“Yes and no. The level a demon is simply refers to what level of summoner you need to be to summon them: A level-ten summoner can summon a level-ten demon, or two level-five demons. As a rule of thumb, the higher a demon’s level, the more powerful it is, in mana, size and strength. That being said, as a demon becomes more experienced, it can improve in all these counts. A well-trained Canid might be able to take on an inexperienced Griffin, which is level ten.” Elizabeth brandished her fingers as she said each number, as if Arcturus might be incapable of counting. He forgave her for assuming—there were plenty of commoners his age, and older besides, incapable of reading or writing.
“Then there’s the fact that some demons are simply more powerful than their level might indicate, even if it is roughly accurate. A level-seven Felid will beat a level-seven Canid almost every time, despite their being the same level. It’s even capable of beating some higher-level demons. There are also anomalies, such as Golems, which are level eight. When they are young, they are small. But after a few years they can grow to be as tall as nine feet and just as wide, but they will always remain level eight. So you see, it’s just a rough rule.”
“I understand,” Arcturus said, trying to internalize it all. “I can count by the way. You don’t need to use your fingers.”
“Sorry.” Elizabeth grinned, lowering her hands. “My husband wasn’t very good at numbers when I met him.”
Arcturus felt a twinge of pride. The workhouse had been hell, but at least it had taught him something.
“Right, that’s enough for now,” Elizabeth said, standing up and stretching with a groan. “I still have to move into my quarters.”
Arcturus stood too, earning himself a grumbling growl from Sacharissa as her head flopped to the floor.
“That’s great. I haven’t even had time to wash yet!” he said, trying to remember which direction the baths were supposed to be.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Elizabeth laughed, holding her nose jokingly. “Go wash up and then relax in your rooms. I will make sure someone brings you lunch and dinner. The others will be at training with Lady Faversham all day anyway.”
“When’s our next lesson?” Arcturus asked as he hurried to the door, suddenly aware of how close Elizabeth and Elaine were standing to him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I’m assisting in the summoning lesson with Lord Scipio.”
*
Arcturus spent most of the day attempting to improve his living conditions, taking spare sheets and broken furniture from the storerooms, creating a makeshift blockade for the window and adding another few layers of cloth to his threadbare blanket. He was exhausted and hungry by lunchtime, but fortunately food was brought up by a waspish Ulfr, who dumped the tray unceremoniously in the room and left without a word.
The food was plain lamb and potatoes, obviously prepared for the servants rather than the nobles, but it was far better fare than Arcturus was used to at the inn and ambrosia compared to the slops he had eaten at the workhouse. There was even a bowl of mincemeat for Sacharissa, which she gulped down with relish and then nosed the bowl for more.
As instructed, he went searching for Obadiah in the afternoon, but was swiftly herded back to his room by one of the dwarven servants. It turned out that the provost had been called away earlier than expected and was no longer at Vocans. This was fine by Arcturus. Good riddance to him.
He and Sacharissa spent the rest of the night practicing with wyrdlights, delighting in the way they floated aimlessly around the room, as if they had lives of their own. Sacharissa would snap at them in the air, leaping and diving to catch them, while Arcturus tried to nudge them out of the way. Whenever she managed to touch one, her look of complete bafflement at its disappearance and the fresh darkness entertained Arcturus no end.
His room was considerably warmer than the previous night, with no cutting draft to chill his bones. And in that small bedroom at the tip of Vocans’s tower he was lulled to sleep by the gentle rise and fall of Sacharissa’s chest, pressed against him among a tangle of blankets.
CHAPTER
10
“WAKE UP, YOU’RE LATE!”
The banging on the door jerked Arcturus from his slumber. The room was still dark, a consequence of his improvised window shade. He had no idea what time it was.
“Wassat?” he mumbled as Sacharissa whined at the noise.
“Summoning lessons started five minutes ago. Rouse yourself, or stay and face the consequences!” Ulfr’s voice came from outside the door. His footsteps echoed down the corridor as Arcturus’s sleep-addled mind processed the words.
“Oh, no!”
Arcturus was glad that he had slept in his uniform, for he was pelting past Ulfr and down the stairs ten seconds later. Sacharissa ran ahead, punctuating each leap forward with a low pant.
He found her nosing at the summoning room doors, but he paused and composed himself before they entered.
“Not a great first impression for Lord Scipio. Plus we’ve missed breakfast.” Arcturus groaned, preparing himself for the worst. He turned the handle and stepped inside.
The other students stood in a circle, but they ignored him as he tiptoed into the room. The group was surrounding a low, round table, but Arcturus could not see what was on it. The nobles did not attempt to make room for him, so he looked over Elaine’s shoulder, as she was the smallest of the group.
The table was made of pure white marble, polished to be smooth and round as a river pebble, but it was the object embedded in the center that took Arcturus’s breath away: an enormous gem, the size of a large carriage wheel and as black as ink, shone up at him like volcanic glass.
“Nice of you to join us, Arcturus,” a voice said from behind him. Arcturus turned, an apology already forming on his lips.
A man stood in the doorway. He was powerfully built, with lamb-chop sideburns and curly hair the color of chocolate. He stood with his arms crossed, but the smile on his face showed Arcturus he did not mind his tardiness, so Arcturus cut his apology short. His gold-edged officer’s uniform left no doubt as to who he was: Lord Scipio.
“I was just going to go and collect you, when you ran right past me,” Scipio said before turning back to the open door he had come through. He gave a brief, sharp whistle. The hairs on the back of Arcturus’s neck stood up as he heard a yowl from outside, then a demon bounded through the door, its tail lashing the air.
Sacharissa growled, her hackles raised at the sight of the new demon. It looked like a snow leopard, with a dusting of black spots on a thick white pelt. It had two long canines that poked out on either side of its mouth like twin sabers, below a set of four fierce green eyes, not unlike Sacharissa’s. Strangest of all, it seemed to walk like a jungle chimp, crouching on two legs and resting on its front paws, almost bipedal, but not quite. It was agile, for it slunk swiftly around the room, its eyes never leaving Sacharissa.
“Calm down, Kali, you’d think she’s never seen a Canid before,” Scipio laughed as the Felid arched its back, snarling at Sacharissa. “You’ll have to forgive her, Arcturus. She’s a bit afraid of them.”
Scipio winked conspiratorially at Arcturus. As if she understood him, the Felid froze, then sat back on her haunches. She proceeded to lick her paw, completely ignoring Sacharissa.
Scipio walked over and held his hand out for Sacharissa to smell. She gave it a cursory sniff, then licked it once with her pink tongue to show her approval.
“Canids and Felids, there’s always been a bit of a rivalry there. Must be something to do with competing for food sources in the ether.”
“The ether?” Arcturus asked, his curiosity piqued.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Scipio said, looking behind Arcturus at the others. They had been watching their exchange with interest.
“Make room for Arcturus, ladies and gentlemen. He shouldn’t have to crane over young Elaine’s head. Charles, Damian, there seems to be some room in between you. Budge up,” Scipio ordered, shooing them with his hands.
The two boys stared daggers at Arcturus, who shuffled forward and wedged himself between them. They leaned in, digging their shoulders uncomfortably into his own.
“For the benefit of Elaine and Arcturus, I shall run through what we are going to learn here over the course of this year. It will act as a good refresher for those of you who have neglected your studies since last we met.”