Arcturus was shoved to the floor, his nose thudding into the floor boards. The door slammed and the room was cast in pitch darkness as the portal disappeared, its power source gone with Rook.
Salty blood gushed from Arcturus's nose and on to his lips and chin as he struggled to get upright, ripping at his weakened bonds with all the strength he could muster. As the dirk sliced through the mana web, they dissolved into nothingness – no evidence to prove what Charles had done. They had planned his murder well.
As quietly as possible, Arcturus shuffled back and began to work on Sacharissa's bonds, all the while impressing the need for her silence with his mind. She barely breathed, even when he sliced her in his blind rush to get her free. Every moment mattered, for the gossamer still glowed, just enough for the Wendigo to track in the darkness.
He could hear it now, its claws slipping and scraping on the floorboards. Arcturus could remember the way its hooked claws had dug into the earth for purchase when it had battled the Minotaur. It was a wild animal, completely new to such a smooth, hard surface. He would use this to his advantage.
The final thread was sliced away and Arcturus helped Sacharissa to her feet, now in total darkness. The Wendigo was snorting lungs-full of air, hunting for them by scent alone. For the first time, he was glad of the stink of burning wood that polluted the air. It would help keep them alive.
First, Arcturus tried the door. It was locked, but he could feel the keyhole, so large that he could stick two fingers through it. The lock was rough and simple, a relic of the old times the castle had been built in. If he was lucky, a bit of jimmying with the dirk might get the door open.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Arcturus saw that there was dim light from beneath the door, enough to see Sacharissa's eyes. Instinctively, he re-formed their connection. Her black and white vision would not make much difference in the gloom of the room; hearing and sound would be key.
The scratch of claws against the wood was sickening, like nails against a chalkboard. But it was nothing compared to the smell that the Wendigo gave off. It was like rotting carrion, sweet and ripe in the air. Arcturus felt as if it coated the back of his throat, so strongly did it reek of death. In his mind's eyes, he could tell the demon was creeping up to him cautiously. Arcturus supposed that it must have not recognized his scent, since humans did not enter the ether. It was scared of the unknown – yet it approached nonetheless.
"Get back!" Arcturus yelled, slamming the dirk through the keyhole, twisting and scraping at the mechanism within.
He heard the skitter of claws as the Wendigo leaped away, like a startled bird. Even so, it was but a moment before he heard the slow creep once again.
Strangely, it did not seem to be approaching him this time, or at least, not that he could hear. Instead, the Wendigo appeared to be heading toward the lockers on the other side of the room. As Arcturus honed in on them, he could scent a trace of something he hadn't before: a mix of bath soap, sweat and leather. Perhaps both he and the Wendigo could smell the aprons within, and the creature had decided they were easier prey.
Arcturus didn't care, as long as it was moving away from him. He could feel the lock in the door clicking with every rattle of his dirk, until finally a dull clunk told him that the latch had popped on the other side. With a last wrench, he dragged the door open, tumbling through with Sacharissa just behind him.
He slammed the door closed, threw the latch back in place and pressed his back against it.
The Wendigo rammed against the door, its predatory instincts telling it to chase that which ran away. The door shuddered but stayed firm against the demon's onslaught. Perhaps it had been made thick and sturdy for that very reason.
Arcturus felt a rush of hot, moist air against his lower back, as the Wendigo snorted beneath the door, smelling him. He raked the dirk through the crack and was rewarded by a grunt of pain. The blade tip came away sticky with black blood. Then there was a clatter of claws as the demon crawled away in search of less dangerous prey.
Arcturus took a deep breath and assessed his situation. His satchel was still attached to his back and Rook and Charles were nowhere to be seen. They must have returned to their rooms, in case someone heard Arcturus screaming and caught them.
It had all turned out better than expected in the end. There was blood on the floor from his nose and Arcturus was sure that if they found no body, Charles would assume that the Wendigo had eaten him entirely, then faded into the ether. He had inadvertently faked his own death. It was perfect!
Sacharissa nosed against his palm and he gave her a brief hug. He only wished he had time to try and infuse her before he disappeared into the night. She was in enough danger, and it would save him feeding her. She was already hungry, for Ulfr had only brought her one meager portion of mincemeat in the afternoon.
Suddenly, he heard a bellow from inside the room, like the last breath of a wounded bull. Then a scream, so loud and full of horror, that it cut him through to his very soul. There was no doubt in Arcturus's mind who it could be.
"Elaine!" he gasped.
He threw open the door, the darkness inside suddenly lit by the dim light of the Atrium. Wyrdlights flew from his fingers, zooming in to reveal the monstrous figure at the other end of the room.
Elaine lay curled up on the floor in front of a broken locker, covering her head with her hands. Brave little Valens was buzzing around the Wendigo's head, stabbing his juvenile sting at its eyes. With each swipe of the Wendigo's claws, the Mite dodged into the maze of antlers that branched from the monster's forehead, so that his attacks clattered ineffectually against them. Arcturus realized that Elaine must have overheard him and Charles, and then hidden in a locker to watch their fight.
"Elaine, get out of there!" he yelled.
But Elaine didn't move. She was motionless, as helpless as a newborn lamb.
"Fetch her, Sacha," Arcturus ordered, running toward the Wendigo, his dirk outstretched. Sacharissa bounded beside him, skittering as she struggled to find purchase on the smooth floor.
It was a good fifty yards to run, but it felt like a mile as the Wendigo flailed its claws around the room, each step dangerously close to Elaine's prone figure on the floor.
Sacharissa reached her first, snatching Elaine's shirt collar and dragging her to the open door of the summoning room. It was slow going, and they had barely made any progress, when the Wendigo spotted his two new opponents.
Enraged by the stinging insect, it bellowed a challenge at Sacharissa, raking its claws along the ground to leave deep scores in the floorboards. Sacharissa paused, lowering her head and crouching against the floor. Arcturus sensed her intent: to meet the Wendigo head on.
"No, get her out of here," he yelled, stepping between them. "I'll keep it busy."
He held the dirk in front of him, cutting back and forth at the air. It looked tiny next to the long talons that the Wendigo bore. One blade against ten.
A wyrdlight drifted between them. For a moment the Wendigo's eyes were transfixed upon it, then it was gone, floating past them.
"How about this," Arcturus yelled, shooting a wyrdlight from his finger to zoom around the Wendigo's head. It blinked stupidly, then swiped its claw at it, just as it had done with Valens. The wyrdlight was extinguished, but another few seconds had been bought. Valens took this opportunity to sting at the Wendigo's eyes again. The monster swiped blindly at its own face and left a groove of raw flesh in its skin before the Mite was forced to take refuge in the antlers once again.
"Take this, this and this," Arcturus yelled, sending one wyrdlight after the other to circle the Wendigo's head. The Wendingo staggered in confusion, slapping at them like flies on a hot day. Arcturus glanced back, to see Sacharissa was almost at the door. That was his mistake.
The Wendigo lunged, its claws slicing through the air to grasp for his throat. It was only by sheer luck that Arcturus managed to dive aside in time, but a grasping claw sliced him at the hip.
He was barely up and running before the next claw came slashing toward him. This time, there was no time to dive aside. Instead, Arcturus blasted wyrdlight in a thick pulse of mana, a beam that left the Wendigo staggering as it clutched its scorched retinas. The claw knocked him flying, but the bulk of it was caught in the satchel on his back. Still, as he landed on the ground he could feel blood trickling down his spine and a streak of fierce pain across his shoulder blades.
Then he was running again, driven by adrenaline and fear as the Wendigo roared behind him. Valens zoomed over his shoulder, abandoning his perch to return to his mistress. Sacharissa was moments from the door now, but Elaine was fighting against her now, battering at the Canid's snout with her tiny fists.
It was the blood that did it. The puddle of blood Arcturus had left on the ground from his nosebleed, wet against the smooth surface of the oak floorboards. His boot slipped from under him, no more than a few feet from the entrance. His head cracked against the ground, blackening his vision as the senses were knocked from him. So close. He had been so close.
He could feel Sacharissa dragging him, and the dull vibrations as the Wendigo approached from across the room. There was a strangled snarl and the pressure on his leg loosened. Then Sacharissa was leaping over his body, claws outstretched.
"No," Arcturus whispered weakly, forcing himself to his knees.
But Sacharissa was already there, dodging beneath the Wendigo's outstretched claws to bite at the legs beneath. She took a calf in her teeth and shook her head violently, tearing into the hard flesh. Even as the Wendigo lashed at her, she had disappeared between its legs, only to swipe at its thigh with her claws. But as Arcturus rejoiced, the Wendigo kicked blindly like a mule, catching her in the chest and hurling her across the room. She lay there, barely able to breath. Arcturus knew her ribs were broken.
The Wendigo advanced upon her, saliva dripping on the floorboards, ready for the killing blow. It raised its hands high in the air, claws pointing down, like a mad pianist ready to play his first note.
Arcturus roared, leaping on to its back and burying the dirk up to the hilt in its spine. The Wendigo screeched like a banshee, spinning and slapping at him. But Arcturus was well placed, right in the small of its back. He clung on to the hilt, swinging back and forth as it leaped this way and that. Valens was there too, burying his mandibles in the Wendigo's ear.
It couldn't last though. The Wendigo bucked, breaking Arcturus's grip and sending him tumbling away. He fell in a tangle of limbs, right on top of Elaine. She sobbed beneath him, still frozen in fear. The end was near now. There were no cards left to play. He barely had the strength to walk, let alone drag Elaine out of the door.
He climbed on to his feet unsteadily and held up his fists. The Wendigo limped toward him, its leg in tatters, yawping with pain as the dirk twisted in its spine.
"It hurts so much," Elaine gasped beneath him. He saw the blood then, trickling from her head. She hadn't been paralyzed with fear. The Wendigo had knocked her unconscious.
"Get out of here, Elaine. I'll hold it—"
The Wendigo's claw flashed out, slicing him across the face. He could barely see, but punched out, connecting with the cold, hard flesh of its chest. He could hear Sacharissa howling, then he collapsed as another blow whistled over his head. A kick then, like a sledgehammer in his stomach. He puked.
He could see Sacharissa, crawling toward them. She leaped, though the pain that ripped through her in doing so was like a knife in Arcturus's heart. It did nothing but cause the Wendigo to stumble. Then a bellow. Blood, dripping on his face. Flashes of light.
Darkness.
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Thanks for reading Chapter 14. Is Arcturus still alive? Read on to find out!
Did you know that ORIGINS continues with a full novel called THE OUTCAST? You can read ALL of Arcturus's story in May, 2018, coming to a store near you or available online in all the usual places!
The sequel to SUMMONER: The OUTCAST is called SUMMONER: THE NOVICE, and is out in 11 languages RIGHT NOW! You can pick one up in most bookstores including Barnes and Noble and Waterstones. It's also available online on Amazon, Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Nook and Google Play, to name but a few!