Summoner school 6, p.23
Summoner School 6, page 23
“I’m sure,” the head of the guard said. “I’ve personally trained each of them, so their loyalty is to me and not Lord Merith.”
“I’ll call for a council meeting tomorrow morning,” Lord Kaylen said and clapped his hands together. “The remaining members have been more vigilant than ever since Lord Merith was revealed. I’m sure that at least one of them has to have heard rumors about his whereabouts.”
I nodded and pushed away from the table to stand. The plan sounded solid enough, but we wouldn’t know for sure until after it was all said and done. I leaned down to give Sarya a quick kiss on the cheek, bowed in respect to Lord and Lady Kaylen, and then turned to leave.
“Andrew, wait,” Sarya said and hurried after me. “You have a few hours before Katar is ready to leave. Why don’t we take a stroll through the maze?”
“That would be nice,” I grinned and laced my fingers through hers.
“I would not advise that,” Katar said with another deep frown. “My men are about to change shifts, so there won’t be as many guards in the garden.”
“Even better,” my mate smirked. “I never did like having bodyguards. And I’ll have the best protection in the nine realms with me.”
“It’s alright, Katar,” Lord Kaylen waved his hand at us. “Let the young couple have their time together. There might not be much of it in the coming days.”
Katar opened his mouth as if to protest again but then shut it with a heavy sigh.
“We’ll be okay,” I patted him on the shoulder as he pulled open the door for us. “Storm will have our back.”
The wind elemental drifted in at the sound of her name and ruffled the elven guard’s hair playfully. He huffed and smoothed the strands back down but didn’t argue, and we both knew that she was scarier than she looked. Storm would tear any threat to shreds within seconds, and then the intruder would have to deal with me.
“I’ll be ready within the hour,” he finally said. “Enjoy your walk.”
“We will,” Sarya said in a sing-song voice.
The redheaded elf tugged me along as we wove through the palace toward the gardens, and I smiled at the small skip in her step. Sarya’s life had been filled with small rebellions and too many rules before we’d met, but the gorgeous woman had started to loosen up a lot since we’d become friends, and even more now that we were mates. She’d even made friends with Atlesia, and I could see the influence each girl had on the other, especially as the willowy elf smiled at me over her shoulder like neither of us had a care in the world.
I let Sarya lead me through the doors and out into the garden while I watched the sway of her dress. It was made of such a light material that it hugged her thin curves, though the cut wasn’t nearly as tight as the one that Ira usually wore. The elven princess would never be able to get away with wearing something that sexy, but my mate had an ethereal glow that drew me to her every time I saw her.
“How far into the maze are we going?” I asked as we raced through the plant-made corridors.
“All the way to the center,” she said and slowed down. “There’s a fountain there with the most beautiful bench. It’s one of my favorite places to relax.”
“Sounds good,” I said and kissed her knuckles.
One of the guards stepped out of the darkened path and lifted a glowing hand up to see who we were. The light blocked my sight for a second, and I readied myself for a fight before the elf dropped his hand enough for me to see his face. It was the same young guard from earlier, though Dorian was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey!” he said with a bright smile. “What are you guys doing here? I thought that you were all up having dinner.”
“We’re just out for a stroll,” I shrugged and tried to relax my shoulders. “What are you doing all alone?”
“Dorian was called away,” he shrugged. “And no one had come to check the maze in a while, so I thought that I’d do it. There doesn’t seem to be anybody here. Of course, you guys would be able to take on anyone that tried to sneak in. You’re practically famous around here for all the creatures that you can summon. And how you survived that battle in the underground arena. I mean, you’re still a human, but I think that you could give any elf a run for their money.”
The young elven guard looked between us for a second, and every warning bell went off in the back of my mind. I’d met enough two-faced people in high school to be able to tell when someone wasn’t telling the whole truth, and he’d laced enough compliments into his ramblings that it felt like he was trying to lower my defenses.
“Thanks,” I said and silently ordered Storm to check the area. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think that I ever got your name.”
“Balian,” Sarya answered as the young guard gaped at her. “His name is Balian. I believe you grew up in the city, did you not?”
“I did,” Balian said and then flashed a sheepish grin like he was embarrassed to have frozen. “I can’t believe that you know who I am.”
“It is my duty to know everyone who lives in the palace,” Sarya said with a small disarming smile. “But it seems that our time to walk is over. I have other duties to attend to. Would you mind showing us the way back?”
“Oh, of course,” he said with a glance over his shoulder. “Right this way, Lady Sarya.”
I shared a look with Sarya as we walked back toward the palace. My mate seemed to have picked up on the same strange vibe that I had, and her silver eyes darted upwards like she wanted me to send Storm to check out the maze, and I nodded to confirm that the wind elemental was on her way.
The only thing that she found was a young elven woman hiding around the corner from us as if she and Balian had just had a rendezvous, and I shook my head at my own paranoia. The elven kid hadn’t done anything but try to get some during his shift, but with war looming around the corner it was better to be safe than sorry. Storm drifted further into the maze before she came back toward us, and a vision of the empty plant-formed corridors flitted through our bond.
The young woman had vanished.
Chapter 16
“What’s wrong?” Sarya asked as Balian went back to his station.
“He was there with a young woman, but she just vanished into thin air,” I said.
“That maze has a lot of places to hide,” my mate said with a reassuring squeeze of my hand. “She probably hid in one of them. Especially if she thought that she was about to get caught. Balian is a good kid. I don’t think that he’ll be another Lord Merith.”
“I know,” I grinned and then rolled my shoulders to relieve the tension. “And Katar vouched for him.”
“I did,” Katar strolled out onto the expansive patio with four soldiers behind him. “But he is young, so he’s never too far out of sight.”
“I watch him like a hawk,” Dorian said. “But he’ll be under someone else’s supervision tomorrow since I’m being pulled away to help a human.”
“A couple of humans, actually,” I said. “Speaking of which, we should get going.”
“Be safe,” Sarya said and then pulled me in for a kiss. “I will find the resurrection spell and make you pay if you die.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I laughed and then watched the beautiful elf stroll back inside.
“We are ready,” Katar said and motioned for me to lead the way.
I opened the doorway into the base, took a deep breath, and then walked into a flurry of activity. There were so many gnomes in the small clearing that there was barely any space for us, and each of the tinkerers had a modified weapon in their laps. I glanced around until I found Tanner, and the war general quickly crossed through the crowd to glare up at the elves.
“That’s all you managed to bring?” he huffed.
“That’s all we’ll need,” Katar lifted an eyebrow in defiance. “These are my best men.”
“Still elves,” Tanner huffed, and I fought the urge to laugh.
“We elves are better fighters than you gnomes,” Dorian countered.
“Alright, alright,” I said and lifted my hands in the air. “You guys can fight about who’s better later. For the moment, we have a war council to start.”
I reached into my pocket and summoned Bane so that the giant wolf could help Fluffy and Storm guard the area, and several of the gnomes let out frantic shrieks. The tinkerers usually stuck to their city, and all of their workspaces had avoided the smaller banehound, but my pet just headed over to his old packmate and plopped down. I watched the two sniff each other like they wanted to be sure that they hadn’t changed, and then both of them turned at the same time as my wind elemental floated down to join them.
“I heard back from my spies,” Tanner said and pulled me away from the cute scene. “They confirmed what Bubba said about the base in the city. It looks like they’ve got several throughout the world, and all of the bastards are now coming in from the more remote bases to these new locations. I’d bet money on them thinking that they can hide behind the non-magical humans like shields. And they say that we’re abominations.”
“Joe and Charles have definitely left behind what the technomages originally stood for,” Stacy said as she and Bubba walked through a portal. “Of course, it seems like our ancestors only broke away from the mages because of prejudices and not because they were particularly worried about the human race.”
“Hey,” I waved and grinned at the two newcomers. “Where’s Atlesia?”
“Setting up some night bloomin’ plants with Annie,” Bubba shrugged and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his overalls. “They get along like two peas in a pod. Annie’ll keep yer girl safe if there’s an attack or somethin’. Though I wouldn’t put it past that little flower nymph to have her plant babies eat everybody. Ain’t never seen nothin’ like ‘em. Even my pa couldn’t grow plants like that. O’course, I can do a pretty decent job, but I ain’t never had the urge to grow none o’ them people-eatin’ things. They’re terrifyin’. Annie’ll probably ask for a couple o’seeds when this is all said and done. She’s a water mage, but she can get by takin’ care of plants. Long as they don’t need too much tendin’.”
“What in the nine realms is he talking about?” Dorian asked, and the other guards looked at each other with confused expressions.
“I can’t say it any clearer, boy,” the gruff man huffed and ran a hand over his beard. “Can’t help it if y’all can’t keep up. You sure these guys’ll be able to help us?”
“Positive,” Katar said. “They’re very skilled warriors, even if they haven’t learned how to interact well with other species.”
The head of the elven guard glared at the other elves with a silent reprimand, and I bit back the smile that threatened to come out. It seemed pretty common for the pointy-eared mages to think that they were better than everyone else, but it was nice to see Katar stand up for us so that I didn’t have to waste my time with it. He waited until Dorian finally nodded in recognition and then turned to the others with a small bow of respect.
“So, how many plants did Atlesia bring?” I asked as the conversation died.
“Enough to reinforce the barrier that I made,” Stacy said as she braided her hair. “I was able to fuse the enhanced technomage shield with the ones that Rina has around this base. The new barriers are designed to break any shield that my former colleagues deploy, and to block any electrical signals that are sent out… just in case they figure out that it’s a trap.”
“Perfect,” I said and strolled toward the cabin with everyone right behind me. “Will the weapons be ready by morning?”
“Obviously,” Tanner said and gestured to the gnomes hard at work. “We’ll be done long before you wake up.”
“Good,” I said.
I looked around what used to be the living room and kitchen and wondered how everyone was going to fit for the night. The gnomes and Mike wouldn’t need to sleep much, but the elves and humans would, and every inch of the cabin had been turned into an assembly line for shotgun shells and sleep bombs. I managed to make my way to one of the seats and motioned for the others to join me.
“Hey!” Mike exclaimed as he looked up from the sleep bomb in his hand. “I’m so glad that you’re here. We’ve figured out how to make the sleep bombs extra potent, so whoever goes to the base just has to deploy it, and the spores will actually seek out anyone that’s still awake. You’ll have to wear masks, of course, but it’ll work well enough that there’s no chance of being caught once it’s deployed.”
“Good,” Stacy said and squatted down to look at it. “I don’t mind the soldiers being in the line of fire, but I’d rather not have to kill the scientists and random workers.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “I’d rather not kill anyone if we don’t have to. Do you think that you can get in and destroy everything without hurting anyone? Or the building?”
“Of course,” the blonde bombshell said. “I can just fry the machines and then destroy the amulets that are in stock. The soldiers that come to fight you guys will probably have most of them, so we’ll have to gather them once everything is all said and done.”
I nodded and started to tap my foot as the different possibilities played out in my head. Grandma and grandpa had played enough strategy games with me as a kid that it was practically second nature, and a few backup plans came together with only minimal casualties. I ran through the scenarios again while everyone else started to chat about the different weapons that we’d have, but they all turned back to me when I clapped my hands together.
“Here’s the plan,” I said and sat forward.
“Did you need to be so loud?” Dorian huffed as he and the other guards let go of their sword hilts.
“Yes,” I said with a blank stare. “Anyway, here’s the plan. Katar and his men will come with me to Bubba’s farm. Bubba and the townsfolk will take the outside perimeter since they know the woods better than anyone else. The rest of us will stay inside. We’ll have to use a big enough show of mana to actually get the technomages’ attention, so any of you who know how to make mana stones should start making those now. Mike can make us some mana tea so that you’ll be back to a hundred percent by the time the fight starts. Stacy, Mike, and Rina will all go to the facility in the city since you’re all the best with technology. Destroy everything that they have, as well as any backups, and then come back to the farm to meet us. If you can, find out if any other facilities are creating the transportation amulets, and where they’re located.”
“Sounds good to me,” Stacy said around a yawn. “I’m going to grab some sleep while you guys work. Some of us actually need it.”
“We’ll go back to the farm so you can sleep in your own bed,” Bubba said. “I’ll let everyone in town know that they need to meet me before dawn.”
“Perfect,” I said and stood. “We’ll start right before sunrise. It’ll give us a chance to get in and out before the city is in full swing and everyone is going to work.”
Everyone nodded in agreement and then went to work while I walked outside to hang out with my pets and make mana stones. Bane’s fur was so soft that it was hard not to fall asleep, especially with the heavy sound of the banehounds’ breathing. I was sure that the wolf ancestors would wake up at the first sign of trouble, but for the moment, they were passed out, and soon I’d joined them in peaceful slumber.
“Andrew. Hey, Andrew,” a familiar voice whispered.
“Huh?” I mumbled around a yawn.
The noxious smell of mana tea woke me up faster than the sound of my name, and I cringed backwards as Mike started to laugh. My roommate held the steaming container out to me and then motioned to the surprisingly silent clearing. I took the offered mana restorative, took a sip, and then looked around to see that the gnomes had already cleared out.
It was still night in the gnome realm, but the elven soldiers were already up and moving the crates of modified weapons through a portal onto Bubba’s farm. Everyone had bags under their eyes like they’d literally woken up and gotten to work, but Stacy and Atlesia wove through them with more of the mana tea. We’d definitely have enough weapons to fight off a hundred technomages, and if the tea restored everyone like it did me, then we’d be ready for an epic battle within half an hour.
“Are you ready to get this party started?” Mike asked and offered a hand to help me up.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I shrugged and took the tree-man’s hand. “Did you make this tea taste worse than usual on purpose?”
“No,” he said and shook his head, but his smile was so big that it made his bark-like skin creak. “But I did make it extra strong, so I guess the effects are the same. How many mana stones did you make?”
“Enough to summon the mardrom if it gets that bad,” I said and then took a long gulp. “Not that it should. We’re prepared, and the technomages won’t have enough mana to feed him, so Marty would probably turn on us.”
“All the more reason for the sleep bombs,” my roommate said and hooked a bag over my shoulder. “This is all the gear that you left here earlier, plus the earpieces that Stacy made so that you two can communicate. I refuse to put that thing in my head, but she said we really only needed one for each location. Bubba has one for the outside forces. And there’s some extra sleep bombs in there. Don’t deploy them unless it’s absolutely necessary since most of you don’t have masks and there’s no way to direct the spores to enemies versus friendlies. And I put in a few light bombs. And extra shotgun shells. And--”
“Mike,” I said and held up my free hand. “We’ll be okay. I’m more worried about you guys. Are you sure that you’ll be okay going to the city?”
“It’s going to be a cakewalk,” the tree-man said and then smiled like he’d just told the best joke. “Bubba taught me that saying this morning. I don’t really understand why you’d want to walk on cake. I thought that you eaters liked cake.”
“I don’t know where the saying came from, either,” I laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “But I get what you’re trying to say. Just be careful, okay?”
