The Novice

by Taran Matharu

  ‘Looks like the Indrik herds are on the move,’ Scipio said, pointing at them on the stone. ‘Far too big to be practical as a summoner’s demon, but I always love to see them.’

  They watched for a moment longer, as the Indriks made short work of the tree line around them. Judging by the size of the trees, they must have been as tall as ten men, standing on each other’s shoulders.

  ‘We cannot stay too long. Can anyone tell me why?’ Scipio asked.

  ‘You can never stay too long in the ether,’ Edmund said confidently. ‘There are other demons out there that might eat your own. No matter how powerful it is, there is always something higher up on the food chain. Then there’s the fact that your mana levels are dropping every second you keep the portal open. If they run out or you lose concentration, the portal will close and you will lose your demon for ever.’

  Arcturus saw Zacharias roll his eyes, then whisper into Josephine Queensouth’s ear. She giggled and Edmund’s face reddened.

  ‘Very good, Edmund. You’re absolutely right, but that is not what I am getting at. Anybody else?’ Scipio asked, looking around the table. There was silence, then Prince Harold put up his hand.

  ‘Is it the Shrikes?’ he suggested, unsure of himself.

  ‘Correct!’ Scipio beamed, flashing the prince a congratulatory grin. He turned to Arcturus and Elaine. ‘Shrikes travel in flocks, led by their matriarch, the dominant female. During the first few weeks of the academic year, they migrate across our hunting grounds. They are dangerous birds, twice as large as an eagle and many times as vicious. That’s them, flying over the Lesser Mite swarms in the distance. They hunt alone for smaller prey, but for Kali, they would attack in a group of ten or more. After they make their kill, they impale their victims on tree branches, to hold them in place while they feast. Luckily for us, we seem to have missed the worst of it.’

  Arcturus shuddered. He wouldn’t want to send Sacharissa into the ether, but he would dearly have loved to capture a Mite for himself. She had spent most of her life there . . . surely it couldn’t be that bad.

  ‘Right, I think that’s enough for one day. The first and second years will practice demonic control and infusion for the remainder of the day. As for the rest of you, I suggest you practice opening and closing portals, making sure to keep your distance. As you know, the air in the ether is highly toxic to humans. No demons are to enter under any circumstan—’

  Scipio froze, his eyes searching the stone, though all Arcturus could see was the tree trunks.

  ‘Something’s coming. Kali can hear it. Smell it,’ Scipio uttered. The pentacle behind him crackled as his concentration slipped, but he grunted and it returned to a steady glow once more. The acrid stench of burned wood permeated the room, and Arcturus could see the planks at the edges of the pentacle singeing black.

  ‘Another. Two of them. But not the same. Better stay in the trees,’ he was muttering to himself, the lesson momentarily forgotten.

  Kali’s eyes turned to the ground for the first time. Another orb, identical to the one floating in the centre of the summoning room, hung in the air, spinning gently. It must have been what Kali had come out of, and would need to return to if she wanted to leave the ether.

  They were above a large clearing of sorts, for the surrounding area was uneven, scattered with tangled branches and lichenous rocks. Yet within the vegetation, there was a disturbance, shaking the leaves as something made its way towards them. Though Arcturus could only see what was happening, he could imagine the sound of snapping twigs as a beast tore through the foliage.

  To the other side, something even larger had almost reached the clearing, for Arcturus could see horns tearing at the undergrowth. Whatever it was, it was enormous, perhaps as tall as seven feet.

  ‘There’s going to be a fight,’ Fergus whispered, wrapping his arm around his little sister. Elaine ignored him, instead removing Valens from her pocket, so he could watch.

  A hairless, gangly creature emerged into the clearing. It was longlimbed and skeletal, with elongated claws and splayed feet. It walked much like Kali did, though it was more hunched and bowlegged, with lengthy arms that knuckled the ground with every step.

  Gnarled antlers branched from a heavy-browed forehead, above a snout somewhere between a horse’s and a wolf’s. Its black eyes scanned the ground ahead and it snorted gulps of air as it sought the scent of its opponent.

  ‘A Wendigo,’ Scipio whispered, his voice tinged with something between awe and horror. ‘I’ve never seen one in the wild. They’re rare in our hunting grounds, in fact, it’s virtually unheard of. Only the most powerful of orc shamans use them, and rarely. It has a fulfilment level of thirteen.’

  Arcturus felt his stomach turn over, watching as the grey-skinned aberration edged around the orb. With just one leap, it could enter through the portal and into the summoning room.

  ‘Sir, shouldn’t we get help. It . . . it might come through,’ Arcturus stammered.

  Scipio was sweating profusely now, his face gone from the red of exertion to the pale white of exhaustion. He responded to Arcturus without lifting his eyes from the Oculus.

  ‘Don’t worry boy. Wild demons don’t like to go near portals. It’s strange enough that the Wendigo would get that close at all. Must be starving, that’s why it’s wandered into our hunting grounds. Still, if it’s that desperate, we can’t risk sending Kali through until its gone. It might jump in after her.’

  ‘Can you keep the portal open for long enough? How are your mana levels?’ Prince Harold asked.

  ‘If I can keep the flow of mana steady, maybe another ten minutes or so,’ Scipio replied, watching as the second creature neared the clearing. ‘I exhausted most of my mana yesterday on the battlefield. If the worst happens, I may send in Kali when the Wendigo is distracted. Let’s see what the other demon is first.’

  As Scipio finished speaking, the second creature erupted from the bushes with a throaty bellow. Yet when it saw the Wendigo, it began to back away, as if surprised to see it.

  ‘Looks like it didn’t know what it was tracking,’ Prince Harold said, leaning over the table to get a better view.

  ‘Minotaur. Fulfilment level of eleven,’ Rook breathed from beside Arcturus, his voice tinged with awe and longing. ‘My father has one of those.’

  Arcturus examined the creature as the two demons circled each other. The Minotaur was an enormous beast, slightly taller than the Wendigo, but only because it walked upright instead of hunched over. It had a bull’s head, with red baleful eyes and a pair of long, curved horns that it lowered at its opponent.

  A shaggy carpet of black fur covered its frame, over thick slabs of hard muscle. It scored the ground with its hooves, preparing to charge, the hooked claws on its hands outstretched.

  ‘That’s two demons that rarely show up in our hunting grounds,’ Scipio said, thinking aloud. ‘It must be the Shrikes, they’re following them to eat their leftovers. But there’s not enough food for both of them.’

  ‘They had better stop this showboating, if Kali’s going to get out in time,’ Edmund muttered, as the creatures continued to stare at each other, making mock charges. Then, as if spurred on by Edmund’s words, they met in a tangle of claws and teeth.

  The Wendigo’s antlers locked with the Minotaur’s horns as they spun and circled, spitting and slashing at each other. It was immediately obvious that the Wendigo had the upper hand. The length of its arms allowed it to hack away at the Minotaur’s chest and shoulders, leaving deep, bloody scores in the flesh. Meanwhile, the Minotaur’s reach was too short; the antlers its horns were caught in kept it at a distance. Instead, the Minotaur grabbed at the Wendigo’s wrists, until it finally managed to grasp them. They struggled on, straining against each other, as the Minotaur’s blood trickled into the tall grass.

  ‘I’m going to make a break for it,�
�� Scipio gasped, as the pentacle began to crackle. The wooden boards were smoking now, as the unstable connection generated too much heat.

  ‘Now!’ he yelled.

  Kali somersaulted from the tree, plunging towards the spinning portal. There was a brief image of the two predators, their eyes turning at the sudden arrival of the Felid. Then she was through, slamming into the floor below the summoning room portal. Scipio released the leather cable and collapsed. The orb shrunk into nothingness and the pentacle faded, leaving a smoking outline of charred wood. The room was cast in darkness as the wyrdlights winked out, one by one.

  There was silence, then Scipio spoke, a ragged voice in the shadows.

  ‘Let that be a lesson to you. The ether is a dangerous, unpredictable place. Class dismissed.’

  12

  They trooped out of the room in silence, leaving Scipio to recover on his own. Prince Harold threw some wyrdlights over his shoulder on the way out, allowing Arcturus to catch a glimpse of him embracing Kali with tightly closed eyes. He understood the feeling – if Sacharissa had almost been lost to the ether, he would likely be in tears.

  ‘So, dog breath. Are you off to hide in your room, like you did yesterday?’ Charles asked, stepping in front of Arcturus. Rook and Zacharias crowded close to him, but he ignored them and met Charles’s gaze with as much confidence as he could muster.

  ‘I wasn’t hiding,’ he replied, lifting his chin. ‘But you don’t seem to enjoy my company, so I chose to avoid yours. Maybe you’re scared of me.’

  ‘We’re of different stock, you and I. A thoroughbred and a mongrel. Blue blood and yokel. Upper crust and pigswill. It wouldn’t do for us to mix.’ Charles sneered.

  Arcturus resisted the urge to punch the boy in his smug face, which was just as well, for Sacharissa’s chest was rumbling with a deep growl.

  ‘Oh, leave the boy alone,’ Prince Harold called out in a bored voice. ‘Zacharias, don’t you have better things to do? Edmund and I are going to Corcillum. Will you join us?’

  Zacharias dug his elbow into Arcturus’s ribs, before following the Prince and Edmund through the Atrium’s entrance doors. The others were already making their way up the stairs, except for Elaine, who was watching their exchange with open curiosity.

  ‘Not invited?’ Arcturus asked innocently, noting Charles’s disappointed look.

  ‘Shut up,’ Charles hissed, shoving a finger in Arcturus’s face. ‘The prince likes me well enough. Zach and Edmund are his childhood friends, just like my father and the king were. If I was a bit older and didn’t live so far north, things would be different.’

  ‘Sounds like I hit a nerve,’ Arcturus said, goading the boy. It wouldn’t help matters, but Charles already hated him and it felt so good.

  ‘I’ll hit you in a minute,’ Rook snarled, grasping Arcturus by the collar and raising his fist. A warning bark from Sacharissa was enough to stop him going any farther.

  ‘Don’t worry, Rook. This is my fight,’ Charles grunted, laying a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

  ‘Yeah, tell your lapdog to stand down,’ Arcturus said, smiling at Rook. The boy’s face reddened with anger, but he obeyed Faversham without question, releasing the collar and stepping back.

  ‘How about it, Arcturus? Tonight, just you andme. We can meet right there, in the summoning room. Nobody will hear us.’

  Arcturus knew he was being baited, but he could feel Sacharissa’s eagerness to fight fuelling his own. He remembered Charles’s new demon was the Faversham family’s second choice, an Arach. Surely Sacharissa was more powerful? And it was Charles’s first year at Vocans too. He only just had his first lesson at performing battle spells, so it was unlikely he would be able to do one yet. They would be evenly matched.

  ‘What time?’ Arcturus asked, clenching his fists.

  ‘When the second morning bell rings, open the summoning room door,’ Charles said, barging him in the shoulder as he and Rook walked away. ‘Don’t be late. Again.’

  Arcturus gave it ten minutes before he followed them up the stairs. He would have liked to go sooner but Elaine took what felt like an age to leave, lounging around the Atrium until he pretended to head to the washroom. He wondered if she had heard what they were discussing, but dismissed it offhand. What difference would it make if she had?

  He knew where Charles’s bedroom was. It didn’t take long for him to arrive outside the door. Sure enough, they were inside, for he could hear muffled voices behind it. Too muffled.

  He tutted with frustration and pressed his ear against the wood, but still the voices were indistinct. He hadn’t anticipated that. There was always the possibility that Charles would cheat. That maybe Rook would come at him from behind as soon as he stepped into the room. Maybe they would simply attack him together. If that was the case, there was a good chance they would be discussing it at that very moment.

  Sacharissa nosed under the door, as if she could smell the plush carpet she had enjoyed just two days ago.

  ‘I wonder if you can hear what they’re saying,’ Arcturus murmured. ‘You seem to understand me well enough.’

  She licked his hand, then cocked her head to one side. Arcturus knew she didn’t really understand him. She could simply sense his intentions. Still, her snuffling had given him an idea.

  ‘Look at me, Sacha,’ Arcturus murmured, lifting her head with his hand. He stared deep into her eyes, trying to catch that brief moment they had shared in the corridor. In the dim torchlight of the corridor, they shone like shards of blue ice, never wavering from his own.

  The world started to shift, the blue becoming a cold grey, the flickering orange replaced by pale shadows. He could smell the oil in the lamps, suddenly bitter and pungent in his nostrils. Most importantly, the voices in the other room came through clear as day, as if he were standing right beside them.

  ‘. . . he will find out soon enough. We need to get rid of the evidence, or all will be lost. My father has spent years currying favour with the king. Never has our future been so threatened.’

  It was Charles, his voice low and rapid. Arcturus could even hear his panicked breathing.

  ‘Are there others?’ Rook asked.

  ‘How should I know? There might be!’ Charles snapped.

  ‘What good will it do then, if there are others?’

  ‘They won’t know where to look for them . . . yet. My father has already taken care of the innkeeper and his wife – they were the only others who knew where the urchin came from, before he was a stableboy. Father sent word that Provost Forsyth will return tomorrow, to interrogate the boy. We cannot let that happen. A few words from him and all might be lost.’

  Stableboy? They had to be talking about him. As he tried to make sense of it all, Arcturus’s concentration slipped and the world turned colourful again. He gritted his teeth and grasped Sacharissa’s head in his hands, forcing the connection. He had to know more.

  ‘. . . tonight. I’ll tell dog breath what he is before we begin. I want to see the look on his face,’ Charles snarled, followed by the sound of cracking knuckles.

  ‘There’s a chance he might win, you know that right?’ Rook warned. ‘Your demon is the same level as his and neither of you can cast any spells.’

  Charles laughed scornfully,

  ‘Don’t you worry about that. The battle we witnessed today has given me an ide—’

  Sacharissa whimpered. Arcturus realised he was gripping her head, his fingers tightening like a vice as he concentrated on the connection. He could suddenly feel her pain, fierce pulses of agony that she had borne stoically.

  ‘What was that?’ Rook hissed. There was the sound of feet thudding to the ground.

  Arcturus released Sacharrissa and they sprinted away, dodging around the corner just in time. The door slammed open, the bang echoing down the corridor.

/>   ‘Nobody here,’ Rook grunted.

  ‘Well close the door, it’s freezing out there,’ Charles called.

  The door closed and Arcturus breathed easy once more. He let himself slide down the wall, until he was sitting on the cold paving of the floor.

  ‘I’m so sorry, my darling,’ Arcturus whispered, gently stroking Sacharissa’s back. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

  She gazed at him with pain in her eyes, but lapped at his hand, as if to say she still loved him.

  ‘I wasn’t so sure if I was going to go tonight; if I do it will put us in unnecessary danger. But now I know I have to. Lord Forsyth will interrogate me tomorrow, and we already know what that’s like.’ He remembered the pain from when Sacharissa was whipped. The darkness of the cell.

  ‘Charles said he would tell me what I am before the duel. I won’t even fight, I’ll just hear what he has to say and then we’ll leave Vocans. Maybe we can make it to the Elf lands. It’ll be safer than this place.’

  Sacharissa yawned, and rested her head in his lap. Arcturus laughed as she began to snooze, half closing her eyes.

  ‘You’re right, you lazy thing. Let’s get back to the room, pack our bags and rest up. We’ve got to be ready at the second bell and as far away from Vocans as possible by first light.’

  13

  Arcturus didn’t sleep. His bag was packed, his meagre possessions in the satchel and ready to go. He would take it with him when he went to the summoning room. As soon as he was out of Vocans, he would need to change into his old clothes. His military uniform would be too conspicuous. Then again, with Sacharissa by his side, it wouldn’t really matter what he was wearing, they would stand out like a sore thumb. Once he had put a few miles behind them, he would need to somehow teach himself infusion.

  For a while he had debated whether to keep the dirk strapped to his boot or to stash it in the bag for his meeting with Charles. He had been wearing it over the past two days, but nobody seemed to mind – it was a military academy after all. If it did come to a fight, he would prefer there to be no weapons involved. At the same time, if Charles planned to use one, it would make no difference if Arcturus was visibly armed or not.