Summoner school, p.5
Summoner School, page 5
There was a map of the school included in the packet with my dorm room circled. Someone had even drawn a line that led from the courtyard through the campus, and I followed after it like a treasure map. It wasn’t at all like the ordinary colleges I’d visited, where I’d been handed a sheet of paper and told to walk around the campus on my own with no guidance whatsoever.
There was another portcullis that separated the school from the town and the tables that the teachers had set up to check us all in. The tall iron gate was lifted, and the stone archway towered over my head as I passed under it. Worn runes were etched into the thick entryway and spread out over the wall on the other side like protective vines.
The three towers that I’d seen from the field loomed over the entire campus like guardians from the other side of a massive quad. Arched windows that were big enough to be doors circled each level of the tall sentinels, and each one had more of the runes carved around their bases. I had to crane my neck to see their tops, even from across the campus, and low-hanging clouds surrounded the one in the middle.
I glanced at the map and then looked back around as I tried to find the dormitory with my room. There were three different buildings that held the tiny apartments. One was marked for the teachers, so that left the other two for students. The little red line someone had drawn took me to the one on the right, and I passed by the administration building on my way.
Most of the colleges that I’d been to were centralized like this one with all the buildings around a quad, but none of them had an arboretum and a greenhouse. The arboretum was closer to my dormitory and stood at least two stories high with walls that looked like they’d been created from one giant piece of glass and molded into a square. The greenhouse was an exact mirror of the arboretum, though it was on the other side of the quad, and it had a second floor and stairs instead of just an open space.
“This place is huge,” I whispered to myself and looked back down at the map.
There was supposed to be a stadium tucked into the back-left corner near the north wall, and a library in the right corner. Both were big enough that I could catch glimpses of them around the towers, but I’d have to check them out later. If they were anything like the rest of the campus, then I’d want to take my time to look at the architecture.
Even the cafeteria had elegant columns and outdoor seating. It reminded me of the pictures of Morocco that I’d seen in a textbook with bright mosaics and sweeping archways. I took a step toward it when a breeze brought the smell of freshly baked bread, but it was on the same side of the quad as my dorm, so I could check it out later. My first priority needed to be my dorm room and potentially a roommate that could explain how my amulet worked.
It turned out my dorm room was on the bottom floor of the dormitory. It had the same arched doors as the rest of the campus, and the windows on the upper levels looked big enough that someone could easily sneak in and out through them. I grinned and wondered if my room would have one, knocked on the door, and then pushed it open to find a tree with eyes and a bowl of dirt in its hands.
“You must be my roommate,” the talking tree said with a smile.
His skin was a dark brown like tree bark and creaked when he moved. He had pure-black eyes, and leaves poked out of the top of his head as if it was hair. It was like my roommate was an ent, though I’d expected them to be too tall for a normal room.
“I guess so,” I said and waved. “My name is Andrew Hall. Apparently, I’m a summoner.”
“Micis, but you can call me Mike,” the tree said and set the dirt down. “I hope you don’t mind plants.”
The entire left side of the room was covered with ferns and hanging plants, mushrooms, and pots of rich black soil. The right side of the space only had a bed and a small bedside table. It was like half of the dorm was straight out of a forest and the other was still a blank canvas.
It was really cool, and I loved it.
“Nice to meet you, Mike,” I said and shut the door. “The room looks awesome, but I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. I think they may have made a mistake.”
“Imposter syndrome,” Mike said with a nod. “I have to admit that I feel the same way. There aren’t a lot of my kind that get an invitation to Magia Schola. But if we’re here, then we’re supposed to be here.”
“I guess,” I said. “I’ve never met an Ent.”
“Not an ent,” the tree-man said in a tight tone. “Those creatures’ are slow and indecisive. My people are nothing like that.”
“Sorry,” I said and held up my hands. “I had no idea that there was a difference.”
“It’s fine,” Mike said with a shrug. “You’re only human. I’m sure that there’s a lot that you wouldn’t know. How did you even come here?”
“An amulet,” I said and pulled the moonstone out.
The door was closed so that no one would be able to overhear our conversation, and my new roommate seemed trustworthy enough. Besides, I needed to find out how to get back home so that my grandma could answer a lot of questions, and my roommate seemed to have a better grasp of the situation than I did.
“That’s a really nice one,” my roommate said and bent over to study the pendant. “It’s old. Your family must have magic from way back.”
“Do you know how to work it?” I asked.
“You don’t?” the tree-man chuckled and shook his head. “Of course not. You humans really don’t know anything about your own magic. I’m surprised that whoever gave that to you didn’t explain it. Here. You just hold it like this and think of where you want to go.”
“Okay,” I said and moved the amulet in my hand. “But I didn’t ask to come here.”
“Bah,” Mike said and waved a long arm. “Magia Schola has a way of bringing you, whether you want to come or not.”
“Right,” I said with a frown. “Well, I think I need to go home and get some things. I may not be back.”
“You’ll be back,” the tall man said with a knowing nod. “Humans are too curious. You’ll want answers.”
I nodded my head and then started to think of the nursing home. The moonstone grew warm in my hand, and the blue swirl began to move like they had before. I watched as Mike lifted his hand to wave goodbye, and then the amulet pulled me backwards like it had from my grandparents’ attic.
My grandmother’s small room in Cozy Acres formed around me, and I was able to stay upright instead of landing on my butt again. I was grateful that grandma didn’t have a roommate, and thankfully, none of the nurses saw my unexpected arrival. The light from the amulet faded, and the frustrating old woman closed a book and looked at me with a smile.
“Andrew,” she said. “I see that you found the amulet. And not a moment too soon.”
“Uh-huh,” I said with a frown. “I think that you have some explaining to do.”
“But first,” grandma said and set her book aside. “What’s your affinity?”
“I’m a summoner,” I said and plopped down on the bed. “You could’ve warned me. I was really starting to believe the nurses were right and you were going crazy. Also, I thought that you wanted me to get the amulet for you. Why did it bring me to the school?”
“Excuse that display,” the gray-haired woman said. “I needed you to get to the ceremony, and I knew that you’d never skip work. If I’d been paying more attention to the date, then you would’ve known a few days ago. But, time does seem to go faster around here. It’s all the activities between treatments.”
“Are you a witch?” I asked.
“Mage, dear,” grandma said with a roll of her hazel eyes. “I’m a mage. Or I was. But oh, that was so long ago. When I was still a young little thing. Before I met your grandfather.”
“And you didn’t think that you should tell me about it?” I asked and started to pace the room. “Was mom a mage? What else haven’t you told me? Are you doing spells when I’m not looking? What about all those puzzles that you had me solve. Those were spells, right?”
“So many questions,” she said and took a sip of water. “I’m just an old lady, Andrew. I can’t keep up with all of that.”
“Bullshit,” I said and pinned her with a glare.
“Language, young man,” she warned. “Your mother didn’t want anything to do with magic, and the school never called her. It skips a generation sometimes. You should’ve seen me in my day. I was quite the mage. Of course, I haven’t done magic since your mother was young. All my spell components are probably out of date by now. But the equipment should be the same, and some of my books may prove useful. That’ll all be up in the attic.”
“You want me to go back?” I ran a hand through my hair.
“Well, of course, I do,” grandma said with a wave of her hand. “Your magic has already been awakened. If you don’t go back now and learn how to control it, then you’ll be a walking target. Besides, you’ve always been so good at the puzzles that I gave you. I can’t wait to see how far you go.”
“It is pretty cool,” I said and sat back down. “But there aren’t a lot of humans. And how am I supposed to afford this place? I doubt that they have scholarships.”
“Bah,” the old woman laughed. “The school won’t charge you anything. You just need to buy supplies. You can use my old gear to begin with. And you’re an old miser with plenty of savings.”
“Right,” I said as my foot started to tap. “Okay. I’m not gonna lie, this is pretty fantastic.”
“That’s what I thought,” grandma said and reached over to pat my leg. “Now, go home and pack your things. Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be just fine. A summoner. Fantastic. I’m so proud of you.”
She shook her head, opened her book, and then started to read again. It was clear that I had been dismissed, and there was plenty to do. My life had just taken a very weird turn, but my anxiety was overwhelmed with excitement. I was about to go to a real-life magic school, and apparently my grandmother had been preparing me since I was in elementary school.
All I had to do was pack.
And quit my job.
And blend in with minotaurs, elves, and pixies that didn’t seem to like humans at all.
Chapter 4
“I can always come back,” I told myself.
I’d given my notice to my boss, but there were still two months on my lease, and that meant that if school didn’t work, then I could return to my normal life. My overnight bag and gym duffle were stuffed full of clothes, toiletries, and anything else that I might need in the dorm, which didn’t leave much in my sparsely furnished apartment. I grabbed my favorite coffee mug and then pulled out the amulet.
The tiny studio apartment was cheap enough that I could afford it and grandma’s care, and even the exposed brick and peeling plaster had grown on me. My heart raced with nerves and excitement as I looked around to make sure that I hadn’t forgotten anything, took a deep breath, and then pictured my new dorm room. The small apartment faded away to become just a spot at the end of a long tunnel of light, and then I stood in the middle of what looked like a jungle.
“Welcome back,” Mike said with a grin. “I thought you said that you weren’t returning.”
“Guess things changed,” I said with a shrug.
I dumped my bags on the twin-sized bed and looked around. There were long lines of planters on the wall with varying types of mushrooms, and Micis had hung purple crystals from the ceiling. I could barely see my roommate’s bed through the ferns and potted plants, and his desk was completely hidden.
“Glad they did,” the tall tree-man said and offered a hand. “You seem pretty cool. And I have to admit that I want to see what a human summoner can actually do. The rumor around the campus is that you were able to finish a ton of the puzzles and that Ms. Lovelace had to stop you before you tried to summon a full-fledged fire elephazant. Not that you could without the right ingredients, but it might still make a mess.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said and ran a hand over the back of my neck. “My grandma used to have me solve those puzzles all the time. I have no idea how a scribble on a piece of paper can summon an animal in the first place.”
“I think I have a book about that somewhere,” Mike said.
The tall tree-man scratched at the leaves on his head as he turned toward where his desk should be. His pure-black eyes swept back and forth through the foliage like he could see right through it. He made a little victory noise, reached through a tall fern, and retrieved a small blue leather-bound book.
“How did these grow so fast?” I took the offered gift and looked around. “It looks like they’ve been growing for years, but there was nothing but soil yesterday afternoon.”
“It’s a gift,” he said with a nonchalant shrug.
His skin looked more like tree bark than a human’s, but the area around his cheeks did seem to darken at the compliment, and I wondered if that was a blush. The small leaves around his forehead curled a little tighter, but he quickly smoothed them out and then cleared his throat. His reactions seemed human enough that I could anticipate his emotions, and that would be helpful if we were going to be roomies.
“As long as I don’t wake up with a mushroom growing out of the middle of my forehead,” I laughed and turned back to my bed.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Mike said. “I learned how to control growth when I was still a little sprout.”
“I’m guessing your major has something to do with botany?” I asked and pulled out my sheets.
The bed in my apartment had been a full size instead of a twin, but luckily, grandma had kept everything from my childhood, so I’d found some of my old sheets from my bunk bed days at her house. The top bunk had always been my favorite, but I switched it up sometimes, and every now and then a friend would stay the night. Like most kids, that phase hadn’t lasted long once I’d added a few inches, but the dinosaur sheets were still in a dust-covered box in the attic. I made a mental note to buy some more adult bedding later, but for the moment it was a nice piece of home, and I ran my hand over it before unfolding it.
“Are those dragons?” my roommate asked.
“Dinosaurs,” I said. “But there’s some debate about whether they were actually dinosaurs. Of course, no one has ever found any signs that they could breathe fire.”
“Not all of them do,” the tree-man said and tugged out another book. “I’ve never seen one myself, but there are rumors that they can do everything from summon lightning to drip acid from their gaping maws. They don’t live in my world. Or if they do, then they blend in too well. Professor Lovelace might know more. She is a half-breed.”
“Is that why she has those scales on her cheeks?” I asked with a glance over my shoulder. “They’re kind of sexy. But I thought that hybrids would have wings. I looked pretty hard, but I didn’t see any signs of them.”
“I wouldn’t point that out,” Mike said. “I haven’t met many hybrids, but my father always says it’s best not to point out someone’s deficiencies.”
“Valid point,” I said.
“I also wouldn’t suggest hitting on any of the professors,” the tall man said as he sat on his bed. “Especially not Lovelace. I’ve heard she’s a real hard-ass. She might expel you just for trying it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I smirked. “You gotta admit that she’s gorgeous, though. Or do you go for the nymphs? I saw a really cute one. Maybe she has a friend. We could double-date.”
“I don’t know about dating,” Mike hedged. “We tend to only mate within our own species. Besides, I’m here to focus on my studies. But I wouldn’t mind talking to a flower nymph about their growing abilities. They’re powers are different from my own. I can grow fungus and trees, but they can grow more food and plants than my people can.”
“That would be pretty cool,” I said as I tucked the last corner under the mattress.
“Good morning, students,” the headmaster’s voice boomed from nowhere and everywhere at once. “Please come to the primary stadium for a special welcome. The seniors have prepared a demonstration of battle magic that should get the fires lit before your first classes of the semester.”
“Guess you’re done unpacking,” my roommate said with a pointed look at my zipped bags.
“At least I have my bed made,” I said as we headed to the door. “I still need to buy all the supplies for classes. My grandma had a bunch of books, but I’m not sure if those are still up to date. There were also lots of jars that weren’t labeled, so I don’t even know what types of supplies I need.”
“I wouldn’t use anything you’re not sure about,” Mike said. “I don’t know much about summoning, but I’m pretty sure that you have to have the right spell with the right component or you’ll get something that’s not quite right. Why don’t you just ask your grandma what they are?”
“She has a brain tumor,” I said. “It makes her exhausted a lot of the time. And the treatments don’t help. Besides, the stubborn old woman would probably just tell me that I’m smart enough to figure it out on my own. She loves a good puzzle.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he replied and put his branch-arm on my shoulder.
The crowd of students parted like the Red Sea in front of Mike like they thought the tree-man would sweep them out of the way with his long arms. It made our trip across campus faster than I’d expected, and soon a giant white stone stadium loomed over us. There were arched gateways for us to go through, and seating reached up into the clear blue sky.
The grass area itself was longer than two football fields, and about thirty students stood around in varying colored robes. I spotted the headmaster on a platform with seats for the other teachers, and Professor Lovelace chatted with someone with deep purple hair and pointed ears. There were a few stone blocks around the grass with circles painted around them, and one of the students hopped up onto one and let out a mighty roar before his friends started to laugh.
