Arcturus had never seen so much green. The ground was coated in thick, sage-colored grass, with mossy tree trunks all around them. Hundreds of feet above, iridescent foliage filtered light from the sky, dappling the shadows with green tinged radiance.

"All demons originate from the ether. Their world is shaped like a giant disk, with a desert known as the deadlands around the edges, and jungle and forests in the outer ring. The center is more mountainous and dangerous, filled with the most powerful demons, volcanoes, great expanses of water and who knows what else. Nobody has ever been more than a few miles from the area we hunt in, but if you were to fly high enough, that is what you would see," Scipio was speaking for Arcturus's benefit, for even Elaine seemed unsurprised by the moving images on the stone.

"Using my mind and what I see in the Oculus, or another scrying stone as the case may be, I am able to control Kali's movements."

Kali's eyes twitched to the nearest tree trunk, then her claws flashed into view as they began to climb. A tiny Mite, almost as small as a normal beetle, crawled from beneath the bark. Elaine gasped as Kali impaled it with one long talon, before spooning it into her mouth. The image juddered as the Felid chomped down.

"Yes, the ether is a brutal place. It's eat or be eaten, and lesser Mites are at the bottom of the food chain. A Scarab Mite, like yours, is not though. I feed her well, but Kali does like a taste of her old diet," Scipio joked, though Elaine's expression remained grim and defiant.

"Stay away from Valens," she hissed at the stone.

Kali continued her climb, occasionally glancing around to make sure the coast was clear. It seemed strange to Arcturus that such a large, powerful creature was so wary of her surroundings, and he wondered what manner of creatures could be a threat to a Felid.

He didn't have to wait long. Kali broke through the canopy, the Oculus's image flashing briefly as the Felid's eyes adjusted to the new light.

The treeline seemed to stretch endlessly ahead, broken only by jagged mountains and the occasional clearing, like reefs and trenches in a sea of green. Each mountain top smouldered, sending slow moving pillars of smoke reaching into the heavens before dissipating into a pall of ash that filled the cloudless sky. Arcturus could see no sun, or moon to speak of, just an orange glow that reminded him of dusk on a summer's day.

As Kali's eyes adjusted further, Arcturus could see swarms of creatures, too far away to make out, forming and reforming in the sky, while larger dots hovered above them, waiting for an opportunity to strike. A Scarab Mite, its carapace cerulean blue, flitted across Kali's vision.

In the distance, Arcturus saw a herd of creatures making their way through the trees. They had the same long necks and large bodies as giraffes but with thicker limbs and a head that reminded Arcturus of a horse's or camel's. Their short fur was grey, mottled with black patches.

"Looks like the Indrik herds are on the move," Scipio said, pointing at them on the stone. "Far too big to be practical as a summoner's demon, but I always love to see them."

They watched for a moment longer, as the Indriks made short work of the tree line around them. Judging by the size of the trees, they must have been as tall as ten men, standing on each other's shoulders.

"We cannot stay too long. Can anyone tell me why?" Scipio asked.

"You can never stay too long in the ether," Edmund said confidently. "There are other demons out there that might eat your own. No matter how powerful it is, there is always something higher up on the food chain. Then there's the fact that your mana levels are dropping every second you keep the portal open. If they run out or you lose concentration, the portal will close and you will lose your demon forever."

Arcturus saw Zacharias roll his eyes, then whisper into Josephine Queensouth's ear. She giggled and Edmund's face reddened.

"Very good, Edmund. You're absolutely right, but that is not what I am getting at. Anybody else?" Scipio asked, looking around the table. There was silence, then Prince Harold put up his hand.

"Is it the Shrikes?" he suggested, unsure of himself.

 "Correct!" Scipio beamed, flashing the prince a congratulatory grin. He turned to Arcturus and Elaine. "Shrikes travel in flocks, led by their matriarch, the dominant female. During the first few weeks of the academic year, they migrate across our hunting grounds. They are dangerous birds, twice as large as an eagle and many times as vicious. That's them, flying over the Lesser Mite swarms in the distance. They hunt alone for smaller prey, but for Kali, they would attack in a group of ten or more. After they make their kill, they impale their victims on tree branches, to hold them in place while they feast. Luckily for us, we seem to have missed the worst of it."

Arcturus shuddered. He wouldn't want to send Sacharissa into the ether, but he would dearly have loved to capture a Mite for himself. She had spent most of her life there ... surely it couldn't be that bad.

"Right, I think that's enough for one day. The first and second years will practice demonic control and infusion for the remainder of the day. As for the rest of you, I suggest you practice opening and closing portals, making sure to keep your distance. As you know, the air in the ether is highly toxic to humans. No demons are to enter under any circumstan—"

Scipio froze, his eyes searching the stone, though all Arcturus could see was the tree trunks.

"Something's coming. Kali can hear it. Smell it," Scipio uttered. The pentacle behind him crackled as his concentration slipped, but he grunted and it returned to a steady glow once more. The acrid stench of burned wood permeated the room, and Arcturus could see the planks at the edges of the pentacle singeing black.

"Another. Two of them. But not the same. Better stay in the trees," he was muttering to himself, the lesson momentarily forgotten.

Kali's eyes turned to the ground for the first time. Another orb, identical to the one floating in the center of the summoning room, hung in the air, spinning gently. It must have been what Kali had come out of, and would need to return to if she wanted to leave the ether.

They were above a large clearing of sorts, for the surrounding area was uneven, scattered with tangled branches and lichenous rocks. Yet within the vegetation, there was a disturbance, shaking the leaves as something made its way toward them. Though Arcturus could only see what was happening, he could imagine the sound of snapping twigs as a beast tore through the foliage.

To the other side, something even larger had almost reached the clearing, for Arcturus could see horns tearing at the undergrowth. Whatever it was, it was enormous, perhaps as tall as seven feet.

"There's going to be a fight," Fergus whispered, wrapping his arm around his little sister. Elaine ignored him, instead removing Valens from her pocket, so he could watch.

A hairless, gangly creature emerged into the clearing. It was long-limbed and skeletal, with elongated claws and splayed feet. It walked much like Kali did, though it was more hunched and bowlegged, with lengthy arms that knuckled the ground with every step.

Gnarled antlers branched from a heavy-browed forehead, above a snout somewhere between a horse's and a wolf's. Its black eyes scanned the ground ahead and it snorted gulps of air as it sought the scent of its opponent.

"A Wendigo," Scipio whispered, his voice tinged with something between awe and horror. "I've never seen one in the wild. They're rare in our hunting grounds, in fact, it's virtually unheard of. Only the most powerful of orc shamans use them, and rarely. It has a fulfilment level of thirteen."

Arcturus felt his stomach turn over, watching as the grey-skinned aberration edged around the orb. With just one leap, it could enter through the portal and into the summoning room.

"Sir, shouldn't we get help. It ... it might come through," Arcturus stammered.

Scipio was sweating profusely now, his face gone from the red of exertion to the pale white of exhaustion. He responded to Arcturus without lifting his eyes from the Oculus.

"Don't worry boy. Wild demons don't like to go near portals. It's strange enough that the Wendigo would get that close at all. Must be starving, that's why it's wandered into our hunting grounds. Still, if it's that desperate, we can't risk sending Kali through until its gone. It might jump in after her."

"Can you keep the portal open for long enough? How are your mana levels?" Prince Harold asked.

"If I can keep the flow of mana steady, maybe another ten minutes or so," Scipio replied, watching as the second creature neared the clearing. "I exhausted most of my mana yesterday on the battlefield. If the worst happens, I may send in Kali when the Wendigo is distracted. Let's see what the 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.

"Looks like it didn't know what it was tracking," Prince Harold said, leaning over the table to get a better view.

"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.

"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."

"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.

"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.

"Now!" he yelled.

Kali somersaulted from the tree, plunging toward 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.

"Let that be a lesson to you. The ether is a dangerous, unpredictable place. Class dismissed." 

*************************************************************************************

Thanks for reading Chapter 11. What did you think of the Wendigo? Did you know that it's a legendary creature from North American mythology?

Did you know that ORIGINS continues with a full novel called THE OUTCAST? You can read ALL of Arcturus's story in May, 2018, coming to a store near you or available online in all the usual places! 

The sequel to THE OUTCAST, THE NOVICE, is out RIGHT NOW all over the world! You can pick one up in most bookstores including Barnes and Noble and Waterstones. It's also available online on Amazon, Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Nook and Google Play, to name but a few!