Date: 2018-09-25 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Harem; Magic; Erotica; Adult; High Fantasy; Romance; Action; Fiction; Coming Of Age
Description: Gryff never knew he was the most powerful summoner in the world until a rogue monster attacked his village. Now he's been recruited into the top magical academy, beautiful women are breaking down his dorm room door, and the headmaster has big, big plans for him. Instead of summoners being maligned by society, Gryff is in a position to make them revered and honored. There's just one problem: The most powerful fire mage in the academy wants to protect the status quo and will do anything to stop him. This novel has harem elements.
Publisher: Éric Vall

SUMMONER

Eric Vall

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day when my life got turned upside down for the second time. A perfect day, one might say. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the sun sat overhead and watched the town that hosted my work and lodging like a doting parent scared to let her child out of sight. Yes, a perfect day for someone painting a landscape. For me, it was too hot, and the humidity a tad too stifling. But that was my life. I worked in the sun.

I worked with my monsters.

A few stray black bangs clung to my sweaty forehead. I swatted them away and reinforced the knot that my hair was tied back in. It was bad enough that sweat stung my eyes, so I didn’t need to add my oily locks to that equation. I adjusted the leather bandoliers that crossed my chest. The heat made them sweat too and that made me chafe. I was used to it, but that didn’t mean I liked it.

I got over my discomfort quick, though, and surveyed the work before me. A swath of spruce trees sat in front of me, with another swath of stumps and a pile of lumber nearby to my right. I could see the steep gabled roofs of Ralor’s Stead peek above the trees half a mile ahead of me. The town was a busy little hub, as it sat near a lucrative copper mine, but it was full to bursting and needed more houses. So here I was, eagerly doing my part.

One of us had to anyway.

Sitting by the lumber pile was Maelor, his gut barely contained by his black overalls. He’d pitched a small felt umbrella and sat underneath it for relief from the heat. But I wasn’t allowed such a luxury. I was technically on break, sure, but he hadn’t moved from that spot in an hour.

“You gonna’ get off your bum and help me, old man?” I asked.

He snorted and ran a hand through his scraggly beard. It was mostly grey, but there were pockets of brown still resisting the onslaught of age. “Maybe if you ever got to work, you no-good sack of frog grease.”

I shook my head at the ridiculous insult. Why would you put grease in a sack? But that was Maelor for you. “It would still be nice if you pitched a hand every once in a while,” I replied.

He smirked, which made the scar that ran down the left side of his face from his balding head to his neck twitch. “You got two hands, don’t ya?” he said. “I’m an old man. My days of hauling lumber are behind me.”

“You never did haul lumber.”

“Well, I reckon neither did you, Gryff.” He pointed at the many crystals strapped to my chest.

He was right, of course. My bandoliers contained more than two dozen essence crystals, the magical rocks that held the power of the monsters that constantly plagued our world. However, my crystals didn’t hold the monsters’ essence, but the monsters themselves, so I didn’t have to do the manual labor. That’s what the monsters were for. Just one of the perks of being a summoner.

I was drained though. It took mana to summon and direct the monsters, and I’d been working since damn near sunup. Maelor was a summoner too, but I knew he wasn’t the man he used to be. Mana can dwindle with age, and I doubted he could summon even a simple axe goblin to help cut down the trees, let alone summon the type of muscle we needed to move them. No, he mostly just supervised me. It wasn’t all bad though. He’d raised me since my parents died and was a good man, crotchety though he may have been.

When I felt more rested, I cracked my knuckles, fingered a couple of medium crystals from the pouch on my hip, and got back to work. The crystals were about the size of my pinky and resembled a long piece of rock salt, but these would not break from any physical amount of force. Only magical energy could destroy essence crystals, which was fine by me because I dropped my fair share of them by mistake.

I gripped them between my fingers and could feel the pulse of their energy, almost like a heartbeat. I could picture the monsters inside of them, waiting to be used. Essence crystals didn’t show what was inside of them, but when a summoner held one that contained a monster, they simply knew what sat within.

So, I took a deep breath and threw them.

My stomach lurched as I felt the mana inside of me rush forward to draw out and command the beasts. There was a brief flash and a plume of blue-grey smoke, and then two monsters stood before me. Axe goblins. Barely more muscular than skeletons, they had sickly green skin that stretched over their small frames. Beady red eyes stared back at me, unblinking. They had razor-sharp teeth, but theirs weren’t showing, not with me in command. On the ends of their arms where their hands should’ve been were two wicked axes. They were made of a strange bone-like metal that was popular to use in the construction of trains, airships, and other advanced items.

I commanded them to start working on the trees, and they did so. They swung their arms and cut into the trunks with ease, much stronger than their small frames would suggest. They were strong, yes, but they were also slow.

“That won’t do.” I shook my head and began to dig through a small pouch of my bandolier over my heart. I retrieved two more essence crystals, but these were tiny, no bigger than marbles, and they had a faint verdant hue. They wouldn’t take too much energy from me. The smaller the crystal, the weaker and smaller the monster. The bigger the crystal, the bigger the monster and the more dangerous. It was simple in theory and in practice.

I was never any good at summoning the bigger beasts, though I didn’t really have a need for them, so my little pets suited me just fine. I gripped the little crystals in my hand and chucked them. Another flash, a poof of smoke, and then two green slugs, slick with slime and about the size of my forearm, laid in the grass. Speed Slugs. Ironic. They hopped onto the backs of the axe goblins and stuck there with a resounding squish. The goblins paused and went rigid for a moment before continuing. This time, they swung so fast they were almost a blur. They hacked and hacked until the tree gave in and tumbled. The goblins were also thankfully strong enough to push the tree in the right direction. I didn’t need them to flatten me.

Finally, as they worked, I grabbed a large crystal the size of an apple from a pouch on my hip and held it in front of me. The coloring was dark grey, and it felt heavy, but it was a simple monster that slept within. I tossed it.

A squat creature appeared, about as tall as my chest, but with bulky, broad shoulders and arms that bulged grossly with muscle. Long fine hairs ran the length of its arms and chest. It was a typical box ogre, used often as a grunt in the monster assaults that frequent the land. They weren’t very dangerous or smart, but in groups they could be deadly. They were great for menial labor, though.

So I sat back and directed my minions. The slug-sped axe goblins mowed through the trees like warm knives through butter, and the box ogre piled the trunks in a neat pile near Maelor. He crossed his arms and smiled.

“See?” he said. “You don’t work.”

I rolled my eyes. We both knew that was false. Though I was sitting back, I still exerted my will over my monsters.

Maelor pushed me hard and busted my chops, but I didn’t blame him. He’d taught me all I knew about being a summoner and being a man. He didn’t need to save me all those years ago and certainly didn’t need to raise me as his own. He wasn’t the most loving individual, but he cared for me in his own way, and I would always be grateful for that. So the least I could do was do the hard work while he enjoyed his twilight years.

“So do you have any plans for when we’re done with this town?” I asked. I scratched at my goatee. “I think I caught fleas from that inn.”

“Serves you right, you seven-toed mutt,” Maelor grumbled with a hoarse laugh. More nonsense, I had all my toes, but I knew he referred to the old tale of the lucky seven-toed dog. It had lost three toes in a gambling match of dice, but the dog was stubborn and not only won back its toes, but also the paws of the other dogs. It was a ridiculous story about determination, but Maelor only meant I was stubborn, which was true.

The old man pulled out a flask from his pockets and took a sip. Wine spilled down his chin. “I got a wire from a friend in Norrush. Wants to contract us for some wall building and maybe some irrigation, but he was iffy on the details.”

“Norrush is far, grandpa. Think you can make it?”

He spat on the lumber. “We’ve traveled farther. You like the road.”

“Yeah, and I also like taking hot baths and having a warm meal every day.”

“Coulda’ fooled me. You smell like my piss.”

I chortled at that, for I knew exactly how gross his piss smelled. He offered me the flask, and I gladly took a sip. The wine was crap, but it was a relief in the heat. I wish he’d brought water like I’d told him, but I supposed beggars couldn’t be choosers.

We sat like that for a while and passed the flask back and forth while I controlled my monsters. I lost my concentration a few times, but it was of no consequence. We were in no danger of the monsters running rampant. All that happened when I lost focus was that they’d just idle around without a purpose. The bigger monsters, however … those could be a serious threat when let loose.

The clomp of hooves broke through the din of the cicadas and the monotonous work of the monsters. I looked to the dirt road to my left that ran parallel to the stretch of woods that we were clearing. It headed south into town, and I saw five riders traveling in that direction. The ones in the front and back were soldiers, their green uniforms pressed and tidy like they’d never been worn or ridden in before. Their long rifles glinted in the sunlight across their backs. Between them rode three mages, all who seemed older than me and wore an air of invincibility and arrogance.

They wore gaudy jewelry over their thick suede robes. I knew their colors well. One wore a billowing brown petticoat with a red cloak that was as bright as a rose field. A fire mage. The other two, a man and a woman who both shared the brown skin of the west, wore white jackets and cloaks marking them as adepts, mages that could manipulate their bodies in various ways.

They sneered at me as they passed. Their eyes widened briefly when they saw my monsters but then relaxed when they saw the essence crystals on my chest. Their sneer didn’t disappear, but they at least were less hostile.

“Great weather today, eh?” I called out to them, but none of them answered. Instead, the mages all looked ahead and spurred their horses faster. Bunch of dung piles they were. I snorted and took another swig of the wine.

“Don’t pay those tossers no mind,” Maelor said. “Mages like them think their shite don’t stink, but when it comes down to it, they’re just a bag of bones and blood like you and me.”

“I know we need them, but I wish they weren’t such pricks.”

“People in power are always pricks,” my adoptive father snickered.

Another hour went by in a heavy, hot daze. We cleared another swath of trees and only another two dozen or so remained. We’d be done with plenty of time left before sundown, which was good because the heat made the burnt skin of my left arm and shoulder itch something fierce. I was exhausted from controlling the monsters all day, but I knew it wouldn’t be for too much longer.

As we watched the box ogre lift a fallen spruce effortlessly onto one shoulder, Maelor told me another one of his ridiculous folktales from back east.

“I’m sure I’ve told you this one, but I’ll say it again.”

“Maybe you’ll remember it correctly this time.” I rolled my eyes and took another swig of his drink.

He swatted my head lightly. “That was one time.” He grumbled and readjusted himself in his seat. “Anyways, there once was a man who lived in a large farming community, before the Enclaves had come to be. Monsters were a new phenomenon and people were living in fear, but not this man. He was strong and brave and could kill monsters with his bare hands.”

The old man had told this story before, but at least this time he didn’t botch the beginning.

He continued, “One day, a beautiful woman came to his town and asked for their strongest man to help her. Naturally, our hero volunteered. The woman tasked him with drinking this warm, golden concoction, for if he did, he would have eternal glory and the strength of the old gods. But he had to survive the ordeal.”

“Our hero didn’t hesitate. All he wanted was to be a legend. He knew he could do anything. So, without any thought, he took the drink and chugged it whole. Then he died on the spot. The woman, you see, was a former lover who he had spurned years ago, but he did not recognize her. She had gotten her revenge.”

He ended the story with a sigh. I shook my head. “That is such a stupid story, and depressing.”

Maelor shrugged. “The old tales teach lessons. They aren’t necessarily good literature.”

I laughed. That was certainly true, coming off the heels of a story with the four-pronged lesson of not drinking goblin piss, thinking things through before making decisions, not doing anything a woman tells you to, no matter how beautiful, and not spurning an ex-lover. Timeless lessons indeed. I’d heard all of his insane folk tales, but they never failed to leave me flabbergasted. They were a comfort though, of that I couldn’t lie.

Distant screams tore me away from the story. We both lifted our heads and faced the far-off town. There was silence, a gentle breeze, then we heard it again. Screams. There was no doubt. I looked to Maelor, whose age-spotted face scrunched up in a scowl. He rose to his feet slowly, his weight and age made the easy movement more difficult.

“What do you think’s going on?” I asked. Which was stupid, for how could he know? He wasn’t a mage. Well, not that kind anyway.

He huffed and shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know, boy, but whatever it is ain’t good.”

I was about to ask another question, but then the distant pop of gunfire and the boom of an explosion broke the hot air and reverberated out like a wave. I scrambled out of the dwindling woods and onto the road. Once I was free of the trees, I peered south toward the town and saw small pillars of smoke rising from the houses, but not the light grey smoke of a fireplace. No, this smoke was black as night.

Moments later, Maelor stumbled over to me, all groans and labored breathing. He probably hadn’t moved that fast in years. When his gaze found the town, his face dropped. “Oh no,” he muttered.

We didn’t have to wait long for an explanation. A rider on horseback tore down the road towards us in a billowing cloud of dust. He would have passed us, but I flagged him down before he could miss us. He reluctantly stopped, fidgeting uncontrollably, and his eyes were in a panic. He smelled like smoke. I didn’t recognize him, so he must’ve just been passing through the town.

“Sir,” I began, “what’s happening?”

He did his best to calm himself, but he had a hard time controlling his breathing. “P-portal opened u-u-up. Had n-no time prepare before the attack began.” He spurred his horse. “Sorry, I need to leave, and so do you.” Then he shot off like a bullet.

I turned back to Maelor. His face was as sunken as I’m sure mine was. “Monsters,” I breathed with a hitch. “Those mages from earlier can handle it, yeah?”

His brow furrowed as he stared off at the chaos. He frowned. “It doesn’t sound like it.”

More gunfire. A plume of fire suddenly shot into the air over one of the houses and disappeared just as quick. I cursed and ran my fingers through my hair.

“I need to do something. Maybe the mages don’t need help, but I can’t sit here and watch.”

Maelor’s eyes burrowed into me like one of those new powered trains the military used. He didn’t want me to go and risk my life, but I also knew he wouldn’t say no, for he’d done the same thing for me all those years ago. So, he nodded.

“Go. Keep your head on your shoulders and your eyes open.” He put out his hand to shake. When I took it, his grip tightened far stronger than one would’ve expected of him. He pulled me into a fierce hug. “Don’t be an idiot and die on me, you hear me?” he whispered into my hair.

I hugged him back and fought back a tear. “I’m too stubborn to die.”

We pulled apart. He patted my shoulder and jerked his head towards the town. “Go.”

With a smile, I nodded. I returned to my idle monsters and reached out a hand. The monsters materialized back into their crystals, which then shot through the air and into my outstretched hands. All except one. As I put the others away, I reached down for the remaining speed slug and rubbed its slimy back.

“Sorry, fella, I’m gonna need you a little while longer.”

I placed the slug on my shoulder and suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline. Then I took off at a speed that wasn’t humanly possible. The landscape blurred around me as I shot towards the town faster than a galloping horse. Euphoria washed over me. It was a thrill to move at such superhuman speeds, even if I might be running head-first into my own death.

The brick houses of Ralor’s Stead grew large in my vision, so I ground to a halt. A trip that should have taken a normal running man fifteen minutes took me only one. Before I could think to do anything else, I felt bile rise in my throat, so I pitched over and heaved. That always happened after I used the slugs. Once that was through, I patted the slug and ordered him back to his crystal.

“Thanks,” I told it, even though it wouldn’t care or understand the sentiment.

I was drained from working, but all I could do was push through my exhaustion. The town of Ralor’s Stead was about three dozen buildings which were thick, large brick structures with steep-gabled tile roofs. Most of it was on fire or consumed by some manner of destruction. Debris as well as smoke was everywhere, and there were bodies strewn about the streets. My stomach lurched.

The stench hit me first. It was acrid, like rot and decay. I knew what it was. The portal. I took some tentative steps and rounded a corner onto the main avenue of the town when I saw it. Right there in the middle of the street, as tall as the houses, the portal to the dark, monster-infested realm that so desperately wanted to destroy us, The Shadowscape.

The portal was a swirling mass of darkness, with some hues of grey, green, and purple that circled around like some disgusting brew in a cauldron.

Monsters—goblins, ogres, trolls, imps—scampered around the town, killing everything in sight. There were still a few people running for their lives, but I could only count seven. The mages were nowhere to be seen, but the scorch mark, raised earth, and the corpse of a giant against one of the homes told me that they’d been there.

One of the monsters noticed me. It was a small goblin, a regular one with claws instead of axes and more bluish skin. It started for me, and then others followed.

They charged me. I barely had time to summon my monsters, but I managed. Two axe goblins. They killed their unarmed kin, but a troll, with its massive arms and tall legs, barreled through them. I stumbled back and threw another monster. A wallerdon appeared, its wide body like a stone wall. Its dark skin was hard as stone, made of segmented plates across its torso and back. It shielded me right as the troll punched, then buckled and swayed.

The wallerdon held against the troll, but it wouldn’t last another hit. I had to think fast. The troll reared back as I threw another crystal. There was a flash as a new monster appeared, a daggerdillo. It had a large body like a pig, armor like an armadillo, and huge metal spikes protruding from its back. It landed on the wallerdon’s shoulder. That’s when those same metal spikes began to protrude from the wallerdon.

“Now!” I pointed.

The wallerdon understood. It dodged the troll’s fist and body slammed into its torso to impale the troll with spikes. The weight of the troll sagged against it before the troll finally died and slumped to the ground.

I pumped my fist and whooped, but I wasn’t done. I returned my monsters to their crystals and assessed the situation. The only monsters I could see were four box ogres and a couple of electric imps. They sensed the death of the troll and the other monsters, could sense my mana, what little I had left. I knew I could deal with them.

The box ogre lumbered towards me, so I gripped my last four wallerdon crystals and threw for all I was worth. When the wallerdons appeared, they came out at such a speed that when they smashed into the ogres, they smooshed them in a squelch of blood and guts. I yelled triumphantly, and then I returned the monsters to their crystals so I could conserve my strength. As soon as I did, an arc of electricity zipped over my head and blew a chunk out of the brick wall behind me. I scrambled for cover and ducked into an open door that led to a messy kitchen.

I steadied my breathing and collected myself. The rapid flapping of the imps’ small leathery wings reached my ears as the monsters neared. One hit from those little buggers and I was toast, but I had a plan. A crazy plan, but that’s how my plans usually went.

With a crystal in hand, I sprinted for the door and out of the house. As the sunlight hit me, I tossed the crystal in front of me. The imps charged up to zap me just as my crystal flashed, and a bullet bass appeared, its round metal body shining a brilliant chrome in the sun. It was shaped like a fish, but instead of scales the bass had stubby little arms and wings that felt like rubber. Perfect for the next attack. The imps shot their lighting at me, but the bullet bass absorbed the shock and sent it right back at the imps, vaporizing them in a heartbeat. I let out a sigh. Catch and release.

The bullet bass returned to its crystal as I laughed. I’d done it. I’d stopped the monsters and managed to not die in the process. I put a hand to my head, I couldn’t believe it.

My celebration was short-lived. A tremendous roar resounded from the portal, one so loud that the earth shook beneath. The portal began to expand, taller and wider until it was twice the size of any building and as wide as any house. Two massive rust-colored hands gripped the edges of the rift and out came a monster the size of which I’ve never seen.

It had to be forty feet tall and half as wide. A cyclops. But not just any cyclops, a fire-eye, evidenced by the licks of flame that danced around its door-sized knuckles. Every curse that Maelor had ever taught me ran through my mind.

The cyclops wasted no time. It picked up its humongous foot and stepped toward me. I dove at the last second just as the foot hit where I’d stood and broke the earth. Rubble and rock flew and cut my skin. No sooner was I on my feet when the cyclops swiped for me. Once again, I barely missed my death. Very barely. The fire-eye was faster than it looked.

I summoned a speed slug, gave myself a literal boost, and quickly regained the upper hand. I got a good distance away from it, though it could make up that distance in a step I was sure. It stood up tall and began to summon fire in its fists, but I was faster, and I threw one of my favorite monsters. It materialized and hovered in front of me, looking like a floating ball of blue gas and light—an Ice Willow. I gave it a command and it followed my lead with a squeal.

It divided itself into four, latched onto the fire-eye’s limbs, and froze it in place. The cyclops looked down in confusion and struggled to free itself. It wouldn’t be held long, so I had to act fast. Luckily, I had the speed slug, so speed wouldn’t be an issue.

I dug into my bandolier, a plan forming as fast as my hands could move. Four crystals in hand, I chucked them with all my speed-slug enhanced might and commanded them before they were even out. Time seemed to slow. First came a wallerdon, then a daggerdillo that lent its spikes to the walking wall, followed by the same bullet bass as before which made them all metal, and finally, my own electric imp. The imp sent a tremendous arch of lighting through my spiked metal wallerdon, but instead of deflecting it, the bass absorbed the electricity.

And punched a massive hole through the cyclops’ chest.

It went clear through, the electrified metal spikes and the speed of the wallerdon turning the cyclops’ rock-hard flesh into barely more than putty. The cyclops stood frozen—by my little icy pets of course—as if it couldn’t comprehend what had happened. And it couldn’t. Its eye rolled back, and its mouth fell open, a massive tongue rolling out. I recalled all my monsters and watched with relief as the cyclops fell back through the fading portal and smashed a whole house in the process.

As the dust from the crash and the flung-up rubble settled, I found that the portal was gone. The monsters were dead.

But I wasn’t alone.

I turned and found a large airship had landed on the edge of town behind me. I hadn’t even noticed it landing amidst the chaos, but it was a large hulking thing, all sleek steel and exhaust ports. Large copper rudders that looked like fish fins extended on the sides and tops of the ship. I’d only seen them in the sky at a distance, never up close like this. That being said, it wasn’t the airship that drew my attention, but the people that had come out.

It was a full battalion. About twenty soldiers, with guns and swords at the ready, and seven mages, all in variously colored robes. That wasn’t too odd, as the monster had been rather large by any stretch of the word. What was unsettling was the fact that they were all gawking at me, eyes wide and mouths agape. Was I covered in blood and monster guts? Was I just ugly? I looked down at myself. No, no guts. And Anya, the barmaid at the inn, could attest that I was certainly not ugly.

So why were they staring?

One of the mages, the one in the lead who I guessed was in charge, strode over to me, his awe gone, replaced with narrow-eyed suspicion. He was tall and regal, with a short and trimmed blonde beard that was starting to grey in spots. He had eyes so white and cloudy that I thought he was blind, but the way he focused on me said otherwise. He held a long walking stick with an essence crystal impeded in the top, a large jagged blue one. A staff, I realized. A rare toy. The mage had the air of an ancient man about him, though he couldn’t have been more than five decades.

“Who are you, summoner?” His voice was booming and commanding, despite what his slight frame would suggest.

I suddenly felt like I was in trouble. I gulped. “Uh, you can call me Gryff.”

“You don’t have a family name?”

“I did once, not anymore,” I said with a shrug. “My parents died in a monster attack when I was little. Don’t even remember their names.”

The mage raised an eyebrow at that, perhaps surprised by my bluntness. In any case, he walked past me and stared off at the slain beast. He stopped a few paces from me and stared at the monster for a long while before he turned back to me. I could see the questions written on his wrinkling cheeks.

“How did you defeat this creature?”

It was my turn to arch an eyebrow. “What do you mean? I assume you saw. I just did what any summoner would do in that situation.”

He chuckled lightly. “No, trust me, boy, any summoner would not do that.”

“What do you mean?”

“They just … wouldn’t.”

We stared at each other for several moments. I didn’t follow his reasoning. I did find it odd that I never heard of summoner heroes like I did the elementals and the adepts, and I very rarely ever saw a summoner travel with a group of mages. I only ever saw summoners that were like me, laborers.

It seemed like he may have been thinking of these things too. “You really don’t know what you did, do you?”

Apparently, I didn’t, so I shrugged and yawned. My eyes ached and my body was sore all over. I wanted desperately for this conversation to be over, but the end didn’t feel near. He leaned in close.

“I’m Marangur Sleet, Headmaster of the Academy in Varle Enclave, and I’ve never witnessed a summoner do what you just did.”

I gawked at the man. He was the headmaster. The threat was so great that they’d called Marangur Sleet, the famous Storm Wizard? Should I have bowed? My fatigue was momentarily zapped away as I tried to find the words.

“I, um, I just did what I thought was smart. Do other summoners not do this?”

His look was stern but bemused. “Summoning is mostly used for labor and support. In combat, we train summoners who can call on extremely powerful monsters to use all their mana for one attack and they’re done, but often, that isn’t enough. But you … this is different. You’re different.”

I was flabbergasted. “Thank … thank you, sir?”

“No, thank you, Summoner Gryff.” He put out his hand to shake, so I shook it.

“You’re welcome, I guess.” When we finished the shake, he looked at me for a long time, like he was looking into my very soul with those stormy eyes of his. It made me uncomfortable. I scratched at the back of my head and tugged at my knot. “So… you’re just going to be on your way, or are you going to give me a reward or…?” I trailed off.

He laughed then. “No, Gryff, my dear boy. No, you will be coming with me of course.”

I took a step back and eyed him. “Uh, where to?”

“To start your new life. At my Academy.”

Chapter 2

I awoke to the rustling of fabric. My eyes cracked open, and I found myself under the low beamed ceiling of my room at the inn. I sat up and saw Anya, the innkeeper’s daughter, at the foot of my bed diligently folding my trousers when I spoke.

“Ah, Anya. Glad to see you.”

She flinched and nearly dropped my trousers. She hadn’t realized that I was awake. “Oh, you startled me, Gryff.”

“Apologies.”

She gave me a smile that lit up the room. Her long brown hair was fashioned into an elaborate braid this day, and her tawny beige skin blushed as she tried to hide her smile. She sure was a sight. It didn’t help matters that her tight cotton top could barely contain her breasts. She was a petite girl, but she’d been blessed with her mother’s assets.

Noticing that made me notice something else: that I was completely undressed down to my undergarments. I pulled up my blanket in response, though it wasn’t as if Anya and I were shy about any of that.

“Why am I unclothed?” I asked, confusion in my voice as I tried to remember going to sleep the night before.

She did her best to stifle a chuckle. “You were completely filthy when you passed out yesterday. It was only right for me to give them a good wash.”

“Ah, thank you then.” I sat back and sighed. It had been exceedingly hot yesterday. I still felt rather sore and just … bone tired. I hadn’t worked that hard though. We just cleared that acreage of trees and then—

I bolted up so suddenly that I startled Anya.

“Gryff? Are you okay?” she asked, her face filled with alarm.

“Sorry, I just…” I ran a hand through my hair. That’s when I saw the cut on my wrist, a long, four-inch gash that had been freshly stitched up. “It was a dream, wasn’t it?” I said, though not really at her. “The portal, the monsters, the dead …” All those things swirled in my brain. The cyclops, my beating it. My triumph, and then Marangur Sleet showed up with mages and soldiers in an airship. His request.

“It had to be a dream,” I said at last. Anya stared at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was.

“Pardon?” she asked, her brows furrowed.

“I just passed out from exhaustion, maybe a mild case of heatstroke, yeah? I dreamed that monsters destroyed the town.” We stared at each other for what felt like a long time but was probably only a few seconds. Her smile dropped as she pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. That told me all I needed to know.

“About that ...” she began, but I didn’t let her finish. I jumped out of bed, threw on my pants and shirt, and bolted for the door. She protested, but I ignored her. I hammered down the stairs until I came into the main hall. It was usually lively, but now the windows were broken, and the front door had a hole in it. The hearth at the center was dim. One table was occupied by three people, mages. The same mages that had come with Sleet.

And then I saw him. The tall wizard sat at a table near the bar, and across from him was Maelor. The only other soul was the innkeeper Maron, who was sweeping up glass and other debris.

They all looked at me as soon as I came to a halt.

I slowly approached their table and scratched at my goatee while I powered through a particularly aggressive yawn. “Scuse me,” I told them as I sat down.

Sleet wouldn’t stop smiling. “It’s quite alright, Gryff.”

I nodded. Then I looked at him, then at Maelor, then at the mages, and at the damage, and then back to Maelor and Sleet. I folded my arms.

“So,” I began, “assuming I’m not still dreaming, which if I am please tell me, am I correct in guessing that the events of yesterday actually happened?”

“Yes, lad,” Maelor said through a burp. His eyes shifted down. “Many good people died, but you saved so many more.”

“I see.” I nodded. Honestly, the truth wasn’t a comfort. “Excuse me for a moment.” I stood up and walked over to the bar where I promptly hopped over the polished wood counter and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. I returned to the table, popped open the cork and downed several gulps of it, all with Maelor and mister Sleet gawking.

The burn was terrible, but I needed it desperately. I placed the bottle in front of me. “That’s better.”

Marangur Sleet simply laughed at that, while Maelor grumbled and shook his head like he was tired of my antics. That was probably true. I could be quite annoying if I really wanted to be.

“So,” I began, “what were we talking about? I think we’d been talking yesterday, and I don’t recall what about.” I could remember perfectly the conversation from the previous day, but I just needed him to say it, so I knew it definitively.

Mister Sleet took a sip of his coffee, then cleared his throat. “I believe I was telling you that you would be coming to my Academy, and then you fainted.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” I grabbed the whiskey and took two more large gulps. “To clarify, I passed out from exhaustion and mana drain. I didn’t faint.”

“Whatever you say, mister Gryff,” he replied with a smirk. “At any rate. We should be going soon. We have a—”

“Whoa whoa. Who said I agreed to go with you?”

“I did,” Maelor said.

“Why?” I pivoted and glared at the old man, who glared right back.

He ignored me, inclined his head to the wizard, and stood. “Pardon us, headmaster. I’m gonna have a chat with the lad ‘ere.” Before I could protest, he’d hooked his hand around my elbow and dragged me over to the stairwell. Again, before I could get a word out, he poked his fat fingers into my bare chest.

“You’re goin’. End of discussion.”

I slapped his hand away. “Why? I thought you hated the academy? You’ve never trusted them.”

“I don’t hate them. I dislike soft Enclave people who look down on us honest folk who do all the real work while they hide behind their cowardly walls, but I don’t hate them. And I don’t trust the academies, but we need them. It wasn’t right for me, but it’s right for you.”

“Maelor—”

“No arguing. You have a gift. Maybe you don’t know what you did out there, but summoners aren’t considered monster slayers. What you did can change that. You can change things.”

I didn’t understand what he meant. “But why aren’t summoners considered monster slayers? I thought they were all like me.”

“They’re not, and I don’t have time to have a discussion about it. Point is, you’re going with that headmaster, and you’re gonna show the world how great a summoner can really be.”

I grumbled, but I also wanted to make Maelor proud. If he wanted me to do this, I knew I should. “Fine.”

I was reasonably content with my life. I liked to help people, and building with my monsters was the only way I knew how. But if Maelor was right, if I could save lives and maybe show other summoners that they could be more than a laborer, who was I to turn that down? Plus, I’d always wanted to learn more about magic. I barely knew the principles behind what I did, as most of my knowledge had come from the field.

Maelor clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Good.”

We returned to the table, and I sat up straight. “I have decided to come with you.” I hadn’t decided anything, but as Maelor said, I was as stubborn as the seven-toed dog.

“Good to hear it.” He waved Anya over. “Now we should eat. Then you can get dressed, gather your things, say your goodbyes, and then we will be on our way.”

Without any further protest from me, we followed his lead. We ate a hearty helping of grits and ham, which was enough to get rid of the lingering whiskey effects. Once that was done, Maelor kept talking to mister Sleet while I went up to my room so I could pack. That wouldn’t take too long.

There was a time when Maelor and I stayed anchored in one place. For the better part of a decade after he rescued me, we stayed in the small hamlet of Njordenfalls, which is dominated by a lumber mill near a cute little waterfall. That’s where I’d learned most of my magical skills and grown up. It was a beautiful town, painting worthy. Some days I still ached to go back. But five years ago, Maelor thought we should lend our skills to the world, so we’d started to travel and build, or mine, or whatever was needed. And truthfully, I loved it.

Since we moved a lot, I didn’t have a lot in the way of possessions. It took me a scant few minutes to pack the three changes of clothes I had into my bag and pile the few books and mementos I had in as well. It pained me that I had practically nothing from my life before my parents died. But Maelor said our entire house had gone up in the flames, so all I had left of them was the copper band I wore around my neck, and a dagger with a burnt hilt that had belonged to my father. Not much, but I treasured both.

Once I was done, I slung my bag over my shoulder and made sure my bandoliers were nice and tight. I clasped my cloak firmly around my shoulders and tied my hair back into its familiar knot. I was ready to leave, or at least as ready as I’d ever been.

I heard a soft knock and turned to find Anya standing in the doorway with a sad smile painted across her face. “You’ll do amazing things at that Academy,” she said as she twisted her hands nervously.

“I certainly hope so.”

Before I could walk past her, she engulfed me in a hug. She almost cracked my back, and her breasts pressed so hard against my crystals that it couldn’t have been comfortable. Her grip was surprisingly strong despite how slight she was.

“Thank you for saving the town. We know you and Maelor work from town to town, so you had no obligation to help us, but … well, you’ll always have our gratitude.”

I hugged her back and failed to contain the smile that crept up on me. “I would do it again. I could never leave you to die.”

“Good,” she whispered into my neck. “The world needs more men like you.” She broke off her embrace, stood up on her toes, and planted a kiss on my cheek that oh so barely grazed my lips.

We looked at each other for a long moment, before we pressed our lips together. My hands tangled in her hair, and hers in mine. Her lips were soft and tasted like vanilla coffee. Our kisses grew hungrier, deeper, desperate.

I dropped my things and undid my bandoliers before I grabbed her around the waist and picked her up into my lap. With her in my arms, I stumbled back into the small chair behind me. We almost tipped out of it, but we barely noticed. Our kiss never stopped. I explored her flesh with my lips as I moved from hers. I started by nibbling at her ears, which elicited a low moan. Then I traveled down her neck, then to her shoulder, and lower still to her collarbone, kisses planted along the way.

She shuffled out of her tight top. Her large breasts spilled out, which only made me more excited. I continued to kiss and kiss while my hands explored the smooth contours of her back and grazed over her tight butt, and finally made their way to the soft and tender flesh of her breasts. I caressed and massaged them as she kissed me on the lips again, this time softer, more gently.

I broke off the kiss, gave her a peck on the lips, then worked back down to her breasts and wrapped my mouth around her nipples. She moaned loudly and whispered my name over and over as my tongue and mouth worked their magic.

My hands had begun to work off her gown. “Do you think we have enough time?” I asked as she pulled down my pants and gripped me, which sent a jolt down my spine and a smile on my face.

She kissed me long and deep. “Why don’t we find out, yeah?” she asked with a wink and a lustful sigh before she pushed me roughly onto the bed and climbed on top of me. Her hair fell around me, her breasts in my face. She eased herself down more gently onto me, and then I was inside of her.

All was right with my world for at least a little while.

When I looked out the window, the sun was still shallow in the sky. Not too much time had passed. I shuffled out of bed as quietly as I could and hastily pulled on my shirt, trousers, and cloak, then barely tied back my hair before finally pulling on and adjusting my belts and bandoliers. I was sure I still looked disheveled, and maybe even a tad sweaty, but I didn’t rightly care one way or another.

Anya stirred on the bed, her eye cracked open as she stifled a yawn. “Mmm, that was something.”

I cracked a wide grin. “Yeah, I’d say so.” Her flesh was still flushed and sweaty, her hair all over the place, but that didn’t stop her from looking beautiful. She stretched, her breasts fully exposed to the light and the Maker.

“Time for you to leave, I guess.”

“It would seem so,” I said with a nod.

She hopped out of bed and wrapped me in a fierce, naked hug. She whispered into my ear, “If you ever find yourself back here, don’t be a stranger.” She winked and then jumped back into bed and covered herself completely. I smiled widely like a drunken mule. That was one offer that I’d gladly take her up on. But that was not for today or for anytime soon. My life was changing, though for good or bad, I couldn’t yet say.

The mages and mister Sleet were waiting by the front door when I got downstairs, their faces bored and frustrated. They looked at me with annoyance. Anya’s father was nowhere to be seen, though it was a safe bet he’d gone to clean up and help around the town. It would take a lot of work before the town ever returned to a semblance of normalcy. I had my doubts that it ever would.

Maelor sat alone at the table from before. When he saw me, he grumbled, his frown intense. “Have fun? You sure took your sweet ass time, boy.”

I blushed and scratched my head. He knew what I’d been doing. “Uh sorry, I drifted back to sleep. Yesterday was tiring, you know?”

“Mhmm.”

I gave him a cheeky smile and he smacked me in the head, but I didn’t blame him. Then I looked back to him, and his expression had changed. I could see his sunken eyes, the sadness of my leaving. I swore if he cried, I’d lose it. I couldn’t remember a time where he’d shed a tear, so if he started now, I would sob like a fresh newborn. No one wanted to see that.

“You ready?” he asked.

“I don’t know, but I doubt that matters.”

He scratched his beard. “Yeah, I reckon you’re right about that.” He looked around and avoided my gaze. He cleared his throat. “I uh… I wanted to give you something of mine, as a parting gift.”

I put my hands up. “You don’t have to do that, old man.”

He rifled through his pockets. “No, no. I have to give this to you.” Before I could protest further, he pulled out a large essence crystal, brilliant and shimmering. Sharp as a dagger at both tips, it was exquisite, almost like jewelry. I didn’t feel worthy of holding it. Maelor stared at it for a while before he pinned me still with his eyes.

“This was my father’s. Then it became mine, and now it is yours. It’s never been much use to me, anyway.”

Despite my hesitation, my hand reached out and took the stone from him. I had no intention of summoning the monster, but as soon as my fingers wrapped around the warm surface of it, the shock of it almost made me drop it. What laid inside was far too powerful for me. I doubted that even the best summoners could control it.

“Maelor, this is a sun giant. I can’t—I can’t take this.”

He wouldn’t take it back though. “You can and you will,” he said with his hands behind his back. “Even if you can’t summon it, maybe it will bring you comfort to know that a bit of me will always be with you.”

Damn you, old man. I was the one on the verge of tears now. I knew I couldn’t argue with him, so I nodded and tucked the crystal away in an empty pouch on my back.

“Thank you, Maelor.”

He grabbed me by the back of my head and pulled me down to him so that our foreheads touched. “Make me proud, son. Show those snooty Enclave shits how we handle our business.”

I couldn’t suppress my laughter. “I will.” We hugged fiercely, and I thought I could even feel him cry, but when we pulled apart, his eyes were dry. I turned my back to him and strode toward the headmaster, who waited by the door expectantly with the other mages. I followed them out into the bright morning and into my new life.

Chapter 3

When I joined the headmaster and the others outside, I found the soldiers had gathered up a bunch of horses and were preparing their saddles while the mages stood around and watched them work. Typical. I looked around. The fire-eye corpse had already been picked clean by scavengers and science teams from the Enclave trying to harvest their parts and use them for some crazy experiment or invention.

The streets were practically deserted, but a few townspeople milled about in a daze, cleaning and working to fix their homes. The bodies were all gone. I didn’t know if they’d already buried the dead, but I would have liked to have been there. While I didn’t know everyone in town particularly well, there were a few that I was friendly with.

I turned my head to the airship, but then found that it was gone. That came as a blow, for though I was skeptical of this whole arrangement, I had at least been looking forward to flying for the first time.

“Where’d the airship go?” I asked mister Sleet.

He adjusted his collar. “She was called away for more pressing matters.”

I waited for him to explain further, but he declined to do so. My shoulders sagged. Oh well. I’d gone my whole life without experiencing the sensation of flight, and though waiting was not appealing, I was sure I could manage for now.

No airship meant that we’d likely travel by horse. I was not fond of that idea. I liked horses just fine, but they didn’t like me. Maelor said it was on account of the fact that I carried around all that monstrous energy inside my essence crystals. It was a plausible explanation, though I didn’t have the slightest clue if it was true.

The headmaster stood beside me. “Can you ride?”

I nodded. “Not particularly well, but I’ll manage.”

“Good. It’s a half day’s ride to Carvuule. From there, we’ll take a train to the Enclave. Hopefully, we’ll arrive right on time for dinner.”

That sounded like a fine plan to me. I wouldn’t be able to fly, but I’d never ridden a train, so at least I would get to have one new experience today.

We mounted up. Our horses were hardy stock from up north, tall and bulky. My mare bucked at my touch, as all horses did with me, but I reined her in after a few moments of struggling. I patted down her spotted brown and white coat and whispered nice things into her ear. She snorted, but I think we had an understanding.

With everyone saddled, we took off at a gallop. We soared over the plains, with not much but open fields for hours before we came to a bunch of hills around midday. There, the terrain was broken up by a scattering of small wooden groves atop each hill with open grassland between each. Occasionally I spotted the remains of small hamlets scattered amongst the hills. Whether they were the casualty of monster attacks or bandit raids, I couldn’t say. The end result was the same.

We made great time, so we slowed to a canter when we got to the hills. I itched for conversation, for though I liked the scenery, I grew bored easily. So I spurred my horse to sidle up next to the mages. Though they rode together and were huddled close to speak, they ceased their hushed conversation when I got close.

“What’re we talking about?” I asked a little too enthusiastically.

They glared at me. One of them, with a long red ponytail and thick swirly mustache, answered me. “Nothing that concerns you, flea.”

Flea? That was a new one. The mage had elemental robes, gold with blue trim over his leather armor. Arrogant, this one.

“How do you know it doesn’t concern me?”

The female mage, with short blonde braids and a permanent scowl, scoffed. “Because the house politics of Enclave noble families don’t concern the trivial pursuits of a yokel like you. Now, shoo.” She waved her hand at me.

I laughed and pulled back on my horse’s reins. “It must be very difficult and uncomfortable to ride a horse with that stick up your rear. I commend you for your perseverance.”

The flabbergasted and shocked look in her eyes was all the entertainment I needed for the next few hours. That said, I did try to talk to one of the soldiers. He took up the rear of our group. He had his eyes peeled all around, alert for any movement in the hills and trees, but fatigue and worry stooped his shoulders. A scar along his nose twitched every time he moved his head.

“Having fun back here?” I asked with a smile.

He shook his head. “Not here to have fun. Have to make sure we don’t get attacked by bandits. Lots of them camped out in these hills.”

I shrugged. “I feel like five mages can handle some bandits.”

“Not if they have rifles. They can pick you off before you can get a word out.” He looked ahead to his fellow soldier, then back to me. “Honestly, I’m bored like you, but I’ve gotten in trouble before for being distracted. I can’t risk another reprimand. I don’t need my rations decreased.”

“Fair enough.” I didn’t want to get this guy in trouble, so I went ahead and let him hold his vigil. I almost went to talk to mister Sleet, but he looked content reading a book in the saddle, so I occupied myself with watching the scenery.

When the hills ended and we caught a glimpse of Carvuule sitting at the edge of the Barrowvale Woods an hour later, I nearly whooped for joy. Carvuule was a modern town, not as big as an Enclave certainly, but still impressive. She had large brick walls and tall buildings made of stucco and river stone. Tall leaded windows and shallow gabled roofs with dark blue tile peaked out over the walls. A massive clocktower of golden brick soared over the rest of the town, and beneath it sat the train station.

As we rode through the gates my stomach grumbled again, and I looked around, wondering where we would get food. I was pleased when my ears were filled with the chatter of the market and the general din of conversations. After the lack of talk on the road, this was great, even if it wasn’t directed at me.

As we crossed the main square, a loud whistle sounded, which signaled the arrival of the train. Mister Sleet rode up next to me. “Are you hungry?”

My stomach rumbled again at that. “Yes sir, I definitely am. Will there be food on the train?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not, but it will be some time before we can board. The soldiers aboard need to unload the supplies that are being delivered. It shouldn’t take more than an hour, so we have time to grab some food.”

“Good, I could eat a whole troll.”

“That doesn’t surprise me one bit.” He chuckled and led us toward a nice little café along the square to get lunch. It had an open patio surrounded by lilacs and daisies. I took a seat at a table and was only mildly surprised when the headmaster sat with me. Better him than those other mages.

“Tea and your pheasant, please,” he said to the waitress that came to us.

“And some soup and a plate of your roasted vegetables, please,” I told her. I wasn’t usually one for tea, but I felt like it would go well with what I’d ordered. The waitress returned minutes later with our tea, and then a few more after that with my food.

As I dug in, the headmaster sipped his tea and asked, “Have you ever ridden a train, Gryff?”

“No, sir,” I said with a shake of my head, “only ever ridden a horse before.”

He took a bite out of his small pheasant. “Hmm. Well, I think you’ll enjoy it then. Trains are the most luxurious way to travel if I do say so.”

“Not airships?”

“Airships are … difficult,” he said thoughtfully. “The winds can make flight bumpy and uncomfortable. Though it’s easily the fastest means of transportation.” He looked off, almost in a daze. I could imagine him picturing flight. I wish I could.

“Huh. I’d still love to ride in an airship someday. To fly through the sky … I don’t care how bumpy it might be.”

Mister Sleet smirked. “It is an amazing experience, that much is true. You’ll likely get the chance one day soon.” That response made me beam.

We finished our meals soon after. We didn’t have to wait long before a loud whistle pierced the air. I’d never been on a train, but I’d certainly heard them, and I’d know their whistle any day. The headmaster said it was time to board, so we made our way to the train station, which was only a short walk from the café.

The train station was a quaint, single-story wood thing that seemed too small for the large metal engine that was parked next to it. The engine was a huge metal contraption with pipes and gears everywhere. At its center was a large glass storage orb that glowed and hummed. I couldn’t see through the light of it, but I knew a large essence crystal was suspended there, used to power the train. I’d heard rumors in one of the towns I’d worked in that the military was looking into coal power for train and airship use so that they wouldn’t be so reliant on monsters, but I couldn’t imagine anything being more powerful than an essence crystal.

We boarded the train cars. The car we were in had individual cabins for the passengers, whereas the next two cars were general seating for the soldiers. Beyond them were cargo cars. As I walked down the aisle, I couldn’t help but admire the ornate gas lamps that lined each door of the cabin, the intricate wood carvings on the doors and panels of monsters and battles. The carpet was soft beneath my boots. Mister Sleet was right. This was luxury.

The other mages all sat in one cabin, and when I stood there, unsure of where to go, the headmaster nudged me. “Pick any car you’d like. The ride should only be a few hours, so hopefully, we’ll get back right in time for dinner.” He gave me a grin and a wink, patted my shoulder, then moved past me to shake the hands of an older man in a crisp military uniform that I judged must belong to an officer. The pair slipped into a cabin.

Shrugging to myself, I tried a couple of doors, but they were both locked. I turned and pulled on the one behind me. It slid open with ease, and I stepped in it before I realized that there was someone already there.

“Oh, my mistake,” I said hastily. I was already out of the cabin when the passenger beckoned me back in.

“You’re fine, darling. You may sit with me.”

A woman’s voice. I turned back around and almost dropped my jaw. The woman that sat against the window was stunning in every sense of the word. She seemed about a decade my senior, maybe a tad more. Her luscious lips smiled widely at me, and her amber eyes seemed golden in the light. Her hair was like a jet of flame that spilled out behind her and over her shoulders. Her cheekbones were high, her jaw slender, and her frame statuesque.

I realized then that I was staring like an idiot. She blinked and cocked her head, though her smile didn’t leave. It only turned to amusement.

“Are you okay, dear?”

“Oh, yes,” I said as I tried to regain my composure. I smoothed down my coat. “S-sorry, you just look incredibly familiar. Are you from Norrush?” That was a lie, but it sounded smooth when it left my lips.

“No, I can’t say I have ever had the pleasure.” If she thought anything of my staring, she didn’t show it. It was likely that my reaction was a normal one for her. That was fine by me. I’d hate to make a bad first impression in front of such a lovely woman.

“Well, you should go. It has a marvelous view of the mountains. Though I’d say the view in front of me is far more exquisite.” I offered her my hand. “Gryff.”

She giggled. The sound made her seem years younger. “You flatter me, Gryff.” She extended her hand. “Arwyn Hamner. Charmed.”

I took her hand and gently planted a kiss upon it. Her skin was smooth and creamy, and the alluring scent of jasmine perfume swirled around her. Intoxicating.

“I’ll enjoy this ride, I’m sure,” I said with a wink.

I put down my things and took a seat across from her. She gave me one last smile before she returned her attention to the window. That left me with another chance to give her a once over. With this second glance, I could see she wore a billowing silk robe as white as the clouds and trimmed in red. I recognized the design as the mage robes of an adept, though if she was a healer or a matter manipulator or an enhancer, I couldn’t guess. She hadn’t been one of the mages that had come to Ralor’s Stead, but I assumed she was coming back to the Academy. A teacher, perhaps?

That thought still in my head, the train whistle blared again, but this time the train lurched forward suddenly. I was thrown almost on top of the miss, but I caught myself. As I recovered, the train had started to lumber forward, though it did so with a few bumps and lurched, and the wheels screeched on the tracks.

Arwyn chuckled. “First time on a train?”

“That obvious?”

“You’re fine, dear. Trains are always a bit rough at the start, but once they hit their speeds, it becomes a smooth ride.”

I nodded and looked out the window. Within minutes, the landscape zipped past. We must’ve been traveling as fast as a horse in full gallop, maybe faster.

Before long, Arwyn’s voice drew my attention back to her. “So, the headmaster wired ahead about you. I’ve never heard of a summoner doing what you did.”

Wired? I didn’t know what that meant, but I assumed it was some form of communication the military used. “Yeah, that’s what everyone keeps telling me.”

“I wish I could’ve seen it.”

I scoffed lightly. “Trust me, it wasn’t pretty. There were monsters and bodies everywhere, and I was scared out of my mind.”

“That’s natural. We fight a terrifying enemy, and you’re just a boy.”

“I’m twenty,” I replied.

She smiled again. “A young man, then. Doesn’t change how terrifying a monster attack can be. I should know.” She trailed off and lifted her robe, revealing her slender thighs. Right above her left knee were claw marks, a jagged messy scar. My burns itched impulsively at the sight of the old wound.

“Monsters do leave their marks,” I remarked.

“Indeed,” she replied, her eyes on the raised red flesh of my neck that peaked out beneath my collar. I didn’t usually like people to see it, but she put me at ease, and she’d been so forthcoming with her own scars. I wasn’t about to disrobe though … unless she wanted me to.

I wanted to talk some more, but when my eyes went back from the window to her, she was already consumed in a book. Oh well. I turned back to the passing landscape, to the distant hills and forests and far, far, far in the distance so that it was only a blurry bump on the horizon, the Red Mountains. For a while, I opened the window to feel the wind. It was warm and caressed my face. I stuck my hand out and let it ride the wind as we zipped by. Never had I experienced anything like it. If this was what a train felt like, then I couldn’t imagine being on an airship.

After a few minutes of that, I closed the window and just sat and watched the scenery. It didn’t take long for my eyes to droop from the idleness. I was still tired from the fighting after all. Within seconds, I was asleep.

Chapter 4

“Wake up, we’re here,” I heard Arwyn say as she nudged my foot. I groaned and wiped at my eyes. When I opened them and looked out the window, I jaw dropped.

It was the Enclave.

I’d seen a couple of Enclaves before from a distance, but none like Varle. It was known for having the largest walls in the world and it didn’t disappoint. The massive orange walls glinted in the setting sunlight as they reached for the clouds and encircled the city. Airships of different shapes and sizes hovered over the city, some coming and going while others hovered aimlessly, their rudders tethered to an unseen anchor.

There was only one building that peaked out over the walls, and that was a towering fortress of huge pointy-gabled towers. The snow-white marble walls glowed with the golden radiance of the sunset.

And as if she had sensed my thoughts, Arwyn said with pride, “That is the Academy.”

I gulped, nerves and eagerness ready to overcome me. We had arrived.

The train slowed as we approached the walls. The closer we got, the bigger it became. By the time moved through the tunnel that cut through the wall, the massive thing felt like a mountain. Trying to see that top only proved to hurt my eyes. The darkness of the tunnel was brief, but those few seconds told me that the wall was immensely wide as well. When we emerged back into the light and into the city proper, I gaped again.

Varle was divided into two hills that the city climbed up to reach, and the train cut them right down the middle. To my left was a mess of stucco and old stone houses, multiple stories stacked tightly atop one another. Cracked alabaster pillars and facades, long creases and cracks showing in the stucco. Many of the buildings were not square and had the tendency to lean as well as sitting at off angles to one another. Some were so bad that the roofs of adjacent buildings touched. These, I assumed, were the slums. They rose up a ways before being cut off by a smaller limestone wall. Beyond that were more polished brick homes, with steeper roofs and metal chimneys that smoke billowed from. Even with the window closed, I could make out the stench of the burning coal.

The buildings got progressively nicer the further up they went, until they ended at the peak with an elegant four-story mansion. That one had massive windows, a green tiled roof, and trim that glinted like gold even in the shadow of the wall. Whoever lived there must’ve been very important.

The build up on the academy’s hill was much nicer and more open, with many squares and what looked like markets. I spotted a few fountains and even a theatre. The base of the hill still had its run-down shacks, but it was far nicer than the other had been. It was obvious that the wealthy wanted to keep themselves separated from the pauper folk.

Our train ground to a halt once we reached the train station, which was far grander than the small one back in Carvuule. This one was a hub, a massive limestone behemoth of a structure as big as a warehouse. It had a glass ceiling that let in plenty of light and illuminated the several other trains and tracks.

As soon as we got off the train, the pungent scent of urine and garbage assaulted my nose.

Arwyn chuckled when she saw the look on my face. “Don’t mind that,” she said. “The slums don’t have the same access to plumbing as the other districts. We do our best to keep the smell down, but obviously it’s not working.”

“Obviously.”

“Don’t worry, the Academy smells immaculate.”

I bet it did.

As I came to find out, our train station was several levels. The top and bottom levels were for military use and government officials. The middle levels housed the tracks that led all throughout the city, trams for the common folk to get around faster. That must’ve been a relief for them, for I couldn’t imagine having to walk around this city. It was much too big for my liking.

We’d pulled in at the top platform, so we took a large metal lift down to the bottom. For military use only, of course. The Academy, being a branch of the military, had full access. We crammed aboard, myself, Arwyn, mister Sleet, the other mages, and a few officers, including the one from before that I saw with the headmaster.

The lift descended faster than I would have liked. My stomach dropped at the sudden plunge, and it took all I had to stifle a yelp. I didn’t need to look foolish in front of these people.

When we reached the bottom, I released a breath. “Bloody goat balls, that was fast.”

Arwyn gave me a puzzled look. “Pardon?”

“What?”

“You just said, bloody goat balls.”

I arched a brow. “Yeah. It’s an expression… well, more of a swear, but uh… do you not say that?”

She smirked. She batted her long lashes and held up her petite hand to stifle a laugh. “No, my dear. We do not.”

Ah, great. I looked away in embarrassment. I made myself a fool after all. I had the feeling that Enclave people were more different than I had thought. I hoped the differences weren’t too obvious.

We exited the lift and marched onto the open square at the base of the train station. Cobblestone covered every surface, and every bit of it was covered by people. The train square doubled as a market, so I marveled at the large bay windows of shops displaying their wares and the dozens of smaller vendors hawking their baubles from carts. I still could smell some foul things, but then I caught the whiff of roasted meat, which made my mouth water.

The soldiers with us cut a path to the far end of the square where several coaches waited, horses tethered and ready to ride. They were fancy, with metal frames and polished wood sidings.

Mister Sleet, who hadn’t acknowledged me since we boarded the train, tapped my shoulder. “You shall be with me, Mister Gryff.” I nodded and followed him to the closest carriage. A soldier opened the door for us, and I scooted in while the headmaster gave a handshake to the officer from earlier.

The coach was lush with leather and cushion. The walls were a green felt lining and soft to the touch, and the seats were a warm brown leather, even more comfortable than the train seats. After five years of walking and horse riding, I welcomed the opportunity to travel in style.

Despite the luxury of the coach, it was struggling for space. Arwyn followed me in and sat beside me, her elbows touched my own.

“It’s pretty cramped in here, ain’t it?” I said while trying to make myself more comfortable, but between the bags at my feet, the door to my right, and Arwyn to my left, I didn’t have much wiggle room.

“I would prefer to call it … cozy,” she replied suggestively with a wink. I could feel my face go red. No sooner than it started to fade did the headmaster decide to join us at last. He hauled himself in slowly and sat across from the miss and me. He saw how close that Arwyn and I sat, which earned me a smirk.

“Apologies for the lack of room. The streets of Varle can be very narrow, so larger carriages would get stuck.”

I shrugged. “Sir, I’ve slept in rooms smaller than this.”

“Well, you won’t have to any longer.”

With that, the driver snapped his reins and urged the horses on, and then the carriage lurched forward and put us on our way. I smiled. I didn’t mind sleeping in confined spaces since I’d done it my whole life, but having more room would be a pleasant change.

I was too mesmerized by the city as we climbed up the Academy hill to speak. The narrow streets were crammed with people of all backgrounds, soldiers and merchants, nobles and artisans. Some poor in rags, and others in fine fabrics. The shouts of barkers on every corner and work orders yelled from every shop filled the air. The acrid smell of waste waged war with the smell of cooked meats, the aroma of flowers, and the sweet scent of cherry wood smoke that billowed from a nearby shop.

We passed open squares and long avenues lined with statues. We passed a massive cathedral to the One True Maker, with its impossibly steep gabled roof and massive bell tower. Stained glass windows lined the side.

As we rose, the buildings grew nicer and cleaner, the architecture more complex, the stonework more detailed. The people wore finer things and there were more horse riders and carriages, which made our going more complicated and slow. There were fewer city guardsman patrolling the streets as opposed to the slums, and I saw more mages out and about.

Eventually, the climb began to even out and flatten, and the buildings ended and gave way to an open stretch of grass. I looked ahead and found that we had arrived.

A large, smooth marble wall ringed the entire peak of the hill, with the Academy housed inside. Half a dozen banners hung from the walls over the gatehouse. Each was a deep royal blue and adorned with the golden image of a wolf’s head surrounded by four stars, the flag of the Varle Enclave.

A massive wrought-iron gate was lifted for us to pass through. On the other side was the main campus. Various stone buildings with gilded iron trim and massive foggy windows lined the walls, with open courtyards ringed with trees in front of them. There were small dirt clearings scattered about, and I think I saw targets and dummies. We cut through all of it, for the boulevard went back a long way to the Academy proper.

The Academy rose up as we approached. It was even more impressive and far larger up close than I’d suspected. The main building was built in a pentagonal shape. Each point had a massive tower, the towers I’d spotted from the train. The building had to be six or seven stories, and there were far too many windows for me to count. But the real attraction was the entrance. Raised above a set of large stairs and curling banisters, and set between pairs of massive columns, were the doors.

These doors were black bark oak, with golden trim, handles, and hinges, and I could make out magnificent beasts, monsters, and magic carved into the dark surface. But those details paled in comparison to the sheer size of the doors. They were as wide as two of the coaches I sat in, and as tall as the fire-eye had been. I couldn’t imagine someone had to open and close these hulking things. It had to be magic.

I’d once been to a cathedral to the One True Maker like the one we’d just passed, with its deep alcoves and colorful stained-glass windows. I used to think that that was the greatest feat of architecture I’d ever seen, but I was wrong. The Varle Academy wasn’t just a school or a military fortress. It was art. It was a masterpiece.

We pulled up to the entrance. The driver got down and opened the door for us. I was the last to exit. Up close, the doors seemed even bigger. I realized that they weren’t as big as the fire-eye had been, but for doors, they were immense nonetheless. I gaped up at them and still hadn’t the slightest idea how they opened.

The headmaster answered that easily enough. He strode forward, pulled out a small essence crystal tied to a necklace that had been hidden beneath his robes, and waved it in front of the doors. With a groan, they rumbled outward, slowly. I could almost feel the weight of them, even with the magic. It was as I suspected. I then also realized that it could only be opened with a magical key, so I was essentially locked inside. I didn’t know if I liked that.

We followed him into an ornate foyer that smelled ripe with wealth and prestige. Alabaster columns sat in the corners of the room. Half a dozen marble statues of famous mages lined two of the walls. A wide hallway that went on to another large door a hundred paces back was in front of me, with a red-carpeted grand staircase flanking either side of it. This was only the foyer, so I couldn’t imagine what the rest of this place looked like.

“Welcome to your new home, mister Gryff,” the headmaster said, his hands clamped behind his back. “I do pray that your stay here will be pleasant and enlightening for all parties.” He smiled.

I nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

“You are welcome.” He turned his gaze to Arwyn. “Miss Hamner, I have things to attend to. Could you please show our new student here to admissions and get him sorted?”

She inclined her head. “Of course, headmaster.”

“Splendid,” He turned back to me. “Again, welcome to the Academy.” Then with a twirl, he strode away in a whoosh of fine satin and leather, and disappeared down one of the side halls to my left.

Arwyn patted my shoulder. “Come, we should get you sorted quickly. Dinner is about to start, and I don’t know about you, but train rides always leave me hungry.”

I nodded. The sound of dinner did make me excited, but I’d eaten at lunch, and I was used to skipping meals every once in a while. Maelor and I were paid well, but sometimes there was simply no work to be done, and when that was the case, there were no funds for eating.

Arwyn led me to the hallway to my right. Old brass sconces hung intermittently around portraits of what I assumed where famous mages. The nameplates were small, so I couldn’t read them at a glance, and though I knew of many famous mages, I couldn’t guess what they looked like.

We rounded a corner, went down a short hallway and came to a small wooden door with the image of a scroll and quill etched into the stone above it.

Arwyn knocked and opened the door before a reply could be given. I followed her in and caught my breath. The room was far larger than I’d expected. It was almost like a library, with shelves and shelves of leather-bound books and scrolls. A large chandelier hung overhead, and large bay windows at the head of the room cast the orange glow of dusk into it.

At the center was a large metal desk with stacks of paper scattered about. No one was present, though. Arwyn went up to the desk and rang a small bell, which chimed lightly and reverberated through the shelves. Moments later, I heard a clattering of books and the squeak of boots against the tile. A man about Arwyn’s age appeared from among the back shelves. He had on glasses, a grey three-button suit, and a nicely trimmed beard. He adjusted his glasses as he approached.

“Ah, Miss Hamner, a pleasure as always, what can I do for you?” his voice was high and his eyes bright as he cast a quick glance my way.

“Terrel, this is Gryff, the new student. Gryff, this is Terrel, our head of admissions and records. He’ll see to your books, rooming assignment, and class assignment.”

Terrel seemed enthused by the prospect. “Ah, you’re the summoner Headmaster Sleet wired me about. I’ve already prepared your things for you.” He bent down behind the desk and started to rifle through some papers. I could only blink. He appeared a moment later and piled a bunch of books atop the desk, as well as school supplies and a stack of folded uniforms, which looked almost as heavy as the books.

Arwyn grabbed a large blue robe from the top of the clothes. “You will want to put this one on now. These are your dining robes. I doubt you want to stick out in there.”

I supposed I didn’t. So I nodded, shrugged off my pack, and slipped on the robe. It felt bulky over my other coat, but it would have to do. From the brief spots where it touched my skin, the velvety fabric of it was divine. Cool in a pleasant way. Oh yes, I could get used to wearing things like this.

Seven bells boomed through the Academy suddenly, baritone and shaking. The dusk bells, I assumed.

Arwyn hooked her arm through mine. I almost flushed at her closeness. “That’s the dinner bell. All the students will have gathered already. Terrel, could you have his things delivered to his room, please?”

He nodded profusely. “Yes, ma’am.”

She beamed. “Thanks, dear.” It occurred to me then that Terrel was attracted to miss Hamner. That wasn’t so much a shock. I couldn’t imagine a man that wouldn’t be even a little bit infatuated with her.

We left the office and returned to the foyer, where we then took the large central hallway. The doors at the end of it were opened, and from within I could see that constant motion of bodies. That must’ve been the dining hall. We stopped at the entrance, where Arwyn unlocked her arm from mine.

“Well, here you are. Nervous?”

I gulped. “A little bit.”

She smiled and patted my cheek. “You’ll be fine, dear.”

She started to walk in, but I pulled her back briefly. “Wait, where will you eat?”

“Oh, sorry, Gryff, but I don’t eat with the students.” She gave me a once over with her golden amber eyes, then she smirked. “Not usually.” She walked away and into the mess of bodies. I sighed. I already missed her.

I took a deep breath, readied myself, and strode into the hall.

Chapter 5

The smell of various foods warring for dominance of my nose assaulted me. My mouth began to water. Silverware chinked and clanged, and above it all was the feverous din of dinner chatter. The hall rose up several stories about me and was supported by tall stone pillars. The room was awash in the warm glow of torches that hung from the pillars. There were five long tables with benches beneath that dominated the center of the room, and moving about the tables, sitting and eating, were my fellow students.

Big and small, man and woman, I estimated there to be about a hundred people. I saw mostly gold and white robes, each with different color variations in the trim that symbolized what type of mage they were. White for adepts, gold for elementals, and blue for summoner, though I didn’t see many of them.

To the left of the hall was the serving stand, so I headed for it. There wasn’t much of a line anymore since I appeared to be the last student to arrive. I waited behind a very tall man with a shaved head and white robes that towered over me. He picked up a metal tray from the counter, so I followed his lead. Then he started to pile his tray with food. There were vegetables, meats, breads, and everything I could ever want in a meal, so I dove in. I grabbed several pieces of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, dried fish chips, steamed broccoli, and other assorted vegetables. With the tray balanced in one hand, silverware and napkins along with them, I poached a large glass pint and filled it to the brim with mead.

Meal in hand, my legs carefully marched forward. I hadn’t the slightest idea of where to sit. Everyone was already in groups, hunched together eating and talking, and didn’t look at all inviting. I searched and searched and felt like an idiot as I stood there alone, but then my eyes found her.

A woman about my age sat alone at the far end of the middle table, closest to the main doors as she could be. I hadn’t noticed her when I’d walked in because I’d been too focused on the chaos of the scene, but she was perfect, and that was perfect for me. She wore gold elemental robes, but the trim was gold as well. I didn’t know what that meant. She had long ashen hair that she wore back in a long braid.

I walked over to the young woman and sat across from her. She’d barely touched her tray full of vegetables and a bowl of soup. She had a glass of water and a large textbook opened to read. Her finger followed the passage as she read along, but when I sat down, her head snapped up, and her eyes locked on mine.

She didn’t seem happy, but I didn’t care because she was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.

Piercing blue eyes stared daggers back at me, but I would have let them stab me if they could. Her thick lips were curled into a frown, her narrow eyes slits as she glared at me in suspicion. A small scar adorned her gentle jaw and tucked into her chin. Her nose was delicate, but her cheekbones were plump and defined. She took my breath away, but it was clear she wanted to do that quite literally.

“What do you want, summoner?” Her voice was beautiful, though she spat my title like a curse.

I dipped my spoon into my mashed potatoes and started to eat. “No one should eat alone,” I said between chews. She cringed and slammed her book shut. That drew the attention of more than a few pairs of eyes.

“Maybe I want to be in solitude.”

I shrugged and kept on eating. “No one likes being lonely.”

“I do.”

“Suit yourself.” I tried the broccoli. It was exquisite. And then the chicken … hmm. Cooked to perfection. The mead wasn’t the best, but who was I to judge what these city-folk liked to drink.

The girl arched a brow and eyed me incredulously. “Why are you still present?”

“You might be fine with eating alone, but I ain’t.”

She threw up her hands and grunted. “Maker preserve me.” She pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “And it’s ‘I’m not.’ Not ‘I ain’t’. Ain’t isn’t a word.”

“It is where I’m from, and you just used it in a sentence, so I reckon it’s a word now, ain’t it?” I gave her a cheeky smile. She gave me a glare that could cut diamonds.

“Your accent is atrocious,” she said and enunciated that word a little too deliberately. “What yokel sty are you from? Do you even use soap?” She meant that as an insult, but us free rangers took it as a point of pride that we could smell so bad after a hard day’s work. It meant we’d earned our keep.

“I’m from all over, lady.” I took another sip of my mead and swallowed the chicken I’d been eating. A lovely combination. “But if it really matters to ye, I don’t remember my birthplace on account of my parents and village being burnt and killed by monsters. But the man who rescued me raised me in this serene little lumber mill called Njordenfalls. Now, I don’t suppose a city girl like yourself would know where that is, but maybe you can find it on a map someday if you’re interested.”

She blinked only for a moment at the candor of my words, before she twisted her face at my tone. “You do know who I am, yes? And why no one sits with me?”

I blinked and chewed. “Nope. Can’t say I do. Should I? Like I said, I’m new.” I reached out my hand to shake. “I’m Gryff, by the way.”

The girl rolled her eyes and grunted, but she didn’t take my hand or give me her name. Before I could reply, someone walked up to me and nudged me with their shoulder. I protested and turned to the perpetrator. It was another student, one who wore the same golden robes as the girl. Jewelry and baubles adorned his attire all over. The trim of his robe was a blazing fire red.

He was arrogantly handsome and carried himself with a haughty air that told me he knew he was full of himself. He had long blonde hair that he kept loose and overflowing, though it didn’t look right, like it was dyed. His beady green eyes were like emeralds, so much so that I had to wonder if an adept had altered them. And of course, everything about his face was aristocratic and snooty. From his chiseled cheekbones to his sharp jaw and pointy chin and long nose, he looked like a handsome goblin, all sharp edges and points.

His small lips curved into a sneer when he looked at me. “Is this guy bothering you, Nia?” So that was her name. I liked it.

She smiled at him, but it had a condescending edge to it. “No, but you are, Gawain.”

He smirked. “Come now, lady Kenefick, you seem too lonely over here. I know I would be better company than …” He eyed me up and down and looked down his nose at me all the while. He looked disgusted. “... this one.” His attitude toward me was annoying, but her last name pricked a memory in my mind. I knew of the Keneficks, didn’t I?

Gawain slid his hand across the table toward Nia. That was unwise. In a flash, Nia scooped up her knife and plunged it into his hand. No, in between his fingers. He yelped, but he didn’t dare to move his hand. The room quieted and turned its collective attention our way. I wasn’t sure if I liked the eyes on me.

Nia’s eyes narrowed, and her lips curled into a snarl. She was still gorgeous, but she was sure terrifying in that moment. “I said. Leave. And take that shitty perfume with you.”

I smirked. I’d wondered what the nauseating scent was. Like roses, but way too much of it, so that it was overpowering and unpleasant.

The prick pulled his hand away and adjusted his insufferable red ascot. “It’s cologne,” he said, his voice meek as he tried to regain some dignity. He failed. The golden pins on his collar and the several necklaces he wore jangled as he twirled around and strode away.

Her cheeks were slightly puffed, and though her lips were pursed, she forced them into a smile. But I could see the murderous rage beneath the surface.

“Sorry about that,” she finally said and dropped her false smile.

“He seems like a real glass of curdled ogre milk.”

She blinked at me for a few seconds, as if she hadn’t heard me right. Then her face contorted into disgust. “Such a farm boy.”

I cocked my head and snorted. “Well, I don’t know where you think this food you’re graciously eating came from, but I can assure you that it was probably raised by a farm boy.”

Nia scoffed. “You are insufferable. Don’t you have anywhere else to be?”

“No. I’m not even sure where I am or where I’m going.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean? Go to your dorm.”

“I don’t know where it is. I’m new here.”

“Yeah, I’m new too but the semester is a month in, you should know--”

“No. I’m. New. As in, I just got here today.”

Her eyes, already narrow, were practically slits then. “You got here … today? No one starts at the Academy late.” She frowned. “Especially not some dumb farm boy.”

I couldn’t tell her the truth, for I doubted she would believe it, so I scrambled for a plausible excuse until I found one. It was hard to think with all the commotion. A few people had finished their meals and were already heading back to what I assumed were their rooms. After a moment, I managed to conjure a convincing fib.

“I’d meant to arrive on time, but I had to leave late because Maelor, the man who raised me, fell ill with fever right when I was to depart. I had to care for him, since I couldn’t afford a doctor. Once he was better, it took me a few weeks to travel here, since I don’t have the coin for a train or one of your fancy flying ships.”

Nia didn’t lose her frown or her suspicion, but she didn’t question me further. She sighed and stood from her seat. “Well, Gryff, as an ambassador of this school, I can’t allow a new student to simply wander the grounds aimlessly all night. No matter how deserving.”

I smiled at that.

“Come, I’ll show you around. But try not to talk much.”

I gave her a mocking bow. “As you wish, my lady.”

She snorted. I quickly scarfed down what remained of my food and followed her to return our trays and dispose of our waste. That done, she led me to the foyer.

“What’s your dorm number?” she asked.

I stared back at her blankly. “They … they didn’t tell me.”

“Of course,” Nia said with a groan. She grabbed my wrist roughly and yanked me after her. “Come on, yokel.” I should have been insulted, but I was just happy that she deemed me worthy of her time and touch. She brought me down the hall, back to the record’s office. She didn’t even knock, just barged in. Terrel was at his desk, reading through papers.

“Sir,” Nia began, “can you tell me where this boy’s room is?”

I coughed. “I’m a man …”

She glared at me. Terrel adjusted his glasses. “I certainly can, Lady Kenefick.” He opened a drawer, looked through it briefly, and then handed a small sheet to Nia. “There you are. Room 205 in Cornelius Hall.”

“Brilliant,” said Nia with a huff. “Come along.”

I thanked Terrel and followed after her. She led us back to the foyer and down the opposite hallway, where we took a few turns before we came to an open-aired walkway outside. There was a courtyard next to us, and beyond that a large circular building made of stacked arches that looked suspiciously similar to the great arena of Fargarden. But Nia didn’t point anything out. I guess she wasn’t really into being a tour guide.

We cut through a few more buildings before we came to an open field. Ahead was a line of long brick buildings built along the Academy walls. Nia and I cut across the field and veered to the right until we came to the final building in the row. It was only three stories, made of faded brick, with vines crawling up the sides.

Over the iron doors, a name was etched into the stucco: Cornelius.

Nia pulled open the doors and walked inside. I stayed a step behind her. The inside was plush, with red carpeting and warm gas lights that hung from the ceilings. The walls were wood paneled and very luxurious, and that was just the foyer. It was very open, with several areas covered in desks and sofas that were centered around two fireplaces on opposite walls. The common area I presumed.

“I think I can find my way from here, Nia.”

“Call me Kenefick and nothing else,” she snapped. “And I doubt it.” I shrugged, though I felt a little offended that she thought me that stupid. She looked at the paper, then led me up the stairs in the center of the room. The air was too quiet. There hadn’t been anyone present downstairs, so everyone must’ve still been at the dining hall.

Her name finally lodged into my memory. “So, you’re one of the Keneficks.”

She didn’t look at me. “I am. Now you know why I can’t associate with a lowly yokel farmhand like yourself.”

That stung, but now I was in even more awe. The Keneficks were legendary. They were the greatest heroes, the best mages. They’d been fighting monsters for three generations, since the beginning. Alvarus Kenefick had been one of the first people to discover the benefits of using essence crystals to power things. Emall Kenefick had led the charge at the first battle of Barly Grotto against the monster onslaught. The Keneficks were magic, myth, and hope. They were the greatest humanity had to offer.

And the most beautiful one had lowered herself to help me.

I wasn’t about to kiss her ass, but I appreciated her a bit more.

We took a right at a cross in the hallway and then a few paces later, we came to a wooden door, that had been like all the other wooden doors we’d passed, but this one had a brass plate on it that read 205. Also, all of my things were dumped next to the door. On top of the books was a key for the room. I took it and unlocked the door. I thought Nia would leave, but she scooped up my books and marched into my room like it was hers. I had to admit, though she was uppity, she was rather helpful.

The room was large and spacious, far bigger than any bedroom I’d ever stayed in. There were two four-poster beds with blue cotton covers against each wall. Next to them each was a large chest and a desk. The left side of the room was already occupied by whoever my roommate was. There was a door beyond that, and a light glowed from within.

The door slammed shut once we were in the room. It startled me. Nia chuckled, the first time I’d heard her make a sound that wasn’t negative.

“I’d heard the doors in here do that,” she said with a smirk. When she smiled, it made her glow all the more. She dropped my books on my desk. I slung my new uniform onto the bed, dropped my pack at the foot of it, and turned back to her.

“I appreciate the help, Kenefick.”

“Don’t mention it.” She glared. “I mean it, do not mention it. And no more sitting with me during dining hours.”

I put my hands up in surrender. “You win, your Highness.”

She scoffed. “Good night, Gryff.” She grabbed for the doorknob, but when she turned and pulled it, it wouldn’t budge. “What the?” She tried it again and again, each time using a bit more force, but it didn’t give. She gave it a resounding kick and snarled at it. I could only manage a chuckle.

“Looks like you're stuck with me, Lady Kenefick.”

“Maker help me,” she muttered.

Just then, the other door opened and in walked who I could only assume was my very large roommate. More ox than man, he came in shirtless which revealed his massive frame, with a torso corded in muscle, and a neck the size of my body. He only wore expensive looking silk night trousers but used a towel to wipe his face dry.

“You must be my new roommate,” he said through the towel. His voice was so deep that his throat seemed to rumble. “There’s a trick to the door, you have to--” He removed the towel, and when he saw Nia, he froze.

“Y-y-you’re… y-you.” He looked at me, his dark grey eyes wide. He had a square, pudgy face that looked as solid as stone. Large fat nose and big ears, everything about him was huge and muscular. I was in good shape, but next to him, I felt puny, but his reaction to Nia was strange.

“W-what i-i-i-is she d-d-doing here?” he stammered.

I cracked a grin and scratched my head, “Well, I, you see …”

His face flushed, his tanned skin turned red. “Oh …” He looked at Nia. “W-wow. F-f-first day and y-you g-g-g-get with a K-k—”

Nia was lighting fast. She whipped out a dagger from beneath her dining robes and had it pressed up against my roommate’s neck before he could even say her name.

“That was not what was happening here. I was just helping this idiot find his room, because he is an idiot. If you”—she turned and pointed the knife in my direction— “or you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will personally gut you and feed you to the monsters we practice on. Understand?”

I agreed. My roommate, despite his immense size, looked petrified. I didn’t blame him. He nodded like his life depended on it, which, judging by the look in her eyes, it did. Satisfied, she returned the dagger to wherever she kept it hidden. She grinned wickedly at my roommate.

“Good,” she said, then patted his cheek. “Now, you boys be good and don’t ever talk to me again.” All we could do was nod.

The sound of people outside in the hall made her curse. Instead of using the door, she crossed the room to the window, unlatched it, and hopped out without so much as a word or a look back at us. Never mind that we were on the second floor. I wasn’t worried at all for her though.

We stood frozen for a few more seconds before my roommate let out a long sigh. “Wow, that was something.” He ran a hand through his short cropped brown hair. His stammer was gone too. Must have been a nervous thing.

“Yeah, it was.”

He smiled, a big, broad, full-teeth smile. “Well, where are my manners and decorum? I’m Braden Flint. I didn’t expect to get a roommate, but it’ll be nice to have a friend.”

“I’m Gryff.” His grip was strong, no surprise.

“Sounds like you had one exciting first day if Nia Kenefick was involved,” he said.

I smirked. “You have no idea.”

Chapter 6

I was awoken by a loud knock on the door. As I groaned, sat up, and wiped my eyes, I found that only the faint glow of dawn came through the window, the sun not yet high enough to be seen over the walls. That meant that it was too early for school, according to what Braden had told me. I wasn’t a stranger to waking up at the crack of dawn to work, but that didn’t mean I liked it.

The knock came again. Braden didn’t budge, while his loud snores practically shook his bed. So I swung my legs out from under the sheets and onto the floor and made my way over the warm wood floor to the wall. I pulled on the doorknob and was annoyed when it didn’t open. I remembered what Braden had told me, so I pulled it to me and lifted up as I turned it. That did the trick, and the door opened with a creak. What a pain.

One of the general workers I’d spotted around the grounds stood before me. He was tall and lanky with a narrow face and small eyes. His black hair was slicked back. He wore a buttoned-up workman’s tunic with overalls on top. He looked just as tired as I felt, but we all had to do our jobs, didn’t we?

“The Headmaster requests your presence in his office before your classes.”

Of course. “Did he say why?”

The worker shook his head. “It’s not my place to question him. Get dressed, please.”

I closed the door on him and pulled out my uniform. All the men wore fine cashmere trousers and fine dress shirts with a ton of buttons and cufflinks. My trousers were navy blue, for my summoner status. The elementals got khaki, and the adepts had grey. It was odd how my uniform fit perfectly. Maybe the Headmaster had sized me once I’d passed out. That was an uncomfortable thought, but it was probably best that I didn’t bring it up in our meeting.

My summoner class robes weren’t as bulky or nice as the dining robes had been. This one was more like a nice jacket with a cloak attached. The material was thicker too, and more versatile. These robes were for everyday use, for combat and the like.

Once I was done, I gathered my bag and books. I didn’t fancy having to come all the way back here before class to retrieve them.

I opened the door and followed the worker. He led me out of the dorm and back to the main school building. At the main foyer, we went up the grand staircase to the second level and down that immediate hallway. It ran above the main hall that led to the dining hall, but it stopped a bit short at a narrow winding stairwell that led high up. I pictured the outside of the building and realized that this was the tall central tower.

The worker inclined his head to me. “The headmaster’s office is up there. Good day, summoner.”

He seemed really annoyed with me, or maybe he was just really tired and didn’t feel like dealing with anyone or anything. Either way, he left in a huff and strode away as fast as he could. I bet it wasn’t fun having to work for a bunch of magical Enclavers who looked down on anyone who wasn’t like them. Rough.

I made the long climb up the stairs. And it was a climb. It was the tallest point of the academy and took me more than ten minutes to reach the top. By the time I came to the smooth wooden door at the top, I was drained, and my uniform was stained with sweat. What a great look for my first day. How on earth did the headmaster make this climb multiple times a day? It had to be magic. I didn’t know what kind, but a man his age was not scaling those steps that often, not without help.

My breathing was labored, so I took a moment to catch my breath and wipe some of the sweat from my brow before I knocked. Once I felt a little more presentable, I rapped my knuckles against the door.

A pause, then a few seconds later, a muffled, “Come in.”

I pulled the door open and stepped inside. My breath caught in my throat.

Headmaster Sleet’s office was a wide, circular room, the walls lined from floor to pointed ceiling with books. The air smelled of leather and ancient pages, and I could just make out the fading scent of tobacco smoke. In between some of the bookcases were the mounted heads of monsters. All kinds, cyclopes, dragons, trolls, gagalleons, witherclaws, giants. I had the sense that he had personally dispatched each and every one. But the most spectacular sight was the wide window opposite me. It flooded the room with the light of the dawn.

Sitting just in front of that window, bathed in sunrise, was the headmaster at his large mahogany desk, stacked high with books, papers, and other administrative baubles.

Mister Sleet looked up at me from his book. “Good, I’m glad you got here quick. I’d hate for you to be late on your first day.”

I barely heard him as I moved past him and stood at the window. I looked down at the world before me.

His office overlooked the entirety of Varle. The cityscape stretched out before me like a brilliant mosaic. The sun rising over the walls painted the whole city in a serene orange glow. I could make out the silhouettes of the city, the various spires that rose from the richer districts, the cathedral we passed earlier, as well as a second one on the opposite hill. There were bell towers and dozens of tall, skinny spires to tether the airships. From here, the stationary airships looked so much bigger as they hovered nearby. If this was what it felt like to be so high up, then I couldn’t wait to fly in one of those contraptions.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” the headmaster asked behind me, his voice awed.

All I could do was nod. It was absolutely one of the most beautiful scenes I’d ever witnessed. I could see why someone might want to make that climb several times a day.

I knew I couldn’t stare at it all day though, so I stepped back and faced mister Sleet. “You wanted to see me?”

He nodded. “Yes,” he said and gestured at the chair in front of his desk. “Please, have a seat.” I did so. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together in front of him. “Do you know why you are here?”

“N-no? You just called me up here.”

He chuckled. “No, my boy. Do you know why you are at this Academy?”

“Oh.” I took a moment to gather my thoughts. “Because I’m a powerful mage?”

“Yes, but more than that, I brought you here because you can change things for the better.” He fixed me with a steely gaze that I swore could see right through me. Like he could read my heart and my soul.

“I don’t understand.”

“We have been using summoners all wrong. Or, at the minimum, we haven’t been maximizing their potential.” He stood up and pointed at all the monsters. “Summoners have traditionally been used to summon powerful monsters like these and use one ultimate attack to take down huge threats. But these beasts are difficult to control, even for the most skilled summoner, and it uses most of a summoner’s mana.”

“So, you don’t do what I do?”

He shook his head violently. “Not at all, like I told you earlier. No one does what you do. I’ve never seen someone control so many monsters at once, and the way you stack and combine their abilities to create something new and powerful. The way you adapted to your situation and cooly assessed the weaknesses of attacking monsters, that was special.”

I nodded as I started to realize how far off my view of magic and summoners actually was. “I never would have thought that I was different. I just did what felt natural.”

“That’s good. Your instincts are fantastic, and we need those same instincts to be instilled into future summoners.” He went and stood in front of the large windows, his hands behind his back. “Most summoners utilize simple monster labor, they build or mine or lift heavy things. Others perform support functions in battle. These are important in their own way, but what you did showed me that we could have a whole other class of mage that can level the playing field with the monsters.”

He came back to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “You, Gryff, you are change. You can give humanity a better chance against the monsters that we fight every day.”

That was a lot of responsibility. I still found it odd that what I did wasn’t normal. I just used common sense to combine my monster’s attacks and abilities. That didn’t sound too special to me.

“Well, why do you need me, specifically?” I asked, my eyes narrowed.

The Headmaster chuckled and shook his head. “We can’t just tell everyone what you did at that town. They wouldn’t believe it.”

“But you’re Marangur Sleet!” I shouted, my hands out. “You’re a legend and the headmaster of an Academy. I’d think that your word would have some sway.”

He crossed his arms and frowned. “It does, but you have to understand that summoners are looked down upon, seen as useless in a magical sense. Some things are so preposterous that it doesn’t matter who says it. That’s why I need you to prove them all wrong.”

“Prove them wrong?” I furrowed my brows and folded my arms.

“Yes. Show them what you can do. Make the grades, impress your teachers and fellow students. Make them take you seriously. That is the task that I have for you. Do you think you can handle that?”

Show up a bunch of elitist Enclave pricks? I sure could. “Yes, sir.”

He smiled. “Good. Now naturally, I can’t show you any special treatment, or this whole experiment fails. You understand?” I nodded. I wouldn’t need his help, anyway. “Excellent.” He clapped his hands together.

“Am I free to go now?”

He sat down and began to rifle through his papers. “Yes, yes. Petyr will show you to your first class. And would you like to use my lift instead of the stairs? They can be quite taxing to climb up and down.

I nearly sobbed. “Yes, I would appreciate that, Mister Sleet.”

He wagged his finger at me. “Ah, ah. It’s either Headmaster Sleet or just Headmaster. We have roles here on campus. Out there in the heat of things, we can be less formal, but let's try to play our parts well in here, hmm?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Good.” He pointed to a small door that I hadn’t noticed between two of the bookcases. “The lift is in there. I hope you have a wonderful first day at the Varle Academy of Magic, Mister Gryff.”

“Thank you, Headmaster.”

I stood from my seat and grabbed my bag. I opened the door and stepped into a small metal cage-like device. There was a button on the console to my right. There was no other lever or switch, so I pressed the button. The cage suddenly jerked and swayed, and my heart nearly dropped into my stomach. But it evened out, and I began to descend.

Even with the bumpy start, the way down was much more pleasant than the way up, and I arrived within a minute. So much better. I opened the waiting door and stepped out. The worker from before, Petyr, was waiting for me. He still scowled.

“Come,” he said. So I followed.

He led me to the foyer again, and this time we went down the hall that led to my dorm, but we took a right down one of the adjoining halls. Here I began to see students walking frantically, some that practically skipped. I cursed. Was I late already for my first day? It hadn’t felt like I’d been up there too long.

A couple of more turns and we came to another hallway, one that was narrow and dimly lit and ended in a single door that was wide open. I could see students sitting in desks within, and a familiar voice speaking over the class.

Petyr nodded and began to walk away without so much as a second glance. “Have fun, summoner.”

He needed to lighten up. Or drink. Maybe both of those.

My body was shot with nerves, but I had to get over them. So I cracked my neck, took a deep breath, and strode into the room.

It was in the shape of an oval, with a thick crown-molded overhand around the ceiling. The walls were lined with old maps, diagrams, and anatomical drawings of monsters for study. Two narrow windows let in the dim morning light. Of course, I only glanced at all of that. What really drew my attention were the twenty pairs of eyes that borrowed into me as I walked into the room.

As I scanned the faces that stared back at me, I spotted a few I recognized, like Nia, who sat in the very front and glared at me. Near her was that Gawain fellow who reeked of cologne. I could still smell it. I saw Braden sitting in the back, which was a relief to know that we shared this class. The rest of the faces were foreign to me, but that just meant more people to prove wrong.

Then I heard her voice, a joy. She was right in front of me, really. “Ah, Gryff, you made it. The headmaster said you might be late.”

Miss Arwyn. I tried my best not to gape at her. She wore white silk robes over a tight corseted shirt and a long skirt. Her hair was tied back. She looked incredible as ever, and she was my teacher. I should have realized that she was a teacher at the school when we arrived. I mean, it wasn’t as if she would have just been a regular worker.

I gave her an awkward wave as I walked into the room. “Hello.”

She smiled. “Gryff was supposed to be here at the start of the semester, but there were some… complications that delayed him. No matter, we’ll be sure to catch you up to speed.”

There were a few snickers from the class, some scoffs, and a lot of bored indifference. Miss Arwyn directed me to an empty desk in the back of the room, two seats removed from Braden. So I marched back there and looked as many people in the eye as I could and gave them smiles and nods. More scoffs, snorts, and eye rolls. That just fueled me.

I sat behind a man about my age, with slicked-back red hair and a thick beard of the same color. He had the white uniform of an adept, with deep grey trim. His nose was at an uncomfortable permanent angle. His light green eyes looked me up and down as I passed. He gave me a firm nod. I took a seat behind him. He quickly swiveled around and offered me his hand.

“Folli Dedarian, metalist.”

I shook his hand. “Gryff, as she just said. Obvious summoner.”

“Hmm.” His lips stayed at a line, but I thought I saw a hint of a smile. but before I could say anything more, he turned back around and faced the front. Oh well. I guessed it was time to learn.

The rest of the class passed in a blur. Arwyn explained that her class was more of a general studies introduction class, with such subjects as magical fundamentals, learning about general magic use and the different types, history, and so forth. Today was simply a history lesson, one that even my uneducated self knew about. Arwyn droned on about the first portals that appeared more than a century ago. It was at that same time that people began to demonstrate magical abilities.

“Now, for some extra credit, only one test point mind you, who can tell me the exact date of the first portal to appear?”

I was stumped. I knew the year but the actual day didn’t seem that important. A few hands went up, but one hand went up practically as Miss Arwyn asked the question. Nia.

“July 16th, 1790 be.” She said it so matter-of-factly, which I supposed it was. I knew this history well enough, but I knew virtually next to nothing about the bm period of world history, that being before magic and monsters.

“Very good, miss Kenefick.”

It went on like that for a while. Miss Arwyn would lecture, then ask a question, and Nia would answer immediately. There were a few that I even raised my hand for, but Nia was always first. It struck me that both Nia and Arwyn should have given someone else a chance to participate and show their knowledge, show that they’ve learned something, but what did I know? I wasn’t a teacher.

As I was taking notes, Arwyn asked another question. “What was the name of the first city to be erected ae?”

Nia’s hand naturally went up, so Arwyn called on her. “That would be Hartmire Enclave in 2 ae.”

“Incorrect, Miss Kenefick.”

A few muted gasps followed. The great Nia Kennefick got a question wrong? How scandalous. I had to suppress a snort. A few more people tried to answer.

Gawain, with an arrogant air, was next. “Varle Enclave.”

Miss Arwyn smiled. “That is incorrect, Mister Madox.” Gawain cursed. Now I really wanted to chuckle.

Another student raised their hand. This was a skinny guy, with long white robes over his uniform that looked too big for him. His messy brown hair needed a good brushing. His large nose seemed to bulge from under his glasses. “Would it be Garvesh Enclave?”

“It would not be, Mister Lansten. Come on, students, think well. I didn’t say the first Enclaves to be erected. I said the first city. Nia, Hartmire was the first Enclave, which was followed by Varle and then Garvesh, but again, I said city, not Enclave. Does anyone have an answer for me?”

I smirked as I realized that I did. I raised my hand and watched as all the eyes fell on me and watched with curiosity if the simple summoner could get it. Arwyn called on me.

“Terron’s Hope.”

“Very good, Gryff. That is indeed the correct answer.”

Some seemed impressed, and others scoffed. Nia frowned and cursed to herself. Clearly, she wasn’t used to having the wrong answer.

Gawain snorted angrily. “Well, well, looks like piggy has a brain.” A few chuckles at that. Arwyn either didn’t hear him or didn’t care, for she continued to lecture.

“Terron’s Hope was established months after the first monsters appeared, but we had yet to start using the magical stone that covers all Enclave walls today. A massive army of monsters beset that city in October of 1ae. The city was destroyed. A year later, Hartmire was founded, her walls lined with the magical xanyarstone that keeps us safe. Terron’s Hope was forgotten, for no one wanted to remember that briefly, our hope had been destroyed.”

I nodded along. She told it almost exactly the same way as Maelor. She didn’t talk about why some people didn’t go to the cities, though.  Back then, people lived all over. People lived free. With the advent of the monster attacks, people flocked together and created the Enclaves and hid behind their walls. Meanwhile, people like Maelor and me stayed out and got paid decent money to make sure the people in the Enclaves could live their safe and cushy lives. Maybe these mages didn’t know this, but I and most others who lived our lives bravely day to day knew.

We continued the history discussion for about another hour before Arwyn pivoted to a new subject. “Okay, now, let’s talk about portals. Turn to page thirty-five in your books.”

I perked up. This was something that I cared to learn. I flipped to the page that she said and scanned the title quickly. Chapter 2: The Anatomy of a Portal and How to Engage Them. Yes, these were things I needed. I knew enough about portals, about as much as any regular person would, but I was sure this class could tell me a lot more.

Arwyn clutched her notes in her hand and smiled as she scanned the room. “Now we will start with the basics. Portals only open during daylight hours. Why is that?”

Folli raised his hand in front of me. Arwyn nodded his way. “It’s because the moon hurts monsters. They can’t survive at night.”

“Very good, mister Dedarian. Who can close a portal and what they must do to do so?” Nia’s hand was the first to raise, no shock there, though not many raised their hands for this. I didn’t particularly know the answer either, so I listened closely when Arwyn called on her.

“Only banishers, adepts with the innate ability to channel monster energy like an essence crystal can do it,” she started matter-of-factly. “They do this by entering the Shadowscape through the portal and finding the Catalyst, which is the anchor that holds the portal open to our world. Once they funnel the energy from that into their bodies, the Catalyst breaks and closes the portal.”

“Excellent, miss Kenefick, and real quick, could you tell us what happens to the banisher once the portal closes?”

Nia gave her a confused look like it was an odd or stupid question, but the answer wasn’t obvious to me. “Well, they simply appear back in our world in the spot where they are in the Shadowscape.”

“Correct. I only ask because it is a commonly held belief that banishers and others who are in the Shadowscape are brought back through the portal when it closes, but in fact, they stay where they are. The Shadowscape is what leaves, for it is a dark mirror of our world. So let’s say the Catalyst is found in a field in the Shadowscape. Once the portal closes, the banisher will be in the real world version of that field.”

I frantically wrote down her words, along with everything Nia had said. From a cursory glance, I could see that all this information was in the book, but this was new for me, and I wanted to absorb it like a sponge.

In a blink, another hour had gone by. The clock that sat over her chalkboard chimed nine times for the ninth hour, and in the distance, I could hear the booming bell of the One True Maker’s cathedral going off in time with the clock. Arwyn stopped what she was saying and closed her notes.

“That’s it for today. We’ll continue our discussion next class.” Everyone started to gather their things. I placed my book into my bag and stood. “Be sure to read the next chapter by our next meeting. I might test you.” She shrugged and gave the class a coy smile. “Or I might not.”

We all filed out of the class. I could hear the gossip about me as I exited. The glances cast my way were more than obvious. Someone shoved my shoulder and moved past me.

“Move, summoner.” Gawain. I scoffed, but I didn’t say anything. I could handle pricks like him no problem.

“Don’t mind him,” Braden said as he came up next to me and draped a massive arm around my shoulders. “He’s all talk, but no bite.”

“I wish he had some bite, that way I could bite back,” I said as I glared at the back of Gawain’s head.

Braden gave me a nervous sidelong glance. “I wouldn’t want to fight an elemental, especially a fire mage.”

I would. “Well, maybe you and I are different. I want to throw that pile of roach shit in the garbage.”

Braden snorted and gave me a look. “That’s an odd thing to say.”

“Just something people would say where I’m from.”

We got to the end of the hall where it forked. Most of the other students, no, all of the others went left. We went right. I said as much to Braden.

“They’re going to their magical classes,” he said with a smirk. “As are we. Are you ready for your first summoner class?”

Oh? Yes, yes I was. Finally, something that I could really look forward to. Something that I was very good at.

“Bring it on,” I told him.

Chapter 7

Braden led me from the central school building and out to the grounds. We circled around the dining hall and emerged on the far side of campus, where there were several large fields of dirt and grass. There were some raised wooden platforms and another smaller ring that was lined with a rubber boundary. Most of the fields and open areas also had several dozen targets set up.

“Those are the practice fields,” Braden pointed out. “That’s where we practice with non-magical combat. Guns, bows, swords, hand to hand. You name it..”

“Good to know.”

He chuckled. “You’ll be seeing a lot of it.”

Great.

After the sparring and practice arenas, we came to a large building in the back of the academy that almost looked like a standard warehouse, but I knew better. The white gold stone that it was built from was xanyarstone, the magical brick that could repel monsters. At the bare minimum, those bricks were unbreakable, so monsters, no matter how large, strong, and magically powerful, were unable to get through them.

It’s the prime reason why so many people flooded to the Enclaves when they were built. They were the safest places to be.

Braden opened the door and went in, with me a step behind. The room we entered was a tall box, all stone and wood trim. It wasn’t the entire building though, only the front room. Large diagrams of monsters lined the walls, and some had writings on monster weaknesses and whatnot. That made me smile.

When we entered our classroom, there were a little more than a dozen desks facing the professor’s desk. However, there was only one other student inside, and she was seated beside where Braden and I sat down.

“Where’s the professor?” I asked Braden as I glanced at the only other student and wondered when the others would show up. I didn’t think we were early, but perhaps we were?

“The professor is late as always,” Braden replied with a shrug.

“Ah,” I said as I turned my attention to the other student. She had short auburn hair that was barely shoulder length and swept to one side. The reddish color of it complimented her golden skin. She seemed to be a few years younger than me.

“About time, Braden,” she began, her eyes down as she looked at her fingers. “How was class? Did I miss— Oh. Hello.” She finally noticed me and flashed me a smile that could melt steel. Her mouth was small, but that didn’t stop her smile from being brilliant with a hint of mischief. “I guess I did miss something important.”

Her large hazel eyes gave me a once over and resulted in a cheeky smirk. She had a small button nose that fit her face perfectly. Petite and pretty was the best way to summarize her, as was obvious when she hopped out of her seat and strode up to me. Her head barely reached the base of my neck. She put her hand out for me to shake.

“Layla Bethel,” she stated simply, “I didn’t realize we’d be getting another summoner. Thank goodness, ‘cause this big oaf is a big boring sack sometimes.”

“I appreciate that, Bethel,” Braden said with a grumble. That just made her smirk even harder.

“What’s your name? Where’re you from? Hmm?” she asked before I could even get a word in or shake her hand. I just blinked at her. She talked so fast that it was almost comical, but I found that it suited her perfectly, so I cracked a grin and shook her hand. Hers was dwarfed by mine.

“I’m Gryff.”

“The pleasure’s all yours,” she replied, then sat at her desk. Braden and I each took a seat around her as she kicked up her legs atop the desk.

“Why didn’t you come to class again?” Braden asked.

She yawned. “I wasn’t really feeling it this morning.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Don’t you care about getting in trouble, or not learning all you can?” Layla turned and stared at me incredulously. Then she snorted, which turned into a chortling laugh.

“That’s cute. But learning is not on the top of my list of priorities.”

“Then why are you here?” I asked with a hint of annoyance in my voice.

She swung her legs around so that she faced me fully. Her smirk was gone. “I don’t know if you know this, Gryff, but when it’s discovered that you have magical ability, you’re forced into the Academy. I was just living my meager excuse of a life when I found an essence crystal and accidentally summoned a troll. Scared the shit outta me and got me a ticket to this damned fluffy snob-house. Course, I can also use earth magic, but I don’t want to fight. I’d rather not die, and summoners don’t fight.” She smiled then. “So here we are.”

I guess I understood where she came from. I didn’t really have a choice in coming here, though I was now on board with why I was here. Her lack of motivation concerned me, but I couldn’t say I’d be much different if I was in her shoes. Yes, I hadn’t had a choice, but my mission was greater than myself. Layla didn’t have that, so I’d give her the benefit of the doubt. She seemed nice enough. I would just have to get over her lack of effort.

Before we could go further with our conversation, the door slammed open and in walked our professor. I immediately knew I was going to be disappointed.

He swayed with each step, which clearly told me he was either drunk or had a particularly wicked hangover. There was a flask in one hand and a large satchel in the other. From within it, I could hear the familiar clinking of essence crystals. A groan escaped him as he took a seat, which had to be squeezed into since the arms of it had trouble containing his girth.

“Good morning,” he began before burping obnoxiously. Even from where I sat, the ripe stench of alcohol breath reached me and caused my nose to scrunch up. It was vile. I was a fan of drinking, but not when it would affect my ability to work. Clearly, we didn’t share that same sentiment.

Everything about him was round, from his bulging gut to his fat chins and flabby cheeks. There were wrinkles on top of fat, even though he didn’t seem that old, and his brown hair was turning white in a hurry. His brown eyes struggled to look at me over his huge nose and his alcohol haze.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked with a hiccup and a few slurred words.

“I’m Gryff, sir.”

“Oi, the Headmaster didn’t tell me nothing about this.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you sure he didn’t? That doesn’t sound very headmaster-y of him.”

The professor scratched at his dirty summoner robe. “Ah hell, maybe he did. I’m still a tad sauced from last night.”

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, it was obvious to everyone on earth that he wasn’t sober.

He coughed and adjusted his robe. “Well, good to meet you Gryff. My name’s Rori, but you will call me Mister Brevens in this class. You got me?”

There wasn’t much to get, so I nodded.

“Good.” He turned away from us and started to flip through one of the books on his desk. His desk, unlike the tidy surface of Miss Arwyn’s or the ‘crammed with important books’ desk of the headmaster, was sparse, with only a few loose papers and a couple of textbooks with torn leather spines. He didn’t seem to care at all. Guess he and Layla had that in common.

Mister Brevens grumbled as he read through some papers before he stood and belched. “Alright, uhh … today we’re just gonna go over how to acquire monsters and then we’ll talk about some of the basic construction types for general labor, so it should be a nice and easy day.”

I furrowed my brow. Nice and easy? General labor? And I already knew how to get monsters. That’s not what I wanted to hear.

He scratched his belly as he started. “The most common way to acquire monsters is through crystals they drop when they are defeated in our world, among other materials such as blood, scales, skin, bones, and others. Whole towns can spring up around the bigger monsters when they fall, and the whole loot industry is a booming one, though the military is trying their best to impose stricter regulations.”

I frowned. I knew all of this, but who didn’t? It was common knowledge that smaller monsters mostly decayed into their crystals rather quickly when defeated, but the much larger ones simply died, their bodies decomposing at a more natural rate. In that time was when the harvesting began. It was useless information, but I took the notes like a good student. Maybe he would add something helpful.

“Anyway, most essence crystals only contain the latent energy of a monster, and that can then be used to power a myriad of things,” he said then paused to burp again. “But… s-sometimes ...” Another burp. “Sometimes, they can capture the monster themselves, as the monster tried to fade back into the ‘Scape, but instead was captured by its own crystalized energy.”

I rolled my eyes. I knew this.

“There’s a one in four chance that an essence crystal can contain a monster,” Brevens droned on, “so that’s why any good scav team worth their salt has at least one summoner on their payroll so they can identify if they do. Now, can any of you buggers tell me the other way to acquire monsters?”

None of us raised our hands. I knew how, but I didn’t wish to indulge him. His bloodshot eyes got annoyed. They unfortunately locked onto mine. Great.

“You, newbie. You got an answer for me?”

I stifled a snort and a groan. “Yessir,” I said with mock politeness that he didn’t pick up on. “You have to enter the Shadowscape itself with regular, unfilled essence crystals and capture the monsters as you defeat them.”

Rori coughed. “Correct. This is the more direct way of getting monsters, but obviously infinitely more dangerous, and it takes a few seconds of concentration to properly capture a defeated monster, so it’s hard to do in the middle of combat. Like the loot industry, there are whole companies that go into the ‘Scape to collect monsters, but this is highly illegal. The black market trade thrives, regardless.”

He droned on for a few more minutes about this stuff, mostly about prices and the different grades of crystals and how not to be scammed. It wasn't very helpful for a military summoner if you asked me. Finally, though, he gathered up his papers, adjusted his robe, and made for the door next to his desk.

“Come, time to go over the basic labor types of monsters,” he said. He waved for us to follow, so we did, though I was apprehensive. We exited the classroom and entered the warehouse proper. It felt even bigger from the inside, as the ceiling had glass windows built into it to allow for lots of natural light. There were fake trees set up in one section, a large mound of dirt and mud, and even a huge rocky edifice. What was all this for?

Mister Brevens dug through his bag. “Okay, so there are many varieties of monsters that are used for everyday construction and labor. They aren’t overly dangerous, are easy to control, plus they are generally easy to catch. If you don’t have any of these in your repertoire, then you’ll need to get them soon from the summoner vault, but for the time being, I’ll be demonstrating with my own.”

I didn’t like the sound of any of what he’d just said, and it didn’t help that he just breathed out the words as if it was a chore to even be there. Which, I guess it was for him. We walked over to the fake little forest. The teacher then tossed one of his crystals and an axe goblin appeared a moment later.

“This is your typical axe goblin,” he started, “Used by lumber teams everywhere, they can chop down a tree twice as fast as any human and don’t fatigue as we would.” I raised my hand. Rori looked at me funny like he couldn’t understand what I didn’t understand. “What?”

“Couldn’t you use a speed slug to make them go much faster? Because that’s what I do with my own.”

“Oh, you’re a lumberjack?”

I shrugged. “Among other things.”

“Well, you are correct, I suppose. That would help things go along faster if you can manage to catch a speed slug. They are fast after all.”

It wasn’t hard for me, but I didn’t point that out. He returned the axe goblin to its crystal, and then lead us to a large plot of bare earth in the middle of the room. He pulled out another crystal and chucked it. A flash and a puff of smoke later, and a large, bulking troll stood before us, though it wasn’t a normal one. Grey mush dripped from its pores and onto the ground. It was smaller than a regular troll and not as wide, but still towered over all of us. It was common amongst builders.

“This is a cementroll. Unlike its bigger, more powerful kin, these leak a sticky adhesive from their skin that hardens into a substance nearly identical to mortar or cement.” He looked at the monster and gave it a silent command. The troll bent down and scooped up a pile of its sticky excretion. It worked it in its hands before it solidified into the shape of a large brick.

“See, very helpful.” We started walking. “Now, the next one—”

“Uh, sir,” I interrupted. “Not that this isn’t important, because it is, I’ve worked in construction for the last five years. But shouldn’t we be learning to fight? I mean, we can make a difference. We don’t have to just build things.”

He scoffed. “That’s not what we learn here. Summoners don’t usually fight. Even when we do, we can’t contribute that much. If our one attack doesn’t land or doesn’t kill the monster, we become a liability.”

“But maybe that’s not the only way. You can’t tell me that this is all you want us to do.”

He glared and started to seethe. “I do. This is what we learn. We do not fight, Gryff.”

I started to lose my temper as well. “Why? Why can’t we fight? Why can’t we change things? The other mages get to be heroes, but we have to sit back and cheer them from the audience and take their ridicule? That’s a pile of troll shit and you know it … unless you’re a coward.”

Braden and Layla gasped at that final insulting insinuation.

“Okay, smartass,” he spat, his rancid breath a torrid assault on my nostrils. “You want to fight monsters, then let’s fight monsters.”

He dug into his back of essence crystals for a moment, his tongue out as he tried to find whatever he was looking for. After a moment, he found it. He grinned and pulled a large crystal free. It was a deep gray and seemed to swirl like a thundercloud ready to burst with rain. He gripped it tight then chucked it over our heads. With a flash and a heavy thump, the monster formed.

It had a serpent’s body, large and hulking like a basilisk, but that’s where the similarities ended. The head was vaguely humanoid, but massively fat, with rounded cheeks and chin, like a frog, the flesh sickly green with grey scales. Small spikes ran along its jaw. Two muscular arms as wide as Braden’s torso protruded right below the head. It shifted and jerked about unnaturally, and everything about it was terrifying.

It was a grey prowler, a rare and dangerous monster.

Its jaw unhinged and revealed several rows of tiny but incredibly sharp teeth. A long, leathery tongue sat coiled and ready to pounce. It reared back and roared, a sound like a horrifying mix between a strangled baby and a dying sheep. That unnatural sound made my skin crawl and the hairs on the back of my neck stand stock straight. Corrosive acid dripped from the prowler’s mouth and sizzled on the floor. Unlike the walls, it was not made of xanyarstone, and the acid melted a hole into it.

It was a monster that I couldn’t dream of summoning. I didn’t have the mana or the ability, but I knew I could still beat it.

It could move as any snake could, but it used its muscled arms to propel itself forward at an alarmingly fast speed instead. As it roared and barreled toward us, I grabbed an essence crystal from my belt and threw it.

With a flash, one of my wallerdons appeared in front of me. The grey prowler wasn’t deterred. It came to a halt, reared back, and gathered acid in its throat to strike, but I was faster. I threw out a bullet bass and made my wallerdon metal. The prowler spat and the acid splattered across my monster, but it didn’t go through. The metal held.

My wallerdon wouldn’t stop it forever. It was slow, and the prowler was fast and nimble.

The prowler bellowed with rage and wrapped its body around my monster. With what seemed like minimal effort, the prowler lifted the wallerdon with its tail and tossed it aside as if it weighed nothing. Wallerdons were the opposite of light, so the prowler was scary strong to be able to do that.

I didn’t know how far Rori would take this, but I wasn’t beat, and I wouldn’t let him win.

As the prowler clawed forward, I tossed out a sequence of essence crystals. First, I summoned a daggerdillo and then paired it with a bullet bass and a speed slug, one of my favorite combinations. The daggerdillo’s now metal body glinted in the light. The prowler didn’t care as it charged with that heart-wrenching wail of its, but I intended to make it stop.

As it neared, I gave my order. The daggerdillo launched its spiky quills, but with the enhanced speed of the speed slug, they were more bullets than spikes. They shot out of the monster with a speed and rate of fire that guns could only dream of achieving. The bullet spikes tore into the prowler, which wailed in pain before it unceremoniously evaporated in a flash of light.

Silence hung thick in the air while I recalled my monsters. I didn’t need to look at Braden or Layla to feel their shock and disbelief. But I did look at Rori’s face, and I drank in that look of stunned stupidity. He couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. There was no anger in his eyes, just bewilderment. My anger, however, had not left me. I pointed to the spot where the prowler had “died.”

“That,” I spat with as much venom as I could muster, “is what a summoner can do, what a summoner can be. But either you’re too drunk to see it, or you’re just afraid.”

Mister Rori stuttered and tried to gather the words for a response, his flabby cheeks and jowls wiggling as he did. His face became flustered. I doubted that he’d been challenged by a student in years, but I wouldn’t put up with it. The headmaster was right, summoning needed a change on a fundamental level, and I was the one who had to do it.

His search for a response failed. I put up a hand to stop him. “Don’t bother. There’s nothing you can say. Have fun with your class.” I turned and strode out of the training arena. I knew we still had time left in class, but I wouldn’t be able to handle him if I stayed, and I was afraid of how I would react if I did. I didn’t have a temper, but any man can lash out if pushed too far.

So, I stormed away and put as much distance between me and the pretend summoners as I could.

Chapter 8

I cooled off the rest of the day in my dorm and read that chapter in the textbook that Arwyn assigned. I read it, but my mind was not in it, since my thoughts were still on Rori and the others and what I had to do. Convincing everyone that summoners could be better was going to be harder than I thought.

If there was a rule that I needed to attend dinner, then I broke it, for I didn’t want to deal with anyone. As much as I wanted to eat, the thought of people made me gag.

Dinner came and went, and I knew that I needed to at least get out and do something. I caught a whiff of myself from the cool night breeze that wafted through my open window. I wished I could have spared myself from my own stench. It seemed like I had a reason to leave my room then.

Minutes later, I had my things in arm and on the way to the bathhouse. As it turned out, the baths were right by my dorm, so it didn’t take me long at all to arrive. That was convenient, to say the least.

I swallowed hard as I came to the Academy bathhouse. It was tall and monolithic, with large polished brick walls surrounded by columns and an ornate stone awning that was more aesthetic than structural. Large granite steps led up to a wide set of iron doors that hung open. I’d never used a public bathhouse before, as I preferred the solitary wash behind an inn or a cold dunk in a nearby stream or river. If the baths were co-ed, maybe I’d be more excited, but that was simply asking for too much.

The foyer was more of a parlor, with cushioned seats and a small dining area. I couldn’t imagine who was eating in here, but I guessed rich Enclavers liked to have options. The walls were all wood paneling and red leather, with lush curtains draped over each panel. Again, no functional purpose, but I guess it looked good. The whole scene reminded me of a painting of a luxurious brothel I’d seen hanging in a tavern once, so maybe brothels and rich bathhouses had the same atmosphere.

Two hallways angled off in opposite directions. There were a couple of my fellow female students that milled about the hall on the right. They wore long satin bathrobes and gave me a long, disdainful glance before they disappeared down that hall. So I knew not to go down that one unless I wanted to die a slow and painful death.

I started down the other hall.

It curved for a few paces before it opened with a twirl of more satin curtains. I moved them aside and came into the baths.

It was incredibly bright, with the near white pale green glow of the gaslights reflected off the white tile. That and it was accented by the layer of steam that covered the air like a suffocating cloud. I stood there for only moments and was already sweaty.

The room was tall, two or three floors high, with an open air ceiling, but smaller walls segmented off the room. Each one had a different bath within. Benches and cubbies lined the walls and pools for students to put their things. I saw a few more doorways that led off to who knew where. Private baths perhaps? The prospect was tempting, but I also didn’t want to intrude on someone if I were right.

The first pool was occupied by eight other men, fragmented into several groups. They gave me long glances as I walked by but otherwise didn’t say a word. The next bath was even more crowded, with at least two dozen other men lounging, bathing, and in various stages of dressing and undressing. No one spared me a glance, so I went on to the next one.

This one was blessedly only occupied by four others. Two sat together and chuckled at each other. The other two sat separately on their own, one with eyes closed and head back as he enjoyed the hot water, while the other was in the middle of bathing. I averted my eyes and quickly found a cubby to store my clothes. I wasn’t shy, but that didn’t mean I had to sit and watch. That would be odd. Now, if they were ladies …

I stripped off my shirt and trousers, covered myself with a towel, then walked over to the closest bench and placed my soap and washcloth there before I finally dropped my towel and stepped into the pool.

The heat made me flinch, but I acclimated quickly. I slipped slowly into the water, which made me sigh with comfort. The heat caressed my sore muscles. I needed this since I hadn’t taken a warm bath in … well, years. Warm water was a luxury that few outside the Enclaves could claim to have, so my opportunities were very few and far between. This was going to be here for me every day. This Academy sure was something.

As my body soaked, I untied my hair and let it breathe, and leaned my head back against the tiled edge and put my arms back against it too. Eyes closed, I took a deep breath. Yes, this was exactly what I needed. After such a long first day, and the immense disappointment of my summoner class … a break was already necessary

I didn’t want to be upset with Braden or Layla. They seemed like decent enough people, and they were taught how to summon and how to use their abilities like everyone else. I just had a hard time coming to grips with the truth of what the headmaster had told me. I’d always thought of summoners no differently than elementals or adepts. I’d always believed they were like me, that they could improvise and actually be effective at something more than labor. That was ignorance though. My eyes had been closed before, and now they were wide open.

I shouldn’t be mad at the others. I needed to show them the correct path, the better path. Like the headmaster wanted.

Rori, however … I couldn’t help but be frustrated with him. It was obvious to me that he’d once given a damn about summoning. He’d given up, let the system tear him down. Now he was a bitter, lazy drunk who didn’t care about summoning or his students. Perhaps I was only angry, not seeing the whole truth, but just the thought of his rancid alcohol breath, his slurs … I wanted to slap at the water, but I didn’t. I should be the damn teacher in that class.

Someone disturbed the water next to me. I cracked open an eye to see Braden’s massive form sliding into the pool beside me. I stifled a groan. No, it’s not him I’m angry at, I had to remind myself. Still, I wasn’t overly fond of bathing with other people, but I sincerely doubted I could get him to leave. It wasn’t like I could avoid him, we did room together after all.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked, a little late since he’d already joined me.

I closed my eyes again. “Sure, big guy, sure.”

He sighed as he settled in. He was a tad too close, so I scooted a fraction. I didn’t need us being too familiar.

We sat in silence for a while, which was fine by me. All I could hear was the gentle sloshing of the water, the whispers and chuckles of the other men near us, and the cackling splashing of one of the bigger groups at one of the other pools. Thank goodness I decided not to go in those. For a moment, I thought I heard some squeals and giggles come from the women’s baths, but I shook my head and chalked that up to my imagination.

After a blessed few minutes of silence, Braden broke it. “That was amazing what you did in class.”

I didn’t open my eyes when I shrugged. “It was nothing.”

“It was far from nothing, Gryff. You killed Professor Rori’s grey prowler! I mean, I’ve never seen a summoner do that.”

“Well, I hope you get to see a lot more of that, because I aim to make summoning a much more relevant and respected art.”

“I don’t know about that, but it would sure be something.”

I opened my eyes and narrowed them at him. “Why did you become a summoner, Braden?”

He pondered it a moment. “I learned young that I could use magic, but I was never one for fighting or confrontation. I just want to help people, so I became a summoner. My monsters can make people’s lives easier, take away some of the physical burdens our society demands of them.”

“That’s as noble a cause as any I suppose.” I meant it. I’d been doing what he just described for the last five years, and Maelor had done that his entire life. Helping people was what drove me, and I was glad to see that Braden thought and acted the same way. But I wasn’t one to shy from a fight, so if I could help others by fighting and by showing that summoners could be more, could help more, then I would do it.

I couldn’t blame him though, for how many people were like me? Not many, as I was swiftly finding out.

“If you had the opportunity,” I began, “would you fight against the monsters, help people in that sense if you had the capability?”

He froze. “I-I … I don’t k-know.” He was nervous. He’d been nervous or frightened in class too. “Truthfully Gryff, monsters terrify me. Even my own.”

My jaw practically fell off, that’s how far my mouth opened. “Then, why on earth are you a summoner?”

He smirked. “I told you, I want to help people, and I was never any good with the other forms of magic. And yes, monsters scare me. What they are, what they’ve done and continue to do … I think it’s crazy that more people aren’t as frightened as I am. But I want to get better. I want to overcome my fear so that I can be of better help to everyone.”

I gave him a long look. Here this guy was, laying his soul out to me, his hopes and fears. I’d only known him for a day and had already felt an array of conflicting emotions towards him, it was astounding. He was physically strong yet in some ways seemed like a coward. The reality was that he was strong in so many more ways. Not many people actively deal with the thing that terrifies them just so they can overcome their fears. And for the simple goal of helping others? No, that wasn’t common, and I realized then that neither was Braden Flint.

“Well, Braden, I aim to give you and all future summoners a chance to fight. A choice.”

“May we reach our goals.”

We both smiled, and if we’d had drinks, we would have clinked them together. But all we had was steam, soap, and dirty bath water, so a solid nod was all we could muster.

We properly bathed after that. I sloshed over to my own corner in a thinly veiled attempt at some privacy, though I came to realize that privacy wasn’t exactly a big thing at the Academy. It certainly wouldn’t exist between Braden and me, so it was best if I just stopped giving a damn. But I could do that another day.

We were about to leave when a gaggle of laughs and slapping feet came around the separation wall. Three more boys, with wicked sneers and gleaming teeth, and I recognized all of them, but the one in the middle of the little group was the one that I dreaded seeing the most.

Gawain.

He sauntered over to me, still fully dressed. I only barely had time to pull on my towel before he started his mouth.

“Look at this, boys, a yokel taking a bath. Tell me, is this the first time you’ve ever seen clean water?”

I smirked. “I could ask you the same thing. With all that nasty cologne you wear, one might think that maybe you’re trying to mask your own stink.”

His lips pressed into a thin line with only the bare hint of a grin. “Hm, he’s a joker. I like that.” He folded his arms behind his back and got right up in my face. Even with the steam, I could still smell his cologne. I wondered if maybe I’d hit on the truth a little too hard.

“You can joke all you want, pig,” he began, his grin turned to a sneer, “but you’re a hick, and a summoner at that. Know your place amongst your betters, and maybe you won’t get hurt.”

“Alright, Gawain, that’s enough,” Braden said as he came between us. He put a hand on Gawain’s chest and gave it a subtle push. Gawain didn’t like that.

He slapped Braden’s hand away. “Don’t touch me, Flint. You’re a disgrace to your family, being a lowly summoner. Your father must be rolling in his grave knowing what you chose to become.”

Woah. I didn’t know about Braden’s father, and I didn’t know what Gawain meant by his insult, but I knew you shouldn’t speak ill of someone’s family like that. Braden didn’t look ready to fight. He just stood still, the hurt and shock in his eyes clear as day. He could flatten Gawain if he wanted, but I’d already figured out that that wasn’t Braden’s style.

I pulled Braden back and stood in front of him. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, you piss-reeking goat-kisser? Braden would crush you if he so chose.”

“Oh yeah? And why doesn’t he?”

“Because he doesn’t hit women.”

Gawain chuckled to his friends and pointed at me. “That’s real funny. You’re a funny guy, Gryff.” He turned away from me for a moment and began to walk back with his friends, but then he twirled right back around and got real close. “Oh, and if I ever see you talking to Nia again, you’ll get a beating.”

I laughed. “Nia would prefer to be called Kenefick, and you couldn’t beat me if you tried.” Gawain was an impressive specimen, the way his muscles bulged against his shirt. He had a hair on me too, but I doubted this pampered shit had ever been in a real fight in his life. Me? I got in a drunken scrape at a tavern on a near-weekly basis.

He ignored my challenge. “Stay away from her.”

“That will be hard since she showed me to my room last night and confided in me about how much she despises you.” I knew he’d believe that, for I’d seen him watch us leave the dining hall together, though whether he’d believe the latter statement was debatable. He seethed. I guessed I struck a nerve.

Like I thought, he was predictable. He swung, but I ducked his punch and planted a firm kick right to his chest. He flailed back and tumbled into the bath, clothes and all. I laughed as hard as I could.

As his friends ran to help him, he rose out of the water, his very expensive clothes clinging to him. “Why you son of a—”

“Bye!” I yelled. Braden and I gathered up our clothes and took off. We paused briefly to throw on our trousers, then we were out of the bathhouse and running across the grounds back to Cornelius.

“That was amazing!” Braden said with a whoop.

“Yes, it was. That’s how you deal with pricks like him.”

He chuckled. “You must teach me your ways, oh wise one.”

I cracked a devilish grin. Oh, I intended to.

Chapter 9

The next day was general combat training. Instead of going to Arwyn’s classroom after breakfast, we marched out to the numerous training fields in the back of the grounds near where our summoner training room was. It was cool that morning, but I was sure that I would be drenched in sweat within an hour. I walked with Braden and Layla in the back of the class. My body was tense and ready for the training, as physical activity was a love of mine.

“How long will we be out here,” I asked them.

“It’s an all-day exercise. Every three days, though plenty practice on their down times,” Braden explained.

“Okay,” I said with a chuckle.

Braden looked at me with a raised brow. “What’s funny?”

I stifled my laugh and made my smile fade to a line. “Nothing at all,” I replied, which wasn’t true at all. I found that amusing, for I couldn’t imagine all these snobby noble people doing hard physical activity for the entire day. I, on the other hand, did it for a living.

I mean, my monsters did, but I helped.

We all shed our bulky dining robes and uniform jackets. Braden had told me that morning to wear the exercise uniform I’d been given, and I wasn’t about to argue. Calling it a uniform was generous though as it was simply a cotton shirt, mine was summoner blue of course, and an incredibly stretchy and light pair of shorts. It was made of polyester, some new material that I’d never heard of. Whatever it was, it effortlessly combined comfort and mobility.

There were two teachers present, a man and a woman, who looked us over with equally discerning gazes. Both of them eyed me at the same time, which sent a chill down my spine. The man was tall and bony, with skin that seemed to tightly stretch across his face, revealing the obvious bone structure beneath. He didn’t look unhealthy, just … pointy. Shaved head, groomed beard, and a crisp green uniform, he seemed every bit the no-nonsense military man.

The woman was older, perhaps the same age as the headmaster. Her hair was graying and tied back in a severe bun. Her features, soft and rounded, stood in contrast with her steel eyes which burrowed into each of us with scrutiny. She had obvious laugh lines etched into her face, but I had the feeling that she didn’t laugh much.

She and the officer looked at me up and down. The woman crossed her arms. “You must be the new student, I presume?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m Gryff.”

Her lips set at a sharp line. “Very good. I am Mrs. Gerelda, your archery and firearms instructor.”

“And I’m Major Tytus Jareck,” said the man with a tad too much enthusiasm. “I shall make sure you can handle yourself in close quarters situations.” He extended his hand to shake. I took it, and his grip nearly broke my fingers. Jareck frowned. “We’ll need to work on that handshake.”

Yeah, that’s what needed fixing.

They divided the class in two. Half went with Major Jareck and the other half, my half, went with Mrs. Gerelda. Braden and Layla both managed to be with me, along with Nia, though we also had the misfortune of having Gawain in our grouping. But Mrs. Gerelda didn’t look like the type of person who would put up with his shit. I could only hope, for I was sure he was still bitter about the events at the baths last night.

The start of the training was at the firing range to practice with guns. It was a long open corridor with a dozen straw mannequins for shooting. We were all given a long rifle, the kind with a quick reload lever. It was much better than the old musket Maelor had me practice with back before I discovered my summoning ability. I could shoot a rifle just fine, though it had been years, so I was probably rusty.

And rusty I was. As the others popped off shot after shot and hit their targets, mine kept missing by several feet. I growled to myself. I didn’t need everyone to think I was a crap shot.

As the students worked, Mrs. Gerelda spoke to each of them and gave them pointers. She eventually made her way to me. I thought she’d chastise me, but she was calm and instructive.

“You need to breathe in as you aim, out as you pull the trigger,” she said. Then she grabbed the butt of the gun and pushed it higher and more firmly against my shoulder. “Hold it like that, the kick won’t hurt as much.”

I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

I did as she told me. I calmed my breathing, took in a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. My bullet hit the mannequin on the outer ring of the target this time. I smiled. That wasn’t a bullseye, but it was a marked improvement over missing completely. The teacher smiled next to me, an image that made me feel good. She liked to see genuine improvement.

“Good,” she commented, then moved on to Braden next to me.

Yeah, that was good. It was nice to have a teacher that was good at their job and cared about their students’ learning. Arwyn and Gerelda were good, Rori … not so much. Time would tell for my other professors, but I hoped they would actually put forth an effort like those two.

We practiced for about an hour before we moved on to archery. I never hit the center of the bullseye with the gun, but by the end, I’d gotten close, within the final ring to the center. I’d get the bullseye soon. Not bad, considering I saw Layla and a few others do about the same as me with their targets. Nia was flawless, of course, and Gawain was close behind her with his aim. Braden was surprisingly accurate as well.

We moved a few steps to the archery pitch, where a dozen circular straw targets stood. A bit more old-fashioned than the mannequins, but I supposed they’d do.

Unlike firearms, I was skilled with a bow. Maelor taught me to hunt since living in Njordenfalls as a child meant that we went long stretches without trading with other people, so we had to catch our own food. And on the road between jobs, it was best to conserve money and live off the land. So I was a good shot, to say the least. I wasn’t the best, Nia was naturally, but I could hold my own.

I was so good that Mrs. Gerelda simply nodded with a smirk as she passed me, pleased with my skill. She was less enthusiastic about Braden and Layla’s skills with the bow. What really made me happy though was the fact that Gawain was downright dreadful with it.

“You’re rubbish, Maddox,” Layla yelled at him.

Gawain’s face twisted into a sneer. “Shut your mouth, you gutter trash.”

Mrs. Gerelda came up behind him and swatted the back of his head, her glare like ice. “You shut your mouth. You have no room to speak. Now, extend your elbow like I told you, or leave.”

Layla guffawed, spittle flying from her as she laughed. She turned to me, her smile bright and cheeky. “It’s our fifth training day, and he can’t shoot at all. He can barely draw the string back and fire it.”

I smiled. “That is such a blessing to see.”

“Right?” It really was.

Braden chimed, “The sorry image of him fumbling to knock an arrow is enough to lift me through this day.”

We all shared a loud laugh that only made Gawain angrier.

After another hour of archery, we broke for lunch. When we returned, our two groups switched instructors. It was our turn with the Major.

He led us over to the raised platforms I’d seen earlier. They were sparring arenas, or at least I assumed they were. Next to them were racks of wooden practice swords and fencing blades with rubber tips. He began to pair everyone off to spar together, but when it came time for me to get a partner, there were none left. Our group had eleven people, so I was the odd man out. I sensed that he’d done that intentionally.

As the others stretched and began to spar, the major grabbed one of the wooden swords and tossed it to me. “You ever use a sword before?” he asked. I caught the weapon in one hand and held it comfortably in my grip.

“A little bit. The man who raised me taught me enough to defend myself if need be.” That was true, though like with firearms, I’d quit trying to learn those when I could use my monsters to defend me, so it’d been a couple of years more or less since I’d properly practiced with a blade. Perhaps I shouldn’t have neglected that, but I couldn’t change the past as much as I’d like to.

He seemed to take that at face value. “Have you ever used it in a serious situation?”

I snorted. “As opposed to what, a non-serious sword-requiring situation?” I meant it to be funny, but his stony glare told me that he didn’t find it at all amusing. I cleared my throat. “Sorry, sir, uh, no, I have not had actual fighting experience.”

He nodded, considered the situation for a moment, then picked up another sword for himself and took up a fighting stance. I did the same. Knees bent and loose, legs shoulder width apart, both hands firmly on the hilt and sword held aloft in front of me. Yeah, I still remembered enough.

The major assessed me. “Your stance is good, but you’re holding the sword too high. Let your elbows bend, so you don’t tire yourself too quickly.”

I did as he said. Immediately, I felt the weight of the sword lessen as I had more leverage with it. It wasn’t like this sword was that heavy, but it was obvious that it would make a difference with an actual sword.

From there, the major walked me through a series of moves, most of which I remembered the basics of from Maelor but needed fine tuning. Thrusts, jabs, parries, feints, and all sorts of other maneuvers. Whenever I messed up, he’d whack my arm, not enough to seriously injure me, but enough to leave a bruise. It was agonizing but effective. I was not keen on making mistakes, that was for sure.

As our lesson went on, it reminded me of Maelor, of all the things he’d taught me, the things he’d ingrained in my mind. The memories, the skills, the loves. I missed him terribly then. It had only been a couple of days since I last saw him, but it would be a long time going forward before I got the opportunity to see him again. And would I find him? Would he keep roaming and laboring for people, or would he return to Njordenfalls? I had no way of knowing.

But I did know that I missed all his lessons, physical, mental, and moral.

The sword segment of our training ended before long, so we moved to hand-to-hand combat. Instead of pairing us off to spar individually, we all gathered around a wide and circular stone platform with a rubber ring that surrounded it. There was a high chair set up next to it, near where the major stood and crossed his arms.

“Bethel, Vallel, enter the ring,” he said.

Layla rolled up her sleeves and entered the ring, followed by a scrawny man with high cheekbones and balding brown hair, even though he seemed too young to be balding. Kernan Vallel was his name if I recalled correctly. A healer, like Arwyn. He stripped off his shirt and stood opposite of Layla, and the major moved to stand between them.

“You two know the rules, but they bear repeating. No eye gouging, hair pulling, or below the belt shots. Understood?”

They nodded, which satisfied him. He turned and climbed into his high chair. Once upon his perch, he produced a small brass bell that I hadn’t noticed sitting atop the seat and gave it a ring.

“Begin.”

Layla was fast. She charged in with reckless abandon, but reckless she was not. Her lithe frame made her agile. Vallel wasn’t particularly big, but certainly larger than her, but it didn’t matter here. I could tell immediately that the fight would be quick. Layla had a ferocity that poured off from her.

She lunged at him. He threw up his arms to block, but she was already dancing around him as he fell for her feint. Behind him, she had the advantage. Faster than I gave him credit for, he swung his elbow back and nearly caught Layla on the chin, but she ducked his blow and knocked his arm away. He tried to backhand her with the other arm, but she caught the offending limb and wrenched it behind his back painfully. She wrapped her legs around his torso and pulled him to the ground, his face red with pain.

With his free arm, he tapped the ground. The major rung his bell. Over that quickly. That was a disappointment from an entertainment standpoint.

“Good work, Bethel,” the major said.

Layla beamed and practically skipped out of the ring. I smirked. Maybe she wasn’t super motivated to die fighting monsters, but I had to hand it to her, she had some skills.

The major cleared his throat and surveyed the rest of us. When his eyes found mine, I knew it was my turn. “Gryff, Kenefick, into the ring.”

Oh, hell. Of course, it would be her. I didn’t particularly want to hit her, for I didn’t like to fight women, especially ones as pretty as her, but I didn’t have a choice. Plus, this was another opportunity to show that I belonged.

I stepped into the ring opposite of Nia and threw off my shirt. Layla and a few other girls whistled, though I didn’t know if they were being sincere or not. I stretched my arms and legs, the bruises from the sword practice making me ache, but I could manage. Nia did some light stretches as well, but she didn’t look at all bothered, though she never looked bothered by anything. She was always in control.

It was my turn to add a little more adversity into her otherwise perfect student routine.

Major Jareck came up to us, his lips set in a vicious line as he stared at me. “In case you weren’t listening earlier,” he said to me and not Nia, “there are a few rules. No eye gouging, hair pulling, or shots below the belt. Even though in a life or death situation, those would be permitted, but here, we play things safe and by the books. You got me?”

I nodded. I’d been paying attention the entire time, but he knew what kind of student Nia was. I was still the unknown yokel boy. Safe and by the books? I wanted to scoff. So we’d be playing to Nia’s strengths, but that didn’t matter. I wasn’t much of a hair puller or eye gouger, though I’ll admit that I’ve kicked my fair share of crotches. Still, I could restrain myself.

Jareck turned away and retreated to his high chair, where he would referee the fight. He picked up the small brass bell at his side and gave it a ring. “Begin.”

We circled each other. Nia’s eyes narrowed with concentration. She took deep breaths and had her fists up in a very formal but effective style. Legs shoulder width apart, shoulders squared. She was trained, that was for sure. I had no doubt that she was a very skilled opponent. Sure, I wasn’t good at swords or guns, and only moderately successful in archery, but hand-to-hand bare-knuckles brawls? That was my forte. Other than summoning, of course.

Nia wouldn’t attack though, she was too careful to make the first move. I anticipated that, and I didn’t mind setting the tone.

I kept my fists up and arms loose as I eased into her space. I threw a couple of punches and she dodged them easily as I’d thought. I backed off; her turn. She jabbed twice, fast as can be, but I blocked with my forearms easily enough. Immediately following the second jab, she brought an uppercut, but I was fast, and she was more confident than she needed to be. I caught the fist, pushed down on it, and used my momentum to launch a twirling kick at her. She dodged at the last second, my foot missing her head, but I connected with her shoulder and sent her sprawling.

The crowd of students let out a murmur of awe, but I didn’t let that distract me. As Nia stumbled back from my blow, I charged and tackled her around the waist. We tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs, but I wasn’t able to get a good grip on her. She was slippery, fast, and far stronger than she looked. She used the momentum of our roll to throw me off with ease.

I bounced to my feet just as she was attacking with fists and knees. I blocked them, but a knee did catch my ribs, making my breath hitch. The pain was terrible, but it didn’t feel like my rib was broken.

She tried to kick again, but I sidestepped her and back handed, my knuckles dragging across her face. She flailed away with a yelp. I would have felt bad for that since I wasn’t used to fighting women, but the pain in my ribs took away all my sympathy.

We backed away from each other and panted as we nursed our injuries. The throbbing in my ribs lessened, though it would hinder me a lot more than the small cut my knuckle had caused on her cheek.

Nia glared at me, her teeth bared. “What kind of fighting style is that?” she demanded. “It’s so sloppy and all over the place.”

I offered a smirk. “It’s called bar fighting, Lady Kenefick, and it’s much more applicable to the real world than your uptight boxing.”

She grunted, not at all amused. She charged me and swung, and I ducked it, but she had a second blow much faster than the first. It connected with my jaw and spun me around. The pain was jarring, like a jolt that locked my limbs up momentarily. Yeah, she was certainly stronger than she looked.

Nia came at me again as I recovered, but I looked more hurt than I was, and she left herself too open. She cocked back to swing, but I kicked her in the hip. It wasn’t enough to hurt her but enough to make her rethink her angry assault. She retreated and paced around me. Good, I needed a breather too. Blood spilled down my lip, I must have bitten my tongue but I’d been too caught up in the moment to notice.

I was tired from all the training under the heat of the sun. My body ached all over, so I knew I needed to end this. I barreled at her like an enraged bull. She probably thought that was clumsy, but I was smarter and faster than she gave me credit for. I faked a swing that she didn’t bite on, then feigned to the left. She took the bait that time, shifting her defenses and leaving her wide open to my real attack. I tackled her low around the waist, picked her up, and drove her into the ground.

She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. I pinned her beneath me and tried to wrestle her into submission, but she managed to put her arms up to block. I got her in the ribs, payback from earlier, but I didn’t put all my force into it because, at the end of the day, we were just training, after all. I connected with her collar and shoulder, which elicited some groans of pain, but she didn’t give in, not that I really expected her to.

“Give up, you’ve lost, Lady Kenefick.”

She seethed, but beneath it was a subtle grin, “Not bad, farm boy, but I have not lost yet, and I will certainly not concede to the likes of you.”

I rolled my eyes and kept up my assault. She really needed to relax sometimes.

I was going to win though, I wouldn’t let her take the advantage. I didn’t want to seriously hurt her, but I wouldn’t take a loss here. I managed to pin her arms, but then, oddly enough, her face contorted in confusion and she stopped struggling.

I felt a shift in the air. The crowd of students quieted and stared all around them with uncertainty. A few of them lifted their noses and sniffed, which was odd, but then I smelled a stench so acrid and foul that it made me want to gag. Nia smelt it too, for she turned up her nose and tried to cover it with her palm, the fight momentarily forgotten.

“What the hell?” I asked.

I got my answer a moment later when the ring shook and split. Then the air seemed to tear as a portal opened up like a gaping wound in the afternoon, a black void to the monstrous hell that was the Shadowscape. A portal, here, inside of the magically sealed city and Academy. How was that possible?

Nia threw me off of her. “Move.” Then she was on her feet, her hands crackling with electricity, ready to fight. The strange ethereal border that lined the edge of the portal, that lined every portal, was a blazing deep red, meaning that a monster would come out any second. The students scattered, and Mister Jareck, who was a military officer and not a mage of any sort, escorted them away.

But it was clear to me that Nia had no intention of moving. She would face whatever the hell came out of there, and she did exactly that.

Nia turned back to me, her gaze stern and determined. “Get out of here. I’ll hold off whatever comes out before a banisher can come and close it.”

“No way,” I shot back with a frown, “I won’t leave you to fight alone.”

She growled. “What help would you be, summoner? You’ll just be in my way.”

No, I wouldn’t. I ran from her and out of the ring, just as she said, but I wasn’t running from that fight. I gathered up my bandoliers and belts from where I’d lain them by my bag and books. I didn’t even have time for a shirt as I slipped them on. The leather was hot to the touch, and they felt too loose without a shirt or coat, but it would have to do. I returned to Nia’s side, who gave me a glare.

A moment later, a triceblite emerged from the portal, like an elephant from the west, but it stood upright and had a third tusk that protruded from its forehead. Its skin was a gross yellow. It stamped its massive foot down and made the arena floor beneath it crack. Nia didn’t waste any time. She sent a volley of fireballs at it. They hit the mark, but the monster seemed more annoyed than anything. So with a flourish of her hands, she summoned a bolt of lightning that seemed to rival the sun and destroy my ears as she directed it at the beast. It arched through its body with a convulsing jolt before the triceblite exploded in a wave of blood. It showered over the both of us, but I was too stunned to care about the warmth and stickiness of it.

With the monster dead, she turned her fury back to me. “I told you to leave!”

“And you’re not the one in charge here.”

“You frustrating idiot! Can’t you see what’s happening?”

“Yes! And we need to keep the monsters in there from crossing over, where they’ll be much stronger. So either come with me, or go get help.”

With that, I did probably the most reckless thing I’d ever done in my life. I leapt into the portal and crossed into the Shadowscape.

Chapter 10

I’d heard all the stories, all the rumors about what the Shadowscape was like. I’d listened to witnesses tell their stories and heard liars tell their tall tales. But as I stood here now, I found that none of those stories did it justice. I had crossed into the realm of death and monsters, and it was beyond anything I could have imagined.

The stories said that the Shadowscape was a twisted shadow of our world, but that only scratched the surface.

I stood in the sparring ring, but the stone was cracked and broken beneath me. The grass of the fields was black, burnt, and ruined. Around me was all the same and not the same. The Academy walls still stood but were torn asunder. So too were the dorms, the bathhouse, and the summoner training arena, all in similar states of decay and ruin. I turned completely and faced the central school building. Gaping holes littered the once pristine walls. The grand towers that ringed the structure were shallow husks, some cleaved completely off, and the roof of the headmaster’s office tower was torn free.

The sky was a dark gray, with hints of blue and green. Thunder roared in the distance, though I never caught a glimpse of lightning. There were no stars nor was there a moon. It was equal parts chilly and unbearably humid, the oxymoronic nature of the feeling enough to drive a man mad. Oddly enough, despite the darkness, I could see perfectly well. Everything about this place was wrong.

Above all, the smell threatened to overwhelm me. Under it all like a foundation was the familiar acrid odor of the rifts, but amplified by a million other things, all of the worst things our world could muster thrown into one stench. It was death—rancid, like wet earth and decaying flesh. It was pain, like hot blood and a festering wound. It was sadness, dark and depthless. Hopelessness, misery, anger, more, all combined into a stench that could kill. I wanted to gag and retch, but I had to stay strong.

The tales of men driven to madness from prolonged exposure to this place made sense now. They were true, and they were terrifying.

What had I gotten myself into?

Something ripped behind me, like a fabric being shorn in two. The rift. It sagged and waved and suddenly Nia came through the black void of it and stood before me. Her eyes were aflame with rage as she looked at me, but they quickly dimmed as she took in her surroundings. She did a complete turnaround as I had. I didn’t blame her, the scene was a lot to take in.

Once she processed the situation, her brow furrowed, and her lips curled into a frown. I was about to get yelled at.

“What the fuck are you doing?” she asked, her words like venom. She spat a little by accident. “You just jumped into a portal.”

“It seems that you did too.”

“Yeah, to get you!”

I crossed my arms. “I didn’t ask you to do that, Miss Kenefick.”

“Yes, you did!”

“Eh, I think my wording was a tad more ambiguous than that. I was giving you options.”

She threw up her hands. “I should incinerate you right now.”

“I reckon that would defeat the purpose you comin’ in here after me.”

She grunted and growled, her eyes enraged. It would have been amusing to poke fun at her some more, but we weren’t really in the right setting for friendly barbs. We were in a type of hell, after all. For that same reason, I found it odd that there weren’t any monsters around, none that I could see anyway. After the one that had come through moments ago, I assumed there would be a gaggle more behind it, but we seemed to be alone.

“Where are the monsters at?” I asked.

Nia scoffed. “They’re around, summoner. The real question is, how did a portal get opened up in the middle of Academy grounds?”

“That’s also a good question.” The Academy walls, as well as the Enclave walls and many other buildings, were made of xanyarstone, so it was supposed to be impossible for portals to open within their perimeter. Yet, here we were.

Nia looked me up and down, her cool gaze calculating. She pursed her lips. “You won’t go back, will you?”

“Not a chance.”

She sighed. “Fine, summoner. Just try not to get in my way and keep a lookout. We can’t let any monsters get through this portal before a trained banisher can come close it.”

As Arwyn had taught us in our class yesterday, banishers were the mages who could close portals and, on occasions, open them. They were in high demand and exceedingly rare. Every team of mages dispatched to deal with a monster threat was supposed to have one. That being said, I worried if there were any at the Academy. If they were all out on missions, then Nia and I might be in for a long vigil over this gate. Arwyn had made no mention of there being any on staff.

Of course, if a banisher was to close the rift, they would need to find the Catalyst within it first. The glowing stone that acted as the anchor for Shadowscape rifts had to be nearby, but we simply couldn’t just leave the gate unguarded to look for it.

Before I could think to offer a solution, the ground rumbled, followed by a roar and loud stomping. We turned in the direction of the sound as a section of wall from the dining hall burst open in a spray of debris. A shadow loomed through the cloud of destruction that followed, and what came out of it was horrifying.

The monster looked like a giant goblin, but it had strange bulges and seams that ran all along its torso as if it had been haphazardly stitched together. Some of its skin looked rotted and burnt, and there were scars all over its limbs. Whatever it was, it shambled toward us at an alarming speed despite its awkward gait. It screamed the whole way, a wet and gargled sound that made my every one of the hairs on my body stand straight up.

Nia pushed me aside and clapped her hands together, which made the sky rumble with energy. A sudden bolt of lightning struck her, but it didn’t hurt her. Instead, she absorbed the energy and directed it out through her extended arm. The arching tendrils of electricity raced along her arm, through her wrist, then her hand, and finally shot out of her index finger. The stream of lightning jolted out from her and at the monster.

Right before it hit, the monster’s body bulged and divided.

As the attack went right through the space where the monster had been, I watched in horror as the seams and stitches of its body got torn away to reveal squirming creatures within. They crawled out of its stomach like little evil babies clawing their way out of their mother’s womb. Only, these weren’t babies, they were goblins.

I looked to Nia as they bounded to their feet and tested their limbs, very much like infants. Her eyes were wide as she looked just as horrified by the grotesque scene as I was.

Watching the monsters didn’t help us, so I clutched a handful of smaller crystals from my bandolier and threw them to meet the incoming enemies. As I did so, Nia let off a torrent of flame that incinerated one of the goblins. A moment later, two of my axe goblins appeared with speed slugs on their backs. The goblins spun at incredible speeds, like spinning tops with blades attached. They tore through the regular goblins in a spray of black blood and guts. As the monsters collapsed to the ground, their mangled bodies began to disintegrate and fade.

I looked at Nia for an answer. Thankfully, she had one. “Monsters cannot be killed permanently in here,” she began as she looked on at the monsters in disgust. “They regenerate and respawn, though where they will turn up is unknown.”

“Great.” I cracked my knuckles, ready for whatever came next.

Another rumble came. This time, the ruins of the bathhouse crumbled ahead of us, and out of the destruction came more or less what I’d expected. Dozens of monsters leapt out and charged at us, their excited, blood-lust fueled cries piercing the air. Goblins, trolls, box ogres, and imps were all among them, the standard assault forces of monster attacks.

I threw more of my monsters out there to intercept the onslaught. I must have sent more than a dozen of my pets. All four of my axe goblins, my two box ogres, six different speed slugs for each monster, a couple of daggerdillos, and fire imps to shoot flames and ignite the daggerdillo’s spikes. All in all, my monsters were outnumbered three to one, but they tore through the enemy hordes.

Nia swung her arms next to me like they were swords, and in their place came gusts of wind so strong that they were like visible blades. They flew around my monsters and struck the approaching ones, slicing them in two. Wind blades, impressive magic. Without missing a beat, she raised her fists together and fire danced around where her two hands met. It grew quickly until the fireball enveloped her whole arms, and Nia didn't seem hurt by it one bit. She sent the fireball out against the horde of monsters, and it continued to grow while it careened through them. Finally it exploded in the center of their ranks, and it must have taken down two dozen of them. Their screams almost made me deaf.

I stared in awe for that quick moment. I’d heard she could use more than one element, but it was a sight to see it firsthand.

I wouldn’t let her get all the glory though. I commanded my monsters to weave through the enemy, their attacks a furious wave, all claws, axes, and elemental blasts similar to Nia’s though not as strong.

Using that many monsters at once drained me, but that didn’t stop the smile that spread across my face when I saw the open jaw of Nia as she witnessed my handiwork firsthand. Her arms were aflame as she hurled fireball after fireball, but that didn’t mean she was blind to what I was doing. I wish I had one of those fancy and expensive photograph machines to immortalize her expression. If I died in here, I could die happy seeing that.

She was incredulous. “I… h-how… how are you doing this?” Her flames died as she stomped the ground and launched a towering slab of earth that slammed into a couple of ogres.

Only a few monsters remained of the enemy’s attack. Mine finished them up. “It’s not hard. Maybe you had summoners all wrong.”

Her face scrunched into a scowl. “No, I haven’t. I certainly haven’t seen a summoner do that.”

“Well get used to it, ‘cause I aim to make this the new standard.”

She wanted to make a witty retort, but then a thunderous crash resounded as the Academy walls behind the bathhouse crumbled into a cloud of crushed stone. What emerged was, of course, more monsters, but dozens, no, maybe hundreds of them. Most were the grunts of the monster horde, but there were some trolls, a couple of cyclops, and even some massive beasts that I didn’t have a name for. My monsters that were the closest to them did their best, but a cyclops effortlessly stepped on a couple of my goblins.

“This is bad,” I muttered nervously.

Nia nodded. “Agreed. This isn’t a random rift. This is an invasion.”

I cursed. “Guess we’re the first line of defense.”

I held more of my crystals in hand, ready to throw all I had at the coming horde. My monsters were ready, and I knew they’d be able to cut a swath through this next assault, but they wouldn’t be enough. Only Nia and I working together could do this. I hoped she was on board to work with me.

I nudged her with my elbow, and she shot me a questioning glance. “I’m going to send my monsters right up the middle and cut their forces in two. Funnel them to each of us so it’s easier to manage. Think you can handle that?”

She scoffed, but there was the hint of a grin behind it. “Can you?” she asked.

I did grin. “Watch me.”

As the monster horde approached, I jogged farther away from Nia and directed my own monsters forward into a spear formation with the spinning axe goblins on point. They shot toward the enemy line like an arrow, and when they met the other monsters, they tore through the middle of their assault. The monsters nearest mine stopped to fight them, and the ones farther away kept on coming, but my strategy worked. They were split into two streams, some homing in on me, while the rest gunned for my elemental partner.

Several of my monsters were defeated and their crystals flew back to me like I was a magnet. I would have called the ones still fighting back, but there were so many of the enemy that I kept them where they were to thin the incoming waves as best they could. They didn’t need much direction from me once I told them to attack. Their monster instincts took care of the rest.

As for the ones about to attack me, I called forth a couple of my cementrolls and had them spew as much of their cement as they could. The wet cement drenched at least a dozen of the incoming monsters before hardening into immobile stone. Nia’s fire attacks crashed into them in an explosion of flame and debris and reduced them to rubble, but there were many more that followed.

We held them at bay, but dozens more kept coming, all teeth, claws, and fangs. The monsters streamed around and surrounded us. One charged me, but I ducked its blow and tumbled away. I resummoned my axe goblins and speed slugs to guard us. They spun around us, their blades an impenetrable wall. Nia didn’t need their help. As I sidestepped another monster that slipped through, I watched as Nia clapped her hands and directed a bolt of lightning that shot through her body and surged through the monsters around her. Thunder cracked with the blast and made my ears ring.

Nia held her own. Meanwhile, my axe-wielding bodyguards had a difficult time keeping the other monsters from getting to me. I managed to avoid any fatal blows, but I found myself covered in cuts in bruises before long. At one point, an ogre kicked me right in the ribs, and I hurled over and landed on the ground, all the breath knocked out of me. It raised its fists to knock me out of the fight, but then a torrent of flames from Nia blasted its face while my axe goblins chopped at its legs. I rolled away as the ogre disintegrated into nothing. I wished I could have captured some of these monsters, but it would be far too risky to try that here.

Nia covered me while I regained my breath, and the monsters made a quick advance toward our position while I recovered. I rose as soon as I could, my ribs screaming in pain, and summoned a bullet bass, which promptly hardened into its chrome-like state upon my command. I coupled it with a lightning imp that charged the bass, then directed the bass forward into the mass of beasts. The bullet bass shot through the monsters, and the electricity it’d gathered arced outwards from itself to electrocute every monster within fifteen feet of where it passed. Then, as the electricity dissipated from the bass, I sent the pair of monsters towards Nia, who didn’t hesitate to use them the same way, her electric attacks coursing through them and to the enemy.

Their ranks thinned with that and gave us some breathing room, but we weren’t done yet. Nia and I both breathed heavy, and I could see blood streaming from a cut on her left arm and another gash along her right shoulder, though I didn’t think there was anything serious. Ahead of us, I could still see the larger monsters coming. My horde of monsters slowed them, but I didn’t have many left. Each time one of mine fell, I could feel it like an itch. I could summon them again, but summoning the same monster more than once within minutes of each other required far more mana than the first summoning, even more so if the monster had been defeated in battle. So that would be a last resort.

Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. Nia was a force of nature. Even though I was sure to evenly funnel the monsters, many that attacked me broke off to swarm her, maybe sensing that she was the bigger threat, but she wasn’t fazed by all the bodies around her. Lightning and flame coursed around her like a tornado of destruction. The monsters were nothing next to her. They burned and cried and died as her terrifying magic consumed them. I had to admit, she was incredible, and I could see why everyone was so enamored with and in awe of her. Nia Kenefick had earned that respect.

Though the waves of monsters fell in droves at our feet, they kept coming. As the grunt monsters fell, the larger ones came in force. I threw daggerdillo-spiked wallerdons at a couple of trolls and froze another with a cementroll. My fire and ice imps combined to send a tremendous elemental blast that went right through the chest of a minotaur, its furry chest slick with blood and guts before it faded away.

I smiled through my fatigue. We could do this.

Nia was sweating, slightly injured like me, and her hair was a mess, but she was in her element. She had to dodge a few more attacks from the monsters that advanced on her, but she was nimble and twirled between attacks from beasts big and small, her magic sizzling from her hands as she went. She laid waste to the surrounding monsters, and for a brief moment, it almost looked like she was having fun.

But then her smile faded as a deep, booming roar shook the air.

Behind the last of the monsters was another that I had never seen before. It was terrifying. Massive, near as tall as a cyclops, its body was like jagged stone, with sharp, spiky edges all over its limbs and torso. A strange glow moved through its body and shone through cracks in its skin, making its claws seem to radiant orange and blue, like fire. Its hollow eyes smoldered with the same color, and the jagged rock horns that jutted out of its head like a terrible crown seemed alight with the colors too.

The monster breathed and let out a low grumble, the bass of which made the air vibrate and my teeth rattle. The hairs all over my body stood on end again. The ground shook as the monster stepped toward us. It felt ancient and powerful, like no monster I’d ever experienced.

I turned to Nia. “What is that thing?” I asked shakily.

Her eyes were wide, and for the first time, I saw a crack in her confident exterior. She was afraid. “I—I don’t know.”

Nia wasn’t one to shy away though. She swallowed her fear and gathered all the electricity she could muster before unleashing on the hulking monster as I recalled all my creatures. The air clapped from the sound, and my ears even popped. My hair actually did stand straight up as her attack charged the air. It zapped in a flash and struck the beast.

To our horror, the beast did nothing. Worse, it looked like the monster absorbed the lightning. The electricity fizzled at the chest of the monster before dissipating along its body as the strange glow flashed a bright blue before dimming along with the lightning.

I worked in tandem with Nia, my monsters complimenting her attacks. She raised massive columns of rock out of the earth with a stomp of her foot. My bullet basses made them metal and made their jagged tips even sharper. She used her wind to launch wallerdons and daggerdillos and large globs of cement from the trolls. She channeled her electricity through my bullet basses as earlier, and absorbed the elemental attacks of my imps to add to her own.

Nia threw fire at the monster, a fireball so big it was like a meteor. It crashed into the beast with a booming explosion that caused a wave of hot hair to wash over us. I stumbled but maintained my balance. The blast knocked the monster back, but it recovered easily. She threw winds that could cut steel, but it shrugged off the attacks. My bullet basses, which were near immune to fire, acted as meteors of their own once Nia engulfed them, but they seemed to only bounce off the monster. We used her wind to toss my speed enhanced axe goblins, but they couldn’t scratch its skin. Then she made the earth erupt in columns of solid rock, but the creature broke them with ease. I threw all my monsters at it that I could without passing out from my growing lack of mana. Our attacks were a brilliant whirlwind of magic and destruction. Wind, fire, lightning, monsters, claws, steel, rock. Pure chaotic energy. We threw it all at this monster.

Despite the danger and the exhaustion and the pain of our injuries, Nia and I were in awe of what we were doing. If what the Headmaster told me was true, then this was the first time this sort of attack had ever happened, and it was a thing of beauty. Unfortunately, this monster was in a class of its own.

Our attacks pushed the monster back and stalled it, but we were getting nowhere. It roared in pain and frustration, and at one point, a blast of Nia’s lightning that was amplified by my bullet bass tore a chunk out of the monster’s chest. It stumbled back, pained and angry, but then it kept coming. I didn’t know what else we could do. Maybe if we were stronger or more experienced, but we couldn’t hold up much longer, and the smell was starting to drive me mad, and my body ached from mana exertion. I was near my limit, but I couldn’t stop. We had to defeat this thing.

Nia stopped her assault suddenly and dropped to a knee. Her breathing was labored and heavy, as was mine. My monsters did their best to halt the huge beast, but it swatted them aside with ease. My mana dwindled, and without Nia’s help, there wasn’t much more I could do. I looked at Nia. Blood streamed from her nose, a sign that her mana was virtually gone. Complete mana depletion could kill a person, but it was a rare occurrence as most never got near that point. I felt a warm trickle down my face and put a hand to my nose. Blood. Well, shit. We were both near that dangerous line.

Not that it mattered. This monster was about to make quick work of us. It bore down on us, with quaking steps that cracked the earth beneath it. The light within it dimmed and became an ominous red before it faded to an orange again. I gulped. We were done for.

Just then the whole sky, no, the entire Shadowscape, lit up in a brilliant display of lightning, a mosaic of wild, forking electricity. The thunder that followed shook the hellscape. That couldn’t have been Nia, and it wasn’t, for as I looked at her, I could see the shock in her eyes. Then we heard the footsteps behind us and saw the answer.

Marangur Sleet, the Storm Wizard.

Lightning engulfed him as if he was made of it. He unleashed it all at the monster with a crack of thunder so great that my ears screamed with white noise. The bolt of his attack struck the huge terror and sent it flying into the Academy wall.

Just like that, we were momentarily out of danger. Behind the headmaster was the rest of the team come to close the portal, including Arwyn. She looked at me with concern, but it was the Headmaster’s eyes that drew me, for they were furious.

“Out. Now,” he said, his voice like fire.

That wasn’t good.

I was able to stand and hobble for the portal, but Nia was too drained. I helped Arwyn lift her and together we hauled her and myself to our feet and through the portal. It felt like hopping through a pool of water, but then we were back in our world, safe and whole. Knowing that, I let go of Arwyn and Nia and fell to the ground, exhausted and on the verge of unconsciousness, but I battled the blackness of my mind and stayed awake.

We’d done it. Safe and sound … until the Headmaster got back.

Chapter 11

It was dark when we returned to our world, and the humidity and the clean air were such a relief that I gulped it in like I’d been holding my breath for hours. It was such a pleasant thing after the terrible, all-consuming smell of the Shadowscape. The very air felt refreshing compared to the unnatural rot of the cold, humid hell.

I wouldn’t take breathing regular air for granted again.

The fact that it was dark was concerning, as it was near sunset when we entered, but full darkness had been a couple of hours away at least.

“How is it dark already?” I asked as my head swiveled around. “It was barely sunset when we entered the portal.”

“Time is different in the Shadowscape,” Arwyn explained, “What felt like maybe fifteen minutes for you was about two hours out here.”

I nodded like I understood, but it was a maddening thought. “Is that how it always is?”

Arwyn shook her head. “No, sometimes it’s closer to our own sense of time, other times it can be much worse. The longest I’d heard of was from a decade ago, when a team of mages went to close a portal, were in there for an hour, and came back to find a week had gone by.”

My eyes widened. “That sounds … problematic.”

Arwyn strained against Nia’s weight and nodded. The concern was plain in her eyes. “It is,” she murmured in a huff.

Nia was silent the whole time. I assumed she knew these things, but the fact that she was too exhausted to insert her knowledge was alarming. Her nose still bled, and her eyes looked glazed over. They focused for a moment when they met my gaze, which prompted her to frown.

“I feel… h-heavy, Gryff,” was all she managed to say, her teeth chattering as she shivered. Her condition had deteriorated fast since we came back through the rift.

“She doesn’t look too good,” I commented, my voice tinged with worry.

“Was she injured by a monster?” Arwyn asked as her brows furrowed in concern.

“No, I think she depleted her mana,” I replied, then shook my head, “she was like a force of nature in there.”

Arwyn frowned. “We need to hurry then.”

I helped her carry Nia to the medical wing of the Academy on the southern end of the campus, opposite from where my dorm was, not too far from the practice fields. It was there for good reason, because people got hurt during training all the time. Nia’s condition was a little more serious than most cases, I wagered.

My head swam from fatigue, and my body felt more drained than ever. I could taste the blood from my nose as it drifted over my lips, but I powered through. I had to keep going, get Nia inside so Arwyn could help her.

The medical ward had the same architecture as every other building, although there were far more windows, and the roof was shallower than the rest. It lacked the columns and overhangs of several other buildings and opted for a more practical design. I pulled open one of the double doors and helped Arwyn drag Nia inside.

The foyer was like the admissions office but with fewer books and more cabinets. Vials and jars full of samples of Maker knew what filled the shelves that lined the walls. Arranged on either side of the entrance near us were seats and small tables. A woman about Arwyn’s age with short red hair and plump cheeks sat at a metal desk in front of it all. As she read through some papers, she fidgeted and drummed her fingers along the desk, but when we came in, her eyes shot to us.

“Miss Hamner, has the portal been closed? And, oh, what happened with her?” She jumped from her seat and was by our side in an instant. I caught a faint whiff of roses on her.

“She has mana depletion,” Arwyn explained succinctly. “I can give you the details later, Meridan, but right now help us bring her to the infirmary.”

Meridan didn’t hesitate. We shifted Nia so that I grabbed her under the armpits and they each took a hold of one of her legs. Nia groaned at the sudden movement, but there was no helping that. We carried her down an adjoining hall filled with doors before we came to the set of double doors at the end of it. The ladies used their backs to push them open, and we proceeded inside.

The infirmary was long and tall, the walls lined with white-sheeted beds. Filling the spaces were more shelves stocked with medicine, elixirs, medical equipment, and paperwork. There seemed to be a window over every bed. I had no doubt that it got very bright in there during the day, which I bet was the idea.

We brought Nia to the nearest bed and laid her down. Her eyes were still open, but it was clear that they couldn’t focus on anything, her gaze distant and clouded. Blood dripped down her nose, from her mouth, and even from her ears. I wasn’t that far gone yet, but I found that I could barely stand.

“You lie down too,” Meriden ordered, and I didn’t argue. I hopped into the bed next to Nia to rest.

Miss Arwyn jogged for one of the shelves near us while Meriden checked Nia for any injuries. Arwyn returned only seconds later with a large glass vial filled with a cloudy blue liquid that looked at least as thick as cement.

I furrowed my brows. “Can’t you just heal her?” I asked.

Arwyn shook her head as she popped the cork from the vial. “If she had a broken bone or an open wound, yes, but mana depletion is something altogether different. She needs to get to a healthy level of mana or her heart will stop.”

I didn’t question her knowledge. She gently opened Nia’s mouth and began to pour the contents of it down her throat. As soon as she got a good amount in, Nia started to gag, and that’s when Arwyn forced Nia’s mouth shut and massaged her neck to make the elixir go down. Nia struggled momentarily before her neck muscles strained and swallowed. Immediately she stopped struggling and let out a gasping sigh. Her eyes shut, then she drifted back onto the bed and passed out.

Arwyn sighed too, but hers was of pure relief. She swiveled to me, vial in hand, as Meriden used a wet rag to wipe the blood, sweat, and dirt from Nia.

“Your turn,” Arwyn said.

I gave the concoction a long look. “What is it?” I licked my lips and gulped.

She turned the vial in her hand so that I could get a better look at it under the light that Meriden had scrambled to turn on. “Liquified essence crystals. Expensive to buy, even harder to make, but it will save your life.”

I nodded. I knew about potions that could cure mana depletion and other ailments, though I hadn’t bothered to worry about what they were. But the fact that they were made from liquefied essence crystals? Strong magic must’ve been involved to create such a thing. I thought it was impossible to destroy them, but it seemed I was wrong.

Arwyn handed me the vial. “Your life isn’t in immediate danger as hers was, but you need to drink.” She sat back and gave me an encouraging smile. “Bottoms up.”

I doubted this would be a pleasant experience, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I gave the vial a sniff. Smooshed elderberries and … honey? It smelled delightful. I shrugged my shoulders and tossed it back. How bad could it taste?

Tremendously bad, as it turned out.

I almost gagged as soon as the liquid touched my tongue. It tasted like hot sludge, like burning lava pouring down my throat. The smell was such a wildly different sensation, so much so that it almost made the taste worse by the clash of senses. My eyes watered, and my nose flared, but before I could toss away the vial, Arwyn was there, forcing me to drink. I gagged and wanted to spit it out, but she cupped her hand over my mouth.

“Gryff, you have to drink,” she said, her voice stern, but then it became a tad more soothing. “I know it’s awful but there isn’t another choice.”

I fixed her with a glare, but I did my best to hold it down. My stomach and throat protested as soon as I swallowed. The mixture felt like hot cement tearing up my insides as it went through me torturously slow. When it hit my stomach, it grumbled and made my chest burn. Hell, pure hell.

Mere moments later, the pain began to lessen, the unease gone. I felt my eyelids droop and my vision blur. The world began to swirl and blur. Arwyn looked relieved.

“This makes you go to sleep,” she told me. “Helps with the healing process, but don’t worry, you’re safe now.” She placed a hand on my own and stroked it with her thumb as she offered me a smile.

That gorgeous smile of hers was that last thing I saw before I fell into the unconscious void of dreams.

***

I awoke to someone shaking my foot. I yawned and cracked open my eyes. The infirmary ceiling stared back at me, all plaster and dust. Moonlight streamed through the large window above my head. I craned my neck and saw Arwyn at the foot of my bed, a hand on my foot, a stern look clear in her features. Beside her was the Headmaster, and his frown told me that I was in for some trouble, but at least he was alive. That meant the portal was closed, right?

“Did you—” I began as I tried to sit up but then stopped as my head spun. My body felt unreasonably heavy.

“Easy, Gryff,” Arwyn said, her tone low and soothing. “Take it slow.”

I nodded and inched myself onto my elbows before I shimmied my back up against the cool bars of the bed frame, nice and slow. As I did, I noticed Nia stirring next to me. She was groggy and confused as her eyes blinked at me and then at the Headmaster. She had some questions, and so did I.

Once I was reasonably comfortable, I fixed mister Sleet with a pleading gaze. “Is the portal closed? What happened? Is everyone alright? Is—”

He waved his hand dismissively. “The portal is closed, and everyone is fine, but I am not here to discuss those matters. They will be discussed with the proper personnel, you not being one of them. What I am here to discuss is what you and Miss Kenefick did here today.”

I gulped. Yeah, we were in trouble. Nia, more focused now than I had thought, sat up straight. “Sir, I went in to—”

“It was me, Headmaster,” I said to interrupt her. “I carelessly went through the portal. I thought I needed to make sure no monsters got through before help could arrive. I chose that. Nia came after me to make sure I was okay.” I sat up a little straighter and cleared my throat. “If anyone should be punished, it should be me.”

The Headmaster stared me down for a long moment, our gazes locked. Then he started to chuckle. “I appreciate your honesty, but I came here to commend you two, not punish you.” He paused before adding, “Well, maybe punish a tad, for you shouldn’t do reckless things like that, but we’ll get to that.”

Nia and I looked at each other. I could tell that she was just as surprised as I was. “Sir?” she asked.

He smiled and sat at the foot of my bed. “Why don’t you tell me what happened? Don’t leave out any of the details.”

So we did. We took turns explaining how I jumped in the portal with reckless abandon, how Nia followed, then how hordes of monsters came at us, wave after wave, and how we fended them off together, our magic combined and amplified. The more we went on, the more unreal it felt. We’d gone to hell and not only survived, but taken down more monsters than I could count. It was unbelievable.

The Headmaster was all ears as we neared the climax, which was when the mysterious and powerful stone monster arrived. We recalled how it just wouldn’t die, how our attacks did seem to hurt and frustrate it, but that it just kept up its advance. He nodded, clearly impressed that we’d managed to hold our own for so long. The story ended there, for the Headmaster knew the rest since he’d come to the rescue right then.

He pondered our story in silence as his old eyes flitted between us.

“Sir, did you defeat that monster?” Nia asked, her voice low.

He shook his head. “No. We were able to fend it off until the Catalyst could be found and closed, but I was unable to kill it.”

That was disturbing. If Marangur Sleet couldn’t kill it, then who could? “Do you know what it was?” I asked, the worry clear in my voice.

The Headmaster let out a grumbling sigh, almost like he felt defeated. “I do not,” he said solemnly, “but that is a discussion for another time and with different company. I assume that what you just told me is the truth? No hyperbole?”

“No, sir,” I said, “It’s the truth.”

He nodded. “Very troubling, this turn of events.” He stood and folded his hands behind his back. “But there is some room for optimism.” He smiled.

Nia didn’t get it, but I suspected I already knew what he meant. “Sir?”

“Miss Kenefick, what you and Gryff did with your magic, how he amplified yours and then even combined your attacks, is… well frankly, it's unprecedented. I brought Gryff here precisely for this reason, for I saw that he could change how we use magic. Now, you have seen it too, and I now have more evidence that this was the right choice.”

She gave me a long look that was equal parts curiosity, respect, and annoyance, with a dash of pent-up anger, but she kept her emotions in check. I could tell that she was trying to formulate a response, maybe say something condescending about me, but she failed to find the right words. So she settled for a nod.

“So,” I began, “we’re to be commended and maybe get some time off or …?”

Mister Sleet chuckled. “I’m afraid not. Though I applaud your bravery, we can’t have first years doing foolish things like this. You two were capable, but others might not be. You two will clean the stables every evening for the next two weeks as punishment. I can’t really enact anything worse since you didn’t technically break any rules. There is no protocol for a portal opening in the middle of the grounds.”

I crossed my arms. “How can you punish us if we didn’t break any rules?”

“Because my word is law here, Mister Gryff, and I need to make sure others know not to do reckless things like what you did. Yes, situations so dire are rare here, but it’s better to lean on the safe side of things, don’t you think?”

I couldn’t fault his logic, but I didn’t have to like it. Nia didn’t look thrilled either, but we knew better than to complain further. We were lucky to be alive in the first place, so we really had nothing to stand on.

Headmaster Sleet clapped his hands together. “Good. Now, head on back to your dorms. I’m sure you’ll want a good night’s rest in your comfortable beds as opposed to these.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong there. He bid us good night and then departed in a flourish of robes. Arwyn, Nia, and I watched him go, still trying to process the meeting. Arwyn looked back at us and shrugged before she stood and ushered us to the door.

“You two should be fine now,” Arwyn explained. “Mana elixir is fast-acting and very invigorating for fatigue as well as mana.”

She was right, I felt amazing. My aches and soreness were gone completely. I was tired, but that was more from lack of sleep than physical exertion. We thanked her and departed into the cool early morning. The half moon hung high in the sky and cast her silvery glow on us as our footsteps echoed through the silent night.

We crossed the campus to the practice fields where the portal opened. The empty air was still and quiet, and the portal obviously was gone, but there was a large scorch mark in the center of the sparring ring where it had been. I wondered if that would be a scar there, a permanent reminder of what had happened, or could it be cleaned?

It was several minutes of silence before I found I couldn’t take it. “What a day, huh?” I asked.

Nia shrugged. “Yeah, I’d say so, summoner.”

I grabbed her arm and stopped her. “Really? You’re gonna still use that term like it’s an insult?”

She glared at me. “Yes.”

I threw my hands up and rolled my eyes. “Are you incapable of being wrong? Is it so hard for you to admit that maybe you made a mistake?”

“No, of course not, and if you wish to hear it aloud, then here it is. I was wrong!” Her voice rang out over the still night. “I was wrong about you, Gryff.” She pointed her finger into my chest and held it there for a breath before she dropped her arm to her side. “I am not so proud that I think myself infallible. I misjudged you and your ability.” She scowled. “I did not, however, change my mind about summoners. It’ll take a lot more than an outlier to do that.”

I stretched my arms above my head and let my smile shine. “Fair enough, and thank you, Lady Kenefick, for the compliment.”

She snorted. “Don’t let it go to your head, yokel. I still don’t like you.”

“Maybe, but I bet you dislike me a whole lot less than when we first met.”

Nia tried to hide her smile, and she nearly did, but I saw it. Just a tiny hint of a grin, but it was there. “Perhaps,” was all she said.

I would take that.

We walked the rest of the way in silence, which wasn’t too much longer, only a few minutes. When Cornelius Hall rose up in the night to greet me, I knew it was time to depart. I turned to Nia and put out my hand. Maybe we weren’t friends, but I was content enough to know that we were at least allies.

“We did some good work today,” I said with a smirk.

She hesitated before finally shaking my hand. “Yeah, let’s try not to do that ever again if we can help it.”

I nodded. “I agree.” I began to walk to the door, but then I paused and turned back to her. “You don’t wanna come up, say hey to Braden? I’m sure you could jump out the window again?”

Her lips set in a grim line. She was not amused. “Don’t push your luck, summoner.”

I gave her a cheeky smile which she didn’t appreciate at all. Nia turned and walked away to the girls’ dorm right next to my own. I watched her all the way to the steps and door of her building, where she paused and looked back at me. While I couldn’t know what went through her mind just then, I hoped it was good thoughts. After that long look, she vanished inside, so I did the same. Maker knew I needed the rest.

Chapter 12

All anyone could talk about was the events of the previous day. I just wanted to eat the grits and eggs in front of me, but the feverish whispering of my fellow students kept me distracted. Nearly a hundred pairs of eyes drifted my way as I tried to eat. I usually didn’t mind attention, but this was a bit much.

It would have been easier to bear if Nia had been present to receive the brunt of it, but she was conspicuously absent. I hoped she was alright, but there wasn’t anything I could rightly do about her.

Braden took a seat across from me after he’d finally selected his breakfast. He was a picky eater and apparently took a lot of time to consider his meal options. This morning he had decided on lamb chops, a huge ham thigh, a bowl of oatmeal, and a large biscuit. Picky as he was, he was a big eater, given his size and stature.

Layla joined right after him. She only had a couple slices of buttered toast and a ridiculously large mug of coffee. Then again, since her hair was tasseled and she had deep bags under her eyes, she probably needed the caffeine.

They were both blessed distractions from the hundreds of eyes staring us down. Braden hesitated to eat his food as he nervously avoided all the curious stares. Layla took one look around, then drank nearly half of the huge mug, never mind how hot it was. After one last gulp, she put the mug down, licked her lips, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

“Is this what it’s like to be noticed for once?” she asked, her aggravation clear.

Braden nodded slowly before he took a bite out of his biscuit. “It seems so,” he said as he chewed. That made me smirk. He was of noble birth, but sometimes he threw proper decorum right out the window.

“I hate it,” Layla grunted.

I poked at my food with my fork but didn’t take a bite. “Agreed.”

Layla clapped her hands together and perked up. “I do understand their curiosity. So, are you gonna spill it?”

My eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Are you going to tell us what went down in the rift?” she asked, her excitement and curiosity making her jittery.

I considered that briefly. I knew she meant well, she was only curious, as anyone would rightfully be. “I’d rather not talk about it.” I pointedly ignored the pout that followed and scarfed down my eggs.

Her lips stuck out. “Oh, come on, Gryff,” her voice was trying to be seductive and low. “Don’t be so stingy. Give us the details.”

“Bethel…” Braden chimed in, his tone concerned.

She glared back at him. “Hush, Flint.” She turned back to me, all smiles. “Please? My curiosity is killing me.”

“Fine!” My words rang out over the chattering, which brought the volume down low as all eyes turned to me in earnest now. Not helping. I cleared my throat and lowered my voice. “Fine,” I said again, “but no more questions after, and no more bothering me about it. You got it?”

Layla pursed her lips, but she looked pleased. Her eyes batted at me apologetically as she nodded. I didn’t know how she could look so adorable and so mischievous, but no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t stay mad at her.

So I told them all the gory details, all the horrifying monsters, the smells and the pain of almost dying from mana depletion, with one minor exception. I didn’t give them specifics about my talk with the Headmaster and Nia. They thankfully didn’t interrupt, but by the end of my tale, their eyes practically bulged out of their heads. “Wow,” Braden said when I’d finished. “That’s just… wow.”

I swirled my spoon around my grits. “Yeah, wow indeed,” I replied, tired already from telling the story.

Layla sat back with a huff. “That’s one hell of a thing to go through.”

Braden drummed his fingers against the table. “But you really did all of that?” he asked, his skepticism more obvious than he’d probably like. “You combined your attacks and made hers even stronger?”

I folded my arms and nodded, my food forgotten. “You saw what I did in class, so why would you doubt my story?”

“I do believe you, Gryff,” Braden said as he put up his hands. “It just sounds too incredible to be true. No one thinks of summoners as fighters, so it’s hard to grasp outright, you know?”

I understood his point, of course, but my whole life, or at least since I’d discovered my talent for summoning, I knew I could fight. I rarely did, but I always felt that I could handle myself. It never even occurred to me that maybe not everyone thought that way. Not everyone wanted to fight. Sometimes, people don’t see the obvious answer, even if it’s right in front of them.

Summoners could fight, and I had to show the world that, no matter how many battles it took.

“I get it, Braden,” I told him, “but you can do what I did. All summoners can, I suppose, though it will be hard to learn.”

“I don’t know…” Layla said reluctantly. They both looked rather skeptical, and I couldn’t blame them. Since they were summoners, they’d been raised to think and act a certain way. It would take more than words to change them. And though I’d showed that I could do more, that didn’t mean they could. That would have to be the next step. I’d have to teach them, since Rori wouldn’t help.

That was me, student and teacher. They should have given me a salary.

Breakfast ended a few minutes later, so we made our way to Arwyn’s class with the rest of our classmates.

The gossiping, of course, followed us to class. Everyone whispered and gossiped, and their eyes and words were almost exclusively directed at me. That was fine. I’d make them eat their words eventually.

Nia was present at Arwyn’s class. She looked perfectly fine as she jotted something down in her notes. Maybe she just hadn’t felt like dealing with all of the gossip of breakfast. On that front, I didn’t blame her.

As Miss Arwyn strode into the room, Gawain straight up glared at me. I acknowledged that with a smirk and a wave of my hand.

“Good morning, everyone,” Miss Arwyn said with a tired sigh. “In light of recent developments,” her eyes lingered on Nia and me for a moment, “we shall be focusing on more practical magical lessons. So, suffice it to say, magical history will be put on hold for a while. Instead, we’ll be focusing on essence crystals and their uses.”

There were a few grumbles and whispers, but no one protested. Not that they could, she was the teacher after all.

We pulled out our books and opened to a later chapter that briefly went over essence crystals, but Arwyn went into more detail. “Now, as most of you know, when a monster is killed, it usually leaves behind its energy and life force in the form of an essence crystal. The larger and more powerful the monster, the more effective the crystal. Now, who besides Nia can tell me some of the things essence crystals are used for?” Nia grumbled, but we all knew she had the answer. Hands shot up.

Arwyn pondered the different arms in the air before picking one. “Carenna? How about you?” Her eyes were trained on a blonde woman with white robes in the front.

“Trains?” Carenna said with an upward inflection that made it seem like she didn’t know.

Arwyn either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “Yes, very good.” Then she called on a large fellow with dark western skin.

“Airships,” he said simply, his voice low and grating.

“Correct. Trains and airships are two things that most people know. They do both require larger crystals taken from very powerful monsters. Trains can take smaller grade crystals depending on the weight and number of cars, but airships can only take crystals from grade A monsters.”

She called on more people for examples of crystal-powered objects.

“Lamps and lights,” one said.

“Radio,” chimed another.

Arwyn’s eyes found mine. I don’t know if I looked like I wasn’t paying attention, but she called on me. “Gryff, can you give me another example?”

I racked my brain for one, but couldn’t think of another. Maybe the military and Enclaves had better uses for essence crystals, but out in the wilds, we didn’t use them for much more than summoning. So, I shrugged. “Sorry, ma’am. I can’t think of another.”

She frowned. “I’d expected a summoner would especially have more examples.” She didn’t mean it in a snide way, I knew, but that pissed me off. She didn’t see that as she kept on lecturing. “Crystals can, of course, be used in mana potions, though as most know, they are rare and hard to make. The military also has guns that are powered by crystals, but they aren’t mass produced yet.”

I chastised myself. How could I have forgotten mana potions when I’d just used one to save my life? I didn’t know about any of the other things she mentioned, but I grimaced at my own feeble memory.

We discussed the grading system for monsters after that, which I didn’t know because that was never important to people in the wilds when they were attacked by a group of monsters. So, when she called on me, I didn’t have an answer.

“Can you tell me the difference between a Grade A and Grade B monster, Gryff?”

I couldn’t.

She again looked disappointed, which again made me feel simultaneously mad and ashamed, but her face quickly lightened. “That’s okay. Apologies, Gryff, you arrived late, and I forgot you missed this class earlier in the semester. Grade A monsters are the most powerful of all. The biggest, physically, but they also have a propensity to use magic, or otherwise have another bodily function that makes them deadly other than their sheer size. A fire-eye or a bluewing would be examples of Grade A.”

We went down the list. Grade B were massive monsters too, but without magic or other weapons. Grade C were medium sized and magical or otherwise better equipped. Grade D were grunts, like trolls, goblins, and ogres. Grade E were smaller monsters or those helpful ones like cementrolls and other construction monsters. Grade F monsters were tiny and mostly harmless, like speed slugs. It was helpful information for me, but I didn’t need to feel humiliated by it. I found it odd that I was learning about this in Arwyn’s class and not Rori’s, but then I figured the others were expected to fight these higher graded monsters when I was not.

After the lecture was finished, my classmates began to file out of the room and head to lunch. I followed Braden and Layla, but then Arwyn called out for me.

“Oh, Gryff, could you wait a minute? I’d like to speak with you.”

My fellow summoners gave me a look. I didn’t know what she would want, so I shrugged. They accepted that and left me to go eat. I turned back to the beautiful Miss Hamner, who leaned against the chalkboard and smiled at me as I approached.

“Yes, ma’am?” I asked.

She put a soft hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle rub. “I’m sorry if I made you look a fool in front of class. Please know that it hadn’t been my intention.” Her lips hovered in an anxious line, waiting to either frown or smile, her voice light and earnest.

I hadn’t expected that, but I accepted it with a smile. “It’s fine. I can play the fool perfectly well.”

Her lips tugged up into a wide smile. “I just assumed you would know those things. On that same topic, I’d like you to come to the library with me. I want you to take every opportunity to learn and to catch up with the other students since they have a head start on you. You’ve proven your natural skill, but you need more studying.”

“Okay,” I replied without a complaint. She certainly wasn’t wrong with any of that. Besides, I did love reading.

I followed Arwyn from the class after all the others had left. My stomach rumbled, and I desperately wanted to go to lunch, but Arwyn insisted that she show me the library now.

“You can get some food after,” she said quickly, a smile playing at her features. “If you’re late for your next class, I’ll write you a note.”

And that was that. I had no choice but to follow. As it turned out, the library was beneath the dining hall, or to be more accurate, it was beneath the entire central school building. It was a massive collection of texts that was split into several branches that covered an area just as large as the building. It wasn’t merely for texts about learning, but military and scientific records, as well as fictional stories and other things. It was a true library, one that boasted one of the largest selections in the world.

A wide hallway surrounded the dining hall like a moat. On the eastern side of it, the far side from the main entrance, was the regular entrance to the library. Arwyn opened it and led me in, where we then descended a spiral staircase that ran beneath the circular hallway above.

“There are entrances to the library all over the school,” she began, her face forward, “but this one was the closest to us.”

I nodded even though she was ahead of me. We walked in silence the rest of the way down until the stairs ended in a pair of massive wooden double doors with bright sconces on either side. The doors were open, and beyond them, I could see a room every bit as large as the dining hall above, if not even larger.

Arwyn led me in, but I didn’t pay attention to her as my jaw went slack. The circular walls were lined with huge bookshelves that went up nearly two whole floors. Sliding ladders were evenly spaced so students could retrieve higher books. There were dozens of tables, chairs, and sofas for studying, as well as smaller bookcases near them. A few students milled about, studying and doing school work.

At the center of the room was a massive desk, with built-in shelves and filing cabinets. Atop it sat an incredibly old woman in flowing white robes that matched the cloudy wisps of hair atop her head. She wore thick glasses and had saggy cheeks that had been weathered by the years. Arwyn nodded to the librarian, who gave her a wrinkly smile and nod in return. I offered her a small wave, but she was already looking down at her book and missed the gesture.

There were four massive hall entrances around the room, one ahead of us, one each on either side, and of course the doors we’d just come through. I followed Arwyn as she led me to a large opening on the left that had the words Monsters and Magic etched into the stone above.

“This section houses all the texts on magical theory, monsters, their anatomy and weaknesses, among other things. Basically, if you ever have a question about any of those things, this is the section for it.” She turned back to me, her lips curled into a smirk. “I expect to find you down here often. You didn’t go to the juvenile academies, so you have some catching up to do.”

“I know enough to get by,” I said coyly

Arwyn snickered. “I don’t doubt it, Gryff, but we don’t want you to ‘get by,’ we want you to excel and thrive.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Besides, I did enjoy reading and learning. The only reason I hadn’t spent all my life doing both was that we didn’t have the luxury of wealth or safety living out in the wilds. I’d tried to read every night, and Maelor had encouraged it, but my days had been long and laborious, so there hadn’t been much time for it.

Arwyn pulled me deeper and deeper into the library, so far in that I was sure I’d never find my way out. It was like a labyrinth. We finally stopped between two tall bookshelves that rose up like trees. It was dark here, as the place was too large to have lamps lighting every aisle. Yet Arwyn didn’t seem to have a problem seeing.

“This whole section is about essence crystals, as well as few books about summoning, though there’s another entire section on that subject.” She ran her fingers along the spines of books before she pulled some out and handed them to me. They were thick, heavy, and dusty from sitting idle for who knew how many years.

I read the names of them as she piled them into my arms: Essential Rules of Monster Energy. The Beginner’s Guide to Proper Summoning Use. Intermediate Studies in Essence Crystals. Dynamics of the Power of Monsters. The titles seemed ridiculous, but I knew I could handle them.

“Those are good to start you off,” Arwyn said after she’d piled my arms full of books.

I nodded. “Excellent. Is that all?”

Her eyes burrowed into me, and she chewed her lip as her gaze traveled the length of my body. She wanted to say something, but her words never came. Instead, Arwyn took one bold step, grabbed my face with both hands, and pressed her mouth against mine.

Oh. So this was what we were doing.

I dropped the books, which clattered loudly to the floor, and kissed her back. Her kisses were aggressive and hungry, filled with moans and groans and lust. She tore at my shirt and slipped it off my shoulders without ever letting her lips leave mine. Her fingers ran along the muscles of my back, which made me shiver with anticipation. Her nails traced the contours of my back and then wound through my hair and undid the knot it was tied in.

She only broke off her kiss to gasp for breath and fumble at the buttons of her shirt.

I started to undo my belt buckle. “Is this allowed?”

Arwyn grabbed my face and kissed me hard. “Absolutely not. Headmaster Sleet would have us both on the street if he learned about this.”

That should have made me pause and consider the consequences of what we were doing, but then Arwyn dropped her clothes, and I dropped my jaw. The robes she always wore disguised the perfect physique she sported beneath. She was all curves. Large breasts, wide hips, perfect thighs. I practically salivated.

Once I was as naked as her, she lifted a brow and grinned wide. “Glad to see you find me irresistible,” she said with a wink.

I smirked. As if any man could not find her anything but. She jumped into my arms and wrapped her legs around my waist. Our kisses grew louder and hungrier as I laid her down onto the makeshift bed of clothes that we’d haphazardly laid down. As I did, she kissed my neck and nibbled on my earlobe.

“Remember,” she whispered, “we have to be quiet. This is a library after all.”

I cracked a grin. “That will be hard.”

“Yes, it will.”

I didn’t know how long we were down there. It could have been an hour, or only a few minutes, but it was amazing.

We hastily dressed, careful to make sure that we looked presentable. I was a bit sweaty, but it was hot down here, so I could wave that concern off. Arwyn’s hair was a mess, but with a quick twirl, she corralled it into a long braid that trailed down her back. Even with her clothes back on, she looked impeccable.

She smiled at me. “I believe you’ve missed lunch.”

My stomach grumbled in response. I shrugged. “It was worth it, I think. Feeding off knowledge can be just as important.”

“Of course,” she said with a chuckle. “Come. We’ll check out those books, then we can eat some lunch and talk about the lecture today.”

“What about my next class?”

She walked up to me and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. “You’ll be with me for private tutoring. A note will be enough of an excuse.”

I smiled. “Fair enough.” I followed her out of the stack of shelves. I didn’t hear anyone else present or see anyone that could have caught a glimpse of us.  “So, is this a one time deal or…?”

“It depends.”

“Depends on what?”

She looked back at me and winked. “Depends on my mood. So always be prepared for some private tutoring.”

The grin that played across my features was wide. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Oh, and I do sincerely expect you to be down here most nights studying. One of the conditions of this agreement.”

That was a condition that I would gladly follow.

Chapter 13

After dinner that night, I had to go to the stables to start my punishment with Nia. I quickly returned to my dorm with Braden to drop off my things and change out of my uniform and dining robes. My outfit was simple, a pair of scratchy wool trousers and a loose-fitting black shirt that I wore to sleep on occasion. Once dressed, I bid Braden farewell for the night and left. While I was doubtful that it would take too long to clean the stables, Braden liked to fall asleep early.

The stables were on the eastern side of campus, near the main gate. It was a long wooden building, with a low roof and lots of windows for the horses to stick their heads out of to view their surroundings. A few of them peered out and neighed at my approach.

The large stable door, nearly as tall as the roof and painted pale grey, was ajar, a bright orange glow emanating from within where I heard voices. I found Nia inside, along with someone who I assumed was a stableboy. He was tall and pudgy with dark tanned skin. His long-sleeve button-down shirt was dirty and stained with sweat from a long day of work.

“Ah, good, you’re here too,” he said, his voice rich and pleasant. His smile was as warm as the lantern that sat atop the wooden crate behind him.

“Evening,” I replied with a nod.

Nia folded her arms and nodded at me, her lips pursed indifferently. She wore tight brown breeches that hugged her legs and really showed off her curves. I would have made a comment about it if I didn’t think she’d break my nose. Along with the breeches, a sleeveless cotton shirt hung loosely around her. Her ashen hair looked gold in the lamplight and was tied back in a tight tail that ran down her back.

The stableboy gestured for me to stand by Nia, so I did. “I was just explaining to the lady here what you two will be doing,” he told me. “You ever clean a stable before, boy?”

I nodded. “Yessir, plenty of times.”

“Of course you have,” Nia muttered next to me. I rolled my eyes at that.

The stablehand nodded and ignored her comment if he even heard it. “Good. You two need to give all the stalls new hay, shovel out the crap, give them clean water, and refill their feeding troughs.”

I furrowed my brows and frowned. “That sounds like a lot more than cleaning the stables, as we were instructed.”

“Aye, but Headmaster Sleet decided to amend it a bit,” he said with a sly smile and a shrug. “Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take you more than an hour or two.”

I wanted to shout at the man, but it wasn’t his fault. Or maybe it was, but complaining wouldn’t get us anywhere. Still, Nia looked as pissed as I was. We had to do this every night for the next two weeks? What about my studies or taking baths for that matter? We weren’t allowed to be out on campus after the tenth hour except for rare exceptions. This would push that limit for us.

“You two got all that?” the stableboy asked after he sensed the hesitation from us.

“Yes, sir,” Nia and I grumbled together.

The stableboy put his hands on his hips with a sigh and a smile. “Good then. I’ll let you get to it.” He strode for the exit and left us to stand and stare. “Be sure to lock the padlock when you leave,” he called over his shoulder.

With that, he was gone.

Nia grunted and picked up a pitchfork. “I’ll replace the hay. You can deal with the dung.”

I chuckled. “Oh, will I? And do you even know what you’re doing, or how much hay to give them?”

She put a fist on her hip, the other hand with an iron grip on her pitchfork as she glared at me. “As a matter of fact, I do. My father had me do military training with my brothers and cousins, and caring for your horse is something all soldiers, mages or otherwise, have to know whether they like it or not.”

I put my hands up and backed away. “Okay, fair enough. Just wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing.”

“I do,” she answered with a faint grin. “I’m sure you know how to deal with horse shit since you’re full of it.”

My eyes went wide as a snort of laughter escaped me. “Look at you, cracking wise. I think I may be rubbing off on ya.”

Nia shook her head at that. “You’re so annoying. Get to work.”

I saluted her. “Yes, boss.”

To her credit, she hadn’t been lying when she said she could take care of horses. Nia, as always, moved with speed and efficiency, so much so that she likely would have made the stableboy look like an amateur. She knew exactly how much to give to each horse without even thinking about it. Impressive. Her knowledge seemed to have no limit, except for the topic of summoners.

Meanwhile, I shoveled shit, but it was hardly the worst job I’d ever had. I worked on a farm for a brief time while Maelor was away for some emergency work that he never deigned to share the details about. I had to do all of this and more, including clean all the animals on the farm, help give birth to a few cows, and even had to help milk a stallion, which was an odd experience. But overall, I found farm work worthwhile, as I’d always felt accomplished after a hard day of work.

As we worked, I asked casually, “So, what’s it like being a Kenefick?”

Nia stopped working all together and stared at me, straight as a board. “What did you ask?”

I sensed some tension. Had I asked a bad question? “Uh… I asked what’s it like being you? Being an illustrious Kenefick?”

She scowled. “Why do you want to know? It’s not like you could relate.”

I ignored the venom in her answer. “I don’t need the attitude, Kenefick. I’m just curious.”

“Well, don’t be so curious then,” Nia growled.

“That’s not how curiosity works, you can’t just turn it off,” I said with a bemused smile.

“I wish I could turn you off.”

I couldn’t help myself, “Sorry, all you can do is turn me on.” Which of course, was the wrong thing to say to a girl like Nia Kenefick. She whirled on me, her eyes glaring, and pointed a finger at me. Her grip tightened on her pitchfork.

Her eyes were like smoldering embers. “If you say something that ridiculous again, I’ll smack you so hard, that little brain of yours will fly right out.”

I dropped my shovel and put my hands up in surrender, though I couldn’t squash the smile from my face and the laugh that followed. “You’re right, that was highly inappropriate, Lady Kenefick. My apologies.”

Her glare turned into narrowed eyes, but she did eventually soften. She went back to the hay, and I went back to my shit, but she wasn’t quiet for long.

“Being a Kenefick is like living your life with millions of eyes on you at all times, like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.” She paused and stared off at nothing. She bit her lip, her jaw tight with tension. “All the hopes of the downtrodden, the weak, and the vulnerable are placed on you. They expect you to be a hero, to save them, even if you don’t want to.”

I stopped my work again too and gave her a hard look. “You don’t want to save them?” I asked, my voice low as to not provoke her in any way.

“Of course, I want to save them,” she snapped, her voice fierce. “I just wish I had the choice to say no. To live a normal life, to not be suffocated under the weight of so much expectation.” That last bit came out as a whisper.

I let that stew with me as I shoveled more poo. Her words weighed heavily on me. I didn’t understand it fully, I was just some farm boy from the wilds, after all, but the Headmaster had instructed me to change the way people think about summoners, in order to give humanity a better chance against the monster horde. It wasn’t the same as her situation, but there were a lot of similarities. I could relate to her difficulties.

“That sounds like a really hard and lonely life,” I said at last.

“It is sometimes,” Nia replied. I sensed that she was going to say something like, ‘you have no idea’ but she thought better of it, knowing how I only had Maelor and no parents. At least, that’s what I thought.

I didn’t know where to go from there, so I got back to work. I finished with shit duty before long while Nia still meticulously switched out the hay, so I started to give the horses water. I filled up a large bucket from a pump out along the side of the stable.

I approached a stall with a pretty brown mare with splashes of black. I reached out a hand and pet her snout. She whinnied enthusiastically, which made me smile. Though riding horses wasn’t a particular strong suit of mine, I did like the gentle beasts. Since I didn’t have my monster-filled essence crystals with me, they liked me just fine too.

“What’s it like living your life in the wilds?” she asked suddenly behind me.

I was thrown by the question but didn’t let it distract me. I was careful not to spill the water as I refilled the mare’s bucket. “Not as wild as you’d expect. Most people just live their lives, go about their business, and take things day by day. Yeah, there’s a danger that a rift could open at any moment, or your home could be beset by bandits, but it makes you appreciate life a little more.”

She pondered that. “So, you think we don’t appreciate life in the Enclaves?”

“Not at all what I’m saying,” I clarified. “You just don’t have to live on the edge as much. It puts things into perspective out there.”

Nia started to feed the horses their grain rations, which was incredible to watch because she knew how much to give each one based on breed, gender, and how much they’d already eaten. I didn’t even know those things. This rich city girl sure did know her way around a stable. It was a much-needed pleasant surprise.

“Is it freeing out there?” she asked out of the blue after a few minutes of silence and work.

I lifted a brow. “What?”

“The freedom of living in the wilds. Is it worth it?” she asked wistfully, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “To go where you want, when you want?”

I shrugged. “We do follow the laws of the Enclaves, you know, but yes, we aren’t as regulated as you are.” I put down the water bucket before looking into her eyes. They stared back at me, warm, curious, eager … and desperate. Yes, definitely desperate. Nia wanted freedom, wanted a choice she would never get. Not like me. Until the Academy, I’d been free. I was with Maelor, sure, but I’d chosen that path. Nia didn’t get to choose. She was born a Kenefick, and that life came with its own set of expectations.

After all that thought, I finally said, “Yeah, it’s worth it.”

The tenseness of the moment collapsed all at once. Nia blinked, her lips set into a hard line. “Good.” She went back to feeding. “I might move out there one day, just get away from it all. Once I do my duty to humanity, of course.”

“If you survive that is,” I added with a dark smile.

She didn’t look at me, but her lips curved ever so slightly into a smirk. “Yes, if I survive.”

I cracked a smile. “You will. I know that with absolute certainty.”

“Oh yeah, and how do you know that?”

I crossed my arms. “Because you’re the most determined person I’ve ever met, probably the smartest too. You’re stronger than most anyone, you’re driven, you care about people and about doing the right thing. You’re a fighter and a survivor, and I have no doubt you’ll exceed the expectations of the Kenefick name. Because you’re more than just a Kenefick. You’re Nia.”

She’d stopped working by the time I stopped talking. She looked at me hard, and I felt like she was looking into my soul. Her eyes glistened as if she was on the verge of tears, but then she blinked, and that glisten was gone. Maybe I’d imagined it.

“I can’t believe I’m flattered by a farm boy summoner from the middle of nowhere,” she said with a chuckle and a slight hitch to her voice.

“Well, I am known to be quite charming,” I replied with a wide grin.

She smiled then, a full, bright smile that warmed the stable and me. “You’re such an idiot, Gryff.” Her eyes looked down, but the smile didn’t go away. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, Nia.”

And for once, she didn’t berate me for using her first name.

We quieted down, as we both wanted to be out of there, and finished our work soon after. It was a hot and humid night, so we were drenched in sweat and our clothes clung to our bodies. My stomach rumbled, ready to be fed. I could only pray to the Maker that we’d make it in time for the end of dinner.

Once we were finished, we put all the things away, petted a few of the horses, and blew out the lanterns before we exited the stable. I pulled close the large barn door with a heave. It didn’t want to give, or maybe it was much heavier than it looked. Either way, it finally closed with a creak from hinges that definitely needed oiling.

That was night one done of our fortnight-long sentence.

I stretched my limbs and dried to fan myself in the open air. “You ready to do this every night for two more weeks?” I asked.

“Not in the slightest.”

I couldn’t agree more, but honestly, as long as Nia would be there, it wouldn’t be too bad. Of that, I was certain.

Chapter 14

Academy students got break days on the weekend, so when Saturday finally arrived, I was relieved. The longest week of my life had finally ended, the one that had changed everything about my life in countless ways.

We were allowed to sleep in and miss breakfast if we wished, and I did just that. However, I didn’t get to sleep in as much as I’d liked, as a loud knock on the door woke me. I groaned and sat up. Rays of sunlight came through the window, but I could tell it was still early, not as early as if we had class, but early enough to annoy me. Braden was gone, I assumed to eat breakfast. That man didn’t like to miss a meal.

The knock came again, so I rolled out of bed, pulled on some pants, and opened the door. Petyr, the Headmaster’s personal attendant, greeted me with an annoyed scowl. He looked at me expectantly, as if I should know what he wanted or, more specifically, what Headmaster Sleet wanted.

I yawned in his face. “Can I help you?”

He frowned but didn’t comment on my rudeness. “You can come with me. The Headmaster has requested your presence.”

I stifled a groan and didn’t bother asking for the Headmaster’s reasoning, for I knew Petyr would feign ignorance and not tell me. I grumbled my agreement and returned to my room to get properly dressed. Just to annoy Petyr, I took my sweet time. I’d never given him a reason to not like me, but he seemed hellbent on being perpetually aggravated with me, so I made him wait. Small victories.

My lips turned into a wide smile when I saw how red and angry he looked when I finally stepped out of my room. He didn’t comment on my dawdling, but I knew it bothered him. He waved for me to follow, so I locked my room and got after him.

It was a beautiful morning. The sky was clear and glowed with the early sun that had only just crested the Enclave walls. A pair of pigeons danced in the air above my dorm before taking off for one of the trees deeper into campus. I’d rather be asleep, but admittedly this was probably too nice of a day to stay in for too long. Hopefully, my meeting with the Headmaster would be brief so I could catch breakfast before the dining hall closed. If I was going to be up, I might as well eat.

The campus was surprisingly full of activity. People were running around the main building for exercise, and I passed a few people at the exercise fields doing some extracurricular sparring or shooting. Several more students sat in the courtyards, under trees or in shaded nooks and alcoves, reading and studying or catching up on work. The more I saw of it, the more it made me feel lazy for wanting to sleep in. I couldn’t let these rich Enclavers work harder than me.

Petyr tried to make me go up the stairs to the Headmaster’s office, but I wasn’t about to do that again. “Can’t we just take the lift?”

His face scrunched. “That’s for the Headmaster.”

I shrugged. “He let me take it down last time, and wouldn’t he rather not be kept waiting?”

Petyr grumbled a bit, but couldn’t argue with that logic. We went over to the lift and rode it up. Thank the Maker. I didn’t want to be drenched in sweat again like last time. The ride was about a minute or two, it took longer going up than going down, but I guessed gravity helped with the latter.

The lift arrived at the top of the tower and dinged when it stopped. Petyr opened the door for me and closed it before I was even fully out. Then he was riding down.

“I don’t think he likes me very much,” I said with a grin as I strode into the Headmaster’s office. He stood by one of his bookshelves and ran his fingers along the spines as he looked for a particular title.

Without looking at me, he said, “Don’t worry about him. Petyr isn’t very fond of people from outside the Enclaves. It's an unfortunate cultural bias that I haven’t been able to work out of him, but he’s loyal and does my work diligently.” He gave up on his attempt at finding whatever book he was looking for and turned back to me. “If he ever mistreats you, though, let me know.”

“I doubt that will be a problem, sir,” I said with a smile. “I’ve dealt with people like him plenty of times. I know how to deal with it.”

Headmaster Sleet grinned and stroked his beard. “Good to hear then.” He gestured atone of the cushy leather chairs that were situated in the center of the room around a low round table that glistened with polish and was covered with old candles and books. “Please, take a seat.”

No argument from me. I eased myself into the seat, then sank into the rich leather. It supported my back perfectly, and that was a welcome relief. It was more comfortable than my bed. I almost sighed in pleasure.

Apparently, the Headmaster could read the comfort in my expression. He cracked a wide grin. “Comfortable, aren’t they? Made from the finest leather from the North and made in Hartmire Enclave. Rather expensive for my taste.”

I rubbed my hands along the armrests. “I can see why.”

The Headmaster snickered at that and took a seat in the chair across from me. He folded his legs and cupped his hands together in his lap as he stared at me with curiosity. No more pleasantries then, it was obvious it was time to talk.

“So, what is it you wished to speak to me about?” I started.

Maybe he could sense my apprehension because he smiled and relaxed. “Nothing sinister, I assure you. I just wanted to know how your first week went. Are you liking the Academy?”

I arched an eyebrow. He was very perceptive, like he could read my mind. Though, as far as I was aware, there was no magic that could do that. I knew that gypsies sometimes claimed clairvoyance, but that was all parlor tricks. The Headmaster was a good man though, and his interest in me seemed genuine.

“Well, it was fine, other than being the most dramatic and life-changing week of my life, sir.”

“I would think so. Most people don’t ever go through what you went through in their whole lives, let alone one week,” he chuckled. “How are your classes?”

If I were to be honest, they weren’t overly great so far. Arwyn was a good teacher among… other things, but a lot of what she’d taught me I already knew. Rori… well, Rori was an ass. Our class yesterday was nothing but monster grades, which was exactly what Arwyn taught me already. Rori hadn’t even commented on what I’d done the previous class, or why I was late. He’d acted like I wasn’t there, so that class wasn’t very educational.

But I didn’t let the Headmaster know that. “They’re fine so far, just had to adjust a little is all. I never really went to school before. Maelor taught me what I needed.”

I didn’t know if he’d talked to Rori about me, so maybe he knew I was lying on that front, but if he did, he didn’t show it. He nodded to my words. “It’s natural to adjust to new situations. I’m sure you’ll be settled in completely within no time at all.”

“Let’s hope so,” I said with a grin.

Headmaster Sleet nodded and kept smiling. He stood up suddenly and crossed over to his desk. There, he began to pack what I assumed to be tobacco into an ornate ivory pipe. A match flared to life from beneath the large folds of his robes and lit the pipe. One long puff later, he exhaled the smoke that wafted into my nose. Yes, it was definitely tobacco.

He looked back my way and offered the pipe. “Would you care for some, my boy? I have an extra pipe if you’d care to partake.”

I shook my head. “No, thank you, sir. I’ve never been one for smoking. Alcohol is more my vice of choice.”

The Headmaster bellowed with glee. “You’re not the only one, Gryff, I assure you.” He came and sat back down across from me. His demeanor suddenly shifted to somber, and his smile turned to a staunch line. It seemed our meeting wasn’t done yet.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask about your family. Your mentor made it very clear that he wasn’t your father, but he wouldn’t say anything more about it.”

I squirmed. I hadn’t expected to talk about this subject and I didn’t think about my family much these days, as I was so little when they were killed. That didn’t mean that this conversation wouldn’t hurt, but I would indulge the Headmaster, as I knew he was only curious and didn’t mean anything negative by it.

I took a deep breath and began. “I was born in a small farming village east of Wargan Enclave, though I don’t know the name of it or the exact location of it. I was four or five when a rift opened near us and a horde of monsters burned it down and killed everyone, including my parents. I don’t know how I survived, but Maelor found me amidst the rubble, passed out and badly burnt.”

The Headmaster’s expression was grim. “So you don’t remember your parents at all?”

“Not much, no. I remember dad was often away for work, and mom was very kind to me and everyone she ever met.”

He nodded.

The truth was, I did remember a good amount about my parents. I remembered the scent of my mother, like the freshly baked bread that she made for the village and travelers, and her warm smile that made everything better in the world. I remembered my dad’s warm presence, his laugh, and his eyes that always seemed alight with joy and passion. I remembered walking the fields and forests around the village with my mom, and I remembered how happy I would get whenever my dad returned from wherever he went for work.

All of those memories swirled in my mind, but those were for me and no one else.

The Headmaster frowned solemnly. “I’m truly sorry about that. I didn’t wish to bring up such unpleasant memories.”

I cracked a sincere smile. “It’s perfectly fine, sir. Remembering loved ones is never a bad thing.”

He nodded. “A wise sentiment. I’m sure your parents would be very proud of the man you have become.”

I could feel tears threatening to break the surface, but I pushed them down. “Thank you, Headmaster.”

Mister Sleet inclined his head with a slight smile. After that, he clapped his hands together and stood. “Well, you may return to your off day. I just wanted to check in on you, see how things were.”

I stood and shook his outstretched hand. “Of course, sir.”

***

I was able to get to the dining hall in time for breakfast after my talk with the Headmaster. My heart was heavy, my head still swirling with emotions and memories I hadn’t felt in years. I didn’t blame mister Sleet for bringing it up though. It was healthy to think of loved ones, even if their passing was tragic.

Most everyone was done with breakfast when I arrived, save for a dozen or so other students. I had a helping of sausage and biscuits, as well as a large bowl of porridge. I scarfed through my food quickly, as I wanted to have a productive day … and productive it certainly was.

I did the rounds of campus and spent several hours under a large oak tree in the center of one of the larger courtyards reading some of the books Arwyn had picked out for me. I also made sure to review my notes and go over a couple chapters from my textbooks. I wasn’t the only one, as dozens of others had the same idea.

After that, I went to the target range with Braden, and we practiced with bows for a good spell until we got most of our arrows in the central ring, with the occasional one glancing the bullseye. We didn’t talk much during those hours, which was just as well. The peace of the afternoon, of distant chatter, chirping birds, the twang of our bows, and the thud of arrows hitting targets, I reveled in the peace and simplicity of those sounds. I often used to go hours working with Maelor and our monsters without so much as a peep. It never failed to relax me.

We returned to our room and both napped late into the evening. It was at this time that someone tapped my cheek lightly. My eyes cracked open and found Layla hovered over me. I jolted with surprise. Her lips were curled into a wicked smile and her eyes twinkled in the orange glow of the sunset.

I blinked at her and she blinked down at me. “Um, hello, Layla. Can I help you? How did you get in?”

Her grin grew wider. “I stole Braden’s key a few weeks back, he had to get a new one. And as for why, I thought that maybe you’d like to help me pull a prank on our dear friend Gawain. I’ve asked Braden before, but he’s too much of a goody-goody to ever do it.”

I rubbed at my eyes. Layla backed up away from my bed and leaned against the wall. I yawned while I asked, “What time is it?”

“A little past the sixth hour I think. Most everyone is at dinner … including Gawain,” She winked with mischief, her grin small but impish. “So are you in?”

“What would I need to do?” I sat up and scratched at my goatee. I was certainly intrigued. I'd helped pull off a few pranks here and there, so I wasn’t a stranger to mischief.

But Layla wouldn’t spill the beans. “Nothing really, I just thought you’d appreciate a laugh at our mutual friend’s expense.”

I shrugged. “Alright, fine. Let’s do it.”

She practically squealed as she hopped and clapped. “Great! Get dressed and come on.”

She waited patiently outside as I put on some clean clothes. Unlike Petyr, I didn’t make her wait long. When I joined her, she took my hand in hers and pulled me down the hall. Her hand was soft, smooth, and tiny in mine.

Layla dragged me down the hall, went up a stairwell to the third floor, then took another turn and finally stopped in front of one of the other dorms. She let go of my hand and knelt in front of the door. Her hands fumbled around the pockets of her trousers before they finally retrieved a lockpick. She furrowed her brow and stuck her tongue out slightly as she got to work. After a long moment, the lock clicked, and she looked at me with a satisfied grin.

“Why does it not surprise me that you’re good at lockpicking?” I asked with a smile and a shake of my head.

Layla shrugged. “It’s a useful skill to have where I’m from.” She gripped the door handle and threw it open with a dramatic flair. “Welcome to the humble abode of Gawain Maddox.”

I stepped and almost laughed at the clear sarcasm of calling his room humble. There was only one bed because, of course, Gawain would complain and buy his way into not sharing a room. The bed was gold trimmed and intricately carved beyond acceptable means. It was too fancy, with hundreds of figures and images shaped into the frame and the posters. The curtain around the bed was rich, red silk. He had two of the same plush chairs that the Headmaster had in his office, plus a massive armoire that dominated one side of the room. I didn’t see the point of that since he had to wear the same uniform as everyone else.

The most noticeable thing about his room was that is smelled like Gawain, too much like Gawain. The stench of his cologne was thick in the air and was a sheer assault on the senses. I gagged and covered my mouth with my shirt.

“That’s just awful. How does he live in this?” I asked with a muffled voice.

Layla looked less bothered by it. She simply pinched her nose shut. “Men often enjoy their own stench even when everyone else hates it.” She smirked. “It always smells like this in here.”

I gave her a look. “You’ve come here before?”

She snorted. “Oh yeah, I love fucking with little Maddox. Move things around, hide things here and there. Just small things like that.”

I couldn’t help the smile that crept upon my lips. “You are the real hero this world deserves, truly.”

“I know.” She laughed, but her smile went away quickly. “Now, time for business.” She dug into her pockets again and retrieved a small bottle of what looked like cologne, a large vial of rich golden liquid, and a small cheese square about the size of a bar of soap. Without so much as a word, she walked over to me and placed them in my hands. She read the questions in my eyes before I even asked them.

“Gawain goes to the baths every day after dinner,” she explained. “He’s very vain and values cleanliness. So, we’re gonna tamper with that.” Layla found a fine-looking leather bag on a small table by the armoire. She tossed out a bar and gestured for me to give her the cheese and the cologne vial. Her grin was wide.

“The cheese and the soap look nearly identical, and it won’t feel too different when he’s rubbing it all over him in the bath.” She sprayed the bottle of cologne on the cheese. It was lilac incense. “This will mask the smell of week-old cheese.”

I chuckled. “You’re a fiend.”

“That’s not even the best part,” she replied. I tossed her the golden vial when she gestured for it. From Gawain’s bag, she pulled out a large cloudy vial of white liquid. “Only rich pricks like Gawain can afford shampoo, so we’re gonna pour this goat piss into his shampoo and he’ll be none the wiser.”

I covered my mouth from squealing gleefully at that suggestion. “How do you know it will mix well and be unnoticed?”

The smile that followed that question was chaos incarnate. “Because I’ve done this before.”

“You are pure evil. I love it.” My smile spread from cheek to cheek.

She bowed. “Thank you, sir Gryff. Don’t worry, he won’t notice the smell while he’s wet, but once he dries off, the smells gonna stick to him like… well, like goat piss.”

“I have so many questions right now,” I said jokingly.

“And I have answers, but for later. For now, we play the waiting game.” She placed the shampoo back in Gawain’s bag and retrieved the bar of soap from where she’d thrown it and put it in her pocket, along with the cologne and the now empty bottle of piss.

We left Gawain’s room, locked it behind us, then made our way to the bath house. By the time we got there, dinner had already ended, and students streamed from the main dining hall and dispersed across campus. I didn’t know how we’d get a payoff for making Gawain smell, but Layla assured me it wouldn’t be a problem. I trusted extensive pranking expertise on the subject.

There was no one in the foyer of the bathhouse, though if there was anyone in the building all together was anyone’s guess. I followed Layla down the hallway that led to the men’s baths, but instead of going all the way in, we stopped at a side door that I’d never paid much attention to before. Layla picked the lock easily and then we were inside a small broom closet. There were mops and cleaning supplies, along with a few tools. Cleaning towels sat in neatly folded stacks along the shelves. I didn’t know why we were in there until Layla pointed to a small hatch in the ceiling.

I nodded as she kicked over a bucket, stood atop it, and slid the paneling aside. Inside the hatch was darkness, but that didn’t dissuade her.

Hands on her hips and a determined grin, she turned to me. “Okay, I’ll help you up and then you help me up.”

I nodded. She moved the bucket aside and cupped her hands together over her knee. I got the gist and stepped into her palms carefully. As soon as I did, I pushed off while she lifted with all her strength. It did the trick. My arms found the edge of the hatch and got inside, forearms and all. From there, I used my upper-body strength and her pushing my legs to shimmy up into the darkness of the hatch.

It was cramped and hot, like a horizontal chimney, only slightly wider. I turned back the hole and offered Layla my hand. She took it with a jump. Thankfully, she was very light, so it was no trouble hauling her up into the dark shaft.

“Alright, now what?” I asked.

Layla moved the hatch back into place before answering, plunging us into near-complete darkness. “Now, you follow me.”

I didn’t have much of a choice. She squeezed past me on hands and knees and led on. It was hard to tell distance in the cramped darkness, but I suspected that we were well over the baths when the darkness dissipated. We finally came into a dark crawlspace that was at least wide enough to stand. In short order, we were both drenched in sweat from the steam of the baths.

There was a metal ladder at the end of the space going upward, and Layla made her way for it. I followed her up a long way, enough to know that we were likely well near the top of the building.

As we climbed, I asked, “How do you know about this?”

“I like to explore,” she explained with a wink down at me. “It helps combat my immense boredom and need to be on the move. Besides, you never know when you’ll need a good hiding place.”

Well, I couldn’t argue those points. Layla stopped after a moment with my head bumping into her legs, but neither of us said a word. Her hands worked furiously on some type of knob or latch above me before the darkness gave way with a creaking groan and moonlight streamed in. Cool air blasted in, the sound of the wind whistling above us. Layla climbed out and I followed.

We were on the roof. The huge open-air hole that looked down on the men’s bath was before us, surrounded by a small ledge that was topped with red tiles. Behind us was a brick wall that rose up to another room that I didn’t know the function for. The women’s bath was on the other side, I assumed.

I leaned over the opening and looked down on the baths. It was steamy, but I could see things clearly. I turned back to Layla. “So you come up here and watch us bathe?”

“A little, but I mostly just throw stuff at people or spit on them or something,” she said with a shrug. “Just be a nuisance.”

I snorted and shook my head. “You’re insane, Layla.” I smiled and turned away, but then a thought popped into my head. “Does this mean that there’s a way to the roof on the women’s side?”

Layla punched my arm. “There is, but I won’t tell you where it is.”

“No fair,” I fake-whined, a smile plastered on my face.

She gave me a cheeky smile. “Oh please. What kind of woman would I be if I told you that?”

“Fair enough.” I leaned back against the ledge. “So, if you come up here often, have you seen me naked?”

“Really? That’s what you’re worried about?” She knelt next to me and leaned over the ledge and peered down.

“I mean, I think it’s a fair question.” I shrugged.

She puffed. “First off, I don’t come here every night. Second, no, I have not seen you stark naked. If I do, I will let you know what I think.”

A boisterous laugh flew from my mouth. “Well, if you ever want to know, all you have to do is ask nicely.”

“You’re an idiot,” she proclaimed as she punched my arm again, but she was smiling ear to ear.

From there, we played the waiting game. Slowly, I began to hear chatter from below and the splashing of water. I trusted Layla to tell me when our target arrived, for I didn’t fancy watching the naked bodies of my fellow male schoolmates. It was one thing to be down there where I couldn’t help it, but deliberately looking just felt wrong. Layla didn’t have this problem. She kept snickering at a few and commenting on how impressive others were. It was a little disconcerting, but I couldn’t help but find it also a little funny.

After a while, I broke my silence. “So, why do you prank so much? Just to annoy people?”

She didn’t answer right away. Her silence hung heavy in the air before she gave up her steamy vigil and sat shoulder to shoulder with me. A light huff escaped her.

“I don’t particularly come from a good life down in the Enclave. Poor as hell, mom is on drugs, dad’s an abusive alcoholic, one brother was killed in a gang brawl, and the other has a shit ton of gambling debt.” She rattled it off like she was reading rehearsed lines, like she didn't care, but I could see the furrow of her brow and the twitch of her lips. This wasn’t easy on her. “No one paid attention to me because I was the worthless one in a family of worthless pieces of shit. So, I coped by annoying people, by pranking. That way they would notice me.”

“That was a very… heavy answer,” I told her.

“I know, right?” Layla replied with a mock laugh.

I nudged her arm with my elbow. “I know this may not be worth much, but I’m sorry about that. You deserve to be noticed, everyone does, and I notice you.”

The tenseness of her words evaporated as she sniggered. “Don’t get sappy on me now, Gryff.” She took my hand in hers briefly and gave it a squeeze before releasing it just as quick. “I appreciate it, though.”

I grinned broadly. “Don’t mention it.”

Layla smiled lightly at me, and then she turned back to the baths and continued her watch. Her story gave me a new appreciation for her. I’d lost my parents, but I knew they’d loved me, and then I’d been raised by Maelor, who loved me in his own way. I couldn’t imagine how it would be to grow up as she did. I could now understand why she did what she did, and I didn’t blame her for not trying too hard at the Academy. With the background that she had, it was understandable to just look out for oneself as she did.

“I see him!” she suddenly exclaimed. “He’s getting out of the bath already. I must have missed him, but hopefully, he used our toys.”

I swiveled onto my knees and peered down at the baths. Gawain’s bright hair stuck out amidst the other students. I averted my gaze as he dried himself off with his goons. From my peripherals, I saw him pull on his bathrobe. Safe to look back. As he dried his hair, one of his cronies began to cough.

“Maker, what is that stench?” he asked with disgust.

The others started to smell around and all at once, they seemed to come to the same conclusion. “It’s you, Maddox. You reek like piss and curdled cheese.”

His goons surprisingly turned on him and started to laugh at his expense. Now, normal friends did that all the time in jest, but I suspected that Gawain wouldn’t appreciate it, just as I doubted these goons were actually his friends. I could practically see his face go red from our vantage point.

“Which one of you bastards did this?” he snarled.

They all started snickering as if they’d done it. Gawain ran at them with a yell, but his goons got away. He continued to shout at the top of his lungs in frustration. It was such a beautiful sight, I could have cried. Layla did for me. She squealed, her eyes pinched shut as gleeful tears streamed down her cheeks.

Gawain heard that, or at least he thought he did. The prick started to look up at us, but I cursed and tackled Layla so that we wouldn’t be seen. That resulted in a tumble further along the roof, the two of us giggling while we were tangled together. It ended with me on my back and Layla straddling my waist, and both of us were cracking up.

“That was perfect,” Layla managed between wheezes.

“Yes, yes it was,” I replied.

Our mirth slowly died down until it was just me and her, laying tangled together. Her eyes glittered as she smiled warmly at me. She was flushed, out of breath from laughing, and she glowed with joy. At that moment, she looked absolutely angelic. I had to admit, she fit perfectly against me. She slowly leaned forward, so that her head came closer to mine, as if she was going to kiss me. My heart started to pound a furious tune.

But Layla, ever the mischievous one, grinned wickedly. She flicked my forehead and hopped off of me.

“Thanks for showing a girl a good time, farm boy.” She patted my chest and started to walk away. “We’ll need to do this more often.”

Before I could even get a word out, she scampered over the side of the building. I heard her hand slap against cold metal as she shimmied down. A drainage pipe, perhaps? Regardless, she was gone in a flash, and that was so appropriate for who she was. I stayed there, sprawled out on the roof, the cool air mixed with the steam below as I chuckled and wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks.

My first week at the Varle Academy had been a tumultuous one, to say the least. It had been such a ride, with massive peaks and deep valleys. But this moment… this was the happiest I’d been in longer than I could remember.

I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to end the week.

Chapter 15

The next night was a holiday, a night for drinking and fun, and I for one would never turn down a good time.

There was a tavern at the edge of the hill in the space between the city and the Academy walls that catered only to Academy students and faculty. Surprisingly, it wasn’t some posh, noble establishment that only the ritziest blue bloods could attend. No, this place, The Retching Goblin, was a dingy little shed with chipped paint on the wood siding and a crumbling brick fireplace. The sign above the door, which so eloquently depicted a goblin hunched over a spittoon and vomiting into it, squeaked terribly in the wind. The windows were foggy and cracked, and the steps groaned as I walked up them.

It felt like home.

Braden shouldered open the door with a creak, and then he let Layla and me walk past before following. Despite the fact that this place was no better than the dozens of other shit-bucket drinking establishments I’d been to, it was still full of young adults looking to drink their problems away, or maybe they just wanted a good time, which was exactly what I needed.

There had to be nearly half of the Academy’s student body present. That was probably an exaggerated estimation, but to say that there were at least forty some odd students out of the hundred that attended the Academy was an accurate guess. I knew it would be packed tonight, since it was the eve of the annual Maker’s Gift festivities, when people all over celebrated when the Maker blessed the world with magic to combat the monster horde. I didn’t really bite into all the religious undertones of it.

It didn’t matter ultimately, because I sure did like to celebrate things.

From the looks of the place, Layla, Braden, and I were late to the party. Cheerful music filled the air from the band perched in the back. There were no tables available, and already the small area in front of the stage set up for the musicians was packed with dancing drunk students. Layla dragged us to the bar, which thankfully had three stools available.

We each ordered a flagon of beer and a serving of fried potato skins topped with cheese and spices. We indulged in the food and drink, with Layla more eager than I’d anticipated. She chugged half her flagon before the food even arrived. Braden barely drank his, while I downed mine at a steady clip. Drinking wasn’t a sprint, it was a marathon that I intended to win.

After another swig of her beer, Layla slammed down her beer and belched. “This swill tastes like piss.”

Braden arched an eyebrow and smiled wide. “Then I guess you like drinking piss, because you’re downing it like a champion.”

She patted her chest and belched again. “It gets the job done.”

I laughed and took a sip. “Anything can get the job done if you drink it like that.”

“True enough,” Layla said with a shrug, “but it still tastes like piss.”

I finished chewing a couple of the potato skins. They were crunchy and crisp, and the cheese hot and gooey. Delicious. Then I grabbed my flagon. “This is nothing. There are inns along the roads in the wilds that serve beer that may as well be water. And then there are others that, I shit you not, might actually be piss. I had one that was too warm and smelled rancid. Maybe I got duped.”

Braden and Layla both laughed at that last statement. “Oh Maker, I pray that you actually drank piss,” Layla said with another sip of her drink.

“Of course you would, Bethel,” I replied with a playful glare.

The music changed in pitch and transitioned into a louder, more jovial tune. The other students cheered and started to stamp their feet and clap while singing along. Braden and Layla joined in, their smiles wide as they raised their drinks. I raised mine too, though I didn’t know the song. I had frequented inns and taverns around the wilds and heard hundreds of songs, but this one was foreign to me. Must have been an Enclaver song. It was a joy to listen to though. It was a song about friendship, companions, fond memories, and a long life lived to fulfillment. I could see why everyone loved it.

When it ended in cheers and smiles, the music turned to a slower song. My friends and I turned back to the bar. Layla ordered another beer while Braden and I had our fill of the potato skins and finished them with a smile on our faces.

The moment Layla was given more alcohol, she chugged about half of it. “This is great. Reminds me of home. This is exactly what we do for holidays.”

“I think this is what most people do for celebrations, Bethel,” Braden remarked with a smirk.

She shrugged. “Maybe, but we get nasty in the slums. Too much shit alcohol. Fights are usually common.” She trailed off and stared at nothing, her mind adrift. Her gaze was whimsical, with just a hint of sadness and longing. “The Maker’s Gifts festivities are one of the few times of the year where my family can get together and not be complete asses.” She looked down and frowned. “This will be my first year missing it.”

I clapped her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’ll get plenty more opportunities in the future. Besides, you have us.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, what fun you are.”

Braden and I laughed.

I finished my drink and ordered another. Braden was well behind in drinking, but started to up his pace to keep up with us. He wiped his lips on his sleeve. “I miss my family too. For the festivities, we’d usually have a huge dinner with all our neighbors and then go outside and dance all night.” He paused and let a coy smile play up his features. “Though there’s usually less alcohol involved.”

Layla snorted. “Boring.”

I nudged her with a smile. “You don’t need alcohol to have fun all the time.”

“Well, it certainly helps.” She took another sip, then swiveled in her seat to face me fully. “What about you, Gryffy? What do you do for the festivities?”

I swirled my beer around the flagon. “Well, it varies. The Maker’s Gift festival isn’t as widely celebrated out there as it is in the Enclaves, so it really depends on where I was at on that night. My favorite thing to do is have some wine and sit out under the night sky and watch the fireworks. That’s how we do it. Large and beautiful firework displays. Magic in the sky. Like something from a dream.”

Layla sighed whimsically. “That does sound nice. We don’t do fireworks here, but now that you say that, I wish we did.”

“Yeah,” Braden chimed in agreement.

I took a long swig of my beer and stifled a burp. “Though I also enjoy getting piss drunk and having a girl on my lap all night for festivities. So that or fireworks, both are enjoyable. That’s how I do it.” I gave Layla a sly grin. “Maybe you can be that girl tonight.”

Layla rolled her eyes and laughed. “Maybe when I’ve had a few more flagons.”

I raised my drink to that.

As we drank, the door to the inn slammed open, and in walked none other than Gawain and his minions, who all seemed to still be at his beck and call despite our pranking antics the night before. He sneered as he looked around the room and realized that there were no seats. The crowd parted for him and his own as he made his way to the bar several seats down from us.

Gawain’s hair looked more golden tonight and was tied back as usual. He wore a fine coat and a lot of jewelry, a far cry from the casual nature of this place. I was surprised that he was even here. Was this place not beneath him? Were there not better, cleaner establishments that he could bring his stench and attitude to?

I would have rather him not be here, but as long as he didn’t try to annoy me and my friends, I could tolerate his presence.

The commotion of his arrival soon faded into music and fun, and that’s how it stayed for the next hour or two. We bought more and more drinks until the whole place was packed with dancing bodies. You could hardly hear a thing over the music, or the drunken cheers and singing. Braden found a girl half his size and danced with her. She was cute, with short red hair and rosy cheeks that were a tad plump, but rather endearing. He gave me a smile when he caught my eye, and I raised my drink to him.

Seeing him dance made Layla grab both my hands in hers and haul me off the stool. “Dance with me,” she said with a smile so beautiful that it made my heart lurch. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe I hadn’t paid enough attention before, but now I could see that she was absolutely stunning. She glowed with joy, her body radiated with it. Her smile lit the room and her eyes enveloped me in their warmth.

She pulled me into the swirling mass of students. Her hands wrapped around my neck and mine went around her waist. The song was a slow one that grew in tempo as it went on. There wasn’t much room to move around, but we were content to just hold each other close like this.

We stared for a long time at each other. Layla’s cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, and I could feel mine were the same. Her eyes looked into mine with longing and hunger. She wound her slender fingers through my hair and pulled my head down so that she could whisper into my ear.

“I think I could be that girl that sits on your lap now,” she said, her words so soft they tickled my ear as her lips brushed it.

I gave her a wide grin. “So you’ve drunk enough for that, eh?”

Her lips pursed as she shook her head. “No, I just want to.”

She grabbed my face then and pressed her lips against mine.

I lost all sense of what was going on around me. All I knew was Layla, her smell, her taste, and the feel of her fingers against my skin and through my hair. My hand traveled the length of her back and traced the contours of it. Her lips tasted like honey, matching the amber gold lipstick she wore. It was intoxicating, and I wanted more.

We broke apart as the song came to an end, and we both breathed heavily. She smiled brightly at me, and I returned the smile.

“That was nice,” I said.

“Yeah, we should have been doing this from the beginning,” she in a voice that sounded like a dreamy sigh.

Just then, the next song began, and this one was very upbeat. The room erupted as everyone joined the dancing. There was no space for it, yet we all found a way to twirl each other around, dip and duck as everyone danced with a partner or two, or three, or four. It was chaos, beautiful chaos. Warmth spread throughout my whole body, and I knew that was partly from the alcohol, but also from the sheer fun I was having.

Everyone smiled, everyone was drunk, and everyone was having a night to remember. That was until I bumped into Gawain and spilled his drink.

He was already drunk out of his mind, which meant he was either a poor drinker, or a fast one, but either way, he was an angry and violent drunk. He snarled and pushed me hard as he yelled, “Stupid summoner!”

I tumbled to the floor, and he was on me before I could react, but he was drunk and sloppy, and his grip wasn’t sure. I threw him off of me as the crowd parted around us. He came at me again and swung, but I ducked and slammed a fist into his stomach. He collapsed in a cough but recovered faster than I expected. Before I knew it, he punched and connected with my jaw. I saw stars as I whirled around, although the alcohol lessened the pain.

We both staggered back away from each other and took a moment to catch our bearings, but only a moment. Without another word, he charged me, and I charged him. I ducked his punch and tackled him around the waist. My attack drove him back and crashed him down onto a table, and it exploded in splinters.

A loud ooh went through the crowd.

Before he could recover, I punched him hard, my fist landing between his nose and mouth. That hurt my hand, but I was too pumped on adrenaline and alcohol to care. As I reared back to hit him again, one of Gawain’s minions jerked me off his leader. I stumbled to my feet as the guy reared back to hit me, but before he could, Layla kicked him where it hurts the most. He collapsed, his face red with pain. The other two came at us, but then Braden stepped in the way and pushed their faces away roughly with his big meaty hands. They flailed back and clattered to the floor in a heap.

“Why don’t you take your smelly prince here and get the fuck out of here?” I said with a sneer.

They listened, thankfully. They collected Gawain’s unconscious body and slunk out of the tavern with their tails between their legs. All was silent for a split second after the door slammed shut before Layla raised her drink and roared, which prompted every other soul present to lend their voices to the cheer.

The night was still young, the celebration had only just begun, and already I felt on top of the world.

***

The revelry lasted long into the early morning. Slowly but surely, all the students began to crawl back home to sleep off their drunkenness in preparation for class that morning. I saw Braden slip away with the girl he’d danced with. Good for him.

As for Layla and I, we were some of the last to leave.

We opted for walking back instead of taking a carriage, so we could sober up a bit. Also, we were out of money.

The walk back wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, though we both stumbled more than our fair share of times. We got back to the dorms in one piece, but we didn’t stop there, as Layla pulled me past them and toward the bathhouse. I couldn’t understand why until the reason dawned on me like the punchline of a good joke that you didn’t get at first. I smiled wide.

It was well past midnight, and the baths were supposedly locked, but that didn’t stop Layla from picking the lock. It took her a bit longer than usual, due to her alcohol-addled mind, but she got it done. The lock clicked open and she threw open the large doors. Well, really, she struggled to push them open without my help, but it was the same effect.

The lighting was lower now that it was dark, the oil lamps turned down to their lowest output. But we didn’t have any trouble seeing. Layla took my hand and led me down the hall to the men’s baths. We pushed through the curtains in a rush. The room was still steamy and darker than usual. The gas lamps weren’t turned down too much, so the same green glow hung over the mist.

Layla practically dragged me as far in as we could go, to a small pool in the back surrounded on three sides by walls. I wasn’t worried about getting caught, but I guess it didn’t hurt to be careful. Once there, she got on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine while her hands fumbled at my belt and tried to work the buckle.

She smiled through her kiss. “Maybe I’m really drunk, but your belt is impossible.”

I kissed her long and hard. “It’s the belt,” I smirked.

We broke off our kiss and stepped apart to undress. As I undid my belt buckle, much easier than she did, Layla threw off her coat and undid the buttons of her gown in quick succession. With a dramatic flourish, it fell away from her. In seconds, we were both out of our undergarments and stood before each other, admiring the view.

She had more curves than her lithe frame would suggest, which was fine by me. She was gorgeous, her skin golden in the light and glistening from the steam. Her breasts were small, but perfectly proportioned to her body. I couldn’t help but smile at how beautiful she was.

Her eyes traveled the length of my body, her eyes narrow and her smile coy. “If this were the first time I’d seen you naked, I’d say I’m impressed.”

I guffawed. “So you have seen me from the roof!”

She smirked and shrugged. “Guilty.”

Before I could say any more, she shoved me hard into the bath. I flailed and tried to keep my balance, but I couldn’t. I fell back with a loud splash and went under. The water was warm still, though not as hot as it usually was. I came back up and splashed at her as we both laughed, the sound echoing off the walls.

“You could have told me to get in,” I said.

“But that wouldn’t have been fun.”

I leaned back against the edge of the pool and Layla came over to me and straddled my waist. We wound our fingers through each other’s hair, our kiss hungry and violent. She ground against me, her breath ragged, a low moan coming with it. I kissed her along her jaw, and neck, then her collarbone and down to her breast.

Her moans became louder and more desperate. She pulled back slightly, so she could adjust as I slid inside of her.

Through her pleasure, she sighed and said. “Let’s make this our new Maker’s Gift tradition.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Then she was riding me. We dissolved into a storm of pleasure and ecstasy that I never wanted to end.

Chapter 16

Most of the students were hungover the next day when we arrived in Arwyn’s class. I knew immediately that it was going to be a long day. Arwyn never showed up though. We had another teacher come in, a small middle-aged woman with round cheeks and a soft smile in grey robes.

“I’m afraid Miss Hamner is away dealing with a monster threat, so I’ll help you go over what you learned last class, as well as prepare you for your discussion next class with Miss Hamner.” She spoke with a high lilting voice that radiated with positivity.

And that was that. We talked about monster grades again —the higher the grade, the stronger the monster, but each individual monster could have various degrees of power, so that not all monsters of a type should be treated equally. She was still dismissive of weaker, grade E monsters like my own, but I knew how strong they could be under proper direction.

There was all that, as well as a few bits about rifts and banishers, but not anything that we didn’t already know. It was mostly just to refresh us after a long weekend. I could hardly focus though, as my worry for Arwyn ate at me. I wasn’t sure who was on her response squad, nor did I know what kind of threat the rift she went to help close posed. Maybe she would be fine, but maybe I would never see her again. I knew that was a common part of life for mages and the military, but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

We were all given an hour study period before lunch. There was a general commons area in the south wing of the main building that was mostly used to study and just relax if students had downtime, so that’s where my friends and I went. It was a very cozy place. There were large windows that let the light flood in, and large gilded chandeliers with large round gas bulbs that painted the room in an eerie yellow light at night. Clusters of recliners, sofas, and chairs were scattered about, centered around wide tables.

Braden and I both sat quietly and read, his book being the summoner textbook that I found useless, while I read one of the books Arwyn had picked out for me, Dynamics of the Power of Monsters, a very fascinating read that detailed the powers and weaknesses of almost every monster on record. It was something that I actually cared to learn about.

The room was silent save for the hushed whispers of our fellow students. My eyes drifted from words on the page to where Nia sat against the wall beneath one of the windows. I could hardly see her over the glare of the sun’s rays as they streamed in, but I could see her head bent in concentration as she wrote something down. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she bit her lower lip. Whatever she was working on, she was very much into it.

My eyes drifted to Layla next to me, who lounged in her recliner, her legs bent over the arm of it. They kicked back and forth while she calmly whittled away at a square of wood. The shavings collected under her and covered the chair.

“Must you do that now?” I asked, my eyes back to my book.

“Now’s as good a time as any,” she replied. “Besides, maybe I’m making you a gift.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

I rolled my eyes. “Thank you so much, Layla.”

She tossed a few of the shavings at me. “Don’t be cheeky, you bastard.”

“You like it,” I retorted. We both smiled wide at that.

The period went by in silence with everyone hard at work, or at least I assumed everyone was. That’s what this time was for at least, but what did I care if some of these snobs shirked their studies? It made no difference to me. I would excel regardless. So I continued to read, but my concentration was broken by the soft patter of boots on the thick red carpeting. As they approached me, I looked up from my book and found Mr. Brevens.

He looked markedly different from how he had the first few classes we’d had the previous week. His robes were pressed and clean, the stains gone. His beard had been trimmed. I only caught the scent of mango about it, instead of his usual musk of sweat and alcohol. A pleasant change, though that didn’t make me hide my frown.

“Can I help you, sir?” I asked with what little modicum of respect I could muster. If he could see how little I cared, he didn’t show it.

“Yes, Gryff, you can,” he said sternly. He coughed, cleared his throat, and straightened his posture. “I’d like to speak with you privately.” His voice was equal measures pleading and commanding, like it was an order but he was being nice about it. Odd, but there was something different about him.

I looked at Braden and Layla, who stared back at me with blank stares. They obviously didn’t know what he wanted, so they shrugged and went back to what they were doing. Great help there. With no recourse, I sighed and stood up. I took a moment to yawn and stretch my limbs, although the whole reason I did that was to draw this out and annoy him.

“Alright, let’s go talk, sir,” I said, my voice a little too enthusiastic.

Mr. Brevens scowled. “Cut the shit, kid. Come on.” He strode past me while I put my hands up with a smirk.

“You really shouldn’t antagonize him,” Braden called behind me as I followed the teacher. I ignored him.

Mr. Brevens led me out of the common room and into the hallway beyond it. As he came to a halt, he turned back toward me to fold his arms and slump against the wall. It looked more like his arms were laying across his bulbous stomach, and a moment later, he dropped his arms, perhaps feeling my scrutiny. He ran his hands along his robes as he tried to smooth over the creases and wrinkles.

I folded my own arms and arched an eyebrow as I waited for whatever it was he wanted to talk about. Whatever it was, he didn’t look comfortable. He brought a hand to his bearded lips and cleared his throat.

He grumbled. “This isn’t easy for me, kid, but I’d like to apologize to you.” His tone was low and sincere for once.

I furrowed my brows. “For what, sir?”

He scratched his head. I noticed that he wouldn’t meet my gaze. “Well,” he began and again cleared his throat, “for dismissing your attempts at modernizing how we approach summoning. I was wrong to be so closed-minded and belligerent. I haven’t exactly had a great go of things as a summoning professor, always being belittled by my peers. You can understand my skepticism and trepidation.”

I nodded. “I guess I can. What made you change your mind?”

He grumbled and looked at his toes. “The, uh… Headmaster Sleet set me straight when I complained to him about you. Told me his plans for you and all about what you’ve done with your monsters.”

“Oh, did he now?” I asked with a grin so wide it made my cheeks hurt.

Rori glared at me. “Don’t be shitty, you brat. I’m being sincere here.”

I tried to suppress my smile. “Sorry, sir. Continue.”

“The point is, I was wrong, and I’d like for you to work with me in whipping those other two summoners in shape.”

“Are you asking me to teach the class, to teach you?” I arched an eyebrow and smiled.

He scowled. I could tell he wanted to swat me. “No, you jackass. I understand the fundamentals of what you do. Believe it or not, I’ve attempted similar things in the past, though not with the same flair or success as you, and certainly not to the level that you can do it, but I have tried. Maybe it’s because of that failure that summoning never progressed.”

I blinked at him, surprised by his candor. I’d always believed that summoners did what I did before I came to the Academy and learned otherwise. Yet, it didn’t surprise me that he and others had at least had the idea of what I did way before me. That meant I wouldn’t have to change people’s minds from scratch, there was a foundation to build from, though it was a weak and small one. Still, it was better than nothing.

Here was a man who clearly had been beaten down in his life and career, belittled by peers and people that were supposed to be friends, allies, colleagues, all because of his chosen path. I’d never felt that before coming here, as summoners were much more valuable in the wilds because of our usefulness and versatility. Maybe if I’d experienced what he had, I might have given up too. His laziness and apathy made sense now, and though I wouldn’t accept it, I could at least understand it.

If Rori was willing to change, I could too. I could work with him.

I put out my hand. “Well, thank you, sir, for believing in my skill. I’d gladly help you ... and I apologize for how I’ve behaved toward you too. So let’s have a fresh start.”

He smiled and took my hand. His grip was much stronger than I anticipated. “Good to hear, and don’t worry, I would have reacted the same way to someone like me if I’d been in your shoes. But no longer. We’ll make our profession respectable at last.”

I nodded with a wide smile. “Let’s do it.”

***

After a hearty lunch of beef, cheese, and hot chicken soup, I went to summoning class with Layla and Braden, my usual demeanor for the class gone, replaced by excitement and determination to make my friends better.

I was coy with them when they asked me what Rori and I had talked about.

“Why can’t you tell us?” Layla asked, her voice whining.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” I responded.

She groaned. “You know how impatient I am!”

Layla, as usual, had to know every detail, or she would die from curiosity, but I stayed strong and didn’t indulge her excessive nagging. “Sorry, Layla, my lips are sealed.”

“You’re no fun, Gryff,” she said as she sagged in her seat and crossed her arms. She sat like that for a few seconds before she perked up and leaned over to my desk and whispered into my ear.

“If you don’t tell me what you talked about, then we’ll never fuck again.”

I gave her a long look. She had a wide smile and a joking lilt in her voice so I knew she wasn’t serious. “You liked it too much to risk that, Bethel. Just sit tight for a few more minutes.”

A long groan escaped her throat. “Fine, you ass.” I grinned at her, triumphant for surviving her relentless nagging assault. I didn’t feel bad about keeping the information to myself because there was no point in telling them when Rori was perfectly capable of revealing the details himself.

They’d find out soon enough, anyway.

Mr. Brevens entered soon after us. He smiled and looked so different from the man I’d first been introduced to. He had hope again, passion, instead of looking at life from the point of view of a downtrodden teacher. I had given him that, and it felt good to know that my summoning could change lives and save lives in equal measure.

Mr. Brevens cleared his throat as he slammed a pile of books onto his desk. “Today and from this class on, we’re going to change up our syllabus.”

Braden and Layla looked at each other, all confused frowns and furrowed brows. “What do you mean, sir?” Braden asked.

“I mean that we are no longer going to adhere to the old policies and standards that have been set forth for summoners. After a discussion with Headmaster Sleet, as well as a brief consultation with our good friend Gryff here ...” He paused, his gaze on me. Braden and Layla both turned to look at me too. I just smirked in reply. “... it is decided that we will no longer be laborers. We will learn to maximize our skills in fighting, as Gryff has.”

They stared at me for a while. Braden looked conflicted. I knew how good he was inside, how much he wanted to help people, but he was still Braden. He was afraid of monsters and didn’t know if he had it in him to summon them properly, let alone fight with them. Layla, on the other hand, looked at me with thinly veiled anger. She had no interest at all in fighting. I didn’t blame her, as she really hadn’t been given a choice in coming here, and here I was, a dear friend, helping the military and Academy make her into the fighter that she didn’t want to be.

Her gaze grew to a glare that she thankfully turned from me to Rori. “I signed on to be a summoner because I didn’t want to fight. Now, you expect us to just march in step and go to our deaths?” I felt like she was addressing both me and Mr. Brevens, but her focus was still on him.

He scratched his belly and sighed. “No one is making you fight, Bethel, not yet. You and Flint are hardly up to snuff fighting with your monsters like Gryff, and that aside, this isn’t an official proclamation that all summoners have to fight in the future. That is the goal, but as of yet, it is a dream.”

Layla sat back and folded her arms with a huff. “Okay, good. Maybe one day I’ll fight, but not now, not yet.”

I got up from my desk, stood next to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. “But that’s the point. You two aren’t ready to fight, and that’s alright, no one has prepared you to nor expects you to. Hell, I doubt Rori can handle himself.”

He grumbled behind me. “It’s Mr. Brevens to you, shithead. I’m still your teacher, and I can handle myself fine if need be. My methods might be antiquated to you with my singular monster use, but it was potent the few times I saw combat.”

I chuckled. “Good, then maybe we won’t start from scratch.” I turned back to Layla, who still eyed me angrily. “Look, we may never fight, we may never prove to them that we’re worth the risk in battle, but shouldn’t we try? So that summoners in the future can have respect and contribute to the salvation of mankind? Don’t you want that?”

She squirmed under my gaze. “Well, if you put it like that… I guess I can give it a try.”

Braden chirped up. “Y-y-yeah me, t-too,” he said with his nervous stutter. “I can’t m-make promises, b-b-but I’ll give it my best.”

“That’s all the Academy can ask of you right now,” Rori said, his eyes alight with fire and pride. “Just try. It’s all we can do in this life, isn’t it?”

Layla snorted. “How wise of you.”

We all shared a laugh then. It died soon after though as all of their eyes settled on me, expectant. Even Rori seemed to wait on my lead, which was odd since he insisted he was still the teacher.

“So,” Mr. Brevens began, “how shall we begin?”

A fair question. A lot of what I did wasn’t taught to me, but things I simply figured out. Half of what I did, I knew on instinct. Instinct could be taught, but it was a difficult thing to foster. That didn’t mean that Braden and Layla couldn’t do it though, we would just have to spoon feed them what I knew.

There were plenty of simple moves that they could easily use, like using daggerdillos to put spikes on wallerdons, speed slugs with virtually any monster to make them a whirlwind of claws, or bullet basses to turn things metal or channel lightning attacks from an imp or an elemental mage. Those things weren’t hard, but learning to do it on the fly without even thinking about it would take practice.

But we had plenty of time and means to practice.

I stood and waved for them to follow me. “I guess let’s go to the practice arena and see what I can show you.”

Layla rolled her eyes as she smiled and followed. Braden nodded, tense yet determined, as they walked passed me and through the door. I turned back to Rori and found him downing the contents of a small metal flask. I gawked at him.

“Mr. Brevens!”

He belched and wiped at his beard. “What? A man can’t enjoy a quick sip?”

I shook my head. “I mean… I thought you were cleaning yourself up?”

He scowled. “I am, but I won’t quit drinking altogether. Besides,” he trailed off and smiled, “I’ll need to be a bit sauced if I’m gonna let a damn student teach my class.”

I snickered. “Fair enough.”

Chapter 17

The weeks went by in a haze of school work. My summoning classes progressed much better, now that Rori was on board with my style of summoning. Overall, things were good. Arwyn came to and from school a lot over that span. There was an uptick of rifts opening, and she was needed, but she always came back, which was a welcome relief.

My punishment with Nia came and went uneventfully. I rarely got her to talk much about herself after that first night, so when we did speak, it was mostly about school. We quizzed each other while we worked. She never got a question wrong, even about things like summoning that I threw at her, but to my credit, I rarely got things wrong either. I could tell that she was impressed by the subtle smirks and the raised brows she gave me when I answered a particularly hard question right.

I couldn’t say that we were friends, but she tolerated me a lot better. I kept my chin up since I knew I’d make her like me eventually. It would just take a little more time and finesse.

Most people at least respected me now, which was a pleasant development. They didn’t know how skilled I was as a summoner, but I participated in class more and got most questions right, and I routinely excelled at training. I still wasn’t an expert marksman with a bow or rifle, but I was competent enough. My sword skills developed fast, and I still had yet to be beaten by any student in the ring, though a few of the other students worked me to a draw. But it wasn’t a loss. I once sparred with the major, however, and he had me flat on my back in less than ten seconds.

It was time to fight again, and I found that it was one of my favorite times of the week.

The sun hung low in the afternoon sky as another training day drew to a close. I cracked my neck and my knuckles as I waited for the major to ring the starting bell. My classmate Folli stood across from me, shirtless, his chest dappled with sweat. He had a bush of chest hair that was the same bright red as his hair and was just odd to look at.

“Like what you see?” He smirked at me.

I scoffed playfully. “You wish.”

Folli was well built, barrel-chested with huge forearms that were also covered in red hair. He wasn’t as large as Braden, no one was, but he was certainly an imposing foe. I’d seen him fight a few times though, and I knew that he wasn’t too skilled. He used his brute strength as a crutch and wasn’t one for quick maneuvers or strategy. Still, if he got his hands on me, he could put me in an unbreakable chokehold in a hurry.

“Ready gentleman?” the major asked from his chair. We both nodded, so the major rang the bell. “Begin.”

My classmate didn’t hesitate for a moment. He charged at me full speed. I’d seen him try this approach already, a quick attack that was meant to overwhelm and stun the opponent before they had time to react. It had served him well the first time he’d used it, but I was an experienced fighter. That tactic would not work on me.

He swung frantically, all the weight in his punch, but I ducked out of the way and knocked his arm aside. He stumbled past me with a gasp as he realized that his one strategy was spent. Folli tried to recover, but I wouldn’t let that happen. As he gathered himself, I jabbed and caught his jaw with my fist. His head snapped to the right, and his body staggered from the hit.

I tackled him roughly around the waist and drove him into the hard tile of the ring. He crumbled beneath me with an audible groan. Before he could make a move to get up, I held him down with a knee to his chest. I raised my fist, ready to swing, but he tapped my leg.

“Alright, you got me, I yield,” he said as he winced and tried to play it off.

I smiled.

The major rang his bell. “Winner, Gryff. Excellent job. Dedarian, you need to be more patient, let the fight develop. We’ve talked about this.”

“Yes, sir,” Folli groaned beneath me. I hopped off of him and offered him my hand. He took it, and I helped him to his feet. We shook hands.

“I should have figured that charge wouldn’t work on you,” he said with a smirk. He rubbed his jaw where my punch had landed. “You’re too good of a fighter to get caught like that.”

I shrugged. “Can’t know if you don’t try, and we can’t learn if we don’t make mistakes.”

Folli rolled his eyes and snorted. “You sound like a philosopher.”

“Maybe I am one,” I said, my nose raised haughtily

We both chuckled. The major grumbled from his chair. “Okay you two, enough chit-chat, out of the ring, now.” We obliged.

The major called on a couple more combatants, but I wasn’t paying much attention as I went to wrap my knuckles in some bandages I had in my bag. I heard Braden’s name but didn’t catch his opponent.

Once I was done, I returned to the ring and stood around the sparring arena, Layla by my side, as Braden fought a short but stout man from our class. Deren Kiltro, I believed his name was. He didn’t speak much, and most didn’t acknowledge him. When the major called on him, I hadn’t even heard his name, but I was fairly certain I had his name right. He was just forgettable, poor fellow.

The fight wasn’t forgettable though, as Braden and Deren were both built like boulders and could take hits well. Deren constantly stayed behind Braden, for though he was slow, he was smaller and could maneuver much better than my large roommate. As Braden lunged for Deren, the smaller man ducked out of Braden’s reach and kicked my roommate's legs out from under him.

Braden dropped with a yelp, and as his back hit the ground, Deren dropped the full force of his weight into a punch that connected with Braden’s gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Deren seemed to think that he won, but as he got to his feet and started to walk away, Braden erupted from the ground. My roommate tackled Deren around the waist and threw him from the ring. Deren hit the hard earth with a resounding yelp and a gasp of breath.

A few people clapped as the major rang the bell that signaled the end of the match. “No more, the match is over via technical disqualification. Good job, Flint.”

Braden cracked a wide grin. He stepped out of the ring and helped Kiltro to his feet. He clapped him on the shoulder and whispered something to him. Deren shook his hand and then they melted back into the crowd of students. No hard feelings, of course. It was only practice.

A few more matches went by, but I didn’t pay too much attention as the sun dipped lower and lower until it was behind the walls. It was near time for dinner and my stomach rumbled in response to the thought. I was drenched in sweat and drained from a long day of training. My hands were sore from the fights, and my knuckles ached, but we were done, we’d have food soon, and then I could wash and rest.

But the major had other plans. He smiled wickedly from his seat. “Let’s end this session on a high note. “Gryff, Kenefick, get in there and give us a show like last time.”

A few people snickered. Last time, a rift to the Shadowscape opened in the middle of our fight and put the whole school in danger, but I understood what he was getting at. Still, it was somewhat funny, if it weren’t for the fact that I had to fight again when I sincerely didn’t want to.

I groaned. I was tired, and Nia hadn’t yet fought today, but I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Nia and I stepped into the ring. She stretched her arms and cracked her knuckles. Her usual serious demeanor was gone, replaced by a fiery smile that brimmed with confidence. Arrogant though it was, it was a pleasant change from the usual coldness that she displayed for everyone around her.

“You won’t have a rift opening to save you this time,” she told me with a grin.

I chuckled. “Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing.”

What was this? Nia Kenefick, having fun? What a welcome surprise indeed. Was she just that confident in her victory that she could afford to be more casual with me, or had she actually started to lighten up a little? I prayed it was the latter, for though I could appreciate her usual intensity, I’d rather see her gorgeous smile more regularly.

The major cleared his throat from his chair. “Are you two ready?”

We answered with nods, as everyone always did. There was no telling the major you weren’t ready. He told us that in a life or death situation, you were either ready, or you were dead, so we had to always be ready for his fights. That was fair enough in my book.

He rang the bell harder than he had to, so it was clear that the major was excited about this match. “Begin,” he yelled.

Nia dropped into her usual formal, professional stance, but I could see a bit of flow and looseness instead of the rigid stiffness she had before. It was almost as if she had been watching me and tried to incorporate some of my own improvisational style into her own. As much as I wanted to beat her, to earn a win over the great Nia Kenefick to advance my reputation among my classmates, seeing that brought a smile to my face as I dropped into my own easy-going stance.

She stalked closer to me, fists raised, as she assessed me with those calculating blue eyes of hers. I didn’t give her much to assess. I kept my limbs loose, my arms low at my side, my gait casual. Nia wouldn’t be able to read anything from me, not until I was ready. Paces away from me, she tensed as she realized I wouldn’t strike first. Having fought her and seen her fight several times, I knew she didn’t like to strike first either. We both liked to let our opponent make the first move and react accordingly. Still, one of us had to move eventually, and it wouldn’t be me.

The odd thing was that instead of her usual scowl of judgment or frustration, Nia matched my slight smile.

“You can’t stand there in that ridiculous stance all day, you know?” she teased as we kept our slow circle.

“Hey, it works for me.” I shrugged slightly. “And it seems to be working for you too.”

Nia smirked at that, but there was some well-hidden respect in her comeback as she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet. “The best fighter in the class needs to be smart enough to learn from the second best, and Keneficks always strive to improve.”

“I couldn’t agree more, second best.” I smirked back just as I put words to action. I broke my own rule about never going first to take advantage of Nia’s look of surprise at my words and slipped forward. I threw a quick kick to Nia’s left knee. Never one to favor kicks myself, I saw how effective Nia had used her feet in our last fight, so how could I not use her own moves against her?

Nia yelped in surprise and pain as my attack struck home. As she started to buckle sideways, I stepped forward and neatly hooked her left leg with my right to send her down to the hard-packed earth. Despite my early advantage, Nia was still a Kenefick, so I wasn’t surprised when she rolled with the sweep, but I was already committed to my follow-up. I had hoped to tackle and pin her before we really got to brawling, but her own heel lashed out in a low arc and caught me in the ankle.

While my feet were swept right out from under me, I had been expecting her to do something, so I slapped the earth and broke my fall, ready to defend myself as Nia tried to press her momentary advantage. I had mass and power on my side, and she had her cat-like quickness, so it was no shock that she pounced on me before I could right myself. Her knees planted on my shoulders, she straddled my chest, one arm ready to let fly with a punch, but there was something different, something I hadn’t seen in any of Nia’s fights before.

That gorgeous smile I had caught at the start was still there. Maybe it was the mutual respect that had begun to creep in after our battle side-by-side in the Shadowscape, but Nia was actually enjoying this fight, she was having fun.

“So, second best,” there was a playful teasing in her tone, not a hint of cold judgment, and maybe even a hint of a blush under the dirt on her cheeks, “ready to yield?” She showed a hint of a smirk. “I don’t ever intend on letting you go.”

If we weren’t in a duel that would earn me so much of the prestige I needed, I would have almost considered taking her up on that offer, just to get that much closer to her. There was something thick in the air, and my blood was boiling with more than adrenaline from the fight.

“With you on top of me like this, why would I ever want you too?” I flashed my best smirk up at her beautiful, dust-smudged face. “But I have a better question for you, Kenefick—”

I cut myself off with a sudden surge of strength as I pushed off the ground with my entire right side. Nia’s uncharacteristic playfulness had relaxed her guard just enough to let my superior strength come into play as I threw her off and to the left. She gasped as her back hit the arena floor, followed by a growl as I neatly rolled atop her.

Just as she had pinned me a moment before, our positions were now switched. My knees were perfectly planted on her shoulders, and as I couldn’t risk going with half-measures against Nia’s fighting prowess, I leaned over her form to plant my right elbow against her neck and chin. It wasn’t a choke, not yet, but the pressure was just enough to let her know that it could be with just a little effort.

Though it wasn’t entirely intentional, our new position had the added benefit that it put my face within inches of hers. Nia’s breath was hot on my face, and up close, I was certain that there was red in her cheeks, and the glimmer in her fierce eyes betrayed that her blush wasn’t just from anger and frustration. I could have stolen a kiss right at that moment, but I respected Nia far too much for that. Instead, I locked eyes with her.

“And that question is,” I said between breaths, “are you ready to yield?”

Her lips parted to reveal a grin, but I couldn’t tell if it was kind or not. “I don’t quit.”

Kenefick pride and anger that was all her own surged through Nia at that. She thrashed beneath me, her arms and legs moving wildly, and I had no choice but to press down on the choke with my forearm. She tried to slap at my face and punch me, but I held her firm, though she did manage to buck once and get a heavy knee into my ribs. Still, with my superior mass and position, there was little she would do, as she couldn’t leverage her speed advantage from flat on her back. Nia seethed, her skin red. Her ashen bangs were plastered to her sweaty forehead. She tried with all her strength to get free of my hold, but I had this win, and I wouldn’t let it slip through my fingers.

“Nia,” I got out between struggles, my voice trying to be soothing. I found myself caring too much for the proud girl to want to actually hurt her, and as much as I admired her drive and stubbornness, this was getting too serious, “it’s okay to admit defeat, and you’re far too beautiful for me to want to hurt you.”

I hadn’t precisely intended to say that last part, especially in the middle of the arena with everyone watching, but in the heat of the moment, I couldn’t help myself. Still, it had at least some of my intended effect, because Nia froze beneath me, along with a good bit of the crowd. Even the major seemed more focused on this new bit of drama instead of stopping the match like he should have been.

Nia’s flush spread, and the air seemed thick and heavy for those few inches between us. I could practically feel the heat of her body under mine before she finally broke her gaze away as if she could no longer look me in the eyes.

“I yield,” she gasped out as she tapped my thigh with her trapped right arm.

I let her go immediately. She slumped against me and sucked in air, but she was otherwise fine. I tried to gently push her off me, but she flinched and jumped away, obviously angry. I ignored that and climbed to my feet, though everything hurt. My ribs ached, and my ankle throbbed. It didn’t feel like there was any broken bones or otherwise any serious injuries, but I would definitely have to visit the infirmary regardless.

But none of that mattered, for I had bested Nia Kenefick, and I was on top of the fucking world.

The major laughed and rang his bell. “Winner by submission, Gryff. Excellent fight, both of you.”

Nia crawled to her feet and hobbled away in a huff. I didn’t blame her. I knew she wasn’t angry with me, not really. She was a Kenefick after all, anything other than absolute victory, anything short of perfection, wasn’t good enough. The other students gave her a wide berth as she exited the ring, but ignored her to instead engulf me in applause and congratulations. Layla threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly as Braden wrapped a beefy arm over my shoulders. People that barely ever looked at me before were smiling and singing my praise. Gawain was still an angry and jealous prick shit, but there was no fixing that.

I was validated, and it felt absolutely amazing.

***

Arwyn was away again on another mission, so it was Meriden who patched me up at the infirmary. She declared that my ribs were bruised, maybe slightly cracked, but nothing was broken. It was a testament to her skill that Nia would be able to do that even when I had her pinned, but other than the ribs, I was fine. She gave me a harsh green potion that smelled like burnt bones and sulfur and tasted nearly as bad, like boiling hot mud. It was a pain to put down and every bit worse than the mana potion I had taken.

“That’s a mending potion,” she said with a stern look as my face contorted with disgust. “Will fix your bones right up in a few days.”

“This tastes like a shit from a blind two-legged cat, what is this made of?”

She gave me a long look, her eyes amused and her smile soft. “Okay, I’m sure there’s a story behind that saying, but maybe later. That, my dear student, is made from the ground up bones of an imp and boiled liver from a mini basilisk.”

I downed the rest of it, my whole body protesting as the hot concoction clawed down my throat. “Who on this earth thought to add those ingredients together?”

Meriden shrugged. “Science is full of seemingly random elements like that. It was probably an accidental discovery.”

“Lucky me,” I replied with sweat rushing down my head. The whole potion made me hot. She chuckled. “What is it with curative potions and awful tastes?”

“Who knows? Lots of things that are good for people can be quite unpleasant, in one way or another. That just seems to be a universal truth. Take it as a lesson overcoming adversity. It’s unpleasant, but it will make you better and stronger.”

I cracked a smile. “You’re so wise.”

“I try.” She turned and found a small vial of little red pills. She handed them to me. “These are painkillers. You’ll have some discomfort for a couple of days, occasionally accompanied by really sharp pains when the bones are mending. Take two of these each with breakfast and dinner. The potion should do the trick before you run out of pills, but if you still feel discomfort after you run out, come back and see me. Got it?”

I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Thanks.”

She smiled, her plump cheeks rosy. “You’re very welcome. Now go on to dinner.”

“Oh, I will.” I turned to leave but then swiveled back. “By the way, how’s Nia? I didn’t hurt her too bad I hope.”

Meriden’s face scrunched in confusion. “Nia Kenefick? She hasn’t come in today.”

I cursed. That stubborn, stubborn girl. I thanked Meriden and left the infirmary with determined strides. After I quickly cleaned myself off and changed, I joined my friends and the rest of the student body in the dining hall. Late as I was, there was no one in line when I got my food.

Layla and Braden weren’t the only ones who wanted to swarm me with questions and praise for my win over Nia. Folli was there, all smiles and encouragement, as well as his girl Vara Treore, an earth elemental that was a class above ours. She smiled wide, her teeth bright against her rich brown skin. There were others too, from my class and beyond, and I thanked them all and put on a warm front. I genuinely did appreciate the attention and the respect, but my mind was distracted with concern for Nia.

As dinner progressed, I didn’t see Nia come in once. So she hadn’t gone to the infirmary, nor had she gone to dinner. Where on earth was she?

Once everyone left the dining hall, I went to the library. I wanted to study and do some work, maybe check out some books. Layla and Braden both bid me farewell. Braden looked exhausted and would likely be asleep when I got back to the room. Layla had a dark look about her, mischievous and evil. She would sow some chaos that night, I was sure. The thought made me smile.

I stayed in the library for hours, absorbed in the texts and my work. The thoughts of Nia or of my triumph faded away as I worked. All I thought of then was bettering my mind. I’d had a physical victory today, but I needed to win in class too.

My eyes were heavy when I finally decided to head back. There was no one left in the library, at least from what I could tell. It did span the near entirety of the grounds, so I was sure there were a few people hidden away in some far-off corner, but none in the central chamber where the librarian sat atop her large desk. Thinking of the maze of shelves that wound into the darkness beneath the building made me think of Arwyn and our time shared there. I smiled. I needed to see her like that again soon.

When I exited the building and came into the cool night air, I found the moon high in the sky, near its zenith, so it must’ve been almost midnight. More time had passed than I had thought, so I quickened my pace. I took a shortcut down a thin eastern hall with high walls and thin gaps that let moonlight stream through on one side.

As I passed through it, I heard grunts ahead of me, and the pants of heavy breathing. I slowed to a crawl and crept forward to the nearby opening to peer out around a column that opened to a small courtyard. Trimmed shrubs and a rose-covered thorn bramble with small beech trees in each corner surrounded a little patch of grass that made up this clearing. In the middle of it, bathed in moonlight, was Nia.

She wore the same clothes as she had hours earlier during training, loose brown trousers tapered tight at her calf where they were tucked into her boots, and a tight sleeveless shirt that showed off her lean arms covered in a sheen of sweat. Her breathing was haggard, and her face was pinched with pain and discomfort.

It was obvious that she was practicing still. Nia shadowboxed, trying jabs and hooks, ducks and dodges. This was ridiculous. She stayed out for hours to train more because I’d beaten her. I got it, she was a Kenefick, and losing was a failure, but there were limits. She didn’t need to skip meals and medical treatment.

“Kenefick,” I said roughly as I stepped out from the cover of darkness and into the moonlight of the courtyard. Her back was to me, but I saw a visible shiver run down her spine at my sudden words, yet she didn’t respond to me. Nia just kept on practicing her punches. I frowned.

“Nia,” I tried again. Ignored still. Her pain was more obvious now the closer I got. Every few jabs, she flinched and put a hand to her throat or on the knee I’d hit, and she hissed with pain every time she jabbed. I hadn’t hit her too hard, but the neck is a soft spot, and she’d forced me to press down on that choke hard at the end. My frown twisted into a scowl. “Nia!” I said again, louder and angrier.

She whirled on me, her face aflame with anger too. “What?” she demanded in a breathless rage. Her skin gleamed in the moonlight.

I approached her slowly, my hands up in surrender. Her hands were in fists and shook, slightly raised. I reached out for them. Surprisingly, she didn’t flinch when I wrapped my hands around her shaking wrists and pushed them down to her sides. Her chest rose quickly with each breath, her heart hammering so loud I could hear it. Nia seethed, her cheeks flushed, but she wasn’t looking at me, not really. She wasn’t mad at me.

“Hey,” I said, my voice low and calm. “It’s okay. You can stop fighting.”

Her eyes suddenly snapped to mine. She seemed to realize then that I was touching her. She ripped her hands free of mine and stepped back.

“No, I can’t,” she shouted, her voice breaking ever so slightly. “Keneficks never stop fighting. Our whole life is a fight. We can’t quit, we can’t lose. Defeat is failure, and failure is death.”

Wow. I folded my arms and frowned at her. Those words weren’t her own. They were a doctrine that her family had instilled in her, that much was obvious. It was involuntary, like a reflex. I would have called her brainwashed, but her sentiments weren’t necessarily negative, still she needed to see things from beyond her perceived familial obligations.

“That’s bullshit,” was my response.

Her brows furrowed and frowned. “Pardon me?”

“You heard me,” I said defiantly, my hands on my hips.

“What makes you think you have any right to speak on the subject?” she asked, her eyes glaring holes into me.

“Stop being so stubborn,” I snapped. “You didn’t fail just because I beat you. Would it be a failure if the Headmaster beat you in a duel, or if the major took you down in the arena? No, because they have superior skills. Losing to someone better than you isn’t a failure. It gives you a goal to work toward.”

“I know, I’m trying to do that right now,” she glared.

“I’m not upset that you’re practicing, I’m concerned because you’re clearly hurt, and you haven’t eaten or taken a break. You have limits and you don’t need to push yourself so hard because of me.” I sighed. “I know you think you have all the pressures of the world on your shoulders, but don’t take it too far.”

“Yeah but—”

I put a finger on her lips to shush her. She was too surprised to even react to that. “You are your own person, Nia,” I said softly. “You have to block out the pressure, be the mage you know you can be for you, not for them. Saving the world, saving humanity will come with it. And failure isn’t a bad thing. Failures and mistakes are how we grow and get better.”

My arm fell away. We stared at each other for a long time. Her anger faded, her fists unclenched. She cast her gaze to her feet as her lips trembled and formed into a sorrowful grimace.

“It’s just so hard to shoulder this burden,” she said with a hitch in her voice. I’d never heard her sound so… vulnerable.

I put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You don’t have to do this alone, Nia. Everyone at this school is your ally. You’re a symbol of hope, sure, but you won’t be fighting monsters alone. You’ll have friends by your side.”

Nia smirked. “Allies, huh? I’ve never had friends before. It was always family and duty. Anyone who got too close to me was scared off.”

I crossed my arms. “You’ll find that I don’t scare easily.”

Her lips curled into a smile. “I’ve noticed.”

“So be my friend, Nia Kenefick,” I said with a wide and cheeky grin as I put my hand out for her to shake.

She looked at it for a long time. Then she rolled her eyes and shook it reluctantly. “Fine, but don’t expect me to suddenly act all buddy-buddy with you and always have a smile on my face like how you and your summoner friends are.”

I chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of making you act like that.”

“Good,” she replied firmly. She stepped back and then winced.

“Did I hurt you in our fight?” I asked, the concern plain in my voice. “You should go to the infirmary.”

She waved that off. “No. I’m fine.”

I shook my head. “You are so needlessly stubborn.” I dug into my pockets and pulled out the vial of painkillers that Meriden had given me. I popped a couple of them into my palm and handed them to her. “Here. Meriden gave me these painkillers. Don’t you dare say no, Kenefick.”

She snorted and took them. Without waiting to get water, she threw them in her mouth and swallowed them dry. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” I returned the vial to my pockets. “Oh, and if you want me to give you some pointers on how I fight or just need someone to spar with in private, let me know and I’ll be there.”

Nia smiled, a sweet little curl of her lips that made my heart flutter. She was gorgeous. “I’d like that.”

“Excellent. I look forward to teaching you, my student.”

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Okay, idiot. Go on to your room now.”

I smiled brightly and began to leave. I called over my shoulder. “You go to bed too, Nia. It’s midnight and you smell bad.”

“If you say one more word ...” Her voice trailed as she called after me.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll kill me. I know, Kenefick. Good night.” I waved and smiled as I heard her snort behind me. Maybe she would kill me, but I would die knowing that I made the cold and stern Nia Kenefick my friend.

Chapter 18

It was evening the next day. I held a bow in hand, had a quiver full of arrows on my back, and the practice targets were set up across from me. The fields were bathed in shadow, as the sun had already sunk below the Enclave walls. The air was cooler now, so I didn’t sweat as much, but drops of it still crawled down my skin. Honestly, it felt soothing.

Most of the students were at dinner, but I wasn’t hungry, and I wanted some alone time to practice away from prying eyes. I was getting better every practice session with the bow, so this time when I drew the string back taut, nocked an arrow, and let it loose, it hit the outer edge of the bullseye. I smiled wide. I was a fast learner. When the time came for me to ever have to use this skill in a combat situation, whether it be against monsters or people, I didn’t know how well I would do, but I was still very confident.

Truthfully though, I just liked being out here to clear my head and have time to myself. I could do that in the library and in my dorm too, but my body was itching to do something physical.

I stayed even after everyone let out of the dining hall. Most ignored me if they walked my way, giving me a cursory glance before moving on. Braden and Layla eventually found me there. Layla yawned, hands in her robe pockets as she walked up. Braden was at her side and rubbed his stomach. He had a content smile.

“You missed a good dinner,” Braden said while he continued to pat his stomach for emphasis. “Smoked venison and baked potatoes. It was amazing.”

I frowned. That actually did sound great, but that didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t hungry. I would have plenty more amazing meals at the Academy dining hall, so I wasn’t about to sweat it.

“Too bad,” I said with a shrug then knocked another arrow. “Maybe next time.” I let it loose. It struck to the right of the bullseye. Close, but off the mark.

Layla circled around me so that she stood in front of me and blocked my line of sight to the targets. “You okay? Why didn’t you come to dinner? Anything you need to get off your chest? You know how much I love gossip.”

I smiled and maneuvered her out of the way so that she stood by Braden again. “I’m fine you two, really. I just wasn’t hungry, and my body was craving exercise. Trust me, I would let you know if something was wrong.”

And if there was something wrong, I would tell them. They were my friends, and I trusted them with my life. I was touched that they were so concerned for me, that my one absence from dinner made them worry. I was lucky to have them, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t telling the truth. There really wasn’t anything wrong. Sometimes a man just needed to do work alone.

Layla pouted, but didn’t pry any further. “If you say so,” she said. Then she turned on her heels and strode away. “See you tomorrow.”

I just looked at Braden, who looked back at her and then to me. He shrugged. “You know how she is. Anyway, I’ll see you in a bit then.”

“Yeah, see you.”

Then he was off.

I got back to shooting. I loosed arrow after arrow until more than a dozen of them were embedded into the hard straw target opposite me. Five of them were within the bullseye and most of the others were damn close to hitting it too. I was making progress faster than I thought. Now, if only I could manage with a sword…

It was near time for me to leave. There was still light for me to see by, but the sky was turning the dark blue-purple of twilight, and soon I would be in darkness. So I crossed the grassy expanse to the targets to retrieve my arrows. I pulled them out strenuously, as they were stuck in pretty deep. Once I collected them all and returned them to my quiver, I turned back around to begin shooting again.

But I found I was no longer alone.

Petyr, the Headmaster’s attendant, stood paces away, hands clasped behind his back and that perpetual scowl splayed across his features. He eyed me as I sauntered over to him. I took my time to get to him, since the Headmaster informed me that Petyr didn’t like me because of my non-Enclave upbringing. Pricks like him who valued such things deserved to be inconvenienced whenever possible.

“Can I help you?” I asked him. “What does the Headmaster want?”

“The Headmaster didn’t send me,” he answered. “Miss Hamner asked me to find you. She’d like a word with you in her classroom.”

“Oh, she’s back?” I smiled. I didn’t like to think about it, but with the number of missions that Arwyn had been going on, I was worried that, eventually, the monsters would get her. I guessed there was still that chance, but she was back now, so that was good. And she wanted to see me so late at night? I had an idea of what she may have wanted.

“Obviously,” Petyr responded with an annoyed sigh.

I rolled my eyes at his attitude and smirked at him. “Wait, I thought you were only the Headmaster’s attendant? What’re you doing running errands for a teacher?”

He narrowed his eyes and sneered. “I am the Headmaster’s attendant, but I get along with Miss Hamner and she asked me to do her a favor.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Hurry up and come along,” he demanded.

I crossed my arms. “I can make my way to her just fine, Petyr. Don’t worry, you can go about your business. Run along.”

He snarled at me, his face contorted in disgust, but he swiveled dramatically, clicked his heels together, and marched off into the evening. I snorted at the ridiculous display. What a sad little man.

I returned the bow, arrows, and quiver to the requisitions hall that was attached to the dueling arena. The weapon checkout station was a small metal desk encased in glass with a wide slot for transactions. There were a few cabinets for paperwork but not much else, but behind the booth was a large armory filled with weapons, both practice and real.

The attendant on duty, Borris, was a short man with a bald head and large mouth. He had eyes so dark they seemed as black as a starless night. He regarded me with a nod, his lips set in a hard line.

“You done with those?” he asked me, his voice low and raspy.

I nodded. “Yessir, here you go.” I passed him my equipment through the open slot. He took them eagerly and placed them beneath the desk before placing his hands back in front of him.

“Good. Will that be all?” He was very matter of fact. No nonsense.

“That’ll be it, Borris.”

He leaned back, put his hands behind his head, and yawned. “Great, get on out of here, Mr. Gryff. Have a good night.”

I gave him a wave. “You too.”

Once I left, I made my way to Arwyn’s class on the other side of the building from the arena. The halls were empty and quiet as I strode there, the only sound the pounding of my boots against the stone floor. The sound echoed against the walls. So when I turned down the long hall which had Arwyn’s classroom at its end, I was sure she could hear me approach.

I slowed my steps when I neared the open doorway and peered inside. Arwyn was huddled over her desk, papers and books scattered about. There was an open bottle of bourbon next to her hand. She looked tired and a bit disheveled, with strands of her fierce red hair  hanging over her eyes. Her white robes were stained with dirt and… dark splotches of blood. I suspected it wasn’t her own, but that didn’t make me less concerned.

I knocked on the doorframe, and her head shot up. “Oh, Gryff. Good. Come in and close the door behind you.” I did as she asked and then took a seat at a desk right in front of her own.

“You summoned me?” I asked with a cheeky smile and a wink.

She rolled her eyes. “Very funny, but yes, I wanted to talk to you about what I’ve been doing while I’ve been away.”

I frowned. I knew what she’d been doing. “You’ve been on missions. What about them?”

“Precisely,” she said with a nod. She joined her hands in front of her, elbows on the desk and her shoulders straight. “Monster activity has been higher lately for some reason, but that’s not what this is about. Well... I guess it partially is, but I digress. What I wanted to tell you is that on my last mission, we...” Her voice cracked. “We lost three squad members. The only ones who made it back were my banisher and me.”

My jaw went slack. “I’m so sorry.”

She took in a shuddering breath and waved me off. “It’s okay, Gryff. Thank you though. I appreciate your condolences, but I did not call you here to help me get over my grief.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “So what did you want to talk about?”

Arwyn took a swig of the bourbon first before she answered. “With nearly an entire squad going down, the Headmaster has put together another one. It will be led by me, and be comprised by my banisher Varleth, a metal adept named Orren, Nia Kenefick, and Gawain Maddox.”

I ground my teeth at the mention of that snob. “They let first-year students on real squads?”

She nodded, though she didn’t look pleased. “They do if they’ve demonstrated the appropriate skill for the job. Varleth and Orren are both fourth-year students that have gone on countless missions before. Nia is… well, I know you’ve seen her capabilities first hand. And as for Gawain, he is an ass, but one of the best fire elementals the Headmaster has ever seen.”

“Of course he is,” I said with an exasperated sigh. Truthfully, I had yet to actually see Gawain perform any of his magic, but if the Headmaster vouched for his skill, who was I to question it? It would certainly account for how arrogant he was, among other things. Still, that didn’t mean I had to like his appointment to the squad.

I shook off my anger as it was unproductive. “What does this have to do with me then?” I asked her bluntly. “It seems like you have a full squad.”

Arwyn laced her fingers together and put her chin on top of them. “It’s simple. I want you on the squad.”

“So put me on the squad,” I said, my gaze narrowed. “I think I’ve proven myself more than enough.”

“You have indeed, but most students don’t know that. There would be serious questions as to why a summoner, a first-year at that, was being put on the squad.”

I threw up my hands. “Then what am I supposed to do?”

She took another sip of the bourbon and offered it to me, but I declined. She put it down hard on the desk. “Find a way on the team, I don’t care how. The Headmaster agreed that if you could convince one of the others to step down, other than Varleth, he would allow it. And it should go without saying, but don’t do anything illegal to do it.”

“So, I need to convince either Nia, Gawain, or this Orren fellow to switch with me?”

Arwyn shrugged, her lips curled into a slight grin. “Well, maybe not in such simple terms, but yes. Again, I don’t care how you do it, as long as it’s legal.”

“That’s helpful. Is there a penalty if I don’t find a way onto the squad?”

She frowned. “No, you would remain a student and continue on as you are now. But if your goal is to change how the world sees and uses summoners, then it would be prudent of you to get on this squad.”

“Fair point.”

Her lips parted to reveal a bright smile. “I know you can do it, Gryff. I have faith in your abilities… and your charm as well.” She punctuated that last statement with a wink.

I smirked back. “Thanks. Is there anything else you need?” I let my eyes wander her body, to the hollow of her neck, to her collarbone that stuck out of her robe and the beginning of cleavage that she prominently displayed. “Any more comfort?”

She caught my meaning. With a smile, she stood from her desk, walked around it to stand in front of me, and took my face in her hands. She jerked my head up lightly as she lowered hers to mine. Then our lips joined together in a hard and hungry kiss. It was desperate, hot. We both moaned at the intensity of it, but she broke off much too soon, her teeth biting my lip tenderly before she finally pulled back completely.

Her eyes twinkled in the lamplight as she gazed at me. “I’m afraid I’m exhausted from my travels, and I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I’m afraid this is all we can share today.” She got up and went back to her seat. “But don’t worry. You’ll see more of me soon.”

“I look forward to it.”

Arwyn chuckled. “As will I. Now get out of here, and think long on what I said.”

I nodded and stared at her for a heavy moment before I finally turned and left. I closed the door shut behind me.

***

My fork clanked against my plate as I clumsily stabbed at the fried eggs before me. It took me a moment to carve up a chunk of it and maneuver it into my mouth. My mind was still so distracted by my conversation with Arwyn the evening before, I could hardly concentrate on anything else.

How would I get on the squad? My first problem was I had no idea who Orren was. Arwyn hadn’t even given me his surname or what he looked like. So that would be hard to do without drawing obvious attention to myself. Then there was Nia. I couldn’t bribe her, and I really didn’t have the stomach to blackmail her, if she even had anything worth being blackmailed over. I also doubted I could simply convince her to step down from the team either. Maybe a friendly wager in a sparring match? That could work perhaps, but really, I didn’t want to take her off the squad anyway. She deserved it more than anyone, and I knew how well we worked together.

Of course, that left Gawain. I had nothing to bribe him with, though I doubted he was against bribes in the first place, that slimy shit. I would have loved to blackmail him, but I didn’t know where to begin, since I wasn’t the sort to resort to that. Maybe I could provoke him into doing something…

“What’s with that look?” a familiar voice asked. I blinked up to see that Layla was across from me with a tray in hand as she slid onto the bench. I was so focused on my thoughts I hadn’t noticed her walk up to the table.

“I’ll tell you about it when Braden gets here.”

She furrowed her brow as she dug into her porridge. “You’re here pretty early, yeah? I mean this is the earliest I’ve been, and you seem to be almost done.”

“I couldn’t sleep much last night,” I shrugged. “Have a lot on my mind.”

Layla leaned forward on her elbows and smiled. “Like what?”

“I told you, I’ll talk about it when Braden gets here,” I said with a roll of the eyes.

She scoffed, “You’re no fun at all.”

“I happen to be tons of fun, thank you.”

Layla balked. “Not as fun as I am.”

I chuckled. “No one in this world is as fun as you, Layla. You know that.” I smiled at her as I shoved a large chunk of egg into my mouth.

“You’re damn right,” she replied.

We focused on eating for the next few minutes, which was all well and good because I didn’t feel like fielding all of her questions. I was pleased to see that I could cancel out her habit of nagging by complimenting her. I’d have to try that in the future to see if it was more than a theory.

Before long, I spotted Braden enter through the large double doors. He made his way to the food line, which was long now that the usual breakfast hour was upon us. I’d been here for half an hour, so I hadn’t waited at all for my food.

Braden came and sat next to Layla once he had his tray. “You two are early,” he said casually as he muscled through a thick yawn.

“I was early, she just got here,” I said with a snort.

Layla stuck her tongue out at me. “I’ve been here a while, you ass.”

Braden started to eat his eggs. “Did I miss anything?” he asked with his mouth full, a far cry from his noble upbringing.

“I don’t know,” Layla said, her gaze pivoted to me. “Have we, Gryff? Spill it, what’s been on your mind that you refused to share with me until Braden got here?” Her smile was smug as she swatted a strand of hair from her eyes. She and Braden both stared expectantly at me.

I sighed. “Okay.” So I retold the conversation I’d had with Arwyn. Braden said nothing as he chewed and listened, while Layla thankfully stayed respectful and didn’t interrupt, especially when I mentioned the fallen mages. When I finished retelling it, I left them with the question that’s swirled in my brain for the last few hours.

“What should I do?”

They both looked at me with furrowed brows. They probably had similar thoughts to what I’d had when Arwyn first told me. But my options were limited, at least they seemed to be. Hopefully, my friends’ collective thought process could come up with a solution because I struggled to find one.

Layla crossed her arms and laid them on the table. She huffed. “This is a conundrum. It’s a shame it can’t be illegal.”

“You would think that,” Braden said with a light snicker.

She scoffed. “Better than you. You’d probably opt to just ask them nicely. Nia would tear your head off.”

He flushed. “S-she’d rip yours off too.”

Layla smirked back. “I’d like to see her try.”

I tuned them out as their conversation dissolved into bickering as they were wont to do. It was as they went back and forth that a thought occurred to me.

“Layla?” I asked. Her gaze latched onto me as she raised a brow. “If I wanted to find something I could use to blackmail Gawain, do you think you could find something like that?”

She scratched her chin, considering. “Perhaps. I need another excuse to go prank him anyway. I can’t promise I’ll find anything of use, but I’ll certainly give it a go.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Layla, I appreciate it.”

She grinned wickedly. “Well, I didn’t say I’d do it for free. You’re my friend, Gryff, but I am an opportunist. I have terms.”

A groan escaped me as I leaned my head back. “Fine, what do you want?”

Layla shrugged. “A favor.”

“A favor?”

She started to drum her fingers against the table. “Yeah. Maybe I’ll ask you to help me with something in the future. Maybe it will be bizarre, I don’t know, and I’ll let you know when I’m cashing it in. Got it?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “You’re a piece of work, Bethel. Okay, fine.”

“Excellent,” she beamed.

“So,” I began. “We have a plan now. Use Layla’s mischievous skills to find some dirt on Gawain, use that to make him forfeit his spot on the monster response squad. Then I ride off into the sunset.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Layla rolled her eyes.

“Says a woman who is quite possibly the most ridiculous person on this earth,” I responded. We both smiled and chuckled at that.

“Are you positive that this is such a good idea?” Braden asked. He burped slightly and dabbed at his mouth with his napkin.

“Yes,” Layla and I said simultaneously.

Braden smiled and put his hands up. “Okay, okay, I was just being sure. But you can count me in. I want to see you succeed.”

“Don’t worry,” I said, my smirk wicked. “I will.”

Chapter 19

The next day, we had another study hall break. I lounged on one of the sofas and went through my notes since Arwyn told us we had a test coming up, though she’d been coy on when it was. Could be tomorrow, could be in a week. We had no ideas, so I had to be prepared for when she sprung it on us.

Braden sat beside me, his sausage link finger skimmed along his notes as he read them silently. His lips moved as he read, and while I could sometimes hear him mutter a few words under his breath, it was impossible to make out what he was saying. He yawned, which seemed much louder in the silence.

It stormed outside, so the din of rainfall filled the room. It was a soothing sound to study to.

After a distant rumble of thunder sounded, the doors of the study hall creaked open. My eyes drifted up from my notes and found Layla walking in, the thick green coat she wore over her robes soaked from the rain. She pulled back her hood and shook her hair to fling off stray drops of rain. I frowned as she approached. She hadn’t been in class this morning.

“Where have you been?” I asked a little too sternly, like a disappointed parent.

She stripped off her drenched coat and dumped it on the floor at her feet before she crumbled onto the cushion next to me. “I went snooping around Gawain’s room last night,” she began, her voice a whisper. “I came back later and pulled off a wicked prank, then I drank a lot with my roommate.”

Braden and I both looked at her with raised brows. “Why?” Braden asked.

Layla shrugged, “Because I could.” She closed her eyes and pressed the palms of her hands into her temple. “Gave me a wicked hangover though. My head’s still pounding.”

I chuckled, and Braden just shook his head. “You sure are something, Bethel,” he said with a smirk.

“I don’t need reasons for my actions, Flint,” she replied with a sly smile. “I just do what comes naturally.”

“Anyway,” I started, “did you find any dirt on Gawain while you were… what exactly did you do?”

“I spread out a bucket of roaches all over his bed since I heard him say once that he hates bugs.”

My mouth fell open as I gave her a long stare. “Where on earth did you get a bucket of roaches?”

She winked. “Don’t worry about it.” Then she frowned. “Back to your question. No, I didn’t find anything. Sorry, Gryffie. I went while he was at the bath yesterday, but it’s not like I had all night, plus I had to make sure he wouldn’t know anyone was snooping around his things, well, outside of the roaches.”

I groaned. “Great. Back to the drawing board.” I put my notes down and ran a hand through my hair. “Thanks anyway, Layla.”

She smiled next to me. “Don’t mention it. Just be ready for when I ask for that favor.”

“What? I still have to do that? But you didn’t find anything!”

Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t recall promising that I would find anything worthwhile. You owe me the favor for the attempt alone.”

Braden suppressed a laugh. We were supposed to be quiet after all. “You are truly devious.”

Layla beamed. “Thank you.”

I grunted. “I guess I’ll have to think of something else then.”

Layla slid closer to me. “Did Arwyn give you a time limit with this? Do you have a deadline before it’s too late for you to find a way onto the squad?”

Very good question. I shrugged. “She didn’t actually, but I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that I don’t have all semester to come up with an idea.”

“My idea still stands. Asking nicely works more times than not,” Braden said with a gentle grin, his eyes still on his notes. Layla and I both stuck our tongues out at him. We caught each other doing so, then chuckled at each other. She’d really rubbed off on me.

We dissolved back into silence after that as I let my thoughts wander into what I was going to do. I was in the midst of these thoughts when the door to the study hall suddenly slammed open. All heads turned to the commotion. In strode Gawain, followed closely by a few of his goons. He wore a long black coat with golden embroidery which glinted in the light as it fell around his ankles. I had no clue what material it was made of, but I bet it wasn’t cheap.

Gawain’s lips were peeled back in a snarl and his skin was flushed red with rage. I wanted to ignore him and go back to my studying, but then I realized he was coming right for me.

Before I could react, he moved past me and pushed Layla to the ground from where she sat at my side. Her knees knocked against the low wood table in front of us, and her legs scattered some papers that Braden and I had set out. I didn’t care about that. I cared that this asshole just pushed my friend. Gawain wasn’t looking at me, so he didn’t see me cock back my foot before it was too late. I kicked him square in the chest and sent him toppling over the table in a flurry of pages and curses.

By this point, the whole room had erupted in excited chatter as people got up and crowded around us. As Layla clambered to her feet in a stunned daze, I hopped over the table and got into Gawain’s face as his goons helped him to his feet. I was about to take him to task, but before I could, Layla exploded into a hurricane of rage. I only barely caught her before she threw herself at Gawain’s entire group.

“What the fuck was that for?” she spat at Gawain.

He teemed with anger, tension rolling off him as his goons tried to hold him back, but Gawain didn’t do anything brash, not with me and Braden looming in front of him. He sneered at us. “That,” he enunciated, “was for breaking into my room and pouring roaches”— he shuddered at that— “all over my room.”

“I did not!” she yelled in my grip, her laugh betraying her anger. That was, of course, a blatant lie.

Gawain laughed. “Gutter trash lying? I’m shocked.” He reached back and pulled forward one of his goons. Square-faced with shaved blond hair and deep brown eyes that always seemed annoyed, Horden Naim stared back at Layla and me as if we were roaches that were buzzing around his head. “Horden here saw you leaving my room with a bucket.”

Layla stopped struggling. “Oh, that? Please, I was just borrowing that from your washroom.”

“I don’t have a bucket in my washroom,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Couldn’t find it? Maybe that’s why you always stink.”

“Why you little—” Gawain started to lunge, but I held him back with a firm push on his chest. My hand came back wet from his drenched coat.

“Woah, easy there, friend,” I warned. “Don’t make me break that perfect little nose of yours.”

Gawain’s glare could melt steel, but he didn’t make another move. He knew I wasn’t joking. “Move aside, summoner, so I can take this troublemaker to the Headmaster.”

I pushed Layla behind me. “No, I don’t think so. Besides, this is hardly a grave offense.”

He ground his teeth. “Breaking into another student’s room is strictly prohibited.”

“Debatable,” I said with a snort.

“All you gutter scum are a waste of space, nothing but trouble. You aren’t good enough to lick my boots.” Gawain stepped into my space and poked my chest with his bony finger. “I’m sick of you too, summoner. Trying to steal attention and glory from your betters.” He sneered and looked me up and down, his face contorted in disgust. “You steal my woman…”

I raised a brow. “Your woman?”

“Nia Kenefick. She is mine and I won’t stand trash like you to sully her. I’ve seen you with her late at night.”

I laughed. “Oh Maker! Does Nia know that? Because from what I’ve observed, she despises you.”

He frowned. “She is a prickly woman, yes, but despise… no.” He shoved a finger at my chest again, this time hard. He had pointy nails that were perfectly manicured and colored. “Regardless, you will stop seeing her, or I will make you stop.”

I didn’t like threats and was not one to sit by while someone mistreated and threatened people I cared about, but a thought crossed my mind as he said it that gave me a brilliant idea. I suppressed a grin.

“Let’s duel for her.”

Gawain’s face scrunched. “Pardon?”

“You heard me,” I said as I crossed my arms, eyes narrowed.

He chuckled harshly, as did his brainless lackeys. “You wish to challenge me to Rashni Kae? You, a summoner?”

I frowned. I felt like I’d heard the term before, but I didn’t know its meaning other than it was a magical duel, so I nodded. “I do.”

His grin was bright and insidious. “Oh, how delectable. What would your terms be?”

I was pleased that he asked. “How about this: if you win, I’ll quit associating with Nia in any way outside of class.”

Gawain chuckled and nudged his henchmen who all laughed and jostled each other with disrespectful sneers. “Okay, summoner. I like this. What will happen if by some miracle you manage to best me?”

I kept a straight face. “Well, obviously you let me keep being friendly with Nia, but also, I’ll take your place on the new response squad that the Headmaster has put together with Miss Hamner.”

That made he and his posse devolve into a gaggle of cackling idiots. Even a few of the students joined in, but most stood around with eager curiosity. We provided them with all the drama they craved. Once Gawain and his idiots settled down, he wiped actual tears from his eyes. What a fucking cock.

“Oh boy, I appreciate that, summoner, I needed a laugh on this truly dreary day,” Gawain said as he powered through the last of his snickers. “And why pray tell would a summoner want to be on the response squad?”

I shrugged, my lips tugged up into a slight smile. “Maybe I’m just ambitious. Maybe I have a death wish.”

Gawain scoffed. “Doesn’t matter. Fine, you have yourself a deal.”

“Shake on it,” I commanded, my hand out for him. He looked at it as if my hand was smeared in shit, but he reluctantly shook it. His grip was firm, but his hands were much too soft, like pillows compared to the rough calluses of my palms.

Someone cleared their throat as they pushed through the crowd. It was the prefect, a fourth-year student who looked over study periods to make sure we behaved, stayed quiet, and did our work. He was tall and thin, with thick black curls and round glasses that hung loosely on his beak-like nose. I don’t know where he’d been during this whole altercation, but he was here now, and he didn’t look pleased.

“Gentlemen, I couldn’t help overhearing the end of your conversation,” he said, his voice stern and his expression unamused. “If you wish to compete in Rashni Kae, it will have to be sanctioned by the Headmaster himself, as well as those… extracurricular terms.”

We both nodded. “Okay, sounds good. Lead the way,” I said.

Gawain snorted. “Good, you’re not fit to lead us up a tower, let alone be on a response squad.”

I ignored that, biting back a scathing remark. I’d get the last word in the duel. The prefect ignored it too and took the lead.

We made our way silently from the study hall to the stairwell that led to the Headmaster’s office. I didn’t know if they were unaware of the lift or if we weren’t allowed on it, but I kept my mouth shut. Scaling those steps wasn’t an appealing prospect, but it was worth it to make Gawain take that climb.

I hated spending so much time in close proximity to Gawain, and the feeling, I was more than sure, was mutual. I wanted to squirm every time one of his fingertips or parts of his robes grazed me. By the time we reached the top, my legs trembled, and my heart beat out a rapid rhythm. Sweat trailed down Gawain’s face. While it was impossible to tell if that was sweat or rainwater, he couldn’t disguise how tiring the climb had been. His skin was flushed from exertion. He struggled to breathe, which would have been a sight if I wasn’t also gulping for air.

The prefect looked less winded than we did, but I was sure he’d made this climb dozens of times, and he’d had at least four years of physical military training with the major, Mrs. Gerelda, and the upper-class trainers. He collected himself and straightened his robe before he knocked on the door.

There was a pause before a muffled, “Come in,” responded from within. Permission granted, the prefect opened the door for us.

Gawain looked around in awe, his head on a swivel. Clearly, he’d yet to be invited to the Headmaster’s office. I felt privileged to have a personal relationship with the great Marangur Sleet. Meanwhile, this blueblood snob who thought he was so important had no such thing. It made me smile.

The Headmaster sat at his desk and sifted through some papers as we approached. Without even looking up, he smirked and said, “I have to say, I wasn’t expecting for you two to show up in my office together.”

Gawain gulped next to me, and I grinned. Good, I liked to see him nervous. The Headmaster stopped looking through his work and lifted his gaze to us. I could understand Gawain’s trepidation. The Headmaster had a steely stare that could entrap anyone within his sight. Luckily, I was already accustomed to it. Mister Sleet laced his fingers together.

“What can I do for you?” he asked, a brow lifted at the prefect.

The prefect bowed. “These two first years would like a duel to settle some personal grievances, sir.”

“Do they now?” the Headmaster asked, as he stood, his arms clasped behind his back. “And what would these grievances be about, I wonder?”

I shared a nervous glance with Gawain. Should we tell him? Would it influence his decision? I didn’t think it was really necessary to mention the Nia aspect or why we came to this in the first place, his confrontation with Layla. Before we could decide to answer or not, the Headmaster chuckled to himself.

“I’m kidding. Whatever private issues are between you two is your own business. However, I must ask. Gryff, are you aware of what a Rashni Kae is? Few outside of the Academies rarely do.”

I shook my head. “No sir, I don’t know the specifics.” Gawain scoffed, but the Headmaster cut him off with a look.

After that, he folded his arms and gave me a long stare. “Well, it is an ancient tradition adopted from the old western country before the Enclaves. In our language, it means ‘Dance of Wills.’ It was formerly a duel to the death amongst western nobility. It is held in high regard at all Academies, so this isn’t something we take lightly.”

“I understand, sir.”

“Good. You have my permission to duel then.”

Gawain smiled and inclined his head. “Thank you, sir.” He sounded downright humble, which was an odd thing for him. I supposed that even his self-importance had a limit. He knew better than to be anything other than polite and civil with the Headmaster.

The prefect cleared his throat. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple, sir.”

Headmaster Sleet frowned. “Hmm?”

Before the prefect could explain, I took a step forward and did it myself. “I made a wager with Maddox that if I win the duel, I could take his place on the monster response squad that’s being led by Miss Hamner. Of course, you could nix that if you so please, sir. I understand that people’s lives can be affected by who’s on the squad.”

“Do you believe you’ve earned a place on that squad? You’re right, lives do hang in the balance.” He stared at me, eyes narrowed. He stroked his beard. Now it was my turn to gulp under the intense scrutiny of his gaze.

“I–yes, yes sir I do.”

Gawain scoffed next to me.

The Headmaster pondered that answer. I wasn’t worried about his response though. He was the one who wanted me on the squad after all. He just couldn’t openly say that, but I’d come up with a solution, and I knew he would accept it.

I was right.

“Very well,” he said. “I will allow this provision.”

My smile was full. “I appreciate it, sir.”

“After all, if you defeat an esteemed fire mage like Mister Maddox here, you will have earned the spot.”

Indeed, I would. I had to smile coyly at that. We both knew that I’d more than earned my place on the squad, more so than Gawain certainly. Even the Headmaster was a slave to societal expectations, but I would show everyone that I belonged. Plus, beating Gawain at anything was as good a reason as any.

“Your duel will take place tomorrow,” Headmaster Sleet stated as he returned to his seat. “Late afternoon. I expect you two to still go to your classes and fulfill any academic obligations beforehand, understood?” We both nodded. “Good. Now, off you go.”

And so we departed, mutual enemies who would settle our issues once and for all in the best way possible. A magical duel, strength against strength, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

***

The rest of the day went by in a blur as my thoughts stayed focused on the duel. I wasn’t particularly worried about it. I knew my skill, and I knew that Gawain’s arrogance and underestimation of me would be his undoing. He didn’t believe a summoner could do anything, and that would be my path to victory.

That didn’t mean I could get cocky either. By all accounts, he was an exceptionally gifted fire elemental, so I couldn’t afford to be lax in my preparation and concentration. I was counting on him on being sloppy, but that didn’t mean I could be sloppy too.

After dinner, I went to the library to check out more books. I was through with the ones Arwyn had originally selected for me, so I was eager for more. I selected a few titles on elemental magic, as well as one on the economics of the loot trade, purely for curiosity’s sake. There were dozens of books on these subjects, but I selected the few that seemed most appealing to me.

As I exited that wing of the library, the books in my arms, I spotted a flash of white hair sitting at one of the study tables. I knew it anywhere. Nia. Before I made my way to her, I went to the head librarian to check out my books. Once that was done, I strode across the room to where Nia sat.

The sound my books made when I dropped them onto the table in front of her was a little too loud. She jolted, and her eyes shot up to glare at me.

“Don’t do that,” she said in a huff.

I smiled. “Sorry.” I took a seat across from her.

She stopped whatever she was reading or working on when I sat down. She closed her book, and her eyes surveyed me like she was trying to put together a puzzle. It was hard to stay still under her gaze.

“So,” she began, “I hear tell that you challenged Gawain to a duel in the arena.”

“I did.”

She sucked in some air. “Why on earth would you do that?”

I raised a brow. “Why? Do you not think I can take him? You’ve seen my magic first hand. You know better than anyone how good I am.”

Nia snorted. “That’s not what I mean. I know you could beat him. I’m asking for your reasoning.”

I mulled over what I should tell her. I didn’t want to lie, but I also didn’t know if it was wise to tell her all my reasons, especially Gawain’s intentions regarding Nia. But in the end, my heart won over my head, so I decided to tell her the truth.

“Well, it started with Miss Hamner and the Headmaster both wanting me on the response squad, but they couldn’t put me on it for it was already full.”

She nodded like that made sense to her. “I don’t know why they didn’t just include you in the first place. We certainly work well together.”

I grinned. “Exactly, but I understood why they couldn’t name me to the squad straight off with the stigma toward summoners. Plus, as you’ve said, Gawain is an excellent fire mage, something most squads would crave. So, I racked my brain for a solution and thought I would blackmail Gawain since he’s a douchebag anyway and doesn’t deserve to be on the team.”

Nia gritted her teeth. “He’s definitely an ass, but even I can’t deny his prowess. He’ll make a squad sooner than later.”

I grunted. “You’re not making me feel any better, Kenefick.”

She smiled cheekily, which made my face feel warm. If she noticed, she didn’t let on.

I continued. “Anyway, I wanted Layla to snoop around his room to find some dirt on him, but she was caught pulling a prank on him, as she is want to do, and he confronted us about it during study hall. By the way, where were you for that?”

“I wasn’t feeling well if you must know, farm boy,” Nia scoffed, “but it doesn’t surprise me that Bethel can work a lock and likes to cause mischief.”

“Don’t be so judgmental,” I said with a scowl.

She rolled her eyes in response. “Is it being judgmental when I’m right?”

I ignored that and pushed on. “That aside, I challenged him to a duel over her and the response squad position, and he agreed thankfully. It was simple to get the Headmaster to agree.”

Nia’s eyes narrowed. “Gawain is an arrogant little man, but he isn’t stupid. Why would he agree to that when it in no way benefits him at all? Those terms only favor you, except for the Bethel part.”

I scratched the back of my head and cleared my throat. “Well, you see—”

“Gryff, what did you agree too?” she asked, almost breathless.

I chuckled and tried to look away from those scary blue eyes of hers. “We may have wagered on if I could spend time with you.”

She blinked hard as if she couldn’t process my words. Then she blinked again, and again. The muscles of her neck and jaw clenched with tension. “You what?”

I had to be delicate with this, so I explained it exactly as the conversation between Gawain and me had gone. She took it well, though when I mentioned Gawain saying she was promised to him, she blanched. A low rumble came from her throat at that, part groan and part growl.

“What did he mean by that?” I asked with a tentative breath.

She hung her head and sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Is it really? Or do you just not want to talk about it?”

Her head shot up, her eyes casting an exasperated glare at me. “Why must you be so persistent?”

I laughed. “If you think that’s persistence, you haven’t tried to keep a secret from Layla Bethel.”

Nia scoffed, but it almost sounded like a chuckle. “My family is widely famous and influential, you know this obviously.” I nodded. “But so is Gawain’s family, the Maddoxes. They are one of the wealthiest families around and routinely have members in positions of political power, like the Viscount here in Varle or on the councils in Garvesh or Hartmire. My family is always high in the military, and his is always high in politics.”

“I think I get a sense of where this is heading…”

She huffed and swallowed hard, not bothering to correct me. “Our families have feuded in the past. Nothing violent, but we often find ourselves in a tug-of-war of power. My father wanted to put an end to that, so he forced my middle sister Nerha to marry Gawain’s cousin.”

I knew exactly where this was going. But first, “Is this the same sister of yours that’s the world-renowned apothecary that has invented dozens of medicines and potions?”

Nia nodded. Her eyes were glued to the table. “Yes, and look how much good that did her. That’s nothing next to the power of Gallahar Kenefick.” Gallahar Kenefick, her father, was the highest ranked general in the unified Enclave military, and widely considered the most gifted and powerful mage in the world, a peer to our esteemed headmaster.

“So…” I began.

She finished, “So, my father promised the Maddoxes that I would marry Gawain.”

It felt like I just took a bullet to the gut. I fumbled for words but couldn’t find the right ones, so I just settled for, “Fuck.”

Nia snorted and ran her fingers through her hair. “Fuck indeed.”

“How could you stand to even marry someone like him?”

“I’m not married to that slime yet,” she said defiantly, her chin out. “I made an agreement with my father, one that he has yet to inform the Maddoxes of. He promised me that if I finished each year in the top three of my class and lead twenty successful monster response missions, he would fast-track me onto his own personal squadron and nix my marriage arrangement with Gawain.”

“That’s a high standard, but why top three and not number one?”

She shrugged, her eyes looking past me, as if she were picturing her father standing before us. “Gallahar Kenefick is demanding but not unreasonable. He knows there could always be other outstanding mages. My sister did finish number one each year, but my two brothers finished third and fourth, and there’s no shame in that.”

I grinned, “But they weren’t pressured into marriage.”

She blinked and betrayed a hint of a smile. “True.”

I leaned back and crossed my arms. “But twenty missions? That feels like a high number.”

“It’s about five per year. And with people like you and Miss Hamner and others, I feel confident I can do it.”

I nodded, my face warm from her compliment. “Maybe. Still seems a dangerous prerequisite, and a high price for your marital freedom.” I paused and scratched at my goatee. “So that’s the reason you’re so…”

Her eyes narrowed. “So what? And pick your words wisely, summoner.”

Oh, I was smart enough to do that. “Wound tight? Yeah, that seems about right. You can’t afford to have a summoner like me show you up because then it means you have to marry that cockless wonder Gawain.”

She chuckled at that and even managed to snort, which surprised me. “That’s part of it, I suppose. I wasn’t lying to you when I told you about all the expectations and pressures I have on me. I...” She twiddled her thumbs and flicked her bangs out of her eyes. “I’m the prodigy of my family, and that’s saying something considering the accomplishments of my siblings, parents, and extended family.”

I whistled. “Yeah, I’d say so.”

Nia’s lips curled into a smile, but her eyes were a thousand things other than happy. “People have said they expect me to surpass my father. Talk about pressure, huh?”

“That kind of pressure can turn coal into diamonds,” I mused.

She frowned. “Are you calling me a lump of coal, Gryff?”

“No, I’m saying you’ll use that pressure to become a big ole diamond, the biggest and the brightest anyone’s ever seen.”

Her cheeks burned a furious shade of red. She smiled wide and chuckled. “That’s probably the stupidest and sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“That dumb yokel charm of mine again, huh?” I said through a grin.

“Yeah,” she said. Our eyes locked, and the warmth in her gaze made my heart flutter. “Thanks.”

My grin grew wider as if I’d just won a contest. “Don’t mention it.” I’d never made her smile so warmly like that. I wanted to treasure this moment, but it didn’t last too long. We were talking about something serious, after all.

“Anyway, back to the issue at hand before we got sidetracked,” she said as she collected herself. “You bet Gawain what? If you lose, you can have no further communication with me?”

I nodded. “Yeah, other than in class.”

She grimaced. “That sleazy little shit. Who does he think he is, trying to control me? We’re not married yet, and even if we ever are, I won’t stand for that. At all.”

I smiled. “No, I wouldn’t expect you would.”

“It would seem,” she continued, “that Gawain thinks he’s in a no-lose situation. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend you beating him, and even if you did, he’s unaware of my arrangement with my father so he assumes I’m his no matter what. No wonder he agreed so readily to your terms.”

“He’s cocky, and he’ll regret that.” I knew that with absolute certainty.

Nia nodded in agreement. “Yes, he will.”

“Do you have any advice on how to deal with him?” I asked, my voice betraying a little too much hope. I didn’t need her help, but I appreciated it. “You’ve seen him use his magic in your elemental class, I assume.”

“Yes,” she said as she crossed her arms and pondered my question for a moment. “He’s supremely gifted and is quick to cast his magic, even faster than me with my own flames, but his aren’t as powerful as mine. He’ll likely try to overwhelm you early. He likes to go in fast and brutal and finish things quickly, but if you tire him out and drain him of mana, he shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

I snickered. “You pretty much just gave me a whole strategy.”

She shrugged, a small smile tugging her lips up.

“I feel like I should pay you,” I said with a chuckle.

Nia laughed sharply. “Just beat him, please. That will be payment enough. I would hate to lose my private sparring partner before I get a chance to spar with him.”

“Yeah, that would be a tragedy,” I replied. I shoveled the books that I’d checked out into my bag and stood to leave. “I’m gonna get on outta here. Need some shuteye for tomorrow.” I would need all the rest I could get for the duel.

She looked me over, her eyes slowly surveying me. I could only imagine what thoughts went through her head as she did so. “Okay,” she said in a low tone. “In case I don’t get a chance to say it tomorrow, good luck, Gryff.”

I inclined my head in appreciation. “Thanks, Nia. Good night.”

Her response was a whisper. “Good night, summoner.”

Chapter 20

The day of reckoning went by in a blur. I went through the motions of participating in my classes, all the while not being fully there. I participated when called upon, and took notes as I had to, but my mind was far away. And no one could blame me for that. Nobody talked to me, not even Braden and Layla, though that wasn’t for a lack of their trying. I needed solitude today. I sat alone at breakfast and lunch.

At both meals, my eyes caught Nia’s, who gave me a quick and encouraging nod, though she never came over to me to wish me luck. It seemed she was content to leave things between us as she had the previous night, and that was fine with me.

As I walked down the open breezeways of the school toward the arena, I was thankful that I had her on my side. Even if I lost, I knew she wouldn’t allow me to simply not talk with her anymore. It was a far cry from how our relationship had started, when she hadn’t wanted to spend a single second with me, let alone clamor for my company. We’d come a long way. I smiled. I was persistent, just as she’d said.

When the arena loomed over me, I walked past the main entrance. I skirted along the side of it to the secondary entrance meant for duelists where I met a worker. He had on a slick gray outfit, pressed pants and a tight shirt. He nodded when I arrived and opened the metal door that he stood in front of. He led me down a wide corridor that was bathed in torchlight, then to a room with a low-hanging ceiling, some showers and an array of weapons. That made sense since I knew regular, non-magical duels took place here as well.

At the far end of that room was a set of wooden double doors. The worker stood to the side of it, his arms folded behind his back, and he eyed me sternly.

“The arena is just through here,” he said, his voice gruff. “Go to the end of the tunnel and wait. The doors are magically sealed and will open when it’s time.” He paused and nodded, a grin playing across his pale lips. “Good luck.”

“Thank you,” I replied with a stern smile right back.

I pulled open the doors and stared off into darkness. There was an inkling, a strip of gold light at the far end that I made my way toward. As I walked in, the doors behind me closed and bathed me in total darkness. I swallowed hard and clenched my fists to keep my nerves from making me shake. I could do this.

The chatter of a large crowd filled my ears as I waited for the magically sealed doors in front of me to open. I took in several deep breaths and shook my arms to limber them up. Only a few more moments…

There was a click, and then the doors shuddered and swung outward. Light suddenly flooded into the tunnel. The sky was a deep orange, as the sun was already passed the walls of the arena, and they were immense walls indeed. I took a step out onto the white polish of the xanyarstone that the whole ring was made of.

The circular combat ring had a diameter at least as large as the dining hall. The walls around it were three times my height and also made of xanyarstone, naturally. Couldn’t have a magical dueling arena made of a material that couldn’t withstand magic, after all. Bleachers rose above the walls and they were filled to near capacity. Every student was present, and it seemed all of the faculty was too. The constant chatter of the crowd died as I stepped into the arena.

As I took stock of the spectators, I spotted Layla and Braden in the first row. They waved wildly when their eyes caught mine. I shook my head with a smile and waved back before I scanned the rest of the crowd. I found Arwyn, who sat with the rest of the faculty in a special section of the stands that had an awning. She nodded and smiled at me. Nia was at the very top of the stands, her perch far removed from the rest of the students, ever the loner. She didn’t smile or wave or nod. She just stood there, arms crossed, but her focused gaze was on me, and that was as good as an encouraging smile for her.

Gawain stood across from me at the opening of his own tunnel. His battle cloak billowed around him, sleek and tight across the chest and shoulders. It was gold as all elemental robes were, with the red trim of a fire mage. I felt snug in my own blue summoner robes, though I didn’t feel a need to wear jewelry to a duel as he had, his fingers were filled with rings.

He sneered at me as he cracked his fingers. I just stood patiently, arms crossed.

Suddenly, the Headmaster’s booming voice came over a megaphone that was attached to one of the tall buttresses that lined the top of the arena. “Students and faculty, lend me your attention.”

He wasn’t with the faculty, but it didn’t take long to find him. He stood in a large booth separate from the rest of the stands. Petyr stood behind him, as well as several other military officials. I gulped. It seemed that this would be my first real audition to show the world that summoners could be more.

No pressure.

The last remaining bit of chatter ceased at Headmaster Sleet’s words, and as soon as silence prevailed, he continued. “In the grand tradition of this Academy, I present to you two combatants who will fight in Rashni Kae, the Dance of Wills. Gawain of the family Maddox, fire elemental, and Gryff of Njordenfalls, summoner.”

A smattering of applause followed. The Headmaster waited for them to fall silent again. “A quick refresher of the rules for those new students.” His eyes found mine as he said that. “The duelist shall use all magical means in their possession to make their opponent submit or until one is unable to continue.”

“Know this,” he voiced boomed, suddenly grave. “I will step in if I perceive things to be out of hand, but sometimes that isn’t enough. People can and have died in duels, though we have all our healers ready to help if need be. If either duelist has second thoughts, please speak now.”

Like hell, we would. Though I hadn’t known I could die, it didn’t change anything. I’d already survived several life or death situations, I believed I could survive this. And though I hated Gawain, I certainly didn’t want to kill him, and I knew it wouldn’t come to that, not with the strategy I had in mind.

The Headmaster nodded at us. “Very well. At the gunshot, you shall begin.” He stepped back and gave way to Petyr, who held an ornate flintlock pistol in his grip. He raised his arm high, cocked the hammer back, and fired. The crack of the gunshot split the air and rang in my ears. It seemed so much louder than whenever I was firing them at the practice range, even though I knew that wasn’t possible. It was simply nerves, and I had to shake that off.

It was time.

True to what Nia had told me, Gawain was quick to make the first move. He flourished his arms, which suddenly were engulfed in flames. Score another one for Nia, he was indeed fast on his casting. Before I even had my hand in my cloak to draw an essence crystal, he gathered the flame into his palms and thrust it out to launch a ball of burning blue fire at me. I barely had enough time to dive out of the way before it slammed into the spot where I’d stood with a resounding boom. Heat washed over me and seared my skin, but not enough to burn me.

Gawain already had a second fireball ready as I leaped to my feet. He let it loose with another thrust of his arms, but this time, I was ready. I didn’t jump. Instead, I sprinted for all I was worth. As the blast exploded behind me, I gripped a handful of smaller essence crystals and let them fly. A collective flash erupted as my grunts appeared, three axe goblins, a few box ogres, and some daggerdillos. The grand strategy for this wave was simple, just for them to swarm him and distract, which they did perfectly.

They crashed over him in a wave of slashing claws, spikes, and axes. To Gawain’s credit, he didn’t bat an eye. He started to spin on his heel, faster and faster until his whole body was engulfed in a small swirling vortex of fire that protected his body. I continued to run the circumference of the arena, moving to flank him while he was distracted. As I expected, he was too busy to notice me as he swirled and pushed his flames out in a torrent that swallowed my monsters. They all fell in a poof, and each monster’s death felt like a prick on my skin.

But I had my opening.

I sprinted for him, arms pumping, with five crystals in hand, my wallerdons. I’d only had three, but Rori had let me borrow two of his from his vast collection of beasts for the fight. As Gawain came out of his flaming spin with a somewhat dizzy sway, I summoned the moving walls. They surrounded Gawain, connected at each corner, and trapped him in. The last one I laid on top to completely enclose him.

As part of my opening gambit, I didn’t expect this to stop him, and to his credit, it didn’t hold him for long. A jet of fire burst forth and threw my wallerdons and me back in a blast of heat. I tumbled a few times before I came up in a crouch. Gawain stood paces away, hands out as flames danced along his arms and tongues of fire licked his fingertips. He had a wicked grin that was directed my way.

“I’m not impressed, summoner,” he said.

I smirked back. “Give me a minute, I’ll grow on you.”

Gawain growled and slapped his hands together. When he pulled them apart, flames danced between his palms before they coalesced into what I could only describe as a fire whip. He coiled it in his hands and reared his arm back, ready to strike. I hadn’t seen this trick before, but I could adapt easily on the fly.

As he cracked the whip my way, I summoned a bullet bass, which appeared in front of my eyes just as the lash was about to tear across my face. Instead of hitting me, the fiery whip wrapped around the bass to no real harm of the monster. As I knew from the past and my battle alongside Nia in the Shadowscape, bullet bass were practically immune to fire, and I would leverage that for all it was worth.

My monster struggled against the whip as Gawain tried to reel it back. Interesting, that meant there had to be some physical substance to the elemental weapon. Before he could switch tactics or decided to ignore the bass entirely, I sent out a mental command to the bass. Immediately, the core of the whip started to turn to metal, an effect which coursed through the length of the whip back to Maddox. That’s when I summoned a lightning imp and had it strike my bass. The electricity surged through the bass’s chrome scales and traveled along the whip to my opponent. Gawain realized what was happening, but by then, it was too late. Fast reflexes were not faster than a lightning bolt, and the jolt ran up his arm and through his body. He yelped in pain and fell back on his rear which dispelled the whip in the process.

To press my momentary advantage, I threw as many of my grade E monsters as I could. Trolls, goblins, daggerdillos, more than a dozen in all. I wanted to overwhelm him, force him to deplete his mana, but I had to give him credit, he bounced back quick. He rapidly punched at the air in front of him, as small fireballs launched from each with the speed of one of those automatic rifles I’d heard about. His flurry of attacks cut through my grunts like a hot knife through butter.

Gawain was trying to conserve his mana now, throwing smaller bursts of flame my way as I dodged out of their path. He chuckled as I did, but I saw the sweat beating down his face and the way he sucked in air. Gawain thought he was winning, but he only brought about his own defeat. I had time on my side. While I was sore all over and tired, I knew I could go for much longer.

I’d survived mana depletion in the Shadowscape. This was nothing in comparison.

Still, it was annoying to have to stay on the defensive. I ducked one of his fireballs, which soared over my head and seared my neck. As I came up, I tossed half a dozen crystals, all the elemental imps I had. They fanned out, encircling him, and before he could retaliate, they launched their own fireballs, thunderbolts, and ice spears at him. I made Gawain dance and dodge, so he couldn’t concentrate on attacking me. As he ducked, weaved, and jumped around my monster’s attacks, I lobbed more crystals. My wallerdons came out once again, which drained me to resummon, but I was on the attack. I couldn’t relent now.

Instead of boxing him in, this time I summoned the wallerdons in the air above Gawain. They hovered there for just a moment before gravity took hold. Gawain cursed as he dove away from the massive falling creatures, as they crashed into the arena floor with a series of massive booms. They dropped, one, two, three of them, but Gawain kept one step ahead of them. He threw fireballs wildly as he ran. My imps didn’t last long, but it was all part of the plan. I didn’t expect them to hit him, they were all targets to chew through his mana reserves and distract him.

“Pathetic,” he jeered. “You’ll need to do a lot more than that to beat me, but what did I expect from—”

As he was taunting me, I discreetly placed a speed slug on my hip, and before he could finish, I shot forward like a bullet and interrupted him with a punch in the jaw. Gawain’s head snapped to the side, and he flew back with the force of the blow. I stumbled forward as well from the sudden shift of my momentum.

I rolled through and tumbled back up to my feet. I turned to see Gawain laying in a heap a few steps away. He cursed and moaned as he pushed himself up as well. Both of his hands were covering his jaw, which I knew had to be broken.

“What the fuck was that?” he seethed, and I heard gasps from the crowd.

I smiled at him and plucked the large slug from my hip. I held it up for him to clearly see. “This is a speed slug, Maddox. Hard to find, easily dismissible as useless by the conventional rules of summoning, but it’s actually one of the few monsters that can enhance human abilities.”

He groaned. “You’re cheating.”

“How so?” I asked, bemused. “I summoned it using magic. It’s well within the rules. I basically summoned adept skills, so deal with it.”

Gawain roared as he gathered flames into himself before he unleashed his machine gun move again and practically filled the arena with a volley of fireballs from his punching fists. They came at me fast and plentiful, but I was able to avoid them with my enhanced speed. We danced around like that for a few moments. I ran around the arena, a trail of fiery explosions following me, but his aim could never catch up.

But Maddox wasn’t stupid, as much as I liked to think of him that way. The fusillade ended as he stopped trying to hit me. Instead, he curled into himself in a crouch, his arms crossed over his knees. I didn’t know what he was doing until his body began to tremble. Then he started to glow, as if the very core of his being was on fire. Flames so hot that they were almost white and nearly translucent curled up around him. My mind raced, the only thing he could be doing was building to a giant explosion of flame. This wasn’t good.

With a roar, Gawain shot up, limbs out, and released his magic. His flames blasted out in all directions in a blast so fierce it made a volcanic eruption look mild.

“Shit,” I said in a breath. He would swallow me in flames, for there was nowhere for me to run where the fire wouldn’t get me. As the wall of the inferno roared toward me, I fingered one small crystal in my hand, a last-ditch hope.

As the wave of fire was ready to wash over me, my bullet bass appeared right in front of me. It could absorb electrical attacks to redirect and amplify them, but it could also transfer its chrome-like form to other monsters, so maybe it could do the same for me. The bass was fireproof, as I had already illustrated, and unlike regular metal, the bullet bass did not conduct heat. I’d never tried to use the bass’s armoring ability it on me, I’d never had the need to test it before, but it was too late to try anything else.

As I willed the bullet bass to grant me its power, the fire crashed down on me and swallowed me up in a swirling mass of heat.

But I didn’t feel pain. I felt warm, comfortable. I looked at my arms. They glinted in the light of the fire, forged of shining chrome metal now. It had worked. My robes billowed around me, flame retardant as all mage robes were. Interesting to know that the bullet bass’ metal lining only encompassed my skin.

I let out a laugh of wonder and joy at this new discovery.

As the flames died away, the crowd gasped as I came into view. I guessed they expected me to be dead, but I wasn’t sorry to disappoint them. The surprised gasps turned to cheers the moment the sunlight glinted off my form. I strode forward confidently toward Gawain, whose face contorted in horror.

“How is this possible?” he gasped in surprise.

The chrome lining of my skin faded away as I pointed to the metal fish that hovered around me. “Bullet bass, my friend,” I said. “Versatile little bastards. Can absorb, redirect, and amplify lightning magic, is immune to heat, and can transfer that ability, much like a speed slug.” I shrugged. “Truthfully, I hadn’t known that last part until just now, so I thank you for making my repertoire stronger.”

Gawain growled. “No!” he bellowed. He flourished his hands, which shook with pent-up magical energy that he unleashed at that moment. The jet of flame coursed toward me, but I allowed my bullet bass to cover me in metal again as I casually walked toward it. The flames swam around me, washing over my skin, but their heat did not hurt me.

He kept trying, over and over, throwing his flames for all he was worth, but nothing changed. Sweat trickled down his face and his breathing became more ragged. He was running low on mana, which meant it was over.

“You’ve been beaten, Gawain.”

“No,” he yelled again. “I will not be defeated by a damn, worthless summoner.” He threw another large fireball that exploded at my face and knocked me back, but otherwise accomplished nothing other than to slow me down a tad.

“If I’m worthless, then what does that make you?” I mused.

He brought his fists together and shot a continuous stream of fire at me, hard and fast. It pushed against my chest like a hot wind. I had to struggle against it, but they did not stop me. His flames sputtered out as I came within paces of him, his mana nearly spent. As his fire finally died from exhaustion, I flicked a couple of essence crystals to either side of him and summoned my two cementrolls, one to each side of him.

As Gawain swayed helplessly on his feet, I had my trolls shoot their cement onto his hands and legs, until he was immobile with his hands hung loose and heavy at his side.

I stood in front of him, the metal peeling back from me. We were nose to nose now as he sneered at me, his eyes filled with pure, unbridled hate. All I did in return was grin from ear to ear. That only seemed to enrage him more.

“You’ve lost, Maddox,” I told him plain and simple.

That was when the Headmaster’s booming voice came over the megaphone. “It is over. Ladies and gentleman, your winner, Gryff of Njordenfalls, summoner!”

The crowd erupted, and I let my shoulders sag in relief. My smile was so wide and bright that my cheeks hurt. As students began to stream from the stands and onto the arena floor, I saw Arwyn, smiling with excitement. The Headmaster clapped and nodded with approval as the officials around him showed how impressed they were with their thunderous applause. Last, I saw Nia at the very top, her arms crossed. She smiled and nodded at me, a gesture I returned in kind.

As for the students, my friends Layla and Braden led the charge down from the bleachers. Braden tackled me in a bear hug and threw me over his shoulder, his arms tight around my middle. As he did, the students engulfed us, and I suddenly had hands patting me all over, smiles and laughs and congratulations. When Braden put me down, I had no time to breathe before Layla jumped into my arms, her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. Then she pressed her lips against mine, a smile curling with her kiss. That made the crowd cheer even louder.

After that, Braden lifted me on his shoulders as the students that surrounded us chanted my name. It wasn’t the entire student body. In fact, it was less than half, but that didn’t matter. I’d earned all of their respect. I had proven myself, before the military, the students, and faculty. I had finally showed everyone what a summoner could do. I’d defended Layla’s honor, made sure my friendship with Nia wouldn’t be torn away, and knocked my bully down.

No feeling could have ever felt better than that.

Chapter 21

Because of my quick thinking and tactics, Gawain and I walked away from our duel with only minor injuries and a minor case of mana depletion. After an incredibly awkward and brief trip to the infirmary with the defanged bully, we were both fine. With the intense high of my victory still fresh, it was time for a celebration.

Dinner was already in full swing when I arrived at the dining hall. A round of applause greeted me as I strode into the room. Like it was in the arena, not every student cared about my victory, but it was enough to show that I had proven myself, that I belonged, and that I was a force to be reckoned with.

There was no line for the food, so it took me no time at all to get my dinner: roasted pork topped with gravy, a baked potato packed with cheese and bacon, and a rich creamy vegetable bisque. To top it all off, I got a tankard of imported honey mead from the southern farmlands. It was as if the Headmaster had anticipated my victory and had prepared accordingly. I knew that was preposterous, but it made me smile anyway.

I was barely able to eat in peace once I found my seat with Layla and Braden. People swamped over us to offer me congratulations and shake my hand. Many introduced themselves for the first time, mostly those from the older classes. More than a few girls made some much-appreciated advances, which I would gladly take them up on later. I was glad to see that Layla didn’t care about that in the slightest. In fact, she was smiling ear to ear about the whole spectacle.

Classmates like Folli, Deren, and others sat with us. They shared jokes and laughed and smiled, and it felt like, finally, the summoners weren’t the outcasts. What really made me smile was seeing all the attention that Braden and Layla were getting.

A girl with short black hair and bright red cheeks leaned across the table from Layla. “Can you do what he did too?” she asked with unbridled enthusiasm.

Layla looked, dare I say, bashful. She chuckled. “I mean, I can do a little like that. Gryff is way more skilled than I am.”

That made me grin.

Braden got the same treatment and responded with his nervous stuttering. He was not used to being a focal point of attention, I noticed that although he still stuttered, it wasn’t as pronounced as it used to be. He’d gotten better, so maybe over time, we could rid him of that particular nervous mannerism.

Finally, the crowd around me parted for Nia Kenefick as she strode toward me. I swiveled around to face her. She came to a halt a step away, her arms folded behind her. The chattering of my table lessened as I rose to meet her.

“Gryff,” she said coolly, her expression guarded.

“Kenefick,” I replied with a stern frown.

We stared at each other for several seconds, the gathered crowd looked between us, their eyes flitting back and forth. At last, Nia’s cold facade broke as she smiled wide, her face absolutely radiant. When she let that inner warmth out, she made everyone else around her seem so much lesser.

She extended her hand to me. “Good job, summoner.”

I grinned and shook her hand. “Thanks.”

Her grip tightened, and she leaned in close to my ear so that only I could hear her. “I’d give you a hug, but, well, I have a reputation to uphold, you know. If these people see me with emotions, they might revolt.”

Nia Kenefick being sarcastic. I had seen it all.

I smiled back at her. “I got it. Go on and make them think you have ice for a heart.”

She nodded, her grin cheeky as she patted my shoulder. “Thanks for your understanding.”

The conversation around us had picked up again, so no one batted an eye when I chuckled. “Don’t worry about it.”

Nia leaned in closer than before, her hair fell over my nose as her words tickled my ear, her breath warm on my jaw. “I knew you could do it.” Then she turned and left, leaving my heart pounding and my cheeks warm. She really did a number on me, and I couldn’t help but look forward to where our relationship might go in the future.

The celebration rolled on. The chatter at my table died down a tad as I ate my meal. Many people started to get seconds and refill their drinks, as was the case most nights. I smiled when I noticed throughout the night that Gawain and his ilk were nowhere to be seen. I’d left him to nurse some injuries in the infirmary, but it didn’t surprise me that he would hide in shame with his tail between his legs.

Almost an hour into our meal, near the end of dinner most nights, there was a loud musical clang from a chalice that had been struck with a knife to draw our attention. On the raised platform at the head of the room where the faculty sat to eat stood the Headmaster, his beard only slightly stained red from his wine. As I thought that, almost like he could read my mind, he dabbed at it with a napkin before he raised an ornately decorated chalice which glinted with what looked like sapphires. A warm smile graced his features as he looked out across the crowd that stared back at him. “Students, faculty. Tonight, I would like to congratulate our most recent student to claim victory in the Dance of Wills.” He gestured out toward me. “Gryff of Njordenfalls, stand sir.”

So I did.

All eyes fell on me, and while most of them were encouraging, there were still many who were skeptical. That was fine. It was a hard thing to break a perception that people have held for their entire life, but I would change them, of that I had no doubt.

As I stood in the middle of this storm of eyes, Headmaster Sleet continued. “Gryff, come up here, will you?”

I eyed him curiously as I got the sense he didn’t usually call students up to stand by him, but I obliged him. I strode across the crowded room, between the long tables full of students, food, and drink. The steps up to the dais were thin and narrow, carpeted and soft. I climbed up them and stood next to the Headmaster.

He clapped a firm hand on my shoulder. “What some of you may not be aware of, in fact, what most of you are unaware of it, is that Gryff and mister Maddox had a little wager for their duel. They wagered that if Gryff won, he could take Gawain’s place on the new response squad being led by miss Hamner, and lo and behold, Gryff won.”

Murmurs rose up through the room. Much of the talk was filled with excitement, but there were skeptics among them, some of them being the higher-level teachers. But they hadn’t had the chance to have me as a student yet, they would learn about my ability in time.

“Now, as my esteemed friends in the military wondered, what has Gryff done to earn this, aside from promptly beating one of the most promising fire mages of the generation?” the Headmaster recounted as he stroked his beard. “My answer to them and to you is that he single-handedly rid Ralor’s Stead of a monster threat, including a fire-eye, which is a feat most squads together would struggle with. On top of that, he bravely ventured into the Shadowscape with Miss Kenefick, and defended our school against dozens of monsters.”

My face grew hot and red, my heart swelling with pride. I wasn’t used to being recognized like this, but I found I liked it.

“So before any naysayers speak out,” he said, his voice rising. “Know that this man has earned his place a hundred times over. Let’s hear it for him, Gryff of Njordenfalls, summoner.”

The room erupted into furious applause. Everyone stood and clapped, whooped and hollered and whistled. Layla was cursing loudly with enthusiasm, as Braden beamed even as he tried to rein her in. Nia was radiant with pride for me, her friend, and I couldn’t help but smile as wide as I ever had in my entire life.

This was only the beginning, I knew that. I had a long way to go, more than three and a half years left at the Varle Academy. There was a long road ahead of me, with many challenges that I couldn’t even imagine, but I had great friends, great teachers, and a knack for overcoming challenges. I’d done so much, and I would do so much more. Me, a dumb farm boy from the wilds with no formal schooling.

Me: Summoner.

End Notes

Thank you for reading Summoner. If you enjoyed the book, the best way to ensure another one gets written is to please leave a review right here.

Have you read my other novel Planet Broker? It’s about a guy who buys planets, colonizes/upgrades them, and then sells them. He’s got a crew of beautiful women, including a catgirl and super sexy mechanic. Click on the links to get it:

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2018 by Eric Vall