by Eric Vall
I put my head in my hands and spoke without so much as a glance upwards. “So what happened to you on the way here?”
At first, Cyra and Maelor were silent. They shared a glance between one another, then Maelor grunted and turned his attention back to his ale.
“We ended up traveling alongside a caravan of traveling merchants,” Cyra started. Her eyes were downcast, and she wrung her hands together. “Nice folk, that lot. We were headed to a little village on the Knai River called Grelm for some festival they were having.”
“Grelm?” I repeated. I’d only ever heard of the village once on a flyer for the festival. It must have been an annual thing they held.
Cyra nodded. “We were maybe half a days ride out from the village when a rift opened up about a mile off of the trail.”
“Then what?” My heart sank. I knew where this was going. I ran my hands through my hair.
“We managed to escape with our monsters’ help,” the dark-haired summoner continued, “but a swarm of imps, maybe twenty of them, maybe more, got to them before we could help them.”
I slammed my fist down on the table and Cyra jumped but didn’t seem surprised. Maelor didn’t so much as flinch. He looked dead ahead at nothing in particular, his voice low.
“There was nothing we could do. Even with our monsters, we were no match for an ambush like that.”
“At least you’re both okay.” I sighed slowly. I didn't want to know if there had been a group of freelancers that closed the rift. I assumed that was the case, but I really just wanted to wake up from what seemed to be a continuous bad dream.
“Listen, Gryff,” Maelor set his mug down and stroked his chin, “there’s something big about to happen. When it does, promise me you’ll be okay.”
I faltered. If Maelor was this concerned, then it was something to be worried about. Maelor didn’t give out his emotions so easily, so to hear him voice his desire for me to be safe was a little unnerving.
With a forced smile, I put my hand on his. It was an odd sentiment between us, but he didn’t pull his hand away. Instead, he gripped mine between his tightly.
“You be careful, too.” I glanced at Cyra, who had put her hand on top of ours. “Both of you.”
We sat like that for a moment before we all returned to our drinks. With the heavy stuff out of the way, it was easier to talk more freely about much lighter conversations, and I was thankful for the change of pace. Before I knew it, dusk was setting over Varle, and it would take a long time for me to head back to the Academy. I hugged Cyra, and then Maelor, who latched onto me like a newborn to its mother.
“Take care of yourself, boy,” he rumbled in my ear, and I nodded firmly against his shoulder. “I’ll write ya when we reach Bathi Highlands.”
“Okay. You look after each other.” I hesitated to take a step back, but I finally did and waved to them as I hopped into the carriage that waited.
The ride back had given me time to be alone with my thoughts. There were a lot of things to consider, none of which I really wanted to have on my mind in the first place. Was it possible that this monster situation is bigger than we had ever imagined it being? Were we as a people prepared for what might be an all-out monster invasion?
The words of the angelic monster rang in my head. They were coming, and we had to act fast. I’d decided that I would take up my concerns with Headmaster Sleet in the morning. I was sure he would send Petyr to fetch me after I missed class today.
When the carriage pulled up in front of the gates, I was surprised to see Nia had waited for me. Her arms were crossed, and her eyes were downcast. The pout of her lip was raw from worry.
“Don’t tell me you missed me,” I teased as I strode up to her with a grin. She didn’t answer immediately, so I poked her. “Or did you?”
She scoffed indignantly and smacked my hand away. Ah, there was my Nia.
“Where have you been?” Her words were sharp, and I backed off. “First you’re late to class the other day, then Braden said you never went back to your room last night, and you’re gone all day today.” The longer she spoke, the more irrational she became. I had to calm her down.
“Hey, relax,” I laughed a little in the hopes that it would ease the tension. “I’ve had a lot on my mind, that’s all.” It wasn’t a lie, not that I needed to. “And Maelor and Cyra were in town, so I ditched to spend the day with them.”
I said it all so nonchalantly, but I could tell Nia was still not at ease. She hugged herself and looked so vulnerable. That wasn’t an emotion that was in Nia Kenefick’s vocabulary.
“What’s really wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Nia conceded. “We’ve all just been worried about you. You’re always there for us when we need you, but you close yourself off when you need someone to lean on.” I gawked at her, and she smirked just a little bit. “You might be a hero, but who is going to save you if you don’t let anyone in?”
I chuckled and scratched the back of my head. “Don’t you worry about me. I always manage.”
“True,” she agreed, “but it’s okay to lean on us, too. We’re your friends, and I’m sure I can confidently speak for Layla and Braden as well when I say that we’re here for you no matter what.” Nia smiled, and I was blessed by the Maker that she had become accustomed to doing so more and more frequently. She uncrossed her arms, slid them over my shoulders, and kissed me. “I’ll always be here for you, Gryff.”
I rested my forehead against hers and basked in the beauty of her eyes before I closed mine, sighing with relief for the first time in what felt like days.
“Thank you,” I whispered, and I meant it.
“Don’t mention it,” she replied, then paused. “No seriously, don’t. I have a reputation to uphold.”
I reeled back, stared at her, and then both of us broke into a fit of laughter. This was the medicine I needed. That, and maybe a proper night of sleep.
Sure enough, as I predicted, Petyr knocked on our door at the crack of dawn. I was glad to have gotten a full night of sleep, but I wish I could have slept longer. As per usual, I didn’t rush to get ready, and as usual, Petyr looked appropriately pissed. I didn’t care if it was petty. It brought me joy.
The flights of stairs had started to become less of a workout, and I couldn’t help but think that that might not have been a good thing. After all, I doubted any other student was up here as much as I was. I felt privileged but also thought that maybe I shouldn’t make my visits so often. I laughed to myself.
Sleet looked a sight, that much was certain. Bags hung under his eyes, and his hair was disheveled in a way that it does when one continuously runs their hands through it.
“You called for me, sir?” I announced my arrival, and Sleet nearly leapt out of his skin. Had he not heard me come in? Maybe I should have knocked after all. I figured I was up here enough that I might as well have an assigned seat and a secret handshake with him.
“Ah, Gryff! Yes, yes of course.” Sleet gestured vaguely to the chairs in front of his desk, and I took a seat in my usual spot in the middle.
The position was just enough off center that I could see the view of Varle that Sleet liked so much. I didn’t blame him, especially when it was this early in the morning. The sky looked as though it were on fire with all of the oranges and pinks that eventually tapered into yellow, then green, then blue. I had a weakness for sunrises.
Sleet took a seat at his desk and stared at me hard for a long moment. “Gryff,” he repeated. “I have been made aware that you did not show up for your field training yesterday.”
“That’s correct,” I replied honestly. Where was the sense in lying? It wouldn’t do me any good, especially in this instance.
“Can you tell me why?” he asked and peered at me over his thin glasses.
“Yes, sir. Maelor and his new assistant were in town,” I started simply. “As I’m sure you’re aware, it isn’t often he passes through Varle, and I wanted to seize the opportunity to see him in
the event that I wouldn’t get a chance to again for a while.” I purposely left out the bit that at any given moment on any given mission into the Shadowscape I could die. I felt like that didn’t need to be reiterated.
“I see,” he hummed before he let out a chuckle. “I cannot say that I wouldn’t have done the same, but seeing as you are a student, your obligation is to the Academy and your studies. You have finals coming up, do you not?”
I inwardly sighed. “Yes, sir.”
“While it pains me to have to punish you, I must insist that I uphold you to the same standards as I do every other student, Gryff,” he went on.
That was fair. I didn’t want or expect any kind of special treatment.
“What will you have me do, sir?”
“You’ll be making up your field training this evening.” He eyed me, and part of me was delighted to hear that was all.
On one hand, it did take away from Arwyn’s class and my free periods to study for exams, but on the other, I thrived in field training, for the most part. I still needed work with a bow and arrow, but I was progressively improving with a sword.
“Is that all?” It was dumb of me to ask, but I had to be sure. Sleet seemed to consider this and gave me a considerate hum.
“I have a special training partner in mind for you, Mr. Gryff.” His smile was devious, and I was suddenly more scared than I was seconds ago. “You’ll meet us at 8 PM in the arena.”
“The arena, sir?” Of course, I knew of it. I had fought Gawain Madox earlier in the year there. It was how I earned my spot on Arwyn’s squad, and how Nia and I had become such good friends.
“Yes, I think that will be suitable,” he concluded and scanned a few of the pieces of paper on his desk. I waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. I cleared my throat. He glanced at me again. “You should get to breakfast, Mr. Gryff. I wouldn’t want you to miss the most important meal of the day and have you suffer for it later on. Besides, I think you’ve already missed enough of Ms. Hamner’s class.”
“Sir, I have… concerns,” I started, and he set the papers down. I fidgeted in the seat. As comfortable as it was, it did nothing to quell the nerves that had built up in the pit of my stomach since yesterday. “We… the military, I mean, are doing everything we can to prevent the monster attacks, right?”
Sleet straightened and narrowed his eyes on me. “Of course we are, Gryff. Every waking moment of every day is spent patrolling, by land, sea, and sky.” He looked at me for a moment, thoughtful, then stood. He strode over to the window and watched as the sun began to crest over the taller buildings in the city.
“Does this by chance have anything to do with your meeting with Maelor yesterday?”
I grimaced but nodded. “Yes, that is part of it.”
“What news did he bring you, Gryff?” he questioned, so I told him everything I had heard, about the letters from Maelor, Cyra, and Ashla, and about my constant worry over the pyrewyrms, and my curiosity about the black essence that Arwyn had brought back to be tested. I laid them all out on the table as transparent as I could possibly be without opening myself up to him entirely.
At the end of it all, he chuckled and gave me a sincere, warm smile. “It’s no wonder your academics are suffering. While I cannot say I blame you for having these worries, I am afraid I cannot divulge much information.”
“What can you tell me?” I asked as I sank back in my seat. I needed something to go off of, anything that would set my mind at ease even a little.
“Our belief is that we can purify the essence,” Sleet began after a moment’s consideration. “If we can find a way to strip it of the malice and dark properties and reverse them, we can harness it as a weapon. Rather, much like Mister Prost does with the essence he possesses, we hope that we would be able to imbue it into a weapon and thus change the properties of the weapon itself.”
“You want to combine magic and physical weapons?” I stared in awe. “But isn’t that something that we can do already?”
Sleet held up a finger. “To an extent, yes, however, a weapon like this would have the capability to tear through even the most dreadful of monsters. Civilian and military casualties would decrease dramatically if we had that kind of power.”
“What will you do with it all once you’re able to harness it?”
To my utter shock, Sleet outright laughed. “Well, truth be told, I haven’t the foggiest idea of how we’re going to use it. It’s all just theorizing and tests for now. Until we get some definitive results, there isn’t much we’re able to do but spitball ideas. That’s not the answer you want, is it?”
I tried to bite my tongue, so I shook my head instead.
“I understand, Gryff,” he reasoned, “and I know that this is all very big stuff to handle, especially in your first year at the Academy.” Sleet moved around his desk and stood in front of me, so I forced my eyes up to meet his. “You have to trust me, Gryff. We are taking every measure we can to protect the outlying towns and villages. We are pooling all of the resources we have without blindly throwing first-year students to their deaths.”
I opened my mouth to argue that Nia and I were only first years. Layla as well, and we all risked our lives to take on that pyrewyrm, but Sleet cut me off with a smile.
“You still have a lot to learn. I’m not going to sacrifice you before you get the chance to show the world what summoners can really do.”
I had nothing left to say. I had come here, well, because I was summoned here, but I had come here to look for answers, and I was left with more questions than before. I stood and bowed my head politely as I walked away.
“Remember, Mr. Gryff, 8 PM this evening!” Sleet called after me.
I didn’t turn to acknowledge him.
Chapter 16
I felt pretty disconnected for the rest of the day. Sure, I was physically there in class with my friends, but I was mentally somewhere else. Still, I was coherent enough to take notes on the different kinds of toxins that monsters could spew and how to counteract all of them. I was able to focus on how pretty Nia’s hair was when it was braided, and how Layla’s lips appeared significantly more pink than usual. I suspected it was lipstick, but what did I know?
“I’ve had about enough of you being a mope, Gryff,” Layla commented when I sat across from her. “It’s dinnertime and you’ve been at it all day. Quite frankly, I’m over it, so buck the fuck up.”
I shot her a look of disbelief, even though I fully believed something that blunt could and did come out of her mouth.
“Thanks for noticing. I’ve been trying to perfect it over the last few days,” I retorted
“Looks like you’ve mastered it.” She cracked a smile, and I rolled my eyes.
“I think what Layla is trying to say is that you’ve been distant,” Braden chided as he shoveled mashed potatoes into his mouth. “It’s like you’re trying to take on the world by yourself.”
“I’m not,” I argued, but I dropped my head to stare at the remains of my roasted chicken.
“We talked about this, summoner.” Nia slid into the seat next to me and pointedly glared at me. “You don’t have to be everyone’s hero all the time.”
“I know, I know,” I mumbled and set my fork down on my plate with a defeated sigh. “I just…”
“Look,” Layla interrupted, “we get it, but we want you to be able to talk to us.” Her eyes were lighter, but there was a deep frown on her face that weighed them down.
“We’re your friends, too,” Braden put in. “Friendship works both ways.”
I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to drop everything in my head onto them in the middle of dinner, especially when my time was limited. I had somewhere to be at 8 o’clock.
“I’ll tell you all everything,” I promised. “Meet me in the courtyard outside the dorms. We can talk then.” I thought that was a fair compromise.
“Why can’t you tell us now?” Layla pouted and leaned her chin on her hands. “That’s not fair, ma
king us wait like that.”
“Layla,” I groaned, “I have to do that errand for the Headmaster tonight. I can’t blow off detention.”
Braden laughed. “Doesn’t Sleet already have a bitch to do his bidding?”
“That’s what the headmaster wants.” I shrugged. “Who am I to argue?”
“No one,” Nia teased.
“Not you, too,” I huffed.
“I’ll let you off easy this time, farm boy,” she quipped then tilted her head to look at me. “What time did you say you had to meet him by the carriages?”
“8 o’clock,” I said, and Nia’s eyes widened before she turned back to her plate without another word.
“What?” I asked, and when she didn’t say anything, I looked to Braden and Layla who looked as baffled as I did. “Nia?”
“Sorry,” she apologized and laughed a little to herself before she looked at me again. “Did he say if you’d be partnering with anyone?”
“No,” I shook my head, “he didn’t. Why?” I waggled my brows. “You volunteering?”
Nia scoffed. “Not a chance. I just find it interesting that Headmaster Sleet would have you go to the carriages at 8 o’clock.”
Braden stopped mid-bite. “Why? Is there something special that happens at the carriages at 8 o’clock?”
Nia looked between all of us, and I suddenly felt very small in the way she sized me up. “Not usually, but I overheard Varleth tell Miss Hamner that he would have to skip out on his training to run an errand for the Headmaster at the same time that you’re supposed to meet him there.”
I nearly choked on the roast that I’d just put in my mouth. “Come again?”
Nia simply shrugged and with that, there was little else to say. I didn’t know what to expect and wondered why the Headmaster would arrange something like this.
