First Chapters

Sand Wizardingers

A problem this has is that it isn't written from the main character, but it does still give off what the things about

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What its like to be Summit

The opening ceremony was grand. The sand stone floor was shined to a polished, four long tables formed a square around the three sided pyramid with as much delicacies as the school could offer, and high above everyone's head the great hive was given new enchantments that made it impossible for and buzzing or the occasional dribble of honey to reach the students. Enchanted orchestras had been set up around the room so that no matter where you were, you heard sweet music over the air.

Violins, I thought idly.

The only thing mildly out of place were the four great tapestries, one for each wall that covered any door, window, portrait, and statue, as if to say, if you don't know what to look at look at me. Not that what was on them wasn't important, they did of course tell of how the school was made, who made it and other such trivial history. But no, tradition had forced me to include them, even if they clashed with the decor of chairs and tables.

And it was in this gigantic round room with no see able door or window that I sat on a throne on the highest part of the little pyramid in the middle of the room over looking everything. I sighed the sigh that only a man who had done all he could do for the past two months to make one day perfect, and even farther than that, had clawed his way up the ladder to reach the top and be named Summit of all the school. I closed my eyes and breathed it all in.

If you looked at this top down there would be a circle with a square inside and a triangle in the middle, I mused.

"Mr. Sardoni?"

"Yes?" I said to the shimmering blue spirit that was floating before me. They were servants of the palace and though they didn't have any specific gender, this one seemed oddly feminine. I was glad to see that even that minor detail was carried out.

In a cheery voice it replied, "Would you like your plate to be taken away?"

"That would be lovely."

With a gesture of her hand the utensils and plates before me flew to spin around her as she led them to the kitchen. I wonder how they got the things through the wall even though the tapestries covered all the exits.

As I reclined in the throne, Ms. Kimonde, an officer a step below me said conversationally.
"This is a rather decorous ceremony don't you think sir?

"Why it must be so if we are to imprint an impression on to our students, after all, as the finest they deserve the finest."

"I suppose so, it certainly is better than Holindur's first."

I force myself not to grit my teeth at that. Holindur. He had been the last Summit and was all I could hear from the faculty for a week after I moved up. But I didn't want to think of that, the moment was perfect and I wanted it to last for as long as I could make it.

And then it all came crashing down.

Not literally of course, the building was millennia old and would need quite a very very big thing to bring it "crashing down". Though I wish everything else was as strong. A scream made me stand up immediately and brought my attention to a blue spining sphere that was gushing sand on to the floor.

My wand was in my hand when I teleported down to it. The other officers were there with me and all had a wand aimed at the sphere.

"Contain it!" I ordered. We couldn't risk just shooting at it and it exploding with all the children here.

"Praeservare!" Immediately a team of blue shimmering spirits appeared behind me, "Usher the children to the Dormitories, and keep them there." I said finally able to keep my voice level.

They nodded and disappeared. Turning back I saw that the faculty now had a yellowish shield that was containing lightning that was starting to come out of it and piling up the sand beneath. Mixed in with raised voices and stampeding sounds of the students behind me a low whine was now emitting from the sphere. Had it grown larger?

I studied it and searched my memory. It looked oddly familiar. I'm sure I had seen something like it somewhere before. Looking up I saw that the high pitch wine now reached the bees above who were now buzzing around agitatedly. Clearly the sound enchantment didn't go both ways.

Frowning I added my own power to the shield that was now a solid color of gold completely concealing what was inside. Extending my wand a thin stream of light shot out of it and went to the shield. I could feel the rough sand that was building up inside it, the pressure of the bow mini-thunder storm that raged above it, and the unyielding and seemingly unscratched sand stone floor below.

All this I felt, and added to the pool of perception that made up the shield. There I felt the thoughts of others and there belief and imagination that gave the shield its form and strength. And in that moment i knew all would be right. I didn't know how this power had breached the buildings defenses but now it had to deal with the skill and power of the Schools top wizards. Only something unprecedented would defeat us all combined.

The shield shattered. In an explosion of sand and lightning we were propelled backward and I hit an overturned chair. Dazed I knew something had come, something definite that knew and believed it was real and knew that the shield was imagined. The prophecy was coming true. And as the sand settled and I stood up and aimed my wand ready to die for what was around me, a boy stepped out with metal monster around its feet.

The boy was bald and had pale scales as skin. Its eyes were the yellow slits of a snakes yet his nose was that of a human and his lips were full and curled into a twisted smile. The metal beast laid motion less on the ground and was smaller than I thought it was. Its body was connected in three parts by dry tendons of red and yellow on one end it had a slab if dark glass and metal, in the middle was a rectangle larger than the slab with one side wide open spilling out its dry guts, on the other end was a School issued Teleport Disk. I thought I recognized it somewhere, also explains how he got in.

"HA-HAHAHA! It worked it worked it WORKED!" The boy said hysterically to himself, "Psammos! Get up here!" It called out.

And around his feet a third being emerged. Slightly smaller than a hound it was flat, had short stubby legs, a long snout with teeth coming out from the lips and a long body covered in leather that camouflaged it well in sand. Where a tail might be expected was instead a hooded snake with bright red eyes and markings. The Kokobra is native to the desert region of Gazu.

Wand still raised I straightened my self up for a fight and shot a glance to the other staff who were doing the same thing with different levels of wonder, awe and fear on their faces.

Patting his pockets wildly I noticed that the boy could not have been more that thirteen years old and he was wearing a back pack and sensible if somewhat smoldering clothes. Before he even fished out his invitation I already knew why he was here and I dreaded its affirmation.

"Sorry I'm late," The boy said still smiling and now holding out a battered yellow and blue card to no one in particular.

"Am I interrupting something?" He said as if he just saw us and the destruction he had caused.

I sighed and lowered my wand. To this some of the others saw and copied me. Some were now charging angry red lights in their wands. "Everyone stand down, false alarm." And in that moment I almost regretted being Summit and having had to deal with this. Almost.