Soul Casting 101 Read online

  The ferret on the young woman’s shoulder sat up on his hind legs in joint inquiry.

  Imara extended her hand and gave the woman the card.

  After a short glance at the card, the woman jumped to her feet and bobbed a short bow. “Please excuse me.”

  Imara looked at the portraits of mages and their familiars. Fierce mages were accompanied by fiercer beasts. It looked a little overwhelming to her, and she was about to skip the entire process when a voice called out to her.

  “Imara Mirrin?”

  She turned and blinked in surprise at the only figure that had appeared on campus wearing mages robes. “I am.”

  “I am Master Thamus. So, Yringar ran off? Typical. He will never live down the time he was working with the shifting class and got stuck in the body of a wolf. We had to house him here for weeks before the Shift Master came back from his sabbatical.” He came forward and extended his hand to her.

  She took in his healthy, tanned good looks, dark hair and rich pumpkin-coloured eyes. He was the epitome of magical health, and the embroidered robes that he wore added to the aura he presented.

  Imara extended her hand and felt the power in his grip. “Pleased to meet you.” She ignored the rest of the statement. It didn’t pertain to her anyway.

  “So, you are here to get your familiar?”

  “Apparently.” She gently tugged her hand free of his.

  “Please, come this way. I will explain to you how this is going to work and what your familiar actually is.”

  “I would be delighted to learn.”

  He reached for her hand, but when she didn’t extend it, he nodded and led the way.

  They passed a wall of aquariums, a hall led to the sound of screeching birds; she could hear and smell animals all around her. It was an assault to the senses.

  Thamus led her in what seemed like a huge circle, but he finally turned down a hall that ended in a quiet room.

  A gateway made of wood took up one wall. There were cushions in the center of a power circle and a low table waiting for them.

  “Please have a seat. Are you comfortable with your grasp of what a familiar is?”

  “Not particularly. It wasn’t taught in Sakenta. We knew about the wave, but nothing more of magic was taught than that.”

  Master Thamus settled his robes around him in a dramatic and well-rehearsed fashion. “Well, in that case, I will give you the broad strokes for the type of familiar you are about to receive.”

  She nodded, and he waved his hand. A teapot lifted into the air from a sideboard and floated toward them. A stream of water was pulled out of a pitcher, and it cascaded in a column to meet the pot. Leaves from another container tumbled along.

  It was a charming show, but she wished that Thamus could talk at the same time.

  When he was using magic to heat the pot, he finally spoke. “While most mages take on a familiar as they advance in their careers, some inherit their familiars. These beasts are actually thinking magic users, bound in an animal form.”

  The pot lifted and tipped, filling two small cups.

  “That doesn’t sound pleasant for them.”

  “It isn’t, but it is their fate. Families bound together. Hellhounds and mages linked by blood and power around the world.”

  “Hellhounds are people?”

  “Mages who draw power from the demon zone.”

  She was nervous. “Is that why I am here?”

  Thamus shook his head and sipped his tea. “No, your family is linked to a penal familiar.”

  “A what?”

  “Your family and others were victims of an ancient mage. He killed several elders, and when he was caught,, he was put into service as a familiar for the eldest member of each family without a familiar, in rotation. The previous mage who had this familiar just passed last month. He is now up for claiming.”

  “I won him?”

  He chuckled. “If you like to think of it that way. He can be an incredible assistant or an unbelievable burden. The choice is yours.”

  “What is his shifted form?”

  Thamus smiled. “That is up to you. At the moment that the gateway opens, it will touch your mind and find the kind of beast you want your familiar to be. He will become that.”

  “So, he has no choice. If I want a goldfish, he becomes a goldfish.”

  “Not very useful, but yes. Think of what you want as companion, study guide and assistant, even mentor. That will be the form he takes. Now, drink your tea. It will help the gate reach your thoughts.”

  She reached out and picked up the cup. It tasted like drunk marshmallows. She finished it but wasn’t happy about it.

  Imara set the cup down with a click. “Done.”

  The pot filled it.

  “Good. Do it again.”

  “What?”

  “When your mind is ready, the portal will open. Until then, keep drinking the tea.”

  She made a face. “Why couldn’t it have been coffee?”

  “Because you can’t hide herbs in coffee.” He smiled politely. “Everyone expects herbal tea to taste peculiar.”

  She lifted the cup to her lips and slammed it back before setting it down. “How do I take care of it?”

  “Well, his animal instinct will be strong, but when you need it, his human mind will spring to the foreground. He can eat what you eat, but figuring out the cleanliness routine will depend on what animal you choose.”

  She had been to one shot party before going to college, and the tea turned into an endless line of shots. Suddenly, the fish made sense. If she kept this up, her back teeth would be swimming.

  “Tell me about yourself. What was your school like? What about your home?”

  “Is this necessary?”

  “You need to think of the moments when you felt you needed a champion. Those are usually the places where the need is formed.” Thamus smiled gently. “That is what the gateway is looking for so it can shape your familiar into something you truly want.”

  The light crackling of energy touched her thoughts.

  “Whoa. I think something is happening.”

  “Keep drinking and talk to me about the worst moment in your life.”

  She felt the world fuzzing away at the edges, and she started to speak. “I had changed schools and was having my first day as the new me. No friends, no one I knew, and a new part of town. The new boarding house was austere and there was nothing living near it. The entire aura around my new neighborhood was static. Nothing grew. I wanted something of my own that had the potential to become something amazing. I wanted something I could touch and cuddle when I needed it. Something small, something cute. Something forever.”

  With every word, the prickling in her mind grew more intense, and as she finished her sentence and looked at the portal, fire blazed.

  “Your familiar is about to arrive. Please extend your hand.”

  Imara kept her gaze on the portal and extended her hand. She felt a small burst of pain and heard chanting. Her focus was on the shadow forming in the swirling flames.

  The vortex widened and the shadow grew larger. Imara pulled her hand away from Thamus and extended it toward the approaching figure.

  Tears pricked her eyes as the creature came into focus. He was exactly what she wished for.

  * * * *

  Trapped in his crystal cell, he flexed his fingers as he waited for the call. He was nearing the end of his sentence. Once he was free, he would be able to choose a dignified death or a new life under the aegis of the Mage Guild.

  The families that he had harmed had been paid in labour, protection and guidance. Nearly a thousand years of servitude had been enough for him to consider his options and the evolution of magic.

  The Mage Guild had come to his conclusion that magic obtained from the demon zone was not healthy for those around the mage using it. They had placed locks on everything related to demons, and now, he was in a world where his fondest dream had come true. He wished he could have
been born a few centuries later.

  The pull of magic came just in time. He had been getting bored and nothing good came of getting bored.

  The crystal opened, and he stepped free, heading for the platform where he would become the beast that his mage wanted. He had been wolves, lions, a unicorn, and even a small dragon. He wondered what magnificent incarnation he would take on next.

  With a deep breath that took in no air, he walked forward and let the magic shape him to his new mage’s will.

  * * * *

  “Mew.” The tiny black kitten made the small sound, and then, it blinked in surprise at its own voice.

  “Mew. Mewmewmewmew.”

  She smiled and extended her hand, noting the blood on her fingers. He lifted his tiny head up and licked at the crimson drops.

  Thamus’s voice was strangled, but he stated. “And bound by blood, he shall serve you until the end of your life or his.”

  She looked down at the tiny kitten with the huge orange-gold eyes. “Hello. Uh, Thamus, does he have a name?”

  “His name will be disclosed to you in time. When you are better able to deal with it, you will receive everything you need to know about him. For now, name him as you would a pet.”

  She watched the tiny pink tongue lapping at her fingers and felt the scrape of needle-sharp teeth. When he drew back a little, she reached out and grabbed him around his ribs.

  “He is so tiny.” She couldn’t stop smiling as she cuddled him against her.

  He let out more of those small and indignant sounds, but a rumbling purr started up as she stroked his small body.

  Thamus was shocked when she looked at him. “You made him a kitten.”

  “Yeah. I always wanted one, but I was never in a home that could have one.”

  “He is a black kitten.”

  “Yup. I thought that black had the most dignity.”

  Thamus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Right. Well, I will register him as your familiar and give you the books you will need to study how to make your partnership more effective.”

  “Oh, good. I am in the Soul Casting class, and I needed a familiar for that.” She rubbed her chin against the top of the kitten’s head.

  “Contact my office when you have a name for the registry. Naming him will help you focus, and focus will increase your power.”

  “I will think about it. Can I just go now?”

  “Certainly. My assistant will have the books at the front desk. Pick them up on the way out.”

  She knew a dismissal when she heard one. Imara got to her feet with her new companion in her arms and left the Master to do whatever he was working on next.

  She had her kitten, and he was curled against her and purred happily. Now, she needed the instructions that went along with her new companion.

  How difficult could it be?

  Chapter Five

  “Okay, since you won’t answer to anything I want to call you, you are going to pick your own name.” Imara finished attaching the last sticky note to the wall of her room.

  The fluffy black kitten weighed less than a pound as she moved him past the letters. “Just paw the one that you want. I will spell it out.”

  She moved him past the first layer and in the center of the second; he pawed at the M.

  “Right. M. Okay. Next letter.” She moved him past the letters again and was becoming despondent when he struck out at the R.

  “Okay. M.R. Wait, you want me to call you Mister?” Imara turned him to look at her.

  “Mew.”

  Chuckling, she was going to set him down when he flailed his little paws with their needle-sharp claws at the wall. Either he saw a moth or he wanted to go again.

  “Right. Mister. Here we go.” She held him and cruised him past the letters again. He attacked the E.

  “Meowwwww.” He was triumphant.

  “Mr. E. Mystery?”

  “Mew.” He lifted his head high with his paws folded against her fingers.

  “Well, either one is better than here, kitty-kitty.” She winked at him and set him down.

  He scampered away to explore the confines of her room with feet that looked too big for his body. There was a dorky charm to him, as there was to all kittens.

  Bara had taken one look at him, squealed and ran out to get him supplies.

  Imara had been amused, but Bara was one of those women who really enjoyed cats. Magus Reegar hadn’t shown up yet, so it was a question as to how he was going to react to the new arrival.

  Imara looked over at the mountain of paperwork, the textbooks she had picked up and the notebooks willing her to fill them. “So, should I study or learn about my people? Decisions, decisions.”

  Mr. E leaped into the air and landed neatly on the pile of documents. “Mew.”

  “Well, I am supposed to be following your advice, so sure. Tell me what I should read first.”

  She eased him from the top of the pile and spread out the folders. The kitten stalked back and forth on them before pawing at one.

  Imara opened the file and read the documents inside. The heir contract that needed to produce no more or less than seven sons was detailed as to requirements, and the ability of one or both parties to dissolve it the moment that the seventh living child was born. It included the disposition of any female children to Sakenta. Girls weren’t part of the contract. The Demiel family was after a seventh son of a seventh son. They needed an infusion of luck to go with their cash.

  The next document was the settlement that Mirrin Deepford-Smythe Demiel had received when she left her husband and children.

  The condition of the contract that concerned daughters was rather cold. It was a short addendum that indicated any daughters born to the mother were to be given into care and raised away from the families. No contact between parent and child was to be allowed or encouraged until the daughter in question was an adult.

  If more than three daughters were born, the contract was void and both parties would dissolve their union.

  Imara sat back and wondered about what would happen if the father engaged in any activity out of the marital union.

  A thud got her attention. “What are you up to now, Mr. E?”

  Her backpack jerked and twitched. She sighed and finished opening the zipper. A set of rich gold eyes looked up at her from the shadows. “Mew.”

  She reached in for him, and his little claws hung onto something. The box clattered to the ground a moment later.

  Imara blinked. “You wanted me to get that out?”

  He waved his paws toward the box.

  “Right. This would be easier if you could talk, but I guess I am going to have to work on that.”

  He gave her a short nod. Nice to know that there was something she was missing. She already felt completely overwhelmed.

  Imara picked up the box, and it flared blue in her hands. She nearly dropped it. A small crack appeared along one side of the box, and she used that opening to pry the lid up.

  A letter was lying in the box. She slipped it free and examined the heavy parchment and thick seal.

  It was addressed to My Dearest Imara.

  The handwriting was feminine and the seal was that of the Deepford-Smythe family. If she wasn’t mistaken, this was a letter from her mother.

  She cracked the seal in half and read the letter.

  Mr. E crawled into her lap and purred as she sniffled and smiled through the document.

  It was simple. If she was reading it, she was an adult and at college. Her mother wanted to start a correspondence with her via the letterbox, but she understood that a student had a lot of pressures in the first few weeks. She could wait until Imara had her feet under her before they met face to face.

  Imara carefully folded the letter, and she tucked it into her bag. She wanted it where she could find it if she wanted to read it again.

  With a sigh, she picked up Mr. E and rubbed her face into his kitten fur. He started to purr, and she laughed and exhaled hot air onto
his skin. He jolted in surprise, and then, his body rumbled violently with the increase of his purr.

  She exhaled again, and he went limp in her hands, his eyes blissfully closed.

  “What is that?” Reegar floated through the wall and glared at the kitten.

  “This is my familiar. His name is Mr. E.”

  Magus Reegar moved close, glaring at the small bundle of black fluff in her arms.

  “He is powerful.”

  “Apparently. Did you have a familiar?”

  “No. I never saw the need. My interest was in potions and spell work, not animal husbandry.”

  “And bending humans to your will.”

  He muttered, “That was more of a hobby.”

  A knock at the door announced Bara with all the cat supplies her vehicle could handle.

  “I haven’t had so much fun in years.” Bara grinned. “I love shopping and finding things. Do you think this is enough?”

  “I think it is fine. So, I can use the fridge in the lounge?”

  “Of course. Registration is fizzling out. We are on our own for the term. Oh, and I bought him some beef. I hope that’s okay. You did say that he could eat people food.”

  The kitten in her palms came alert at the word beef. He made murping noises and ran to Bara, searching through the bags at her feet.

  “And I have lost him. Mr. E, rein in your enthusiasm.”

  “His name is Mystery? That is so cute.”

  The look the kitten gave Bara could have curdled milk. It appeared that being cute was an affront to him.

  Bara grinned and unpacked several of the bags, setting the food aside so that she could refrigerate it. Toys, a soft bed, a grooming kit and a litter box and litter.

  “Wow, you got everything but a toothbrush.”

  Bara snickered and plunged her hand into a bag. A toothbrush with a tiny and narrow head emerged. “The toothpaste is flavoured like salmon.”

  Mr. E popped up on his hind legs and pawed toward the tube.

  “Well, I guess I should go to find something to eat and feed him before I organize my books for tomorrow.”

  He waved his front paws in the air, and Imara snatched him up with one hand while grabbing the bag of food in the other.