History Lesson

Amelia seats herself in a chair, crossing her legs elegantly. Her eyes fixate on Keith’s, holding him as if spellbound, as she speaks. The others are nearby, but his attention is focused entirely upon her.

“A long time ago, our reality was much like the one you presumably come from. Humans were the only intelligent beings. However, due to the prevalence of magic in this world, things changed dramatically, about two centuries ago.”

Keith’s brow furrows. “How do you know what it’s like where I came from?”

Amelia looks slightly irritated at the interruption, but answers anyway. “I know the spell that summoned you, and I read your aura a moment ago. I have dealt with much of this before. Please do not interrupt.”

Chastised, Keith nods, and she continues. “As I was saying, things changed in this world about two hundred years ago. It’s unknown who exactly enacted the ritual, but it was likely a cabal of unscrupulous mages, seeking some advantage over a rival group. The results, however, were immediately obvious, and as far as anyone can tell, irreversible.”

Amelia gestures at the others, then at herself. “Humans ceased to exist as of that moment, becoming…what we are now. There is such a variety that it’s hard to classify, but it seems to follow no set pattern. Though close enough to human to be genetically compatible, there are now hundreds of different forms among us.”

She leans forward, her gaze suddenly more intense. “Many, like myself, have taken an interest in baseline humanity, but it’s rare to have the opportunity to actually see one.”

She looks over at Ava, who cringes slightly. “Generally, a summoning ritual requires a lot of oversight and paperwork, but it seems like my over eager students have bypassed that. And in so doing, made an error, leaving you stranded.”

Keith sees that she’s finished for now, so he speaks up. “Right, so what happens now?”

Amelia sighs. “Well, there are rules in place to govern situations like this. Something known as Summoner’s Privilege. Despite the name, it’s really more of a responsibility. A summoner must be responsible for their summons, particularly if they are intelligent beings. For now, you’ll be under the care of these three.”

Keith sees Gina perk up, and Amelia looks at the big woman. “This means you must provide for him, until we figure out what comes next. Any harm that comes to him will be considered your fault. Understood?”

Gina, Ava, and Devin all nod, cowed by Amelia’s presence. “Good. I will go now, I must determine what consequences will come from this. Bring him to my office tomorrow afternoon.”

Ava nods. “Yes, ma’am.”

Amelia stands, and Keith does as well. He extends a hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Amelia.”

She considers him for a moment, then takes his hand, more delicately than before. The hint of a smile is on her lips once more, and there’s a glimmer of some sort in her captivating red eyes. “Likewise, Keith. Perhaps we could speak more another day. I have many…questions that I would like to ask you.”

Keith nods, and she releases his hand, heading out the door without another word. Ava hurriedly closes the door and sighs, visibly relaxing. “That could have been worse.”

Devin nods. “She was more polite than usual. I think she was mostly interested in Keith.”

Gina laughs, putting an arm around Keith’s shoulders. “Can’t say I blame her!”

Grinning, she winks at Keith. “So, now you’re ’under our care’, hmm? Wanna get under something else?”

Keith can’t help but laugh. “You really never stop, do you?”

Gina grins even wider.