by Eric Vall
“Ah, quit your worrying, Kenefick,” Goredrin cut in as he gripped me by my upper arms and held me back to examine me. “Gryff here will take care of it. No need to make any doomsday predictions.”
“We’ll see what Sleet says,” Kenefick replied tensely as he spread the reports out on the table.
Goredrin seemed content to ignore the General as he looked me up and down. “Yes, that outfit needs to go. I don’t have time to design new uniforms right now, but this is urgent. What I wouldn’t give to put you in the finest suit money can buy! In fact, I think I will.”
“Really? Uh, sorry, um. Thank you,” I forced out with some effort.
Goredrin winked and thumped me gently on the shoulder. “Nonsense, no thanks are necessary. You’ve got fine looks, my boy, and Maker knows it’s a shame to waste a thing like that. Tailoring is a passion of mine, so really, you’d be doing me a favor.”
Was this really Gawain’s father? He did know about his son’s disappearance, didn’t he?
I went to swallow and realized I’d been staring with my mouth hung open again like some common country yokel. I shut it hastily and tried to look put together to deliver the hard news I needed to.
“I’m just sorry I can’t bring you better news,” I replied in a strained voice. “We haven’t managed to bring your son back, yet. We do know he isn’t responsible for his actions, though. He’s been corrupted by a very powerful monster.”
Goredrin frowned. “Corrupted by a monster? You sure that’s right? My lazy, arrogant son will make any excuse to get out of paying for his own actions. I know he’s given you trouble over the past year, so don’t feel like you have to lie to make me feel better.”
Suddenly, I understood pretty well why Gawain didn’t like his father. It sounded like he’d spent a long time trying to prove himself to a guy who could only see the good in other people’s children, but not his own.
“You’re being too hard on him,” I said with a frown. “Gawain has changed a lot since I first arrived at this school. He’s a good person, Mr. Madox.”
Goredrin hummed disapprovingly. “Call me Goredrin. You’re really sure he’s changed? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being harsh. I wish more than anything I could call Gawain a good person. I do still love him, you know. He’s just always been disappointing.”
I smiled tightly. “He’s really changed. Anybody could tell you the same. It’s just a shame this accident set him back.”
Goredrin nodded as he furrowed his brow. “I kept telling Gawain to be more like you, or he’d never do a good thing for this world. Did my advice get through?”
I wasn’t so sure Gawain’s change of heart was because of Goredrin’s advice, rather than in spite of it, but I couldn’t exactly tell him that.
“Your son is a very good person,” I assured him. “He’s just fallen prey to a power any human would lose to.”
“Yes,” he sighed. “I heard about this Phi character. It seems like something he would have made up.”
“No, sir,” I sighed. “Phi is real, powerful, and dangerous. It’s actually amazing he kept her corrupting influence out for months.”
Though I felt it was important to reassure Goredrin, my words didn’t make me feel so great about my prospects against the Archon in my own head. Gawain had lasted for months against Phi, but Phi was supposed to be less powerful. Did that mean I had only weeks left, or could I expect to hold out longer than he had?
Then the door opened again, and I turned to see Sleet enter the room at a stately pace. He was followed by Meridan and all my friends. Most of them walked in with open mouths and disbelieving stares, since only a few of my fellow students had ever seen this secret room.
I was happy to see Sleet didn’t look bad at all. He carried himself with the same dignified calm, even though he leaned more heavily on his staff than before. His eyes still carried the same depth and wisdom, and the same spark of humor lurked in the curve of his mouth. The older man seemed to be recovering quickly, so I guessed Goredrin wouldn’t be temporary Headmaster for long.
“Gryff,” Headmaster Sleet greeted me with a kind smile, “it’s good to see you again. I’ve heard you and your team have been up to some nice work, despite some unexpected challenges.”
Goredrin grunted and crossed his arms. “Just call it like it is, Sleet. My son destroyed the mission, and that’s why we don’t have all the ciphers.”
I frowned and stepped forward to cut in. “Gawain isn’t responsible for this. You can’t blame him for Phi’s deception.”
Sleet looked from Goredrin to me. “Gryff, why don’t you and your team explain everything from the beginning? I think it will clear up some misconceptions, and then we can all speak from the same page.”
I tempered my impatience and indicated for Varleth to speak with a quick glance. He would do the best job of keeping things short, simple, and neutral.
Erin pitched in with a couple asides about how she’d found Almasy in Balvaan. It sounded like their progress in rebuilding was going pretty well, and the town could be expected to function successfully on its own by next year. Things wouldn’t be back to normal for a long time, though.
I talked a little about my experiences with Sera in my head. It was difficult to admit I was unnerved by her promises, threats, and nightmares, but I wouldn’t help Gawain’s case by keeping quiet.
I watched as Goredrin’s face changed from disbelief into a thoughtful, worried consideration. I was sure it was hard for him to hear his son had betrayed humanity, and he’d needed to reconcile himself to seeing Gawain as an enemy.
Now, we were giving him news of exactly the opposite kind, and he had to take back the animosity he’d built against his son. It was a difficult place to be in, since he was forced to take down all the new walls he’d thrown up.
Even I had difficulty squaring Gawain’s betrayal, and I’d been there to witness Phi’s corruption firsthand, not to mention all the experience I had with Archon trickery through Sera.
At the end of our story, Goredrin slumped into a chair and bent his head to run his hands through his hair. Then he drew a weary hand down his face and furrowed his brow before he looked up at us.
“My son deserves to come home,” Goredrin said heavily.
I nodded. “I agree, sir. I want to save him.”
His green eyes sharpened as they bored into me. “Make sure you’re not saying that lightly, Gryff. If you think we can save him, we’d damn well try.”
“Goredrin,” Arwyn said warningly, “you know just as well as any mage not to believe in heroic rescues. The Shadowscape is a difficult, deadly place. Don’t ask them to do what might not be possible.”
“No,” I interrupted, “it’s fine. We’ll go in, rescue him, and get the ciphers back.”
“You swear it?” Goredrin asked as he got to his feet.
“I swear it,” I promised. “If it’s at all possible, I’ll bring Gawain home.”
“Good,” Goredrin responded as he held out a firm hand for me to shake.
I returned his grip with a confidence I didn’t quite feel. I was certain my team would be able to face any threat with courage and talent, but what if Gawain couldn’t last that long?
I was racing against an hourglass I couldn’t even see while I promised a man’s father I’d make it in time. I hoped I wasn’t lying to us both when I told him I’d bring Gawain home.
Sleet leaned on his staff and addressed me with a nod of his head. “Gryff, I’m concerned about Sera, and my first thoughts are to have you stay here so we can try to study the link between you two, your tattoo, and figure out a way to get her out of your head while I send everyone else to retrieve the ciphers.”
“Sir?” I groaned as I felt my stomach drop. I felt like I had Sera under control, but I could also see where Sleet was coming from. Everything was pointing to me ending up just like Gawain.
“However, no one understands this situation as well as you,” Sleet continued. “You’ve been at the c
enter of each battle involving Phi. So, even though I’m worried about Sera influencing you in the same way Phi did Gawain, I’m putting you in charge of this mission. Your foremost priority will be the ciphers, though make no mistake, I believe Gawain should be rescued if possible. Layla, Varleth, Cyra, and Erin will accompany you just as they did before. Arwyn will be busy, but if Nia can be spared, she will go as well. I will provide the funds for this mission, and General Kenefick will see the military supports you as well.”
The General smiled warmly as he examined my team. “You won’t be seen as traitors this time, so that should make the journey easier. And you’ll have a new airship for Erin to pilot as well. I think you’ll find the newer models to be more comfortable and quick.”
Erin grinned and saluted smartly. “Thank you so much, sir. You don’t know how badly I’ve been dying to pilot one of those.”
A smile broke across my face as I watched the mimic try to contain her obvious joy. Having the support of the military’s supplies would be refreshing, and the promise about the airship was the best news we had gotten in a long time.
“Thank you, Headmaster,” I said gratefully. “We won’t let you down.”
Sleet smiled as he tipped the top of his staff toward us. “I know you won’t. You have all been working very hard, so take this opportunity to rest up and enjoy your reprieve.”
Cyra tapped the leather bag at her side. “What about these four ciphers?”
“Those will go to Arwyn and her research team,” Sleet responded as he turned to the flame-haired professor. “I also want scholars to work on the Sera problem while they explore ways to use her power without consequences. Can I rely on you to give the necessary information to the relevant researchers? The less you tell them, the better. Of course, they still need to know enough to be able to work on a solution.”
Arwyn smiled confidently. “Leave it to me, we’ll have answers in just a few days. It’ll be good to work on something that’s in my wheelhouse again.”
“I know you’ll do a perfect job of it, as always,” Sleet complimented her as his wizened face crooked into a smile. “And with that, I believe the general meeting is over. Thank you all for sharing your stories and agreeing to a further mission. Kenefick, Goredrin, and Arwyn will remain, while the rest of you may leave.”
It was the most polite request to get out I’d ever received, so I thanked the Headmaster for his time and left with my team through the secret staircase. As my foot left the final step, I turned to see what would happen, and the whole staircase winked out of existence as if it had never existed.
“Huh,” I commented, “that’s pretty nifty magic. I wonder if you could make yourself invisible with it.”
“I’m sure it requires some complex spell that takes ages to make,” Cyra theorized as she swept a foot across the now-solid floor. Despite the fact we knew the staircase was there, we couldn’t get through to it.
“I guess so,” I relented with some disappointment.
“So, we just relax for a few days now?” Layla asked as she scrunched up her nose. “This feels weird after all the fighting. I don’t know how you monster response squad people are able to constantly switch back and forth.”
“It wasn’t always easy,” Varleth admitted in a quiet voice.
Sometimes, it was easy to forget Varleth had been doing this for much longer than the rest of us. Most of his old team had even been killed while they were out on a mission. It was sobering to think of a group of young adults like us who never made it back from their journey.
We needed to find Gawain. I wouldn’t let him become one of those students who never made it back.
“It is important we actually rest,” I said to my team, even though I was also chomping at the bit to get going. “You’re all fantastic fighters with lots of energy, but I want you guys ready to go when we need to go. Got it?”
I got a chorus of happy agreement in response, and we milled about on our way to breakfast together. The topics turned to brighter, happier things than Gawain, Sera, or the potential end of humanity, and it was really nice to forget about the mission for a while.
We spent our next few days like that. It was surreal to be back at school, but every day was like a vacation day just for us. We were too late into the semester to start classes now, so we ghosted around the Academy like stowaways on a ship. It wasn’t uncommon to see classmates around, but I always turned and walked away before they could ask me any questions. I was overjoyed to be fighting for a good cause, but there was no way I could work around several weeks of classified information in an explanation to my peers.
The girls seemed to do a great job of relaxing, even though Erin disappeared for long hours at a time to tinker with her newly requisitioned airship. I asked her about it a few times, and she positively lit up as she rattled off parts and features she was excited about. The airship stuff was all gibberish to me, but I liked stoking her passion just to see her eyes go all aglow.
Varleth spent most of his time shadowing us, though he ignored many of the conversations in favor of reading. He was always ready with a quick, biting joke if there was one to be made, and he laughed easily, but I could tell he was impatient to get back to work. He took long hours to inspect his armor and sharpen his sword, and he spent more time staring into space during mealtimes than actually eating.
I did a terrible job of following my own advice to rest and recuperate. If Erin, Cyra, Nia, or Layla spent the night with me, Sera’s dreams never came, but I was alone for a few nights because of various projects we were all working on, and those nights were filled with tantalizing visions of the dark angel’s body, lips, and seductive whispers.
When I was alone and awake, I preferred to walk around the campus grounds and train my monsters privately rather than force myself back to a restless sleep. I used the opportunity to familiarize myself with my monsters as I learned what each of them could do.
I focused mostly on the vingehund, because it was a monster I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to use in combat. Sure, I’d thrown out its crystal in order to distract Phi during battle, but that confidence had been all bluff and bluster.
The vingehund emerged from its crystal with a yawn that exposed its white canine teeth as its pink tongue lolled out. I smiled and felt the bond between us surge to life as I stepped forward to pat it on its furry head. The vingehund curled up into my hand and tilted its neck so I could scratch it around the horns and ears.
I felt as if this vingehund should be called a she, though it was hard to say if monsters had genders at all. There was just something lithe and delicate in the way she stood and moved that made me think the vingehund was female. Plus, Phi had called it a female, and although I wasn’t inclined to listen to the angel monster, she was probably right.
As I watched, she lifted a black, feathered wing and preened it carefully with her snout. Purple highlights shone in the glossy surface of her wing as she settled the feathers flat with a deft flutter. One long feather came loose and twirled out slowly like an autumn leaf until it landed softly on the ground. The vingehund watched it with interest, then she pounced and seized the feather between her teeth. She gave it a vicious shake with a toss of her head before she paraded it back and forth in front of me.
I grinned and stepped forward to take it, but she hopped out of reach with a playful leap. I took another step toward her, and she bowed her front legs close to the ground like a mischievous puppy as she prepared to escape.
“Oh, no you don’t,” I teased her as I made another grab for the feather.
She danced away on prancing feet and ruffled her wings up proudly.
I made a couple more feints to the top and right, then I reached for the feather from underneath and managed to successfully swipe it out of her mouth. I showed off my prize clutched in one hand as I whooped out my victory.
The vingehund lolled out her tongue and made a curious, high pitched noise that set my teeth on edge.
“Well,
you don’t sound like a dog,” I commented with a wince.
“So, this is the new kind of summoning you’ve been talking about,” drawled a voice behind me.
I spun around and saw Rori Brevens, my summoning teacher from first year. His wrinkled face creased as he smiled, and his brown eyes were full of amusement. His stomach wasn’t as large as I remembered, and his brown hair was even further on the way to being white, but it was undoubtedly him.
“Rori!” I greeted happily as I dropped the vingehund feather and stepped forward to hug him.
“You better not get dog saliva all over my new jacket, you little shit,” Rori complained loudly as I patted him on the back.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I promised before I wiped my hands conspicuously across his shoulders.
“What did I just fuckin’ say?” Rori demanded as he pushed me off.
I laughed and shook my head. “Don’t worry about it, they were actually clean. Now, what are you doing up so early?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Rori harrumphed, “but I doubt I’d get any answers. Sleet has his mouth shut tighter than a thrifty man’s purse, and Arwyn won’t even tell me about the research she’s doing that’s so important, it’s even kept her from teaching this semester.”
“Ah,” I replied hesitantly as my mind raced while I searched for a good answer.
I didn’t know how to lie to him without hurting us both. Rori and I always had more of a peer-to-peer relationship rather than a student-teacher one. After all, I taught just as many summoning lessons as he did over the course of the year, and we shared in our pride over the growth of our students. There was nothing worse to me than bullshitting a friend over something important, but I had to keep my promise to Sleet. If I started telling every student and teacher I liked the truth, the information could spread like wildfire until it reached an enemy.
“I trust you, but I’m not in charge of who to tell,” I said reluctantly.