Chapter 91 - Summoning

Hump wanted to pull his hair out.

He sat in the inn’s dining hall, his focus fixed on his spellbook while Bud and Celaine at breakfast. He’d spent half the night trying to make sense of Vivienne’s formation, and now with only a few hours of sleep and noon fast approaching, he was feeling far from confident.

Why did I agree to do this today? He slumped further forward into his hands, leaning closer to the page as if that would somehow instil the formation in his mind. He was an idiot. The attack wouldn’t come for at least another week, they could have delayed. Now everyone in town was expecting him to perform this spell in a matter of hours.

There were some things not even the Book of Infinite Pages could make up for. Vivienne had activated the spell for him, shown him how essence was supposed to move through it, and his spellbook had recorded it perfectly. Yet still he could hardly comprehend it. It was beyond complex. Somehow, she’d taken the original thirteen runes and tripled them. Each connected to each other through a network of channels that reminded him more of the protection veil over the enchantery back in Sheercliff than any spell he’d practiced before.

“You need to relax,” Celaine said.

Hump glanced up at her and glared, furious that she’d interrupted his thought process. “There isn’t time.”

“Taking a few minutes to eat is going to do more good than just staring at that book any longer. Did you even sleep?”

Hump nodded, looking back down at the book. “I slept.”

A hand plopped down on the page and pulled the book back before Hump could stop it.

He let out an annoyed sigh. “Celaine…”

“Seriously. Eat some food, then get back to it.” She pointed to the plate beside him with a fork in her other hand. “You wouldn’t starve yourself before physical training, and I suspect this is no different.”

“We’ve got Chosen, priests, guards, and probably the mayor showing up to watch our experiment later. If I mess this up I’ll look like an idiot.”

“A few minutes staring won’t make the difference. Eating might.”

Hump groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. His head hurt, his eyes ached, and he was far from in the mood to deal with this.

“She’s right, you know,” Bud said. “Everything’s easier on a full stomach, especially when the sausages are as good as these. They make them in the kitchen themselves.”

Hump glanced at his plate. He had to admit, it did look good. “Alright, fine.” He took a bite, realising how hungry he was immediately.

“Is this really that hard?” Celaine asked, looking over the spell formation. “It doesn’t look much different from the other stuff I’ve seen in here.”

“It’s messy,” Hump said, mouth full. “I’ve never used a spell so unrefined before. Generally, wizards in training don’t. It’s easiest to learn magic using spells that have been perfected and made as simple as possible. This is the opposite. Vivienne has taken a refined spell and created a modified version using different runes and all sorts of nonsensical modifiers surrounding it. So not only is it a spell tier higher than it should be, it’s made more complex by making runes act in unintended ways.”

“What do you mean?” Celaine asked. Bud shuffled up beside her to get a better look.

Hump leant forward, pointing at one of the most common runes, Power. “See how this rune is connected to the four surrounding it by these channels.”

“The lines?” Celaine asked.

Hump nodded. “Those four runes work together to modify a rune that’s supposed to only affect physical entities so that it can affect ethereal ones too. What this means for me is that the original rune isn’t acting how it should, and that I need to wield it with an intent that incorporates the modified runes.”

“Sounds complicated,” Bud said.

“You Chosen don’t know how lucky you are.” Hump sighed. “And I’m just trying to cast this spell. Vivienne had to actually invent it.”

Bud sat back in his chair and shook his head. “Well I’m glad it’s not me. Reminds me of my arithmetic classes. All sorts of jumbled letters and numbers that couldn’t feel much more useless.”

Hump gave him a flat look. “You know what? I’m glad it’s not you too.”

Bud narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” Hump grinned smugly, earning a laugh from Celaine.

***

Hump was surprised to find Randall and his party already waiting at the lighthouse when they arrived, clearly not trusting them not to start early. They’d left Lawrence behind to watch over Albry. Priestess Elowen was accompanied by three of her order, while Mayor Arnold had also decided to join them, escorted by Captain Winfrey and two other guards.

It was quite the turn out, and none looked happy to be there. The mood was sombre, a nervous air to the crowd, made worse by the clouded sky. Every precaution had been taken to avoid a catastrophe, yet they were still about to summon a creature from another world.

And Hump had to trap it…

He gulped. Performing magic while fighting monsters was one thing, but he didn’t like crowds. Never had. The townsfolk weren’t so bad. It was the pompous Chosen watching over him he didn’t like. Scrutinising his every move. He just hoped it didn’t start raining.

Vivienne chose the open green they’d been using as their training ground as the location for the summoning. She set up her ritual first. It was only a small thing—a circle of simple runes that she carved into the ground with a few gestures of her wand. She made it look so easy. Once she finished, she placed offerings on each of the core runes. A small bowl of honey, wild berries, some purple flowers from the garden, and a bottle of essence water. The fact it wasn’t a bunch of blood and bones put Hump at least somewhat at ease.

The summoning ritual complete, it was Hump’s turn. He placed his spellbook on the ground and began to copy the formation into the ground, carving out lines with the butt of his staff and a sliver of essence. Every rune, every stroke, had to be executed with intent. He needed utmost focus. It didn’t help that all he could hear was chatter.

He had to completely encircle Vivienne’s formation if this was to work, though didn’t get far before he stopped.

“What is it?” Vivienne asked. “You’re doing well.”

Hump took a deep breath then looked over to the spectators. “I need everyone to leave so I can have some quiet.”

The chatter stopped, then Randall’s laugh filled the grounds. He ignored the awkward glances and stared at Hump with a wide grin. “You’re the one that asked us to be here.”

“By all means, come back when I’ve finished,” Hump said. “At least while I’m creating the formation I need to concentrate and I can’t do that with you nattering away.”

Randall narrowed his eyes. “I suggest you mind your tone, wizard.”

“We’ll wait by the lighthouse,” Bud said before Hump could snap. “Give us a shout when you’re ready.”

“Thank you,” Hump said.

There were some grumbles, though Bud was able to use a little bit of noble lingo to convince everyone it was for the best. In the meantime, Hump got back to work. It was a painstaking job, and even with the improvements to his control there wasn’t a chance he could have maintained such a steady stream of essence without his essence channel bracelet. It suddenly made a lot of sense why enchanters so often used such items to enhance their work.

When he was finished, he stepped back and admired the formation. The runes pulsated faintly with essence. He’d done a fine job as far as he could tell, though his opinion wasn’t the one that mattered.

“What do you think?” he asked Vivienne.

“It looks good,” she said, studying the runes. She stroked her chin, pacing around the formation, scrutinising every detail. “Straighten up this channel here.” She pointed at a section of line that had crumbled inward slightly.

Hump did as she instructed, fixing up the earth with a little essence to smooth it out and harden the structure. When he was finished, she moved on to other minor corrections. Things Hump didn’t even think would matter but apparently added up to large losses in efficiency or outright failures between runes.

It was a solid fifteen minutes before she was happy. “I think that’s as good as we can get it.”

“Will it work?” Hump asked.

She pressed her lips together in a thoughtful frown. “We’ll only know for sure once it’s activated with a target, but I think so. How do you feel?”

“Like I want to get this over with,” Hump said.

Vivienne gave him a sympathetic smile. “You can do this, Hump. I wouldn’t have asked you to if I didn’t think you were capable. Remember, your job is to provide focus and intent, let the runes do the rest. As long as your will does not waver, the magic will figure out the rest.”

Hump nodded, taking a breath.

“Dylan, can you go fetch the rabble,” Vivienne said.

The crowd returned shortly, gathering on one side of the green and frowning down at the formations.

Vivienne cleared her throat. “As you’re all aware, the purpose of this gathering is to safely test the effectiveness of a spirit binding spell that will later be used as part of our attempt to prevent further attacks. This involves the summoning and capture of a nature spirit. To ensure this proceeds as safely as possible, Chosen of the Pantheon are present. Before we proceed, are there any objections to what we’re about to attempt?”

When nobody raised their voice, Vivienne continued. “Then let us begin.”

With that, she drew her wand and took up a position just outside her summoning formation. The tip shone with blue light as she twirled it through the air, the trailing light forming squiggly lines in the air as she chanted. It was a gentle melody, nothing like modern rituals, and completely unlike the black magic Hump had expected. Vivienne moved gracefully, almost dancing around the formation. The runes shone, the offerings radiated light. Hump felt power building at the core of the formation. White essence gathered like a piece of a cloud, condensing until it was so thick it went opaque.

There was an explosion of essence. Hump raised an arm as the wind battered his face. Startled cries rang out around them. Distantly, Hump heard drawn swords, but his focus was on the essence before him. As the white mist cleared, a small green creature no larger than a cat floated in its place. Its body was vaguely human shaped, with dark green strands around its neck and head that looked almost like vines. It had a single large eye, almost as large as the rest of its head, and a mouth no larger than a fingernail.

The creature looked around, zipping back and forth in the air, buzzing with energy. When it saw the honey, it burst forward in a puff of green essence.

“Now, Hump,” Vivienne said quietly so as not to startle it.

Hump gave himself a moment to collect himself. He envisioned his essence, focused his will, fixed his mind on what he was about to do. Then he planted his staff into the base of the formation and channelled essence into it. He willed them to activate. Commanded them to unleash their power and suppress the spirit before him. The runes brimmed with essence, their intent rising like a physical force. The spirit seemed to notice too as its body whirled to face him, its large beady eye going wide. Within its body, green light pulsed, then its iris shone brightly.

Before it could finish whatever it was doing, Hump barked, “Spirit Binding.”

Essence rose into the air around him, power that made his skin tingle and his hair stand on end. In a blink, that same power bore down on the spirit like a pillar from the sky, pressing it to the ground and trapping it in place. The creature struggled, flailing its wing-like appendages and chirping in protest. Its struggle was weak. While the spell lacked the simplicity of Kassius’ binding, Hump knew instinctively that the spirit was completely under his control. He could sense it calling upon its essence, trying to fight him. It took only a thought to quell it.

Hump took a breath and let a little of his strength slide, trying not to harm the creature.

“It works,” he said to Vivienne.

She said nothing, her focus fixed on only the spell. Taking in every element of the ritual she could. She studied the spirit, how the power interacted with it, then moved onto his runes. Finally, she called for him to release it.

Hump cut off the spell with a thought, a wave of cold flooding through him. He leant on his staff, Shield ready on his lips in case the creature decided to attack. Instead, the small creature floated into the air and stared around fearfully. It was surrounded by unfamiliar beings, attacked in a world it didn’t know. Hump couldn’t help but pity it.

The world erupted in thunder. Hump heard it from every direction, close and far. Behind the spirit, the very space split apart, a black void left in its place.

Hump’s eyes widened a second later—not a void. A dozen black tendrils whipped out from inside, wrapping around the spirit and dragging it back. Through the tear, Hump saw a circular mouth full of teeth rending through the hapless spirit. Its body was far too big to fit through the rift.

That didn’t stop it from trying.

It lashed out at the ground with its tendrils, trying to force its way through. Hump screamed as one slammed into the ground beside him, making him stumble. It seemed to have noticed him, as it came for him next.

He felt its touch on his leg and stabbed his staff into the thick tentacle. “Blast!” he shouted. The point-blank explosion shot the tendril back but the creature didn’t seem to care. It came at him again.

Hump slammed the butt of his staff into the ground and summoned his shield around him. Parry Shield wasn’t going to do it this time. He surrounded himself with power. When the tentacle struck, it sent him stumbling back, shattering his spell. He gasped at the sudden loss, his essence turning to chaos in his body.

Before another could strike, a blade of water shot past, severing the closest tendril at the tip. The creature let loose something resembling a howl, the sound resonating with essence. Clearly it felt that.

Vivienne was at his side a second later, wand waving overhead, forming blades of water in the air and shooting them forward. Cutting and cleaving at the creature’s tentacles, though doing little more than superficial damage.

From the right, a cone of frostfire blasted the rift. Bud, Dylan, and Madeleine charged in behind it, their own powers brought down upon the beast. Behind him, Hump felt a chill, and a moment later an arrow shot past. It radiated silver light more brightly than Hump had ever seen it, the very sight of it sending fear through Hump. Celaine’s arrow, and it was imbued with Predator’s Intent.

It pierced the creature’s mouth, an explosion sounding within. Again, the creature howled, its tendrils going wild.

“Shield me,” Vivienne snapped.

Hump did as she commanded, putting more essence into his shield than before. Vivienne gripped her wand in both hands and aimed. Power gathered at the tip, stronger than Hump had ever felt from another wizard. So strong, he could hardly keep from staring at it even with the beast before him going wild.

It glowed a deep blue, turning almost white at the core.

A tendril struck the shield and Hump grunted. A crack formed along the surface and he threw essence into it to mend the damage.

“Let it fall,” Vivienne said through gritted teeth.

Hump hesitated a moment, his own heartbeat thundering as her power still built. He dropped his shield with an effort of will, eyes fixed on Vivienne.

“Cascade.”

A jet of water shot forward, so thick it obscured the creature entirely. It roared through the air, churning as if she’d summoned the very ocean. All that power pouring down on the beast beyond. It fell back, its tendrils floundering for grip, searching to hold on. But the force was too great. In only a few seconds, the creature was gone.

As Vivienne’s spell faded, Hump stared after it, wondering if another would appear. But the rift began to shrink, seemingly unable to remain open now that the beast’s body wasn’t lodged in the gap. The process sped up until it appeared as if the world was folding back in on itself, then it was gone. All that remained was a layer of black dust on the ground, and the distinctive sensation of corrupted essence.

“What the hell just happened?” Hump said, gasping.

Vivienne frowned down at the dust. “I have no idea.”

“What have you done, witch?” Randall shouted. “This wasn’t what we agreed!”

“I didn’t do this,” she said. “This… this shouldn’t have been possible.”

“Of course this happened,” he yelled. “Your dark magics should never have been trusted. I was a fool. Gods above.”

Hump glanced at Randall to make sure he wasn’t about to do anything stupid, and stopped. The clouds had darkened in the distance. No, they were still darkening. And there in the distance, darkness rose like smoke.

“Vivi,” Hump said, pointing. “Something’s happened.”

Vivienne’s attention snapped to the darkness. Everyone’s did.

The gateway was open, and it had come early.