Luke pulled a few lumps of coal out of the sack that had been on his head. “That was some quick thinking summoning those bags.” He itched his face. “I was surprised that you had so much poison oak in your pockets. How did you know that you would need it?”
“It was just something that I had on hand.” said Ash.
“I’ve never seen someone talk to capital guards like that. You were so brave. Not a trace of fear at all.”
“Actually I was so scared I was about to fill my pants like a draft horse with diarrhea. But day after day I’ve actually gotten used to people acting like they’re better than me all the time.” Ash chewed his lip. “I don’t have much patience for people like that.”
“Either way that was some fast talking you did back there. I knew I could count on you. You always had a talent for getting us into trouble.” Luke smiled. “And then getting us back out.”
“Yeah, yeah. Clean yourself up a bit.”
“Should I leave the burlap sack on?”
“As funny as it is I think walking around town in a burlap jumper is going to attract more attention than we want right now.” said Ash.
Ash kept a lookout while Luke wiped some of the dirt off of himself.
“What now?” asked Luke.
“Do you know if any more of the Royal Guards are in town? How many of them are looking for you?”
“I don’t know. I left the Capital in the middle of the night. There could be guards all around us.”
Ash looked concerned. “Let’s find somewhere quiet to talk. Follow me. There’s a Restaurant nearby.”
#
The Blushing Scone was, like all restaurants in the world, themed. This one had a bistro theme. All the waitresses wore maid outfits with frilly skirts and silk stockings. The Tavern’s specialty was scones and coffee.
Since it was the afternoon the place was mostly empty. Ash signaled to the Maid Waitresses as they entered. A girl about his age wearing a dress with an open back walked over to them.
“Welcome.” She chirped. “How many at your table, three, or maybe two?”
“Two please. And we would like a booth if you don’t mind.” said Ash.
The Maid Waitress escorted them to a booth next to the entrance. Ash looked around. The booth was exposed to the main room of the Tavern.
“Is there a different table we could have?” he asked.
“A different one?” The Waitress looked confused. “There’s a booth closer to the bar if that’s what you want.”
Ash looked over. The seats were still too open.
“No. Anything else.” Ash asked.
“There’s one more free booth. But it’s all the way in the back corner. It’s also by the door to the kitchen.”
“That’s perfect, we'll take it.”
The Maid Waitress frowned. She was probably calculating her odds of getting a tip in real time.
“We uh,” Ash stalled. “We were looking for some privacy.” Ash tried to flash her a disarming grin. Then he remembered that he was covered with soot and poison ivy stains and tried to pass it off as a yawn.
The Waitress was unfazed. “Right this way then. Follow me.” She led them to the booth in the back. “Here you are.”
Ash and Luke took their seats.
“Here is the drink menu.” She placed a few parchment sheets on the table in front of them. “There’s a special section on the back with appetizers large enough to share. We call it our Date Menu. I’ll leave you two alone but I’ll be back for your drink orders in just a second.” *Wink*
“Wait no. We’re not on a date. And… she’s gone.” Ash crumpled back into his seat.
Luke looked over the top of the menu he was reading. “Did you want to split an appetizer? Some of these look pretty good. Maybe some onion rings?”
“Don’t you start that. We’re not here to eat. We’re here to talk.” said Ash.
“We do have a lot to catch up on. Maybe some appetizers to keep our strength up?” Luke raised an eyebrow.
“Put that down!” Ash leaned over the table and snatched the menu out of Luke’s hands. “Enough stalling. It’s time for you to come clean. Why were the Capital Guards after you?”
Luke looked at his hands. “Oh right. That…”
“Listen to me. I’ve already stuck my neck out for you once today. But I need to know what you did.”
“I told you before I summoned the…”
“I know. But what does that mean? What is a Demon Lord?” Ash begged.
Luke brushed his bangs aside. “He’s a lord of demons?” *Pause* “I don’t really know, but it’s bad! There are myths and legends about demon lords that have destroyed armies and conquered kingdoms. The arrival of the Demon Lord will usher in ten thousand years of darkness. I assumed that it was a fairytale.”
“And you summoned this guy?”
“Uhhh…”
#
*Flashback*
Luke was sitting on a broad wooden bench outside of the Main Council Chamber in the Capital City. Luke was alone in the hall. He nervously drummed his fingers on the top of his legs. It was late at night. The only other sound was the occasional crack of a flickering torch in the long deserted hallways.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
*Ka-creeeeak* The massive door to the Main Council Chamber slowly opened in front of him. Luke jumped to his feet.
“There you are Luke. Please come in.” An elderly man in a white robe stood at the threshold.
“Yes sir. Right away sir.” Luke shuffled ahead. “It’s an honor to be called to serve the White Council.”
“I hope that we didn’t wake you up.” The man said.
“Not at all sir.” Luke wiped the sleep from his eyes. “I’m used to it.”
The older man nodded sagely. “We’re very happy that you’re here. You are our most precious Royal Summoner after all.”
The two of them entered the Main Council Chambers. The circular room was decorated with heavy marble columns. Historical tapestries were hung from the walls. There was a large triangular table set in the very center of the room. Two similarly elderly men in white robes sat on the other sides of the table.
The old man closed the doors and took his seat on the third side of the table. “Please. Have a seat.” He made a feeble gesture.
Luke looked at the three sided table. There was a septuagenarian in a white robe sitting in the middle of each side. *Panic* He awkwardly pulled a chair up to the closest corner. *Act Natural* Luke tried in vain casually to rest his elbow on the pointy chunk of table in front of him.
There was a long silence.
“Can we get you something to drink?” One of the Councilors offered.
“Yes. Please. Yes sir.” Luke was glad for any distraction.
One of them snapped. A figure appeared from a forgotten corner of the room and placed a goblet on the table in front of Luke. The figure faded back into the shadows of the room.
The Councilor nodded to the cup. “A rare vintage that is reserved for only the most prestigious royal visitors.”
Luke looked at the cup. “Oh? Thank you. I suppose it’s not that late… or early.” He lifted the goblet.
“Do try to savor it. It can be rather potent.”
“Ha ha. Yes.” Luke sipped from the cup. *Cough* “It’s good. Very sweet.”
The three men at the table watched him with hooded eyes. Luke took a few more polite sips.
One of the councilors turned to Luke. “I suppose you are wondering why we have ‘summoned’ you here.” *Polite laughter from the other councilors*
“Ah, ha ha ha, uhhh, yes, if you would like to… tell me?” Luke kept smiling.
The councilors frowned in unison. One of them spoke. “There is a matter of extreme importance we need to speak with you about.” Another continued, “Dreadful importance.” The last one finished. “Extremely dreadful.”
The Councilor continued. “Our Kingdom is the most powerful, most prosperous, and most well respected kingdom in all the land. And we owe a great deal of our success to the hard work and dedication of our subjects. Including you.”
Luke blushed. “Thank you sir.”
“But one of our neighboring nations has grown envious of our prosperity. We have learned that they have decided to summon a champion. A Hero from another world.” He turned to face Luke.
“Oh? Is that bad?” Luke tried to follow along.
“No. It’s very good…”
“Ah.”
“For them.”
“Oh…”
“Do you know about the Heroes?”
“I remember some legends about them being important in the past…”
“Heroes are known to be the greatest warriors in their world. They are unmatched in their power. No army we raise will be able to stand against them. Our kingdom is doomed to fall.” The other councilor continued. “Certainly doomed.” The third spoke as well. “Fallen for certain.”
The first Councilor gave Luke a sad look. “You have served the kingdom loyally and faithfully for four years. It’s too bad. I just hate to see all of your good work fall apart.”
Luke tried to look helpful. “Is there… anything that I can do, sirs?”
The three Councilors stroked their beards in unison. “Well… there might be.”
One of the Councilors stood up and walked to a chest at the side of the room. He removed a key and unlocked the lid. *Click* He walked back around the table to Luke and held out his hands. Luke put his hand out in response. Something was placed in his palm. When the Councilor moved away there was a massive gemstone in Luke’s hand.
The stone shone with an inner light. A deep red fire that roiled and bubbled like the heart of an erupting volcano. It was cool to the touch but the air around the gem shimmered as if it was red hot.
“Wow, that's a really big summoning stone.” There was a river of sweat pouring down the back of Luke’s neck. “Are my feet still attached? I’m not sure… that I can feel the lower half of my body…”
The crystalline stone glimmered in his hands. The flickering torches of the chamber refracted off of the stone’s facets causing rainbow patterns to dance across the table in front of him. He could feel a spark of magical power running up his arm like a lightning bolt.
“I think so?” Luke croaked.
“Then you’ll do it won’t you? Use your power to save our kingdom? You’re the only one who can do this.”
“I… I don’t know if…” Luke’s throat was so dry. What time was it? Why couldn’t he feel his feet? Why wouldn’t his teeth stop vibrating?
“I can see that this is too much for you.” The councilor’s arm shot out like a viper and plucked the stone right out of Luke’s hand. “It’s too bad. We’ll just have to look for some other way to save the kingdom.”
The three Councilors turned their backs to Luke in unison. “You can go now.”
“No wait!” Luke reached out in desperation. “I’ll do it…”
#
*Flashforward*
“Did you hear me? I said that I summoned the Demon Lord.” said Luke.
*Pause*
“No I heard you.” Ash stared straight ahead. “It was just like the world skipped a note for a second. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t having a stroke.” Ash leaned back in his seat.
“Why did you do what they said? You didn’t think that was odd?” Ash asked.
“It made sense at the time.” said Luke.
“So you just summoned this ‘Demon Lord’ with your powers?”
“It happened really fast.”
“And you didn’t think about calling someone else to get a different opinion? Or maybe just summoning another Hero? Two heroes could probably fight it out. Summoning multiple heroes is probably fine. I think…” Ash pulled on his shirt sleeve.
“I’m sorry I know I messed up. It’s just that, I’ve spent the last four years summoning whatever people wanted whenever they wanted it. I would wake up in the morning and they would tell me to summon art. So I did. Then they would tell me to summon gold and jewelry. So I did. All day every day. Whatever the royal family wanted, that's what I made. One time the Princess wanted to impress some foreign dignitaries. So she had me fill an entire swimming pool with champagne. For two days all I did was summon alcohol. Then I collapsed. I almost drowned!”
Luke was almost shaking by this point. He kept nervously pushing his bangs back from his forehead.
Ash put his elbows on the table. “That sounds rough.”
“You know how it works for me. I don’t even have to think about it. It was like I was sleepwalking. And now… I’ve doomed the world.” Luke collapsed against the table.
*Eye roll again* “Don’t be so dramatic.” Ash held up a menu. “Would some onion rings help? Would that make you feel better.”
“Maybe.” Luke spoke directly into the table.
“Don’t worry so much. We’re going to figure this out. But we need more information. What exactly is a Demon Lord and why would they want you to summon one if it’s so bad?”
“I can answer that question.” A new voice.
*Cough*Cough*
Ash and Luke stopped talking. They stopped moving. In unison they slowly turned to look at the young woman that was already sitting at their table.