Locum Tenens 15

~~~ Chapter Notes ~~~

Loki and Rilla spent their first night together. Kira got the pair fired up and then went to sleep with Loki's adopted daughters. All chapters in this tale are complete and have been submitted. Hopefully, the kind, gracious, smartly-attired, and gorgeous admins will release a new episode every day or so.

~~~ Kira's Quarters ~~~

Rilla and I came out of the bedroom to find Kira and the girls waiting on us.

"Good morning, father," Zima said. "Good morning, stepmother."

"I love that so much," Rilla told her, hugging the 14-year-old tightly.

Hanna squeezed into their hug and Rilla giggled and kissed her precious little face.

I sat down next to Kira. She leaned over and kissed me tenderly.

"I love you so much," I told her. "Thank you."

"It was well-deserved," she said, "for both your sakes. In the end, it may be more self-serving than you realize. I adore you both and I can feel the love from both of you - with every sense of my being."

Rilla sat on Kira's other side - pressed firmly against her - begging a kiss. Kira laughed and relented.

"Good morning, sister," Rilla purred.

"Did you have a good evening?" Kira asked her.

Rilla nodded and said, "Once last night and then once this morning..."

Kira turned to me, looking aghast.

"I promised her three, you miserable wretch!"

The edges of her mouth curled into a smile almost immediately, however. Zima and Hanna giggled and pounced on me, shooting mock-glares at Kira as they hugged me tightly - protecting me from whatever supposed punishment their stepmother might mete out.

The princess, of course, took advantage of our arms being occupied and sent her fingertips into ribs, sides, and armpits. Squeals of laughter echoed through the common room. She quit when they begged for mercy.

"I asked Mila to bring us some breakfast," Kira said. "I thought we would eat together as a family this morning."

As if being summoned, the door opened. Mila and another cook came in with trays carrying plates of food and mugs of drink.

"So...?" Mila asked Rilla. "How was it?"

I threw my hands over Hanna's ears.

"Mila?!" I gasped.

"What? They know where babies come from by now, surely."

Zima smirked and told me, "Nala says that Prince Kiro tells her that Mila found her in the wine cellar."

I glanced over to see the curvy cook looking a little flustered.

Kira laughed and said, "That might have been where she was conceived..."

"Kira!" her cousin gasped.

My royal spouse, however, only giggled and bounced her eyebrows up and down at her cousin.

Hanna hugged me and I looked down to see puppy dog eyes looking back at me.

"How soon will you have a baby?" the 10-year-old asked.

I hugged her tightly to my chest and said, "A while yet. We need to get settled before I'm ready for several months of sleepless nights."

"I promise to help take care of her," she offered.

"I love you for that and I'm sure you will," I told her, "but let's not get ahead of ourselves."

She seemed... not unhappy... for which I was glad.

"Okay...," she said after a quiet moment. "I love you."

"I love you too. We haven't been a family all that long. I'd rather wait a bit so that I can focus on you and Zima - as well as your stepmothers."

"You've got a good guy there," Mila told the 10-year-old.

"I agree, mistress Mila," Hanna answered. "Thank you."

"I'll leave you to it, then," the cook said, slipping out of the room.

I had trouble deciding whether to start with the cheesed eggs first - or slathering the toasty bread with butter and jam. I ended up doing a bit of both - chewing the eggs as I worked to get the bread perfectly prepared. Kira shook her head at me and laughed.

"What?" I asked.

"I think you and my brother would be happy eating nothing but bread," she replied, grinning.

"Probably...," I told her. "Especially Mila's."

"It's really good," Hanna agreed. "I would never complain about Dora's but this is so..."

"Perfect," Zima finished for her.

I traded her piece of bread with nothing on it for my piece that was covered in butter and fruit-spread. She took a bite and her eyes widened.

"Oh... my... gods...!" Zima gasped. "That's sinful!"

Hanna begged me to make one up for her as well. I had to tell them to finish their eggs. They were quickly addicted to the sweet confections and abandoned the rest of their meals. After I informed them that they would get no more bread, butter, and jam until they had finished their regular food, the pair gobbled down everything on their plates as I made them up another slice.

I ate more than I should have - and then relaxed in the oversized chair. I had an adopted daughter in each arm. Despite the fact that I hadn't been up that long, I was feeling full and cozy. My eyes started to close of their own accord.

My elbows got jostled and I opened my eyes to find Kira snuggling in behind Zima on my left and Rilla cozying up behind Hanna on my right.

"I cannot believe how incredibly lucky I am," I told them - looking back and forth between them. "I feel like I'm the king of the world."

"You're definitely our king," Kira said, leaning across Zima to kiss my cheek - and then giving the dark-headed girl a peck on the temple before sitting back again.

"I agree," Rilla said, kissing my right cheek and giving Hanna a motherly kiss.

I glanced at Kira.

"Anything on our to-do list?" I asked.

"Brant's scared enough to offer my brother a wife who won't be of age until your oldest daughter...," she said.

Zima snickered.

"Sven - by the rumors as well as your last scrying - is licking his wounds. His son seems to have no desire to leave servitude here to return home."

"He does seem happy," I agreed.

"The rat king is dead and the rats..."

"... were turned into skewers?" I teased.

"What? Ew! No. Those skewers are made with..."

"I know, I know...," I said. "River rats."

"I'm not eating anything that was crawling around in that filth that we walked through...," Hanna said firmly.

"So, we have no pressing emergencies - is that what you're saying?"

"There are reports of goblins to the northeast and orcs to the southeast - which would put them east of Brant. That might be the other reason he's trying to create a relationship with us in such a hurry. You and I did a pretty good job of neutering his army. I think he may actually be more worried about the orcs than us. To the southwest, the rumors say that there's civil war among the hill giants. As long as there's no clear winner, the rest of us are better off. If a strong victor emerges, he may take his newfound success and try to turn it into coin by attacking Brant, Sven, or us. To the northwest, things have been quiet. The mother dragon hasn't mentioned anything of concern - so I think we can assume that we can focus our attention elsewhere - at least for now."

{"I have changed my mind about the gifts,"} the mother dragon spoke into my mind. {"Please come see me before you head off on your adventures. I think the gifts might need some explanation."}

{"Are you available now?"} I asked.

{"Yes. Now would be good,"} she replied.

"The hatchling's mother just spoke into my mind," I told my girls. "I have gifts for you from her. She has asked that we visit so that she can explain the gifts. She's ready for us now. I think it would be best to go there before we do anything else - so that we're ready for whatever comes next."

The hatchling perked up from where she'd been lying on the floor and came over to join us. She nuzzled her nose against Hanna - who giggled and gave her scratches like a bear-sized pet.

"We'll need a moment to pack for the trip," Kira said. "It's a half-day hike to the cave."

"Oh... uh... Quick update," I announced. "The great mother gave me a tooth of hers and I have it inside of me."

I touched my left shoulder.

"I'm guessing that's why I can hear her speaking from so far away. It also works like a special portal-stone - for visiting her and then returning to where we came from. We won't need to pack anything. We can just come back when we're finished with our visit."

Kira's eyes went wide.

"That's... highly unprecedented," she remarked.

I shrugged and said, "If you say so. She just kind of made it sound like she wanted us to be able to bring the hatchling for visits."

Kira glanced at my younger daughter and the little dragon - rubbing their snouts together.

"This is most unusual as well," she said. "When the dragon roared - at the ceremony - and everyone knelt - I just kind of leaned into it - but that's also something that I've never heard of happening before."

"Our husband is greatly favored," Rilla said proudly.

"He is indeed," Kira said. "Speaking of greatly favored, we should probably not keep the dragon waiting. We hold hands?"

"Yes," I answered. "I think it would be best to stand - since that's how we'll arrive. Hanna, make sure you're touching your playmate."

I held my hand out to Rilla - who stepped between me and Hanna. Hanna held Rilla's hand and put her other on the hatchling's shoulder. Once I made sure that Zima and Kira were ready as well, I summoned the magic within the tooth and we faded from the palace.

~~~ Dragon's Cave ~~~

As soon as we had fully arrived, the hatchling trumpeted and capered off to greet her mother. The rest of us walked to within a few paces of the pair.

Kira knelt and the rest of us followed her lead.

"You may rise," the dragon said. "Our relationship is familiar enough that - when we are alone - you do not need to bow and scrape."

Her eyes were on the princess.

"It would be unseemly not to honor you, great mother," Kira replied. "You are worthy of respect and fear. It would be better for us to always greet you reverently so that we do not take a chance of forgetting when others are around."

The dragon huffed a little and said, "Fine. Now that the formalities are concluded, step closer and let me show you what I want to give you."

I took out the stones and held them in my hand.

"Let's start with the youngest...," the dragon said.

"Is that Hanna...?" I guessed

"It is my daughter - but she's only slightly younger than Hanna," the dragon replied. "Hanna, take the brown stone and press it against my daughter's chest. Hold it there until it disappears."

I held out my hand and Hanna took the stone. The hatchling raised her head and Hanna knelt to press the stone to the little dragon's body.

When the stone disappeared, Hanna stood up. The bear-sized dragon shuddered and shimmered. She tossed her head from side to side like she was suddenly dizzy. She staggered for a moment and then I swear she looked Hanna in the eyes as her body began swelling - and stretching. The bear-sized dragon pup grew in every direction at once - and, in moments, she was a rhinoceros-sized dragon.

Hanna squealed and hugged the dragon's face. The hatchling fanned her wings as puffs of smoke billowed from her nostrils. She raised her snout above Hanna's head - away from us - and blew a little one-foot-long flame from each nostril.

The little dragon was giddy. Her new size definitely tickled her - but finally being able to breathe fire - even just a little... She did a happy-dance - and Hanna joined her.

"Ah...," mused the mother dragon, "the innocence of youth..."

Once the short celebration was over, Hanna quieted. She had figured out that she was next.

"Each gift I give will benefit your team as a whole - in addition to making the individual stronger. My daughter is now bigger, tougher, and stronger - and that helps both her and you all."

I watched as Hanna nodded.

"Hanna, take the yellow stone and press it to your chest - just at the bottom of your throat," the dragon instructed.

She held it there for a moment and then it disappeared. Like the hatchling, she shimmered and shuddered - and then acted a bit woozy.

"Hanna received a talking-stone that is linked to those that the adults have," the dragon said. "She also now has the ability to speak her thoughts into my daughter's mind - and can receive those thoughts sent her way by my little one."

Hanna squealed louder than I'd ever heard her and hugged the little dragon's neck. She then stared into the closest eye and it was easy to see that the two had started a conversation that wouldn't be ending anytime soon.

The dragon chose to move on. I figured that I would just catch the two of them up on whatever they missed.

"Zima, take the black stone and hold it to your chest - just below your throat."

Once again, the recipient of the dragon's gift shimmered, shuddered, and staggered for a moment.

"Zima, I'm going to have your father attack you. I want you to focus on bouncing his attack back at him. Before this, you countered attacks - nullifying them. Now, you will be able to reflect them instead. Loki, either attack her with a weapon or use your magic to do a stabbing attack. Zima, just focus on bouncing it back..."

We stepped several paces apart and I decided to try my belt knife first. I pulled it out of a pants pocket and flicked it at her stomach without warning, praying that I hadn't just harmed her. Zima focused on the knife and - just before it got to her - it spun back at me the same way it had spun towards her. A second later, my knife was stuck in my belly. I pulled it out, healed the wound, wiped it clean, and then tucked it away again.

"That's so cool!" Zima gasped.

She turned and bowed to the dragon.

"Thank you, great mother," she said.

"You also have a talking-stone linked to the others and can use it to communicate with any or all members of your group. Hanna will serve as your go-between when it comes to my daughter."

I nodded - as did the others. Hanna and the pup were sitting on the floor of the cave - still carrying on a private conversation.

"Rilla, take the red stone please and press it to your chest - just below your neck," the dragon ordered.

A few moments later, it disappeared. Her reaction was the same as the others.

"Rilla, any ammo you use will return to you. If you miss, it comes back a moment later. If you kill your target, it comes back a moment after they die. If you merely injure them, your ammo gives you the ability to track your foe. Try it out."

Rilla pulled her bow from storage, nocked an arrow, and fired it towards the mouth of the cave. A moment later, the arrow reappeared in her hand.

"Thank you, great mother," Rilla said, bowing to the dragon.

"You also have a magical shield that you can use to protect those near you. It will be most useful for you, the children, and the hatchling. I foresee that the three of you will ride on my daughter's back. Zima will return the enemy's attacks while you defend and harass them as Hanna analyzes their strategies and formulates a response. When you are traveling on foot, only my daughter will be able to move quickly enough to keep up with Kira and Loki.

Rilla nodded.

"You also received a slightly smaller sound barrier that you can raise - that will allow the adults to... entertain themselves... without waking the others."

"Thank you for that, great mother," Kira said quickly, bowing low.

The massive dragon chuckled.

"Kira, the blue stone please," she told the princess.

After the stone had disappeared and Kira's body had finished reacting, the dragon explained her gifts.

"You now have the speed, agility, and dodge skills that Loki gained when we were training together before the wedding."

"That's not fair," I complained. "I spent days fighting to get those..."

The dragon ignored me and went on. Kira snickered but listened closely.

"You can do short teleports - to escape damage or close on your foes. As Rilla's ammo returns to her, so your blades will return to you..."

Kira dropped to her knees.

"Lastly, you have the ability to hide your camp from scrying, tracking, or accidental discovery. When you settle in for the night, you'll be able to sleep without having to take turns standing watch."

"Thank you, great mother," I said, bowing at the waist.

Kira was prostrated on the floor of the cave - demonstrating her immense gratitude for the gifts.

"Loki, you already have the speed, agility, dodge, and teleport improvements. In addition, you have the ability to spy on others with your spirit-bird companion. The last gift is for Kira - but you need to take it into your body."

Kira sat back on her heels - listening closely to the dragon's words.

"Loki, hold the green stone to your chest - just below your neck."

Once I had suffered the effects of the magic, she spoke again.

"You have a knowledge of conception that those in this world don't fully grasp," the dragon said.

I nodded, thinking about the advances in medicine that I couldn't explain to those here.

"My gift to you - for Kira and Rilla - is this: at the moment of conception - before the embryo attaches to the mother's womb - you can teleport that embryo into the womb of a surrogate."

Kira began crying as if she had been struck.

Once more, she prostrated herself before the dragon. She lay on the floor of the cave, her forehead pressed against the cold stone, and cried for several minutes.

Rilla, Zima, Hanna, and the hatchling came and hugged themselves to me. We held each other close and waited for Kira to recover.

Finally, she got to her feet, walked straight up to the dragon, and kissed her on the mouth - or - rather - the front of her bottom lip.

Once that was done, she came over to us and threw her arms around all of us.

"I've been fighting with myself," she explained. "I want to have your baby but I know that I'll feel trapped. It's my golden cage. I've struggled with myself for weeks, trying to figure out the answer. I had talked Mila into being my surrogate. I planned to have you..."

She glanced at the two girls.

"I planned to have Mila stand in for me. With this gift, she can still be my surrogate - but it will actually be OUR baby. I know my cousin will accept. She'd already agreed to what I had planned. This will also allow us to get pregnant but still be able to go and fight."

"Mila agreed to that?" I asked her.

Kira nodded and said, "She's completely smitten with you. I promised that you'd give her a child. The great mother has already prophesied that I'll only give you daughters - but Mila will give you a son."

She turned and looked at the dragon.

"That is what I have seen," the dragon replied.

Kira turned to Rilla.

"I think - if you wanted - we could talk Mila into carrying your children as well. We'll just have to give her a few more nights alone with our husband in trade."

"Am I just breeding stock?" I asked, teasingly.

"Yes," the two women said - at the same time.

They laughed and hugged each other.

I looked up at the dragon.

"Thank you, great mother," I told her. "I knew something was bothering her but didn't know what. This will help keep the peace in our home. I don't know how I could repay you but you have but to ask..."

"We've already discussed this," the dragon replied. "There is no repayment. I'm giving you all the skills to ensure that my youngling is well taken care of while she is learning her way in this world. This is self-serving."

"You honor us, nonetheless, great mother," Kira said, kneeling on one knee and lowering her head. "For that, we give our thanks."

I watched as Rilla, Zima, and Hanna followed my first wife's example - kneeling side by side.

I stepped in behind them, standing over them, and bowed my head as well.

As I closed my eyes, I could sense the four of them wordlessly pushing feelings of immense gratitude towards the dragon.

"Enough," the regal lady said gently. "Take the brat and - as you like to say 'go fuck some shit up'."

Hanna stood. The rhinoceros-sized dragon was standing at her side, looking at her mother. Hanna rested her hand on the smaller dragon's shoulder. The dragon bent her left front leg at the knee and my youngest daughter jumped onto it, threw her leg over the beast's back, and sat up straight and tall - like she was meant to be there.

The dragon didn't lower her leg. She gave my older adopted daughter a side-eye and Zima giggled. She followed her sister and sat right behind her. She leaned forward and hugged the curly brown-headed girl from behind. The "little" dragon kept her leg as it was - and then shot a side-eye at Rilla next.

My amber-headed wife shook her head, laughing softly, and ran towards the unusual mount. She ignored the proffered step and simply vaulted to her place.

Rilla's legs were tucked behind the place where the dragon's wings protruded from her shoulders. My daughters sat just in front. The powerfully-built but sinewy dragon opened her wings and jumped into the air. Rilla and Zima looked worried - even after the hatchling flapped her leathery wings to stabilize them - but Hanna simply had her arms spread wide - mimicking the motions that her bonded-friend was making. Her face was a gorgeous mixture of focus and pride. Her lips were pressed and tight - but the smile was clearly evident. Hanna was right where she should be.

The dragon cub flapped her wings and maintained their position - about ten feet off of the ground.

"She wants to return to the palace like this," Hanna said.

A rumbling chuckle began in the mother dragon's chest and soon filled the whole cave.

I looked at Kira - who grinned back - and then spun to face the exit and dashed off. I had to hurry to catch up with her. The view, however, was marvelous - and I was in no hurry to overtake her. Rilla chuckled into my mind as the rhino-sized dragon and the rest of my family raced to follow us.

{"Slightly south of west at the river,"} the dragon spoke into my mind, {"there is a cluster of demon imps that have come here through the portal that their master has opened into our world. This was my second reason for contacting you this morning. They should offer a quick diversion for your group - as well as the chance to practice your tactics."}

I passed the dragon's info along to the rest of my family and then estimated (from my memory) how long we had before we would reach the river.

I finally did pass my princess - just to lead the group for a moment or two - to prove that I could match her speed. She, however, took that as a challenge and simply poured on more speed. Hanna laughed loudly as the flying rhinoceros got close enough behind me to send tendrils of flames shooting at my backside. Once the little dragon had proven that she could match the speed that Kira and I were moving at, she went back to hanging just behind us, easily slicing through the air to hold position with us.

We arrived at the river with no difficulty at all and spun westward to locate the gathering of demon miscreants. Imps aren't that powerful in and of themselves but - when in a large enough group (like the rats two days prior) - they can cause mayhem.

As we approached the group of lessor demon servants, the hatchling rose higher in the air to give Hanna a better view of the enemy, the terrain, and their positions. She quickly relayed a need for us to shift to the right to hit the main body while they were still, effectively, contained within the surrounding trees and foliage.

Everybody got a bit of a chance to try out their new abilities. The hatchling returned to the ground as we closed on the group - and then roared out a cheer of victory as she caught an imp unawares and turned it into a smoldering heap with a burst of her flaming breath.

Zima sent back any attacks that came towards their position. She seemed to be able to cover more than just herself with the ability and I was glad to see it.

Behind her, Rilla was destroying imps right and left. Her supply of arrows seemed to be inexhaustible. Kira's daggers flew and flew and flew. I sent out magical copies of damage that I had healed from others.

As the imps were destroyed, the corpses turned to ash - their spirits (or whatever) abandoning their corporeal bodies to return to their master for them to be shoved into a new body and sent out once more to do his wishes.

This information was new to me - and delivered by Hanna - who said that she had learned it from the hatchling. I despaired that the whole fight seemed futile but she explained that each death weakened the little demons and that - after dying enough times - their spirit-selves would finally break down and they would pass into the ether.

As we plowed through the mass of winged sharp-toothed pests, I caught sight of a human-looking guy who watched us fighting the things. At once, I knew this was the imps' master. He shot me a look of disgust and then disappeared as if he had stepped through a doorway that I could not see.

Once the enemy was dead, the hatchling marched over to where I had seen the man disappear. She bathed the spot in fire. A few moments later, when she stopped, Hanna reported that the portal had been destroyed. The demon would need to find another way back. He would not simply be able to step back through after we had left the area.

Once again, the little dragon celebrated her victory with a trumpeting roar. Hanna giggled and gave her what looked like head pats - although I was pretty sure you weren't supposed to pet a dragon.

We took off, once again, for the capital city. Kira and I practiced our little teleportation jumps. The skill seemed to recharge every minute or so. We couldn't fire the ability constantly - which would have allowed us to use it as a replacement for running - but we could fire it off way more often than we'd been able to in the past.

At one point, I used it to teleport vertically - rather than horizontally. Although the ground was much softer than the last time I'd taken a hard fall, the damage required me to heal myself before I could press on. The injuries that I sustained would have eventually been eliminated by my body's regenerative ability - but it would have taken an hour or two - maybe longer.

~~~ Capitol City ~~~

We reached the western gate of the city and were waved through as soon as we were recognized which - didn't take long. Apparently, not too many groups came running into town at the speed that we were making - and didn't have an oversized dragon hatchling traveling with them.

Hanna and Zima waved whenever anyone raised a hand to them in greeting. Kira and I trailed behind them and nodded to those who waved or called out a salutation. I was a little humbled at the number of regular folks that suddenly seemed to know my name. Rilla and the girls were not recognized by name as often as Kira or me - but a few folks knew their names as well. I could tell by the girls' faces that they were as astonished as I was.

We passed one of the wells that had been upgraded with a windmill and I stopped to watch it operate and to see how the people were using it.

The lines that I'd always found around the wells before were almost non-existent. The water-carriers set their jar on the low wall and leaned them forward so that the mouth was under one of the four spigots from which the water poured. When the jar was filled, they set it on the ground so that they could fill the next one.

As before, they carried their jars in a handcart or on their shoulders. I hadn't come up with a solution for that problem yet. The best suggestion that I had been able to give the king was for him to create more wells - so that people didn't have to travel as far. He had reported that the task was already in progress - throughout the city - but that it required the work of talented craftsman and/or mages and that those were in short supply.

As I watched the crowds, I felt a tug on my pant leg. I looked down to find a grubby little girl not much younger than Hanna with her fingers grasping the side of my pants at the hip.

She shrank a little as I looked at her. I heard Kira sigh when I bent down and picked her up, setting her tiny butt on my forearm and raising her up so that we could converse. I knew my wife was worried about lice but the girl looked far cleaner than Zarya had. This one just looked tired, dirty, and hungry.

"What's up, beautiful?" I asked her.

She gave me a beaming smile - which faded with her words: "Do you have any bread?"

"I do," Hanna said.

A small loaf appeared in her hand suddenly. I carried the girl over so that Hanna could give her the food. She gave it to the girl with a smile.

"Thank you, mistress," the girl told Hanna. "You are very pretty."

Hanna blushed and thanked her.

I set the girl back on her feet and looked up to see a woman holding the hands of two smaller children. She was looking at the little girl.

"Share with your siblings, Kya," the woman told her.

The girl nodded and started to break the little loaf of bread into pieces. I heard a thump on the ground beside me and Hanna stepped forward with two more little loaves of bread.

The mother thanked her profusely and told the other two to accept the food and thank the "princess". I nudged my daughter's shoulder and handed her three pieces of dried meat. She gave these to the children as well. I gave one to the mother - along with a larger loaf of bread.

"Take care of yourself as well," I told her. "You're no good to them if you're too weak to care for them."

"It's hard," she said, nodding, "when we don't have enough."

"Believe me, I know," I told her.

"I would not believe your words, my lord, but your eyes tell me that you do not lie. May the All-Father bless you."

"He has - which is why I'm able to help others," I replied.

She nodded and then turned, shuttling the children away. I looked up to see a line of hungry faces waiting to see what we had to offer them as well.

Within a few minutes, all five of us had handed over every bit of food that we had in our storage-devices. It seemed like each person was more malnourished than the one who had just stepped away with a huge smile on their faces. None of us were able to say "no". We just handed over something to each one. They would thank us and step away and the next would step up and ask for food.

When I saw injuries or noticed symptoms of illness, I healed those as well - taking them into my own body and letting my regeneration wipe it out. I ended up getting hugged a couple times. Kira fidgeted but didn't say anything. Rilla and the girls talked with several of the people, assuring them that they knew exactly what they were going through.

Finally, I had to announce that we didn't have anything more to share. One person asked when we might return. I hated not being able to give them a solid date or time - but there was a growing feeling of unease in my belly that told me that things were happening in the world - and my greater purpose was calling.

We returned to the palace and I had Kira check with her brother and father. It was like that feeling or smell - just before a storm comes - and I felt like we already needed to be moving.

Kira returned to say that Brant had sent a messenger. The orcs were raiding him from the east and the hill giants had a new king who wanted to prove his worth by claiming some slaves from Brant's western settlements.

We fled to the kitchens to replenish our food stores. Mila was already working feverishly - alongside several of her helpers. Their dining table was stacked with wrapped packages of travel food. There were also vats filled with stews - plus spare plates, spoons, and mugs for us to take along. I stored away a couple casks of weak mead that would be tame enough for the girls to share with us.

We hugged Mila's neck and thanked her for the supplies. She kissed me hard while squeezing my cock in her hands. She told me, under no uncertain terms, that I was to make sure I lived so that I could come home and keep the promises that Kira had made to her. The princess laughed and swatted her on the butt. Mila hugged her next and, with tears in her eyes, told her to keep us all safe.

"That's this ogre's job," Kira told her, half teasingly.

"This one thinks with his little head," Mila told her cousin. "Someone needs to keep their eyes looking farther than the next piece of ass."

"I know that you know that you're full of shit," Kira told the cook, "but I love you and we'll be back for more of your fresh bread."

"With butter and jam!" Zima added.

Mila hugged the girls and told them that she'd make them a fresh batch while we were away. She pulled Rilla into a hug and kissed her cheeks as well.

"You know of my bargain with my cousin?" Mila asked her.

Rilla nodded.

"I'll make the same with you - just keep both of those heads of his attached to his body..."

Rilla laughed and nodded again.

"We need to go, Mila," Kira finally said.

"Yes, yes,... Leave me here to worry that I'll never see you again...," Mila complained.

Kira gave her another hug and waved the rest of us towards the door. She tore herself free a moment later and quickly caught up with us.

"Does she always worry that much?" I asked my wife.

"I think she's just a little emotionally strung out, with all of the baby talk, and it's getting to her. She's still as practical as ever. She had our provisions ready almost as soon as she heard Father was considering sending us to Brant's aid."

I nodded.

"It's a pity we can't portal there," I told her. "This will be a long run."

"Faster than we did it last time, husband," she replied.

"That is true."

~~~ Western Edge of Brant's Kingdom ~~~

We discussed the matter as we raced through the streets - towards the southern city gate - and Kira determined that the giants were the larger concern. She was confident that Brant's people could resist the orcs to some degree but she knew of nothing they had that would stand up to a concentrated attack by the giants. As soon as we left the city, we pointed ourselves in a southwesterly direction and raced for the horizon.

Even carrying three, the dragon hatchling was able to keep pace with us easily enough. More than once Rilla remarked that she would have been left far behind if she had to try to move with us under her own power.

We ran until it was well past dark. We made camp and Kira cloaked us from outside forces. The dragon cub devoured a massive leg that looked like it had once belonged to some kind of cow. The rest of us had hot stew with a bit of warm bread.

We unrolled our bedrolls and Zima and Hanna lay down together beside the hatchling - who spread her wing across them.

I glanced from Kira to Rilla, trying to determine if we were going straight to bed. Rilla blushed and wrapped the three of us in her new ability. I clapped my hands together to test how soundproof it was. Neither the little dragon nor my two daughters reacted. I screamed Hanna's name and there was no reaction as well.

The three of us moved to a place where we'd be out of view if the girls woke up. Then, we got ready for a little rest and... recreation.

We placed our bedrolls side by side, stripped, and lay down together. Seeing that my two brides had their bikinis on under their clothes and armor had me rock hard in an instant.

Rilla shoved Kira onto her back and licked and sucked her pussy as she stroked my cock. As soon as the princess was ready, she pulled the head of my prick to Kira's entrance and guided me in. She then lay beside her sister-wife and snuggled close. Kira fingered Rilla's pussy while Rilla made out with her and groped her breasts. I pistoned my cock in and out of Kira while stealing kisses from both of them and pinching and pulling on four different nipples.

Rilla was loud when she came on Kira's fingers. I tried to intrude on their kiss and they both bit my bottom lip and wouldn't let go. Each of them squeezed one of my butt-cheeks and I growled as I started shooting off inside of Kira. Seconds later, she was panting with her own release.

When it was over, we made out a little longer and then the girls pulled me onto my back and snuggled close. I wrapped one in each arm and offered a prayer of thanks to the All-Father - right before I fell asleep.

~~~

We woke refreshed. It was so nice - not having to get up in the middle of the night to stand watch. I checked on the dragon and my daughters. They were just waking up. I would have liked to have slept longer but, apparently, Rilla's "cone of silence" had worn off - because the morning melodies from the songbirds were more raucous than I could sleep through.

We ate a quick breakfast of warm bread and butter (thank the gods that storage-items somehow kept the food at the temperature they were at when stored away) and headed off again.

After another uneventful day of doing nothing but chewing up the miles, we stopped for the night once again.

Although I had never met Brant, I tried to send my spirit spy-bird to see if I could figure out where he was and what he was up to. Even though I wasn't able to pin him down, I got the feeling that he was in the direction that we were headed - maybe a bit more to the west.

We ate and my adopted daughters lay down beside the rhino-sized dragon. Once the girls were off to Slumbertown, my wives and I got a little time to ourselves.

It was Rilla's turn for a Vitamin D infusion. She wrapped an arm around the princess and firmly gripped her ass in her hand - while sending the fingers of her other one questing for every erogenous region she could find.

I had not even gotten my cock into Rilla yet, and she already had Kira moaning. I decided to hold off on the penetration for a bit and - instead - took several minutes to suck and lick one clitoris - before switching to the other. Between my lips & tongue and Rilla's nimble fingers, Kira had already cum twice before I climbed between Rilla's thighs to push my cock inside of her tight channel.

I had forgotten how fucking close-fitting Rilla's vagina was. Kira giggled and sucked my nipple as I pushed more and more of my cock into her sister-wife.

"Is she tight, husband?" Kira teased. "Are you going to lose control before you get all of that fat cock of yours all of the way inside of her? It must be pure torture, having your cock squeezed by such a gorgeous, close-fitting pussy. Does it feel like it's sucking your shaft? Are the muscles within her vagina tugging at your fuck-meat... so... hard... that you're about to lose your mind?"

I barely got it all inside before I came. Rilla snapped her teeth at Kira, pretending to be angry at her erotic teasing setting me off so quickly - but Kira pressed the girl's arms to the ground above her head and then climbed onto her face to rub her slick pussy against Rilla's mouth.

That erotic scene, of course, had my dick on quick-recharge. My cock got its second wind and I shoved two fingers into Kira's smiling cunt and began pumping my fist forwards and backwards - fucking my fingers into her pussy - causing her sweet nectar to drip down onto Rilla's lips.

The amber-headed woman lapped at Kira's cunny as I continued to fuck her gaping twat with my fingers - while stroking my rejuvenated prick in and out of Rilla's tightness.

Kira cried out and a sudden gush of girl-jizz ran into Rilla's mouth. I pulled my fingers out, sucked them clean, and then leaned forward to help Rilla suck up Kira's nectar. All at once, my second wife's pussy clenched and shuddered - up and down my length - as she came. I gripped Kira's ass in my fists and lapped at her pussy as I stroked my cock in and out of Rilla's spasming vagina. My senses were completely filled with these two beauties and I began cumming again. Rilla's vagina was already pretty full and the gooey mess began squeezing out around my cock when I slid in each time.

We were all a sticky, sweaty mess. I needed a shower. We slipped a few feet away from our beds so that I could call some warm water from the air and clean ourselves up. I grabbed a towel from my storage room and we got dried off. I hung the wet towel over a pair of sticks that I stuck in the ground, hoping it would dry by morning. We curled up on our sleeping-mats and snuggled together to fall asleep.

~~~

We had finished our lunch on the run, like the last two days, and were just settling back into a hard run when we began hearing fighting ahead of us.

The dragon hatchling took to the air and the girls quickly surveyed the situation. I waited for an executive summary but all I got were concerned looks.

"Just get us in there as quickly as you can, hun," Rilla told Hanna.

My 10-year-old tactics expert nodded, still studying the battlefield.

Rilla pointed and said, "That's probably Brant - and what's left of his guard."

I altered my course to match where my younger wife was pointing. I hit the turbo as Hanna began calling out instructions.

The scene - when it came into view - matched my worst-imagined scenario. Brant was on one knee, gasping for breath, as a hill giant stood glowering over him. The giant's men were arrayed behind him. Brant was the only one of his people that wasn't lying on the ground.

Hanna put me on injury-gathering duty. Everybody else was headed in to stall for time to keep Brant alive while I traded enough healing for pustules so that I could circle back and begin sending the chaos back onto the ones who had caused it.

I teleported to a mass of writhing bodies (and some no longer moving) and began healing people as fast as I could. I reached out to the victim, traded health for a fleshy nodule on my neck, collarbone, or chest - and then moved to the next person.

Curious to see how much canvas space I had left to use, I stored away my shirt. Each goiter was probably an inch by an inch wide - and another inch or two tall - standing out from my body. As soon as I could teleport again, I did - jumping to another mass of dead and dying.

Thankfully, the battle must have taken place just before we had arrived. The other positive was that the giants seemed to prefer leaving their victims writhing in pain - rather than delivering a death-blow. Unfortunately for them, that worked right into my wheelhouse.

I glanced over to see Kira backing the massive, blustery mother-fucker up a step while Rilla and Zima kept her (and Brant) covered. Hanna was feeding me time-estimates through the talking-stones on how many more seconds she estimated I had left before the king of the hill giants decided to act.

When she knew my teleport timer was getting ready to reset again - and she had calculated that we were at "go time" - she ordered me to switch from damage-gathering to damage-dealing.

Almost before I had fully appeared beside the newly christened king of the hill giants, I dumped about four people's worth of damage into him. His two lieutenants were next. I didn't bother to stick around to see whether or not I had out-right killed him - that was now the girls' problem.

As I worked the crowd - moving farther from the king as the closer ranks went down - Hanna barked at her sister and her stepmother on where units that I hadn't reached yet were trying to flank.

{"Do I need to circle back?"} I asked her.

{"No, we're good,"} she answered. {"First round is statistically out of the fight. I'm more concerned about the third wave. I'm estimating you run out of stored damage just after you drop the second-wave fighters."}

{"I can do magical damage without healing...,"} I reminded her.

{"Brant still has too many wounded. Long-term, he's going to need them if we're heading for the orcs next."}

{"Got it, kiddo, you're doing amazing. Keep it up."}

{"I love you,"} she sent.

{"I love you, too, big brain."}

I could almost hear her grin.

When I teleported back - after dealing with the second wave - she sent me to those of Brant's fighters that she thought were the closest to succumbing to their injuries. It was not pretty. I was burning through magical energy like a rocket burns fuel - trying to reach each one before they died.

I became blind and numb to all except healing, racing to the next person, and healing again. Hanna was multitasking my work versus the others and I finally just let her direct me. I had taught her that a circle had 360 degrees. She called out a direction and a distance and I just moved there. When she called the next, I moved again. She told me when to run and when to teleport. She tracked the timer. I had no mental capacity left to do anything except follow her directions. I could feel myself straining to keep my eyes open but they were beginning to close on their own. I was so... fucking... tired.

She switched me to damage-dealing as the third wave came in. She waited until they were all on top of the girls before she brought me back - so that I could just stand in front of Kira, extend my hands, and cast the damage at the incoming warriors like throwing feed to chickens. There was a whole lot of squawking when what I cast far and wide connected.

As I touched the last incoming fighter - which I was too numb to understand meant that we were nearly overrun - Hanna sent me back to healing again. As I teleported away, I heard blades and arrows slice through the air right where I had been.

I continued trading healing for pustules and goiters. My vision was limited to about three feet in front of me. A body appeared and I healed or attacked - depending on Hanna to tell me which.

{"Daddy, teleport to me. Now. 140 degrees. 110 feet. Daddy, now."}

I was so tired that I wasn't even sure that I had arrived. I tumbled to the ground. My eyes slammed shut and refused to reopen. I lost consciousness.

~~~

Soft lips pressed against mine. Kira's scent - no - yes - no... both?

I opened my eyes to find two mouths on mine. Kira grinned.

"Have a nice nap, sleepyhead?" she asked.

I reached up, palmed a breast with each hand - one for each wife - and squeezed as I pursed my lips and begged another kiss.

Rilla giggled and said, "He must be better."

"See if you can get this into him," Zima said.

She handed Rilla a waterskin and Kira a trail biscuit and a piece of dried meat.

I looked up at her. She was watching me, her face lined with more worry than a 14-year-old should bear. She was holding some sun-dried dates (or something similar) and another piece of the jerky-like meat.

"You okay, squirt?" I asked her.

"Hanna says you'll be fine but you... you look like shit," she said.

"Thanks," I told her, grinning. "I kind of feel like shit."

Rilla and Kira got me sitting up and Zima immediately sat beside me - her hip pressed against mine - facing the opposite direction that I was - so that she could study my face.

"I'm fine," I assured her.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her, kissing her forehead. Hanna appeared on my other side and I gave her the same treatment.

"Let him eat, worry-wort," Hanna told Zima.

Zima handed me the dates, figs, or whatever they were. I chewed one, swallowed it, and accepted a mug from Rilla. It was the mead.

"That hits the spot," I said.

I drained the mug and handed it back.

"Wait," I told her. "I thought that was in my storage - not yours."

"Apparently," Rilla said, smirking. "Either the mother dragon gave us more abilities than she knew - or when you're unconscious - we can grab the things from your storage that we need."

"Huh...," I said. "So I guess those pictures of all the women I've been lusting for..."

Kira laughed and said, "You're suggesting that me, Rilla, Nella, and Monika aren't enough... oh... and Mila?"

"You know I'm just fucking around...," I said, grinning.

"Yeah, well, if fucking..."

Hanna pressed her hands to her ears.

"La la la la la...," she said loudly.

Zima grinned at her and poked her in the ribs.

"I thought you wanted a little sister," she teased.

"Brother," Hanna said. "We lived in an orphanage full of girls. I want an adorable little brother."

"Probably be ugly - like me," I told her.

"Dad! Do you even hear the women on the street whisper about you?"

"Uh... no?" I said, looking at Kira and Rilla.

Both of them started laughing so hard that they were holding their sides.

Hanna huffed at me.

"You think my stepmothers are bad? You're the most beautiful thing that's happened to every woman or girl I know - and when you talk to women that you don't know - you're nice. The things they say... Even Alia has heard more descriptions of what they would do to you if they got you alone than any girl her age has any business knowing... Daddy, it's graphic!"

"Pornographic...," I muttered in amazement.

"I don't know what that word means but it definitely sounds like it fits," she said, nodding. "You need to eat and drink some more. You slept for a couple hours and King Brant wants to see you."

"She's right, of course," Kira said.

Kira tousled Hanna's hair and pulled her into a hug.

"My husband has two of the smartest, prettiest, most talented girls in all of the world," Kira said.

Rilla hugged Zima and kissed her on the temple - making sure that she knew that she was loved as well.

They got another mug of mead in me - as well as more jerky, figs, and another hard biscuit - which - for some reason - tasted really good.

When I was ready, I stood. Hanna told me to put a shirt on. I looked down and realized that I was still shirtless. Zima laughed at the shocked look on my face. I picked her up and tickled her. Hanna wrapped herself around my right leg, sitting on my foot. I carried the 14-year-old and dragged my pretty little leg-iron along as we headed for Brant's tent.

"Enough," Kira said after a half-dozen steps.

I stopped and set Zima down. Hanna stood and took my right hand; Zima took the left.

"Happy face or don't-fuck-with-me?" I asked.

"He wasn't delighted at first," Kira answered, "but he's had time to think through things, get some reports, and watch you collapse. I think you could ask to bed his wife while he watched and he'd probably allow it."

"She really ugly or something?" I asked, grinning.

Rilla cracked me on the ass.

"Missing the point, husband," Kira said, winking at her sister-wife.

"Are we asking for anything?"

"You can keep your options open but I'm not sure he has anything we desperately need."

"Orcs next or let him call it?"

"He'll probably ask. He had the bulk of his forces here. We saved eight in ten. Not terrific - but far better than he could have hoped for if we'd been even another few minutes later."

I looked around, realizing the hatchling was missing. I started to ask but Hanna informed me that the other three had taken the little dragon hunting while Kira sat with me. The hatchling was, apparently, sleeping off a big meal.

We arrived at the command-tent and were quickly announced. We didn't wait long before Brant came out. He bowed low and smiled broadly when he stood back up to face me.

"On behalf of my warriors and my people," he said. "I thank you for your timely intervention. I had begun to fear that the gods had abandoned us. I understand that you represent the All-Father. I have offered a prayer of thanks for his assistance as well."

I nodded my head to him and said, "It was him that brought me to this world. He gave me an interesting gift. It's been a crazy few weeks."

"Hard to believe that you've been here such a short length of time but - considering the amount of damage you did to my forces - and then the giants - I'm sure I'd have heard much more about you if you had been around longer. I must say that - though I had been told of your unusual abilities - there is nothing quite like seeing you wield that strange power."

"What is the status on the hill giants?" I asked him. "The girls just got some food and drink into me and I haven't had a lot of time to get an update on things."

"You destroyed most of their leaders," Brant said. "The fighters that survived fled. I would assume that they will need to begin again the process of selecting a leader. There's even a chance that they may revert back to small quarreling villages once again - who knows? I predict that it will be at least a year before we hear more from them."

"So, what's your next most pressing challenge?" I asked.

"I must say that I'm somewhat confused about your willingness to risk your health and that of your family to protect a kingdom that you all but destroyed," he said matter-of-factly.

"First off, Kira and I were just on a fact-finding mission - at least after your assassins were dealt with. We removed scouts - as your forces had been doing to Korl's troops. When we approached the commander's tent, I had every intention of simply removing him and walking away. Instead, every person around him decided to turn it into some kind of honor-fight and refused to back down - even climbing over the corpses of their dead friends to reach us. At that point, we simply defended ourselves until the attacks stopped coming. When we left, we picked up some loot, and just walked away. I didn't kill anyone who didn't try to kill Kira or me."

Brant's mouth was hanging open. He studied me for a bit, realized that he was slack-jawed, and closed his mouth.

"Hearing your words," he said, "I guess I could have pieced the truth together - but the destruction was so absolute that it just seemed - planned."

"I gave Korl all of the intel that I looted but - as far as I know - he hasn't used that against you - or am I wrong?"

"You are not wrong," Brant said.

The look on his face told me that he was reevaluating - again.

"Where do you need me and my girls next?" I asked. "I feel badly for castrating you like we did and it does Korl no good for you to be wiped out. That's why we're here."

"I see...," he said, "it's still far less self-serving than I could have imagined."

"Give me a target," I told him. "I'll leave you to worry about why I'm doing this while I'm doing it."

A look of shock claimed his face again.

"The rest of my forces are arrayed against the orcs," he said.

I turned to Kira.

"How soon can we move?" I asked her.

She glanced at the setting sun and said, "You just ate and the rest of us already did. We can run until probably close to the middle of the night, take a rest, and rise again with the sun."

"How far east?" I asked him.

"Two days march," he said.

"We should be there by lunchtime tomorrow," I told him.

He goldfished. His mouth opened and closed like he was sucking air - but no sounds came out.

"We move at a run," I told him, "we don't stop to eat - we just slow down a little."

"We only stop to pee three times a day," Hanna complained.

I laughed and said, "You never traveled with my father..."

"He was a tyrant too?" she asked.

"The worst," I said, bending down to kiss the top of her head.

Brant had closed his mouth. He was watching us.

"Get the dragon cub and let's get moving," I told her.

"Let me," Kira said. "She moves at my speed. It'll be quicker."

By the time Kira had returned with the hatchling, I'd gotten everything I needed from Brant. I'd also gotten an invitation to the palace - pretty much a "stop by anytime" offer.

Rilla mounted up and I picked my girls up and set them on the little dragon's back. We bid the king adieu and headed east at a quick jog.

We traveled a couple hours (by my guess) past full dark. We came to a wide river and Kira suggested camping and waiting to attempt the crossing when we could see clearly.

The girls (and the dragon) were asleep almost immediately. Kira rolled me onto my back and my wives made out while they worked their greedy twats around and around and up and down on my body. Kira rode my face and Rilla rode my cock.

Kira came first. She rolled off of me and sucked Rilla's clitoris as she rode me - which had her going off like a rocket in no time. As soon as Kira got my cock inside of her, Rilla returned the favor and I barely got to climax before Kira was screaming out with her second orgasm.

The two were still play-fighting when my eyes closed. Once they noticed that I was falling asleep, their lips both found mine (my favorite kind of kiss) and then I faded.

~~~ End of Chapter 15 ~~~

There are 18 chapters in this story series.

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