The Pinkerton was called in to take him away, though Arcturus needed little encouragement. The two men scared him in a way that none had before. It was not cruelty or sadism that made them different; he had encountered more than enough men and women who shared those qualities. No, it was their complete lack of empathy that horrified him, their clinical scrutiny and calculating eyes. It was as if he were not even a person to them, but rather a commodity to be used, or tossed aside.
He was thrown back into his dark cell, but this time with a bucket of water and some fresh bread. Arcturus devoured it like a rabid animal, revelling in the warm chewy texture. On the other hand, the demon was given no such sustenance, and its thirst and hunger plagued him for hours on end. He banged on the door and demanded it be fed and watered, but received nothing but curses from the Pinkerton, then silence.
Finally, when the water bucket was empty and hunger began to gnaw at his stomach once again, Arcturus was dragged from his cell, then marched through a side door and into the courtyard.
This time, the king was not there, but Lord Faversham and his son were waiting for him, their faces dark and broody with ill humor. A large box lay on the ground beside them, with a strange leather harness wrapped around it.
As Arcturus trudged toward them, he took in his surroundings, scanning for an escape route. The courtyard was surrounded by a cobbled stone wall, thick with ivy. An elaborate archway curved over the entrance, and it was blocked by a heavy iron gate.
"Still alive are you," Charles said, kicking at the gravel on the ground moodily. "I had hoped you would have died in—"
"No, Charles," Lord Faversham cut him off. "The king has made ... arrangements for the boy, as you well know. No harm will befall him whilst he is in our care, is that understood?"
"Yes, Father," Charles sighed.
Arcturus remained silent, his eyes on his feet. He could sense his demon now, so close he could almost smell it. The box beside him trembled. Arcturus turned his eyes toward it and gasped. His demon — it was trapped inside! He kneeled and laid his hand against the wood, sending it feelings of calmness and safety, despite his own misgivings about the future. Slowly, the trembling stopped. The sound of lapping inside gave him some relief, as he realized they had finally given it some water. It seemed, for now, the Favershams wanted both of them alive.
"They're here," Charles said, pointing at the sky.
Two dots hovered in the heavens, like birds circling above a cornfield. Slowly but surely, they grew in size, until two winged beasts landed before them in a flash of feathers and fur.
Arcturus had to step back as they flapped and folded their enormous wings, the tawny feathers fluttering in the wind. They looked like winged, horse-sized stags, with majestic antlers branching from their foreheads. Their front legs ended in hooves, yet their back legs were clawed like a falcon's, complete with deadly talons that dug into the ground. Instead of the traditional bob that all deer had, these creatures had long, elegant tail feathers.
Both were fitted with polished leather saddles and bridles, in which two riders sat, resplendent in navy blue uniforms that had golden epaulets and shining gold buttons. They removed their leather caps and dark goggles and shook their hair out with audible sighs of relief.
One of the riders dismounted and embraced Charles, kissing him on the forehead. She was beautiful, with golden hair that fell about her face. Arcturus shuddered as he realized she was Charles's mother, Lady Faversham. As she turned to Arcturus, her expression was hard, her pretty face as cold and cruel as winter.
"He is the reason we are here?" she narrowed her eyes at him. "We flew through the night."
"The boy, and the fact that Charles couldn't get half a day's ride from here without losing his demon!" Lord Faversham growled. "He needs to be flown to Vocans since he can't be trusted on his own and he is already late starting the year as it is. You shall have to provide him with a new summoning scroll, or he won't be allowed to attend. It is a shame you cannot gift him your Peryton —
you need it for the Aerial Corps. It will have to be the other one."
"You lost your Canid? Do you have any idea what your father risked to capture her for you?" Lady Faversham hissed, seizing Charles by the ear, her anger as sudden as her arrival. "Now I will have to give you my Arach, and I caught it only weeks ago."
Charles wailed like a baby, pulling at his mother's hand until she released him with a grunt of disgust.
Arcturus absorbed the information, taking note of the names of the various species of demon, and the fact that his own was female. It appeared that demons could somehow be gifted through scrolls, and needed to be captured first. If he was to survive the coming weeks, he would need to learn all he could.
His understanding of the world of summoning was vague at best, given that he lived so far north of the jungles on Hominum's southern border where most of the skirmishes took place. Though they were not officially at war with the various orc tribes that inhabited it, the nobles, their retinues and the king's army would patrol along their borders, keeping Hominum safe from the occasional orc raiding party. Boreas, the city in which Arcturus lived, was far to the north, near to the border with the elves.
The next rider dismounted, a brunette with long tresses that came down to her waist. She nodded respectfully at Lord Faversham then went about attaching the box to a leather lead, before securing it to the bottom of her mount. She grinned at Arcturus's wary expression and gave him a wink. He responded with a hesitant smile, which was swiftly wiped away when Lady Faversham clicked her fingers at him.
"You, boy. If the king did not have such an interest in you, I would have you hanging from the gallows in a heartbeat! Nobody steals from the Favershams, especially not some filthy stableboy."
Charles smiled hatefully at Arcturus from behind her back, drawing a finger across his throat. Arcturus responded with a cool stare, though tendrils of terror gripped his heart. This time, it was the demon that calmed him. Waves of encouragement and support flowed through their mental link as it sensed his discomfort.
"Watch your back, boy," Lady Faversham said, unimpressed by Arcturus's apparent lack of fear.
A servant scurried past them, dragging a heavy trunk behind him and attaching it to Lady Faversham's Peryton.
"Be careful with that," Charles ordered, striding over to survey the fastenings. "I don't want my clothes all rumpled because you did it wrong."
The servant bowed, a flash of fear passing across his face. He was barely older than Arcturus, and he looked half starved. Arcturus felt fortunate he didn't have to work in this household.
"Ophelia, are you sure Lieutenant Cavendish's Peryton can carry the Canid?" Lord Faversham asked his wife.
"It's only a pup," Lady Faversham responded. "If she was full grown it might be a struggle over such a long distance, but thankfully you caught it young."
"Aye, Hubertus is as strong as an ox!" Lieutenant Cavendish called, tying one last knot on the thick leather leads that were now attached to the demon's cage. She winked at Arcturus again, and he marvelled at how young she was. She could barely be older than eighteen, yet she wore the uniform of an officer. The Lieutenant jumped on to her mount in one fluid leap, then patted the saddle behind her.
"We'd better get going if we're to reach Vocans by nightfall. Since my luggage is a bit heavier than yours, we might get a bit of a head start on you, if that's all right, Captain Faversham?" she asked, rubbing Hubertus's neck.
Lady Faversham gave her a curt nod then, with one final glare at Arcturus, she strode into the manor house. Arcturus hesitated before striding to the Peryton and holding up his hand. Lieutenant Cavendish gripped it firmly and pulled him up behind her with surprising ease. He could feel the Hubertus's muscles bunching beneath his legs, as the demon unfolded his wings.
"Hold on tight," she murmured, grasping his hands and putting them around her waist. "I hope you have a strong stomach."
The wings flapped once. Twice.
And they were flying.
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Thanks for reading Chapter 3. What did you think of the Favershams? At least Lieutenant Cavendish seems ok...right?
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 this book, THE NOVICE, is out RIGHT NOW all over the world! 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!