Summoner school, p.11
Summoner School, page 11
Even if I did wake her up, which was a Herculean feat in the first place, then there was no way to know if she’d even be coherent. I clutched the amulet in my hand and pictured the old Victorian manor that I grew up in. Grandma might not be able to give me any answers, but there might be some back home, and thankfully, the old bat never threw anything out.
The nursing home faded away to become my old bedroom bathed in moonlight, and I looked around at the faded band posters and puzzles that grandma had me solve. I flipped on the bedroom light, blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted, and then took a closer look at the spells. They’d just been riddles to me for so long, but the one above my old desk was the same as the one I used to summon a rat.
A yawn tugged my mouth open, and I glanced over at my old bed, but there was still too much to do before sleep would come my way. I’d been through the attic for school supplies already, but there were only a few cracked crystals and broken vials of who knows what kind of animal parts. There had been a few books with spells that I’d set aside to look at later, and a few notebooks with foreign writing in them.
I took a deep breath, patted my cheeks to wake up, and then trudged up the stairs to the attic. A thick layer of dust still covered everything despite how much I’d moved around, and pale moonlight peeked in through the slats in the roof. That would have to be fixed before we sold the house, but that was a problem for another time, and besides, I had books to find.
The stack of journals had been wrapped in cloth and hidden beneath a false bottom in an old trunk. I’d almost missed it, but the wood was warped after so many years in the attic, and the fake panel popped up when I removed some textbooks. They were all written in my grandmother’s perfect handwriting, and I stared at them for a long time like the foreign language might translate itself.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something bigger going on than Magia Schola, but grandma wasn’t likely to tell me. She hadn’t even told me that we came from a line of mages. I made a mental note to ask her on the next good day that she had, took one of the old textbooks with more complicated spells, and added the most recent journal to my little stack.
The library would probably have books with the same language, and Mike might be able to help me. My new roommate seemed to read more than talk to people, and that would come in handy as I tried to adapt to the fast-paced world of magic. At least the puzzles were easy enough to solve, and the two times I’d tried to summon something it’d worked out perfectly.
I headed back downstairs to my bedroom, put everything on my desk, and then stripped down with the intention of a good night’s rest. Something moved outside of the window as my t-shirt hit the ground, and I snuck forward to look. The house had been vacant for months, but the nosy neighbors across the street always kept an eye out, so I didn’t think it was a burglar.
It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the low light, but then I saw something move again. There was only one streetlight since we were so far away from the city, but it cast a circle of yellow on the area between the two houses, and there was someone out there.
They had on the dark robes of a mage with a hood over their head, but it seemed like they were focused on the fence that ran around the property. A shadow moved closer to the house, and I craned my neck to see one of the slithering creatures from the arena. It was almost on the property, but it seemed like it couldn’t get closer, and at one point I thought I saw something shimmer near the gate like a hidden barrier.
“You seriously have some explaining to do, grandma,” I whispered.
The man’s head snapped up to look at my bedroom window like he’d heard me, and my heart skipped a beat as power washed over me. It only lasted a second before it faded, and then the man disappeared in the blink of an eye. I watched as the creature moved toward the woods that surrounded the property and then looked down at my grandmother’s notebook.
“Yeah, I’m going back to campus,” I said and grabbed my t-shirt.
The house may’ve had a barrier to keep the guy out, but there was something wrong about the magic that had reached up like it could scan me. It reminded me of oil and clung to my arm before it was pried off like a Band-Aid that wasn’t ready to let go. I hissed at the sting of it and then noticed that the amulet was hot again.
The blue swirls in the moonstone moved counterclockwise again, but after a few seconds they stilled, and I was able to make them listen to me. I had to work to clear my mind of all the questions and picture my dorm room. It was like I’d been transported from my boring life into the middle of an epic fantasy, and I was pretty sure that the hooded man was the villain.
“Hey,” Mike mumbled as I reappeared in our room. “I thought you were staying the night in the human realm.”
“I didn’t want to be late for classes,” I laughed and climbed into bed. “See you in the morning.”
The tree-man grunted and then burrowed back into the soft grass that had replaced his mattress. I might have to tell him about the hooded man at some point, but first I needed to figure out just what the hell my grandmother was into. Mike seemed trustworthy, and he’d gone to the underground fight with me even though it was underground, but every bone in my body said that danger was lurking around the corner, and I wasn’t sure who I could trust.
It took a while for me to finally fall asleep, and it felt like only a few seconds had passed before my alarm went off for my first class. I was grateful that it was just a lecture because my brain was still too foggy to pay attention, but thankfully Mike said that I could borrow his notes later. It wasn’t how I wanted to start my college career, but no one seemed to expect much from me in the introduction class, so I didn’t have to be mentally present until Professor Lovelace’s class.
“Good morning, everyone,” the ebony-haired woman said with a small frown. “I hope that you all took some time to look at your textbooks last night, because this morning you’ll be attempting your first real summons. There are plenty of quartz crystals and copies of the two spells we’ll be working with on that table over there. I’ve also provided coffee so that your midmorning slump will not result in a terrifying and pitiful creature. A summoner must always be alert and fully conscious when calling an animal forward. At best, the creature won’t form. At worst, you’ll bring something to life without all of its organs and you’ll have to watch it die.”
“But they’re not real,” the dark-haired elf summoner said with a shrug. “What does it matter if they die?”
A shiver ran up my spine as Professor Lovelace leveled a glare in Eldar’s direction. He shifted in his seat and glanced over at Ramis and then me like we’d be on his side as the only other summoners, but both of us kept our faces neutral. The rest of the mages were all freshmen and had heard the rumors about the teacher’s strict rules like we had, so no one was about to step on that landmine.
“What does it matter?” she asked in a low voice. “What does it matter?”
A wave of warm air floated off of the dragon-woman like she might blow fire, but it faded just as fast as it had appeared. She took off her glasses, folded them, and then put them on the desk. The room was so silent that I could almost hear Eldar’s heartbeat from across the class, and some part of me almost felt bad for the snobby little elf.
“I’ll tell you why it matters,” Professor Lovelace said and put her glasses back on. “Because while they may be a stone or gem at their core, the addition of part of the animal gives them life and feelings just like you and me. And the mana that you imbue it with to give it that life connects you to it. So, if you don’t do your work properly, then you’ll experience its death the same way that it does.”
“Excuse me, Professor Lovelace,” Atlesia asked and raised her petite hand.
“Yes, Ms. Atlesia?” the ebony-haired woman asked and shifted her purple eyes in our direction.
“Does that mean that when a summoner battles that they can feel every hit from the opponent?” the flower-nymph asked.
“Yes and no,” our teacher said. “When a creature is summoned properly, then the pain that they feel is not transmitted as strongly, and the link becomes more empathic than it is physical. However, if the spell is done without the right amount of concentration, then the mage who summoned it will put too much of themselves into it. I suggest that each of you think about that when you create a life. Most of you will only have pets or familiars that will help you with spells, but for my three summoners… you need to be aware of what your magic does. Releasing too much mana can kill you, but even if you imbue your creation with too much of yourself, then you’ll be too attached to it. It’s about balance. That is why today you’ll be learning how to summon bats and rats. They don’t require much mana, but you’ll still need to figure out how much to put in before it becomes too much. It’s a heavy job to be a summoner. And it’s time you learn what that weight feels like so you can decide if this is a path that you actually want to take.”
“I wonder if that’s the reason the rat was so big last night,” I whispered to Mike. “If it’s connected to me, then maybe I summoned a large aggressive one because I was mad.”
“That’s a good question,” the tree-man said and tapped a long branchlike finger on the desk.
“What’s a good question?” the professor asked as her purple eyes shifted to our table.
“I was just wondering if our emotions can change the size of an animal,” I said.
“It can,” the dragon-woman said with a nod. “Your emotions are closely tied to the amount of mana you use. Of course, there are limits. You wouldn’t be able to make a rat the size of a horse, but it can get quite large. The creature’s own DNA will dictate how big or small it can be.”
“I didn’t realize this was a genetics class,” one of the water naiads whined. “Can’t we just summon fish?”
“The minotaur would be good at that if nothing else,” Eldar sneered.
“Genetics is an important part of all forms of magic,” Professor Lovelace said. “We must know how things are built before we can toy with their structure. If you cannot keep up, then you may need to leave Magia Schola.”
“I didn’t realize there was so much science in magic,” I said and took a few notes. “Thank goodness I was always decent at it.”
“Where do you think humans got your science?” Sarya asked as she turned around. “If it wasn’t for us, then you’d still be twiddling your thumbs and playing with rocks.”
“Enough talk,” our teacher said and clapped her hands. “If you need coffee, then get some. Do not let it be a crutch. You should always come to my class well-rested, but I’ll let it slide since this is the first week, but don’t expect the coffee to be a regular thing. I expect all of you to be able to summon at least one bat and one rat by the end of class.”
Everyone mumbled their agreement and then started toward the front of the classroom. I was glad that I wasn’t the only one who needed a pick-me-up, and soon, we were all ready to start summoning.
Professor Lovelace walked around and made helpful suggestions as we worked, and as the class wore on, she picked up the empty cups and cleaned up the coffee station. She was tough but fair with her comments, though more than a few of my classmates still looked terrified of the beautiful woman.
The puzzle for the bat wasn’t as difficult as I’d thought it would be and was actually pretty close to the rat’s which I had already mastered. I thought it might have to do with both of them being mammals, but made a mental note to check the family tree in the library later. The rat was an easy enough summon, but the bat seemed to take more mana, and the medium-sized crystal barely contained it.
“Very good, Mr. Hall,” Professor Lovelace said as she walked by. “I may make a summoner out of you yet.”
“Professor Lovelace?” I asked before she could continue down the line of two-person desks.
Her purple eyes met mine, and I realized that there was a circle of gold around her slitted pupils. My heart raced in my chest, and it took all of my effort not to look down at her formfitting dress.
“Yes?” she asked with a small smile like she knew where my mind had gone. “What is it that you need, Mr. Hall?”
“I was wondering if the crystals will only hold one animal, or if more than one can fit. It seems wasteful to have so many. And how are summoners supposed to carry all of this around with them?”
“Interesting questions,” she said and narrowed her eyes. “A summoner can create an animal ahead of time and store it in crystals, but it takes an inordinate amount of mana to seal them. It’s easier to keep small scraps of paper with the spells written on them. They can be completed so that it will save you time should you find yourself in a dire situation. As for the crystals, if an animal is small enough, then more can fit. The size and type of gem will also be important. The quartz that you have here will only hold one bat or rat, but if it was larger, then you might be able to conceal another one.”
“What about insects?” I asked as I thought about my grandmother’s spellbooks.
“They are much smaller,” she said, and a proud look flashed across her face like I’d figured out a piece of a puzzle.
Class ended, and everyone went their separate ways. Atlesia went off to eat lunch with some of her friends while Mike headed straight to the library. I wanted to go with my new girlfriend, but the coffee had filled me up, and I still needed to go to the dorm to grab my grandmother’s journal and spellbooks.
“What was up with the questions for Lovelace?” Mike asked as we headed to our room.
“I think that I’m going to go back to the arena,” I said with a look around to make sure no one heard me. “It’s a great way to make money, but I need to figure out how to summon enough creatures to actually win a fight. Those two summoners last night were pretty amazing, but I think an army of wasps or bees might help. I might even be able to summon snakes. I just need the proper spells.”
“And the ingredients, and gems,” my roommate said and shook his head. “That place is dangerous. You should find another way to make money.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said and switched out my books.
The creepy man from the night before flashed across my mind, but I shook it away. He could just be some friend of grandma’s that had stopped by to see her and hadn’t realized she’d moved. I still didn’t like the feeling his magic had left on me, but I could ask the old woman about it the next time I visited, and talk to her about the weird way the amulet reacted.
“You okay?” the tree-man asked as we locked the dorm room behind us. “You seem… distracted. Or are you upset that I don’t approve of the fights?”
“It’s not that,” I said with a reassuring smile. “I think I’m just getting a little paranoid. It’s probably just a lack of sleep.”
“And the underground death matches that are illegal in every realm,” Mike pointed out.
“And that,” I laughed.
The library was tucked into the back-right corner of the campus and looked exactly how the Library of Alexandria looked in my mind. Pure-white marble stairs led to ivy-covered columns and a two-story building. The door was made of red mahogany and had a battle scene carved into the wood.
The smell of ancient texts wafted over me the second that we walked inside, and I stared up at the rows upon rows of scrolls and leather-bound books. An information desk sat in the middle of the first floor surrounded by study tables and private rooms for anyone who needed to lock themselves away to practice spells. A domed ceiling arched high above us, and the painted stars seemed to wink down at us.
“Well look who we have here,” an elf sneered and walked toward us. “If it isn’t an ent. Here to mourn your fallen brothers?”
Mike bristled beside me, but his black eyes shifted to the librarian like she would do something if a fight broke out. The elf stopped a few feet away from us and somehow managed to look like an even bigger snob than Sarya. My roommate took a deep breath and stepped forward while the leaves on his head shook with rage.
“And here I thought that you wouldn’t be able to read,” I said to bring the attention to me. “With that pencil-drawn goatee and that dumb look on your face, I thought that the only sharp thing about you would be those pointed ears.”
“How dare you!” the man snapped.
“If you cannot be quiet, then you will leave this library,” the woman behind the desk said with a hard glare.
The elf stomped toward me, and for a second I thought he would take a swing, but then he just huffed and went outside. I let out a sigh of relief as I watched the elf’s back disappear through the door.
Mike watched him go as well and then turned to look at me with a mixture of gratitude and irritation. I patted him on the shoulder and pointed to one of the nearby tables, but someone grabbed my arm before I could go anywhere.
“Hey,” Atlesia whispered with a big grin.
“Hey,” I replied and then watched Mike walk toward the fungus section. “I thought you were going to have lunch with your friends.”
“I changed my mind,” the lavender-haired woman said as she pulled me toward one of the private rooms. “I wanted to talk to you alone for a little while.”
“Sure,” I said as we walked inside the small room. “Do you need something?”
“Yes,” she said and then locked the door behind us. “I need you.”
Chapter 8
“You need me?” I smirked and leaned against the tiny desk.
The study room was barely big enough to fit both of us at the same time, and the flat desk took up half the space, but at least there wasn’t a window that nosy people could use to spy on us. The wooden table groaned under my weight as I scooted backwards to make room for Atlesia, and she grinned as she stepped between my legs. The room suddenly seemed like more than enough space when we were so close, and the padded walls would keep any sounds we made inside with us.
