God of Magic 2

by Logan Jacobs

  "I’ve also included some medicine," Corulin added. "There’s a poultice that will accelerate healing, and another that keeps away infection."

  "Thank you," I said. "I’m sure it will be very useful."

  Corulin reminded us again we were always welcome to stay with the clan when we found ourselves in the Canterrose Range, and with that, we parted ways again. The cold front of the previous days had passed, and the weather was pleasantly cool as we made our way back down through the foothills to the eastern mountain pass.

  By that evening, we reached a small town in the mountains where we were able to stay the night in an inn. It was a small cozy place called the Snow Dove. It didn’t see much traffic, and we’d come with a fair amount of coin to spend, so the staff was more than accommodating during our stay. We were able to each get our own rooms, and we had the inn’s dining area to ourselves when it came time for dinner. After we’d eaten until we were stuffed, we sat around the fire and sipped at steaming mugs of a local drink made from some sort of alcohol sweetened with molasses.

  "The rest of the guilds are going to lose their minds when they find out we took down Aurelius Gellen and got the medallion back," Lavinia mused. The ladona woman wore a proud smirk as she lounged in an old armchair and swirled around the contents of her mug. "We’ll have to make sure we turn in the bounty on a busy day. I want to see their faces."

  "Of course you do," Aerin replied with a little shake of her head. The elf woman was curled up on a frayed loveseat next to me. She absentmindedly rubbed an old scar on the back of my hand while she spoke, and her tone was almost giddy. "We’re going to be able to collect on the medallion and Aurelius. The Academy in Ovrista will probably pay us even more than the Touleux bounty was worth since Aurelius was from Ovrista. We should look around for some good enchanted chests while we’re in Vorunel so we have a safer place to store all the gold we’ll be rolling in."

  "We’ll keep an eye out," I said with a smile as I ran my fingers through Aerin’s hair.

  "Of course, we could just skip ahead and have a proper vault built in our guild hall," Aerin said then. "I know some good contractors, and they owe me a favor, so we could get a discount."

  "I hope you’re remembering that we’re not going to live in your vault," Maruk put in with an annoyed sniff. "We need furniture."

  "We have beds." Lavinia arched an eyebrow. "It’s not like we spend much time there, anyway. A training hall would be way more useful. We could put in an archery range, maybe even somewhere where Gabriel can practice his magic." The ranger looked to me pointedly to back her up.

  "They’re all good ideas," I said diplomatically. "I’m sure we’ll be able to make some headway into each of them with the money we get for the medallion and Aurelius. We’ll divide it up equally and everyone can choose what to do with their portion."

  "You know what I was thinking might be a good idea?" Maruk asked. Before any of us could respond, however, he went on. "A signature scent for the guild. Nearly all the guilds have uniforms, there’s nothing special about it anymore. A cologne we all wore, on the other hand, now that would set us apart. Perhaps I’ll put my share into that." The orc looked quite pleased with himself for having considered something so forward-thinking and generous.

  "No way," Lavinia argued. "I’m not wearing some Eau de Troll Sweat just because some asshole in the market district convinced you it was high-class."

  "You can’t blame me for your lack of taste, Lavinia." Maruk sniffed pointedly and drained his mug.

  "We could each get a veto on the scent," I proposed. "That’s only fair if we’re all going to be wearing it."

  Maruk sighed. "I suppose that’s reasonable." Then he stood and stretched, and his enormous arms brushed the low inn ceiling as he did. "Anyway, I’m off to bed." As he walked past us toward the stairs that led up to our rooms, he gave Lavinia a final, stern look. "And if anyone has any ideas about trying to wake me before noon, think again."

  The ladona woman rolled her eyes but said nothing as Maruk disappeared up the stairs.

  "I think I’ll be going, too," Lena said with a yawn. I wasn’t surprised by her declaration since I’d seen her start to nod off several times while we’d sat by the fire.

  Merlin had been dozing on her lap, and he trailed after her as she followed Maruk up the stairs.

  At my side, Aerin squeezed my hand gently.

  "I’m going to head up, too," she told me, and she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

  Before she pulled away, I brought my hand up to her jaw and turned to kiss her on the mouth, and I could feel her smile as she met me. She smiled still when we broke apart, and there was a lightness to her step as she, too, made her way upstairs.

  There was a moment of silence between me and Lavinia when Aerin had gone. The ladona woman’s eyes dropped to her hands as she examined her long nails.

  "So--" we both said at once.

  Lavinia grinned, and I broke off with a laugh.

  "You go first," I told her.

  "I was just going to say it was pretty badass how you stabbed all those trolls, not to mention Aurelius himself, " Lavinia said quickly. "That was, uh, you know … "

  "What?" I pressed as I leaned forward. "I don’t mind being flattered."

  Lavinia’s grin spread, and she shook her head slightly.

  "It was impressive," she finished, and her red eyes flicked over me. "You’re impressive."

  "So are you," I replied. "You basically killed all those gryphons by yourself."

  "Yeah, I’m pretty great, too," Lavinia answered.

  For a moment we were silent again as I tried to figure out how to broach the topic I’d wanted to address with the ranger for some time.

  "We never talked about the kiss," I said finally. "I mean at the Magpie after we got back from the Shadow Delves."

  Lavinia gave me a measured look. "Is there something to talk about?"

  "I like you," I told her. "You’re an amazing archer, you’re tough, you’re gorgeous … I want to know where you stand."

  "Well, I guess I’d say the same thing," Lavinia replied, and then she got a sly look in her eye. "I am an amazing archer, very tough, and extremely beautiful."

  She stood then, walked over to the loveseat, and dropped into the space that Aerin had occupied. The iridescent scales around the base of her horns glimmered in the firelight, and her red eyes seemed to shine just as brightly as the flickering flames.

  "You’re a badass, Gabriel," she said, and then she put her hand on my knee. "That’s why I kissed you back then. Do you have any other questions?"

  "Just one," I replied. "Why did we wait so long to do it again?"

  Lavinia grinned as she leaned in to kiss me, and I turned to better meet her kiss as I brought my hand up to the back of her neck and pressed her closer. Her hair was as smooth as water as it threaded through my fingers, and her lips were soft and eager. I could still taste a hint of molasses from her drink as her tongue found its way into my mouth.

  Then Lavinia moved forward until she was almost in my lap, and she moaned slightly as I pressed her closer to my body and trailed a hand down her back. Her voice was breathless when she pulled away again.

  "We should go upstairs," she said.

  I nodded and took her by the hand as we slipped up to her room. I’d barely closed the door behind us when Lavinia stepped forward and pressed me against the wooden frame with another passionate kiss. With a grin, I lifted her up and flipped us so she had her back to the wall instead, and she sighed as I began to kiss along her jaw and down her neck.

  Her hands trailed down my chest as I kissed her, and then she unfastened my cloak and let it fall to the floor. As she began to work on my belt, I paused just long enough to help her remove her armor as well, and then we fell into the bed.

  Lavinia gasped as I moved against her and nipped at her ear, and then her fingers pressed against the muscles of my back and shoulders as I spread her thighs wide with my hips.

  "
Ready?" I murmured as I ground against her wet center.

  "Yes," she growled, and then she raked her sharp nails down my spine. "Do not tease me."

  "I would never," I replied with a smirk, but then I set jokes aside as my cock slid between her folds and slipped deep inside of her.

  Lavinia moaned as she tossed back her head, and her muscles clenched and fluttered around me. A deep groan also resounded in my chest, and my eyes nearly rolled back into my head.

  "Fuck," I gasped, and my hips stuttered forward of their own accord. The ladona woman was incredibly tight and sinfully hot. I couldn’t help myself as I fell into a steady rhythm, and the only sounds in the room were our flesh smacking together, punctuated by Lavinia’s sharp moans.

  "Gabriel," she cried out as I shifted her leg onto my shoulder and pounded deep inside of her.

  My name on her lips drove me crazy, and I wrapped my hands tight around her hips as I yanked her back hard unto my cock. Lavinia writhed and groaned, and her sharp nails tore at the skin of my shoulders before they fell to the bed to shred the sheets. Her breasts bounced with the force of my thrusts, and I bent down to suck one into my mouth. I lapped my tongue around her pebbled nipple, and then I bit down just as I bottomed out in her pussy.

  "Oh!" she screamed, and I felt her clench down on my cock as she came.

  I didn’t give her a chance to recover though. As her taut body relaxed back into the bed, I pulled out quickly, flipped her over, and tugged her up onto her hands and knees. Before she could say a word, I thrusted back into her from behind and fisted my hand into her white hair.

  "Does that feel good?" I grunted as I slammed my cock as deep as it would go.

  Lavinia let out a string of unintelligible moans, but by the way she rocked her hips back to meet mine, I could tell I was on the right track. As I thrusted my hips forward harder and faster, I slid my other hand beneath her chest and yanked her upright against me. I sat back a bit on my haunches, and then Lavinia began to bounce on my cock with wild abandon. I could feel my impending release build at the base of my spine, so I turned her head to delve my tongue deep into her mouth. As our tongues tangled together, I used my left hand to pinch and tug at her nipples, and then I trailed my right hand down her flat stomach until I came to the patch of hair between her quivering thighs.

  My fingers found her engorged clit easily, and I painted circles around the needy organ to tease the dragonborn woman. When Lavinia began to twitch and shake in my arms, and my release was so close I could nearly taste it, I pressed down harshly on that sensitive button just as I pinched her nipple and slammed my hips hard against hers.

  Lavinia cried out wordlessly as she careened into her second orgasm, and this time I followed and spilled myself deep inside of her with a grunt.

  When we finally broke apart and fell onto the bed, the struggles of the last few days were long forgotten. Lavinia hummed as she traced her fingers down my chest.

  "I see that your talents extend beyond just magic," the ladona woman said with a small smile. "Not that I’m surprised."

  "You’re not so bad yourself," I told her, and I pressed another kiss to her full lips.

  After that, she drifted off to sleep, and it wasn’t long before exhaustion overtook me as well. Unlike the other night, however, no more nightmares plagued my sleep, and I awoke the next morning feeling better rested than I had since we left Ovrista. I could tell by the light it was later than Lavinia or I usually slept, but we were nevertheless the first downstairs, and we’d almost finished our breakfast by the time Aerin, Maruk, Lena, and Merlin joined us.

  "We should reach Vorunel by midday," Aerin said as she yawned into a glass of juice. Her red waves were still a little rumpled from sleep, but she had a few maps spread out on the table beneath her muffin. "We can get lunch there and shop around a bit before we meet up with a caravan."

  "Mhmm," Maruk mumbled from where he was hunched over the table with his head on his thick arms. Although the orc had managed to make it out of bed, he wasn’t entirely awake yet, and I guessed he might have agreed to anything that Aerin proposed at that moment.

  Merlin had taken advantage of Maruk’s inattention to steal his muffin, and he sat at the other end of the table and nibbled at it greedily.

  It took about half an hour for all of us to finish eating and gather our things, but then we were on the road again and headed to Vorunel. Compared to our days in the mountains, the road from the little town where we’d spent the night to the great merchant city on the eastern side of the Canterrose Range was easy. The weather held up, too, and it was clear and cool as we walked the half-day’s hike through the reaching pines. We joked and chatted along the road, and the mood among the group was light when we finally reached Vorunel.

  The city was nothing like Ovrista, but it didn’t resemble Gilamar, either. Its buildings were neatly structured along its clean, wide streets, and while it was easily as busy as Gilamar had been, there was a distinct orderliness to the place that the former lacked. As such, it wasn’t difficult for us to find the appropriate merchants to trade our extra loot with, and with Aerin’s haggling skills, we all walked away with some sort of additional prize for our trouble.

  Maruk purchased a few bolts of expensive fabric he intended to have made into drapes for the guild hall. Lavinia got a new quiver and a case for her bow, and I found some books about magic and the history of magic in the realm and civil war of centuries past. Aerin got an enchanted lockbox for the rest of our money, and even Lena was able to pick up some herbs from one of the vendors.

  It was midafternoon by the time we’d finished our shopping and went to see which caravans were preparing to cross the desert and when. As luck would have it, there was a caravan that was just about to leave, and it was led by none other than Uriel. Many of the merchants we’d traveled with the first time, including the dwarf Clay, intended to stay in Vorunel a while longer, and other merchants had taken their places in the caravan, but Uriel was thrilled to see us.

  "Well, now, look who it is!" the old man cried when we approached. "Did you get what you were looking for in the mountains?"

  "We did," I told him. "Now we were hoping we might be able to get a ride back to Gilamar."

  "You know you’re all more than welcome to join us," Uriel replied. "Won’t even make you fight off a flock of gryphons this time," he added with a wink. "We’ll be leaving in a few minutes here, just letting the rest of the folks get settled. I’m guessing you’ll be wanting your old gig back with the water carts?"

  "That would be great, Uriel, thanks," I replied, and we made our way back to the last pair of wagons were the barrels of water for the journey were stored.

  Lena approached me when we stopped beside the water carts. I could tell she had something she wanted to say, but her expression was somewhat anxious, and she chewed on her lip as she reached out to scratch Merlin behind the ears.

  "Is everything alright?" I asked finally when she still hesitated to speak.

  "I was just thinking about when we’ll get back," Lena replied, then she added quickly, "Not when as in I was wondering what time it’ll be, just when as in what we’ll do when we get there. Or, what I’ll do, I guess." She swallowed and rocked forward on the balls of her feet. "I’ve been thinking about what you said the other night, about me maybe joining a guild."

  I could see now where this conversation was going.

  "I think I’ve made a decision," Lena went on. "Um, I mean, you’d said you’d be glad to have me fight alongside you, and I don’t know if you were just trying to be polite, but if you did mean it, I thought maybe I could join your guild."

  "I did mean it," I assured her as I reached out and took one of her hands. "Your skill as an alchemist is incredible, Lena. The Shadow Foxes would be very happy to have you join us."

  Maruk must have overheard me just then because he walked over with his eyebrows raised.

  "What’s this? Are you joining the guild, Lena?" he asked.

  "Um
, yes, if you’ll all have me," the alchemist replied.

  "That’s wonderful!" Maruk smiled broadly. "This will give us more time to discuss the moisturizer I’d like you to invent."

  "She’s not your personal beauty product genie, Maruk," Lavinia chided as she joined us as well. "You’re going to run her off before we even get back to Ovrista."

  "Besides," Aerin cut in, "we’d make way more money selling the things she can make than keeping them all to ourselves." The elf’s eyes glittered as she considered all the riches to come. "We could probably retire with all the money we’d make off of that vapor alone."

  I laughed. "We’re just getting started here, Aerin. I’m not ready to retire."

  "I know, I know," the healer replied. "I’m just saying, we could."

  Right then, the whistle sounded that signaled the caravan was about to depart, and up ahead, I could hear some of the merchants singing a lively song as we began to roll out. They were too far ahead for me to make out the lyrics, but it had an optimistic tune, and I liked it.

  As the melody continued, I recalled what Lavinia had said the previous night. This medallion bounty was going to change things for us, even more than the Shadow Delves bounty had. It was proof our success in the Shadow Delves hadn’t been a fluke, as some of the bitter Stewards had tried to claim. Furthermore, we’d successfully defeated one of the most notorious rogue mages of our time. Once word spread in Ovrista, it would be impossible to ignore us. If we kept this up, the Shadow Foxes were well on our way to becoming one of the greatest guilds in the realm.

  I smiled to myself as I considered it. We had what it took to be great, I knew that.

  It was only a matter of time before everyone else knew it, too.

  End of book 2.

  End Notes

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