Arcturus woke feeling refreshed. Despite the cold draughts of wind that gusted through the glassless window, Sacharissa had wrapped herself around him like a slightly smelly fur coat, keeping him warm and comfortable all night.
She whined in complaint as he extricated himself from her embrace and stood shivering in the room. He yanked the threadbare blanket from beneath her and wrapped it around his shoulders.
"Come on lazybones, we're going to go find the baths and get ourselves cleaned up. First impressions are important."
Sacharissa rolled over, then blinked her four eyes at him sorrowfully.
"None of that," Arcturus grinned. "Your puppy dog act won't do you any favors here."
She snorted with feigned annoyance, before padding to the door and nudging it open with her nose.
Arcturus followed her out into the corridor, past the storerooms and down the stairs. She snuffled at the ground, as if she was hunting for something.
"I hope you're not taking me to the kitchens," Arcturus murmured, trailing behind her. "We need to find the baths."
As if she could sense his meaning, she turned and looked at him. When his eyes met hers, he felt the connection between them flare, and for a brief moment his senses swam with a new awareness. Sounds became more acute, smells were intense and vivid. Only his vision suffered; the blue-white light of the morning outside turning into shades of grey and shifting strangely in front of his eyes.
He staggered at the sensation, steadying himself on the wall. As quickly as it came, the feeling left him, but not before he sensed the scent that Sacharissa was tracking.
Water.
"Lead on," Arcturus smiled, shooing her forward. He grinned, relishing the memory of his new power. It was fascinating to learn that Sacharissa might not be able to see colors. Who knew?
She turned down the spiral staircase, taking him down to the Atrium while snuffling at the ground. It was obviously still early, for the castle was as lifeless and silent as a tomb.
It was for that reason that he almost jumped out of his skin when a voice hailed him from the balconies above.
"Arcturus!" Obadiah Forsyth snapped, his face peering over the metal railing from the floor above him. "Who gave you permission to leave your quarters?"
Before Arcturus could answer, Obadiah's head disappeared and footsteps echoed in the stairwell behind. He emerged red faced, an accusatory finger pointed at Arcturus like a weapon.
"Sir, I am sorry, I needed to use the facilities," Arcturus said, layering his voice with as much respect as he could. "I did not mean to break any rules."
It was an almost automatic response, for he had learned from his time with the innkeeper that deference could save him from a beating, or worse. It had the desired effect, for Obadiah paused mid stride.
"Well ... I guess that is a fair excuse," he begrudged, dropping his hand to his side, before walking around Arcturus, examining him.
Arcturus lowered his head and watched Obadiah through half-closed lashes, ready for any sudden moves. Instead, the noble lifted Arcturus's chin with a knuckle and nodded approvingly.
"Well, I'm pleased that you know to respect your elders. And betters for that matter," Obadiah said, laying a hand on his shoulder and propelling him away from the doorway.
"Your morning ablutions shall have to wait. The king has asked me to find out what level summoner you are. Come with me."
Arcturus bit back a groan and followed Obadiah back up the stairs. Sacharissa pattered behind them, whining as she sensed Arcturus's agitation. After a moment, Obadiah spun on his heel and kicked out at Sacharissa, but she skipped out of the way with a growl.
"If you can't control your demon's infernal noise, I will shut her up for good," Obadiah snarled.
"Sacharissa, stay," Arcturus said hastily, pointing at the ground. She cocked her head at him, as if to ask: are you sure?
"Be a good do—" he caught himself, "... demon and wait here for me. I'm sure it won't take long."
She stared at him pitifully, then settled down and laid her head on her front paws.
"Good girl," Arcturus said. Obadiah grunted, then continued on down the corridor.
They walked for a few minutes in silence, before curiosity overcame Arcturus's fear.
"What do you mean by 'level'?"
"Different species of demons have different levels of demonic energy. For example, a Canid is a level seven demon. That means, to have been able to summon her, you are at least a level seven summoner," Obadiah replied, without turning around.
Arcturus realized they were heading toward the southwest tower. As they turned into what Arcturus expected to be a stairwell leading to the top of the tower, they entered a large circular chamber with a ceiling that stretched hundreds of feet above them to the roof of the tower.
In the center of the room was a strange column, made up of different segments of multicolored crystals. It was so tall it reached the very top of the room, and Arcturus had to crane his neck to see the tip of it.
"Put your hand against the fulfilmeter," Obadiah ordered, then pushed Arcturus to his knees before he could respond. He seized Arcturus's hand and pressed it against the cool gemstones.
Immediately, Arcturus felt something sucked out of him, flowing through his hand. It felt cool as ice and to his surprise, he could see a cobalt blue glow around the edges of his palm.
"What you are feeling now is your mana being sucked into the fulfilmeter."
"Mana?" Arcturus stuttered. He could feel it roiling in his blood, cold under his skin.
"Yes, mana is the power you use when performing a spell. You will learn more about that soon, perhaps today if you keep your ears open."
The last of the mana drained out of him, then the flow was reversed. But this was very different to before. It was hot and violent, a sharp contrast to what he had experienced just a moment before.
"Demonic energy, what all demons are made from. The more you can absorb, the higher your fulfilment level," Obadiah murmured, tightening his grip on Arcturus's wrist.
The segment of gemstone Arcturus was touching lit up with a hum. The others above lit up soon after, each one emitting a dull thrum as they did so. Seven times the room flashed with new light, then the humming began to slow. It was just as well, for Arcturus felt full to the brim with the caustic energy. It felt like he was boiling from the inside out. Just as he thought it was over, the eighth segment flickered into life.
"A level eight summoner," Obadiah said, with a hint of surprise in his voice. "That is...above average...especially for a summoner as young and as new to his demon as you. The usual for an untrained noble who has just arrived at the academy is seven, which is what I assumed you would be. I find this very interesting. I'm sure the king will share that sentiment."
"What does it mean?" Arcturus said, massaging his wrist as Obadiah released him. He felt a flash of dread. Would it have been better if he were a weaker summoner?
"It means that you are unusual only in that you are a commoner, neither too high nor too low in level. You fall within the normal range of what we can expect from a novice. It also means that you could summon a level one demon, such as a Mite, on top of your level seven Canid. Of course, as you train in the various arts of summoning, your fulfilment level will improve over time, and you will be capable of summoning more powerful demons."
Arcturus relaxed. Normal was good. He was unusual enough, without being something the king might see as a threat. As Obadiah began to lead him out of the room, Arcturus couldn't resist one more question.
"A Mite?"
Obadiah gave an exasperated sigh, then turned back to him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of leather. As he unravelled it, Arcturus realized it was identical to the leather mat he had found in Charles's saddlebags, a brown square with a black pentacle embossed on both sides. Obadiah dropped it to the floor and touched the leather with his fingertip.
The pentacle flared with violet light, just as it had in the stables. This time, instead of an orb expanding above, ethereal strands of white light blossomed from the glowing symbol, merging together like threads on a tapestry. It was not long until an insect-like form materialized and the glowing white faded to reveal the true colors beneath.
The demon looked like a giant beetle, so large it would barely fit on a man's hand. Its carapace was a dark red color, with a sting not unlike a bee's on its behind and a pair of sharp mandibles that clashed as it stared at Arcturus through two black eyes. With a flutter of insectile wings, it buzzed into the air, before settling on Obadiah's shoulder.
"Beautiful isn't he?" Obadiah said, stroking the Mite's shell. "Rubeus is one of my weaker demons, but perhaps the most useful. He's my eyes and ears at Vocans – step one toe out of line and he'll come straight back to me. Unless I've already seen it of course."
He reached into his pocket once again and pulled out a shard of crystal. It was flat, like a broken piece of glass, yet Arcturus could see the room reflected on the polished surface. Obadiah tapped it on the Mite's shell and held it out for Arcturus to see. For a moment Arcturus thought he was looking at a piece of mirror, but as Rubeus buzzed into the air, he realized that the image on the crystal was exactly what the beetle demon was seeing.
"The scrying stone and summoning leather are the two most important items in a summoner's tool chest," Obadiah lectured, pocketing the crystal and rolling the leather up once again. "Your demon usually resides within your body and can be summoned into existence, then infused back into you using the leather. The scrying stone lets you share your demon's senses, including sound and smell, though you need to look at the stone to be able to see what they do. Of course you will only be able to see black and white with yours. Canids and their various cousins are all colorblind."
Arcturus smiled, glad to confirm his suspicions. Still, it was strange that he had been able to do it, if briefly, without a stone at all. He would have to investigate that later. The fact that Sacharissa could somehow be "infused" into his body filled him with both excitement and apprehension. Could that really be possible?
"Right, that's enough for one day. I'm your Provost, not your teacher." Obadiah said, shaking his head as if surprised he had shared so much.
"Thank you, Lord Forsyth," Arcturus said, holding out his hand. "I look forward to learning more. May I ask, would it be possible for you to take me back to Sacharissa and then show me how to find the baths?"
"I'm not your servant, insolent boy," Obadiah snapped, ignoring the hand and stamping out of the room. "We can collect your demon because it's on the way, but there's no time for a bath now, you'll have to wait until later. It's breakfast time. I'm going to announce your arrival to the other students."
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Thanks for reading Chapter 6. What do you think of Mites? Would you want one?
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!