‘Perhaps you’ll do me the honour of conducting the exam Master Youally,’ Seiya caught Amaran’s scathing tone as the others got to their feet again, all summonings abandoned. Still low enough to see Youally’s expression Seiya was shocked at the murderous fury on the Master’s face.
‘You think you can defeat me?’ Youally laughed mockingly at Amaran’s challenge but it sounded forced, even carried on the wind to Seiya. Her escape had been forgotten as the two called forth their demons, the sensation slowly fading away as she was carried out of sight.
Chapter Twenty-Four
‘I’m telling you to avoid Carapel.’
Seiya looked questioningly towards her father who motioned for her to stay and listen; Rodyn, the merchant he was talking to, acted as middle agent taking their horses to distant markets to be sold. It was an easy way to spread their name without incurring the risks and costs of travelling themselves. Seiya suspected that although the man insisted on a reduced price he made a handsome profit, charging far more than he could locally. Not that she was complaining, her father claimed that customers were coming from increasingly further afield to seek out one of their horses.
‘Carapel?’ Seiya queried, nodding to Rodyn in greeting.
‘It’s the capital of Hyuanin,’ Rodyn shifted his stance so he was addressing her as well, ‘north west of here.’
‘What’s happened?’ Seiya could see her father was frowning but couldn’t understand why, they’d never go anywhere near Hyuanin, never mind Carapel.
‘You’ve heard of summoners,’ Seiya’s stomach lurched at the merchant’s words and she strove to hide the way her breath caught in her throat. Her father’s reaction was less obvious, at least to those who didn’t know him, the muscles in his cheek twitching as he clenched his jaw, eyes hardening.
‘Well they’re ruling there now.’ Rodyn carried on, blithely unaware of his audience’s distress. ‘Just turned up one day with these demons and before you know it Lord Flaviel has disappeared and the soldiers are following the summoners orders.’
‘Can’t blame ‘em though,’ Rodyn shrugged philosophically, ‘what could anyone do against monsters like that?’
‘Why avoid it?’ Seiya spoke up, she refused to turn her head to acknowledge her father’s warning look. ‘Surely it doesn’t matter who’s in charge, lord or summoner?’
‘There’s a lot of people dying there,’ Rodyn looked embarrassed to be discussing such things in front of her. Seiya decided to ignore the pleading glance he sent her father, she didn’t need to be spared disturbing details.
‘What do you mean?’ Seiya demanded, Rodyn seemed to shrink back as her eyes searched his expression for more details.
‘First it was just criminals due to die anyway, then suddenly all sorts are disappearing. The day before I left there was a rumour two people had been killed just for speaking out against the summoner.’ Rodyn was regarding her worriedly now, Seiya couldn’t blame him, only the pain from her nails digging deep into her palms prevented the waves of nausea winning. Six months of being home, six months of worrying about nothing more than mucking out stables and broken fences; six months of peace gone in an instant. The bitter taste of bile filled her mouth and she couldn’t look at Rodyn anymore.
‘Are you alright?’ Rodyn turned a panic stricken face to her father, ‘I’m sorry Samuel, I didn’t mean to-’
‘It’s not your fault,’ her father’s reassurance was delivered in a grim tone. ‘Could you give us a moment?’ A firm hand gripped Seiya’s shoulder; she knew it was there as much to stop her running away as comfort her.
‘Sure, I was just leaving,’ Rodyn retreated quickly towards the door, ‘I’ll come pick up the horses tomorrow.’ Seiya was peripherally aware of the relief on his face as he fled out the door.
‘Seiya-’ her father’s soft voice only hurt more, pulling away she kept her back turned towards him.
‘It’s not your fault,’ he stood right behind her but made no move to touch her again, merely a strong supporting presence. Seiya dashed away the tears welling in her eyes with the back of her hand.
‘I know,’ even to her the words sounded hollow, ‘but it’s not going to stop at Carapel is it?’ She turned to face her father, begging him to say something, anything to make it better.
‘Poor thing,’ this time when his arms wrapped around her Seiya didn’t pull away. One hand reached up to stroke her hair as he kissed her lightly on the top of her head, quite a stretch now that she matched his height. Resting her forehead against his shoulder she let herself sag against him. His broken limbs now healed he held her easily in his embrace, safe and protected.
‘Why do I feel relieved?’ Seiya’s voice was muffled as she spoke into his shoulder. ‘I didn’t even know I was tense but now…’ Her hands entwined themselves in the fabric of his shirt as she pressed herself closer. ‘I feel like I’ve been holding my breath the whole time.’ Hands gripped her shoulders and pushed her away, held at arms length Seiya couldn’t meet her father’s eyes.
‘You knew something would happen,’ there was no accusation in Samuel’s voice, only sadness. ‘You knew it would take you away again so you never let yourself relax.’ Pressing a calloused finger against her lips as she tried to deny it her father smiled gently. ‘It’s alright-’
‘It’s not alright!’ Seiya tried to pull away but was jerked back as her father held firm. It was too close to the truth, and yet how had her parents seen it whilst she’d been totally unaware till now? She’d been so used to living on a knife-edge at Rhianwater she hadn’t noticed that her body had never unwound. Despite Amaran’s words of warning the summoners seemed to have ignored her, though everyday she’d half expected to wake and see a demon flying towards the ranch.
‘Do whatever will make you feel free,’ a brief squeeze and Seiya was released again, her father heading back outside. ‘You can’t spend your whole life waiting.’
‘Do you mind if I watch?’ Seiya looked at her mother in surprise.
‘The summoning?’ Seiya shook her head, ‘I’m going outside to the barn.’
‘Why?’ her mother queried, ‘if you summoned in your room at Rhianwater surely there’s enough space here,’ she gestured round the large kitchen, filled by a long table in the centre. Meals were a somewhat chaotic affair, family and workers all ate together, with people leaping up and down as was required to help out.
‘It’s a demon,’ Seiya pointed out, baffled by the suggestion.
‘Of course,’ Seiya could sense her mother was getting annoyed, ‘but he’s your friend isn’t he? Aleos?’
Seiya blinked a couple of times in amazement, momentarily speechless. She’d told her parents pretty much everything that had happened at Rhianwater but it hadn’t occurred to her they had been paying such close attention.
‘I don’t know why you haven’t called him since you’ve been home.’ Seiya firmly kept her mouth shut on that one, she didn’t particularly want to explain her feelings of guilt over leaving the demons enslaved by the incantations. She was already worried enough, Aleos may not even agree to talk to her; he had every right to feel betrayed.
‘Are you sure?’ Seiya ignored the last question and searched her mother’s face for any sign of worry or fear, but as she expected there were none. Concentrating on calming her own emotions Seiya told herself she had never promised to help the demons, if anything she had repeatedly told them she wouldn’t be able to, that she only wanted to go home. The same thing she had told Amaran, and he had not only helped her escape but if he was now in a position of power had left her alone as well. Her conscience murmured uneasy objections, by the end the demons may not be the only ones feeling betrayed.
Pushing the thought aside, Seiya focused on the summoning, her mother seemingly unaware of the gateway pattern forming on the kitchen table. The familiar aura answered her call and suddenly Aleos was sitting in front of them.
Seiya felt slightly put-out as she looked across the room, her mother hadn
’t shown the barest hint of surprise as Aleos appeared. How could anyone treat a demon sitting on their kitchen table so calmly?
‘It’s good to see you again,’ the real warmth in Aleos’s voice made Seiya feel even guiltier about cutting all contact with the demons. ’Who is that?’ he asked, head tilted towards Nayria.
‘That’s my mother, Nayria,’ Seiya tried to suppress a smile as Aleos performed a small bow. ‘Ma, this is Aleos.’
‘It’s nice to meet you,’ Seiya nearly collapsed as her mother walked over and enclosed one of Aleos’s hands with her own, claws and all. ‘Thank you for taking care of my daughter.’
‘I like your mother,’ Aleos informed Seiya after the initial shock had worn off. Seiya was impressed the small demon hadn’t toppled over in amazement; his thoughts had certainly been stunned enough.
‘He says he likes you.’ Nayria smiled in response but Seiya wasn’t in the mood to act as translator for social small talk.
‘Could we talk alone?’ she wanted to talk to Aleos privately, without anyone eavesdropping.
Nayria raised an eyebrow but made no further comments, waving to Aleos as she slipped out the room.
‘It’s a shame she cannot hear me,’ Aleos observed sadly as the door shut behind her.
‘Is it a summoner thing then?’ Seiya switched to thought-speech in case anyone was listening by the door.
‘People seem to need a fairly strong gift to sense our voices,’ Aleos shrugged, ‘but what is bothering you?’
‘Am I that obvious?’
‘Yes,’ Aleos answered bluntly, perching on the table edge as Seiya pulled out one of the chairs.
‘What has been happening?’ Seiya sensed Aleos’s confusion in her mind and tried to clarify the question. ‘When I left Amaran and Youally were fighting, do you know who won? Do you know who is ruling in Carapel?’
‘We don’t know anything,’ Aleos replied slowly as Seiya stared at him in disbelief. ‘Us demons are only summoned for the elemental lessons now and we hear nothing.’
‘They’ve stopped summoning?’ Seiya answered her own question before Aleos had a chance to reply, thumping the table in frustration. ’No, they’ve started using wilds instead.’
‘A couple have said they heard students reprimanded for talking in front of demons.’ Seiya nodded thoughtfully, at least it told her who had won; only one person would have had a reason to issue such a command.
‘Amaran didn’t want you telling me anything,’ Seiya didn’t know whether to be relieved or not. On one hand Amaran had won, but on the other it meant he was probably at least partly responsible for what was happening in Carapel. Rodyn had mentioned no war in Carapel, no dispute that needed settling; the summoner had just come in and taken control. It worried her it was so far from Rhianwater; either whoever was behind it wanted to stay away from the school, or they wanted two areas of control spread a strategic distance apart. This way if one were surrounded the other would still be free to help, not forgetting that as far as she knew Carapel was one of the wealthiest and busiest towns. If they wanted to get people’s attention they had certainly chosen the right place.
‘What is it?’ Aleos’s voice broke her train of thought, the demon regarding her with concern in his eyes. Swiftly Seiya explained Rodyn’s unwelcome news, and her fears.
‘They would have to fly there,’ Aleos mused, his brow furrowed, ‘dismiss me and give me an hour or two, I’ll ask around and see if I can find out anything.’
‘Thank you,’ Seiya opened the gateway as Aleos waved away her gratitude. Despite the irritating precautions Amaran had taken as a result Seiya didn’t know whether to be pleased or annoyed that he believed her about talking with demons.
‘Jamen is the one at Carapel, they also say they have seen Tooks there,’ Aleos confirmed, Seiya providing names to match the descriptions given by the flying demons. ‘Youally flies there as well,’ Aleos added with distaste. Youally was one of the few summoners every demon seemed to recognise, and not in a good way, apparently his bindings were always viciously tight.
‘So is Amaran in charge or not?’ Seiya asked, frustrated by the lack of information. He was the only one she could imagine insisting on the demon black out, but if Youally was still flying around-
‘One demon remembers flying him and Havir, almost straight after you left,’ Aleos told her, ‘he heard them talking about a blood price.’
‘Where did they fly too?’ Seiya asked eagerly.
‘He doesn’t know,’ Aleos shrugged as Seiya looked at him questioningly, ‘he was blind-folded, his body controlled directly.’ Seiya shuddered at the thought of being forced to fly without seeing where she was going and pitied the poor demon. No wonder he’d been listening in to the conversation.
‘He says Amaran was carrying a book before they blind-folded him, and they talked about finding it in the headmaster’s office.’
‘Talking about it how?’ Seiya tried to hold herself back from leaping to conclusions; it was all too easy to get ahead of the facts, filling in the gaps with assumptions
‘Whether or not it was true,’ Aleos shrugged, ‘he couldn’t be more specific.’
‘If people are being killed for this “blood price”,’ Seiya ignored the way Aleos flinched, ‘you said the arena had some kind of seal?’
‘I would imagine you have to, otherwise how would the life energy be correctly channelled?’
‘If you were the headmaster, and this “blood price” was necessary for the summonings to work wouldn’t you make sure it was written down somewhere?’ Seiya looked at Aleos nodding slowly. ‘You’d want to make sure that if you suddenly died the summoners would continue to have control over the demons.’
‘So you’d explain the necessity of killing the weak students and hide it in the headmasters office, ready for your successor,’ Aleos proposed.
‘Not just that,’ Seiya paused as she collected her thoughts, ‘if they’re killing people in Carapel then they must know how to channel the life energy.’
‘It’s possible,’ Aleos conceded, ‘but how does that help you?’
‘Wouldn’t it also make sense to explain where the power was being stored, in case it went wrong?’ Seiya could feel her heart beating faster as she jumped up and started pacing the length of the room, excitement making her fidgety. ‘If I destroyed whatever holds the power then the incantations would be useless; if they can’t bind the demons then it won’t matter who’s in charge, they won’t be able to hurt people.’ She could feel Aleos’s eagerness matching her own, the demon leaping to his feet.
‘So you have to get the book, to find the location,’ Aleos concluded and Seiya couldn’t help smiling as he danced with impatience. ‘We have waited for so long.’
‘It may not be there,’ Seiya cautioned him, ‘or I may not be able to destroy the source.’ Aleos’s fidgeting stopped abruptly and Seiya felt concern temper his enthusiasm.
‘You mean to go back to Rhianwater.’
‘It’s where it should be,’ Seiya shrugged and spoke with more confidence than she felt. ‘I would imagine it’s hidden somewhere in the headmaster’s study.’
‘We built that school, if there is a hidden place someone will know of it.’ Aleos was frowning as he looked at her, worry clouding his eyes.
‘If you return they will try and stop you, if you’re caught you’ll end up in the cells or worse.’ Seiya remained silent and stared at the table, avoiding Aleos’s gaze. The demon was right but did she really have a choice? Eventually the summoners would try to spread their influence across every province; even their lord-less outlier would be swept up. The killing wouldn’t stop, they couldn’t afford to, and how many normal people were the equivalent of two summoners? The thought made her feel physically sick. She would have to act once they came here, even if Amaran were the one in charge he wouldn’t ignore her forever. Ruthlessly she crushed the voice inside that cried out that Amaran wouldn’t hurt her, certainly wouldn’t imprison her. She could rem
ember all too clearly the fingers digging into her arm, the blade against her throat. The more power he gained the more he would fear losing it, and people were dying, she couldn’t assume he was the same person who helped her escape. Besides she would always be there, a niggling thought in the back of his mind, the same way he was to her, both waiting for the inevitable confrontation. Her mind recalled their argument late that night, at least now she knew the answer to her own question. Who would stop a summoner that became corrupt? There was only one solution; another summoner who could match their power. And she could match him; the problem was he probably knew it.
‘Then let us help you,’ Aleos had remained patiently quiet as her thoughts wandered but now his voice interrupted determinedly.
‘If I get caught there will be little you can do,’ Seiya warned, ‘they’ll have enough powerful Masters to overwhelm me.’
‘Not necessarily,’ Aleos replied grimly, ‘I will show you the true power of summoning, when you need help we will be there for you.’
Chapter Twenty-Five
Plummeting downwards the wind rushed past Seiya so fast she couldn’t even draw air into her lungs. The demon sliced through the clouds, a black arrow hurtling earthward. Seiya shivered as the moisture clung to her clothes, even wrapped in the cloak the cold raised goosebumps on her skin. The moonlight was gone as the clouds spat them out, the thick cover a blessing.
Focus! Seiya told herself grimly, forcibly ignoring the chill; gripped in the demon’s claws the next part would need split second timing. The imposing stone towers of Rhianwater streaked past, eyes streaming with tears she couldn’t see the ground. The demon’s loosening grip warned her they were low enough but Seiya still had to bite down on a scream as she tumbled through the air. The gateway flashed in the air above her for a split second, the demon vanishing before it could hit the ground. Seiya had no such luck; the jarring impact as her feet slammed into solid earth sent shockwaves all the way up her legs. Pitching forward on numb limbs Seiya rolled along the grass. By the time she stopped it was all she could manage to lie still and take deep gasping breaths.
Summoner's Call (The Summoner Trilogy Book 1) Page 25