He knew what he had to do then. There were more like him out there, scattered across the empire. All he had to do was find them.
“You’re safe now,” Arcturus breathed, holding them close. He had never felt so happy.
Because after all the loss, all the suffering and bloodshed, he finally had what he’d always wanted. A family.
DEMONOLOGY
MITE - LEVEL 1
(Elaine Lovett)
Mites are the most common demon in Hominum’s part of the ether and are the food source of many demonic species. Though there are several species of smaller, insectlike Mites, Scarab Mites are the most powerful of the Mite genus. These demons appear as large flying beetles and vary from dull brown to brightly colored. When full grown, a Scarab develops a weapon to complement their powerful mandibles: a nasty stinger, which can temporarily paralyze their enemy. Many summoners use Mites as scouts to explore the ether before sending a more powerful demon in to hunt.
SHRIKE - LEVEL 4
These birdlike demons migrate annually across Hominum’s part of the ether, making entry extremely dangerous for one week of the year. Well known for their long black feathers, their wingspan is as wide as a man is tall, with each wing’s endmost feathers tipped with bleached white. A Shrike’s beak is hooked, with a bright-red wattle underneath its neck and a red ridge along the top of its head like that of a rooster.
STRIX - LEVEL 4
(Damien Rook)
Often mistaken for the Gryphowl, the Strix appears as an owlish bird with four limbs. Their feathers are tipped with red, giving them a fearsome appearance. They are common in orcish parts of the ether, and are valued by orcish shamans for their vicious nature. It is not unknown for a Strix to kill and eat its siblings when they reach maturity.
GRYPHOWL - LEVEL 4
(Edmund Raleigh)
This demon is a combination of cat and owl, and is closely related to the Griffin and Chamrosh, though it is far rarer. Their sharp, retractable claws and beak are their best weapons, but it is their keen intelligence and agility in the air that make them such a desirable demon. The Gryphowl is a loner by nature, but will often form a close bond with its summoner and fellow demons, if treated well.
ARACH - LEVEL 6
(Charles Faversham)
The Arach appears as an enormous spider, almost as large as a wild boar. Its eight dextrous legs are capable of skillful manipulation, allowing the demon to jump as high as ten feet and grasp its opponents by the face. The Arach has three powerful abilities. The first is the gossamer spell, shooting a luminescent web that puts one in the silk of a glowworm—an adhesive that fades out of existence after a few hours. The second is its vicious sting, the venom of which is capable of killing a grown man—if the impalement of the spike does not do the job first. Finally, rather like some breeds of tarantula, the Arach is capable of releasing the bristled hair from its back to float in the air, scourging its opponents’ skin and even blinding them. Only its summoners are immune to these bristles, as well as the Arach’s venom.
SHRIKE MATRIARCH - LEVEL 6
The Shrike Matriarch is the maternal leader of a Shrike flock. Almost twice as large as the average Shrike, these demons are not to be underestimated. It is not unknown for a Matriarch to carry off juvenile Canids, should the opportunity present itself.
VULPID - LEVEL 6
(Alice Queensouth)
A close cousin to the Canid, this slightly smaller, foxlike demon has three tails and is known for its agility and speed.
CANID - LEVEL 7
(Arcturus, Edmund Raleigh)
A doglike demon with four eyes, lethal claws, a foxlike tail, and a thick ridge of fur down its spine. These demons range in size from that of a large dog to a small pony, depending on the breed.
FELID - LEVEL 7
(Scipio)
This bipedal cat demon has four eyes and the stature and intelligence of a jungle chimpanzee. Their breeds vary from leonine, tigrine and leopine, bearing resemblances to lions, tigers and leopards respectively.
GOLEM - LEVEL 8
This rare elemental-class demon can be made from many different types of minerals, including clay, mud and sand, the most powerful of which is the stone. Juvenile Golems begin at only a few feet tall, but can grow to over ten feet. They appear roughly humanoid, though they only have one large digit and an opposable thumb.
HYDRA - LEVEL 8
(Zacharias Forsyth)
A Hydra is a large demon with three snakelike heads on long, flexible necks. Its body is similar to that of a monitor lizard, at around the same size of a large Canid. These demons were once more common in Hominum’s part of the ether, but are now extremely rare.
PERYTON - LEVEL 9
(Ophelia Faversham, Elizabeth Cavendish)
The most-favored demon of the Celestial Corps, Perytons appear as winged, horse-size stags, with majestic antlers branching from their foreheads. Their front legs end in hooves, yet their back legs are clawed like a falcon’s, complete with deadly talons that can do serious damage. Instead of the traditional bobtail that most deer possess, these demons have long, elegant tail feathers. Their herds migrate sporadically across Hominum’s part of the ether, and they are considered the most common of the flying steeds available to Hominum’s summoners.
GRIFFIN - LEVEL 10
This rare demon will occasionally stray into Hominum’s part of the ether. Horse sized, it has the body, tail and back legs of a lion and the head, wings and talons of an eagle.
MINOTAUR - LEVEL 11
These humanoid demons are tall, large, hairy and muscular. They have the head of a bull and cloven hooves for feet. Unlike the Golem, they have clawed hands, which are capable of manipulating weapons, though teaching one to use them is a difficult task. It is very rare to see one of these in Hominum’s part of the ether.
NANDI - LEVEL 11
The Nandi might be described as a giant, bearlike creature, with powerful jaws and claws that can tear apart most opponents. However, it has a musculature, intelligence and agility more akin to a dog’s than that of a bear.
MANTICORE - LEVEL 12
This rare demon has batlike wings and forelimbs, a scorpion tail and the body of a lion, though the dark fur is interspersed with sharp spines. The Manticore’s leonine face can sometimes appear almost human, and its features are capable of expressing complex emotion. Its venom is so potent that one droplet will kill a man within minutes. Members of the Raleigh family are said to be immune.
WENDIGO - LEVEL 13
(Obadiah Forsyth)
The Wendigo is a rare demon that is known to follow the Shrike migration across the ether, eating the carcasses of its fallen victims. Despite its role as a carrion eater, the Wendigo is a powerful beast in its own right, with corded muscle lining its skinny frame. Standing as high as eight feet tall, it has branching antlers, a wolflike head and long arms that it uses to knuckle the ground like a gorilla. It is known to have the mottled gray skin of a corpse and the stench to match—most likely from its regular consumption of rotting flesh.
INDRIK - LEVEL 14
These enormous demons have the long necks and large bodies of giraffes, but with thicker limbs, a long tapering tail and a head that is more akin to that of a horse’s or camel’s. Their fur is short, gray and mottled with black patches. Traveling in herds of a score or more, Indriks migrate widely, acting as a food source for the large, carnivorous demons across the ether’s ecosystem. Given its role as a prey animal and high summoning level, these demons are relatively useless to summoners.
PHANTAUR - LEVEL UNKNOWN
The Phantaur is as much an elephant as a Minotaur is a bull. With its serrated tusks, sturdy fists and a height of over ten feet, it is a force to be reckoned with. Thought to be the rarest and most powerful demon available to orc shamans, only one has ever been seen. Little is known of its behaviors and habitats. It is thought that the one Phantaur to have been captured has been passed down through thousands of generations of
shamans, its origins lost to the mists of time.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There have been a great many people who I owe a debt of gratitude for their contribution to the creation and publication of the Summoner series.
I would like to thank my UK agent, Juliet Mushens, for all her hard work, teaming up with many amazing publishers around the world. She has been my guiding light throughout the entire process and my life would not be the same without her. I would also like to thank Sasha Raskin, my US agent, for helping take the Summoner series across the pond.
I must also thank both my commissioning editors, Liz Szabla and Naomi Greenwood, for their stellar work in polishing my books into the best version of themselves. Their combined insight has taught me more in one year than a lifetime of my own study of the craft. I owe them a great deal for trusting in me and believing in my writing. Without their support, there would be no Summoner series.
Thank you to the publishing teams at Feiwel and Friends and Hodder Childrens, for helping bring a beautiful book to as many readers as possible. They have done fantastic work and have stuck with me from start to finish.
There are several artists who I have loved working with to bring my books to life. Thank you to David North, Malgorzata Gruszka and Michelle Brackenborough for their beautiful artwork.
I would like to thank my friends and family for their ongoing support, guidance and patience over the past few years. Robert Ayres, Vic James, Dominic Wong, Michael Miller, Brook Aspden, Kash and Emily Siddiqi, Alice Kingsnorth as well as Liege, Jay, Sindri and Raj Matharu, you guys rock.
Finally, thank you, the readers, for all you have done. Your comments, reviews, messages and encouragement have meant the world to me. It is ultimately you that made me a success, and you that keep me writing. I will be forever astonished, honored and grateful for your support.
Thank you.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Taran Matharu wrote his first book when he was nine years old. At twenty-two, he began posting The Novice on Wattpad (the online writing website) and reached over three million reads in less than six months. The Novice is the first of three books in the Summoner series, and Taran Matharu’s fiction debut. Taran lives in London. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Demonology
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by Taran Matharu Ltd.
A Feiwel and Friends Book
An imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
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All rights reserved.
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[email protected] First hardcover edition, 2018
eBook edition 2018
eISBN 9781250138682
Taran Matharu, The Outcast
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