Adventures in Summoning

Chapter 29

We travelled throughout the afternoon. The sun was setting a little to the left of where we were headed, so we were still able to enjoy the marvelous view. Even with the previous group of enemies wiped out, the stress was still high, since we were now headed into the unknown. I kept looking for any movement hoping it wouldn't be a helicopter or a missile, but so far all I'd seen were some giant blue birds that dove into the water like pelicans. For like the 500th time, I wished for a camera on this world.

The good thing about travelling in the direction of the setting sun was that it backlit another island, so we could see it and slow down to approach it cautiously. We didn't see any campfires, but that didn't mean nobody was there.

"The humans weren't this far when I was summoned, so hopefully this island is still empty. There is a village here, but we had evacuated all of the villagers further west to keep them safe," Quin said as we approached the shore.

"Should we go check out the village?" I asked her.

"If there are no enemies here, it would be a good place for a rest," she pointed out.

"Are there beds? If so, that gets my vote!" Dee piped up.

It took time. We circled the entire island while on the lookout for any sign of occupation, and there was nothing. I brought us in for a stop near the village, and we slowly crept our way to the abandoned buildings. We had seen several ruined villages on the trip, but this was the first time we'd seen one in good shape, and it was very colorful. The natives were very skilled, mixing stone from the water and wood from the trees to make their huts and the roofs from the multicolored palm fronds. None of the houses were more than one story, but they all had multiple rooms for cooking, sleeping, and gathering. If you wanted one of those get away from civilization vacations, this would be a great choice for it.

But by this time, I was exhausted, and my head was killing me. The stress from being constantly on the lookout for danger, controlling the elementals and the earlier attack had me frazzled and ready for sleep. We found a pair of houses near each other so we could be together in an emergency, and then settled in for the night.

The house we chose had a nice sized bed, it has been constructed with strips of bark across a frame and then a fabric envelope stuffed with the palm fronds. It was the closest I'd been to an actual mattress in over a week, and it felt like heaven. The bedsheets seemed to me made of a silk-like fabric, and it felt slippery against my skin. I moaned in happiness as I sank into the bed. I might not want to wake up tomorrow!

"Are you alright?" Quin asked, as she lay in the bed. She had levered herself onto one arm and hovered over me, her face studying mine with concern.

"Yeah, just sore. My body and head both ache after today," I admitted. I sat back up and examined her damaged wing. It looked as though it was healing nicely, so I just removed the last of the bandages and lay back down with a groan.

"Here, let me help," she sat up next to me and pressed her hands to my temples. I wasn't sure what she was doing, but I could see a faint glow at the edges of my vision. I felt the pain ebbing away, and I was instantly more relaxed.

"Oh, that feels so much better," I smiled. "Thank you!" I reached up and cupped her cheek in my hand, feeling her smooth skin against mine as her face broke out in a smile.

"That is what mates do, they take care of each other," she murmured as she brought her lips to mine, kissing me softly before laying back down and pulling me into her warm embrace. "Now, let's get you some rest."

"And here I thought you were trying to make me feel better to finish making me your mate," I replied while pressing my mouth into her while kissing and nibbling her neck.