He leaned even closer, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“There were others. Like you. More of Faversham’s brood.”
Arcturus was stunned. Lord and Lady Faversham were obviously covering up an unhappy marriage if there were other illegitimate sons out there.
“I tested them, the same way we do with non-firstborn noble children, in case they have inherited the ability to summon. Two others, plus one more in another workhouse.”
“Three of them,” Arcturus murmured.
“All boys, believe it or not.” Obadiah chuckled. “But that was not all. You see, I had sent my most trusted officers to test other children, to keep up appearances, you understand. They flew from village to village, lining up the boys and girls and checking one by one. They have been through thousands of them, testing each and every one. It was only on my way here that I received the message. There are more of them.”
“What does that mean?” Elizabeth asked. “Other illegitimate children?”
“No, not bastards,” Obadiah stated, sneering as Elizabeth winced at the terminology. “The officers confirmed it. The village they found the first common summoner in was hundreds of miles from the nearest noble estate. The mother is a brunette who had never been more than a mile from her village. The local baker was the father, and the boy had his red hair and green eyes. There was no doubt of parentage there.”
“So … it’s not just illegitimate children. Commoners are manifesting the ability independently,” Scipio gasped.
“Not so loud,” Obadiah hushed. “Yes, that is the case … and that is the story we are going to tell the king. Nobody must know that Lord Faversham cheated on his wife. There will be other bastards out there, just like Arcturus. Scores of them. Maybe hundreds.”
Arcturus thought about all the other “bastards” out there, left to rot while their noble fathers lived the high life, careless of their children’s circumstances. Obadiah was sweating now, and Arcturus grimaced as he realized that perhaps even Obadiah himself had worries about illegitimate children of his own.
The noble and his ilk were selfish brutes, the lot of them. Even speaking to the man left a bad taste in Arcturus’s mouth, but he forced himself to listen.
“Imagine what would happen, if word were to get out. The orphanages around the country would be tested immediately, proof of every infidelity across the country revealed. Noble houses would split apart, Hominum’s aristocracy shattered in an instant. Right when we need to be strong.”
Elizabeth and Scipio were nodding, though most of the conversation went over Arcturus’s head. All he knew was that they were going to keep his origins a secret.
“The dwarves plot another rebellion as we speak. The orc raids become more frequent each day. Hell, the commoners themselves are becoming despondent, furious at the way the king has bankrupted the country. There is even talk of the king giving up his throne, so that Prince Harold can take his place, just to placate the people!”
“All well and good,” Elizabeth said, holding up her hands. “I agree that we must keep illegitimate children a secret and tell the world that Arcturus simply manifested the gift independently, as the other commoners you found did. But I have two questions for you. How will we keep him safe? As long as Arcturus is here, Lord Faversham and Charles will try to kill him, to get rid of the evidence. Also, how will we keep this a secret? Let’s not forget that if Lady Faversham finds out, she will kill him.”
“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.