The Outcast (Summoner #4)(105)
SHRIKE MATRIARCH - LEVEL 6
The Shrike Matriarch is the maternal leader of a Shrike flock. Almost twice as large as the average Shrike, these demons are not to be underestimated. It is not unknown for a Matriarch to carry off juvenile Canids, should the opportunity present itself.
VULPID - LEVEL 6
(Alice Queensouth)
A close cousin to the Canid, this slightly smaller, foxlike demon has three tails and is known for its agility and speed.
CANID - LEVEL 7
(Arcturus, Edmund Raleigh)
A doglike demon with four eyes, lethal claws, a foxlike tail, and a thick ridge of fur down its spine. These demons range in size from that of a large dog to a small pony, depending on the breed.
FELID - LEVEL 7
(Scipio)
This bipedal cat demon has four eyes and the stature and intelligence of a jungle chimpanzee. Their breeds vary from leonine, tigrine and leopine, bearing resemblances to lions, tigers and leopards respectively.
GOLEM - LEVEL 8
This rare elemental-class demon can be made from many different types of minerals, including clay, mud and sand, the most powerful of which is the stone. Juvenile Golems begin at only a few feet tall, but can grow to over ten feet. They appear roughly humanoid, though they only have one large digit and an opposable thumb.
HYDRA - LEVEL 8
(Zacharias Forsyth)
A Hydra is a large demon with three snakelike heads on long, flexible necks. Its body is similar to that of a monitor lizard, at around the same size of a large Canid. These demons were once more common in Hominum’s part of the ether, but are now extremely rare.
PERYTON - LEVEL 9
(Ophelia Faversham, Elizabeth Cavendish)
The most-favored demon of the Celestial Corps, Perytons appear as winged, horse-size stags, with majestic antlers branching from their foreheads. Their front legs end in hooves, yet their back legs are clawed like a falcon’s, complete with deadly talons that can do serious damage. Instead of the traditional bobtail that most deer possess, these demons have long, elegant tail feathers. Their herds migrate sporadically across Hominum’s part of the ether, and they are considered the most common of the flying steeds available to Hominum’s summoners.
GRIFFIN - LEVEL 10
This rare demon will occasionally stray into Hominum’s part of the ether. Horse sized, it has the body, tail and back legs of a lion and the head, wings and talons of an eagle.
MINOTAUR - LEVEL 11
These humanoid demons are tall, large, hairy and muscular. They have the head of a bull and cloven hooves for feet. Unlike the Golem, they have clawed hands, which are capable of manipulating weapons, though teaching one to use them is a difficult task. It is very rare to see one of these in Hominum’s part of the ether.
NANDI - LEVEL 11
The Nandi might be described as a giant, bearlike creature, with powerful jaws and claws that can tear apart most opponents. However, it has a musculature, intelligence and agility more akin to a dog’s than that of a bear.
MANTICORE - LEVEL 12
This rare demon has batlike wings and forelimbs, a scorpion tail and the body of a lion, though the dark fur is interspersed with sharp spines. The Manticore’s leonine face can sometimes appear almost human, and its features are capable of expressing complex emotion. Its venom is so potent that one droplet will kill a man within minutes. Members of the Raleigh family are said to be immune.
WENDIGO - LEVEL 13
(Obadiah Forsyth)
The Wendigo is a rare demon that is known to follow the Shrike migration across the ether, eating the carcasses of its fallen victims. Despite its role as a carrion eater, the Wendigo is a powerful beast in its own right, with corded muscle lining its skinny frame. Standing as high as eight feet tall, it has branching antlers, a wolflike head and long arms that it uses to knuckle the ground like a gorilla. It is known to have the mottled gray skin of a corpse and the stench to match—most likely from its regular consumption of rotting flesh.
INDRIK - LEVEL 14
These enormous demons have the long necks and large bodies of giraffes, but with thicker limbs, a long tapering tail and a head that is more akin to that of a horse’s or camel’s. Their fur is short, gray and mottled with black patches. Traveling in herds of a score or more, Indriks migrate widely, acting as a food source for the large, carnivorous demons across the ether’s ecosystem. Given its role as a prey animal and high summoning level, these demons are relatively useless to summoners.
PHANTAUR - LEVEL UNKNOWN
The Phantaur is as much an elephant as a Minotaur is a bull. With its serrated tusks, sturdy fists and a height of over ten feet, it is a force to be reckoned with. Thought to be the rarest and most powerful demon available to orc shamans, only one has ever been seen. Little is known of its behaviors and habitats. It is thought that the one Phantaur to have been captured has been passed down through thousands of generations of shamans, its origins lost to the mists of time.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There have been a great many people who I owe a debt of gratitude for their contribution to the creation and publication of the Summoner series.
I would like to thank my UK agent, Juliet Mushens, for all her hard work, teaming up with many amazing publishers around the world. She has been my guiding light throughout the entire process and my life would not be the same without her. I would also like to thank Sasha Raskin, my US agent, for helping take the Summoner series across the pond.