Summoner: Origins The Prequel by Taran Matharu Page B

other demon is first.’
    As Scipio finished speaking, the second creature erupted from the bushes with a throaty bellow. Yet when it saw the Wendigo, it began to back away, as if surprised to see it.
    â€˜Looks like it didn’t know what it was tracking,’ Prince Harold said, leaning over the table to get a better view.
    â€˜Minotaur. Fulfilment level of eleven,’ Rook breathed from beside Arcturus, his voice tinged with awe and longing. ‘My father has one of those.’
    Arcturus examined the creature as the two demons circled each other. The Minotaur was an enormous beast, slightly taller than the Wendigo, but only because it walked upright instead of hunched over. It had a bull’s head, with red baleful eyes and a pair of long, curved horns that it lowered at its opponent.
    A shaggy carpet of black fur covered its frame, over thick slabs of hard muscle. It scored the ground with its hooves, preparing to charge, the hooked claws on its hands outstretched.
    â€˜That’s two demons that rarely show up in our hunting grounds,’ Scipio said, thinking aloud. ‘It must be the Shrikes, they’re following them to eat their leftovers. But there’s not enough food for both of them.’
    â€˜They had better stop this showboating, if Kali’s going to get out in time,’ Edmund muttered, as the creatures continued to stare at each other, making mock charges. Then, as if spurred on by Edmund’s words, they met in a tangle of claws and teeth.
    The Wendigo’s antlers locked with the Minotaur’s horns as they spun and circled, spitting and slashing at each other. It was immediately obvious that the Wendigo had the upper hand. The length of its arms allowed it to hack away at the Minotaur’s chest and shoulders, leaving deep, bloody scores in the flesh. Meanwhile, the Minotaur’s reach was too short; the antlers its horns were caught in kept it at a distance. Instead, the Minotaur grabbed at the Wendigo’s wrists, until it finally managed to grasp them. They struggled on, straining against each other, as the Minotaur’s blood trickled into the tall grass.
    â€˜I’m going to make a break for it,’ Scipio gasped, as the pentacle began to crackle. The wooden boards were smoking now, as the unstable connection generated too much heat.
    â€˜Now!’ he yelled.
    Kali somersaulted from the tree, plunging towards the spinning portal. There was a brief image of the two predators, their eyes turning at the sudden arrival of the Felid. Then she was through, slamming into the floor below the summoning room portal. Scipio released the leather cable and collapsed. The orb shrunk into nothingness and the pentacle faded, leaving a smoking outline of charred wood. The room was cast in darkness as the wyrdlights winked out, one by one.
    There was silence, then Scipio spoke, a ragged voice in the shadows.
    â€˜Let that be a lesson to you. The ether is a dangerous, unpredictable place. Class dismissed.’

12
    They trooped out of the room in silence, leaving Scipio to recover on his own. Prince Harold threw some wyrdlights over his shoulder on the way out, allowing Arcturus to catch a glimpse of him embracing Kali with tightly closed eyes. He understood the feeling – if Sacharissa had almost been lost to the ether, he would likely be in tears.
    â€˜So, dog breath. Are you off to hide in your room, like you did yesterday?’ Charles asked, stepping in front of Arcturus. Rook and Zacharias crowded close to him, but he ignored them and met Charles’s gaze with as much confidence as he could muster.
    â€˜I wasn’t hiding,’ he replied, lifting his chin. ‘But you don’t seem to enjoy my company, so I chose to avoid yours. Maybe you’re scared of me.’
    â€˜We’re of different stock, you and I. A thoroughbred and a mongrel. Blue blood and yokel. Upper crust and pigswill. It wouldn’t do for us to mix.’