The Outcast (Summoner #4)(17)
Arcturus hadn’t thought about graduating—it seemed so far away. Was that why Vocans was training them? To fight monstrous orcs in the jungles?
“Now, I think it’s time you tried to produce a wyrdlight,” Elizabeth said, sensing his mood. “Learning to shape and control one is the first step to learning spellcraft. It will leave you well prepared for when you eventually start using spells.”
“What, now?” Arcturus asked, his palms suddenly sweaty. “I haven’t even…”
“Exactly, you haven’t even tried yet. Learning by doing, that’s the summoner way. It’s all reflex at the end of the day; there’s only so much you can learn from books and lessons. Let’s see if you have a knack for it. I’ll tell you what, Elaine can try as well.” She looked for the girl and found her on the other side of the room, playing her game of tag with Valens once again. “Elaine, stop playing with your demon and pay attention! I’m told you still need to practice your wyrdlights too.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better. Now I’ll get shown up by a thirteen-year-old girl,” Arcturus muttered.
“So?” Elizabeth asked. “You’re newer to this than she is; of course she’s likely to do better. What does age or gender have to do with it?”
“Umm … nothing,” Arcturus said, shuffling his feet.
“Too right,” Elizabeth said, arching her eyebrows. “Now, most novices find it easier when they are sitting down for the first time. Why don’t you sit down with Sacha beside you. Your connection with her won’t change no matter how far away she is, but it can’t hurt.”
Arcturus settled down, cross-legged, and laid Sacharissa’s heavy head in his lap. The weight was comforting, and he twisted his fingers in her soft black fur. Her warm blue eyes gazed at him with trust before she closed them and let out a contented rumble. He followed suit, waiting for the next instructions.
Elaine sat on the ground beside him, and he sensed the young girl give Sacharissa’s tail a surreptitious stroke. The demon snorted and Arcturus heard the thwack of her tail and a yelp from Elaine.
“Serves you right,” Elizabeth said, tutting.
She knelt on the ground behind Arcturus and laid her hands on his shoulders.
“Sense the connection, where you feel Sacha’s emotions and intentions,” Elizabeth murmured, her voice soft in his ear.
Arcturus searched for the mental umbilical cord that held Sacharissa and him together. As he touched it, he felt Sacharissa shudder, then relax as he gently grasped it with his mind. Instantly, his body began to suffuse with a sensation both cold and hot, rushing through his blood with every pulse of his heart. His breath quickened.
“That’s enough, let go for now. It’s just a small spell and you don’t want to drain her. Now, take the mana and push it through your finger. As it comes out, open your eyes and try to shape it into a ball.” Elizabeth’s voice was low and confident, quelling Arcturus’s doubts. “You can do it.”
He pushed the mana out of his finger, the energy rushing through him like a white-water rapid. He snapped his eyes open, and contorted his mind, willing the mana into the shape of a rough ball. Light curled, slowly, emerging from his finger and spinning into an orb that hung in the air in front of him.
“Excellent,” Elizabeth breathed, still behind him. “Now, why don’t you try to float it up toward the ceiling.”
Arcturus’s mind felt as if it might snap; his brow furrowed so deeply he could feel the muscles cramping. He nudged the orb upward, and his heart soared as it responded to his touch. It spun and ascended, until it touched the ceiling and disappeared.
“Well done. That’s better than most students manage their first time,” Elizabeth said.
Arcturus smiled as another, much smaller ball floated aimlessly in front of him.
“I did it!” Elaine yelled, punching the air beside them.
Arcturus watched as Valens buzzed around the ball, making mock dives at it.
For a moment Arcturus stared at Elaine’s wyrdlight, watching it fly randomly around the room, like a lazy bee on a hot summer’s day.
“There ends the lesson,” Elizabeth said, grinning at Arcturus’s expression. “Next time I’ll push you harder, but it’s a great step for your first day. Before I go, are there any questions you need answering?”
Arcturus tore his eyes away from the wyrdlight and considered it. He had around a hundred questions, but so many of them seemed like they might come off as stupid.
“Is a low-level demon a weak demon?” Arcturus asked, remembering that as a Canid, Sacharissa was a level-seven demon. A Mite was only level one.
“Yes and no. The level a demon is simply refers to what level of summoner you need to be to summon them: A level-ten summoner can summon a level-ten demon, or two level-five demons. As a rule of thumb, the higher a demon’s level, the more powerful it is, in mana, size and strength. That being said, as a demon becomes more experienced, it can improve in all these counts. A well-trained Canid might be able to take on an inexperienced Griffin, which is level ten.” Elizabeth brandished her fingers as she said each number, as if Arcturus might be incapable of counting. He forgave her for assuming—there were plenty of commoners his age, and older besides, incapable of reading or writing.
“Then there’s the fact that some demons are simply more powerful than their level might indicate, even if it is roughly accurate. A level-seven Felid will beat a level-seven Canid almost every time, despite their being the same level. It’s even capable of beating some higher-level demons. There are also anomalies, such as Golems, which are level eight. When they are young, they are small. But after a few years they can grow to be as tall as nine feet and just as wide, but they will always remain level eight. So you see, it’s just a rough rule.”