“Seriously, a crow name Crow?” Alora commented.
“Stop judging,” Kio reprimanded, surprising Riley. Maybe it was because he seemed young, but she hadn’t expected him to be the type to speak up like that. Especially not to someone as intimidating as Alora.
Crow seemed unphased by the exchange, continuing on, “As this is an introductory class, some of you may already have bonded a familiar, while others may be smart enough to want to know more before taking on such a momentous responsibility. In our first lessons we will speak at length about the benefits and the drawbacks of familiar bonding as well as what you should consider when choosing your partner. This will be a lifelong connection and any hasty choices could severely hamper your potential or, in the worst scenarios, remove your ability to use magic permanently.”
Riley felt her stomach twist. She had learned about familiar bonding in bits and pieces, through scrolls and random book passages. She had seen warnings that this was a very serious undertaking, but nothing that had alluded to damaging magical abilities. Had she been too quick in her selection, too rash? She couldn’t imagine her life without Herbert now, but anxiety prickled at the edges of her thoughts. Had she done the right thing?
Riley glanced over at Alora, who looked calm as she listened to Crow. She looked as if none of this was new to her, confidently scratching Seri’s head as the snake nuzzled happily into her hand. This only made Riley’s worry deepen, prompting a wave of curious concern from Herbert. Riley took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. I have some concerns, she thought to Herbert, but I need to know more. We don’t have all of the information yet. What she had told Herbert was true, but Riley still felt a pang of guilt about not relaying everything to him.
“Let’s start out by talking about the risks of familiar bonding, as this may determine whether some of you decide to stay in this course or transfer to a different elective,” Crow continued, his mannerisms seeming remarkably human as he surveyed the class. “Mind you, having a familiar is not required to perform lesser magics, but if you wish to study as a witch or a warlock, you will be expected to bond one by the beginning of your second year. Now, who can tell me the disadvantages?”
“You have to take care of them and clean up after them,” grumbled one student, gaining some laughter from the class. Riley realized upon closer inspection that they had a bear cub sitting in their lap and her mind jumped to the implications of what it would be like once the bear was grown. She felt grateful for Herbert’s compact size and suddenly the little nests he made in her hair didn’t seem like such a big deal.
“That’s one way to put it, I suppose,” Crow responded. “You will find there is a lot of variance between species and their different care needs. Don’t forget, you need quite a bit of care yourself, sapient. Their life is just as impacted by you, if not moreso, as yours is by them. They did not have to ascribe to silly sapient rules before you chose them, and they give up much by choosing you as their family. It can be considered a disadvantage on both sides of the pairing. What else?”
“You are more vulnerable,” Kio said.
“Not automatically,” Alora interjected, sounding annoyed. “That’s only if you pick a weak familiar.”
“Say more, Kio,” Crow said, silencing Alora with a sharp look.
“Both your energy and your life force are connected,” Kio said. “If either of you is hurt, the other can be too.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Yes, very good,” Crow said. “And there are many people out in the world who will be ready to take advantage of this vulnerability. Having a familiar marks you as someone who has great power and who can be exploited for that power. Knowledge of magic is inconsistent amount different populations and there are people who will not understand that you cannot cure all of their problems with the waive of your hand. You will be targeted. And, should you decide to join an adventuring team, any fame you gain will only make that target bigger.”
“Woah, that could be a huge issue,” Elliot muttered as he scribbled notes in a notebook. The page he was on was already halfway full, whereas it didn’t look as if anyone else had even taken out a notebook. Riley felt self-conscious about her own notes, only two bullet points:
- Care needs
- Vulnerable
“Anyone else want to add?” Crow asked. “Other disadvantages? How about species specific disadvantages?”
“I heard about a witch who bonded with a starfish but then she couldn’t communicate with it at all,” another student said.
“Yes,” Crow affirmed. “You have to take into account biological compatibility. Starfish don’t have brains, which means the two species simply could not understand each other. In that particular case, the witch had to focus all her magical energies on quieting the bond between them or else she was constantly harassed by messages she could not understand, which would have eventually driven her insane. Now she can no longer use her magic for anything else. A tragic story, all in all. The more similar to a human, either in behavior or in biological structure, the easier it is to communicate. What else?”
“Some species aren’t magical at all. Like dogs,” Elliot said.
“Not technically true,” Crow corrected, and Riley thought she could see Elliot deflate a little. “While some animals are less in tune with their natural connection to magic, all creatures are magical to some extent. Otherwise they would have no life force, no soul. Some domesticated animals, like dogs, have often been bred for their looks as opposed to their many other preferable qualities. Once in a while you will find dogs who will make suitable familiars, but due to the genetic meddling of sapients, it is advisable to avoid such companions. Yes, Alora, you have a question?”
Alora had her hand raised and a smug look on her face. “Headmaster Karasu,” she started, her voice like icing with too much sugar in it. Riley couldn’t help but notice she addressed the Headmaster himself, bypassing the fact that Crow had been speaking this whole time. Riley wondered if that was disrespectful or not, but before she could think too hard about it, Alora posed her question. “What about spiders?”
Riley tensed, now singularly focused on Crow’s answer. Alora obviously knew something that Riley didn’t, something that was not good. Alora knew something and had been sitting on it, waiting for the perfect publicly staged moment to stab at Riley with it. What was wrong with having a spider as a familiar? Riley held her breath, waiting for what seemed like an eternity.
“Just ignore her,” Elliot said quietly to Riley. “She’s just trying to get under your skin.”
Up until this point, Headmaster Karasu had been completely still, a silent presence behind his familiar. Now he turned and raised a gnarled hand to tap the chalkboard behind him with his knuckle. At contact, words sprung up in several columns.
“It will take forever for us to go animal by animal,” Crow said as the Headmaster moved. “So we may as well proceed. Here we have listed creatures and their respective viability as familiars. On the left you have the most versatile familiars and as you go toward the right you can see each category decreases in familiar viability until the last category of Illegal and Dangerous familiars.”
Riley scanned the chalkboard as fast as she could, searching for where spiders were listed. Her anxiety increased as she looked - not under ‘Most Versatile’, or ‘Recommended’. Not under ‘Situationally Beneficial’. Then she found it, her heart pounding as fear struck her heart. Spiders were listed under ‘Ill-advised.’ She could feel Herbert jumping around, concern and discomfort emanating from him at her strong emotions.
“Spiders aren’t dangerous or illegal,” Elliot consoled her, but she barely registered his words. “There’s no way bonding with Herbert was a mistake.”
Crow was saying something else, but it seemed blurry and far away. The other students were moving now, but Riley wasn’t entirely sure why or where to. Elliot collected up his notebook and gave Riley an encouraging smile, but she could see the concern hiding behind it. She caught the curious glance that Kio gave her too as he stood and moved away from her.
“Ms. Riley,” Crow said, as Headmaster Karasu beckoned to her. “A word, if you please. Bring a chair over here, we have much to discuss.”