her healing fatal injuries as if they ’ d never happened . Endless possibilities lay before him .
“ He just said most people can only do a few .” Garrett noticed Connor ’ s dreamy stare and tugged gently on his arm . “ Connor ? Only a few . Right ?”
Connor put down his , decidedly unmagical , hands . “ Well , yeah , but most means some people must be able to use them all , right ?” His fingers twitched and he decided to try again . Open , shut , and … no luck . “ I guess so ,” Garrett said . The rest of the day was a whirlwind of magical demonstrations ending in the gymnasium . Chalkboards had been wheeled in to face one row of bleachers . Master Borodin , the summoning instructor , stood in the center of the gym with his arms folded across his chest and his head held high . He wore flowing purple robes with a shiny , golden pattern along the hem . He stroked his red and gray goatee and tapped his foot , eyeing the door for stragglers .
“ This looks like a good enough crowd ,” the teacher announced . “ I am Master Gregor Borodin , summoner extraordinaire . In my classroom you will learn the art of summoning , and it is indeed an art . Each line and rune must be drawn in exact detail or the creatures you summon may be warped into horrors straight from your nightmares — if they appear at all . I have gathered a volunteer to show you the first three levels of summoning .”
One student , an elf , rose to face the rest . His hair was dyed blue and spiked at odd angles , and he had rings through his ears , nose , and lower lip . He drew a single chalk circle containing a handful of runes on the gym floor . He knelt beside it and placed his palm flat in the center ; the circle glowed a pale purple ,