Summoner 15, p.14
Summoner 15, page 14
“Yes, thank you, sir,” I replied in a sarcastic tone, and I sighed as I turned to my Mistral friends to translate the mole-man’s words.
“So, this isn’t the capital?” Varleth asked. “What a waste of time.”
“Not necessarily,” Arwyn mused as she glanced around at the crowded square. “We have already learned a lot from this one interaction. Today is a day of celebration. The people believe their goddess has returned to end a period of darkness. I would be curious to hear what the people thought about the details behind the Archon’s plan.”
“We could mingle a bit,” I suggested with a shrug. “Get some treats to take back to the others and gather some rumors in the meantime.”
“Only two of us speak the language,” Nia pointed out. “We’ll have to split up into groups.”
“Good idea.” Arwyn nodded firmly, and her amber eyes were thoughtful for a brief moment. “Okay, Gryff, Nia, and Varleth start on the north side of the market. Freya and I will go along the southern side.”
“I’ll have gained twenty pounds by the time we leave,” Varleth groaned, but I could tell his displeasure was mostly feigned.
The smells of the market surrounded us, and my stomach growled obnoxiously while we decided on our plan, so as soon as we were all on the same page, I headed straight for a booth selling meat on a stick.
I fed myself and my friends a variety of foods, all easily managed while we walked around the square. A woman with gray rabbit ears sold Nia a necklace with a stone centerpiece carved into the faceless silhouette of a woman, and as we walked among the people, I translated the snippets of conversation I heard and the words I exchanged with the shopkeepers. The shapeshifters gushed about a promised utopian existence without any cares or troubles, and the joy in their eyes showed the true depth of their faith.
“No more worries, can you believe it?” an old man with a long gray coyote tail chortled from a chair beside a fruit stand. “Praise the goddess, these old bones are ready for a rest.”
“They’re out of their minds,” Varleth pointed out as I translated the man’s mumblings into the Mistral language. “They’ve all gone mad.”
“I wonder what animals worry about,” I mused quietly as we moved on. “Forage, prepare for winter, mate… Sounds utopian, doesn’t it?”
“So,” Nia said with her amber eyes thoughtful, “Veopa isn’t exactly lying to her followers, she is just twisting her message to match her end goal.”
“They’re flocking to their own demise,” Varleth said dryly.
“Like sheep to a slaughter,” I added, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
A short while later, we met Freya and Arwyn at the far end of the market. The two women had a handful of goodies, and the red-haired healer wore a colorful orange scarf wrapped around her head above her fox ears.
“The townspeople seem to think the more they worship the goddess, then the closer they come to a utopian existence where all their cares are gone,” Arwyn reported, and she shook her head in awe. “It is certainly an exciting time to arrive in the realm.”
“The celebrations may work to our advantage,” I noted, and I stroked my goat beard. “It will be easier to slip in and out of places without being singled out if there are crowds everywhere we go.”
“That will also mean everyone can see us all the time,” Varleth pointed out, and the banisher rolled his eyes. “I’d rather everyone be inside their houses while we explore their towns than have to push through crowds of animal people.”
“They certainly have some interesting odors,” Nia observed, and her blue eyes twinkled at the badger-banisher. “Not like you smell much better, though.”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Arwyn interrupted in the firm tone of a squad leader. “Let’s get back to the airship and report our findings to the others.”
“Sounds good to me.” I smirked. “I need to walk off some of this meat.”
My friends rolled their eyes, and we turned toward the south facing archway in the stone wall around the city. I dropped the illusion disguising my team as shapeshifters once we were out of sight of Verona, but I had to admit I missed Arwyn and Nia’s adorable animal features as soon as they were gone. After a short hike back through the trees, we reached the airship, and I waved to my team when they came into view.
“We brought goodies!” I announced as we spread our spoils out on a blanket near the campfire, and Cyra, Mati, and Braden rushed forward and grabbed some treats with greedy fingers and wide grins.
“So, did you find out anything interesting?” Cyra questioned around a mouthful of barbequed rabbit meat on a stick.
“It’s not the capital,” Arwyn informed the rest of our team with a sigh, “but the next city to the north should be. We learned this town is called Verona, and the capital is named Vyguard.”
“It should just be a day’s travel by air,” I added.
“That’s not bad,” Braden said, and the ox-like summoner smiled. “At least it’s not a week or something.”
“With any luck, we will have located the library by this time tomorrow,” Arwyn finished. “I’m going to brief Lieutenant Danny, I’ll be right back.”
Then the red-haired healer tossed her flame-like locks over her shoulder and waved before she walked away from us.
I listened absently while Nia finished telling the others about what we’d learned in the market. The ashen-haired mage showed Cyra and Mati the necklace she’d purchased, and the women admired the piece with oohs and ahhs as they inspected it.
Freya snuggled up against my side, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders while we stood around the fire. The warrior princess followed my friends’ conversation closely, and I noticed she mouthed a few words silently to herself. The beautiful shapeshifter was determined to learn my language as quickly as possible, and she continued to amaze me with how fast she picked it up.
A short while later, Arwyn returned to the fire with a wide smile and excitement in her amber eyes.
“Danny says he is willing to fly overnight,” the healer informed us. “We will reach Vyguard by tomorrow evening.”
“Hooray, we get to sleep on the airship,” Varleth drawled sarcastically. “I’ve missed my cramped neck, I’m so glad I get to experience that again.”
“The faster we travel,” I countered with a cheerful voice, “the faster we complete our mission and go home.”
“I’m sold,” Varleth replied, and without saying another word, the dark-haired banisher headed toward the airship with quick steps.
“I did not miss sleeping on the airship,” Mati said, and my roommate's girlfriend sighed as she followed in the gypsy’s steps.
“That’s the job, babe,” Braden laughed as he held her hand and walked beside her. “You can always use me as a pillow.”
“Thank the Maker you’re so comfortable,” Mati giggled, and she gave the ox-like summoner a loving glance.
“After a week or so of this, I’m going to be grateful for the beds in the girls’ dorms,” Cyra chuckled as she followed behind the summoner and banisher couple. Kalon peeked her silver nose out from beneath the dark-skinned summoner’s nest of curly brown hair and let out a squawk of agreement, and my lover nuzzled her familiar’s nose.
“Let’s just get it over with,” Nia said, and the multi-elementalist’s long ash-colored ponytail swayed across her back as she walked swiftly toward the airship.
“Everyone sounds so excited,” Arwyn noted, and she shook her head before she also headed toward our flying vessel.
“They’re just tired,” I explained with a sideways grin.
“Or they ate too much sugar,” the professor commented.
“Or that,” I chuckled before I grasped my blonde wife’s hand and led her toward the ramp. Freya followed quietly, but I felt her stiffen as we entered the airship.
It seemed the warrior princess still needed some more time to adjust to the new technology.
It didn’t take long for Danny to get the ship up into the air, and we leveled out just as the sun finished its western descent and cast us into darkness. The dark sky lit up with stars, and I watched them pass through the porthole until I fell asleep.
The sun rose the next morning, and I woke up as a bright beam of light hit my face. I stretched as much as my safety harness would allow, and I let out a big yawn. I was surprised by how deeply I’d slept despite being strapped into my chair, and even though my body was stiff from sitting in one position all night long, I knew the ride was far from over.
“Good morning,” Arwyn greeted once she noticed my movement, and the red-haired healer passed me a biscuit, a chunk of cold meat, an apple, and a waterskin. The healer sat to my left with her legs crossed elegantly, and her travel pack occupied the seat on her other side. “While we should limit our movements to what is absolutely essential, I think it’s safe enough to move around.”
“When do you think we will reach Vyguard?” I asked as I peered at the landscape outside the window. I could see a row of snowcapped mountain ranges off in the distance, but the sky was clear and bright.
“I’m not sure,” the professor replied, and she furrowed her brows. “Our maps are crude at best, but by the end of our journey, I’m sure they will be much more accurate.”
“You make challenges seem simple,” I observed with admiration in my voice. “I can’t wait to see what you dig up from this mission.”
“The prospect of long lost knowledge is tantalizing,” Arwyn replied in her scholarly voice. “It is an opportunity of a lifetime, and I’m sure I have many years of research ahead of me.”
“You really think it will take that long to uncover the names of the Guardians?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
“No, of course not,” Arwyn laughed, “but I’m sure I’ll return with more information than that. I plan on grabbing as many books as we can carry, since there is no guarantee we will ever be able to return to the library a second time.”
“Eat, Gryff,” Freya interjected in stiff Mistral, and my wife motioned to my lapful of food with a concerned frown.
“Yes, ma’am,” I chuckled, and I bumped my shoulder against her affectionately as I picked up my fruit.
I crunched into my apple as my thoughts turned to the obstacles ahead of us. We’d learned the location of the capital, but that was only one part in our quest to find the ancient library. With the intelligence and ingenuity of my team, though, I was sure we would complete our mission, and then we’d be one step closer to home.
What laid ahead of me in Mistral? Would I return with five Archons in my head?
If we learned the names of the Guardians, maybe we would find out even more information, and I could even get the goddesses out of my consciousness for good.
I’d feel a lot better about leaving the land of the shapeshifters once Veopa was removed from the realm, but getting to the library was a higher priority, so I’d cross that bridge when I came to it. In the meantime, I pushed the thoughts of Archons, Guardians, and the prophecy out of my head and focused on my breakfast.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. We ate off and on, and we passed the waterskin back and forth over the rows of seats. Several hours later, with the sun casting deep orange and pink rays of light into the sky from the western horizon, I noticed a clump of structures out of the porthole window.
Danny emerged from the cockpit and cleared his throat. “We are nearing Vyguard. What is your command, Miss Hamner?”
“Land far enough away from the city to be out of sight,” the professor replied decisively. “We will camp tonight and enter the capital in the morning.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the lieutenant replied with a sharp salute, and he turned to head back into the control room.
A short while later, the airship began its descent, and the belly of the vessel shuddered as it neared the ground. By the time we touched land and I was able to unstrap my harness to stand up, my legs were shaky and numb. I’d only gotten up once to use the bathroom, so my blood had stopped flowing to my lower extremities.
We’d landed on the side of a treeless slope that angled up at a steep angle to the north, but leveled out into a small valley on the other side. Even in the direct sunlight, the air had a winter chill to it, and I pulled my hood over my head as I shivered in the breeze. Between my numb muscles tingling back to life and the icy bite of the wind, I was less than comfortable, but I knew I would be wrapped inside a warm bedroll soon enough. So, I shrugged off my discomfort and popped open the hatch of the cargo hold with frozen fingers.
It didn’t take us long to strike camp, though, and then I was able to collapse onto a bedroll with a groan of gratitude. Freya crawled into my tent and curled up at my side, but I was too exhausted to do anything other than wrap my arms around my beautiful wife before I fell asleep.
“Gryff!” Freya whispered urgently and drew me from unconsciousness. “The sun is up!”
“Already?” I blinked and peered up into my wife’s excited gold-flecked eyes.
“Come on, it’s almost time to go!” The warrior princess sounded excited, and she tugged on my arm to urge me out of the bedroll.
“Alright, alright,” I laughed, but it turned into a yawn halfway through.
Still, it didn’t take me long to get dressed and throw on my boots and bandolier, and I pushed aside the entrance flap of the tent a moment later. Then I quickly followed my wife’s insistent instructions despite the bright glare of the early morning sun attacking my eyes.
“I would like to get an early start,” Arwyn informed me as soon as I reached hearing distance. “The faster we get inside the city, the more time we have to search for the library.”
“Can we try to get rooms in the city tonight?” Braden requested with a sheepish grin. “Who knows when we’ll get a chance to sleep in a real bed again?”
“It depends on the reception we receive from the locals,” the professor replied with a shrug. “I don’t want us to put ourselves at risk for the sake of comfort.”
“Do you really think it would be that dangerous to rent a couple rooms?” Mati raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like we are an invading army or anything. I bet the platoon would be happy to stay with the airship, they have their whole routine after all, but I think the rest of us deserve a good night’s sleep after that flight--”
“I’ve had an assassin sneak into a rented room before,” I interrupted the talkative banisher before the day swept away from us. “You can never be too careful.”
“And we can’t trust anyone,” Varleth added, and the surly gypsy cast a subtle glance at Mur.
The moose kid laid on the ground on the other side of the firepit, and he seemed oblivious to the banisher’s insinuation while he picked at blades of grass with his dexterous muzzle. While I was eager for my wife to have a full command of my native tongue, I was grateful for the language barrier that prevented Mur from understanding my team’s conversations.
“Do we get to go this time?” Cyra asked, and she had big, eager eyes as she directed her question to Arwyn.
“Yes,” the red-haired healer said with a small nod, “since we already know for sure that this is the capital, we will go in a larger group to explore the city.”
“I’m not sure how many disguises I can manage at once,” I informed my teacher in a reluctant tone. “Plus, if we split up, it’s harder for me to maintain the illusion. I will try my best, though.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” Arwyn replied with a warm smile. “I understand your concern, but I’m not sure what other options we have.”
Summon me, Gryff, Phi pleaded in an eager tone. I can maintain some of the illusion spells on my own to share your burden.
“Hold on,” I said to my red-haired lover, and I gave her an apologetic smile. “Phi is talking to me.”
Even if the white-winged Archon could help me disguise the entire team, she would stick out like a sore thumb with her obviously monster-like attributes.
Silly, Phi snickered. I can disguise myself easily. Obviously, I will make sure I look like part of the group. What’s the point in helping you if I blow your cover?
Good point.
“Phi says she can help me manage the disguises if I summon her,” I explained, but my brows furrowed as I thought over the white-winged Archon’s offer. “She can also understand a little bit of the language. That way we could split into two groups without risking the illusion falling once we were separated.”
“It would also leave half of our group alone with an Archon,” Nia pointed out, and she shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. We can come up with something else. Maybe we can make some masks?”
“Don’t you think the shapeshifters would be able to tell if our features were fake or not?” Cyra argued. “No, we have to look real, or it’s pointless.”
“We could just be normal human travelers, couldn’t we?” Braden questioned in a confused tone. “The capital would have more visitors than anywhere else.”
“Not really,” Arwyn replied. “Very few expeditions have ever been made to Vay, and sailors have been telling horror stories about the realm for generations.”
“Veopa would be instantly alerted to our presence,” I explained to my roommate. “I don’t know how she would react, but we need as much time as possible to find the library, so I don’t plan on her finding out just yet.”
“What’s the big deal?” Mati interjected. “It’s just one of those monsters you used to sail the ship, right? I mean, you slept and stuff while they continued to follow your commands. It’s not like she would betray you as soon as you’re out of sight, right? Or am I wrong?”
“You have a point,” I said, and I shot Arwyn a questioning glance. “Should I just summon Phi?”
“It seems to be the most efficient move,” the professor offered with a shrug. “I would be willing to accompany Phi, but the two groups should be evenly split, so I need more volunteers.”
