The Demons of Rome

XXV - The Kitten's Wrath

"How are feeling?" Iatus asked.

"Surprisingly, okay, I think," Max replied and sat up.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Iatus said, concerned.

Max frowned and looked at his stomach, there wasn't even a scratch.

"I'm fine. Just a little stiff. Who's the girl?"

"Oh, she's the spirit I summoned to heal you..."

"Is she... a cat?"

"Sort of."

"She's pretty..."

"Pretty nuts."

"Yay! Birdy! Flappy flappy!" Illiria shouted as Aelith dodged another swipe. No matter how high he flew she always managed to jump just as high, it was freakish to watch.

"Iatus! Help me! Banish her!" Aelith screeched.

"Wait... that was Aelith..."

Iatus sighed, "Yeah..."

"Your owl... can talk."

"Yeah."

"You lied to me!"

"Sorry."

"What is it?"

"It's a demon."

"What type of demon?"

"It's a greater shedu. It's what I summoned at the Mage's trial.

"No way."

"And Illiria is a mara."

"Shut up."

Iatus bit his lip and Max stared at him, mouth open.

"How? Claudius said you were really weak... He said that all your mana sort of cancelled out."

Iatus just shrugged.

"If you can summon a shedu and a mara at the same time, that gives you a mana level of nearly 200."

Iatus did a quick bit of finger counting, "I make it about 230 ish, one greater mara, one greater shedu, a couple of jinni and about 20 imps. I'm an ether mage."

Max gaped at him, "That makes you more powerful than any of the instructors at the academy for sure... maybe even the most powerful mage alive, and your only 14!"

"Well, that will be some consolation when the Gauls come and kill us."

"But, you've got a mara and a shedu, let's just kill them all and end this war now!"

"I don't think it's quite that simple."

As he said that Jalec appeared from inside the hall, looking slightly dazed but apparently Illiria had healed him too

"Iatus, dismiss your demons!" he shouted across the square.

Iatus stood up and held up his wrist. Jalec took a step back in shock.

"So, you managed to remove the rune, impressive. However, now you can have no possible use to Urien. I promise your death will be quick."

"I'm warning you, that's a mara over there," Iatus pointed at Illiria, just as she made another jump at Aelith.

"Play fair Aelith! Stop flapping away!"

Jalec frowned at the pawed girl.

"Are you sure?"

Iatus rolled his eyes, "Illiria! Stop chasing Aelith, we're in trouble here!"

Iliria and Aelith both stopped, Illiria in mid jump, and looked at Iatus, then at Jalec.