I was heading back to where I’d left the girls when movement in the sky caught my attention. It was just a flicker between the leaves of the trees, but whatever it was, it looked large, so I redoubled my pace.
Bursting from the trees at a trot on the edge of the clearing around the spring, a thick shadow blocked the sun when I looked up. But I recognized the deep basso rumble that split the air a moment later and relaxed as the ruumo cruised slowly overhead.
The massive flying creature’s tail pumped once lazily, swimming through the air while streamers of mist curled off of its aqua skin. This was the third ruumo I’d ever seen, and every time I spotted one of the creatures, this time included, the words ‘sky whale’ ran through my mind. The concept that something so large could fly boggled the mind, but magic was weird like that.
“Liam, there you are!” Shayla called, her voice clear and full of excitement as the large moth-woman bounced in place from where she stood on the shore. “Do you see that?!” she pointed above her head with one long, pale arm, jabbing the stick of charcoal in her hand towards the majestic creature floating above us.
“I think he sees it, Shayla,” I heard Kassandra say dryly. “The creature is half the size of Rue House. It would be harder to miss it than spot it.”
“Especially at this distance,” Jane murmured as I approached, watching the enormous creature wend through the sky on its way up the mountain.
Covering the distance to where the girls waited only took a handful of seconds. Shayla was still bouncing excitedly on her heels, sending ripples of motion through her full body that I had to fight hard not to stare. The moth woman’s wings were also flexing intermittently, flaring out and then tucking back once more. The other three girls made it a point to stay well clear of the delicate appendages while Shayla rapidly glanced between her sketch and the ruumo above us, charcoal pencil moving quickly.
“I wish I’d brought my paints,” Shayla moaned in disappointment, quickly flipping to a new sheet of paper and beginning another sketch. “I’m so jealous of you two having a dimensional sack to carry your things in. If I had one, I’d never be without my supplies ever again.”
“You know that you could have just asked us to pack them, right?” Kassandra asked with furrowed brows, pushing her silver-rimmed spectacles a bit higher on her nose. “We have space in it, and we wouldn’t mind…”
Shayla blushed sharply, her head ducking down to hide behind her sketchbook.
“I didn’t want to impose on you, or the princess…” she mumbled, the tips of her antennae curling in on themselves.
“It’s not an imposition. Don’t worry about it. You now know for the future now, right? Also, please just call me Rieka. We aren’t near anyone who would care, and I really would like to think of both you and Jane as friends since we are going to be working together with Liam.” My wolf princess gave both of the newer girls a happy smile each, her tail dancing happily behind her when both of them nodded in understanding.
“Liam?” Kassandra’s one word question drew my attention to her. “Could you extract what we found before with the statue? I believe Jane wanted to study it, so she has the same level of context that we did for the ruins tomorrow. Also, I’m sure that Shayla will want to draw it when she’s done capturing the ruumo properly.
“The chance to draw a ruumo in flight is so rare. Their migratory patterns are unpredictable at the best of times,” mumbled the moth woman in question, her antennae stretching out full length now as she was focusing on her work, fingers flying over the charcoal drawing.
“Well, this is the second or third time we’ve seen one in this area, so maybe they prefer this as a feeding ground?” Kassandra replied with a smirk and a bounce of her own. A bounce that I could properly enjoy without feeling guilty for staring, given how Kassandra shot me a wink when she caught me staring at the lightly swaying, freckled mounds of her chest.
<><><>
We stayed by the spring for another hour. I fished out the marble head and several other pieces, laying them in the grass for Jane to study while Shayla captured elaborate sketches of the pieces, which she handed over copies of to Kassandra for her own research.
As the sun began to dip down towards the horizon, we tramped back to the camp while chatting over what had happened that day. Shayla was clutching her sketchbook to her chest with her left hand while her right had hold of the back of my shirt. She’d said it was because her eyesight wasn’t very good in the twilight and she didn’t want to get separated, but I caught the broad wink from Kassandra and a smirk from Rieka, so I just shrugged and accepted it.
Jane, though, had apparently finally overcome the last of her shyness and nervousness around Kassandra.
The bouncy mouse woman was scampering back and forth, rattling off theories about the location, questions, and tests she wanted to run. She alternated between being excited with the chance to document the ruins, and bemoaning the fact that they couldn’t brag about it right away, since we hadn’t finished our own check of the ruins yet.
The only time Jane calmed down was when we circled the small lake with its waterfall and Rieka suggested that Jane and Shayla show us some of their powers so we would have an idea of what sort of spells they used.
“Mine are a mixture of utility and attack,” Jane admitted, bouncing from foot to foot while the pennant that was her long tail flicked overhead, the fluffy tip bobbing like a cheerleader’s pompom. “I can increase someone’s speed, but if you don’t have the necessary reflexes, it can actually hurt you. One of the few bits of useful magic the sylph taught me.” She scowled down at the ground, clearly remembering the tiny, winged creature that she had previously been partnered with.
“What happened to it, anyway?” I asked, my head tilting in curiosity.
“When Kassandra and the pri—Rieka,” Jane winced when she started to say ‘princess’ and quickly switched it to her name, “agreed to let us join their group for the project and that we could try to bond with you, I summoned it and broke the contract. The sylph was upset, but I made sure that it understood that there were issues on both sides. I’d not explained what I wanted properly to it, and it didn’t explain its problems with me so I could fix them. I think we parted on decent terms at least, but I wouldn’t try to summon it again to remake the pact.”
“Probably a good call,” Kassandra laughed.
My dwarf lamia had claimed my left side, her hand tucked into mine, while Shayla had her hold on the back of my left sleeve. The positioning was a bit odd, but the two of them made it work because of their differences in size.
“Anyway, I’d recommend you experiencing the agility enhancement spells in a controlled environment before we use them in a fight, if possible. But besides that, most of my spells are combat ones that focus on a wide area of effect.”
Jane proceeded to demonstrate over the surface of the lake, sending a gust of wind that whipped froth on the top of the lake, scattering a cutting cloud of dust, and then whipping up a disc of whirling air that was about three feet across and sending it into a stand of cattail reeds on the shore of the lake. The blade cut a swath through the reeds, leaving behind cleanly cut stalks at the water level.
“That’s good. We haven’t really had much wide-area magic to work with. The few spells I have in that vein are more about slowing or stunning groups, and Kassandra’s can be a hazard for her because of the chill they spread in the air,” Rieka explained.
Kassandra pouted petulantly at the princess’s summary, but didn’t deny it either. My dwarf lamia had come a great distance since I’d first met her regarding being weak to her own magic, but it was impossible to entirely overcome her cold-blooded nature and thus was weak to fluctuating temperatures.
Shayla was next up, and it took me by surprise how she utilized her magic. The large moth woman had a spell rod just like the other girls did, but hers had a small, fold-out fork at the end of it.
Shayla muttered something quietly and flicked the spell rod, conjuring first a small sphere of intensely bright light in that fork that banished the darkness from around us in the gathering twilight. She then cast a second spell and the dot of light lanced out into the middle of the lake, where it sent a hissing gout of steam into the air. As the steam billowed out, Shayla cast a third spell and the form of a centaur trotted out of the mist, walking over the surface of the lake like it was solid ground. The shape wavered and dispersed after a few moments though as the light of the day continued to fade.
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“My spells focus mostly on illusions, but I’m working out ways that I can create, concentrate, and enhance light into a beam of heat,” Shayla said shyly, turning to look back at our group.
“I need to bring some lenses over… or see if you have a glassblower who can do—Kass! Your spectacles, can I borrow them for a second?” My words tumbled out in a rush as Shayla swayed in place, a slight blush on her cheeks.
Kassandra shrugged and immediately handed me her spectacles, blinking owlishly a few times when she took them off.
“Someone is gonna have to describe to me what Liam is doing, since everything is blurry now,” my dwarf lamia grumbled as I carefully took her glasses from her.
“I’ll be sure to explain, I just want to show Shayla something. Shayla, can you summon that bright ball of light again?” I blurted.
The moth woman complied without hesitation, holding her spell rod over her head to keep the bright light from blinding the others, though all three of the other girls shielded their eyes and turned to watch what I was doing.
It took a moment to find the right spot, but I could use Kassandra’s glasses to start to focus the shed light into a spot of heat. It wasn’t enough to start a fire, since Kassandra wasn’t farsighted enough to have that work, but it was enough to prove the point.
“Glass lenses can do this?” Shayla muttered in surprise, peering closely at Kassandra’s spectacles before turning to gently slide them onto my lover’s face once more.
“Yes, though the focus point needs to be stronger to really get it to work well. A magnifying glass would work even better, as those have been used to start fires and intensify lasers for a while now back on my homeworld,” I explained.
Shayla hummed thoughtfully while she extinguished the spell and resumed her spot on my left and back a bit, her hand lightly gripping my sleeve while we finished our trip up to the camp.
The moth woman remained silently thoughtful throughout the preparation of dinner, pulling out her sketchbook and beginning to draw thoughtfully while Jane and Rieka chatted about what to expect down in the ruins tomorrow while Kassandra snuggled around me, once more impersonating a belt in a desire to steal as much of my body heat as she could.
Since we were only out here for the night and the following morning, rather than actually cooking food, we had instead packed preserved meals and small clay crocks of soup sealed with wax. The crocks just had to be warmed by the campfire before we could eat them. The only time Shayla put down her sketchbook was when it came time to eat.
Preparing for bed was another bit of awkwardness as well. Kassandra and Rieka made no bones about the fact that the three of us would be sleeping cuddled together. I figured that it had to be because Kassandra had already outed our relationship to the other two girls, so they didn’t see any reason to hesitate at this point.
I’d let the girls go into the tent first to get settled while I put the fire out by using earth magic to cover it over with dirt.
Kassandra had already set out her wardstones, keying them with the same password as she had before, ‘Cosgrave.’ Apparently, my last name made an excellent password since no one else but my four bonds knew it besides me.
When Kassandra had finally called me to come to bed, I’d been thinking over how odd it was that my last name was a magical password when I ducked into the tent and started taking my clothes off to get ready to sleep.
The surprised squeak from Jane drew me back to reality and I blushed when I realized that both she and Shayla were sitting wrapped in their bedrolls and watching me on one side of the central pole of the tent.
Kassandra and Rieka had claimed the other side for our communal bed, spreading out our bedrolls to make one large nest for us all to sleep in. The two of them had changed into familiar long shirts, the ones they had stolen from me in the past, and were patiently waiting for me. Our two new companions were wearing sleeping robes, from what I could see of them uncovered by their blankets.
Jane had her blankets pulled up to her mouth to cover it, her eyes wide in surprise and ears perked out while she stared at my bare chest. A bare chest that was even more well defined than it had been, thanks to the assistance of my boosted physical. Shayla, though, was leaning forward to stare even more intently at me, her antennae questing through the air like two little hands as she studied my body from top to bottom, biting her lower lip like she was committing me to memory.
“You know, Shayla?” Kassandra teased lightly, “if you want to draw him, all you have to do is ask. Liam likes spoiling his girls, after all.”
I wasn’t sure if it was Kassandra calling her out on staring, exactly how she did it, or the implications she put on the words ‘his girls’, but Shayla’s pale face was as red as a cherry now and she looked away. Though her gaze kept sneaking back to me, then darting away when she realized I was still watching her watch me.
“She’s not lying, Shayla,” I said gently, folding my shirt and draping it over top of my boots. “I would be happy to sit for you to draw me if that is what you want. As your bonded guardian, it’s my job to look after you however I can. It doesn’t have to be in direct combat.”
“It can be in bed! Ow!” Kassandra interjected, then yelped in surprise when Rieka pinched her.
“Stop making the poor girl blush, Kass. If you don’t let her calm down, she won’t ever get comfortable around Liam,” Rieka chastised before turning to smile up at me from her spot on the outside of our pile of blankets. “Come on, Liam. Finish undressing and get in here. It’s getting cold with Kassandra stealing all my heat.”
“As my princess wishes,” I replied with a smile.
I made sure that it was obvious that I’d be taking my pants off next, fumbling with my belt for several seconds before actually taking them off. This got Jane to squeak again and look away, blushing furiously. Shayla continued to dart glances at me, her pitch-black eyes studying me intently as I folded the pants and set them aside too.
Before, such studious staring would have made me self-conscious, but between the confidence boost that came from Kassandra and Rieka both becoming my lovers and my returning fitness, I didn’t mind as much.
“Kass, wrap up the light stone, would you?” I asked, taking the three small steps to reach the pile of blankets in nothing but my boxers, and then flopping down.
The dwarf lamia did as she was asked, wrapping the leather cover over the glowing rock that served as our lamp and casting the tent into darkness. That finished, she yanked her nightshirt over her head, tossing it to one side before reaching out towards me with grabby hands.
“Done! Now, come here and warm me up, Liam,” Kassandra purred, draping herself over my chest while her scaled tail twined around my legs to maximize skin-to-skin contact. “If either of you two get cold in the night, you are welcome to come over and snuggle for heat. Ow! I was being serious, Rieka! The mountains get cold, and you know that Liam wouldn’t mind.”
“Fine,” Rieka huffed, retracting her pinching fingers and tucking herself into my side as well. “You tease more than is proper at times, Kass. I had to be sure.”
“Do I not get a choice in this?” I teased them both, getting a soft giggle from my two lovers and one from Shayla in the darkness.
“Are you really going to protest if one of our lovely new companions needs to snuggle for warmth?” Kassandra’s question was pointed, but even she couldn’t hide the amusement in her tone as she pressed her naked flesh to me. The soft pillows of her breasts settled onto me even as Rieka shucked out of her night-shirt and pressed her naked form to my side as well.
“Never, I place myself at you ladies disposal for any and all things you might need of me,” I replied loftily, getting another giggle from Kassandra.
“Did you hear that, girls? ‘Any and all things,’ ” she teased.
“No funny business, though. I think we’ve shocked our new friends enough for one day,” I insisted when I felt her hips beginning to grind against mine through the thin material of my boxers.
“Aww, fine.” Kassandra pouted into my neck, nipping my throat lightly before whispering quietly enough that I doubted anyone but the three of us could hear it. “I guess we’ll have to have our fun out in the sun, then. Better wake up early.”
The thrill of heat that statement sent down my spine, as well as the images it conjured to mind, made it hard to get to sleep for some time.
<><><>
When I woke the next morning, I was buried in women.
I know. What a horrible fate, woe is me.
Rieka lay tucked up against my right side, her legs wrapped around one of mine possessively while she had her arms folded to her chest and she burrowed her face into the crook of my shoulder. My right arm sat draped over her shoulders and served as a pillow for the wolf-eared woman.
Draped over my chest like she was a blanket, leaving a small wet spot on my breastbone from her night-drooling if what I was feeling was accurate. Her mass of red hair obscured Kassandra from view, except for one pale shoulder. I could feel her tail wrapped around my other free leg several times, and she breathed quietly as she continued to sleep.
What surprised me was the fact that, sometime in the night, one of the other girls had decided to take Kassandra up on her offer.
Shayla’s large form snuggled into my left side, her blanket held tightly to her chest while her wings poked out behind her. She’d wrapped herself around my left arm, pulling the limb into her circle of blankets and clinging to it like a pillow while burying her face in my shoulder. I could feel the soft, slow breathing of the moth woman as she continued to doze quite happily there, as well as the gentle rise and fall of her chest that pressed her full breasts into my arm with each gradual breath.
I lay there for some time, wondering about my predicament and how I would manage to extract myself without waking any of the girls, when a quiet stirring noise from above made me tilt my head back to look upwards.
Apparently both girls decided to come cuddle, but one was late to the party? I thought when I spotted another bare tummy only inches from my head. Jane shifted again, her long tail flopping against the canvas flooring of the tent as she curled closer around the top of my head, smacking her lips in her sleep.
“Cute,” a quiet voice murmured from below.
I glanced down to find a sleepy-eyed Kassandra peering up at me from within the mass of her red curls. She nodded towards first Jane, then Shayla, before rubbing at her face lightly with one hand, wiping the drool away.
My dwarf lamia shifted on my chest, and then stiffened when she felt something hard under her. A wicked smile crossed her lips, and she locked eyes with me again.
“Bit more than cute, it seems. Right, Liam?” she whispered as she ground her hips into me. I gulped.