Song of the Slayers: Verse 12

By Pedes Cardinalis

As their first semester at Pinnacle draws to a close, many of the students begin to feel their anxieties rise once again. At the same time, bonds are being formed which will help them remain strong through the rest of their training.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pedes Cardinalis
• Release date: Jul 5, 2015

Pedes Cardinalis

Pedes Cardinalis is the author of fantasy novel "Rogue Sorcerer" and the "Song of the Slayers" series. He loves to create fantastical new worlds and tell stories of epic scale.

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Song of the Slayers

Verse 12

Alee

The conference room was a little small for eleven people.

Waters had called the squad leaders and their lieutenants for a meeting to discuss the progress that each of their squads had made over the first semester. The table in the room’s center had widened to accommodate their number, but the room itself was the same size as before. They had to squeeze their way around the table and push the backs of their chairs against the wall just to sit comfortably.

Alee sat beside Zak and listened to the thoughts of the others as they shuffled into place. Jak and El were worried about the upcoming exams to the point of distraction, but the others seemed to be confident enough. That came as no surprise for some, such as Ohm and Kaala, but she was impressed by how calm Alex seemed. He was certainly no smarter than the average student here, and she had noticed him struggling to get the hang of his psionic implant.

It wasn’t until everyone else was seated that Waters arrived. The floor beneath them rotated, moving everyone’s seats so that Waters could take the chair nearest to the door. The headmaster was the only person in the room whose thoughts were guarded at that moment—even those who usually kept a close reign on their minds were too curious about what would come to keep Alee out of their minds. Automaton 8 was the exception, but it didn’t have a mind in the same way as the others. It could process information, act on its own, and learn, but its mode of thought was too mechanical for her to even begin deciphering whatever thoughts were passing through its circuits.

I see you’ve organized yourselves by squad, Waters commented.

You are all very busy preparing for your exams. Or most of you are, I suppose I should say.

The headmaster looked pointedly at Zak as she made that correction, and Alee shook her head in vexation. Zak had been enjoying himself the past few days, catching up on web dramas instead of focusing on his schoolwork. He could certainly pass without studying—she knew that much—but he could at least pretend to make an effort when he knew that Waters would be watching.

At any rate, Waters continued, I hope to keep this meeting as brief as possible. Look over the information in front of you: Your professors have compiled detailed accounts of your squads’ progress so far, and also assigned goals for each individual member.

A document appeared in front of Alee and Zak, listing each member of Black Squad and detailing the information Waters had promised. None of it came as a surprise—after the initial shock of learning that she was a telepath, the others hadn’t been too opposed to her reading their thoughts. It was strange how quickly people would grow accustomed to no longer being alone even in their own minds.

She and Zak were both expected to continue honing