In contrast, the commoners were learning at a furious pace, absorbing every bit of information that they could. Unfortunately, practice was the greatest teacher in both spellcraft and infusion, so progress was slow.
Still, there were several frontrunners amongst Fletcher’s friends. Sylva and Othello were naturals, earning approving remarks from the teachers in almost every lesson. The same was true for the more cerebral demonology classes. The pair practically lived in the library, hunting through old tomes for hidden knowledge. Fletcher learned as much from them as he did from Major Goodwin.
As for the human commoners, Fletcher and Seraph led the pack, though it was through the dint of hard work rather than natural talent. The others had taken to whiling away their weekends in Corcillum, buying gifts and necessities and sending them back to their family. Seraph’s family appeared to be wealthy already and he had visited Corcillum in the past, so he preferred to spend time studying with Fletcher.
He was a good-natured lad with a shameless sense of humour, earning many a disapproving stare from Sylva and Othello as they read in the dusty silence of the library.
‘Gather round, everyone,’ Lovett shouted, tearing Fletcher away from his musings.
Four servants had brought a round stone table to the centre of the room. It was covered in a white sheet, but Fletcher could see a large convex bump in the centre of it. Everyone found a place along the edge, although it was tight. Isadora made a face as a sweaty Atlas squeezed in beside her, then pointedly held a lacy handkerchief to her nose.
‘Sorry,’ Atlas muttered with embarrassment.
Lovett left her place at the table and kneeled beside the largest pentacle in the very centre of the room. Unlike the summoning leathers that they had been using, this pentacle was surrounded by the strange keys that had been etched into the front of James Baker’s book.
‘You are never to use a keyed pentacle without a teacher present, is that understood?’ she growled, pointing at the star in front of her. ‘Breaking this rule is grounds for immediate expulsion. You have been warned!’
The students nodded dumbly as she powered up the pentacle, the lines crackling with energy and spitting sparks in all directions. This time Lovett stayed with her head bowed for several minutes, her face contorted with concentration. The pentacle was pulsing with a volatile buzz, wavering like the incessant humming of a madman.
‘Wow, if it takes Lovett this long, I don’t think I could use a keyed pentacle even if I wanted to,’ Seraph whispered next to him. ‘I can barely infuse Sliver without almost passing out.’
‘Don’t worry. I’m sure with practice we will manage it,’ Fletcher murmured back.
Finally, a sphere expanded in the centre of the star and hung in the air like a dim blue sun. Lovett panted and then shuffled over to the next pentacle on her knees. With a soft touch, she released a demon into existence above it.
‘A Mite!’ Genevieve whispered to Rory. Lovett heard and turned around with a tired smile.
‘That’s right. They make the best scouts, always needed when hunting in the ether. Valens is the first demon I ever owned. Without him, I would never have managed to capture Lysander, or any of the demons I had before him for that matter.’ She strode back to the table and placed one hand on the white sheet that covered it. In the other hand, she held a long strip of leather that connected to the base of the keyed pentacle. Fletcher suspected it was so she could keep the mana flowing to it.
‘What I am about to show you is the most expensive equipment in the entire academy. Do not touch it. Don’t even breathe on it. Just watch,’ Lovett hissed, looking them each in the eye until they were all nodding. With that last warning, she whipped off the cloth and revealed what was underneath.
An enormous gemstone was set in a white marble counter. The crystal was as clear as a mountain stream and its colouring was the deep purple of wild heather.
‘The gemstone is a very rare type of crystal called Corundum,’ Lovett said. ‘It forms in almost every colour, but large, transparent pieces such as this are incredibly hard to find. We call them scrying stones, although this particular gem is known as the Oculus. We will provide you with one if you cannot afford to buy one for yourself, although you may find the quality and size of the academy’s pieces quite . . . lacking.’
Lovett beckoned Valens over, and the little creature flew over their heads, settling on the gem. Unlike Malachi and Azura, the Mite’s shell was a boring dark brown. As if she could read Fletcher’s mind, Lovett smiled at him knowingly and stroked the beetle demon’s carapace.
‘Valens is well suited to his job. He won’t look pretty on my shoulder, but he will be harder to spot if a hungry demon comes by in the ether.’