The Outcast (Summoner #4)(30)

“Now, I want you to stay calm,” Obadiah said warily, backing away from the table. “But I have made a deal with Charles and his father.”

“You did what?” Elizabeth snarled, her eyes blazing with anger. “After what they tried to do to Arcturus?”

“I said calm yourself!” Obadiah growled back. “It had to be done, to keep the boy safe. In exchange for Arcturus’s safety, I promised that I would remain in charge of the search for the commoners, for as long as the king will allow me to. I will conceal all knowledge of the clusters of adept commoners in the workhouses and orphanages from the world, and keep Lord Faversham’s shameful secret. I was going to do it anyway; we might as well secure Arcturus’s safety out of it. All I need from you three is to keep your mouths shut about this whole thing.”

“But what if you die, or the king decides to place you somewhere else?” Scipio asked. “What if he creates a grand inquisition to investigate the whole affair? You said yourself he has his suspicions.”

“At that point, Arcturus will hopefully be a graduated battlemage, capable of taking care of himself and away from Lady Faversham’s wrath. Do you agree to this plan?”

“I do,” Arcturus said, despite his disgust. But it was not like he had any other choice.

“As do I,” Scipio agreed in a low voice.

Elizabeth paused for a moment, then nodded.

“If it keeps Arcturus safe,” she said.

“Good. Now, let’s allow the boy to have his rest.” Obadiah clapped his hands together with finality. “You should be happy, Arcturus. Your year is just beginning.”

“Rest up,” Elizabeth said, following Scipio and Obadiah as they filed out of the room. “I’ll bring you breakfast in the morning.”

The door slammed behind them, leaving Arcturus sitting in silence. Even Sacharissa was asleep, despite the discussion that had been raging above her head. He lay back and tried to do the same.

“Well, I thought they’d never leave!”

His eyes snapped open to see a grinning Elaine, her tresses falling over him and tickling his nose.

“I thought you were unconscious!” he spluttered, pawing her hair out of his face and sitting up.

“So did they,” Elaine giggled.

Arcturus’s heart began to thunder. A secret that could tear apart the empire, in the head of another student.

“What did you hear exactly?” he asked carefully.

“I don’t know. After they said Charles was expelled, I stopped listening. Too confusing.” She shook her head, then winced and rubbed the back of her skull. “It still hurts.”

“Serves you right, listening in on people’s conversations. You’d think you would have learned by now, after that Wendigo almost killed you,” he growled.

“Oh, poo. Sacha was there to protect me, weren’t you, beautiful!” She stroked Sacharissa’s neck fur.

“Stop that!”

She snatched her hand away and crossed her arms, giving Arcturus a grumpy look.

“If we’re going to be friends, you can’t talk to me that way,” she said haughtily, turning her nose up at him. “You have to say please.”

“Okay. Please don’t do that. It’s not polite.”

“Good,” she said, instantly forgiving him. “I’m a good friend, you know, I promise. We can talk whenever you like. You’re not alone anymore.”

Arcturus shuffled over to make room as she sat beside him. He smiled as she surreptitiously flicked the end of Sacharissa’s tail.

Arcturus then thought of the risk his teachers were taking to keep him safe. The feeling of being protected was new to him. His mind turned to the brothers and sisters he might have out there. Then the other common adepts, illegitimates and randomly gifted alike.

“You’re right, Elaine. I’m not alone. Not anymore.”





CHAPTER

17

ARCTURUS SPENT TWO WEEKS in the infirmary, claiming dizziness from his concussion—though in truth only Sacharissa needed healing. It was a relief to be away from the noble students—he was sure they had all heard about what had happened in the summoning room, and he had no desire to face them until he was ready.

His only visitors were Elizabeth and Elaine—the former to bring him food and tutor him while he was unwell, the latter to pester both him and Sacharissa, and gossip about what was happening in the academy.

As the days passed by, Arcturus was pleased to discover that as far as anyone knew—Ophelia Faversham included—Charles and Rook had been expelled for dueling each other, and that he had been injured in the crossfire. A few students harbored suspicions, but the boys had not been particularly popular, and after a few days of gossip things had died down.

According to Elaine, only Zacharias seemed bothered by the loss of Charles and Rook, so Arcturus endeavored to stay away from the provost’s son as much as possible. He suspected that somehow, Zacharias would blame him for the pair’s expulsion—especially if his father had chosen to trust the boy with the truth about that night.

By the end of the fortnight, Arcturus was pleased to see that Sacharissa was almost fully healed, her recovery sped up by her successful infusion a few nights before. Elizabeth had spent many hours teaching him the technique, and had even given him an old summoning leather of hers to practice with while she was busy downstairs.