched the warrior princess regain her composure. Then our boat bumped against the rock ledge, and I stepped out to hold it steady.

“Everyone seems very excited,” I commented as I reached out a hand to pull Freya onto the dock.

The blonde shapeshifter rolled her eyes but didn’t reply as she took my offered hand and stepped up next to me. Then her lips pressed into a familiar line as she eyed the hovering crowd.

“You really don’t like attention, huh?” Vahla teased her sister as she stepped onto the rocky ledge.

“More for you,” Freya retorted, but her glare broke as she grinned at her sister. “It is good to be home.”

“Was Father behind you?” Vahla asked with feigned casualness, but her eyes showed her fears.

“Father is safe, yes,” Freya confirmed. Then she eyed her sister for a moment. “I… I have to tell you something.”

“Okay,” Vahla replied and tilted her head questioningly. “What happened?”

“When I was in Skara, I …” Freya hesitated, so I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and she shot me a quick smile as she returned the pressure. Then the warrior princess took a deep breath and continued. “I found our mother. They had her in a cage. She’s with Father now.”

Vahla’s mouth dropped open, and her green eyes instantly filled with tears.

“No … No, she died.” the young woman stammered and blinked at her sister as she processed the news. “T-They killed her. Right?”

“This is where you hug her,” I suggested to Freya in a whisper.

The blonde shapeshifter nodded in response, and then she released my hand to wrap her little sister in her arms.

I waited quietly while the two women embraced, and Vahla’s shoulders shook as she cried into her sister’s hair.

When the russet haired shapeshifter had calmed down, Freya brushed her little sister’s wavy locks behind her ears and wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

“Let’s have a feast to celebrate our victory,” Freya told her, and Vahla nodded.

The young hawk woman’s eyes sparkled as the suggestion took hold, and in the next moment, she clapped with excitement.

“Ooh, I could have it ready before Mother and Father return!” Vahla squealed. Then the young shapeshifter waved a quick goodbye and launched into the air.

Freya laughed as she watched her sister disappear into the throng of hawk people that circled the village, and she had never looked more beautiful to me.

A short while later, I sat at a table in the dining hall while the people of Eyrie Island celebrated around me. The sun had set before the last few ships arrived at the island, and torches lit the entire village. By the time we’d heard the news of Chief Fenrir’s arrival, Vahla had organized a massive feast.

The rest of the hawk warriors returned from Skara unharmed, and less than ten people had died on the enemy island. Thirty rescued prisoners had joined us, and among them were several people who’d been captured from Eyrie Island by Moose Clan at some point.

From what I’d learned through eavesdropped conversations, Moose Clan hadn’t always taken captives. Most of the people captured were assumed dead and mourned, like Freya’s mother.

While the leader and his family had been reunited, I’d kept myself occupied with swapping battle stories with Trjegul. The hawk warrior babbled excitedly about the kegs of mead they’d found on the ship they claimed, and the dark-haired shapeshifter had obviously been drinking heavily already.

After some time, I noticed Freya eye me from across the room, so I clapped the hawk man on the shoulder and grinned.

“I need to go find me something to drink,” I chuckled. “I’m going to have to drink fast to catch up to you.”

“You would have to drink an entire day, brother,” the warrior called after me as I turned and walked away.

When I stopped at Freya’s side, her father looked up and smiled at me.

“Ah, Ratreya, this is the man I’ve been talking about.” He clasped my hand in a firm grip as he shook it. Then he turned and gestured to Freya’s mother. “Gryff, meet my wife, Ratreya.”

“It is good to see you again,” the older woman said, and she attempted to copy her husband’s handshake. “And to learn your name, Gryff.”

“I feel the same way, Ratreya,” I said and smiled. “You look stronger already.”

“Fen wouldn’t stop feeding me after they found the crates below deck,” she laughed.

“There is plenty of food here, as well,” Vahla chirped and wrapped her arm around her mother’s elbow. “Come on, I’ll make you a plate.”

Ratreya waved a quick goodbye to the three of us before she followed her younger daughter to the platters of food.

“You should go eat, too, Father,” Freya suggested and gave her father a firm look. “I’m sure you paid less attention to yourself during your trip home, and you need to recover your energy, too.”

“I know,” Chief Fenrir chuckled and waved his hands defensively. “I’ll eat, don’t worry.”

He shot me a smile, then turned toward the table of food.

“Maybe now he won’t be so overprotective of me,” Freya said after he had walked away. “He will have someone else to dote on again.”

“You did that, you know,” I murmured and bumped my shoulder against hers. “You saved your mother and brought her home. You’re an amazing warrior, and you honor your people with your courage.”

“You were the one who made the difference in Skara.” Freya blushed a crimson color as she dismissed my flattery with a wave of her hand. “You took down the guard tower single-handedly.”

I almost argued that I’d had my monsters, but I snapped my mouth shut before the words came out. No need to spoil a good night right now.

Freya twirled her fingers through mine and led me back to the table where I’d eaten. We sat on the bench and leaned our heads together, and I focused on the sensation of her skin against mine instead of the party surrounding us.

Suddenly, I remembered something I’d wanted to ask her about.

“Freya,” I said and sat up straight. “The pools I went to before the ritual, are they for everyone or just for special occasions?”

“They’re open to anyone who lives in the village.” Freya frowned as she thought about it. “The elders purify them before a ritual like that, but then when the ritual is over, they reopen the hot spring to the public again.”

“Perfect,” I responded with a grin. “I definitely want to go back and enjoy the hot water again.”

“What about right now?” she asked, and I noticed a spark of desire in her gold flecked eyes.

“Now works for me.” I nodded eagerly.

My heart raced at the implications in her expression, and I had a feeling this would be a night I would remember for a long time to come.

“Then, let’s go.” Freya stood and pulled me to my feet, then reached up and brushed her lips across mine.

I shivered as I felt my desire grow suddenly urgent.

“Lead the way, princess,” I growled.

Freya giggled and turned toward the entrance, and I followed her in a haze and barely registered the twists of tunnels as we walked through the village. After what felt like only a few moments, we took a right turn, and I suddenly felt the warm, moist air from the hot spring.

The warrior princess let go of my hand to pull open the heavy wooden door, and steam billowed out into the hallway. I followed her inside and started to tear off my cloak the moment I crossed the threshold.

I caught myself before I stripped completely naked, though, and glanced around. The chamber was empty, and all I could see were stacks of clean towels on both benches.

Freya’s gaze followed my eyes, and then the blonde shapeshifter smiled at me over her shoulder and lifted the hem of her tunic.

“Looks like we have perfect timing,” she said as she tugged her shirt over her head, and her bare breasts flushed a soft pink color in the foggy air. Then the warrior princess pushed down her pants and jiggled her ass before she hopped into the pool of water.

“I’m just lucky, I guess,” I chuckled and quickly pulled off the rest of my clothes. I left everything in a haphazard pile, then crossed the room and slipped into the water. Then I settled into a seat on the carved stone bench and motioned for the warrior princess to come closer.

Freya floated across the pool and straddled my lap, and my bulge thickened as I felt the curve of her ass against my thighs. The blonde shapeshifter rested her arms on my shoulders and then gave me a long, gentle kiss.

I wrapped my arms around her slender back, explored her skin with gentle strokes, and pressed my lips to hers. Then I felt her tongue slide past my lips, and I groaned with pleasure as I felt my body respond.

Freya rubbed her hips into my lap and moaned against my lips.

“Gryff,” she panted, and her eyes were desperate. “I need you inside me.”

“How much do you need me?” I prodded as I stretched my hand down the curve of her back, across the smooth skin of her ass, and teased my fingers along the outside of her pussy.

“More than anything!” the shapeshifter gasped and arched her spine as she leaned toward my fingers. Freya’s eyes fluttered as she twitched her hips and rubbed her wet slit against me.

Even beneath the warm water of the hot springs, I could feel the juices dripping out of her.

I growled as my cock hardened beneath her firm ass, and I grabbed the warrior princess by the back of the neck and devoured her with a wet kiss. With my other hand, I gripped my member and rubbed the tip against her entrance.

“You feel so good,” Freya moaned as she felt the head of my cock against her before she wiggled and slid down onto my shaft.

“Maker … ” I hissed as her tightness wrapped around me. Then I grabbed an ass cheek in each hand and pulled her closer.

I thrust up with my hips, ground my member deep inside her moist tunnel, and held her firmly to me.

“Gryff … ” Freya shuddered, and her nails dug into the skin on my shoulders as she leaned back. Her eyes went blank, and her whole body shook as her orgasm hit the shapeshifter like a lightning bolt.

“You’re amazing, Freya,” I murmured as I lifted her ass and thrust into her wet pussy with long strokes, and her perky breasts bounced against my chest from the motion. “You orgasm so quickly, and you’re so tight … ”

“You are my mate, Gryff,” she groaned.

“Huh?” I asked as my head started to spin.

“I was … ohhhhh … I was a maiden before you. You have my body, my soul, and my womb.”

“Hmmmm,” I gasped as I pulled her down as hard as I could on my cock. My tip dug deep enough into her tunnel to tickle her cervix, and her entire body began to flutter like a sail in a chaotic storm.

“Don’t. Stop. Please,” Freya begged with labored breaths, and her eyelids fluttered.

I could feel my climax building, and I panted as I fought for control. Every time I thrust forcefully into Freya’s tight pussy, the shapeshifter squeaked out a little moan. The sound fueled my growing desire, and I growled as my pace intensified. The water around us splashed wildly as I slammed my cock into the warrior princess.

When I couldn’t take it anymore, I wrapped my arms around her waist, buried my face between her breasts, and held her firmly against me as I thrust deep into her tunnel.

“Oh, Gryffffff!” Freya’s tight pussy clenched around my cock as she spasmed in my arms.

The sensation of her orgasm sent me over the edge. My seed sprayed into her womb, and I moaned as the release swept through me like a wave.

Freya swayed and leaned heavily into my arms, and the blonde shapeshifter felt like melting candle wax as she came down from her climax.

I shifted my position, and I leaned back against the rim of the crater. Then I nestled the spent woman against my chest and let out a satisfied sigh.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” I murmured to the warrior princess.

She nodded sleepily into my chest, and I chuckled.

“Hey, now, don’t do that, don’t fall asleep just yet.”

“I’m sorry, I’m still getting used to our battles.” Freya smiled as she sat up straight, brushed her lips against mine, and stood up. “They will probably be looking for me soon, anyway.”

Water dripped down her naked body, and I traced a drop as it slid from her collar bone until it fell from the tip of her nipple. Then the blonde shapeshifter turned and stepped out of the pool, and she splashed a trail of water in her wake.

I reluctantly stood and followed her out of the crater. I’d enjoyed the hot water, but next time, I would make sure I had time to soak. I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to repeat this experience either, though.

I grabbed a towel and dried off, but I didn’t do a very thorough job since I was mesmerized by the movements of Freya’s body as she dried and got dressed. Eventually, though, I shook off my daze and tugged on my clothes.

I scrubbed my head to dispel the moisture from my hair before I followed Freya through the wooden door.

We walked hand in hand through the village, and we cast smiles at each other when we passed through the circle of light from a torch. After a while, we started climbing the familiar stairs to my dwelling.

I saw lights shining through the window of Chief Fenrir’s home as it came into view ahead of me. When I got closer, I noticed the chief stood outside, and he waved as soon as he saw us.

“Gryff of Hawk Clan,” the chief greeted with a twinkle in his eyes. “Are you off to Mistral in the morning?”

“I plan to leave as soon as possible,” I confirmed and nodded.

The chief returned my nod, but I sensed a solemnness to his demeanor.

“I have truly enjoyed meeting you, Gryff. You are a powerful warrior and a good man.” He met my gaze with steady eyes. “I ask only one thing of you before you leave.”

“Name it.” I shrugged and tried to sound casual, but I felt a lump form in my throat.

What now? Another trial? Some sort of post-test test?

“All I ask is for you to return someday,” he explained. “I do not care how long it takes. I know you have a quest and a long journey ahead of you, but I wish to meet my grandchildren before I am gone from this world. It would bring me great honor to see them at least once.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” I frowned and glanced at Freya. “What grandchildren?”

“Of course we will come back someday, Father.” The blonde shapeshifter smiled sweetly at the chief. Then she took my hand again and pulled me toward the stairs behind her father’s dwelling. “Goodnight, Father!”

I stumbled up the stairs after her in shocked silence for a moment, but then I came to a halt.

“What was that all about?” I asked and let my bewilderment show on my face.

“Father just wanted some reassurance before we leave.” Freya shrugged, like that explained everything.

“We, huh?” I arched an eyebrow. “You’re going with me?”

“I have no reason to leave my husband’s side.” She smiled. “I will help you complete your quests, and some day in the future, we will return with our children.”

“Husband?” The word echoed against the cliff wall in the midnight silence, and I felt my head start to spin again. “I’m your husband? When did that happen? I thought that was just a threat?”

“You claimed my body,” the shapeshifter stated as she turned to continue up the steps.

“Huh?”

“You opened my womb and filled it with your seed, marking me as your wife and mate. Now, let us sleep. We will have an early start tomorrow.”

I trailed behind her and tried to process what she had said.

“I never really planned to get married … ” I frowned as I tried to be delicate. “I have a … few … girlfriends back home, and I’m not sure they’d appreciate--”

“Oh,” Freya interrupted me in a pleased tone as she spun back to face me. “Are they strong warriors like me?”

“W-Well, y-yeah, I guess … ” I stammered as the images of my lovers flashed through my mind. “They’re all powerful in their own ways.”

“Good.” The warrior princess nodded decisively. “It is a tremendous advantage to have sister wives, especially with a warrior as powerful as you. You will need many wives to provide you with strong and healthy children, and we will all work together to raise your fledglings in a way that honors you.”

I gulped down the lump in my throat as I understood her full meaning.

What the fuck just happened?

Before I could muster an argument in response to the warrior princess’ declaration, we had arrived at my dwelling, and Freya pulled me inside and shoved me onto the bed.

“See?” she gestured as she pointed to my groin. “You are virile. Only a few minutes ago, you filled my womb with your seed, but you are hard again and ready to claim me.”

“Uhh, yeah,” I gasped as I looked down at my pants. Sure enough, I was as hard as a rock again.

“I am a lucky woman,” Freya sighed longingly as she began to pull off her clothes. “You are the perfect mate and husband, Gryff. Please fill me again?”

Thoughts about being married or even my return faded from my mind as Freya’s naked body straddled me, and for the rest of the night, I experimented with different methods of eliciting moans and squeaks from her lips.

Sometime during the endless night of lovemaking, I realized being married was just great, and I wondered if any of my other girlfriends would be open to being mine permanently.

And I wondered if they would want to bear me children, too.

End of book 13

End Notes

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2020 by Eric Vall