Summoner school 5 a reve.., p.6
Summoner School 5: A Reverse Portal Fantasy, page 6
“It’s well hidden, right?” I asked and then took another sip of the mushroom coffee.
It wasn’t as bad as some of the other mushroom brews that Mike had made, and there was a little extra kick like the mana restoration tea that he made. I was sure that the vanilla was what saved it from tasting like liquidized dirt, but there was no reason to complain as long as it worked. The best part was that the tree-man could grow it in the dead of winter, and that would help us on the hunts that involved mountain creatures like the will-o’-wisp we’d captured.
“Of course,” Stacy scoffed and flipped her towel-covered hair like she was offended. “But it’s only a matter of time before they find it. I hid or destroyed everything that I found about the amulets, but the other scientists will break my codes eventually, and I don’t want Joe or Charles to have access to the nine realms. It would be a massacre, and with that cult on the loose with those monsters it’s the last thing that the nine realms need.”
“You seem to have come a long way in a short time,” Sarya said and lifted an eyebrow.
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks,” the blonde admitted. “And I’m still not sure that I like the idea of a bunch of supernatural beings in the human realm, especially with this war that you have going on, but I have to admit that the technomages aren’t that different from you.”
“But you have figured out how to marry technology and magic,” I pointed out. “Which is something that I think could be really helpful. Maybe once this is all over you could get a position working for the magical council.”
“My father would be a hard sell,” my mate said and flipped her long ponytail. “But if she helps us to bring down the shadow creatures, then he might be willing to believe that she’s left the technomage ways behind her.”
“I’ll have to think about it,” Stacy said. “I still want to help the others. I know that Charles and Joe would be against it, but maybe some of the people that I grew up with would be willing to change their way of thinking. Especially if I can show that you guys are fighting to save humans, too. It’ll be a long hard road, but peace might actually be an option.”
“That would be really nice,” I said and then stood. “Bubba said that you’re welcome to stay here while you’re trying to figure out what the technomages are up to. I’m going to go shower and get ready for the memorial.”
“There’s plenty o’ hot water,” Bubba said and stood. “I think I’ll go back down to the temple and make copies o’ those spells fer ya. Ain’t no use wastin’ your time. An’ you might be pulled in another direction after that memorial. No tellin’ which one of the council members is the traitor, an’ if they’re workin’ for Kruwyn’s people, then I’m bettin’ that they’re gonna be high rankin’ and a real problem.”
“And we have to figure out which teachers,” I agreed. “I appreciate your help. I’ll be back in a few days.”
“We all will,” Atlesia said with a bright smile.
I looked around the large circular table and wondered at what my life had become in just a few short months. It wasn’t just the magic or the intrigue that made every day exciting, it was the people that filled my days, and the magical creatures that I’d managed to capture and tame. I’d do anything to protect them from whatever Kruwyn’s followers had planned, and that included going against some of the most powerful mages in the nine realms.
“We will,” I nodded and then headed to the bathroom while everyone else started to rush around and get ready. The memorial would start soon, and we all needed to be in place when it did so that we could keep an eye on the faculty, staff, and the council. In just a few hours we’d have a better idea of just how many enemies there were at Magia Schola.
My mind raced with all of the teachers that I’d met since entering the magical college, but most of them didn’t seem like they were the type to betray the nine realms. Of course, Alec Enzaron had flown under the radar for years before we’d stumbled onto him in the underground arena with the mysterious mage in charge of everything.
I hopped into the shower and started to get ready as I went over every interaction that I’d seen with the old headmaster, and a few faces stuck out to me as potential traitors.
All we had to do was watch them during the memorial and see if they were nervous.
I just hoped that they didn’t do anything reckless.
Like attacking a stadium full of mages with shadow creatures.
Chapter 4
“Here’s the copy o’ them spells for ya,” Bubba said as I walked back into the kitchen.
My shower had taken longer than usual as I ran through every possible scenario for the memorial. Ira would have everything locked down, and Sarya’s father would be ready with his own soldiers, so I doubted that they’d actually try anything as idiotic as attacking with the shadow creatures. Everyone would probably just pile onto the stone stadium seats, cry as the service started, and then cheer after every story that was told about the crazy old mage.
Alec Enzaron had played his part well for so long that almost everyone revered him as the best mage of our generation. Of course, not many people knew about the shadow creatures or how the headmaster had been a part of the people that were murdered for their mana throughout the nine realms. He’d go down in history as the pillar of excellence at Magia Schola, but it was a small price to pay if we could catch the cultists in action.
“Thanks,” I said and took the notebook, flipped through the pages, and noticed that there were more than I’d originally set aside. “Did you add some?”
“Course,” the mountain man said and stroked his long beard. “Some o’ those symbols looked awful familiar, so I added a couple of spells that granny told us were only in case of an emergency. Said that some of the ways to solve the puzzles could make the kind of spell that’d suck all the mana right outta yer body. I don’t know if that’s the kind o’ thing that yer lookin’ for, but I’d bet my pigs that you’ll find somethin’ in there.”
“I appreciate it,” I smiled and looked around at everyone else. “Are you guys ready?”
“We’ve been waiting on you,” Atlesia teased and winked at me. “I was just about to come in there and make sure that you didn’t fall asleep standing up.”
“Mike’s mushroom coffee worked better than that,” I chuckled and leaned down for a quick kiss. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
I pulled the transportation amulet out of my pocket and created a portal directly into my dorm room. Mike’s plants were still alive and well despite our absence over the last couple of days, but the mad scientist’s watering system was probably better than the school’s, so that wasn’t a surprise. I had to maneuver around to make sure that I didn’t trip on any of the roots, and the tree-man quickly pushed them back into their area so that the rest of us could stand.
“Sorry about that,” he said, and the leaves on the top of his head wiggled in embarrassment. “I guess they burst out of the containment areas.”
“As long as they aren’t pollinating on my bed it’s all good,” I laughed.
Someone knocked on the door right as Sarya walked through with Atlesia, and I reached in my pocket for the wasps’ quartz. They were the easiest to control in such tight quarters, and they wouldn’t destroy the room like my larger pets. The banging came again like the other person was impatient, so I strolled forward and put on a nonchalant smile like we’d been there all day.
I tugged open the door to see Jason standing there ready to knock again, but the fire mage’s hand fell at the sight of me. He’d put on a black three-piece suit that looked tailor made, complete with a black silk tie, and matching shoes that were shined so well that they reflected the morning light outside.
“Hey,” he said with the easygoing smile that he was well known for. “I’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty.”
A laugh burst out of me despite the paranoia that had washed over me at the sight of the mage right outside of my dorm. It was a stupid joke that had become popular online awhile ago, but the situation fit the ridiculous gag, and I shook my head and stepped outside.
“I don’t get it,” Atlesia said with a confused expression.
“It’s kind of hard to explain,” I shrugged and then nodded to Onet as she flitted by.
The pixie had donned a black dress that shimmered like starlight, though her feet were still just as bare as Atlesia’s. I’d learned pretty fast that the nymphs and the pixies didn’t like to have any shoes on unless it was absolutely necessary, and the fire mages that worked for the school had already burned away the snow and dried the ground, so it wasn’t like they really needed them.
“It must be a human thing,” Sarya said with a roll of her eyes.
“You two look absolutely gorgeous,” Onet said with a sly glance at Jason and me. “And you two look handsome. Wow. Mike, I’ve never actually seen the tree-people’s mourning clothes. They’re not black.”
“They’re brown,” the tree-man said as we all started toward the stadium. “It’s the color of the dirt that we all return to.”
“That makes sense,” the gossip queen said and then turned to me. “I like it. I see your mate has put you in elven mourning clothes.”
“Yep,” I said with a smile. “It’s actually a lot more comfortable than I expected.”
“At least one of us will be,” Jason sighed and tugged on his tie. “This monkey suit is annoying. It’s been tailored so much that I feel like I can’t breathe. But Professor Lovelace said that I needed to dress well for my speech.”
“This must be so hard for you,” Onet said with fake sympathy. “I know that you were so close to the headmaster. It’s truly terrible that he died in an accident like that. Ugh. Oh, my gosh. I need to go talk to some people. I look forward to hearing your speech.”
I watched the pixie flit away to a group of nymphs that had all donned the same flowing black skirt that Atlesia had on, though they didn’t fill it out nearly as well. I also noticed that they all had the same black rose tied in their hair, but when I turned to check Atlesia’s lavender locks, I noticed she wore a black dahlia instead.
“Why don’t you have the same flower?” I asked.
“Because the black rose shows mourning, and this bastard doesn’t deserve that,” she said and lifted her chin in the air. “The black dahlia represents betrayal.”
“Ah,” I said and nodded. “That makes more sense.”
“It’s a little on the nose,” Sarya said with a shake of her head. “It’s going to be obvious that you didn’t like him.”
“If anyone asks, then I’ll say that the headmaster betrayed us by leaving so early,” Atlesia said.
The grassy quad was filled with students and families that had all come to pay their respects to Alec Enzaron. There was hardly any free space to stand, and there were just as many people hovering around the gates to the stadium. The stone seats were going to be shoulder to shoulder, and it was going to be almost impossible to see any one person in the crowd, but it helped that the teachers and magical council would all be in the same area.
As I weaved through the crowd toward the archway, it felt like I was just on my way to the battlemagic field for another contest, though the equipment had all been put away in the locker room. But the entire place had been decked in black shrouds along the outside walls as if it was one of the game days, and the air was filled with the buzz of conversation.
When I studied the cloth more closely, though, I saw that the headmaster’s house crest was woven into the fabric. I had the sudden urge to snatch the fabric from the walls, but I took a deep breath and just strolled in as if nothing was wrong and we hadn’t been responsible for the mage’s death.
An earth mage had brought limestone out from underneath the grass to form a platform for the teachers to sit. Most of the faculty was already stationed behind the tables, but it was empty behind the podium as if everyone was waiting for Ira to walk across the stage and start the memorial. None of the professors looked too nervous, but I did notice that there were four distinct tables set out, one for each grade, and it took all of my self-control not to smile.
Ira had clearly thought ahead and organized everyone so it would be easier for us to keep an eye on the sophomore and junior teachers. The acting headmistress’ duties did include planning the entire memorial, and separating the professors by year wasn’t too out of the ordinary that it would spook the traitors. The dragon-woman was one of the most brilliant women that I’d ever met, and her mentorship was one of the main reasons that I’d made it as far as I had.
“My father is sitting over there with the other council members,” Sarya said and pointed to an area right in the middle of the stadium seats to the left. “My mother and brothers are right behind them. It looks like they’ve saved us seats.”
“I’m going to go sit with my family,” Atlesia said and reached over to squeeze my hand. “They’re right over there. It’s close enough to the ground that I can use my plants if anything happens.”
“My family is near the back,” Mike said and pointed to the group of tree-people. “I think mom and dad wanted to keep grandma as far away as possible. You know she wouldn’t be able to keep herself from making a comment about the traitor in our midst.”
“Oh, I know,” I laughed. “Everybody keep an eye out for any unusual activity, and then we’ll meet up after the memorial and talk about our findings.”
“I’ll be leaving right after to go to the north,” Jason said and messed with his tie again. “But I can send you a list of teachers that look like they’re up to no good.”
I looked at the blue-eyed fire mage and fought the urge to ask what the rush was. It wouldn’t take too long to chat after the memorial, and since we’d walked in together, no one would ask too many questions. I was almost positive that Jason was involved with the shadow creatures, but until we had proof, it was futile to accuse him.
“That’s fine,” I said and forced the smile to stay on my face. “You have that tracker that Rina made you, right?”
“In my dorm room,” he said and gave me a thumbs up. “It’s with all my other gear. I’ll head out as soon as possible so that I can make it to the north mountains before sunset so that I can make camp. There’s a lot of latent mana up there. The whole realm has it, which is why the school was built here, but that specific mountain range is supposed to be home to some of the largest concentrations. Of course, that means that there’s a lot of monsters. But I’m betting that’s where the cult is going to set up shop.”
“Sounds good,” I said and turned to the platform as Ira walked out.
The dragon-woman had on the same curve-hugging black dress that she always wore, though it was partially hidden by the midnight-black robes that the teachers wore. Her long ebony hair was pulled into a tight bun, and silver wire-rimmed glasses seemed to enhance her yellow-purple eyes. Ira’s sheer presence at the podium quieted everyone almost instantly, and we all hurried to our separate seats before the announcements could begin.
“Cutting it close,” Sarya’s mother whispered as we sat down.
“Spending too much time with humans will do that,” her brother sneered and then rolled his eyes at me.
Sarya’s mother and father may have approved of our relationship, but her brothers and sisters still hadn’t quite accepted that the baby of the family was mated to a human, even one as powerful as I was. My mate glared daggers at her annoying sibling, reached over, and grabbed my hand as if to make a point. Lady Kaylen lifted an eyebrow at the touch as if it was an inappropriate display of affection for a memorial but didn’t say anything, so I turned my attention to the field.
“Welcome everyone,” Ira said through a voice-enhancing spell that made it boom throughout the stadium. “I wish that we were gathered together for a more joyous occasion. However, instead of just mourning today, we will also tell stories of the wonderful Alec Enzaron. Alec would have been the first to insist that we laugh and be joyous despite the purpose of this gathering, and I think we should honor that.”
I marveled at the way Ira held herself despite the woman’s utter disgust for the headmaster. The professor had tried to get closer to Alec over the last few months to find out who worked for him, but he had just enough professors included in the random activities that he regularly foisted on the staff that it made it almost impossible to figure out who Enzaron was close to. I’d heard more than one rant from the dragon-woman about the ridiculous behavior of the old mage, and that was before we knew for sure that he was in league with the shadow creatures and their master.
Unfortunately, Professor Edinbock didn’t do as well at hiding his hatred for Alec, and the ghostly professor’s form wavered to show the torn Victorian suit that he’d died in. The history teacher had been killed by Kruwyn back in the day, so I could understand the rage, but it would be helpful if he could at least manage a sad face instead of the look of grim satisfaction he wore.
“He will never be a politician,” Sarya whispered in my ear and followed my gaze.
“I know,” I shook my head and tried to look morose. “But Ira is doing amazing.”
“I first met Alec Enzaron shortly after I was hired to work at Magia Schola,” Professor Lovelace continued. “He’d invited me to a dinner for the new professors. It was the first time that I’d met such a powerful mage, but our headmaster was never one to stand on ceremony. Instead, he wove illusions that could fool even my enhanced vision to create a carnival in the quad. There were games, mazes, and even a garden that took my breath away.”
I watched the sophomore and junior teachers’ tables as Ira spoke and noticed that one of the bird professors shifted nervously. Her bright blue and green feathers were ruffled enough that she had to reach up and smooth them back. I had no idea what the mage’s specialty was, but I’d bet that it had something to do with the maze that had led us to the headmaster’s underground lair, and Professor Lovelace’s speech had made her anxious enough to give away her involvement.
