by Eric Vall
“Don’t mention it.” She glared. “I mean it, do not mention it. And no more sitting with me during dining hours.”
I put my hands up in surrender. “You win, your Highness.”
She scoffed. “Good night, Gryff.” She grabbed for the doorknob, but when she turned and pulled it, it wouldn’t budge. “What the?” She tried it again and again, each time using a bit more force, but it didn’t give. She gave it a resounding kick and snarled at it. I could only manage a chuckle.
“Looks like you're stuck with me, Lady Kenefick.”
“Maker help me,” she muttered.
Just then, the other door opened and in walked who I could only assume was my very large roommate. More ox than man, he came in shirtless which revealed his massive frame, with a torso corded in muscle, and a neck the size of my body. He only wore expensive looking silk night trousers but used a towel to wipe his face dry.
“You must be my new roommate,” he said through the towel. His voice was so deep that his throat seemed to rumble. “There’s a trick to the door, you have to--” He removed the towel, and when he saw Nia, he froze.
“Y-y-you’re… y-you.” He looked at me, his dark grey eyes wide. He had a square, pudgy face that looked as solid as stone. Large fat nose and big ears, everything about him was huge and muscular. I was in good shape, but next to him, I felt puny, but his reaction to Nia was strange.
“W-what i-i-i-is she d-d-doing here?” he stammered.
I cracked a grin and scratched my head, “Well, I, you see …”
His face flushed, his tanned skin turned red. “Oh …” He looked at Nia. “W-wow. F-f-first day and y-you g-g-g-get with a K-k—”
Nia was lighting fast. She whipped out a dagger from beneath her dining robes and had it pressed up against my roommate’s neck before he could even say her name.
“That was not what was happening here. I was just helping this idiot find his room, because he is an idiot. If you”—she turned and pointed the knife in my direction— “or you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will personally gut you and feed you to the monsters we practice on. Understand?”
I agreed. My roommate, despite his immense size, looked petrified. I didn’t blame him. He nodded like his life depended on it, which, judging by the look in her eyes, it did. Satisfied, she returned the dagger to wherever she kept it hidden. She grinned wickedly at my roommate.
“Good,” she said, then patted his cheek. “Now, you boys be good and don’t ever talk to me again.” All we could do was nod.
The sound of people outside in the hall made her curse. Instead of using the door, she crossed the room to the window, unlatched it, and hopped out without so much as a word or a look back at us. Never mind that we were on the second floor. I wasn’t worried at all for her though.
We stood frozen for a few more seconds before my roommate let out a long sigh. “Wow, that was something.” He ran a hand through his short cropped brown hair. His stammer was gone too. Must have been a nervous thing.
“Yeah, it was.”
He smiled, a big, broad, full-teeth smile. “Well, where are my manners and decorum? I’m Braden Flint. I didn’t expect to get a roommate, but it’ll be nice to have a friend.”
“I’m Gryff.” His grip was strong, no surprise.
“Sounds like you had one exciting first day if Nia Kenefick was involved,” he said.
I smirked. “You have no idea.”
Chapter 6
I was awoken by a loud knock on the door. As I groaned, sat up, and wiped my eyes, I found that only the faint glow of dawn came through the window, the sun not yet high enough to be seen over the walls. That meant that it was too early for school, according to what Braden had told me. I wasn’t a stranger to waking up at the crack of dawn to work, but that didn’t mean I liked it.
The knock came again. Braden didn’t budge, while his loud snores practically shook his bed. So I swung my legs out from under the sheets and onto the floor and made my way over the warm wood floor to the wall. I pulled on the doorknob and was annoyed when it didn’t open. I remembered what Braden had told me, so I pulled it to me and lifted up as I turned it. That did the trick, and the door opened with a creak. What a pain.
One of the general workers I’d spotted around the grounds stood before me. He was tall and lanky with a narrow face and small eyes. His black hair was slicked back. He wore a buttoned-up workman’s tunic with overalls on top. He looked just as tired as I felt, but we all had to do our jobs, didn’t we?
“The Headmaster requests your presence in his office before your classes.”
Of course. “Did he say why?”
The worker shook his head. “It’s not my place to question him. Get dressed, please.”
I closed the door on him and pulled out my uniform. All the men wore fine cashmere trousers and fine dress shirts with a ton of buttons and cufflinks. My trousers were navy blue, for my summoner status. The elementals got khaki, and the adepts had grey. It was odd how my uniform fit perfectly. Maybe the Headmaster had sized me once I’d passed out. That was an uncomfortable thought, but it was probably best that I didn’t bring it up in our meeting.
My summoner class robes weren’t as bulky or nice as the dining robes had been. This one was more like a nice jacket with a cloak attached. The material was thicker too, and more versatile. These robes were for everyday use, for combat and the like.
Once I was done, I gathered my bag and books. I didn’t fancy having to come all the way back here before class to retrieve them.
I opened the door and followed the worker. He led me out of the dorm and back to the main school building. At the main foyer, we went up the grand staircase to the second level and down that immediate hallway. It ran above the main hall that led to the dining hall, but it stopped a bit short at a narrow winding stairwell that led high up. I pictured the outside of the building and realized that this was the tall central tower.
The worker inclined his head to me. “The headmaster’s office is up there. Good day, summoner.”
He seemed really annoyed with me, or maybe he was just really tired and didn’t feel like dealing with anyone or anything. Either way, he left in a huff and strode away as fast as he could. I bet it wasn’t fun having to work for a bunch of magical Enclavers who looked down on anyone who wasn’t like them. Rough.
I made the long climb up the stairs. And it was a climb. It was the tallest point of the academy and took me more than ten minutes to reach the top. By the time I came to the smooth wooden door at the top, I was drained, and my uniform was stained with sweat. What a great look for my first day. How on earth did the headmaster make this climb multiple times a day? It had to be magic. I didn’t know what kind, but a man his age was not scaling those steps that often, not without help.
My breathing was labored, so I took a moment to catch my breath and wipe some of the sweat from my brow before I knocked. Once I felt a little more presentable, I rapped my knuckles against the door.
A pause, then a few seconds later, a muffled, “Come in.”
I pulled the door open and stepped inside. My breath caught in my throat.
Headmaster Sleet’s office was a wide, circular room, the walls lined from floor to pointed ceiling with books. The air smelled of leather and ancient pages, and I could just make out the fading scent of tobacco smoke. In between some of the bookcases were the mounted heads of monsters. All kinds, cyclopes, dragons, trolls, gagalleons, witherclaws, giants. I had the sense that he had personally dispatched each and every one. But the most spectacular sight was the wide window opposite me. It flooded the room with the light of the dawn.
Sitting just in front of that window, bathed in sunrise, was the headmaster at his large mahogany desk, stacked high with books, papers, and other administrative baubles.
Mister Sleet looked up at me from his book. “Good, I’m glad you got here quick. I’d hate for you to be late on your first day.”
I barely heard him as I moved past him and stood at the w
indow. I looked down at the world before me.
His office overlooked the entirety of Varle. The cityscape stretched out before me like a brilliant mosaic. The sun rising over the walls painted the whole city in a serene orange glow. I could make out the silhouettes of the city, the various spires that rose from the richer districts, the cathedral we passed earlier, as well as a second one on the opposite hill. There were bell towers and dozens of tall, skinny spires to tether the airships. From here, the stationary airships looked so much bigger as they hovered nearby. If this was what it felt like to be so high up, then I couldn’t wait to fly in one of those contraptions.
“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” the headmaster asked behind me, his voice awed.
All I could do was nod. It was absolutely one of the most beautiful scenes I’d ever witnessed. I could see why someone might want to make that climb several times a day.
I knew I couldn’t stare at it all day though, so I stepped back and faced mister Sleet. “You wanted to see me?”
He nodded. “Yes,” he said and gestured at the chair in front of his desk. “Please, have a seat.” I did so. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together in front of him. “Do you know why you are here?”
“N-no? You just called me up here.”
He chuckled. “No, my boy. Do you know why you are at this Academy?”
“Oh.” I took a moment to gather my thoughts. “Because I’m a powerful mage?”
“Yes, but more than that, I brought you here because you can change things for the better.” He fixed me with a steely gaze that I swore could see right through me. Like he could read my heart and my soul.
“I don’t understand.”
“We have been using summoners all wrong. Or, at the minimum, we haven’t been maximizing their potential.” He stood up and pointed at all the monsters. “Summoners have traditionally been used to summon powerful monsters like these and use one ultimate attack to take down huge threats. But these beasts are difficult to control, even for the most skilled summoner, and it uses most of a summoner’s mana.”
“So, you don’t do what I do?”
He shook his head violently. “Not at all, like I told you earlier. No one does what you do. I’ve never seen someone control so many monsters at once, and the way you stack and combine their abilities to create something new and powerful. The way you adapted to your situation and cooly assessed the weaknesses of attacking monsters, that was special.”
I nodded as I started to realize how far off my view of magic and summoners actually was. “I never would have thought that I was different. I just did what felt natural.”
“That’s good. Your instincts are fantastic, and we need those same instincts to be instilled into future summoners.” He went and stood in front of the large windows, his hands behind his back. “Most summoners utilize simple monster labor, they build or mine or lift heavy things. Others perform support functions in battle. These are important in their own way, but what you did showed me that we could have a whole other class of mage that can level the playing field with the monsters.”
He came back to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “You, Gryff, you are change. You can give humanity a better chance against the monsters that we fight every day.”
That was a lot of responsibility. I still found it odd that what I did wasn’t normal. I just used common sense to combine my monster’s attacks and abilities. That didn’t sound too special to me.
“Well, why do you need me, specifically?” I asked, my eyes narrowed.
The Headmaster chuckled and shook his head. “We can’t just tell everyone what you did at that town. They wouldn’t believe it.”
“But you’re Marangur Sleet!” I shouted, my hands out. “You’re a legend and the headmaster of an Academy. I’d think that your word would have some sway.”
He crossed his arms and frowned. “It does, but you have to understand that summoners are looked down upon, seen as useless in a magical sense. Some things are so preposterous that it doesn’t matter who says it. That’s why I need you to prove them all wrong.”
“Prove them wrong?” I furrowed my brows and folded my arms.
“Yes. Show them what you can do. Make the grades, impress your teachers and fellow students. Make them take you seriously. That is the task that I have for you. Do you think you can handle that?”
Show up a bunch of elitist Enclave pricks? I sure could. “Yes, sir.”
He smiled. “Good. Now naturally, I can’t show you any special treatment, or this whole experiment fails. You understand?” I nodded. I wouldn’t need his help, anyway. “Excellent.” He clapped his hands together.
“Am I free to go now?”
He sat down and began to rifle through his papers. “Yes, yes. Petyr will show you to your first class. And would you like to use my lift instead of the stairs? They can be quite taxing to climb up and down.
I nearly sobbed. “Yes, I would appreciate that, Mister Sleet.”
He wagged his finger at me. “Ah, ah. It’s either Headmaster Sleet or just Headmaster. We have roles here on campus. Out there in the heat of things, we can be less formal, but let's try to play our parts well in here, hmm?”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“Good.” He pointed to a small door that I hadn’t noticed between two of the bookcases. “The lift is in there. I hope you have a wonderful first day at the Varle Academy of Magic, Mister Gryff.”
“Thank you, Headmaster.”
I stood from my seat and grabbed my bag. I opened the door and stepped into a small metal cage-like device. There was a button on the console to my right. There was no other lever or switch, so I pressed the button. The cage suddenly jerked and swayed, and my heart nearly dropped into my stomach. But it evened out, and I began to descend.
Even with the bumpy start, the way down was much more pleasant than the way up, and I arrived within a minute. So much better. I opened the waiting door and stepped out. The worker from before, Petyr, was waiting for me. He still scowled.
“Come,” he said. So I followed.
He led me to the foyer again, and this time we went down the hall that led to my dorm, but we took a right down one of the adjoining halls. Here I began to see students walking frantically, some that practically skipped. I cursed. Was I late already for my first day? It hadn’t felt like I’d been up there too long.
A couple of more turns and we came to another hallway, one that was narrow and dimly lit and ended in a single door that was wide open. I could see students sitting in desks within, and a familiar voice speaking over the class.
Petyr nodded and began to walk away without so much as a second glance. “Have fun, summoner.”
He needed to lighten up. Or drink. Maybe both of those.
My body was shot with nerves, but I had to get over them. So I cracked my neck, took a deep breath, and strode into the room.
It was in the shape of an oval, with a thick crown-molded overhand around the ceiling. The walls were lined with old maps, diagrams, and anatomical drawings of monsters for study. Two narrow windows let in the dim morning light. Of course, I only glanced at all of that. What really drew my attention were the twenty pairs of eyes that borrowed into me as I walked into the room.
As I scanned the faces that stared back at me, I spotted a few I recognized, like Nia, who sat in the very front and glared at me. Near her was that Gawain fellow who reeked of cologne. I could still smell it. I saw Braden sitting in the back, which was a relief to know that we shared this class. The rest of the faces were foreign to me, but that just meant more people to prove wrong.
Then I heard her voice, a joy. She was right in front of me, really. “Ah, Gryff, you made it. The headmaster said you might be late.”
Miss Arwyn. I tried my best not to gape at her. She wore white silk robes over a tight corseted shirt and a long skirt. Her hair was tied back. She looked incredible as ever, and she was my teacher. I should have realized that she was a teacher at the school when we
arrived. I mean, it wasn’t as if she would have just been a regular worker.
I gave her an awkward wave as I walked into the room. “Hello.”
She smiled. “Gryff was supposed to be here at the start of the semester, but there were some… complications that delayed him. No matter, we’ll be sure to catch you up to speed.”
There were a few snickers from the class, some scoffs, and a lot of bored indifference. Miss Arwyn directed me to an empty desk in the back of the room, two seats removed from Braden. So I marched back there and looked as many people in the eye as I could and gave them smiles and nods. More scoffs, snorts, and eye rolls. That just fueled me.
I sat behind a man about my age, with slicked-back red hair and a thick beard of the same color. He had the white uniform of an adept, with deep grey trim. His nose was at an uncomfortable permanent angle. His light green eyes looked me up and down as I passed. He gave me a firm nod. I took a seat behind him. He quickly swiveled around and offered me his hand.
“Folli Dedarian, metalist.”
I shook his hand. “Gryff, as she just said. Obvious summoner.”
“Hmm.” His lips stayed at a line, but I thought I saw a hint of a smile. but before I could say anything more, he turned back around and faced the front. Oh well. I guessed it was time to learn.
The rest of the class passed in a blur. Arwyn explained that her class was more of a general studies introduction class, with such subjects as magical fundamentals, learning about general magic use and the different types, history, and so forth. Today was simply a history lesson, one that even my uneducated self knew about. Arwyn droned on about the first portals that appeared more than a century ago. It was at that same time that people began to demonstrate magical abilities.
“Now, for some extra credit, only one test point mind you, who can tell me the exact date of the first portal to appear?”
I was stumped. I knew the year but the actual day didn’t seem that important. A few hands went up, but one hand went up practically as Miss Arwyn asked the question. Nia.
“July 16th, 1790 be.” She said it so matter-of-factly, which I supposed it was. I knew this history well enough, but I knew virtually next to nothing about the bm period of world history, that being before magic and monsters.
