They returned to the capital by ship, the journey taking more than a week. Tavros had never been so happy. He spent his free time dashing from one end of the ship to the other, endlesslly delighted by the water, the islands they passed, the work of the sailors, which mostly seemed to involve, to Tavros's eyes, a great deal of pulling on different ropes.
Whenever Dualscar was not occupied with the business of captaining the ship, he was testing Tavros, putting him through the paces of his basic summoning skills again and again, in order to gague where Tavros was in his training. Though the Admiral's comments were often disparaging and implied Tavros was far behind, Tavros had a feeling the old aristocrat was pleased with him. And for the first time Tavros began to feel that maybe he really could be as good as his father had been, as good as his brother was. He'd grown so used to being the slightly disappointing one...
Dualscar was brusk and abrasive and easily driven to frothing rages, but he was a surprisingly good teacher so long as Tavros was doing well. Tavros learned quickly however not to talk around the Admiral any more than he needed to, as his stammer drove his teacher to incoherent fury faster than almost anything else. The only thing that seemed to enrage him faster than having his time wasted by bumbling, was disrespect, as Tavros learned their third day at sea, when a deckhand muttered something crass in response to one of the Admiral's orders. Tavros had been standing near the top deck when it happened, sketching the ship's cat as it chased seagulls. He looked up in surprise as the chatter of the crew suddenly fell silent. Every man on deck was staring either at the now confused and slightly worried deckhand, or at the Admiral, frozen in mid step as he'd been about to continue on his way. Dualscar turned back slowly and Tavros shivered as he saw, even from this distance, a flash of rage that reminded him of the glitter of ice in the sea at night, cold and clear and lethal. Dualscar caught the deckhand by the throat, teeth bared and his hand on his sword like he was debating throwing the man overboard or gutting him here. Instead he seemed to think better of both. He grinned, a cruel smile that made Tavros's stomach twist with fear. Then he dragged the terrified man below deck. Tavros did not see him for the rest of the journey, but the crew were white faced and silent for days afterwords.
Soon enough, the ship pulled into the docks of the capital and Tavros rushed to gather his things, staying close to the Admiral's side as they disembarked. He looked up at the tall, fierce man, almost as proud to be seen with such a figure as he was terrified.
From the docks they took Dualscar's carriage, which looked grand and elegant here in the city rather than gaudy and overwrought, to Dualscar's estate outside of the city. Like most socialites, Dualscar had a townhome within the city for the social season, the period of the year when the most parties and introductions and social climbing was done, and a country estate where he lived the rest of the year. Tavros had expected to go to the townhouse, but as they pulled up to the sprawling manor he realized why they had not.
Tavros had expected a man of Dualscar's renown to have more than one apprentice. He had not expected an entire fleet. They were lined up outside the front entrance to greet the Admiral as the carriage pulled up and Tavros counted more than a dozen of them. They were almost exclusively high born nobles, recognizable as much by their fine clothing and jewelry as by the disdainful way they looked down their noses at nearly everything around them. Tavros recognized one of the apprentices by the distinctive streak of white in his dark hair, which he shared with his father. That must be Dualscar's son Eridan. Tavros had heard the men on the ship talking about the Admiral's heir, who was already making a name for himself as a skilled summoner, and a ruthlessly efficient hunter of rogue summons. He was still an apprentice and supposedly he'd already put down a stage five.
Dualscar climbed down from the carriage first and the gathered apprentices bowed respectfully as he swept past them towards the house. His son hurried after him as the Admiral moved inside, but the other apprentices stayed to watch Tavros climb nervously out of the carriage, trying very hard not to trip. "So who are you then?" Asked a tall blonde girl with sharp blue eyes, "I don't recognize you from any of my family's parties, and aaaaaaaall the noble houses come to my family's parties."
Several of the other apprentices were watching him with equal interest, their expression not unlike that of predatory birds still deciding weather or not they would pounce.
"I'm, Tavros." He said hesitantly, "N-nitram."
He winced as his stutter broke through despite his efforts to control it and saw all the interest drain out of most of the apprentices, who turned away and began to wander off.
"Oh, that explains it then." The tall girl said, looking mildly disappointed, "Lowborn. Your father was that traitor, right? I hear he was talented, but it doesn't look like any of that rubbed off on you, did it?"
The girl didn't wait for a response. There was clearly nothing Tavros could have said that would have meant anything to her anyway. He watched her go, feeling a bit like he'd just been punched in the stomach.
Only one other apprentice had lingered. He was one of the older boys, or at least Tavros assumed so by how freakishly tall and thin he was, his hair a halo of black curls around his head. His face was painted in the way of the devotees of the state church. He was probably in line to become a clerical summoner in the holy army. As Tavros looked at him he smiled and Tavros realized with a shudder that his mouth was stitched shut. It wasn't unusual for devotees to take vows of silence, but they were not usually so literally enforced. The other boy raised a hand and beckoned Tavros closer with two fingers. Tavros looked around warily, but the other apprentices and the servants that had been attending them had all already vanished back inside. Tavros didn't know where he was supposed to go. The porters had unloaded his bag and left it sitting behind him and now the carriage was pulling away, off to the stables. Maybe the strange apprentice wanted to show him to his room? Hoping that was the case, he picked up his bag and moved closer. The other boy was even taller close up. The stranger smiled, put a hand on his shoulder, and began to lead him away, not through the front entrance like everyone else, but off around the side of the house. Tavros followed the stranger through the slightly over grown gardens, the chirping of cicadas the only sound in the hot summer afternoon. The further they got from the front entrance, the more nervous Tavros became, clutching his bag close protectivly and wondering if the brick on the side of the house was smooth enough to hold a summon circle if he needed one.
They reached a wooden door, partially covered by ivy, set into the side of the house. The tall boy brought a finger to his smiling lips, his dark eyes making the hair on Tavros's arms stand up. Then he pulled open the door. Behind it were a set of stone stairs leading down into cool darkness, silent as the grave. Tavros eyed the stairs suspiciously, then shook his head. There was no way in all seven realms he was going down there. The tall boy looked up suddenly, as though something had caught his attention. When Tavros looked up to see what he was looking at, he felt a large hand between his shoulder blades, shoving him forward. He stumbled a few steps down the stone stairs with a surprised shout, catching himself on the wall before he could fall all the way down. He looked back, afraid he'd see the door closing, locking him down here in the dark. But instead he saw the tall boy stepping inside after him, smiling at him placidly as though he couldn't imagine what had Tavros so nervous. He left the door open as he slid past Tavros and headed deeper into the dark. Tavros, confused but with nowhere else to go, followed him. The stairs, as it turned out, were only a few steps long. As Tavros's eyes adjusted to the dim light he realized they were in a lower kitchen, light filtering in from high windows. The tall boy swung himself up onto a counter, reclining there in a tangle of long angular limbs, and snatched an apple from a nearby basket, tossing it to Tavros. Tavros caught it, and felt relief wash over him. The strange boy had just been trying to be friendly. It had been hours since Tavros had eaten. He smiled back at the other boy gratefully and murmered a quiet thank you before he took a bite. The strange boy seemed delighted by this, smiling wider. Tavros set his bag down, taking another bite of his apple as he looked around the kitchen curiously. It must have been used recently for there to be fruit sitting out, but there was no sign of it having seen use today at least. And indoor kitchens were rarely used during the summer. The cooler outdoor ones that didn't heat up the entire house were much preferred. There was a second set of stairs, leading up into the rest of the house, Tavros imagined, and another door, slightly ajar. Tavros wandered over to it curiously. The opening was black as night and a cool draft rose up from it. Some kind of cellar or basement, Tavros assumed. He started to reach for the door, and suddenly became aware that the tall boy was standing very close behind him. He jumped, and started to turn, until he saw the cold glitter of a knife near his eye. Tavros could see the other boy from the corner of his vision, leaning over his shoulder, that eerie smile still in place.
"Makara, what the hell are you doing?" Tavros's heart nearly stopped as he and the tall boy turned to look at the stairs, where the Admiral's son was standing, looking more inconvenienced than shocked to find his fellow apprentice pulling a knife on the new kid. He had a peculiar accent, perhaps a lisp, which turned his w's into v's.
"Didn't you get enough last two times my father caught you traumatizing his new apprentices?" Eridan said, "You're lucky he let you stay at all after last time."
The tall boy dropped back away from Tavros and produced an apple from seemingly nowhere, beginning to peel it with an innocent expression, as though that were all he'd ever intended.
Eridan just scoffed and caught Tavros by the arm.
"Come on." He said, "My father wants me to show you around. And a word of friendly advice? Never go anywhere alone with Kurloz Makara."
He pulled Tavros up the stairs and into a ground floor hall, opulently decorated.
"Makara?" Tavros repeated, throat suddenly going dry, "As in... the Makara?"
Eridan shrugged dismissivly.
"It's really not that exciting," He said, "The Grand Holy Bastille has enough brats and bastards to make a second holy army. Kurloz is just crazier than most. Or are you worried he targeted you cause of your dad? Don't be, he does this to all the newbies. Kurloz doesn't hold grudges so far as I can tell. He just likes scaring people."
"Just, scaring?" Tavros asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer as he glanced back the way they had come.
"Well, scaring," Eridan conceded, "And also maiming. Remind me to tell you about the last new apprentice we had some time. It makes for a great story on dark nights."
Tavros felt a little sick, and realized he'd left his bag in the kitchen, but there was no chance he was going back to get it now.
"The ground floor here is mostly useless," Eridan said, waving at most of the rooms they passed dismissivly, "It's all sitting rooms and parlors and such. Even my father barely uses them. The only rooms that matter down here are the library, which is through there, and the dining room, down that hall."
Eridan gestured briefly in two directions and Tavros tried to remember which was which as the highborn apprentice was already heading for the stairs. He always walked a bit too quickly for Tavros to keep up, and Tavros sensed Eridan would really rather be doing something else. Tavros couldn't tell if the bored disdain he felt from the other boy was directed at him, or merely indignation at being relegated this menial task.
"The library is great." Eridan was saying as he climbed the stairs, "If you're worth anything, you'll spend a lot of time in there. Our collection of naval records and military histories is second to none. My father used to read over them with me all the time, though he hasn't done it all lately. Which, obviously, is fine. I'm far too old to be read to in any case. But still, it'd be nice if he tried you know? Showed some interest. Not that I care."
Tavros nodded sympathetically, the most he could manage after such a baffling line of personal exposition. But his apparent interest seemed to please Eridan, who spent the rest of the tour filling the gaps between landmarks with tales of his personal social difficulties. The tall blonde girl who'd insulted Tavros earlier appeared to vex him in particular. Her name was Vriska and she was, Eridan was keen to point out, probably the most talented apprentice there besides him. Although, Eridan was equally eager to point out, she was far too over inclined to solutions of brute force and leaving things up to chance rather than strategy. Eridan appeared to consider her his rival and was both confused and frustrated by her continuous dismissals of his requests to duel, or at least, maybe, get lunch sometime. He also spoke at length and with poetic fervor about his close personal childhood friend, the Imperial Princess Feferi herself. Apparently they communicated by letter regularly and it was practically a foregone conclusion that they'd be wed one day, something Eridan seemed to be anticipating with great eagerness, though whether his excitement came from looking forward to marrying his, according to him, closest and most beloved friend, or rather from the opportunity to marry into royalty, Tavros couldn't be sure.
Eridan's emotional troubles had extended the tour throughout the afternoon, and didn't stop until, as the sun was setting, Tavros's stomach growled loudly. He blushed in embarassment and mumbled an apology, but Eridan waved it off.
"Don't worry about it," he said, "You are lowborn after all. I'm sure you'll pick up some manners in no time. Dinner should be a good opportunity to practice, actually. Most nights we dine formally with my father in the ground floor dining room. He likes the pomp and circumstance, it makes him feel important or something."
Tavros nodded, having had that impression as well during the voyage here, and Eridan grinned at him as they began to make their way back downstairs.
"You know, for a peasent you're all right." He said, "You're an excellent listener. Everyone else is always trying to butt in with their problems and advice and shit. You just listen, I like that."
Tavros, who had barely said two words all afternoon, unable to find any openings in Eridan's endless waterfall of emotional baggage, agreed that this was an apt description.
"I, uh, I don't mind listening," He said hesitantly, "I'm just, uh, just glad to have, found a friend-"
Eridan had winced at the first hint of Tavros's stutter and as Tavros tried to keep going the other boy held out his hands to cover Tavros's mouth.
"Okay, I definitely like you better when you're quiet," Eridan said quickly, "That stopping and starting thing is unbearable. Stick to one word sentances maybe. As for the friend thing, I dunno, we'll see. If I went around making friends with every newbie dad brought home I'd lose my air of mystery."
Tavros wouldn't have known what to say to that even if he could have spoken through the hands on his face, which smelled of salt and lavender perfume, though he was certain Eridan would have called it cologne.
Eridan led Tavros back down to the ground floor and into the dining room, which was long and opulently decorated, as seemed to be the pattern for the rest of the ground floor, where most entertaining was done. The decor of all the other floors was decidely more austere. There were two long tables, one running the length of the room and a second perpendicular to it, in the center of which stood a large, elaborately decorated chair that could easily have been described as a throne.
The lower table was already crowded with apprentices and guests, but the high table was nearly empty.
"See you after dinner probably." Eridan said lightly, abandoning Tavros at the door as he headed up to the high table where a slightly smaller version of the throne sat beside the first. He took his seat there, leaving Tavros to try and find a space among the apprentices. Not brave enough to try and wedge himself in anywhere, he found a spot at the very end, and the pecking order of the apprentices quickly revealed itself as arguments broke out over who would have to sit nearest the lowborn newbie. He tried to ignore the loud complaining that they'd never be able to eat next to his stench. Eventually, it was Kurloz who put an end to the argument, looming out of the darkness to take the open space beside Tavros with his trademark eerie silence. The other apprentices fell silent and pressed closer together to give the silent Makara his space. Tavros wasn't sure whether to be grateful or worried.
There was no food on the tables yet, and the apprentices talked among themselves, seemingly waiting for something. It became apparent why a moment later as a door on the far side of the room opened and Dualscar swept in with a whirl of his elaborate cloak. The apprentices leapt to their feet in dead silence, Tavros scrambling to join them and nearly toppling over as his foot got caught between the bench and the table. The Admiral stalked across the room and took his seat at the head of the table without once aknowleding any of them. For all that these fancy dinners seemed to be held for his benefit, he didn't seem to enjoy them much from what Tavros could see. He slumped in his chair, shoulders raised and lip curled like everything he saw was a lethal irritant. He called impaitently for the food to be served, and Tavros watched as servants filed into the room carrying trays of food which they laid out carefully along the table, assuring that Dualscar was served first and, by extension as he was furthest away from the Admiral, Tavros last. As he waited for the food to reach him, he saw the tall blonde girl, Vriska, eyeing him and muttering something to the girl next to her, who cackled in amusement. Tavros looked away, feeling decidedly uncomfortable.
He only grew more uncomfortable as the food was actually served. The Admiral seemed to favor steak, and Tavros had never eaten meat. He felt his stomach turning a little bit looking at the plate, imaging what it used to be. He glanced over at Kurloz, who had received a deep red soup instead of steak, and had wedged a straw between the threads holding his mouth closed in order to drink it. It was not an appetizing thing to see, but he supposed Kurloz didn't have much choice considering.
A short, thin young woman with straight black hair and an unpleasent expression was passing him, taking serving trays back to the kitchen, and he reached out hesitantly to stop her.
"Uh, um, I'm sorry," He said quickly, "But, uh, could I have, what he's having, i-instead of this?"
The thin woman's mouth turned up in an expression of disdain and she spat something at him in a language he didn't understand before turning away, leaving Tavros confused and unsure what he'd done wrong.
"Don't mind her," said a second young woman, who could have been the first's double except she that she was much plumper and considerably more friendly looking, "Damara's like that to everyone. What did you need?"
Tavros smiled gratefully at the girl, glad someone here didn't seem unhappy to see him.
"I, uh, I was wondering if, I could get the soup," He said hesitantly, "I don't, uh, I don't really like, eating meat."
The girl glanced at Kurloz's soup and shuddered.
"Trust me, you do not want that." She said sincerely, "But I can get you some more bread, some cheese maybe. And tomorrow night I'll bake you a potato. How's that sound?"
"That sounds, great," Tavros said with relief, "Thank you, very much. I'm, Tavros."
The girl's smile brightened, bringing out dimples in her cheeks.
"I'm Aradia." She said, "And thank you. It's not often one of Dualscar's apprentices has any kind of manners. I'm gonna get you an orange, just for being sweet."
Tavros blushed, unsure how to handle such compliments, and as he tried to stammer out a reply Aradia just laughed a little and gave him a polite bow before carrying on with what she'd been doing. Tavros turned back to the table, a warm feeling in his stomach at having met someone nice here at last. The warm feeling vanished a moment later as he saw several of the apprentices casting him slightly disgusted looks, and Vriska and her friend fighting to hold back laughter.
"You know, we could always use another kitchen boy." Vriska said, blue eyes glittering with malicious mirth, "Since it seems like you get along with them so much better anyway. And just think, if you drop out tonight, not only will you get a job that actually suits you, you'll never have to embarass yourself in front of the Admiral. It's really the best option for you, trust me."
Tavros looked down, insides squirming with frustration and anger.
"I think, uh, I think maybe, you'll be the one, who embarasses yourself, in front of the Admiral," he said at last, though he didn't have the courage to meet her eye when he said it, "You'll, be really embarassed, when you, uh, faint, uh, when you see, how great my summoning is. And then, maybe you can join, the kitchens, if, that is, they aren't too worried, your, general nasty attitude, would poison all the food."
Vriska listened to this without interrupting, though she was clearly still fighting laughter. She lost the fight as he finished, cracking up and banging on the table in amusement.
"Wow, that has to be one of the most pathetic things I've ever heard," She said breathlessly when she could talk again, whiping a tear from her eye, "I suppose you get some credit for even trying but really if your game is that weak even trying should kind of be held against you. I guess you're not totally spineless though, so that should be fun at least."
Tavros didn't want to know what Vriska's idea of fun was. He had a feeling it had more in common with Kurloz's idea of fun than his own. But he didn't reply, and though Vriska sent several more jabs his way, he was as silent as Kurloz the rest of dinner, only looking up to smile gratefully at Aradia when she returned with the bread and cheese she'd promised, as well as the orange, which was delicious.
When dinner ended, he tried to find Eridan in the crush of apprentices heading for the door, but the highborn boy seemed to have forgotten about him. Tavros followed the crowd instead, hoping they would lead him to where he was supposed to go. The apprentices headed upstairs to the second floor. As they filed through a set of large doors, Tavros realized there was a dorm beyond them lined with beds. He smiled in relief and started to enter the room, eager to claim a bed. It had been a long and exhausting day and he couldn't wait to hide under the covers and pretend he was somewhere far away.
As he stepped over the threshold, Eridan appeared in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.
"Whoa there," Eridan said with a small, insincere laugh, gently urging him backwards until he could close the dorm's doors behind him, "Where are you going?"
"To bed?" Tavros said hopefully, heart sinking.
"The thing is," Eridan replied, "There aren't any free beds in there. It's all full. You'll have to find somewhere else."
He leaned forward conspiratorily, trying and failing to look sympathic.
"To be honest, it's for the best," He said, "No one would have got any sleep and then everyone would be cranky in the morning and, really, it's better you just sleep somewhere else."
Tavros nodded a little numbly, shoulders hanging. Yeah, that seemed about right for how this day had been going. Where was he going to go? Maybe he could find a nice chair in the library.
As Tavros contemplated his possibilities, a flash of genuine sympathy crossed Eridan's face.
"Well, I guess you were all right this morning," Eridan muttered, "Listening to me and all. I think I know a place for you."
He set off, and Tavros followed. When they passed the hall to the lower kitchens, he convinced Eridan to wait for a moment while he retrieved his bag. It was thankfully intact, though he had a feeling Kurloz had gone through it and just not found anything worth taking. Eridan, when he was done complaining about Tavros making him wait while Eridan was trying to do something nice for him, led him up the stairs all the way through the fourth floor of the building, and into the attic.
"This is normally spare servant's quarters," Eridan explained as he showed Tavros the dusty, drafty loft, "But it isn't being used right now. You'll have it all to yourself! I'm kind of jealous actually. I should get my own room. Whatever. There's a bed in that corner."
Tavros eyed the bare, slightly moldering mattress uneasily, but Eridan seemed quite pleased with himself and his good deed. He clapped Tavros on the shoulder.
"Well, get some rest." He said, "We start work at sunrise. Well, you start work. I'll start at a more sane hour. They know better than to wake me that early."
"Thanks, Eridan." Tavros said, though he was finding it hard to feel grateful for this cold and ominous attic, "I guess, I'll see you tomorrow..."
"See you then," Eridan said, his attention already elsewhere, "Maybe we can talk more."
Then he was gone and Tavros was alone in his new and severely unwelcoming home. He prodded the mattress a few times and watched a few spiders scurry out, before deciding to sit on the floor. At least the window was nice. Set into the peaked end of the room that faced the front of the house, the large round window looked out across the elaborate and well maintained gardens and grounds, all the way to the forest. He felt a sudden pull to just leave, to run to those woods and leave everything else behind, like Rufioh had. Then there was a quiet knock on the attic door and he turned, standing up.
The door opened and Aradia peeked in, a smile on her face.
"Hey, Tavros." She said brightly, "I saw Eridan leading you up here. They wouldn't let you stay in the dorms, huh?"
Tavros shook his head and sighed.
"Yeah, I figured," Aradia said sympathetically, "I didn't realize you were lowborn until the rest of the servants overheard it. I brought you some sheets."
She held up a stack of linens, which Tavros took gratefully.
"Thank you." He said sincerely, "I was really, not looking forward to sleeping on that thing."
Aradia eyed the mattress with morbid interest, poking it and watching a centipede fall out.
"I'll get you a new mattress tomorrow." She said, "I'd do it sooner but some of the staff might tattle to Dualscar if I made too big a thing of it."
"He'd, be angry?" Tavros asked, frowning.
"Oh definitely!" Aradia said with a laugh, "There isn't much that doesn't make him angry. He certainly knew how the other apprentices were going to react. But just having you here is enough to satisfy his social obligation to give the Summoner's heir a shot. He doesn't have to look out for you. So he won't. Dualscar doesn't look out for anyone but Dualscar."
Tavros felt miserable tears stinging in his eyes and tried to hold them back. He'd been looking forward to this so much. He hadn't been prepared to find himself so unwanted by everyone, including his teacher. As he sniffled and choked, trying not to start sobbing, Aradia put an arm around him and he reached out to hug her tightly. She was warm and soft and smelled like grass and bread baking. She rubbed his back until he could compose himself again.
"I'm sure things will get better," She assured him, "You have to be a great summoner for him to have brought you here. The other apprentices will soon get used to you once they see you're just as good as they are. Just hang in there, okay?"
He nodded miserably and sniffled, hoping he hadn't got her shirt wet.
"Thank you, Aradia," He said again, rubbing his eyes, "I'm just, really glad, there's at least one nice person here."
"Two nice people now," Aradia corrected, smiling at him, and Tavros looked away, flustered, "If things get too rough, you're always welcome to come visit me in the kitchens."
They said their goodbyes, and Tavros dragged the awful mattress off the bed and shook it out as much as he could before putting the clean sheets on it. He went to bed, just hoping things would be better in the morning.
Things were not better in the morning. He slept poorly, which turned out to be a good thing, as otherwise he would surely have overslept, and as he'd expected no one came to wake him. A little before sunrise he dragged himself out of bed and got dressed, then stumbled downstairs to breakfast. He turned out to be slightly early, and so took his time with the fruit and oatmeal a yawning Aradia brought him before the other apprentices stumbled in. He noticed Eridan and a few of the other apprentices, those with the most money and titles he assumed, did not attend. Kurloz was there unfortunetly. He seemed to have decided he liked Tavros, or maybe just liked how uncomfortable Tavros got when he was around, and so was never far from Tavros's side. Vriska was there as well, flicking bits of sausage at him all through the meal.
Tavros soon discovered why Dualscar had such a hoarde of apprentices. It wasn't out of any exuberant love of teaching, that was for certain. Tavros barely saw the Admiral all day. It was instead out of a passion for free labor. As soon as breakfast was finished the apprentices were put to work at the various tasks around the manor too delicate or requiring too much academic knowledge for the household servants to handle. They sorted ritual components for advanced summonings, assembled fetishes for protection on the battlefield from wild summons, catalogued books and research on new summons and summoning techniques, scoured magical residue from the Admiral's weapons and research tools... The work was tedious and never ending, but Tavros was still learning. He supposed these kind of things were good for a summoner to know how to do as well. He only wished he were better at it. For every time Vriska tripped him while he was carrying a tray of potions or Kurloz appeared suddenly in front of him just as he was pinning a delicate specimen to a backboard and startled him into stabbing himself, there were two more where he mislabled a jar of lamb's blood as goat's blood or knocked over a table full of priceless ancient summon fossiles. The more he messed up, the more his nerves grew, and the more scattered and shaky and likely to mess up again he became. It was a vicious cycle. By the time Eridan wandered in at noon, the other apprentices hated Tavros even more than they already had.
The break for lunch was a welcome reprieve, but it couldn't lift Tavros's spirits. He picked miserably at the sandwhich Aradia had made for him, thinking not for the first or last time that maybe he really didn't belong here. Kurloz, in a rare show of what might have been sympathy, patted him on the shoulder consolingly, and stole his apple. Tavros, who didn't have much appatite anyway, watched the older boy slice the apple into tiny pieces and push them between his stitches without comment.
It wasn't until almost sundown that Dualscar finally appeared, done with whatever urgent business had occupied him the entire day. He gathered the apprentices into a basement summoning chamber where a thick, elegant circle had been laid into the stone. Heavy rings of copper formed the outer band, the space between them open so that whatever command sigils were required could be drawn in with chalk. Copper was the standard for these kind of rings. Often the blood of the summoner was mixed into the metal when it was cast to charge it with extra power. The inner band was silver, and this was where the summoner's secret name and the name of the creature he was summoning (if he were calling something powerful enough to be named) could be written. The innermost band, the one surrounding the spot where the summon would be generated, the locus of the gate into the other realms, was made of a thin line of gold electrum, bright and beautiful and unbreakable. It would hold a summon of any strength in place. "The empress is mounting a new front," Dualscar announced as they gathered around the circle, "She's declared the far eastern continent to be sovreign territory of the Empire, and intends to claim it by force. The land mass itself is vast and heavily varied in terrain, so she requires versatile, hardy summons that can accompany her ground troops anywhere. Small enough to be stealthy, but still big enough to pack a punch, and they can't require too much power to keep going or the pathetic hedgemages the imperial army calls battle summoners won't be able to maintain enough for the entire army at one time. What is the best summon for this job?"
He turned immedietly to Tavros as Kurloz pushed him encouragingly forward.
"New boy," The admiral snapped, "You must have learned something scrabbling in the dirt back on your farm. What should we summon?"
Tavros knew the answer. Positively charged Class 4 Devouring Cats were agile in all terrain, deadly in close combat, and could even carry gear or wounded. With the right augmentations, you could even give them wings, turning them into powerful ranged units. But the words wouldn't come to him. He stuttered and caught on the names, and finally gave up, hanging his head. Dualscar rolled his eyes.
"Eridan?" He said expectantly, turning to his son.
"Negatively charged Class 6 Shrieking Lizards." Eridan answered immedietly, "They're heavy hitters in close combat and their screams can disable at a distance but their compact enough to be stealthy. Class 6 might be pushing it for those grunts, but they could use some real practice."
Tavros wanted to argue. Shrieking Lizards had short, stumpy legs. They were deadly in the water and dangerous on even terrain, but heavy underbrush and mountainous terrain would stop them cold. They were also notoriously difficult to augment, making them the exact opposite of versatile. But Dualscar was nodding in approval, smirking at the dig towards the enlisted battle summoners. "Good, very good." He declared, "Now. Let's see one of you try to summon one. New boy."
He beckoned Tavros forward and Tavros felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach.
"Let's try this again, shall we?" The Admiral declared, "Prove to me what you did in that barn wasn't a fluke."
Tavros stepped forward to the edge of the copper ring, panicking on the inside. He'd never summoned anything above a Class 4, and he'd only ever used chalk circles. He understood the mechanics of permenant circles, but that wouldn't make suddenly adjusting to one any easier. But he couldn't exactly say no.
He scrambled to remember what to do, pulling his chalk out of his pocket and began scribbling in the parameters between the copper and silver rings.
"No, boy," Dualscar said impaitently, "You've written that sigil backwards. And do hurry up. I did have other lessons planned for today." Tavros's heart felt like it was going to explode as he hurried to scrub out the incorrect sigil and draw in the right one. He rushed to finish, putting his name into the silver band and stepping back to check his work. Dualscar eyed the sigils impaitently and waved Tavros on.
Tavros took a deep breath, trying to forget how many people were watching him, judging him, and raised his hands. A blue green light like sunlight streaming through deep water began to bubble and coil around the edges of the circle, rolling and building towards the center.
"Careful," Dualscar snapped as it splashed near his shoes, "Keep your energy in the circle, you idiot! I've seen first time summoners with more self control."
Tavros faltered, the light flickering and curdling, but he shook his head and tried to focus, bringing it back as he built it up towards the center, constructing the right shape for the spirit he wanted. He realized, like a punch in the gut, he'd forgotten the sacrifice. He couldn't let the magic fall to go and get something, or even find a knife for a blood sacrifice. Feeling trapped, he spat hard into the center of the circle, ignoring the chorus of disgusted noises from the other apprentices, and hoped that would be enough for a class 6. It had worked for 4s before.
The light flared as he made his offering and he scrambled to keep control. He could do this, he was almost done. He just had to solidify it. Something bounced off the back of his head, then rolled past his feet. He looked down at it, blinking, and wasn't sure if he was more offended or impressed that Vriska had managed to hold onto a piece of sausage from breakfast this long just to mess with him. That flicker in his attention was all it took. Before he could bring his focus back, the light he'd been building up collapsed in on itself, fizzling like baking soda in water before it sputtered out, leaving the circle empty.
Dualscar applauded sarcasticly.
"Mr. Nitram has just given us an excellent example of how to produce a lot of light and noise with precisely zero result," The Admiral said sarcastically, "If you're looking to reveal your position to the enemy and get everyone relying on you killed, that's the way to do it."
Tavros stepped away from the circle as the other apprentices laughed, his head down in shame.
"Your work is so sloppy and counter intuitive I wouldn't even know how to tell you where you went wrong," Dualscar continued, looking down at the chalk sigils disdainfully, "It's clear you need to start over from the basics, if there's any hope for you at all, which I doubt. Eridan, show them how it's done."
Eridan performed the summons flawlessly, and Tavros slunk to the back of the group, hoping he could stay out of sight for the rest of the night.
As the class finally drew to a close a few hours later, Dualscar had one last announcement while the apprentices cleaned up the summoning circle.
"Now, as I mentioned before," He said, "The Empress is making a military push into the eastern continent. I'm to leave for the front in a month. I intend to take the three best apprentices along with me to present to the Empress. To be perfectly honest, I've already decided on the only three of you with any real talent. But perhaps if you work very hard you'll change my mind. I expect to see all of you working your hardest until then. Dismissed."
Eridan caught up to Tavros as he shuffled out of the classroom, falling in beside Tavros with an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion.
"What a day!" He declared, "Summoning a class 6 on the spot like that is surprisingly exhausting! Nothing a person of my pedigree couldn't handle of course. You saw it right?"
Tavros nodded.
"It, uh, it was great," He said, trying to be friendly, "Flawless."
Eridan practically glowed with pride.
"Well, not flawless," he said, preening a little, "Though I can see why someone of your skill level would think it was. My sigils weren't clean enough and I was sloppy with the architecture. You wouldn't have seen that of course. I'm certain the admiral took note though... Not that it matters! It's not as though he wouldn't choose me for the expedition, that's farsicle to even suggest, what's wrong with you?"
Tavros looked up at Eridan's suddenly unreadable expression, wondering if he'd imagined that flash of self deprication behind the boy's otherwise immaculate arrogance. Eridan looked eager to change the subject.
"Actually," He said, a touch quieter, "Your architecture was quite neat. I was surprised someone like you could manage something that complex. The Admiral was right about your notation being over complicated, you pack in far too many redundancies, it shows a lack of confidence. But still, I can see why he brought you here."
He cleared his throat, possibly embarassed at the thought of having complimented a lowborn, even obliquely, and when one of the other apprentices called out to him he hurried off without saying goodbye. But Tavros felt like smiling for the first time that day. And at dinner, Kurloz only stole half of his apple. All in all, the day could have ended worse.
He made his way up to the attic that night and smiled when he saw Aradia had come through with the new mattress. He fell into bed and just lay for a moment, luxuriating in the smell of clean linen and the absense of itching or bugs. So, today had been harder than he'd expected. He could still do this. He even kind of had friends now. Aradia, Eridan (though he'd probably deny it), Kurloz (maybe, though he might still be in it just because he found Tavros's floundering amusing). It was more than he'd had on the island. It was progress. He took a deep breath and rolled over onto his back to look out the round attic window, through which the moon was shining brightly enough to illuminate the entire attic. He'd need to get curtains next, he thought mildly, and clean out some of the spiders...
His thoughts wandered to the expedition at the end of the month. There was little chance he would be chosen, but he couldn't help imagining what it might be like to be on the front lines with Admiral Dualscar, summoning along side the best the imperial army had to offer. He told himself not to get his hopes up, but he couldn't help wishing. If he could just study longer, work harder than everyone else, make the Admiral see he wasn't a fluke...
He rolled over, trying to dismiss the excited buzz starting up in his stomach. It didn't work.
An hour later found him sneaking down the stairs to the ground floor library, a massive room on two floors that occupied most of the rear of the stately manor house. The Admiral had said he should start again with the basics, so that's where Tavros started, locating the beginners books and settling down in a cozy corner to start reading. If Tavros didn't have his father's talent and didn't have the highborn's all important pedigree, then he would just have to work harder than everyone else.