Summoner 15, p.22
Summoner 15, page 22
Before I could move to attack, however, my monsters swiveled toward the front corridor with alert expressions. Then they all rushed toward the entrance of the library, and I sensed enemies pouring in past the iron doors through our bonds.
We were running out of time.
My mind was racing through possible attacks strong enough to damage the giant octopus as well as the incoming monsters. My hand leapt instinctively to a pouch of my bandolier, and in my next breath, I held the essence crystal for my sprucebore in my hand.
I chucked the stone to the floor, and a spark of electricity accompanied the plume of essence as my monster burst forth from its vessel. My beetle-like monster had a red body and what looked like a metal tree growing from its back. The electrical summons could harness power from the environment around it, then channel the blast at its enemies.
This was just the attack I needed, but I wanted to be able to supply my sprucebore with all the power it could absorb, so I retrieved the crystal for one of my electric imps from my hip pouch.
As I tossed the stone to the floor, I pictured Nia’s face when she saw me using lightning in addition to fire attacks. The multi-elementalist prided herself on being one of the only mages to ever master multiple elements, and I foresaw a lot of competitive sparring matches in our future as my control over my abilities grew stronger.
My imp bobbed out of the plume of essence emitted by the shattered crystal, and as soon as I spotted its stubby, leathery wings, I transferred its elemental attacks to myself with a wave of my will.
Once I could harness the electrical power of my imp, I extended both of my hands in the direction of the ceiling, and bolts of lightning shot out from my palms. The zaps spun around the circular room, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up as the static increased, but a couple of the blasts landed on the giant octopus’ underside and left large burn marks on the soft pink nodes.
I continued to pour electricity toward the monstrous beast for another couple of moments, and then I gave my sprucebore the command to absorb.
My beetle-like monster started to absorb the static electricity in the air, and as it harnessed more power, it began to glow so bright, its yellow blood was illuminated from the inside.
I paused, and I listened to the sounds of conflict in the corridor where my other summons had headed. I heard my vingehund yelp as she received a sharp bite from a persistent monster, and I sensed my monster’s pain through our bond, so I directed them to retreat into the annex.
Once my summons were within sight, with the enemy monsters snarling as they followed, I commanded my sprucebore to release its captured electricity into both the octopus and the oncoming string of beasts pouring into the annex.
The force of the blast created a sonic boom, and the building shook from the explosion of power. The electricity arched from monster to monster, and a bright strand of raw power shot into the soft underbelly of the giant octopus.
White light flashed across my vision, and I blinked rapidly to return my sight, but floating trailers remained as I scanned the circular room. Charred bodies and chunks of tentacles still sizzled from the heat of the lightning blast, and the entire annex was littered with viscera.
The corridor was cleared of monsters, though, so I commanded my summons to guard the entrance again.
Meanwhile, the building sized squid made a squealing noise, and as air jets shot down from the ceiling, several tentacles stretched down into the domed roof to slither like snakes toward my Archons.
The four goddesses shouted out a fierce, surprisingly unified battle cry, and then they leapt toward the octopus-like beast once more with each Archon attacking two appendages at a time. Every time they severed a limb, a new one grew in its place, which made it hard to tell if any real damage was being done, but the giant squid-like creature was fully occupied by the immortal beings, so we could focus on getting the books out.
The walls shook as the Archons slammed tentacles against the interior of the building, and long cracks climbed down the stone barriers with a loud grinding noise.
I scanned the structure with an observant eye, and I cursed under my breath as I surveyed the damage. The building wouldn’t remain standing for much longer, but we needed to keep the octopus at bay until all the books were in the human realm.
Every second brought us closer to the structure’s collapse, and with my friends so far away from me, there was a chance we would be separated by piles of rubble. Worry for the Mistral mages and my shapeshifting wife gnawed at my gut, and I waited with bated breath while I watched the battle above me.
A moment later, my team returned to the annex, and everyone dragged a heavy bag of books behind them as they walked toward me. My friends dodged below the swinging tentacles as the goddesses battled with the giant octopus’ limbs in the air above us, and I released a relieved sigh while they added their loads to the stack made by Sera and my arachness.
“There’s only two bags left,” Arwyn informed me with labored breaths.
“I can grab them,” Braden offered as he tossed his package onto the pile. The big summoner handled the heavy bag of books like it was a pillow, so he would be the best choice for the final trip down the hallway.
“I’ll go with you,” Cyra suggested. “Kalon can carry more than both of us, after all.”
The little silver dragon on the dark-skinned summoner’s shoulder barked her disapproval of the plan, but Cyra merely chuckled and bopped her familiar on the nose.
“Awesome,” Braden replied with a grin. “Thanks.”
“The building won’t last much longer,” I warned my roommate. “Go as fast as you can, we need to get out of here.”
“Just keep that octopus thing back,” the ox-like summoner countered.
“Hurry!” Arwyn commanded, and her amber eyes flicked between the Archon’s battle and the pile of books near the fountain.
The two summoners nodded curtly, and then they turned and sprinted back down the hall. The rest of us huddled at the edge of the corridor as far from the building sized monster as possible, and we were safe from the chunks of severed flesh flung our way.
“So, we just wait here until the Archons kill that thing?” Mati asked as she eyed the octopus.
“You can go help, if you want,” Varleth suggested with a smirk.
“No, thanks,” the female banisher replied as her eyes widened.
“Maybe I should capture it,” I mused as I kept my eyes on the giant squid-like monster above us.
“Gryff,” Arwyn said in a careful tone, “you nearly died trying to capture the ochremaun.”
“Didn’t you just get a new summons outside?” Nia asked, and her blue eyes were full of curiosity.
“Utuni said the octopus is one of Veopa’s personal monsters,” I explained. “The ochremaun was one of hers, too. Can you imagine having two of her summons on our side when we finally face her?”
“Once you’ve conquered Veopa, you can use all of her summons anyway,” Arwyn pointed out. “Why spend any energy on tackling the giant beasts when you can go straight to the source?”
“I don’t know what else she has to throw at us,” I said, and I furrowed my eyebrows as I thought about the strength the shapeshifting goddess had already shown. “It seems like she has endless resources already, and I don’t think she’s even manifested into her physical form yet.”
“Why not?” Nia interjected. “Everything pointed to her being awake. The rift activity, the ochremaun, and that thing in Skara… ”
“Exactly, she’s been very aggressive already.” I shrugged. “It seems like if she was able to come face us herself, then she would. Veopa is so protective of her territory that she sent her personal summons after us before we even reached the mainland. Yet there are no signs of her once we are here, in the Shadowscape.”
“She would be strongest here,” Arwyn agreed with a thoughtful voice, but then she lifted her amber eyes to mine and gave me an apologetic smile. “Maybe awakening is not the only step, she could be gathering her strength before she can manifest. Still, I do not think it would be wise to spend any more time battling this monster. Our priority is to return the books safely to the airship.”
“Please?” I asked, and I gave my teacher a pleading look.
Arwyn opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, a shout echoed down the corridor from behind us.
We all swiveled to stare down the hallway. Kalon trotted toward us at a fast pace, and the silver dragon carried the last two bags of books on her back, nestled carefully between her bright pink wings.
Behind the reptilian monster, Braden and Cyra waved their hands over their heads and shouted at us. “Monsters! Behind us!”
I cursed under my breath and turned back to the annex. The pile of books was unharmed next to the fountain, but tentacles swung wildly about the chamber as the Archons battled against the giant octopus.
How powerful was that thing?
“Alright, keep your head down,” I called out as I waved my team onward. “I’ll hold the portal open for as long as I can.”
Then we all dashed between the dangling limbs and ran toward the fountain with Cyra and Braden behind us.
I slid across the slick stones covered in inky, purple blood, but a moment later, I was next to the pile of web sacs. I inhaled deeply, then pulled on my bond with Sera to open a portal.
The hole in the universe started as a tiny marble shape hovering in the sky, then it stretched slowly wider until it was several feet wide and tall enough for me to walk through.
I grunted with the effort it took to establish the spell, and sweat dripped down my forehead into my eyes, but I ignored everything around me as I concentrated on the portal.
My friends crossed the annex to the fountain a moment after the opening to the human realm began to grow, and they immediately started to heave the loaded bags through the portal.
Two web sacs, then five disappeared through the gap, and as Arwyn pulled a bag across the threshold into the human realm, Kalon reached the fountain with the final two. Everyone grabbed a bag and rushed through the portal, and a moment later, I was alone in the annex.
I sent out a call to my summons and pulled on my bond with the Archons, and then I directed everyone into the portal with a wave of my will. I held my breath as my roosa, my vingehund, and my kalgori crossed the threshold, and I worked the muscle in my jaw as I waited for the goddesses. My imps and my sprucebore rushed through the opening in the next breath, and my eyes darted around the room as I called to the goddesses again.
The four Archons released their targeted tentacles and launched themselves across the annex toward the portal. I saw them all snapping their fingers rapidly, and I realized they were recalling their personal summons before they departed from the Shadowscape.
Then the goddesses passed through the portal, and I sighed as I finally stepped through and snapped off the magic fueling the spell.
I turned to my friends as I blinked around in the dim interior of the demolished library on the human side of the universe, but everyone stood frozen in their tracks in front of me.
I pushed through their shoulders to see what was wrong.
“She said she wanted to talk to you,” Arwyn murmured in an anxious tone.
“Who?” I asked, but then I stepped in front of the red-haired professor, and my stomach lurched as I saw who she referenced.
I didn’t need an answer to my question anymore. I’d recognize the black outfit and dark hood anywhere, and I furrowed my eyebrows as I stared at the shadowed, masked face.
My heartbeat thudded in my ears, and I swallowed hard.
It was Jace.
Chapter Twelve
The woman wore all black from her boots to the large hood covering her face, which was the same outfit she’d worn during all of our previous encounters.
The mysterious woman had a habit of popping up out of nowhere when I was least expecting it, and our interactions always left me with more questions than answers.
Like why had she saved me from the ocean without saying a word?
“You made it out,” Jace observed in a casual tone.
“Does that surprise you?” I arched an eyebrow and crossed my arms.
“Of course not.” The hooded woman waved a hand dismissively. “But I knew Veopa would do everything in her power to keep you inside the Shadow--”
“While I’d love to sit around sharing small talk all day,” I interrupted, “we need to get out of the city.”
“Fine, we can skip the pleasantries,” Jace replied in an unreadable tone. Then the hooded head of the mysterious woman swept from side to side as she eyed my team, minions, and the Archons huddled behind me. “Give me the books, and you can go wherever you wish.”
I inhaled sharply at her words.
She wanted the books? Why?
“That’s not going to happen,” I said in a firm tone. “We found them, and we intend to keep them.”
“You stole them, you mean,” the mysterious woman countered.
“From an abandoned library in the Shadowscape?” I shook my head. “No, the books are mine. Go get your own.”
“You opened the doors, Gryff.” Jace’s voice rose angrily. “You unlocked the library for anyone else to ravage. You’re doing exactly what they want you to do!”
“Want me to kill her, Gryff?” my dark-winged Archon asked from behind me with a murderous gleam in her yellow eyes.
“Silence, Archon.” Jace’s voice was sharp as she turned toward the angel-like goddess.
The sound of Sera’s derisive laughter sliced through the air. “You do not command me.”
“Stand down, Sera,” I directed the Archon quietly. “I’ve got this.”
“She’s using you, Gryff,” Jace said in a soft tone as she shook her head. “Why can’t you see that?”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” My eyes were cold as I held the hooded woman locked in my gaze. “I am the one in control. I call the shots.”
For a long moment, the mysterious figure didn’t speak, but then she shrugged. “You’re not leaving here with the books, I can’t allow the knowledge to fall into the hands of the Archons.”
“If you want to keep the books away from the Archons, then we are on the same side of this war,” I pointed out. “We want the same things.”
“I am not the one with four summoned Archons,” Jace countered. “You have allied yourself with my enemies. We are not on the same team.”
“You mean the Archons no longer waging war on humanity? The ones I defeated and imprisoned?” I smirked. “The ones helping humanity end the war for good?”
“They’re dangerous, Gryff,” Jace said in an ominous tone. “They can’t be trusted, and you might not be trustworthy, either.”
All of my friends immediately started yelling at the woman as their hands moved to their weapons.
But the mysterious woman didn’t even seem phased by their signs of aggression. She was either a complete badass, or she had a trick up her sleeve.
“What about you?” I shot back as I waved for my friends to calm down. “Are you trustworthy?”
“One could argue that I’m the only person this world can trust,” the mysterious hooded woman replied in a vague tone.
“I don’t know anything about you,” I pointed out, and I worked the muscle in my jaw. My patience was wearing thin. “You show up randomly, then disappear. How do I know your name is actually Jace? Everything you say could be a lie.”
“I am sorry I cannot tell you more,” Jace said as she shuffled anxiously on her feet. “You just have to trust me, Gryff. Give me the books so that I can protect the world from the Archons.”
“Like I said, we want the same things.” I shrugged. “You are going to have to trust me.”
“Oh, I have been,” Jace replied with a sigh. “I really hoped you would make the right choice so that it wouldn’t come to this.”
I frowned at her reaction. I knew she’d been keeping track of me since I’d seen her during our voyage to the mainland, but the familiarity in her voice was unsettling. I had a weird feeling like I was forgetting something.
Friend or foe? I still had no idea.
“Should we run for it?” Cyra whispered behind me.
“She hasn’t pulled a weapon,” Braden pointed out in a soft voice.
“Mages don’t need weapons,” Varleth added dryly.
Arwyn made a gesture to silence my friends, and then the red-haired squad leader stepped forward to stand by my side. “Hello, my name is Arw--”
“I know who you are, Professor Hamner,” Jace interrupted my teacher in a hard voice. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“Well, I’m afraid I can’t say the same.” Arwyn arched an eyebrow, and she folded her hands together with a diplomatic air. “Your name is Jace?”
The woman nodded her black hooded head, but didn’t reply. Then the mysterious woman turned back to me and ignored my teacher. “Time is running out, Gryff. Give me the books.”
“What a bitch,” Mati scoffed. “It’s like we’re not even here.”
“She’s always insisted on talking to Gryff alone before,” Nia reminded my team. “This is the most I’ve ever heard her talk at all.”
Memories flashed through my mind as I recalled my previous encounters with Jace. The first time I’d seen her was in Mistral on the side of an erupting volcano, but I hadn’t learned her name until she’d shown up in Ortych Sands after Phi tried to open a permanent rift.
Jace had told me she investigated disturbances between the monster and human realms, but I’d only seen one other being with the ability to open portals, and that was Sera.
Meanwhile, my friends bickering grew louder, and my Archons were all sending pleas for violence through our bonds with so much intensity I couldn’t think straight.
“Guys, stop,” I murmured, and my friends fell silent. I also shot a pointed look to my Archons to get my message across. We needed to stay focused in order to protect the books.
I noticed Phi’s white wings bristled as she glared at Jace, Utuni had a disturbingly psychotic smile on her face as she locked her snake-like eyes on the woman, and Miralea crouched with a twitching tail like she was ready to attack any second. Sera stood in front of the other Archons with curled lips that revealed her fangs, and her yellow eyes were full of rage.
