Summoner 2

by Eric Vall

  Nia hung her head and sighed. “I know, Gryff.” She took her hand away and nursed it against her side again. She plopped down into the grass.

  I sat next to her. “Not excited about this break, I take it?”

  “Not in the slightest,” she snorted.

  “Why not?”

  She hugged her legs to her chest. “Family issues I would rather not be around, and I do not like being the center of their attention.”

  I laughed. “You could have fooled me.”

  She bumped her shoulder against mine. “I don’t mind the class’ attention, but my whole family… it’s a bit much.”

  “I can imagine.” I cracked my knuckles and grinned at her.

  That elicited a mocking scoff. “No, no, you cannot.”

  I frowned. “Do you have to go home for the holiday? Couldn’t you just stay here?”

  She shook her head, dejected. “The Academy does allow students to stay over break, but my father wouldn’t allow me to even if I asked. So I will be up bright and early tomorrow on an airship bound for our second home in Hartmire.”

  I gave her a sideways glance, my eyebrows raised inquisitively. “Did you just say your second home?”

  Nia shrugged like it was no big deal. “We are the most famous and powerful family in the world, Gryff. We have a home in nearly every Enclave. Not all of them are that extravagant, mind you.”

  I laughed and placed a palm against my head. This girl… Her words would have sounded like a boast to most people, but what she said was simply a fact. The Keneficks were, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the most influential family in the world. Everyone knew the Kenefick name whether they be in an Enclave or the wilds. Everyone knew of the legendary exploits of her magical, monster fighting family.

  I guess I shouldn’t have been shocked to learn that she had several houses. I bet most of them were mansions too, but I didn’t ask her that.

  “It’s strange,” I began, as I leaned back on my hands and looked to the sky.

  “What’s strange?” she asked in a whisper.

  “All of my friends, you, Layla, Braden, you all have some major familial problems to deal with in your lives despite such different backgrounds. Yet here I am, wishing I had some of that. What I wouldn’t give to argue with my mother or father…” I trailed off briefly before clearing my throat. “I’m not saying to not take your family for granted or anything like that, and I’m not trying to make light of your situations. I’m just… I don’t know. I’m just thinking aloud.”

  Nia pondered that for a while, the silence thick over us in the meantime. Finally, she sighed. “Do not mistake my annoyance and anger at my father or my reluctance to see my family as apathy. I love them with all my heart. It’s just... They are a bit much sometimes.”

  I laid down completely and shut my eyes. “I wasn’t questioning that. I missed my family is all.” I let out a deep sigh. “Can’t wait to see Maelor in a few days.”

  My ears perked up to the sound of Nia adjusting to face me. I cracked open my eyes and found her staring down at me, a weathered smile warming her features.

  “Maelor is the summoner that rescued you, huh?” she asked.

  I realized I’d never really told her much about my life. We’d always talked about her or our studies. I’d given her some information but not a lot, so I nodded when she asked that question.

  “Yeah, and he raised me like a son. Taught me everything I know, made me into the man I am now.” I smiled suddenly and winked at her. “Except for my charm and good looks. That’s all superior breeding.”

  She snorted into a laugh which warmed my heart. “Oh yes, top notch.” She smiled widely, then after a moment, she reached out with her good hand and placed it on my shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. “I’m sure he’s proud of who you’ve become, and your parents would be too.”

  I sat up, and she dropped her hand. I turned my gaze to the grass and offered her a shy grin. “Thanks, Nia.”

  “Don’t mention it, farm boy.” She cracked a grin, but then winced when she shifted slightly, the pain in her hand flaring up.

  “So, yeah, you should go to the infirmary,” I said.

  She nodded and grimaced. “You are probably correct.”

  I pushed myself to my feet then helped her up. I pulled a little too hard, and she stumbled into, her legs sore and tired from her training. I held her arms to keep her steady. She chuckled as silence crept over us.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  I nodded. We stared at each other for a breath, but it felt a lot longer. Even as sweaty and dirty as she was, she was still the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. My gaze flitted between her eyes and her lips, which made me remember her kissing me abruptly on that night that was so much like tonight.

  She seemed to have the same thought. Her eyes dropped to her feet. “By the way, I… uh, I’m sorry about avoiding you the last few weeks after… you know…”

  I snickered. “It’s okay, Nia.”

  Nia shook her head. “No, it isn’t. I kissed you, and panicked, and– and it’s my fault. It– it was the heat of the moment. I shouldn’t have pushed you away because of it. So, I just… I--”

  I silenced her by brushing my lips gently against hers with a whisper of a kiss. In the past, that would have gotten me a scolding and probably a beating, but now it thoroughly silenced her and made her already reddened cheeks an even more spectacular shade of crimson.

  “Now we’re even,” I smirked.

  She stood frozen. “Uh, o-okay.”

  I frowned. “Did I make it weird?”

  She blushed even harder, then shook her head profusely. “N-no not at all. You just… caught me off guard is all.” Her lips curled into the slightest of smirks as she leaned into me and kissed me back. It was quick, but it sent a shiver through my bones.

  “I can’t say I didn’t enjoy that.” I smiled.

  She rolled her eyes as if she knew how that kiss would make me feel. “I’m glad you’re satisfied since we won’t be able to see each other for a while.”

  I nodded. Truthfully, I wanted more, craved more. I wanted to pull her close to me and for us to melt together into one being. But I reckoned that it wouldn’t be that simple with a Kenefick. I was patient, however, and Maelor had taught that all good things come with time, and Nia Kenefick was certainly a good thing. So I would wait.

  A stiff breeze rushed through the courtyard and made the unusually bare Nia shiver. “You should put on your cloak, and then also go to the infirmary.”

  Nia rolled her eyes. “I will.”

  I stretched my arms and yawned. “You want me to walk you there?” She didn’t need my help, I knew, but I wanted to spend more time with her. I knew what her answer would be though. She was too stubborn to say otherwise.

  “I think I can handle it, thanks.” Yep, I just knew she would say that.

  I waited for her to pull on her boots and her uniform cloak. I was sad to see her skin get covered up, but what could I do? I’d have the memory at least. As she made to leave at last, she paused, turned back to me, and wrapped her arms around my waist in a gentle hug. Her hurt hand hung loosely over the small of my back.

  “Thank you for making me feel better, Gryff,” she said in a whisper.

  I rubbed her back tenderly. “Anytime you need it, I shall provide.”

  She snickered, then pulled away. “Have a good holiday, you charming yokel.”

  “You too, Lady Kenefick.”

  With a smile, she planted one last quick kiss on the corner of my lips like a promise. Then she turned on her heel and strode away, disappearing down the breezeway. I wouldn’t see her again for another fortnight, but now I had something to look forward to after the holiday, so though it was only a kiss, for now, there was a promise of something more in the future. And for now, that was perfectly fine by me.

  Chapter 15

  After a good night’s rest, the Summer Holiday arrived. I woke Braden an hour after dawn. He
groaned, but the train left early, and though we had time before it departed, I didn’t want to risk missing the carriages shuttling students from the school and having to wait for one to come back.

  We dressed in a hurry and groomed ourselves as fast as was hygienic. Once we were done, we made our way out of the dorm and to the women’s dorm hall next to us. Students were bustling among both of them, as eager as we were to leave the Academy for holiday. It was after dawn, but the sun had yet to peek over the walls of the Enclave and the school, so we were bathed in the cool shadows of early morning.

  We got a few looks as we strolled through the halls of the women’s dorm, but no one stopped us. It wasn’t as if men weren’t allowed. As we carried our luggage, I hoped that Layla was ready to go. I’d told her when to be ready, but at the same time, it was a holiday. I wouldn’t be too surprised if she were sleeping in.

  I knocked rapidly on her door when we arrived. We waited several seconds, but no one answered, so I knocked again impatiently. Finally, after more than half a minute, footsteps approached, the lock unbolted, and the door cracked open. It wasn’t Layla standing there though. It was her roommate, Fiona.

  Her eyes were narrow slits as if she wasn’t fully awake. She clutched at the opening of her beige silk robe, keeping it closed but clumsily revealing a bit of cleavage. The robe hugged her form very well…

  She noticed my staring, blushed, and wrapped her arms tighter around herself. “It’s so early,” she croaked. “What do you want, Gryff?”

  “Well, we were…” My voice trailed off as I tried to concentrate on the moment instead of the pretty girl in front of me. “Is– is Layla still sleeping?”

  She blinked the sleep from her eyes and yawned. “She sure is.”

  I groaned. “I’m sorry to wake you, Fiona. Mind if we come in and wake her? We’re about to head out and, well, she’s supposed to be coming with us.”

  “Fine, make it quick,” she said with a sigh. She opened the door wider and let us in. I crossed the room to Layla’s bed where she was sprawled out in her sheets in her cotton nightgown. Without a missed beat, I leaned over her and shook her shoulder gently.

  “Hey, Layla, I need you to wake up now.”

  She groaned and rolled onto her back. After a long moment, she cracked open her eyes and smiled at me. “Oh, hey you,” Layla said with a whimsical sigh. She grabbed my face and pulled me down to her and kissed me on the lips. “Mmm.” It was obvious that she was still half asleep. Of course, she was.

  Braden cleared his throat behind me. I sighed with a grin. “As much as I enjoyed that, I really need you to wake up, Bethel.”

  “Nooo…” she sleepily moaned.

  “Layla!”

  “Ugh, okay, you brute!” Finally, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

  I crossed my arms and grinned. “We told you to wake up early.”

  Layla pouted cutely, I had to admit. “This is early.”

  I threw my hands up then slapped my palm to my forehead. “Maker help me,” I whispered. “Okay, Layla, just get dressed and hurry up please, we don’t want to miss the carriages.”

  She nodded as she stretched out her arms. “Got it, now get out and let me change.”

  Braden and I both snorted. Braden couldn’t get out the door quick enough. As I followed him out, I called to Fiona. “Sorry about the trouble, Fiona. Have a good holiday.”

  “Uh huh,” she answered, which was muffled since she had since stuffed her face back into her pillow. I snickered and closed the door.

  Thankfully, Layla was prompt with her dressing and was out of the room in only a couple of minutes. She didn’t offer an apology and simply strode out and marched down the hall. I rolled my eyes and followed, and Braden snickered as he trailed along behind me. It would be all fun and games for now until we missed the carriage and the train and would have to wait for a long time to catch the next ones. Layla wasn’t patient so that would be bad.

  A crowd of students waited out in front of the main building. I estimated close to two dozen of them all trying to get in the train of carriages that waited to pick them up. My heart sank. This was not going to be easy.

  For one, several of the carriages were far nicer than the standard city carriages, with lacquered wood paneling and polished gold trim, some even emblazoned with house sigils. These were not for us commoners. They belonged to the wealthiest students.

  “This,” I began while gesturing to the crowd, “this is why we needed to be up early.”

  Layla’s answer to that was to stick out her tongue at me.

  We had to wait more than half an hour before we could muscle our way into a carriage. The carriages for the noble and wealthy students were generally larger but only ever seemed to carry one or two students and a pile of luggage even though it could have fit half a dozen or more easily. It made progress slow, but we finally got a carriage.

  We piled in, along with a couple of other students that weren’t in our class. One was a tall stick of a man with tanned skin and startling gray eyes that complimented his skin and bright sunset hair and beard. I didn’t recognize him though. His companion was a woman, also tall and rather well built. She had a pretty face, small lips, a small nose, and very pleasant green eyes. I’d seen her a few times in the dining hall, a water mage if I recalled correctly.

  We sat tightly packed in our seats, Braden and I against the doors with Layla in the middle. Some of our luggage was packed away in the travel compartments and the rest were wedged at our feet. The driver opened his little sliding panel and leaned down to speak through it.

  “Where to, young masters?” he asked. He had a jovial tone, and between that and his obvious laugh lines, he seemed to be a generally happy guy.

  “Central train station for the three of us,” I replied. I eyed our traveling companions seated across from us in the cab. “You going there too?”

  The man nodded. “Yep.” He had a low voice like a bass instrument.

  “You heard him,” I relayed to the driver, “and try to be as fast as you can be without running over anyone.”

  The driver chuckled. “I’ll do my best, sir.”

  Then blessedly we were off, and the driver didn’t put us at a fast pace. The train was set to depart at the eighth hour, and the seven bells of the seventh had just rung while we’d loaded our luggage into the carriage. With all the traffic of the summer holiday that I was sure was going around, we would be cutting it very close.

  As the carriage started rolling, I turned my attention to the other students with us. I gave them a smile and extended my hand to the man. “Hey there, I’m Gryff.”

  He gave my hand a look, took it in a firm and calloused grip, and shook once. “I know who you are, summoner. That was good work you did in the Dance of Wills against that flame mage. Masterful work, truly.”

  “Oh yeah, thanks,” I said with a smile as I scratched my head at the sudden flattery. “And you are?”

  “Apologies.” He placed his hand over his heart, closed his eyes, and inclined his head. “Solomon Vavo, a pleasure. I’m a second-year augmenter.” He opened his eyes and smirked.

  “Pleased to meet you,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve ever met an augmenter before.” Augmenters channeled the magic from essence crystals to manipulate their bodies in ways to bulk up their muscles, give them enhanced speed, and so forth. They were very sought after both in military and civilian life though they were exceedingly rare.

  I shifted my focus to his female companion. She bristled under my gaze, a slight blush crawling upon her cheeks.

  “I’m Ammaya, Ammaya Shenwick,” she said. “I’m in the same class as him, water mage myself.”

  We shook hands while exchanging smiles. So my memory had been correct, she was a water mage. She looked at me with wide, bright eyes, as if she was star struck. I guessed I was rather famous around the school now, though I hadn’t seen too many people look at me as she did, I could definitely get used to the attention.

  After
introductions between them and my friends were given, silence fell over us. Ammaya and I had the same idea and pulled out a book to read. Mine was The Complete Beginners Guide to Loot Economics. I had the feeling it would come in handy someday. Layla tried to catch some sleep by leaning her head against me while Braden simply watched out the window. Solomon pulled out a sketchbook and started to draw with a stick of charcoal, though what he was drawing, I couldn’t tell. Regardless, we were all happy to stay quiet for the journey.

  We made good time, or at least it seemed like we did. When we finally arrived at the train station, the eighth-hour bells hadn’t rung yet, but they could at any minute now. We divided the fee amongst the five of us and thanked the driver after we unloaded our luggage. We jogged with our things toward the nearest lift and crammed on it with a crowd of other people. It was a tight fit and uncomfortable, but the stairs would have been a mighty big pain in the ass.

  As the lift came to a halt at the top, the eighth-hour bells began to chime. Layla cursed with a chuckle.

  “Better hurry,” I chimed.

  Solomon and Ammaya veered off from us and made for the northbound train to Hartmire. “It was nice meeting you,” they called and waved.

  “You too!” I yelled back.

  My friends and I scampered swiftly across the platform to our train. Our train, the southbound train heading to Garvesh, whistled its horn. I cursed. We ran with all we were worth, which wasn’t a lot thanks to our bags. We made it to the train right before it started to pull out of the station.

  A soldier in a crisp green uniform and a rifle slung over his shoulders stood at the doors to the train. He frowned at us as we approached and put a hand out to stop us.

  “Hold,” he ordered. “This train is not for civilian use. Authorized for military use only.”