Summoner school, p.21
Summoner School, page 21
Professor Edinbock ended class with an assignment for the weekend to research evil mages throughout the nine realms and what their crimes were. The classes for the rest of the week had been canceled due to some kind of council meeting that the teachers were required to attend, and we all shared looks as we thought about the rumors of shadow creatures and the added security. Whatever war they were afraid of seemed like it was closer than they wanted to admit, and I had even more questions for Professor Lovelace as we walked toward her class.
“Good morning, students,” Professor Lovelace said with her usual stern look. “We’ll be taking class outside today. Please make your way to the arena.”
“But it’s supposed to rain,” Eldar said with a pointed look outside.
“Yes,” the dragon-woman said as she strolled into the hallway. “But the arena has a barrier that will keep the weather out. Now, you’ve all been practicing hard, and I’d like to see how you do in a battle. Prepare yourself to call your best creature. Your rank will be affected by how you do today.”
I followed the rest of the class out to the arena as I went through the list of creatures to summon. Tins had given me the tail of a rattlesnake, and my grandmother’s journal had a puzzle for different types of snakes. I was fairly certain that the quartz would work for it, but it wasn’t like I’d had time to test it out.
“Mr. Hall,” Professor Lovelace said before I could sit. “You’ll be going first.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
“Your opponent will be Eldar,” she said and motioned for the dark-haired elf to join me on the battlefield, turned to me, and then leaned a little closer so no one could hear us. “I’m afraid our meeting tonight will have to be canceled. I’m sure that you’ve heard the teachers have been called away. Keep a report of any odd behavior from your amulet, and we’ll have dinner in my room when I return.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a nod.
“I hope that you’re ready to be defeated,” Eldar sneered as we walked out onto the grass.
“By you?” I laughed.
Lightning suddenly flashed over our heads, and then a torrential storm poured onto the shimmering barrier. The shield reminded me of a force field in a sci-fi movie, and I watched as it shook from the thunder. The lights around the arena blinked into life, but the dark clouds above us still cast long shadows around the stadium and made everyone huddle together for protection.
“You may begin,” Professor Lovelace said as she summoned a clipboard. “Do not disappoint me.”
I nodded to the dragon-woman, pulled out the spell for the snake, and then started to connect the lines of the puzzle. There were a few different versions that would make the snake bigger, but I decided to make it small since the smaller a creature is, the more concentrated their venom would be. I popped the cork from the vial of rattlesnake tail, poured it onto the map, and then let my mana run down my arm and into the quartz.
Eldar had started to summon his own animal, and I was impressed to see a huge rat leap from the quartz in his hand. The creature was so big that its head reached the elf’s knees, and the tail was like a thick whip that slashed back and forth. The dark-haired man grinned at me like he’d already won the fight just as a bolt of lightning hit the barrier to arch above us.
“You can give up now, human,” Eldar shouted over the clap of thunder.
“No thanks,” I said as I summoned my rattlesnake.
It was only as long as my forearm and was swallowed up by the short grass around the arena. A few laughs came from the stands as I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the fight. My opponent chuckled and shook his head, but my little rattlesnake was extremely venomous, and all I had to do was land one bite on the giant rat.
“It’s time you learned your place,” the dark-haired elf said as his rat raced toward me.
Another clap of lightning shook the arena, and a few of our classmates shrieked as the wind picked up. The rain still hadn’t made it through the barrier, but the candles flapped around as if the storm might blow them out. The drum of heavy rainfall picked up until the only thing that I could hear were my own thoughts, and I focused all of them on my summon.
My rattlesnake was completely hidden in the grass even as it was pushed down by the wind, but Eldar’s rat was on its way to me and not my creature. I directed my creation toward the rat’s tail and watched in awe as the shoestring-sized rattlesnake burst out of the grass. It slithered up into the rodent’s dark brown fur, reared back, and then sank its venomous fangs deep into the rat’s back.
“What the hell?” Eldar snapped as his creation started to slow. “No. Attack him!”
A gust of wind made the lights around us blink out, and when they came back to life, they revealed Eldar’s rat was on its side. The creature tried to inch closer to me as it snapped its long razor-sharp teeth, but my rattlesnake had done his job well. I released my summon and watched it return to the quartz while my opponent shrieked and tried to make his rat move, but the poor creature crumbled into dust.
“Maybe next time,” I said. “That was a pretty impressive rat, though.”
“You cheated!” the dark-haired elf shouted over the wind.
“Mr. Hall did not cheat,” Professor Lovelace said as she wrote on her clipboard. “He only summoned a better pet.”
Eldar looked like he wanted to attack me with his bare hands but took a deep breath instead and stomped toward the stairs. The glare he shot my way said that this wasn’t over, and I wondered if I had another rival to worry about. The dark-haired elf wasn’t particularly good at summoning, so I wasn’t that worried, but Ramis had watched the fight.
The minotaur’s molten-brown eyes studied me, and I knew that he’d already come up with a plan to defeat me the next time we were in the underground arena. He was just as smart as his brother, even if his magic wasn’t as strong, and our next battle would be hard if I didn’t have the jackalope.
“Hey,” I said as I sat down with Atlesia and Mike. “Why don’t we leave for the hunt tomorrow since we have a long weekend?”
“I’m okay with that,” my girlfriend said and then sighed as her name was called.
“I think I can have some of the sleeping smoke bombs ready by tomorrow, but it might not be as safe for us to use,” Mike said and watched Atlesia go to her battle. “I haven’t been able to test it out yet, and the rain won’t help. If we do use the sleeping bomb, then we’ll need to make sure we’re not standing downwind of it.”
“What are we talking about?” Sarya asked as she strolled up the stairs.
“The hunt,” I said. “We’re going tomorrow.”
“Good,” the redhead said and took the seat next to me, waved at her elven friends, and then pointedly turned to the field. “I’m coming with you.”
“Everything okay?” I asked as I glanced back at the irritated elves. “You don’t usually sit with us.”
“I ate breakfast with you the other day,” she pointed out. “And I think I’m about done taking my family’s orders.”
“Right,” I said and glanced at Mike. “Well, we’ll be glad to have you on the hunt. We’ll have to leave early.”
“Fine with me,” Sarya said and tossed her ponytail behind her.
“Okay,” I said and turned my attention to Atlesia’s fight. “Tomorrow, we’re hunting a jackalope.”
Chapter 14
“Today’s the day,” I said as I hopped out of bed.
“You’re way too perky this morning,” Mike grumbled.
The trees around his bed shook as the tall man pried his way out from between their trunks. He’d stayed out late to test the smoke bombs, and the barklike skin under his eyes was darker than usual. His hair shook itself like it did when he was irritated, and I wondered if tree-people could consume caffeine, or if he would just be grumpy for the rest of the day.
“We’re going on an epic adventure,” I said with a smile. “Aren’t you excited?”
“Yeah,” my roommate admitted and then turned to a bag on his desk. “The smoke bombs work. I tried them on a few owls last night. Pretty sure that I’m not allowed in the forest to the east for at least a week, but it was worth it. And none of the owls were actually hurt.”
“Did you at least summon some rats for them to eat when they woke up?” I asked as I poked through my bag.
I’d packed some clothes the night before, the spells, their components, and anything else that we might need. The plan was to leave early and camp out for the evening. Jackalopes were supposed to come out during the night, so we’d find a safe place to eat and relax, and then go hunt once the sun went down.
Every warning bell went off in my head at the thought of being out in the forest during the night, but we had plenty of protection, and Sarya could summon fire to light our way. The shadow creatures wouldn’t have anywhere to hide, and it seemed like most of them had moved out of the area because the last sighting that I could find was fifty years ago. My amulet would also warn us if they were nearby, and as a last resort, we could all transport to another dimension.
“I’m not a summoner.” Mike shrugged. “But there’s plenty of little creatures on that side of the campus. I’m sure that they found something to eat before they went to bed. The smoke bombs lasted for three hours. It might not last as long on the jackalope since it’s a magical creature. And bigger.”
“Even ten minutes will be enough,” I said and then glanced out of the window. “It looks like the storm went south, so we’re in the clear. We should go meet the girls.”
“You all should take some extra food from the cafeteria to eat on the way,” the tree-man said as he shouldered his bag. “The jackalope hunting area is pretty far from the nearest town, and you guys can’t feed on sunlight like me.”
“I already packed a few extra plastic baggies for the trip,” I said. “I picked them up from my grandparents’ house the last time I visited. They should hold enough. And we can always scrounge or hunt for our food. I’m sure there are creatures that we can eat. And I can use their bones and skin for spells.”
“You summoners are a disturbing lot,” he said with a shake of his head.
“Says the man with mushrooms growing all over our room,” I countered. “How many of those are poisonous?”
“A few,” he smirked, and his coal-black eyes twinkled with mischief.
“Andrew! Mike!” Atlesia called from our usual table. “How did you two sleep?”
“Pretty good,” I said and leaned over for a quick kiss. “How about you?”
“I barely slept at all,” the flower-nymph said as she bounced up and down. “I’m just so excited. I’ve never been on a hunt before. It’s thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.”
“Just don’t get us killed with your enthusiasm,” Sarya said and set her tray down, looked at each of us, and then shook her head. “I can’t believe that I’m going with you. My father would lose his mind if he knew that I’d be alone in the woods with a human, a flower-nymph, and a tree-man.”
“I thought that’s part of the thrill,” I winked and then looked her up and down. “Are you sure that dress is the best outfit for a hunt? Not that I mind. It’s pretty hot, but I don’t want you to get hurt for fashion.”
The redheaded elf wore a flowy black dress with slits that stretched all the way up to her hips. The fabric strips that acted as her top were just thick enough to cover her breasts, and the whole thing looked like it was only held on by a gold belt. It was sexy as hell, but it didn’t seem very practical, and I was pretty sure her left breast would fall out if we had to do any running.
“I’ll be fine,” she said with a faint blush. “You humans may have trouble with aesthetics and functionality, but elves do not. I could fight Rarus in this dress and not have it fall apart.”
“Riiiiight,” I said and shoved the thought of her naked out of my head. “I’m going to get breakfast.”
The line was shorter than it usually was, and there were fewer students than there had been the day before. I overheard one conversation that said everyone had gone home to be with their families until the teachers came back. The general consensus seemed to be that the school was too vulnerable to attack as long as the staff was absent, so many parents had insisted that their kids return home. I suppose it made sense for the freshmen to leave, but the upperclassmen all knew better spells, and there were a lot of students in the battle magic program that could protect the school if someone actually attacked it.
I shoved those thoughts out of my head and walked back out to the table, determined to enjoy the day we had planned. We all distracted ourselves with conversation about the jackalope hunt, but it was impossible not to notice how empty the grassy quad was, or the extra ogres that walked around the property like muscular bodyguards. I hoped that there would still be a school to come back to, but the rumors hadn’t said anything about them around Magia Schola yet, so there was probably still time, and none of the dark creatures had attacked anyone.
“Are we ready to go?” I asked as we all finished eating. “It’s going to be a long trip.”
“Why don’t we just use our amulets to pop over?” Sarya asked with a frown. “It would save us a lot of energy. And then we can be refreshed for the hunt tonight. Or whatever else might happen.”
“I don’t think that we’re going to see any of the shadow creatures,” I said and led the way toward the north gate. “And my amulet gets hot any time they’re around, so we can come back to campus.”
“It gets hot?” the elf asked and glanced at the pocket with my amulet. “Why didn’t you say something before?”
“Because you thought I was crazy,” I countered. “I don’t know why it happens. Professor Lovelace is supposed to take a look at it when she gets back, but for now we have an early warning system.”
“That makes me feel a lot better,” Atlesia said and slipped her hand into mine.
“I still think that we should save our time and portal there,” Sarya said and shifted her small bag. “It just seems like a waste of energy.”
“We can’t use the amulets to get there because we don’t know what it looks like,” I said. “We need to have some kind of visual to use them. Do you know what the woods in the north look like? Or do you want to take the chance that we’ll end up in different dimensions?”
“I suppose you’re right,” she huffed.
We all ducked through the gate in the north wall and stepped into the forest. Birds chirped their hellos while I took out a map and started to pore over it. There were a few different ways that we could take, but even the shortest path wouldn’t get us there before late afternoon, and that wouldn’t leave a lot of downtime before the night fell.
The sun filtered through the leaves of the trees in buttery shafts of light. It reminded me of a scene in a video game where I might be able to rest and recuperate before the boss battle, but there was still a long way to go before that could happen. A gentle breeze wound through the thick trunks to rustle my hair, and I took a deep breath of the fresh air, looked around at my friends, and then grinned at Sarya.
“I don’t think there’s any shortcuts on this map, so we’ll have to walk fast,” I said and I picked up my pace.
“I might be able to help,” Mike said with a glance around us. “But I don’t want any comments about ents from any of you.”
“Not a word,” I promised and put a hand over my heart. “Are you going to make the trees move?”
“No,” my roommate said with a roll of his eyes. “I’m going to ask them for a shortcut. Some trees are more likely to help us than others. These don’t seem too bad, and they’re friendly enough.”
“They won’t try to mislead us?” Atlesia asked and stared up at a tall pine. “I’ve heard trees sometimes make nymphs get lost just for fun.”
“Nymphs, yes,” the tall man laughed. “Tree-people? Not so much. They like us better.”
“Because you’re cut from the same cloth,” Sarya said.
“That’s dangerously close to calling me an ent,” Mike grumbled. “But you’re not wrong. Give me a second, and I’ll find out if there’s a shortcut.”
We stood off to the side as Mike walked over to a large pine, put his hand on it, and closed his eyes like it would help him hear better. The trunk of the tree shook a little as if it had been woken up from a nap, and a few pine needles drifted down. I pulled one out of Sarya’s ponytail and showed it to her so that she wouldn’t think that I’d just touched her without permission.
The seconds ticked by, and I watched for any signs that the tree had answered my roommate. Some part of me expected a face to form on the surface like Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas, but after the initial shake the pine didn’t move at all. Mike nodded his head along like he’d agreed with something, glanced back at us, and then gave us a thumbs-up.
“Looks like there’s a shortcut,” the tree-man said. “He and the other pines will lead us. It’ll cut our trip in half, but we need to be out of the area by nightfall. He said that this forest connects to the area we’re headed for, and that there are dangerous creatures that wouldn’t mind eating soft bodies like you guys.”
“Soft bodies?” I asked and stared at the pine tree like it had said the words itself.
“Yeah,” Mike laughed and pointed in the direction we should go. “Almost every tree-person has bark-like skin like me. It makes us tougher and closer to the actual trees. You guys have delicate skin that’s easy to puncture, and lots of internal organs for hungry carnivores to eat.”
“I have so many questions,” I said with a shake of my head.
“That’s all you’re getting from me,” my roommate said. “If you want to know more about my people, then I can offer you some lovely reference books.”
“Fair enough,” I said.
