[12]

When morning came, I sprang out of bed full of rested energy. For some time now I wanted to summon my familiar, but I simply had not had the materials or opportunity. Angelina’s guest bedroom had everything I needed.

From her fireplace, I grabbed a bunch of charred wood and ash, using it to create a summoning circle. It did not have to be ash; it was just more convenient than trying to get costly paint supplies. I divided the circle into eight equal sections and wrote glyphs into each part. The glyphs were meaningless to me, exactly as the words I used to cast spells. Ascendancy granted me the knowledge without giving me the meaning.

Once I finished dirtying up the floor to the proper specifications, I set a wooden cup in the center and added a couple drops of blood to ensure the connection to the spirit.

Finally, with everything set in place, I started chanting the words to the ritual. My knowledge had forewarned me that disruption of the ritual could be disastrous, so I locked the bedroom door and closed my eyes while I chanted. I could not afford to have something interrupt my train of thought. Ten minutes into the ritual, a small voice began nagging that I might have messed things up. Thankfully, I ignored it.

The chanting continued almost rhythmically, and I lost myself in saying the words. A trance like state overcame me some time later, and before long I felt a flash of searing light.

A presence like an extra limb sprouted from my head. Then, I saw myself sitting with my legs crossed and my eyes closed, but from the angle of the ground. I directed the vision to circle around me—which it did in a scurry faster than I was expecting.

Slowly, I opened my own eyes, and the vision disappeared to reveal an ugly black lizard creature sitting where the cup and circle used to be. It was about a foot long from tail to head, with rough warty night black skin decorated with evil looking red spots. The eyes of the creature looked almost crocodilian on its rounded block-like head.

Whatever it was, it was not like any creature I had ever seen before. It looked like a newt, lizard, and crocodile had a baby. And the little thing was so hideous that it was absolutely cute.

I could not help laughing out loud in joy. My mutant familiar opened its mouth to reveal a bunch of needle-like fangs, which were not so cute. But I did not care.

“I’m going to call you Ugz, because you are ugly as sin.”

Ugz slapped its tail to the side, as if to say I don’t care.

It’s mannerisms made me laugh. I could sense through the bond we shared it was pleased to have a name. Other than that, its emotions were blessedly uncomplicated. Though I created it by magic, it was basically still just an animal.

“Let’s try some things, come here,” I said.

My familiar scurried across the floor rapidly, then leapt up my arm and on to my shoulders so quickly it was almost a blur.

“Whoa, you are a fast little guy!” I said. Ugz’s skin was toxic and prolonged exposure to it would cause a long lasting fever-like delirium that could eventually result in death. However, I was immune to its secretions.

Next, I mentally directed it to run across the ceiling, across the walls and under the bed. Ugz was not capable of doing complex tasks, I learned, but it took direction well. Since we could share our senses, I realized Ugz was the perfect little spy. It would be practically invisible in the dark.

Eager to try spying out, I sat back down on the ground and closed my eyes.

My sight and hearing transferred to Ugz, who I noticed could not see far but could definitely hear much better than I could. Sounds drifted through the house and into its skin, letting me hear things I normally could not.

At first I wondered why I could smell nothing. Ugz showed me I was doing it wrong and stuck out its tongue. Scents from all around blasted into Ugz’s little mouth. I could smell rodent droppings, nearby insects, and weirdly enough where the nearest water was. I quickly decided that I did not like taste-smelling rat turds, and Ugz pulled his tongue back.

Under my mental direction, Ugz squeezed through the floorboards and began running along the interior of the house. The little lizard thing stopped at every room so that I could observe, and once to eat an awful tasting spider. Well, it was awful for me, I could tell Ugz liked the crunch.

The downstairs cook, a massively overweight woman, flirted shamelessly with the groundskeeper who seemed to endure it for extra food. In the hallway, I caught wind of an affair between a cleaning lady that was off today and the same groundskeeper that shakes his ass for extra bacon. It was like watching a real life drama play beyond everyone’s awareness, and it was amazing fun.

We never stopped moving until I reached Angelina’s room. I briefly felt guilty about spying on her until I heard the topic of her conversation, me.

“...is serious about this Angelina.” I heard the voice of the servant that worked for her father, whose name I learned was Cornelious.

“So, what, he just expects me to leave Ashmere behind for good? Rush off to marry the first person who agrees to his terms?” Angelina asked, sounding upset.

“Your coming here was contingent upon being wed to Elmont. He only agreed to it because he hoped you could bond over the shared experience. Your father wants you to have a healthy marriage, but you must put in the effort too.” said Cornelious.

“Hah! Believe me, I tried with Elmont. Nothing could get through that Whitby love for duty.” Angelina scoffed.

“What’s done is done. He blames you for Elmont, and will not be kind to you if you disrupt his plans further. Even with the Whitby’s offering concessions for the annulment, your father stands to lose out more than he would have gained.”

“Oh, not the beloved family wealth!” Angelina mock cried.

“Angelina,” Cornelious said with severity. “It isn’t only your father that stands to lose. You realize that because of this annulment you will be forced to marry down, right? Elmont’s family was at least as rich as your own. The highest contender is Baron Catesby’s boy Ambrose. He responded to your father’s request for a marriage negotiation immediately, offering very favorable terms. Apparently, he has had some fondness for you since childhood.”

“I remember little Ambrose, and if circumstances were different, I might not oppose the matching.” Angelina said with a sigh. She sat down heavily on a bed.

“Circumstances being the handsome young man in the guest room?” asked Cornelious.

“Handsome? Handsome!? Harald is the single most beautiful person I, or anyone else for that matter, have ever set eyes upon. He looks as though the gods created a man just to show the rest of us what we are lacking.” Angelina said, chortling.

“Attractive or not, your father will not forgive you. If you elope with that boy, he will disown you. Earl Snelling told me in no uncertain terms to relay that to you. Would you give it all up? The wealth, the status, servants, for an uncertain life of a [Gossip]?”

“Not just a [Gossip], Cornelious. I would also be the wife of an ascendant, and a thrilled one at that. I have not known him long, but I can tell that Harald is a kind, lonely soul. He may not love me yet, but he would in time.” Angelina countered.

“Ascendant’s die, Angelina. You know that. They form up in their little groups, go into the Ruinlands, and then they don’t come back—not like the regular classers. Some quest will send him in too deep, and you will not even be able to bury him. What are you going to do when he leaves you a widow?”

“T-that’s not always true.” Angelina said, but it was obvious Cornelious hit a nerve.

“Oh? Do you know what benevolent patron he serves then? Because I know of no God that doesn’t want their ascendant to grow in power and influence.”

A knock on the door to my bedroom snapped me out of the connection. I stood up and let in a maid to collect my sheets, chamber pot, and dirty clothes. By the time she finished, Angelina and Cornelious had ended their conversation.

I left Ugz to do whatever it wanted to do with the instruction that it remained hidden, then went down to join Angelina for breakfast. Even with the heavy things weighing on her mind, she was friendly as usual, showing no sign of concern. We had a creamy bowl of oats and fruit, along with fresh juice from a plant I had never heard of before. Angelina told me that today would be a wonderful day for a walk, so we made plans to visit the Ashmere campus together, with her acting as my tour guide.

I suspected that it also motivated her to stake her claim among the other ladies of Ashmere, and find out where I would live, but I did not mind. The excitement of finding out what the academy had in store for me occupied all my thoughts!