Summoner's Call (The Summoner Trilogy Book 1)

by Sarah Anne Piddock

  Seiya stopped at the first of the stone squares and Felix kept walking across the training ground, she thought longingly of her bed as she watched his receding back.

  ‘Seiya!’ startled awake by Felix calling her name Seiya looked up in surprise to find he was already standing with a demon at the ready. Somehow she had fallen asleep standing up.

  Here we go again, Seiya thought resignedly as she started her own summoning, the gateway pattern looked dull and faded on the ground in front of her, the lines lacking their usual brilliant shine. Her mind reached out, based on what Felix had summoned she obviously needed-

  The rock hurtled past less than a hands-breadth from the side of her head and she snapped fully awake, her pulse racing as she spun round. Amaran was frowning at her and gesturing to the gateway, making speaking gestures with his hands. Seiya’s rising anger was snuffed out as she grasped his meaning, she had been summoning without an incantation. She pressed the heels of her palms into her eye sockets and tried to shake off the drowsy fog that seemed to continually envelop her. Was she so tired she was now using request summonings without noticing? If Amaran hadn’t distracted her then an unbound demon would have been sitting in front of her right now; Paudry would hardly miss it, it was the Master’s job to be tuned to the students bindings.

  Seiya felt her anger towards the Council rise up again, she knew it wouldn’t matter if she summoned a normal demon without bindings but as far as everyone else was concerned the demon would attack and possibly kill. What did they hope to accomplish by exhausting her this way? She was only getting food due to Kirinya’s kindness and the tolerance of the other kitchen workers. She could only assume they intended to break her, or maybe keep her so pre-occupied she had no time to think. It was definitely working; Seiya hadn’t had an opportunity to summon Aleos or any of the other demons to talk since the level four exam.

  Perhaps it was time she let the Council get their wish. Seiya smiled slightly at the thought, far better to end it now when she still had some energy reserves left than wait until she was truly exhausted. She glanced towards Amaran, he would have to know what was happening or he might try to intervene. In fact, she regarded him speculatively, he might be the best person to have as a partner.

  ‘Gwarghh!’ Cyvan leapt from the gateway with a suitably impressive roar and Seiya tried very hard not to laugh. The demon had been more than up for it when she’d explained the plan while training with Felix this morning. Amaran, who much to her surprise willingly agreed to her idea, had not summoned his demon yet and made no attempt to interfere. It was flattering to think he trusted her enough to stand back and be a spectator.

  Collapsing to the ground and staring at the unfolding scene in pretend horror Seiya realised she had timed it just right. No-one else had summoned a demon, Cyvan’s appearance took them all by surprise. They ran, the yelling starting as the demon roared and gouts of flame erupted on the ground in front of them. Really getting into the role he followed up by swinging his clawed hand low, skimming the top of their heads.

  ‘I’ve never had so much fun,’ Cyvan’s voice echoed laughingly in her head, ‘perhaps we should try to break free more often.’

  ‘Don’t even think about it,’ Seiya warned, ‘this is a one-time only.’

  ‘Seiya!’ rushing over Paudry couched down and shook her roughly by the shoulders. His palatable fear made it easy to keep the smile off her face.

  ‘Can you dismiss it?’ the concern in his voice made her feel slightly guilty as she nodded hesitantly.

  ‘Try your best,’ he squeezed her arm encouragingly and Seiya was surprised to see anger in his eyes. She made sure it looked as if she was struggling to form the dismissal gateway, her power fluctuating in the lines. She almost failed to keep a straight face when Cyvan complained at being sent back so soon, letting herself slump forward as the demon disappeared, the gateway vanishing instantly.

  ‘This has gone far enough,’ Paudry patted her roughly on the back and stood up. ‘Rest until lunch,’ he told her brusquely, ‘I’ll pair with Amaran.’ He brushed away her protestations, ‘you’re not safe at the moment, get some sleep.’ He pointed for her to move out the way, to the edge of the training area.

  ‘Go,’ he barked commandingly, ‘now!’ With no reason to argue, Seiya meekly did as she was told.

  ‘Wake up,’ Seiya groaned as somebody nudged her, their shoe digging into her back.

  ‘I’m not sleeping,’ she replied, stretching as she got to her feet. Her whole left side was damp from lying on the ground. She frowned as she peeled the wet clothes away from her skin, the grass had felt dry when she first sat down.

  ‘You look really silly,’ Amaran commented helpfully and Seiya stuck her tongue out at him. Despite her discomfort on waking the short nap had done wonders in refreshing her.

  ‘Who cares,’ she gave an exaggerated shrug, ‘I’ll change when we go back for lunch.’

  ‘What makes you think you’ll be getting lunch?’ Amaran gestured meaningfully to the figure walking towards them from the school. Except someone else had noticed long before, Paudry was already striding to meet the other Master. It was clear they were arguing, Seiya could hear the raised voices though the words were indistinct.

  ‘Forgive me for being selfish,’ Amaran said in a decidedly unapologetic tone, ‘but the last Master who helped you ended up being stripped of his rank. I’d rather we didn’t lose our teacher,’ he added pointedly.

  Looking across Seiya could see Paudry folding his arms across his chest, his whole body screaming confrontation. Uncomfortably, she had to agree with Amaran; if Paudry went against the Council’s wishes he could easily follow Gorbacov. Not that she had even known for sure until Amaran had just confirmed it that Gorbacov had been struck off as a teacher.

  ‘I can take a hint,’ Seiya replied good-naturedly, ‘besides it really should be me giving Demar the earful.’ Not that she didn’t have her own best interests at heart, she’d just started to get along with Paudry and if she wasn’t so exhausted she might even enjoy the lessons. The last thing she wanted was to be dragged out the level six class and be forced to spend all her lessons with Demar. Obviously she couldn’t continue with both and it was crystal clear in her mind which one had to go.

  ‘It is the Council’s decision,’ Demar insisted stubbornly, ‘you have no say in the matter.’

  Seiya thought she saw a muscle twitch in Paudry’s cheek as his jaw clenched even harder.

  ‘She cannot continue with both lessons,’ he ground out through gritted teeth, ‘it’s not safe.‘ Paudry fell abruptly silent as he noticed Seiya approaching, clearly not wanting her to overhear what he had been about to say. She flashed a brief smile in his direction, she knew he didn’t have anything against her personally and what he said was true. She couldn’t continue like this, the only difference was she knew the only person who would suffer for her sloppy summoning would be herself, there was no need to worry about loose demons.

  ‘Come on,’ Demar barked, spinning on his heel as if the argument with Paudry had never happened, ‘you’ve already wasted time.’

  ‘No,’ Seiya refused bluntly, taking a guilty delight in the way Demar pulled up short.

  ‘It’s not a request,’ he reminded her irritably, ‘the Council-’

  ‘Are too stupid to dress themselves in the morning if they think continuing like this is a good idea,’ Seiya fired back at the stunned Master. ‘Do they want a loose demon cutting its way through the class?’ She determinedly suppressed the urge to smile as Demar turned a beautiful shade of pink, the flushed cheeks accented by his gaping mouth as he struggled to form an intelligible reply. Amaran and the others had drifted over and were keenly listening in, they had no qualms about grinning at the Master’s discomfort. Paudry seemed shocked by her comments but kept quiet as he stepped back, he clearly had no intention of getting involved.

  ‘There will be no more lessons at lunch and dinner,’ Seiya commanded firmly, warming to her new dictatori
al role, ‘and only a couple of hours practice in the evenings.’ She shook a finger in Demar’s face as he spluttered in indignation. ‘I refuse to come to class so exhausted I’m summoning demons half asleep, it’s not fair to the others.’ She swept her arm round to encompass her classmates standing to one side before placing her hands firmly on her hips, staring down the unfortunate Master.

  ‘But the Council-’

  ‘Aren’t the ones who will have to deal with the rampaging demons!’ Seiya cut over Demar’s reply, almost pitying the Master as he desperately clung to the same argument.

  ‘You will never learn to be a summoner!’ Demar seemed to have finally managed to collect himself and flung the accusation viciously towards her. ‘Every lesson you fail-’

  ‘You dense, irritating little man!’ Seiya shouted back at him, her calm tolerant approach hadn’t really been there in the beginning but now it had completely vanished. ‘Your pointless, irrelevant lessons are completely meaningless,’ she watched in satisfaction as Demar quivered with anger. She knew she shouldn’t give in to temptation but it felt so good, all the frustration she’d been holding inside suddenly had a target. ‘Ridiculous, obsessive-’

  ‘How dare you speak to me like this!’ Demar roared back at her, finally losing his temper, though any impact was lost as the shorter man had to crick his non-existent neck to look up at her. ‘Never has any student-’

  ‘What other students?’ Seiya countered witheringly, ‘you’ve never been allowed to teach before have you?’ There was silence as Demar stared at her wide-eyed and Seiya smiled triumphantly.

  ‘You weren’t chosen to teach me, your lessons are just an exotic form of torture to slowly wear me down.’

  ‘You-’ Demar’s voice trembled with barely contained fury.

  ‘Failed all your lessons?’ Seiya finished for him, ‘and yet I’m holding my own in a level six class. What does that say about your teaching?’ She folded her arms once more and leant backwards slightly, Demar was reeling as effectively as if she’d punched him full on the side of the head. ‘If you don’t think a couple of hours in the evenings is enough to prepare me for the level five exam then your judgement and teaching is at fault, not me!’

  ‘I have never-’

  ‘Been spoken to like this before?’ Seiya thought the man would explode as she interrupted again. ‘It’s a shame no-one told you the truth before now, how did you even become a Master?’ she added with insulting incredulity in her voice. Letting her arms fall to her sides she went to walk past Demar, back to Rhianwater. ‘Anytime you want to test me,’ Seiya offered silkily as she paused by the supposed Master, ‘just say the word.’ She didn’t bother waiting to hear Demar’s reply or see his expression; the man was completely incoherent with rage.

  ‘I’ll see you this evening after dinner,’ Seiya waved a hand casually over her shoulder, not even bothering to turn around, ‘same place as normal.’

  ‘The Council will never allow this,’ Demar flung the dire threat after her, at least the man was consistent.

  ‘Then they aren’t fit to have power or authority and should be removed immediately!’ Seiya called back, wishing she could have seen Demar’s face, and possibly everybody else’s as well. She didn’t know who this damn Council was but she was sick and tired of doing what they wanted, so far they had done nothing to prove to her they were worthy of any respect whatsoever.

  ‘You win.’

  Seiya watched in consternation as Tooks, Havir and Felix handed their desserts to Amaran.

  ‘What’s going on?’ she demanded suspiciously as Amaran returned Havir’s and Felix’s saying he would claim the prizes at future meals, rather than attempting to eat four in one go.

  ‘We had a wager on when you would lose it,’ Tooks explained, grinning widely. ‘The winner would get the loser’s desserts.’

  ‘And you won?’ she looked enquiringly at Amaran. ‘I don’t know if I want to ask what the rest of you guessed.’

  ‘Oh, we all thought you’d lose your temper days ago,’ Felix happily assured her. ‘We told Amaran he was mad thinking you’d last five days.’

  ‘So glad I didn’t disappoint,’ Seiya muttered as Amaran smugly tucked into his winnings. She stretched her arms out behind her and grinned widely, ‘though I have no idea why I waited so long. I should have done that ages ago.’

  ‘You seemed to be enjoying it,’ Tooks agreed.

  ‘I thought Demar was going to have a seizure!’ Felix piped in, his grin matching Seiya’s. ‘I’ve never seen anyone so angry.’

  ‘You’re lucky he didn’t take you up on your challenge though,’ Amaran interjected seriously, ‘he’s still a Master.’

  Seiya snorted in disgust. ‘He takes so long to summon I could have a demon through and pinning him to the ground before he’d even spoken the first line.’ She focused on Amaran’s expression, ‘all the power in the world is meaningless if there’s a blade against your throat.’

  ‘Indeed,’ a slight flicker in Amaran’s eyes was his only reaction, ‘summoning is useless then.’

  ‘Not really playing fair though,’ Tooks observed, putting his hands up in surrender as Seiya turned to look at him.

  ‘Fairness isn’t something I’ve experienced at Rhianwater,’ she observed dryly.

  ‘If the Council react badly then that probably won’t change,’ Seiya felt her high spirits dropping, she had to admit Amaran had a point.

  ‘Who’s in charge of the Council anyway?’ she asked between mouthfuls.

  Amaran’s eyebrows shot up, ‘you said all those things without knowing who you were talking about?’ Seiya tried to ignore the uneasiness she felt as he shook his head in disbelief.

  ‘The Headmaster should chair the Council but he isn’t really in control anymore,’ Seiya met his gaze and sensed this time he was the one watching her closely for a reaction. ‘Master Youally now effectively leads the Council,’ the emphasis struck Seiya as strange, completely different to when he had made a point for Paudry’s title; but that was forgotten amidst her overwhelming feeling of dread. ‘Most of the Council follow him, so-’ Amaran shrugged, not bothering to voice anymore. It wasn’t necessary, Seiya decided she no longer had an appetite.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ‘Who’s there?’ Seiya called out sharply. She had been waiting for what seemed like ages in the large hall where Demar normally held his lessons. Unsurprisingly the Master had failed to appear.

  ‘I come in peace,’ the familiar voice drifted over from the doorway.

  ‘Gorbacov?’ Seiya was delighted. Of all things she would never have expected the Council to appoint Gorbacov as her instructor. ‘Are you here to teach me?’ she asked eagerly.

  ‘Hardly,’ Gorbacov huffed, ‘I’m not even a Master anymore, and they’re all thoroughly convinced that we need to be kept as far apart as possible.’ He tried to sound annoyed but Seiya could see he was smiling, ‘although after Paudry’s stunt I think I may have a chance convincing them you corrupted me.’

  ‘He’s not in any trouble is he?’ Seiya inquired anxiously.

  ‘No,’ Gorbacov assured her, ‘but when he heard the Council was meeting he insisted on speaking in your defence.’ He looked at her slyly, ‘though you may not like the outcome.’

  ‘What is it then?’ Seiya demanded impatiently, realising Gorbacov was deliberately stringing her along. ‘Am I still in the level six class?’

  ‘Maybe,’ Gorbacov answered evasively, ‘if it had been up to Demar and Youally you’d have been locked up to never see the light of day.’ His eyes met hers and she could see they were twinkling with suppressed laughter. ‘Whatever you said to Demar certainly got through. I’ve never seen the man so angry.’

  ‘I just pointed out a few truths he would rather have ignored,’ Seiya grinned, ‘like the Council was only allowing him to teach me as a punishment and he would never be let anywhere near normal students.’

  ‘That could explain it,’ Gorbacov observed mildly, ‘apparently
you also challenged him?’ Seiya shrugged as he looked at her questioningly.

  ‘It could be interpreted that way,’ she replied evasively, trying to steer the conversation back on track ‘but what did they decide?’

  ‘Paudry convinced them that as you’re easily capable of handling the level six class then you should simply be given a level five exam tomorrow.’

  ‘By who?’ Seiya asked suspiciously.

  ‘Paudry insisted he should do it,’ Gorbacov explained, ‘Demar wanted to be an observer but nobody could pretend he was capable of being impartial.’ Seiya saw him frown slightly, ‘Youally will be there though.’

  ‘But the exams are fairly standard surely?’ Seiya looked at Gorbacov who nodded slowly.

  ‘Up to a point,’ he answered hesitantly, ‘but I would imagine he will insist on a harder exam.’ Seiya looked at him questioningly. ‘There is some lee-way in the exact format of the exam,’ Gorbacov admitted reluctantly, ‘so it can be tailored to the students depending on the Master’s feelings. For example, they might set an easy level three exam if they knew the student was a physical power specialist who struggled with element control.’

  ‘But it will have to be a rank ten?’ Seiya queried worriedly as Gorbacov nodded in confirmation.

  ‘And as your current Master Paudry has the right to set the exam, even Youally can’t insist it is made harder than any exam completed in the past.’

  ‘So why didn’t Paudry tell me?’ Seiya frowned as she looked at Gorbacov, ‘and how do you know what happened in the Council anyway?’