Summoner: Origins - Book 0

Chapter 13

Arcturus didn't sleep. His bag was packed, his meager 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.

"I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it," Arcturus reasoned to Sacharissa, listening for the dull sound of the second morning bell. His mouth was dry and the evening meal Ulfr had brought him remained untouched beside his bed. Even Sacharissa had refused to eat it, although that might have had something to do with it being a salad. Arcturus suspected that to her, it might as well have been a pile of grass.

The knell of the bell echoed down the corridor, leaving his heart thundering as he realized the moment had arrived.

"Come on Sacha," Arcturus murmured, opening the door. "Let's hear what he has to say and then leave as soon as possible. We'll run back to the room and lock ourselves in for half an hour, then make our escape when the coast is clear."

They hurried down the corridors, feeling their way in the darkness. Arcturus didn't risk a wyrdlight, for they would be too bright against the pitch black of the castle interior. If any of their teachers caught him out at night, his chances of meeting Charles would be scuppered, not to mention any possibility of escape.

It felt like an age until they reached the atrium, and for a moment Arcturus was worried that he was too late. It was only when he saw a bright light flickering beneath the summoning room's door that he realized that Charles was waiting within.

"OK, Sacha. This is it." He took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy door.

For a moment Arcturus didn't understand what he was seeing. After being in darkness so long, the light within half-blinded him, so bright was it in his vision.

It was a portal, the blue orb hanging in the air like a miniature sun. Rook was kneeling beside it, pulsing mana into the violet pentacle beneath. This wasn't right.

Arcturus turned to run, but Charles was standing in the doorway, a nasty smile on his face. He swung the door closed with a kick of his heel.

"What's going on here, Charles?" Arcturus growled, gripping Sacharissa by the scruff of her neck. She was preparing to pounce on him, driven by equal parts of fear and fury.

But before Charles could answer, Arcturus felt something wet and sticky whip around his body, trapping his arms to his chest. Sacharissa leaped, but Charles was already rolling out of harm's way as the Canid's attack slammed against the door. Another thread hissed through the air, glowing like a shield spell. This time, it wrapped around Sacharissa's hind legs.

"Trussed like a chicken, ready for the kiln," Charles cackled as more threads shot out of the shadows, swathing Sacharissa as she scrabbled at the oak floorboards. Another lashed around Arcturus's neck, tighter than a hangman's noose.

Arcturus fell to the ground, bringing his knees up to his chest. He gripped the dirk in his hand and eased it from the scabbard, even as he became entangled by more of the deadly strands. Soon he could barely move, only watch as Sacharissa howled and snapped at the strange fibers that constricted her. A few moments later, a last thread encircled her muzzle and tightened, reducing her noise to a strangled growl.