Chapter Four: Sophos

Lezard still did not think very much of female humans. Mystina was an exception only because she was just as devoted to study as he. At first he did not want to classify their arrangement as a friendship; rather, he liked thinking of it as an agreement between two like-minds for a common interest. Gradually they started spending more time together as they shared and compared their individual findings. He found himself sitting with her at meal times: not necessarily with the teachers, but certainly not with other students.

"Hello, Mystina," he greeted her, setting his things down at her table. The act was now automatic to him, whereas earlier in their agreement she practically had to force him to sit with her. "We are into studies of Yggdrasil, and yesterday had a fascinating discussion of the elves."

"Oh!" The girl's eyes lit up eagerly. "I hope you took good notes!"

"Of course," he assured her.

"Ohhh, Lezard, you have to let me read those notes!" Mystina cried. "I'm so interested in the World Tree" He couldn't help smiling a little at her enthusiasm even if her request annoyed him. He never shared his notes with anyone.

"Can't you wait until you study Yggdrasil for yourself?"

"No, no, no! The sooner I get information the sooner I can focus on other research!" She had a point, Lezard admitted. "Come on, Lezard. It's not as if you'll be cheating, since I'm not even in your class!"

"That's true," he agreed. Not knowing why he did it, Lezard took out his notebook and slid it across the table. Mystina looked so happy to receive it he wondered if she was going to hug him. "I will need that back in time for the class, obviously."

"No problem." She flipped through the notes, her expression turning to admiration. "These are so well-organized! It shouldn't be any trouble for me to copy them down for myself!" She put the notebook in her own bag. "Oh, and Lezard? If you find any good books on the World Tree, you'll tell me, won't you?"

"Yes, yes, I will." He sighed, turning his attention to his food. Letting her copy his notes was yet another thing he was doing for Mystina that he never did for anyone. It wasn't completely a one-way road, though. Mystina offered him some very useful material she acquired using her charm, and she was gracious enough to offer books from her family library if there were any he hadn't perused already.

He had to face the fact that he had indeed made his very first friend. It in no way affected his study habits or ultimate goal. Neither of them explained why they were interested in whatever they were studying. Lezard counted himself lucky to find someone that wouldn't nose in on his personal business. All she cared about was herself and her own ambitions, and that was fine since he worked in a similar way. They rarely hung out together outside swapping information and discussing what they learned. Others might not classify such a thing as "friendship", but it suited them.

Time moved differently now that he had someone to speak with again. They would engage in excited discussions and lose themselves until one of them noticed the clock. Sometimes they got into small competitions with each other, such as who could read a certain book faster or how many facts they could spout off without pausing. If only all the other females acted like Mystina, Lezard wouldn't think so poorly of them.

"Hey, bookworm!" He sighed, tearing his eyes away from the volume he was currently buried in. His eyes scanned her up and down thoughtfully. She had on her winter coat and one of her many admirers was carrying her bags.

"You're leaving early," Lezard observed.

"I can't miss the parties!" she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I've been invited to so many I don't know how I'll find time for them all!"

"How tragic for you," he said dryly, his eyes moving back down to the open book. Of course Mystina would have none of that and called his attention once again.

"You're welcome to come by and look through the library whenever you like. My family will be out so you'll have privacy." She certainly knew how to catch his interest. "Of course," she went on, "I'll have a servant there to be sure you don't take any of the books for yourself."

"Oh, come now," he said with a snort. "Do you truly believe I would sink to common thievery? I may have a thirst for knowledge, but I'm certainly not desperate!"

"I was only teasing, bookworm! Anyway, do try to enjoy yourself, and have a happy birthday!" She waved to him and off she went, her admirer eagerly scurrying nearby with her luggage.

When it was time for Lezard to go home for the holiday, he put his few bags in the carriage but chose not to climb in. He told the driver he wanted to walk instead. Just before the holiday they were discussing familiars in class, and he wanted to be the first to call one up. Theory was all well and good but he didn't want to wait until the second term. As Mystina would put it, the sooner he mastered this the sooner he could focus on other things.

Familiars were creatures magicians called upon to aide them. The entire school knew that Headmistress Lorenta had a bird as her familiar; they saw it often flying through the hallways or delivering messages. It would help his goals a great deal to have a helper like that. He found a quiet place to concentrate, closing his eyes and holding out his hands palm up as the book instructed. In theory, if he focused his spirit and magical energy, his familiar would come to him.

He knew it had to be working. The creature's feet were lightly touching his palms. But before it could fully settle, a very soft noise broke his concentration. Frustrated beyond belief at the interruption, he searched for the sound and came upon a very small ball of fuzz. He knelt closer; the ball of fuzz was in fact a small kitten barely two days old. He forgot all about his familiar and scooped up the baby cat.

"I've got you, little one," he murmured gently. The feline felt cold in his hands. He rubbed its body to keep it warm and hurried on home. If it hadn't cried and caught his attention, it would've most likely died. Lezard cradled the shivering animal carefully in his hands and carried it the rest of the way home.

He did not like spending time with humans, but his attitude toward animals was quite different. The only thing close to relaxing he did was go tend to the family horses. He could trust animals to his darkest secrets, and in turn they would do tasks for him. This kitten he found would be very useful to him. True a familiar could fight with him, but this cat would be much less conspicuous if he sent it on errands.

"You called to me, little one," he said, petting the small animal. "You were wise to ask for my help… so I think Sophos is a good name for you." The cat was not a familiar, but Lezard had a feeling it would be just as useful.