“I’ve concluded my questions,” he says, slumping in his seat, his powerful presence replaced by a tired old man who looks annoyed at his circumstances.

“Then I will continue begin the questions for the administration,” Miss Talia says.

I perk up, leaning forward with a smile. “Ask me anything you like.”

She folds her hands in her laps. [I will be conducting this portion of the interview through the use of the mental affinity. If this makes you uncomfortable, we can end the interview here with no repercussions but those interested in you will assume you are rejecting the opportunity.]

I’ve never had a problem with you in my head. Curious what kind of opportunity the Hall is offering that needs this amount of secrecy.

[Before we begin, I will inform you and your elementals that I am merely using my abilities to confirm the truth of your words.]

Heh, my succubi may not be right beside me, since Alana insisted as if distance would be enough to stop them from helping me if I desired, but I am well within their influence. I’d never actually make myself vulnerable by being without at least one of my servants.

[Then, let me begin by introducing the parties interested in you. This is not merely an interview from the administration of the Hall but also from the crown.]

I stiffen reflexively. It takes a few deep breaths to consciously relax my body and quell my instinctive response to reject this entire conversation. What does the king and his court want with me?

[You have not gone unnoticed, Lou. I have been instructed to communicate the Hall’s wishes first.]

Why?

[No explanation was given.]

Hm. If I had to guess, the Hall wants to make their position clear before the king starts lobbing bundles of gold or threatening to destroy my entire bloodline. Or maybe this is Dunwayne pushing back against the royal family. The king did swing his weight around to make sure Samuel never got into serious trouble. A small revenge? Or a small reminder?

[The Hall would like to offer you a position as an assistant instructor in the Summoning Hall.] I lean forward further, fully interested. [I am sure you are aware how secular the summoner community is. Old families hold onto their knowledge and it is far too dangerous for the unlearned to attempt it with the broken records they can piece together.]

Very true. Just ask Crowley Caine in the afterlife.

[This also means that no one can properly police these families. The court does not understand enough about elementals to levy proper laws and restrictions against them. Hence, leading to circumstances like those of the Grimoires, otherwise known as the Masons.]

Heh. So, the Hall wants me to, what, teach basic summoning safety? Play name that elemental with a bunch of city guards and soldiers? Most importantly, why me? Not that I’m not qualified but you have an entire Hall of experienced summoners.

Miss Talia slowly blinks. [You are rather astute. The Hall wants you to teach both acolytes and those of law enforcement about basic summoning, the more common elementals, and the danger of both. As for why you are being offered the position, it has been offered to every adequate summoner for the past five years. All have turned it down.]

Loyalty to family, I muse. Certainly, my father would rather stab himself than give away our family’s summoning records, especially to a random commoner off the streets, as the Hall has been known to accept.

[Indeed. Anyone with the needed expertise is compromised by their loyalties. By the time new acolytes have reached the same level of knowledge, they have formed their own loyalties. The Hall has its own politics, enforced by old traditions.]

I’m familiar with the concept.

[Yes. You have broken many traditions already. You are from an old summoning family, which gives you both the skill and the pedigree to direct future summoners, but you are not strongly attached to your family. More so, you are already tied to the Hall through your wife. You are the best prospective candidate in a long time.]

Doesn’t that make me feel warm inside. The idea of teaching a group of baby summoners doesn’t sound bad. In fact, there are a few elementals I’m interested in that respond better to groups. Perhaps I can start my own club like Kierra has, though I don’t need fanatics trailing me.

What commitments would be expected of me and what would I be getting?

[The Hall will pay you 200 gold crowns per semester.]

My eye twitches. 200 gold for nearly a year of labor? A common laborer would be on their knees kissing her feet for such a blessing but I am a noble. That amount of money is nothing. I paid a hundred more than that to tempt a woman into my bed for a night.

[The Hall will cover resources for your own research and summons up to the amount of 1000 gold.]

Now we’re getting somewhere. Thank the saints they have enough respect to not think I’d be satisfied with such a pittance as 200 gold crowns.

[You would also be entitled to personal living arrangements in a dorm with other assistant instructors. You are not inclined to reside in it, the space is yours to do with as you wish as long as you heed the dorm’s rules of conduct. The Hall is also prepared to offer you an assistant of your own from our pool of aides. They are quite competent. Marie was trained by the Hall and she is quite invaluable to me.]

Oh, they’ve put heavy bait on their fishing lines.

[Finally, the Hall will offer you a place at the faculty meetings as an advisor to speak on any issues involving summoning and elementals.]

It takes me a minute to understand the value of her words. Faculty meetings. A gathering of all the Hall’s instructors, a room full of some of the most powerful and influential people in the kingdom. And they’re offering me a standing invitation.

Where’s the downside? This is getting a touch ridiculous. What are they going to offer me next, my own flying island? Personal lessons from Dunwayne? There has to be a catch.

[They are asking for a minimum commitment of five years. It is the agreed upon time it would take to train another to take your place if you should decide to leave.]

I lean back as I consider the offer. I don’t plan on leaving the Hall anytime in the near future but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t. Choosing to stay in one place for its benefits is very different from being shackled to a place for benefits. They won’t nail my feet to the floor but if I break that agreement, it would be a terrible stain on my reputation.

They are asking for five years to train a replacement. Will they be training this replacement or are they expecting me too? Will they be chosen by me or the Hall? If I were them, I would be choosing. Their biggest problem with summoners is loyalty. They want someone who will represent the Hall’s interest so they would be wary of anyone too close to me.

Assuming all of this is true and I’m in charge of teaching the next Grand Summoner, what standards are they expecting me to train this person to? There’s? Mine? If it’s mine, do they want me to impart all of my knowledge onto a stranger? Is this an unspoken agreement that I am selling the summoning records gathered and protected by the Tome family for generations? I may not be as staunch about tradition as others but the thought of any random schmuck profiting off my family’s blood, sweat, and devotion annoys me.

[You do not have to decide right now,] Miss Talia says. [The Hall is willing to give you time to deliberate. I will be happy to answer any more specific questions at your leisure. Perhaps over dinner.]

Ha! Is this why you volunteered to do my interview? Clever.

[I was chosen as they hoped our familiarity would put you at ease. My own motives were not taken into account but I would have volunteered if given the opportunity.] Her lips twitch. Hours of studying the minute changes of her expression and my enhanced vision allow me to see the faint bow of her lips before they return to their neutral flat line. [We have not made significant progress on our friendship.]

It’s not really something meant to be measured…I shake my head, smiling. Every conversation with her is such a novelty. On the surface, her words are incredibly blunt, perhaps grating to some. What’s behind them, and the woman in general, is so incredibly pure. There is no filter, no mask to rip away to find the truth.

Is it a quirk of her personality? A habit developed from years of hearing people’s true thoughts rather than parsing through lies like the rest of us? Maybe she’s been trained to be this way, as there are few things more dangerous in the king’s court than a dishonest interrogator. Either way, she is a clear pond, the calm surface infinitely soothing, its shallow depths a comfort opposed to the unfathomable terrors in deeper waters.

I’d be delighted to have you over. We can make a day of it. I’m interested to know what you do for fun. The most I’ve seen of her life is her office, bare and functional, clear of anything but the stacks of paperwork that are always present when I visit. I have an engagement or two after the qualifiers but my time is flexible afterwards.

Another twitch of her lips, this time a ghost of a smile. [That is good. I look forward to it.] She pauses. [Then, I will now begin your interview on behalf of the crown.]