Summoner 5 Read online

  Chapter 1

  Nia Kenefick had only been gone for a handful of hours when I was rudely awoken and summoned by none other than my favorite person to annoy.

  The events of the previous few days were still fresh in my mind, particularly the ones that surrounded Nia. After I’d made my recovery from my round in the Magicae Nito, I’d snuck off with her to a locked weapons storage and got lost in her body. I could still smell her perfume on my clothes, and the scent of her sex still stained my skin.

  Then, she was gone.

  Her father, General Gallahar Kenefick, took her to their second home in the Hartmire Enclave to mentally heal from the loss of her comrade in her round of the practical exam. I’d said my goodbyes to her with the knowledge that she would be back at the start of the next term, but I already missed her being nearby.

  The sun had barely peaked over the horizon, but Petyr knocked again on my dorm room door with the fervor of an imp with a hammer. I groaned as I rolled from the bed. Normally, I would have taken my time, but I didn’t want to risk the annoying little man waking Braden.

  When I opened the door, he stood up proper and feigned innocence, as though there was no reason for me to give him the nasty glare I was. He straightened his jacket and stuck his nose up at me.

  “You are to follow me, Mr. Gryff,” he informed me before he folded his hands in front of himself again.

  I rolled my eyes and half closed the door. I was only partially dressed in my proper attire and carried my cloak in my arms, but I had the foresight to grab the cipher I’d picked up in the Shadowscape during my round of the Magicae Nito. I locked the door behind me as we left, and I followed the tiny man through the halls. He didn’t lead me to Sleet’s office, which I thought was odd. Instead, he walked me to the other side of the hall and down a few sets of doors before he stopped and knocked.

  “Who else are you bothering at this hour?” I asked as I wiped the sleep from my eyes.

  “That is none of your concern,” he answered tersely, and I huffed, tired.

  Within seconds, the door creaked open, and Varleth stood before us, bleary-eyed and hair messy, not that his hair wasn’t usually messy, but it was messier than usual. Bedhead was not kind to Varleth.

  “Mr. Prost, Headmaster Sleet has summoned you and Mr. Gryff to his office, effective immediately,” Petyr told him.

  Varleth’s eyes met mine silently, and I waved. He nodded in acknowledgment, then slid back into his room to dress, I assumed. I took the time to put on my cloak properly and make myself more presentable as well. He popped back up a few moments later and closed his door behind him. The lock clicked, and we were on our way.

  “I take it you don’t do mornings either,” I teased, and I couldn’t resist flicking the strand of loose hair that stuck up from the side of his head.

  Varleth swatted my hand away and fruitlessly tried to smooth it down. After several attempts and no success, he gave up.

  “I’m more of a night owl, you could say.” He accentuated his declaration with a loud yawn, and I snorted.

  “So who is the lucky soul that gets to share a room with you?” I resisted reaching out to flick his hair again. I had the feeling the only reason I still had a hand after doing it the first time was that he was too tired to react accordingly. Another go at his hair, and I might have one limb less.

  Varleth stretched his arms over his head and side-eyed me. “I don’t have a roommate.”

  “What?” I blinked. I knew Nia wasn’t allowed one due to her father’s wishes, but I thought everyone else was basically required to have one. “Why not?”

  “I’m not really a people person.” The banisher shrugged. “It’s better this way.”

  I didn’t believe that, at least, not fully. Yeah, he wasn’t always the friendliest of people, but he really wasn’t so bad once you figured out how to get him out of his proverbial shell.

  Okay, maybe it wasn’t so farfetched, but still, the Headmaster didn’t care to take personal reasons into consideration when roommates were involved. That was the impression I had been under anyway. After all, I didn’t get a choice in the matter.

  I wouldn’t trade Braden for the world, though. I got lucky with him.

  After a moment of me staring at him skeptically, Varleth relented and smirked. “I’m kidding. There’s an odd number of students in year three. I volunteered to room alone. That’s all.”

  I shook my head with a smile. “You could have just said that from the start, you know.”

  “I could have,” he agreed, “but I find enjoyment in watching you flounder.”

  I snorted again. Asshole.

  “Hey, Petyr, what is this about?” I asked to change the subject.

  “As I have stated to you before, I am not privy to the Headmaster’s wishes and desires. Why he would want to speak to you is far beyond my comprehension,” Petyr sneered, and though I was offended, I found myself stifling a chuckle.

  “What does he ‘privy’ you to?” I retorted with a bit of a mocking tone.

  “Free meals and a roof over my head, if you must know,” he responded shortly.

  I left it at that. I didn’t want to piss off the little man too much. It was bad enough he never let us use the lift to go up to Sleet’s office and instead made us climb those ridiculous stairs. After the week I’d had, I wasn’t sure I needed the extra workout, and I knew my legs would scream at me by the time I reached the halfway mark.

  Sure enough, as Petyr led us up the stairs on this relatively overcast morning, I found myself huffing and puffing. By the time we reached the top, my clothes were near drenched, and I was using my cloak to fan myself down. Varleth, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have even broken a sweat. He looked completely composed, and when he looked me up and down and lifted a brow in question, I glared at him. I chalked his nonchalance up to weird gypsy magic.

  Petyr announced our arrival, but it wasn’t Sleet’s voice that thanked him. My spine stiffened when I saw Miriam Sharpay propped upright in front of Sleet’s desk. Her long, wrinkled fingers were clasped in front of her, and her thin lips were pursed in a straight line.

  “Good morning, gentleman,” she greeted with a sickeningly brisk tone, and I barely restrained myself from reeling back.

  I glanced at Varleth and was shocked to find he was also tense. I wondered why. I knew she had a bad reputation amongst summoners due to her less than humane view of them, but Varleth was a banisher. What reason did he have to hold any sort of animosity toward the councilwoman?

  I took note of how his fists were balled at his sides and how firmly his jaw was set. I would ask him about it later, but for now, my attention returned to Miriam.

  When Varleth didn’t respond to her greeting, I felt obliged to answer. I didn’t want to appear rude, though I was far less inclined to give her the time of day knowing she had an agenda.

  I opened my mouth to respond, but another voice beat me to it.

  “Good morning, Mr. Prost, Mr. Gryff.” Sleet stepped out from around his desk, and Varleth and I visibly relaxed a little. What did it say about Miriam Sharpay that she was the first to greet us in Sleet’s own office?

  “Good morning,” we replied in unison. Though I had the feeling the both of us were only responding to Sleet, Miriam seemed appeased by our response.

  Sleet motioned for the two of us to sit, but I was apprehensive. I didn’t much care for Miriam Sharpay to be standing over me so she could look down her nose at me even further, but I bit back my pride and did as expected. We both sat, rigid in our posture, and stared ahead.

  “I’m sure you are both wondering why I called you here this morning,” Sleet started, but he was interrupted by Miriam who held up her hand to silence him like a parent would when they heard enough from their child.<
br />
  I would know, because Maelor had done it to me in the past when I got too rowdy, and I hated it. It made me feel childish, especially as an adult.

  For another adult to silence someone as powerful as Sleet, well, it was a little striking.

  “I called you here to discuss the events of what happened during your round in the Magicae Nito,” Miriam explained as she made sure we knew she was the one who demanded our presence at this unholy hour.

  “What about it, ma’am?” I asked as politely as I could, which wasn’t saying much, because it still sounded bitter and cold, even to my own ears.

  “I want you to tell me everything in as much detail as possible,” she replied.

  I looked to Varleth, who shared the same incredulous look that I was sure was on my face. I had expected this conversation, sure, but not before I was barely awake, and certainly not before the councilwoman. I felt, however, that Miriam had waited specifically for General Gallahar Kenefick, Nia’s father, to leave so she couldn’t be outnumbered in this discussion. After all, we were only students. Our word would only go so far, and Erin and Gawain were still in the infirmary, so she would be missing half of the story anyway. With Gallahar out of the picture, she had more room to toss her power around.

  I wiped my hands over my face and took a deep breath. “I hope you are prepared for a long story, ma’am.”

  She brushed off my attempt to keep things as light-hearted as possible. “Just tell me what happened, Mr. Gryff.”

  So, I did. I told her everything from the ambush when we entered, to the capture of my baroquer, and then from splitting up and losing Gawain as he chased after the mysterious little girl. I told her about the rifts overlapping, the fight with the cyclops, and all the way up to my final bout with the pyrewyrm.

  As I recounted everything in as much detail as I could, she barely reacted. Sleet, on the other hand, looked more and more troubled the more I continued. I wondered what was going through his head, and what he was holding back because of present company.

  Miriam’s attention turned to Varleth, who didn’t even bother to look at her. He kept his eyes focused on the window behind her, as though he were watching the sun come up through the thickened clouds outside.

  “What about you?” she asked him, and he drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair.

  I then saw Sleet move around to glance at him which I think was the only reason he spoke.

  “Gryff told you, I split off from him and Erin to find the real catalyst,” he replied.

  “And?” she prompted, “You were successful?”

  Varleth looked floored. He glanced at Sleet, then finally, to her.

  “Obviously.” His reply was flat, and I covered my mouth to suppress the giggle that almost escaped me.

  “Forgive me, Mr. Prost, but I’m going to need a bit more than that,” Miriam said as she set a firm look on Varleth.

  I couldn’t be sure, but I had the impression this wasn’t their first meeting. I should have been tipped off when there weren’t any introductions made. What past did the two of them have?

  Varleth took a deep breath, likely to calm himself from snapping at her. Maker knew I wanted to.

  “When I went in search of the catalyst, I found myself in the inner part of Varle. The place was crawling with lesser monsters, imps, trolls, and the like, but they didn’t seem to pay me any mind.” He adjusted in his seat and leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees.

  “Regardless, I took the time I needed and snuck around them,” he continued. “Monsters are drawn to magic, as you know, so I thought it best to keep my use of it to a minimum if I could. I could sense the catalyst’s aura growing stronger the further I went in. Before I knew it, I was in the third district near the train station. That’s where the catalyst was. I destroyed it and then was escorted back to the Academy with the help of the citizens before I was picked up again by a few soldiers. Now, here we are, spending a lovely overcast morning together.”

  As he finished his story, I envied how easy he got off. No monster to fight, at least, none that he mentioned, but even if he didn’t care for Miriam, for whatever reason, I didn’t think he’d hold anything back from Headmaster Sleet.

  I knew I had, I’d purposely left out that I’d found a cipher. I wasn’t sure why I was inclined to do so, but I had a hunch it was something Sleet would have preferred kept hidden from Miriam.

  Speaking of the councilwoman, I watched as she considered our retelling with cold eyes and unreadable features. She hadn’t moved from her spot in front of Sleet’s desk since we arrived, but she finally did after a soft click of her tongue.

  “I’m sorry,” she told us curtly. “Forgive me if this comes off as brash, but I find your stories hard to believe.”

  “What?” I was on my feet in an instant, and had Sleet not reached over his desk to touch my shoulder in a gentle warning, I would have snapped right then.

  “I find it hard to believe a rift just happened to open whilst you were in the middle of your exam. The Academy grounds are made of xanayrstone specifically to keep monster gates from opening, yet there have been reports of two this year alone.” Miriam stopped in front of the window, then turned on us.

  “What are you implying?” I asked, and I dropped all formality from my tone. I wouldn’t be called a liar.

  “What I am implying, and I am most certain of, Mr. Gryff, is that there is something afoot here, and I have full belief you and your esteemed Headmaster have attempted to play me at a ruse.”

  My mouth fell open, and my fists curled at my sides as I gritted my teeth. How in the world could someone be so high and mighty that they were blind to what was right in front of them? It was at that moment I remembered Maelor’s words I’d heard so many times over the years.

  The Enclave life was for cowards, and Miriam Sharpay was afraid.

  I bit my tongue at the realization but held my narrowed stare at her while Sleet came around his desk to address her properly.

  “Miriam, you are being unreasonable,” he said with a sigh. Sleet’s spine was tired, and he sagged a little on his feet where he was normally upright and upbeat. “You simply cannot believe we had the time to put together any sort of foul play, especially right under your nose.”

  “I can, and I do,” Miriam squeaked, and she marched past us, arms crossed impossibly tight in front of her. “Do you mean to tell me the precautions that we have taken to keep the citizens safe in the Enclaves have been for naught?”

  “Not for naught,” Sleet started as he turned to follow her, “but Gallahar and I agree that--”

  “General Kenefick is not here, so I suggest you speak for yourself, Marangur.” Miriam all but stomped her foot as she whirled on him and leaned in so close I could feel the heat from their tempers rise between them.

  “Very well,” Sleet continued, “I believe a new form of protection is in order, and your incapability to see the xanayrstone is no longer a viable option puts not only Varle and this Academy at risk but every other Enclave and school as well!” Sleet raised his voice as he stepped even closer to Miriam, and she flinched back, though it was minor and hardly visible unless one stood exactly where I had been.

  “You mark my words, Sleet,” she growled. “I will have your job, and when I do, there will be no more of these supposedly freak accidents in which you send unqualified riffraff to handle.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but again, Sleet cut me off with the faintest of nods.

  Miriam’s gaze cut to me and Varleth, who had come to stand at my side.

  “Your words may have this daft old man fooled, but a story as fabricated as this will not fly in the council,” she threatened. “You’ll be hearing from the Grand Mage himself.” Then she looked back at Sleet, and her cold eyes were ablaze with fury. “As for you, I will be telling Silas you are no longer fit to run this Academy. Your age has blinded you to what’s best for the community of mages.”

  Miriam turned on a dime and began to sa
unter toward the lift.

  She was really going to walk away with a threat like that? I didn’t think so.

  “You’re wrong!” I called after her, and she stopped but didn’t face me. I floundered as I tried to think up a better argument, but nothing came to me that wasn’t completely out of line. I didn’t like her, and Maker knew she deserved the words that sat on my tongue, as venomous as they were, but I wanted to stay here, and spewing said venom would have certainly landed me the first train ticket to the furthest station from Varle in a heartbeat.

  “No, Mr. Gryff. I am not. The simple fact that you can’t see that is proof your headmaster is not fit for his position.” As Miriam entered the lift, she flashed me a cruel smirk that sent a harsh shiver down my spine.

  When she was out of sight I growled and nearly knocked Varleth off his feet when I whirled around to stand at the window. I needed to focus on something, anything not in this room. I needed to ground myself before I flew completely off the handle.

  This was not what I wanted to deal with first thing in the morning.

  I looked over Varle as the clouds broke. Rain teemed and the downpour began, and lightning flashed in the sky as the clouds met and rumbled. The weather outside reflected my mood, stormy and full of rage.

  A gentle hand on my shoulder forced me to relax. Sleet’s wrinkled skin was cool, even through my mostly dried uniform.

  “Do not let her under your skin, Gryff,” he advised.

  “How, sir? She hits all of the right triggers,” I argued as I sagged a little.

  To my shock, Sleet chuckled. “Yes, Miriam does have that uncanny ability, but worry not. While we have not seen the last of her, I have no intentions of allowing her the joy of taking away my duty as Headmaster of this Academy.”

  “From where I stand, she could use a little joy in her life,” Varleth scoffed and sank back into the chair he was in before.

  “You said it.” I snorted at his comment without looking away from the rain.

  Sleet removed his hand, and I heard his footsteps as he paced.

  “I will worry about Miriam Sharpay. You needn’t concern yourselves with her,” he told us. “However, if there is anything either of you left out of your recounting of the Magicae Nito, now would be the opportune time to divulge that.”