by Eric Vall
Time flew by. Braden, ever studious, finished his first with plenty of time to spare. I finished with about ten minutes left, and as I set my booklet on Rori’s desk, he looked at me with an approving smile. I headed back to my seat as Layla stood and turned in her exam as well. When we were all sitting again, Rori stood and came around the front of his desk again.
“Excellent job,” he commended.
“You haven’t even graded them yet.” I stared at him from my seat, and Rori shook his head.
“I have confidence in the three of you,” he stated plainly. “You lot are gonna be just fine during the Magicae Nito.”
I was taken aback. Surely this wasn’t the same Rori that I had come to blows with my very first session with him. No, this was a changed man, a man that wanted a better future for summoners, for himself. I couldn’t help but feel like I was a part of that.
“Thank you.” I smiled sincerely, and Rori waved us off.
“Go on now,” he said, “I’ll see you all during your practicals.”
Braden and I stood as Layla walked back to her desk. Then we grabbed our bags and gave Rori a final wave before we headed back to the main building on campus.
“How do you think you did?” Braden asked once we were out of the warehouse.
“Fine,” I replied with a shrug. “There wasn’t really anything on the test that was overwhelming or wasn’t within our range of knowledge.”
Layla smirked. “Of course you had no trouble. You have more business running that class than Mr. Brevins does.”
“Maybe,” I chuckled. I supposed that could be something to consider in my future. Arwyn was able to juggle being a squad leader and a teacher. If she could do it, I knew I could, too.
The day seemed to breeze by with how the exam schedules ran. By the time I was done with my last exam of the year, it was already past our normally scheduled lunch time. I guess Sleet figured that it would be easier to cram all the written exams into a few hour blocks and have meals right before and after to break them up. It gave students who had to take the Magicae Nito that night a few hours to rest or practice. I wasn’t sure I understood why the event didn’t just begin tomorrow to give everyone a fresh start, but surely, Sleet had his reasons. He normally did.
When I finally plopped into my seat in the dining hall, I was famished. I couldn’t dig into my roasted chicken fast enough, and I pulled it from the bone like a barbarian that had to fight for scraps.
“Real classy, farm boy.” Nia turned her nose up and scoffed as she went back to drinking her tea.
“I missed breakfast,” I complained through bites of my chicken.
Nia gave a half shrug and turned her attention away from me. “Are you ready, Braden?” she asked him as he poured over the stacks of books he had gathered in preparation for his round in the Magicae Nito.
He swallowed thickly. “I don’t know, Nia. Every time I think I’ve got it down, I feel like I’m forgetting something important.”
“You know what you’re doing, Braden,” Nia assured him. “I can say with certainty that there is nothing in those books that is going to prepare you for what lies within the Shadowscape. You just have to trust in everything that we’ve learned and then apply it to the best of your knowledge.”
“It also helps to not be afraid of your monsters,” Layla added, and Nia and I glared at her from across the table. “What? It’s true.”
Braden groaned. “I’m going to fail so hard.”
“Hey now,” I interjected after I gulped down my last bit of chicken, “what happened to the Braden that was just telling me a few weeks ago that he was ready to take the next step in bettering his relationship with his monsters and getting stronger?”
He took a deep breath, and I could see him try to refocus himself and push his fear aside as he did.
“You’re right, Gryff,” he sighed finally. “I just have to give it my best shot.”
“See? There you go!” I reached across the table and met him for a high five. “You’ve got this, man!”
“Yeah!” he yelled back, and I saw the girls roll their eyes as we sat back down.
“Stop yelling,” Nia scolded and pinched my arm.
“Ow!” I yelped and rubbed the spot with a slight pout. “What’s with you today?”
Nia huffed and looked away again as she went back to her tea. “It isn’t anything to worry yourself about, Gryff.”
“Um, I think I have a lot of reason to worry myself over it,” I retorted. It wasn’t like her to be so snippy to me, well, not anymore. I was concerned. Braden and Layla gave her the same expectant look, and she sighed heavily as she put her tea down heavily on the table.
“My father will be in attendance for the duration of the Magicae Nito.” She frowned and twirled her finger around her spoon. It lifted and dropped into her cup of tea and stirred in the same motion as her finger. I was fascinated by the way she was able to manipulate even the most mundane objects.
“Oh,” I said.
“That’s a pretty big deal.” Braden reeled back a little. “Does he usually attend?”
“Yes, but it’s an even bigger deal because his little girl is going to be taking part,” she drawled.
“At least you have family who wants to come to see you.” Layla took an unnecessarily harsh stab into her salad and frowned, then shrugged.
Nia hung her head, and her long hair fell across the table. “I’m sorry to burden you with my issues.”
“It’s not a burden,” I cut in. I felt bad for Layla because I knew her family life wasn’t the greatest, but I also knew that Nia hadn’t spoken to her father since the holiday several weeks ago. It was sure to be an awkward reunion. “I’m sure he’ll want to apologize for the last visit with you.”
“My father is not the apologizing type,” she sighed, but then her lips curved up into a slight smile when she met my eyes. “But thanks.”
“Let’s all cheer up, okay?” I suddenly found myself in an odd position as I tried to lift everyone’s spirits. “We’re all in this together. Family, exams, whatever. As long we have one another, we’re unstoppable.”
I looked at Braden and pointed at him. My finger almost touched the tip of his nose as I did, and he leaned back to stare at it. “You are going to kick ass in the Magicae Nito tonight. Everything you know is up here.” I pointed to his head, and then his heart. “You just have to feel it in here.”
I then turned to Layla and pointed at her. She scoffed and tried to ignore me, but I knew she couldn’t for long. “You have tons of love and support right here in all of us. Hell, even Maelor is going to be here to cheer you on! You don’t need your family to validate your abilities.”
A sweet little blush crept up on Layla’s cheeks, and she even smiled a little. It was a small victory, but a victory all the same.
“And the same goes for you.” I pointed at Nia. “So what if your father is going to be here? He doesn’t define who you are. You do, and your performance in the Magicae Nito is your chance to prove that to him.”
I wasn’t sure where I was going with all these pep talks, but I wanted my friends to feel better. They had always done their best to pull me out of my ruts. The least I could do for them was return the gesture. What kind of friend would that make me if I didn’t?
I watched as their faces all gradually relaxed, and it felt good to know that my words meant that much to them.
“Better?” I asked hopefully, and they nodded simultaneously. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come on.” Layla stood and motioned for us to follow. “Let’s go check out the arena.”
I wasn’t sure what had prompted that response, but I didn’t want to argue. She wasn’t going to sit and sulk, so that was a plus. We stood and let her lead the way. That was usually how it ended up in our group. She just had an energy about her that couldn’t be held back. It was part of her charm.
We walked the path back to the arena, the same as we had the day before, but it was differ
ent now. The path was lined with torches that blazed in the colors of the different types of magic: green, white, red, and blue. Banners in the same hues decorated the outside walls of the arena, and the names of every student that was to participate scrolled in a horizontal line like a marquee along the top of the wall.
“Whoa,” I stood, completely star struck. “This is incredible!”
Beside me, Nia giggled. “Wait until you see the inside.”
I looked at her, then back to the arena before I broke into a run. My excitement boiled over, and I had to see it now.
“Gryff, wait!” she called after me, but I didn’t stop even as I passed Layla. I heard the footfalls of my friends start behind me, and the grin that had spread on my face felt like it would split me in two.
I finally came to a stop once I was inside, and my jaw dropped. A giant, translucent dome covered the top of the arena, almost like a giant bubble. The stands were decorated in the same mage colors as the flames and banners outside, and the tower in the back was done up in gold. I could only assume that was where people like Sleet and Nia’s father would watch the event from.
“It doesn’t seem like much now,” Nia started, “but come tonight, this place is going to be unrecognizable.”
She pointed to the dome as Braden and Layla came up along my other side. “All of this will replicate the inside of the Shadowscape using projection and fabrication magic.”
I blinked rapidly as I tried to wrap my brain around her words. “Really?”
“Yes.” She smiled brightly, and I had the impression she was taking pleasure in my reaction to everything she said. “You think it’s only going to be as big as the arena, but once you’re inside, it is just as expansive as being in the real thing. The only difference is that even though you won’t be able to see the crowd while you’re inside, they will be able to see you.”
“That’s amazing,” I gasped. I couldn’t wait to experience it for myself, and I definitely wanted to know more about the kind of magic they used to make that happen. Maybe that was something I should ask Arwyn the next time I saw her.
It all felt so surreal, like it didn’t belong to me, or rather that I didn’t belong in it, but here I was, and I can’t remember ever having felt more alive.
I was going to get to prove myself in front of the entire school.
Then, there would be no question about the power of summoners.
Chapter 5
What Nia had said about the inside of the arena being even better at night was no joke.
As the four of us approached the arena again later that evening, I could tell there was a definite change in the atmosphere. There was excited chatter as groups of people let the hype finally settle in their bones. Some of them wore war paint on their faces and arms to root for their friends, and I thought the gesture, though maybe a little much, was sweet. It was always nice to see that kind of comradery between friends.
Concessions were set up in booths outside of the arena for those who planned to watch from the stands, and the smells that emanated from them were delightful. Stands serving roasted nuts, candies, popped corn, and barbequed meat skewers among other things lined the path and assaulted my nostrils until dabs of drool pooled in the corners of my lips.
Braden was dressed for battle, save for the flares, communicator, and mask. His crystals were tucked at his side in a white leather pouch that I hadn’t seen before. In fact, it looked rather new since the leather was still stiff.
“New purse?” I teased, and Braden put a startled hand over his chest. He must have been lost in his thoughts, and I wondered if he still had doubts about his exam.
“Picked it up last week while the traveling market was in town,” he replied after he calmed down.
I dropped my jaw and looked between my friends as I whined. “You went without me?”
It wasn’t like I had made it super well known that it had been something I had always wanted to go to. It was best comparable to a caravan of gypsies or some other traveling show, but instead of performers, merchants set themselves up along a vacant strip or plot of land and sold various wares. Leathers, potions and ingredients, and even essence crystals. Somehow, I had always missed it, though. I’d get there one of these days.
“Sorry, Gryff.” Braden smiled sheepishly.
I sighed. I couldn’t be mad at them for something like that, so I waved it off.
“No worries,” I said and then smirked. “So, what’s in the bag?”
Braden returned the smirk and tapped the pouch affectionately. “My ember eagle, of course,” he started, “a couple of smaller monsters, and a new one that I picked up at the market as well.”
I resisted the whine this time and simply went for a mock pout. “You got cool monsters without me, too?”
“Don’t be so greedy,” Layla teased. “Braden deserves to have cool monsters, too.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I defended, but she was right. I grinned and put my hand on my hip. “So, then did you get any new crystals?”
“As a matter of fact, I did.” She winked. “I’m pretty pumped about it, actually.”
“I can’t wait to see them.” Goosebumps pricked my skin as excitement rushed through my veins.
“Do you even know what these new monsters are?” Nia asked.
“Well, I know what mine is,” Layla nodded, “but I can’t speak for Braden’s. It feels powerful, though.”
With that boast, Nia and I looked to Braden.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” he said evasively as he backpedaled with his hands out in front of him.
“Nonsense,” I interjected. “Let me see it.”
We stepped to the side of the path, and Braden undid the snap on his pouch. He rummaged for a moment before he pulled out a crystal that was a little smaller than my palm, one that would have fit in Layla’s like a pitchball. It was coffee colored and smooth, unlike some crystals that had a tendency to be jagged.
He placed the crystal in my hand, and I immediately felt the energy stir. It wasn’t a big monster, but there was most definitely a monster that could hold its own on the inside.
“Do you know what it is?” I asked curiously.
Braden nodded as he took it back from me and placed it back in his pouch. “You’re just going to have to be patient and find out.”
I gawked, then laughed. “All right, big guy. I see how it is.”
The girls laughed at our banter as we continued to walk toward the front of the arena, though it wasn’t long until we were stopped again. When we did, a sudden weight thudded into my back, and long legs wrapping around my waist almost caused me to topple over. Still, I managed to keep my footing as Cyra, Maelor’s new travel companion, clung to me.
“Shouldn’t you be dead?” she teased with a grin that was a few inches from my lips.
I laughed as I stepped off the path again to set her down and give her a proper hug. Her chocolate skin and dark brown hair stood out in comparison to the majority of Varle, but it was a lovely contrast.
“Why? Looking to inherit my good looks?” I taunted, but she was nothing short of beautiful in her own right. Full lips and curvy hips enticed every onlooker that passed.
Her grin widened as her eyes roamed up and down my body, but then Maelor strolled up from behind her and grunted with annoyance.
“Just picked her up from the station,” he told us. “How about a hello to your old mentor? Ya insolent fuck--”
“I just saw you a few days ago,” I laughed at the old man, “and you were less cranky.”
“I remember,” he groaned. “I’m not senile yet. Just pointing out that you like Cyra more than me.”
“She’s definitely easier on the eyes and smells a lot better.”
“Maelor said you’re well again,” Cyra continued as she ignored Malor’s comments.
I nodded with a cocky grin as my friends joined us. “Yeah, better than ever.”
“That’s good to hear.” She sighed hap
pily as she held her palm out.
I was about to ask why when I saw a small silver dragon with bright pink wings wiggle out of her sleeve with a yawn and a puff of smoke.
“I almost forgot about you, Kalon.” I laughed a little and scratched the top of the dragon’s head. “You really are a small one.”
“Oh, she gets bigger,” Cyra reminded me. I had just gotten out of the Shadowscape after the battle with the baroquer in Bathi Highlands when I met the little dragon.
“You don’t keep her in a crystal?” Layla asked, and her eyes sparkled with fascination.
Cyra shook her head. “No need, especially when she’s in this form. She’s as tame as they come. More like a pet than anything.”
Kalon made a high-pitched sound before she flapped her wings and fluttered around Layla’s head. Then the dragon made a few rounds before she landed and nested in the short girl’s hair.
“Besides, she doesn’t care much for confinement.” Cyra laughed as Kalon made herself comfortable. “Hope you don’t mind. Once she settles, she’s good for a long while.”
Layla shook her head and tried to hide her pleasure. “Nah, she’s cool. She can stay there for as long as she wants.”
“Excited for the Magicae Nito?” I asked the mocha-skinned beauty.
“I guess.” Cyra’s answer fell flat as she made a face. “I mean, I am, but I’m still on the fence about the Academy life. Seems a lot like a prison if you ask me.”
I watched as her eyes wandered the grounds of the school. She had told us before that she had grown up in an Enclave, and that she was supposed to go to the Kalgon’quin Academy, but ran off the night before they were going to pick her up.
