A Summoner's Calling

by Jacquelyn Evans

  Valedent stops as Erryn continues walking with guards right behind her and looks to him wary of the bishop’s sudden secrecy.

  “Bishop?” Valedent asks as Erryn and Drotonic exit the room.

  “Close the doors,” the bishop says and while Erryn and Drotonic are forced to continue down the hall.

  What was so important that he wanted to talk to him alone instead of us? Why can’t he just let me help? It’s my fault anyways, she wonders.

  Erryn continues in silence, trying to keep her emotions contained while walking down towards the lobby. Drotonic nudges her and she looks at his smile. She attempts a façade of a small smile. Upon entering the lobby, the mayhem that Erryn remembered on entering this morning is now calmer since her plan was executed.

  However, she looks around as one of the guards stop to talk to the bookkeep while a weight of uncertainty and guilt plagues her. Erryn takes a deep breath of courage. She bolts for the door, for she needed to see what her presence has caused these good people.

  “My Lady, come back,” the guard says, dashing after her.

  Erryn reaches the door, opening it to see soldiers scattering throughout the masses as a wave of calm ripples out from the temple over Pinya. She attempts to take a step outside, but the guard snatches one of her arms, pulling her back in. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Who, me? Just checking on the town, that’s all, I swear,” Erryn flutters her eyelashes.

  “Right. Let’s go. You know very well that’s not where the bishop said you should be,” the guard points back to Drotonic. Erryn crosses her arms in a huff, walking back over to Drotonic as he shakes his head at her.

  “What?” she asks.

  “Can’t you just go along and do what the bishop asked for once, please,” Drotonic begs.

  “See? That’s all any of you guys had to do. Say please, and there wouldn’t be as much of a fuss. Well, lead the way,” She rolls her eyes, scolding the guard that pulled her in but smiles. The guard comes back from getting a weird tool like a wrench-prong item, and he directs them to follow him down the stairs.

  They head into the tavern area where all the chairs are placed upside down on the tables, and the barkeep is wiping down his bar. The leading guard orders them to wait by a table as he enters the dry pantry, showing the barkeep the tool upon entering. While waiting, Erryn’s stomach grumbles, echoing in its emptiness as she whimpers.

  “You’re hungry, aren’t you?” Drotonic asks.

  “A bit,” she admits, and he takes her hand and walks over to the bar.

  “Excuse me, where do you think you’re going?” The guard standing with them halts them.

  “Relax, it’s not like we’re leaving the tavern,” Drotonic says, continuing to the bar.

  “Hurry it up,” the guard demands.

  “Hey, Drotonic, what’s going on?” Kulman asks.

  “Nothing much, chef. Hey, do you have anything we can munch on? It’s mainly for her. She hasn’t had the chance to eat yet,” Drotonic asks.

  “Yeah, sure, let me see what I can do. Hey, Marie, do we have any finger food we can give them?” Kulman shouts to the back.

  “We got some green and red apples,” she replies.

  “That’s fine, thank you,” Erryn says.

  “Where you kids heading to?” Marie asks, bring out a couple of apples.

  “Some stupid secure room to keep me from the fight Vladimir’s bringing,” Erryn rolls her eyes as a table over by the guard starts to slide.

  “Oh? I heard that place used to be used for interrogations and torture. I’ve never been down myself. However, some say vengeful spirits of the condemned roam down there,” Kulman says.

  Erryn’s eyes fill with fear at the mention of torture.

  “Really?” Drotonic asks as the floor by the moved table collapses.

  “Hey, you two, let’s go,” The guard calls them over as the guard from the pantry returns. Erryn takes a nervous bite from the apple as Drotonic runs over to see the temple’s depths.

  Pinya : Drotonic

  26

  Drotonic can barely bottle his excitement at the possibilities of what’s below.

  Erryn looks down into the blackness as the curving stairs vanish in the dark shadows below.

  “Do we really have to go down there? It’s so dark. I don’t know if I’ll be able to see where I’m going,” she asks the guards, grabbing onto Drotonic’s arm.

  Drotonic looks at her, noticing her sweating forehead and her shaky grip.

  He pats her hand to comfort her as the guard says, “Please don’t fret, miss. The further you descend, lights will be triggered.”

  Erryn takes a deep breath and sighs, “You think I would be used to seeing a tomb of dead bodies.”

  The guards look at each other with confusion as she descends the steps, and Drotonic shakes his head, remembering Kulman’s words.

  After they all descended to the mysterious level of the temple, the floor above reseals, covering the stair opening. Drotonic watches, and as it finishes sealing, a shadowy figure passes by the opening.

  “What are you looking at? Get going,” a rude guard says.

  “How are we supposed to get back up there?” Erryn steps back up a couple of steps as a gear clunks, securing the seal in place.

  “You worry too much. You just need to relax,” the friendly guard suggests. Then a click sound echoes down the stairs.

  “What’s that?” she asks.

  “Beats me. I still can’t see a thing. Nija never had anything like this,” Drotonic says as the grumpy guard turns Erryn around and shoves her forward. The push makes her feet catch on the edge of the step and she slips forward. Her arms flail while trying to rebalance herself, but as Drotonic hears her distress, he turns and she falls into his arms.

  Reestablishing his footing, he braces his back against the wall as a click activates next to him, and pressured air begins to gather. Drotonic turns his head to the noise, and Erryn lifts her head. A whoosh pushes out, and a flame ignites, spooking them to step back. He grasps her, twisting her around to keep her hair from catching on fire.

  With light illuminating the stairwell, his forest green eyes look upon her stardust emerald ones as time seems to stop for a moment. He gazes on her rosy freckled complexion.

  “That’s so much better,” Erryn smiles with relief.

  “You alright? You didn’t get burned anywhere, did you?” Drotonic asks.

  She flicks her hair, checking for singed and shakes her head.

  “Alright, let’s go you two,” the grumpy guard pushes Drotonic.

  “Hey, you need to stop with that pushing. My face almost met the stairs because of you,” Erryn yells at him and heads down the stairs. Torches ignite within the concave openings in the walls every few steps, allowing visibility in the stairwell.

  Once stepping off at the bottom of the spiral stairs, the torches behind them dissipate bringing back the darkness. Before Erryn could comment, a louder clunk and whoosh cause torches to ignite two at a time down a now wide corridor. They continue igniting until the torches’ light reaches a door, which Drotonic assumes is the entrance to the room.

  “Where’re the corpses, the dried blood and chains? I thought this was a torture chamber,” Erryn asks.

  “Corpses? I believe you must be referring to the dark era of Pinya. That was beyond decades ago. This has been cleared and reserved for unique situations such as yours,” the friendly guard says.

  “Aw, I was hoping to see some historic dread. What things I could have learned from it,” Drotonic says as he stares off noticing designs on the walls.

  “Nothing good, I can promise you,” Erryn says as they approach the door.

  The guards unlock and open the door, “Alright, get inside and get comfortable. It’s going to be a long night.”

  They pass through and the guards seal the door. As previously, flames ignite, illuminating the room. The ceiling is vaulted, and the room is beautifully decorated
.

  “Who knew we’d be treated like royalty today,” Erryn says.

  “I’ve only read of fabrics and furnishings made for the classy. Never would I have believed I would be surrounded by so many in one room,” Drotonic agrees. Erryn wanders to the shorten five-foot wide hall of the opposite side of the entrance where three doors catch her attention. Drotonic looks around the main room, admiring the architecture. Then, he ventures over to a polished cooking station.

  Erryn opens one of the doors and returns, “It looks like one of us will have to sleep on the couch since there’s only one bed.”

  “You can have the cozy bed. I don’t mind the luxurious blue couch,” Drotonic smiles.

  “Why are you so excited about furniture?” Erryn asks.

  “Well, how often do the unclass get royal treatment?” Drotonic asks.

  “I suppose. What are we supposed to eat? That apple isn’t going to hold me over forever,” Erryn says.

  Drotonic opens a tin box on the counter of the cooking station. In it are foods he recognizes from Nija.

  “I could make a Nijan meal,” he suggests as she nods.

  “I’ll just be over here enjoying your fancy couch,” Erryn snickers.

  “Hey. You’d better not break it on me,” Drotonic scolds as she brushes him off, lounging on the couch. While he gathers the food and cooks, he hears Erryn talking to one of the guards. At least she’s safe now and they have no chance to find her, he thinks. He finishes cooking and the guard exits, securing the door.

  He sets the table with silverware and carries the plates over.

  Erryn sniffs the air. “Mm, that smells yummy.”

  “Bon appetite as the classy would say.” Drotonic pulls out an upholstered chair.

  “It looks and smells delicious. I can’t even remember food that smelled this good,” Erryn praises him, and he smiles.

  While eating, Drotonic wonders what the guard wanted while he was cooking.

  “I heard the guard popping his head in. Is everything okay?” he inquires.

  “Oh yeah, everything’s fine. He was just making sure we liked the accommodation. I also asked him about outside,” Erryn says with a mouth full, and he realizes the battle hasn’t left her mind.

  “Oh, and…?” Drotonic asks.

  Erryn sighs, “He says nothing has happened yet, but until it’s over, we’ve just got to sit here and do nothing.”

  “It’ll be fine, you’ll see. This can’t be the first time they’ve had to deal with Vladimir’s antics,” Drotonic assures her, wondering how to distract her mind. After they finish eating, Drotonic carries the plates over to the kitchen to wash them.

  Then the room quakes, rattling everything as Drotonic tries to remain standing. It’s started. Now she won’t stop obsessing, Drotonic thinks. He hears a crack and glances at the ceiling above where Erryn is standing. He launches himself at her, tackling her to the wall, as a piece of the ceiling falls where she had been standing. Drotonic’s arms hold her tight. Their hips and chests press together with their noses nearly touching. He can feel her breath on his shoulders.

  Erryn licks her lips. Her breath is a little short as she comments, “Seems as if he’s invaded the town.”

  A rush of warmth fills his cheeks as he backs up and assures her, “You’ve done your part in making them as prepared as one could expect to be. I have faith that Pinya will come out victorious. Why don’t you go relax and take a shower? It could help take your mind from all this.”

  Erryn pauses for a moment and then searches for some towels. She heads to the bathroom with a shower. After attending to the dishes, Drotonic dries his hands, and falls onto the couch. It catches him with a softness equivalent to fluffy clouds.

  He only lies for a few moments before sleep weighed heavily on his lids like a spell being casted upon him. He vaguely hears the entrance door open and shut again as he struggles to open his eyes. In a daze, he sees Erryn wrapped in white. “What are you doing?” he asks.

  “Oh, you’re awake. I was just suggesting some things they may want to fix like the ceiling chunk and a tile in the bathroom that nearly killed me. I slipped on it, nearly smashing my head on the ground,” she says.

  “Oh, well good thing you didn’t get hurt. Just so you know, I wasn’t sleeping. I was just relaxing,” Drotonic smiles, snuggling further into the couch.

  “Uh-huh, yeah, well, I’m going to relax on the bed,” Erryn says.

  Drotonic waves as she leaves and closes the bedroom door.

  His thoughts revisit a meeting with a reluctant bishop where he suggested to hide her before he met up with her in the lobby. Hopefully, she’ll never find out that this was my idea to keep her safe. I’ll never allow any harm to come to her, he thinks.

  Pinya : Valedent

  27

  In the bishop’s room, Valedent closes the doors as directed after Erryn and Drotonic are escorted out. He turns to face the bishop as an aura flows over the doors.

  “Yes, dear bishop?” Valedent asks.

  “There’s a unique situation I believe only you have the capabilities to handle,” the bishop says.

  “What about Vladimir?” Valedent asks, walking back up to his desk.

  “Honestly, us putting up a fight against him is the least of my worries at the moment,” The bishop sighs, handing a piece of paper to Valedent. He takes the paper giving it a look over as his eyes narrows on the reread only for the bishop’s worries to come clear.

  “How long has this been going on?” Valedent asks with a stern gaze.

  “Suspicions have been lingering, but with your holding, it’s the most recent proof of someone in our ranks,” the bishop tells him.

  “Wonderful, and if he leaks where that summoner is being stashed, she’ll be trapped for sure. Who’s with them?” Valedent asks. Never mind. The fact that Jet will kill me if something like that ever happens to her, he thinks.

  Then the bishop unravels engineer plans which outline the tunnels said to lay beneath the town.

  “One’s an honorable young man named Cros, but he’s not the one I’m worried about.” The bishop inhales deeply before continuing, “Ten years ago, I banished one of our soldiers to Dragonar, along with his son, as punishment for a heinous crime. His son returned, on the condition that he remained inside the temple and became a guard regardless of his age,” the bishop says.

  “Geez, banished? No wonder he hates you. That sounds like the most viable candidate to betray you and hand her to Vladimir. What’s his name?” Valedent smacks his forehead.

  “Jasper.”

  Valedent feels ice in his veins as a bloody flashback from his childhood rushes to his mind. Valedent grips his hand. He barely hears the bishop say, “If I didn’t succumb to Drotonic’s request to lock them away in a safe area, she could’ve been helpful in the fight. Though, that’s neither here nor there.”

  “How could you put someone so malicious and corrupt in charge of protecting her?” Valedent scolds.

  “You know him? Honestly, I thought he would have turned around with instruction we have given. Where are you going? You don’t even know how to get down or out of there,” the bishop says as Valedent crosses his arms, facing him without a word.

  The bishop continues. “Getting in there won’t be the issue. It’s getting out. You’ll have to find a device to open an escape which leads you to cylindrical tunnels going to the harbor. There seems to be an incline to each level. It’ll lead you out to a bridge before reaching the entrance.”

  “Good to know. Now, excuse me before my boss’s daughter kills me,” Valedent smiles, rolling his eyes and opening the doors. He sprints down the hall.

  “Wait. You don’t know what the mechanism is to activate the opening,” the bishop shouts, but Valedent didn’t hear. Thoughts of Erryn and Jasper weighs heavy on his mind. Valedent enters the tavern as Kulman and Marie are closing. Wark is standing by the back door.

  “Hey, Valedent. What’re you doing down here?” Marie asks as
they step out from behind the bar.

  “Trouble with security. You guys heading to homestead?” Valedent asks.

  “Yeah, what’s up?” asks Wark.

  “I need you to give Kingsblade an update for me. Let them know what’s happening with the conflict. I have to deal with Erryn’s entrapment,” Valedent says.

  “Yeah sure, no problem,” Wark says.

  “Entrapment?” Marie asks.

  “Yeah, one of those guards down there is a traitor. It happens to be someone Roland had to pull off of me years ago,” Valedent says.

  “No, that was Jasper,” Kulman says, and Valedent nods as he waves him off. They exit the tavern from the back door, and Valedent heads up the stairs. Explosions erupt, shaking Arthro. Valedent reaches the top step as screaming from both inside and outside the temple echoes off the mountain.

  “You there. Get out there and help the defenseless. Spread the word to seek shelter within the temple’s prayer room. You there, stop them. They mustn’t reach the temple,” the bishop demands as Valedent hurries to the prayer room.

  Closing the prayer doors behind him, he walks to the front of the room, trying to remember, “Alright. Now, where are you?”

  He runs his hands over the walls closing his eyes as a familiar indentation touches his index finger. Then, he presses it unveiling a hatch. This brings back some memories, he thinks as he crouches and climbs down onto the platform. It closes slowly on its own, and Valedent grabs the thick old cables, remembering the long distance it would take to get down there.

  “Never thought I’d be doing this again. What was the gizmo to open our escape?” Valedent says while traveling down the cable.

  Cloud City : Jet

  28

  Jet leans back in a chair inside the basement of a mechanical workshop in Cloud City. Katty, her close friend, brings over a meal from her tavern, the Chatty Katty. She sets it on the table in front of Jet who is preoccupied with thought of the Kozrot, which is lurking outside the city.

  “How’re you doing, sweetie?” Katty sits down next to her at the table, sliding food in front of her.