God of Magic

by Logan Jacobs

  “Oh, what a sweetheart he is,” Nesta cooed. “I always thought I should get a good mouser. What’s his name?”

  “Merlin,” I answered with a warning look to the puca. I didn’t want him to get any ideas about demonstrating his skill at hunting mice while we were trying to eat.

  “Well, Merlin, how would you like a saucer of milk?” the barkeep asked.

  Merlin meowed sweetly in response, and as Nesta turned away, I caught Lavinia roll her eyes from her place beside me.

  Nesta returned a few moments later with our drinks, milk for Merlin, and four plates with steaming pies. “It’s mincemeat pie tonight, but I’ve made you all a special treat as well. I’ll bring it by when the rest of the guests have gone.” She gave us a wink before she left to tend to her other customers.

  Though they didn’t quite compare to the stew we’d had before, the pies Nesta had made were amazing. The crust was baked to a perfect golden brown, and the filling was flavored with onions and garlic. I almost burnt my tongue on the first bite, and I had to force myself to slow down and let it cool.

  We were in no rush now, and I realized it was the first time we’d been able to relax since we’d begun our race against Ren. I knew we’d likely be on the road again soon, though perhaps with less urgency to our mission, so I tried to soak in the moment and fully appreciate the hot meal and the friendly atmosphere of the tavern.

  I could hear another group of patrons laughing and joking a few tables over and the clinks of their glasses as they toasted one another, and a few moments later, several of them started singing a folk song. Gradually, most everyone in the Magpie joined in, and though I didn’t know the song, which I gathered was some folk tune about a fisherman, I liked listening to it. Between the lull of the music and the alcohol, my thoughts began to drift, and I wondered what other places I would see in this world, what sort of people I would meet, what songs they sang.

  Eventually, the tavern began to empty out as the evening wore on until at last, we were the only patrons left.

  “We can go tomorrow morning to collect the rewards for those bounties from the Mage Academy,” Aerin said. “I can’t wait to count all that gold.”

  “After that, we can start looking around at buildings to rent,” Maruk suggested. “We can afford to set up a proper guild hall of our own now, after all.”

  “Oh, you’re leaving me, are you?” Nesta asked as she returned to the table. “Maybe I shouldn’t give this to you after all.” She had brought over a cake, but she held it back teasingly over her shoulder instead of setting it on the table. Merlin stood on his hind legs on the bench and sniffed at the air longingly, and Nesta chuckled at his pitiful expression.

  “Of course we appreciate your hospitality, Nesta,” Maruk said quickly, “but we can’t stay here forever.”

  “And we’ll come visit,” Aerin assured her.

  “You’d better,” Nesta replied as she set the cake on the table before us with a smile. “Now, I want to hear all about this last mission of yours. The Shadow Delves, was it? My mother always said those caves were cursed.”

  She cut the cake and gave a piece to each of us. It was light and fluffy, and there was a layer of gooey red jam in the middle. My mouth watered just looking at it, and Merlin crawled onto my lap and pushed his chin up onto the table, not to be forgotten. Nesta noticed and cut another slice especially for him, and the puca was so excited he forgot he was supposed to act like a cat, and he chirped happily as he climbed up onto the table to eat.

  “It felt pretty cursed,” Aerin said with a small shudder. “I never want to go back there again.”

  Nesta pulled up a chair, and her eyes shone with interest as she leaned forward. “What was it like? What was down there?”

  Merlin finished his cake and came to lick the few crumbs that remained on my plate, and I ran my hand down his back.

  “There were these giant spiders--” I started, but Lavinia cut me off.

  “Hang on, start from the beginning.”

  “Do you mean when you impulsively made a bet with the Stewards to retrieve a bounty many people regarded as impossible to collect?” Maruk teased, and Lavinia elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Hey, I knew all along we could pull it off,” she retorted.

  “Well, tell me about it!” Nesta insisted, and we took turns recounting our recent adventures to her, from our battle with Allowen to rescuing Yvaine from the evil dwarves to the deep, dark tunnels of the Shadow Delves and the fight with the monstrous Guardian. We omitted only my true identity as a manipulator and told Nesta instead that I’d managed to take down the Guardian with a lightning strike, just as we’d told the other guilds in the charter office.

  Nesta hung on every word, and I felt pride swell in my chest as I told her about the battle. I had been so focused on just getting through the fight alive at the time that I hadn’t really stopped to appreciate what we’d all accomplished. In the short time since Theira had brought me to this world, I’d already gotten a good hold on my magic. I’d gone head to head with Ren and defeated him, and I’d been able to create that illusory clone to distract the Guardian, and I knew this was still just the beginning. The more I could practice, the more resources I could find, the more my power would grow.

  Our guild could grow, too, as we were able to collect better and better bounties. We could get our guild hall, buy better armor and weapons, maybe even start to recruit new members.

  “That’s incredible,” Nesta remarked when we’d finished. “I always had a lot of faith in you guys, but I know you’ve had a spot of bad luck lately.”

  “That’s all turning around now,” Lavinia said, and then she raised her hand, set it on my shoulder and squeezed me a few times. It was an unusual gesture for the stone-faced archer, and I turned to find her red eyes staring at my face with a hungry look.

  “Yep!” Aerin laughed as she took another drink of her ale. “Gabriel certainly has changed our luck. I see lots, and lots, and lots of gold in our future.”

  “And fine living,” Maruk put in. “What is the use of money if one does not enjoy the arts of his or her contemporaries.”

  “Yeah,” Lavinia said as she raised her mug. “What he said. Cheers.”

  We all pushed our mugs together and then took a drink.

  “You all are great,” I said. “Thank you for taking me in. I… uhh.” I cleared my throat and then gave each of my new friends a smile. “I really feel like part of the team.”

  “You are,” Lavinia grunted. “You made some good calls during the battle.”

  “Agreed,” Maruk said.

  “And handsome,” Aerin giggled. “Woops, did I say that out loud?”

  “You aren’t wrong,” the dragon-woman whispered under her breath loud enough for me to hear.

  “Oh yes he is,” Nesta purred, and then she winked at me when I smiled at her.

  “To Gabriel,” Maruk said as he raised his mug again.

  “To Gabriel!” Aerin, Lavinia, and Nesta repeated, and I felt a flush heat my cheeks when we pushed our mugs together.

  Then the shield-warrior yawned and pushed himself up from the table. “Thank you for the meal, Nesta, it was wonderful, as always, but I must take my leave now. I’ve spent far too long sleeping on the ground and I am looking forward to a night in a real bed.”

  “Me too,” Lavinia said emphatically as she stretched her arms above her head. “The food was great, Nesta, thanks.”

  “Of course, of course, any time,” Nesta replied. “I didn’t mean to keep you all up so late.” She stood and gathered up our empty plates. “I’ll set something aside for you for breakfast in the morning if you want to sleep in.”

  “You’re a treasure, Nesta, truly,” Maruk called back as the innkeeper disappeared through the back doors. Then he scooped up Merlin and headed up the stairs.

  I expected Lavinia to follow him, but she stopped in front of me instead.

  “Hey,” she said suddenly, “that was… uhhh… great… ho
w you saved our lives back in the Shadow Delves.” Her mouth quirked up in a smile. “You’re a real badass, Gabriel.”

  “Oh, thanks but--” Then my words were interrupted when Lavinia bent down, put her hands on either side of my face, and abruptly kissed me. Her mouth was surprisingly soft, and her tongue pushed into my mouth to explore. I felt her moan against me, and then my eyes closed as I forgot where I was and slid my own tongue against hers. My whole body felt like it was on fire, but then her tongue retreated a few moments later, she gently bit my lower lip, and then pulled away from me.

  It was one hell of a kiss, and completely unexpected.

  “G’night,” the ladona woman whispered. Then she winked, let go of my face, turned, and followed Maruk up the stairs.

  “She likes you!” Aerin giggled as she mockingly slapped my arm. “You should see your face, you look adorable, all surprised.”

  “Well, I didn’t really see that coming,” I admitted with a laugh, and I realized my body was still on fire.

  “It’s good,” Aerin said. “She was having a really hard time getting over Thom.”

  “Uhh, you don’t mind that…” My voice trailed off.

  “Mind?” Aerin asked as she blinked her big hazel eyes at me.

  “Well, I uhh. Kind of thought that you and I were growing close, and…”

  “And?” the elf healer asked.

  “I don’t want you to be jealous,” I said.

  “Jealous?” Aerin asked as she tilted her head. “What do you mean? Don’t you think Lavinia is beautiful?”

  “Well, uhh yeah, but--”

  “And she’s smart and brave and amazingly talented,” Aerin continued.

  “Yeah,” I agreed.

  “So why wouldn’t you be attracted to her?” she asked.

  “I uhhh, also like you,” I said.

  “Of course you do.” Aerin smirked. “I’m rather amazing.”

  “Yes,” I said with a nod, “You are incredibly intelligent, clever, steadfast, and you care about your friends. You are--”

  “You forgot beautiful,” she interrupted me.

  “Oh, well of course,” I said as my eyes traced a line from her lips down her throat. “You are incredibly beautiful.”

  “So you are attracted to both of us,” Aerin said with a shrug. “Are you only allowed to have one lover in your California?”

  “Yeah,” I said with a shrug. “That’s kind of how my culture wo--”

  “That seems strange,” she huffed as she scrunched up her pretty nose. “Powerful men often have multiple lovers or wives. It’s better that way so that they can grow their houses and have the most children possible.”

  “Oh,” I said as I tried to wrap my mind around the culture shape. “So you don’t mind if--”

  “It will only be good for both Lavinia and I, and the guild, if you become both of our lovers. It will make our bond stronger. So I’m all for it.”

  “Ahh,” I cleared my throat and then took a drink of my ale to relax again.

  “When she is ready, she’ll let you know,” Aerin said as she winked at me. “I’m just happy she seems interested in you.”

  I nodded, and then we were both quiet for a minute as we enjoyed our ales and the warmth of the deserted tavern room.

  “I didn’t thank you for saving our lives back there,” the beautiful redheaded elf finally whispered. “That was really brave, and one of the many reasons I am attracted to you.”

  “I don’t think Theira would’ve been very happy if I’d let you get eaten by a cave monster,” I said with a grin, and Aerin laughed.

  “No, probably not,” she agreed.

  “Just so we’re clear, though, I also didn’t want you to get eaten by a cave monster,” I added.

  Aerin grinned. “Thanks, Gabriel.” After a pause, she added, “I guess we should head upstairs too.”

  “I don’t know, I wouldn’t mind a little more time alone with you,” I replied.

  Aerin smiled. “Yeah?”

  I reached across the space between us and took her hand. “Yeah.”

  Her hazel eyes flicked down toward my mouth, and I leaned in to kiss her. She shifted on the bench to face me and put her free hand on my knee. My other hand went to the nape of her neck, and my fingers wove into her waves of red hair as I drew her closer.

  Her lips were soft, and I caught the smell of cinnamon as she pressed against me. When we broke apart to catch our breath, she sighed slightly and trailed her thumb over my knee.

  “Heroic and a great kisser, you really are the whole package, aren’t you?” she asked with a little smile.

  “Don’t forget I’ll also be the source of our great fortune once I’m the star of your traveling circus,” I said as I tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear.

  Aerin laughed, and then she suddenly leaned forward to kiss me again. I was more than happy to indulge her, and when we broke apart again, her eyes glinted.

  “I guess we should be getting to bed as well,” she purred.

  I brushed my thumb over her cheek. “I was just about to make that suggestion,” I whispered, and Aerin smiled.

  “Wait here,” she said as she jumped up from the bench. “I’ve got to get something from Nesta.”

  I frowned but waited as Aerin disappeared through the door into the kitchen, and she returned a moment later with a key.

  “What’s that for?” I asked as I stood.

  Aerin took my hand again. “I splurged a little and got us our own room for the night.”

  “Wow,” I chuckled as I stood from my stool and began to follow her up the stairs toward the inn’s rooms. “Aerin splurged on a second room. What will your inventory sheets say?”

  “Pffft,” she raspberried. “I’m allowed to spend money sometimes. Especially on you.”

  “I suppose I’ll have to pay you back for this extravagance,” I whispered as we walked up the stairs. She was a few steps ahead of me, and I reached my hand out to run my fingers down the folds of cloth that covered her pert ass.

  “I’m counting on it,” Aerin hummed, and then she glanced back over her shoulder at me, and the burning desire in her hazel eyes made it clear that we probably wouldn’t get much sleeping done tonight.

  A half minute later we made it to our room, Aerin unlocked the door, and then we attacked each other like hungry wolves.

  Or better yet, foxes.

  I picked her up, ran my tongue down her slender neck, kicked the door closed behind me, and then carried her to the bed while she moaned my name. Her hands pulled my new magic cloak off, my fingers found the fastening loops of her robe, and we were soon naked and under the sheets. Then we were kissing more, licking more, and gently biting each other.

  Then I was inside of the beautiful elf healer, and the soft sounds of me sliding in and out of her were accented by our grateful moans of pleasure.

  A few hours later we recovered our breath as we came down from our passion. Aerin’s head lay on my chest, and she gently traced her fingertips across the muscles on my chest while I ran my palm down the smooth skin of her bare back.

  “You truly are a gift from a goddess,” she muttered under her breath.

  “Well, you did actually see her in person,” I chuckled.

  “You know what I mean,” the beautiful elf laughed. “I climaxed nine times. My whole body still feels like it’s vibrating.”

  “You were great too,” I said, and then I leaned down a bit so that I could taste her mouth once more.

  “I am excited about tomorrow,” she said.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah,” she continued. “We will finally have enough money to shop for a new guild hall. We’ll have to get something modest, of course, but can you imagine? It will be our own place. We’ll get to decorate it how we want, inexpensively, of course. We’ll be able to acquire training equipment, used of course. We might even be able to get our own rooms. I just feel so lucky and grateful. Everything has turned around because of you, Gabriel.
”

  “You all saved me too,” I said as I hugged her to my chest. “This was the life I didn’t even know I wanted, and I’m going to work hard to make sure that we rise through the ranks of guilds, succeed in every quest we take, and get all the prestige that you are dreaming of.”

  “Don’t forget the gold,” she muttered with a soft laugh.

  “I’d never do that, I know what you like.”

  “I really like you…” my lover whispered, and I felt her body begin to spasm as she drifted off to sleep.

  “I really like you too, Aerin,” I said as I looked down at her sleeping face, “and I can’t wait to tackle tomorrow.”

  Then I kissed her once softly on her full lips, leaned back into my pillow, and dreamed about a sparking guild hall filled with a hundred Shadow Foxes.

  And all of them looked to me as their guild leader.

  End of book 1

  End Notes

  Hey! Thanks for reading God of Magic. Did you like the book? If so, please leave a nice and quick review right here. Thanks! You are awesome!

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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 © 2019 by Logan Jacobs