The Familiars: Animal Wizardry - Adam Epstein

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his comfortable resting position as Jack, in a burst of excitement, thrust him out for the older kids to see.

      “He’s a little skinny,” said Dalton. “But so are you.”

      “Am not.”

      Dalton ruffled Jack’s hair, then turned to the blue jay. “What do you think, Skylar?” he asked.

      Hold on, thought Aldwyn—did the boy, Dalton, expect a bird to answer his question? How bizarre was that? Aldwyn had always been able to understand humans, but as far as he knew no human had ever understood him.

      Skylar whispered something back into Dalton’s ear, and the boy chuckled to himself.

      “That’s not fair,” said Jack. “What did she say?”

      “That your cat looks like he needs a bath.”

      “Another thing you two have in common,” joked Marianne to Jack.

      “Very funny, sis,” replied Jack, who tucked Aldwyn back under his arm.

      “Come along,” said Kalstaff. “We’ve had a long day. Let’s have some supper and get an early night.”

      Dalton and Marianne turned back to the cottage. Jack sighed, looking disappointed.

      “Already? But I haven’t even shown him how I can levitate stones over the pond with a hover spell. Or taught him how to cast a smoke burst.”

      “There will be plenty of time to show off your skills tomorrow,” said Kalstaff. “But remember, familiars are only meant to use their natural animal talents. Casting human spells is frowned upon. It’s much too dangerous for them.”

      Jack reluctantly put Aldwyn down and sulked off, following Kalstaff and the two older wizards-intraining to the cottage. But Marianne’s frog and Dalton’s blue jay lingered, curious to meet the newest resident of Stone Runlet. The bird carried herself with a certain aloofness, back straight and beak held high. Her feathers were exquisitely unruffled and she wore a jewelled anklet. The frog had big bulging eyes that gave the impression that he was in a constant state of surprise. The suction pads on his toes made wet blurping sounds with every step. As Aldwyn approached them, the blue jay got a closer look at his fur.

      “Are those fleas?” she asked.

      Aldwyn glanced down at the tiny black specks on his white patches.

      “What? No, those are freckles,” he responded.

      “Then why are they moving?” she asked as one of the specks jumped off his fur.

      Aldwyn quickly brushed them away before extending a paw.

      “I’m Aldwyn,” he said, eager to change the topic.

      The blue jay reluctantly put out her wing for a shake.

      “I’m Skylar,” she said. “And this is Gilbert.”

      “But you can call me Gil, or Bert. Gilbert is fine, too,” said the frog eagerly. “Do I have any flies in my teeth?”

      Gilbert opened his mouth for the others to see. Skylar simply rolled her eyes and continued.

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      “Well, if you’re serious about being a great familiar, there’s no better place to learn than here,” said Skylar with a hint of pride in her voice. “Of course, some would make an argument for Turnbuckle Academy, or possibly studying with Sorceress Edna, but I just don’t…”

      Though Skylar kept talking, Aldwyn’s mind had wandered. He was thinking about Grimslade and how the cold-blooded bounty hunter was probably still scouring the streets of Bridgetower looking for him. One thing was certain: he’d never look for him here.

      After letting this pleasant thought roll around in his head for a minute or two, Aldwyn turned his attention back to the conversation.

      “…and Kalstaff has a spell library that would rival any in the queendom,” Skylar was saying, still not having come up for air. “He’s a master sorcerer, skilled in multiple circles of magic. Necromancy, conjuring, abjuration.”

      “And he makes a tasty beetle soup,” said Gilbert. Skylar just shook her head at him.

      “What? That’s important too,” Gilbert added defensively

      Skylar shrugged and turned back to Aldwyn, who was doing his best to hide the fact that he had no idea what she was talking about. “Kalstaff was one of the three great spellcasters who helped defeat the Dead Army Uprising, but that’s common knowledge. Which legendary battle is your favourite? Kalstaff was in all of them, you know.”

      “Gosh, there are so many to choose from,” said Aldwyn, trying to stall. Skylar waited for a response. “But if I had to pick, it would probably be the one where he used the magic…” She continued to stare at him. “…to defeat that scary thing…” Still staring. “…on the mountain.”

      Her attitude changed instantly. “Oh, the Clash of Kailasa,” she enthused. “A little-known engagement, but noteworthy for his use of weevil dust.”

      “My thoughts exactly,” said Aldwyn.

      Just then, Gilbert’s tongue shot out from his mouth and plucked a juicy horsefly right off Aldwyn’s tail. He swallowed it whole, then looked up guiltily.

      “I hope you weren’t going to eat that.”

      “Nah, it’s all yours,” replied Aldwyn.

      “Don’t mind him,” said Skylar. “He’s amphibiously challenged. Now where was I? Oh, yes. I was telling you how lucky you were to be here. Kalstaff’s students go on to do great things: serve her glorious majesty Loranella, become temple masters, or explore the Beyond in search of new frontiers. And their familiars are always at their sides, aiding their loyals in any way they can. The last student, Galleon, graduated from here a few years ago. He and his familiar, Banshee, have been defending the town of Split River from sea monsters and elven pirates ever since. Very heady stuff.”

      The prospect of having to fight sea monsters and elven pirates didn’t exactly fill Aldwyn with joy, but for the moment, Stone Runlet seemed like paradise—especially given the difficulties he was leaving behind in Bridgetower. Of course, passing himself off as a familiar was not going to be easy, even for a clever alley cat such as himself.

      Skylar looked over to see smoke beginning to pour out of the cottage’s chimney.

      “Gilbert, let’s see if we can’t be of assistance,” added Skylar. “Aldwyn, you might want to wash yourself off down by the runlet first. See if you can’t do something about those freckles.”

      With that, she beat her wings and flew off towards the cottage to catch up with Dalton.

      “Is she always like that?” asked Aldwyn.

      “No,” said Gilbert. “Today she’s positively cheerful.” He put a webbed foot on Aldwyn’s paw. “But she’s not all bad. Get past the high-and-mighty, know-it-all attitude, and you find a bird that will always watch your back.”

      “So, what’s for dinner?” asked Aldwyn, whose whiskers were once again all a-tingle.

      “I like the way you think. I have a feeling we’re going to be good friends.”

      “Hurry up, Gilbert!” called Skylar from the open doorway to the cottage. “You’re going to let in the wind fairies.”

      “I just try to block out the sound of her voice,” said Gilbert. “It makes the day go by a lot faster.”

      Gilbert hopped ahead, but Aldwyn hesitated. Although the prospect of a dip in the runlet sounded most disagreeable, it seemed unwise to ruffle Skylar’s feathers.

      “Aren’t

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