Chapter 1
Dear new readers, I’m in the process of rewriting this novel which will be submitted in a new book here. It will be likely twice as long with more details, less passive voice, and better explores this world I've fallen in love with.
So Familiar was one of my earliest works, and I’ve learned a lot since then. This version is short, contains a lot of passive voice, and other minor issues. Just a head’s up.
*Update: Just realized the italics for thought dialogue didn't transfer over. I will fix that.
*Giles*
I stepped from the cool shadow of the portcullis into the early autumn sunlight to meet Anteno, my mentor, on the drawbridge. Anteno hefted a bulky tome up against his chest in an effort to scratch at the grey stubble beneath his nose while simultaneously trying not to drop a foldable stool that hung from his other arm. Several papers and a quill dropped to the boards by his feet which elicited a manic giggle from the older, shorter man. He lifted a foot, hopped, leaned back and twisted, trying to see where the items landed.
“Good morning, ya old dodo,” I said with an exasperated chuckle, leaning down to snatch up the paper and quill. “You’re lucky there’s no wind today.”
“Ahhh,” Anteno breathed out, making grabby hands for the paper and quill like a child. I shook my head, gripped the items to my chest and nodded toward the field. He playfully batted his eyes up at me and simpered, “My hero! Thank you, Sir Giles!”
I interrupted his awkward execution of a curtsy by continuing down the bridge again, shaking my head. “You know, if you’re so grateful, maybe I’d like you to show the class your new dance routine. It was rather impressive,” I mocked over my shoulder.
“I’ll have you know I was doing it to impress Bettany! Isn’t that right, gorgeous?”
Before I could finish crossing the drawbridge, Anteno scrambled past me, giggling, and I was hit from head to toe by a cold but light spray of water. I froze in my steps and glanced back just in time to see a manatee’s head disappear into the dark moat water.
“You know,” I shouted after him while I shook the somewhat stinky droplets off, “you just got all your paper wet!”
“That’s fine!” he yelled over his shoulder. Anteno made the mistake of grinning back at me, causing him to trip on the stool and roll down the hill out of sight. A chorus of laughter came from where he’d disappeared. It sounded like our students were right on time.
I arrived at the bottom of the hill, feet crunching through the dry, dead grass to stand by Anteno who was already settled on his wooden stool, tome in the crook of his arm and thoroughly composed... well, mostly. I dropped the pen and damp papers onto his lap and flicked a piece of straw out of his wispy, white hair.
He grabbed the quill and started writing dates and names in the tome while I glanced up to the long line of students between us and the forest line. Performing a quick head count, I was satisfied to see everyone here; we had seventeen testers this year. The medical staff and assistants were also set up and ready for duty. When I noticed a couple students looking a touch out of sorts, I caught the eye of a medic to fetch them water. It was common for students to go into this exam with nausea and dizziness. It was a pretty big deal and incredibly stressful.
These students have been impatient for this day since they’d made the decision to become summoners. Except for the extremely rare case of an ill student rescheduling, I’ve never seen anyone miss this exam. There was no test anyone wanted to take more than this one.
The atmosphere amongst the students was almost palpable; the air heavy with excitement and peppered with anxiety. For those who passed, today would change their lives forever. It would offer them a sense of self, purpose and direction. For those who failed, it would mean having to wait an unspecified amount of time before they could try again. From personal experience, I could confidently say that failing was a particularly miserable outcome.
Mixed feelings hit my chest, and I locked eyes with my mentor, silently asking him to get a move on. Sensing my tension, Anteno took the lead and addressed the small crowd.
“Good morning, everyone! Here we are! Today is the day you’ve all been harassing us about!” he said with a grin and received a variety of appreciative and nervous laughs from the students. “Now, to repeat what we discussed yesterday, one student will approach the designated spot while the rest of you remain starting at fifteen paces away. Stay close to each other. Don’t make it hard for Tamba, one of our assistants today, to create a shell if there’s any danger!
“The tester will begin the search. If successful, they initiate the connection and complete the summons. During the summons, be prepared for the dismissal. Who can tell me why?”
All the students’ hands shot up into the air, and I grunted in approval. This was critical. Anteno pointed to a stocky, heavily freckled young man who answered, “If your familiar is from an incompatible biome they will need to be dismissed immediately to avoid further injury or distress.”
Anteno nodded and added, “At least until you are within range of that biome or find a way to circumvent that limitation... if at all. Remember, and I will stress this until your dying day, we ask our familiars to help us, but they rely on us to care for them! A neglectful summoner is a weak summoner... and also a bit of a dick.”
He lifted a finger in warning, interrupting anxious laughter. “Also, during this process, anyone caught distracting or trying to rush a tester along will lose their opportunity to test this year and will be sent back to their chambers. By Giles.
I glanced toward Anteno in amusement and raised my brows. Oh I’m scary, am I? Straightening to my full six foot three, I clapped my hands. “Alright, let’s just get started. Aeraba?” I called and pointed to the student who was at the top of the list. A young woman crowned with dark braids came forward and took her place on the marked spot, which was a wide stepping stone with the letters SCDS carved into it. The S’s were mirrored and wove through the C and D like snakes. The acronym not only provided instructions, it was somewhat of a motto.
Aeraba stood there for a long time with her eyes closed and her arms partially wrapped around her upper body like an embrace. After about twenty minutes, she gasped, and there was a brief rush of air by her feet. A subtle scent hit my nose, one I could only describe as the smell of rich, thriving life. Her search was successful, and the All Soul was opening, readying to birth Aeraba’s match.
“Oh ho! First one of the day, excellent,” Anteno murmured, leaning toward me. “What do you think?” This was a game Anteno liked to play with me during the exams, and I knew it was meant to distract me from my bad mood. I humored him, partially because it did help to some extent.
“Let’s see,” I replied as I studied Aeraba. “She’s incredibly sharp, multilingual, has a strong stomach and... is very patient. I’d say she’ll probably end up in communications... maybe on location. Probably avian.”
Anteno nodded and stuck a finger in his ear to dig at some wax. “Yeah, could be. I can see that, but I bet she’ll be our first student in three years to end up at Intragus. Ah, there we are...”
The wind stirred again around Aeraba, more forcefully, and I could sense a bond snapping into place. A light curled out of the air in an arc and flashed brilliantly before disappearing. A small creature was left behind in the air that promptly fell several feet into the crunchy grass. A gasp rose from the onlookers, and Aeraba approached it with a sobbing laugh. She scooped a taupe colored rat from the grass and held it to her chest. “Oh hello, you gorgeous thing!” she crooned, immediately enamored.
“Congratulations, Aeraba! A pouched rat. Simply incredible! Oh yes, you have a lucrative career before you indeed,” Anteno began clapping while some of the students whooped and called out to her. I stepped forward to shake her hand.
“Congrats, Aeraba, I’m so happy for you. Looks like we finally get to send someone to Intragus again,” I spoke with as much genuine warmth as I could muster, trying to ignore the pang of frustration and sadness in my chest. I pointed over to the picnic area and instructed her to get to know her familiar while she waited for the rest of the class to finish. She began skipping off toward the tents with her new partner, caught in the moment and utterly forgetting to act in her usual reserved manner. I sighed and turned back to the next tester.
“Basten!” Anteno called out, wasting no time and scribbling away in his tome. A very tan young man with sandy blond hair came forward. His search was over in about five minutes, which was damn fast. I gritted my teeth and leaned toward Anteno to whisper a prediction, but the old man jerked in his seat and sat up straight. Basten was hit by a burst of air, but the arc swept much higher this time, signifying that something large was coming. The burst of light gave birth to a twenty-foot-long, black and white creature. It let out a high pitched cry when its sleek, smooth form collided with the ground. Students jumped back, startled by the flailing fins and tail before them. There was a shriek and gasps rippled around the field. My jaw fell open in slack-jawed shock.
“Is that a dolphin or a wh-”
“Basten! Dismiss it! Dismis-” Anteno cried out, leaning backward and falling off his stool.
I took a step towards the young man, expecting Basten to be frozen from shock, but he frantically snapped his shaking hands forward, issued the dismissal and called the familiar back to him. All in the blink of an eye, the skin of the sea mammal took on the light and colors from the surrounding area, curled into a tight swirl of mist and disappeared. A sizable patch of flattened grass and sunken earth was all that remained. It would now be safely hibernating in Basten’s soul until its next summons. The young man took a wobbly step back and ran his hand through his hair, wide-eyed and blushing.
Anteno’s crinkled eyes peeked up over the stool, and an adrenaline-fueled cackle burst from his lips. “Basten...” he started, trying to pull himself together, “Well done on that fast dismissal! I expect great things from you. Great things.” He laughed again and brushed dirt off his pants. “Congrats and er... go on to the picnic area. We’ll have to wait until we can get you to the coastal clans before you can bring your little partner out again.” He clapped a grinning Basten on the back and sent him off to celebrate. The students hooted and hollered, and he waved back, grimacing and silently apologizing for the chaos. He was embarrassed now, but he would probably enjoy the attention later.
Tester after tester took their place to find their familiar, and the minutes stretched into hours. Anteno was an endless font of positivity and support for the students whereas I was being utterly drained. When we were finally done with the examination, I had nothing left to give for the rest of the evening.
Anteno folded his stool and followed the last student towards the picnic area for the traditional, post-exam celebration. He liked to let the students ride their high from the day and let off some steam before the next chapter of their lives began. Laughter and the clink of glasses soon wafted down from where the students were feasting.
I helped break down the medic tent and made my way up the hill towards the castle. A cool breeze moved through the trees, snuffing out what remained of the day’s heat. The sun was riding low behind the castle, sending crenelated shadows toward me. They were like hands. I felt like, no matter what, those hands would always be there to welcome me back to the academy. It wasn’t comforting; it was unsettling. I came to a stop at the drawbridge and took in an unsteady breath. The castle, the academy, felt more confining with each passing year, and once again, I’d be forced back into it after watching seventeen more individuals leave to serve their kingdom and their purpose.
Anger settled in my gut. I hated feeling this way. Jealousy was ugly, and I didn’t like how easily it slipped into my heart.
“Giles, my friend!” I jumped as Anteno’s voice startled the ever-loving shit out of me. I turned to face him, appraising his glowing face. He poked one of my pecs with an open wine bottle, the liquid sloshing around but not spilling. “Tomorrow,” he said, prodding me again. “Tomorrow, I want you at my study first thing in the morning. Dawn, yes?” He pointed the offending finger up at me, raised his brows and waited for my confirmation.
I looked at him with some skepticism. “Will you be there?” I asked, nodding at the bottle.
He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. “Yes. And so. Will. You,” he retorted severely.
Whirling around, Anteno marched right back towards the celebration. I didn’t really have anything to say in response. I actually felt kind of embarrassed. I would have protested, but I knew that he knew I would be drinking tonight... much more than him. I felt like if he’d had his stool, he would’ve climbed on it and slapped me. I sighed, rubbed my stubble with my hand and turned to walk into the castle grounds.
I made my way past students, guards, traders, and others hurrying home for dinner to my usual mulling spot. Pushing through the tavern door, I was welcomed by the smell of broth and brew. The place was less crowded than usual. People had probably flocked to the celebration outside the grounds to congratulate the students, who would be showing off their new partners.
There was always fussing over who summoned what and questions about where they were planning to travel for study or work. There’d be fawning over the cute and nods of approval over the fierce. I took a seat at the bar and pulled out the small notebook I kept on me. I began scribbling some thoughts down from the day—emotionless, analytical thoughts to distract me, at least until the alcohol came.
