Falling Snow Ch. 07

"Good." Sara said. The elf bowed deeper as Sara turned to move away and caught Tom's eye.

"What were you looking at?" Sara asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Tom said too quickly as he adverted his eyes from the elvish bombshell.

Sara rolled her eyes. "Come on. I need to find the dean and get this over with."

"Let's go then." Tom moved to follow Sara, who responded with a firm hand on his chest and a stern look on her pretty face.

"No. Bringing you to this party was already a mistake. The last thing an unattached warlock like you needs is to be on the dean's radar." She said.

"Did she say what I think she just said?" Tom asked, ignoring her last statement and referring to the Elf's mention of a summoning. He fitted her with an equally stern and determined look.

Sara sighed and rolled her eyes, emitting defeat. "Yes, if you can blend in with the crowd and try not to get caught, it looks like you can get a look at a proper summoning lesson tonight."

Tom started to look interested at the prospect as they moved through the crowd. Sara's amused expression to turn to a troubled one.

"Remember to keep your guard up. This place isn't what it seems."

Sara pulled him into a side hallway away from the loud party raging behind them. As they moved further down the hallway the décor of the mansion began to shift. Gone were the paneled walls of dark expensive wood, replaced with stone walls and vaulted gothic arches that ran the length of the hallway.

Tom couldn't shake the feeling that the hallway was declined slightly downward and that they were steadily heading further underground. The air was certainly getting colder and he thought he could catch the faintest whiff of damp stone in the air.

At the end of the hallway, a few people were milling around and talking in front of a stone archway in place of a door. Among them was the Dean's son, Chris and his little group of friends.

Chris swept his eyes up and down Sara's body as the two of them approached, a deep hunger in his gaze. His expression turned to a sneer as his eyes briefly met Tom's before addressing Sara.

"Why don't you ditch that geek and come hang out with a real man?"

"If you find one be sure to introduce me."

Chris moved to block her from moving past him.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll be nicer to me." Chris said. He moved his hand and ran it down the side of Sara's face just like Tom had done on the dance floor.

Tom opened his mouth and took a step forward. Sara promptly stomped on Tom's foot. She moved her head forward until she was almost nose to nose with Chris. "Don't forget who you're talking too Christopher."

They stared at each other intently, not just as individuals but as members of their respective families. Some high-class game of chicken that involved family honor and status and most importantly power. It all flew right over Tom's head but the rest of the people present seemed to be holding their collective breath. Chris blinked first and shifted his gaze away from Sara. "Move." She said simply as she grabbed Tom's arm and pushed past him.

"You've got a lot of balls bringing him here," Chris said, "he doesn't belong in my house."

Sara ignored him. Tom could tell Chris was pissed but he still caught him staring at Sara's ass as they entered the room beyond. Sara's demonstration of her status doing nothing to satiate his lust for her. If anything he probably wanted her even more because he couldn't have her.

"You're nothing." Chris said to Tom as they passed.

Tom's hand curled into a fist and the urge to turn around and punch him was almost overwhelming. It was only Sara's vague warning that allowed him to keep his cool.

Sara looked at him approvingly as they passed out of earshot of the doorway. "Thank You.

"For what?" Tom asked.

"For doing nothing. Status is everything with warlocks, it wouldn't have ended well if you had done anything to him."

"I was about too."

"I know." She said.

Tom's eyes adjusted to the dim light of the room and for the second time that night his words left him as he viewed the sight in front of him. This house is massive, he thought.

They entered into a small amphitheater of a sort. The room was circular and obviously sunken into the ground. Several rows of seating surrounded the entire circumference of the room. A few people were seated in small groups around the mostly empty room. They were obviously waiting on something. Their voices echoed off the doomed ceiling that immediately caught Tom's attention. The entirety of the white plastered ceiling was painted with elaborate frescoes depicting apocalyptic battles between warlocks and armies of demonic horrors. He sat enraptured at the paintings until Sara nudged him to descend the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs they reached a metal railing that surrounded the circular pit in the center of the room. Several feet below them was a large concrete floor. A large metal pentagram was bolted to the floor. A candle sat glowing at every point of the pentagram and in the center of the summoning circle a goat was tied to a cinder block. Even in the dim light, Tom could see scorch marks and long dried stains on the floor.

Several figures in long red robes stood along the walls of the pit and one slightly shorter figure stood right outside the summoning circle. Tom couldn't tell the gender of the person or even how old they were. What he could tell was that the person had their hands in the air and was chanting a long string of gibberish.

Holy shit, he thought.

They took a seat in the first row and gazed down at the summoning.

The robed figures around the edges of the pit could also be seen chanting. Many of them swung metal thuribles of burning incense on long chains or swished wooden wands out in front of them. The perfumed smoke drifted lazily through the air, somehow giving the massive room a mysterious and claustrophobic feeling. It was all very intense, Tom decided. He was also certain that Shyira would have found it hilarious.

The speaker's chanting grew louder and louder. The summoner was a boy, Tom was sure of that now. His slightly nasally voice was audible now even if the ritualistic gibberish meant nothing to him. The chanting of the robbed figures also grew louder until at its climax the boy suddenly screamed out loudly in English.

"Arise creature of the beyond! Arise from the inferno of the pit and into the mortal realm. Arise and know your new master!"

The steel embedded into the summoning circle suddenly flashed red. A wave of heat and the smell of brimstone filled the room as a shimming portal appeared where the summoning circle had once laid. Tom could feel the arid and pungent breeze now blowing out of the new hole in the ground. It left a grayish mist in the room that soon obscured the exits and increased the claustrophobic feeling Tom felt. One powerful clawed hand grabbed onto the edge of the portal now connecting our world to the pit. A red muscular demon wearing rusted chain mail and sporting a set of bone white horns hauled itself out of the newly created portal to hell and into our realm.

The boy took a hesitant step back. The head of the goat slid past him, leaving a long red streak of blood on the concrete.

"B-bow to your new M-master beast of the pit." The boy shouted nervously. The creature smiled as a sword of pure fire appeared in its clawed hand. Uh-Oh, Tom thought. The boy took another step back. The robed warlocks along the perimeter of the summoning pit took a step forward as they prepared to contain the creature.

Now, Tom was sure that the warlocks present were all experienced and powerful practitioners. Maybe not a match for the creature individually, but as a group, the topic of whether they could take the creature down was certainly a matter open for debate. Physics and hard surfaces won that debate.

With a demonic roar of rage and bloodlust the creature sent out a shockwave of pure power out in every direction. From his vantage point some distance away from the summoning circle the shockwave felt like a hard slap to the face. Inside the pit, the warlocks moving to contain the creature were physically throw back, straight into the concrete wall of the enclosure. Some hit head first and immediately slumped to ground unconscious, a sheet of blood coating their faces. Others hit the wall at the wrong angle with the sickening snap of broken bones. They fell to the ground screaming. The room was soon filled the with sounds of pain and fear. Many of the spectators began running towards the exits.

The only one in the pit who wasn't any worse for wear was the little warlock who had summoned the monstrosity. Sure, he'd been blown to the ground by the shockwave but he'd been close enough to the summoning circle to avoid slamming into the wall. That left the unlucky kid as one of the only uninjured people in the summoning pit.

Looking back on this moment. Tom would still never figure out what he was thinking but watching the boy regain his feet only to immediately begin shuffling back in pure terror, triggered something in Tom. He jumped out of his seat, vaulted over the nearby railing and jumped down into the summoning pit.

He felt the impact of the fall as pain shot up his legs. He even stumbled a little as he regained his feet. He certainly felt like a bad ass but upon later reflection he would admit it wasn't the most heroic thing to witness.

"Tom," Sara screamed, "what the hell are you doing?"

The boy ran behind him. The creature growled and took a step forward. Tom poured power into a shield of bluish light which he put between himself and the creature. The creature paused his advanced and...sniffed Tom, before making a sound of understanding.

"I can smell her on you," the creature said in a deep and raspy voice, "move aside moral, leave me too my prey. I have no quarrel with the Lady of the Frost tonight."

"Can't do that." Tom said. He tried to sound much braver than he felt.

"Move." The creature bellowed.

The creature gave a grunt of irritation as one massive hoof took a step towards him. The floor physically shook as the creature put his full weight into the step. Tom poured more power into the shield.

"Stop!" Tom yelled, trying not to let the tremor be heard in his voice. The creature stared at Tom, deep in concentration.

"So be it." The creature rasped.

The creature raised the massive arm holding the sword of pure fire. Tom was shaking as he readied his puny shield, sure that he was about to die for his stupid bravery.

The runes of the summoning circle glowed once more as a new portal appeared behind the creature. The mist began to clear as a great wind sucked the air of the room into the portal. An unseen force began pulling the creature backwards. Its hoofed feet screeched against the concrete as it struggled against the force dragging it backward. Deep scratches appeared in the concrete as it gave ground. When it reached the edge of the portal it had just enough time to give Tom a look of pure hate before it tipped over the side and fell back to hell.

Just like that, the wind ceased as the portal closed. Tom stared in shock at where the creature had stood a moment before.

"Very good young man, VERY good!" The direction of the voice wasn't immediately apparent.

A well-dressed man stepped though the dissipating mist and onto the now solid floor where the demon had stood. His hands were thrown up in a welcoming gesture and a large smile plastered on his face.

"Very good!"

The man's eyes swept over Tom with a calculating and intelligent look. Sara had joined Tom by then, having taken the more sensible route of the stairs. The man's eyes moved to Sara for a long moment before realization seemed to dawn on him

"Ah. If you're accompanying the young Miss Westler this evening than you must be Tom." He extended a hand as his eyes bore into him. "My name is Dean Henry Edwards and I'm very happy to make your acquaintance."

They followed in the dean's wake like a couple of school kids on their way to detention. Sara's near constant look of alarm did nothing to help settle his stomach and was increasingly churning with nerves.

They passed through a door on the opposite side of the room and found themselves walking through an eerie stone hallway. Along both sides of the hallway were mounted antlers and horns of many different animals. Mixed with the usual deer and moose were other racks that Tom couldn't identify but were obviously supernatural in origin. They made him keenly uneasy if he looked at them too long.

Tom gave Sara a look and she answered the unspoken question. "Hunting trophies." She quietly mouthed to him with disgusted curl of her lip. Tom noticed that she was careful to look at the deans back to make sure they wouldn't be overheard. At the end of the hallway they came to a grand spiral staircase of wrought iron that was tall enough that it must have led back into the mansion proper.

His guess was proven correct when, legs burning slightly, they reached the top of the stairs and were led into a posh office overlooking the lawn from the second floor. The walls were lined with shelves filled with books and other trinkets. Along with the chairs in front of a massive wooden desk over by an equally massive window, there were also seats in a semicircle surrounding a fireplace set in the wall. It was here that the dean directed them.

"So much excitement tonight." He said clapping his hands together. "I'm sure what happened down in the summoning pit will make for an interesting story and you handled yourself so well down there. Makes me think that you must have other stories to tell an old man by the fire tonight." He said to the room.

The dean sat in the largest chair around the crackling fire. A crystal glass and decanter filled with a golden-brown liquid was set on a table to his right. To his left, sat a beautiful creature on a pillow on the ground. She was naked expect for a black collar around her neck. Tom could just make out the runes embedded in the leather. She had platinum blond hair and skin the color of a dark tan. If it wasn't for the horns and the cant to her eyes Tom could have mistaken her for human. She sat with her back straight, her eyes cast down to the floor. The dean didn't acknowledge her except to absentmindedly stroke her golden hair as he sat.

"Sit young man, let us speak as one warlock to another. I must admit that I know so very little about you."

"Well Dean—." Tom began.

A fatherly smile spread across Dean Edward's face. "Henry, my boy. Henry will do just fine. There's no reason to be so formal here."

Tom doubted that. "Well I don't exactly know much about you either...Henry."

Dean Edwards expression turned more calculating without completely losing the fatherly look. "Now see that is curious. More curious than I knowing so little about you." He laughed at that. "You must think that is an incredibly arrogant statement to make. You may be right but I am also very aware of my own position in society. You on the other had are a bit of an unknown quantity. A mysterious and unvouched for warlock showing up to a party with the daughter of a respectable and powerful family. Quite the scandal, some would even say." He winked at Tom at that last statement. Sara shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"Well I only recently became a warlock." Tom said.

Sara attempted to kick Tom, but the damage had already been done.

"Ah, now that is interesting. Do you know what I see when I look upon you son?"

"What?"

"Just what you are, a young man. Impulsive, headstrong, with the one-track mind that all men share at that that age. Letting their little head doing the thinking for them, even when it isn't the wisest course of action." The dean glanced at Sara as he finished his sentence. Sara understood his meaning but resisted the urge to comment.

Tom didn't like where this conversation was going.

"A young man from an unknown family, seemingly ignorant of things he should have been aware of from adolescence. Dabbling in things he doesn't understand and couldn't possibly control."

Tom said nothing but he was sure the Dean could read his every though on his face.

"Plus, I'm hearing so many stories of strange occurrences on campus lately. A fire at one of our faculty buildings, a greenhouse full of priceless plants, destroyed by temperature shock of all things. Even a few disappearances thrown into the mix. One can't be helped but try and connect the dots, maybe go looking for someone who doesn't belong."

The dean's eyes were boring into Tom now. He still had the smile of a fatherly dean but his eyes screamed predator.

The Dean's tone turned more serious. "You've summoned a demon from the pit, haven't you son? Perhaps even a succubus?"

A sinking feeling crept up Tom's legs and into the pit of his stomach. He couldn't possibly know that...could he? Tom suddenly got the feeling that the man he's been having such a casual conversation with might just be one of the most dangerous men that he'd ever met. He also got the feeling that he had fucked up big time by pressuring Sara to take him to this party.

Dean Edwards didn't seem to be waiting for an answer, he seemed to read his expression like a book. He shook his head in a disappoint manner. "Regrettable," he said.

"S-so what if I have?"

"I think that you do not yet understand the true nature of the Pit." He clasped his hands together and brought them to his chin, the patent professor granting his pupil a nugget of wisdom.

"Perhaps you are completely ignorant of the other worldly dimension we call the Pit," he paused, almost long enough for Tom to think he expected a response, "but I don't think so. I think you've been lured in by the carnal pleasures the hellish beasts can offer the young and foolish. Understandably so."

He ran a finger across the cheek of the gorgeous creature kneeling at his feet. A shiver of apparent pleasure, but what Tom was quickly recognizing as revulsion, ran down her spine. "You've yet to witness the horrors of the pit. The eldritch terrors that make men weep and cry out to their gods. The undying machinations of creatures who witnessed the birth of man and expect to see his death. Such terrors require a degree of protection and caution."

"And that's where you come in?" Tom asked, his throat dry.

"Precisely." He said with a flourish of his hands. "It is only through the constant vigilance of the Ordo Custos Terrae that humanity's enemies are kept at arm's length, that the Eternity gate is kept closed and the realms of man kept secure. That is the true purpose of Warlock society."

"According to some." Sara spoke at last.

The dean smiled but let her comment pass before turning back to Tom and letting out a deep sigh, "which brings me to you."

Tom gulped.

"You understand that we take the training of new warlocks very seriously. An untrained warlock can be very dangerous, both to himself and others. And an unknown warlock raises many questions, questions I intend to have answers too."

The dean stared at Tom now. Such an intense stare that Tom wondered what he could possible be thinking while making such a face.

"I have so many things to discuss with you Tom, starting with what happened at the police station."

Tom had no idea what the dean was talking about and was sure he didn't want to know. Sara was tugging on his arm now, urging him to follow her out of the room. She had such a look of alarm on her face that he allowed her to pull him away from the intense stare of Dean Henry Edwards. The Dean made no attempt to stop them as they moved towards the door. Tom just barely heard his last words as the two of them stepped out of the room.

"Questions I have for you, young man and questions I will have answered."