A few days later Seth was standing next to Selendrith with his Circle Tower project in front of him. The pot was still bare dirt. Seth glanced over at Selendrith's pot, which now contained a bushy plant with palm shaped leaves tipped in black.

  "It still hasn't sprouted? Even with the berry and the mana formation we did?" Selendrith whispered to him.

  Seth cast Detect Life on the pot. As he held the spell and concentrated, he could sense the dead seeds on top that he'd been using as decoys. They were starting to rot. Beneath them, the pearly seed was still alive, and to Seth, it felt vibrant.

  "I think it needs something else. I just don't know what," Seth whispered back. "I think it likes what we've given it, even Arnold's death spells, but it's not ready to sprout yet." Arnold had cast at least one death spell directly on it. It hadn't been enough to kill the plant, but Seth didn't want to risk it working eventually.

  "The professor is going to fail you. You should have picked something easier."

  "Yes, you should have made a better choice," Professor Cicily said from behind him. She laid a hand on top of the pot and cast Detect Life. Within a second she pulled her hand away. "That died the first week of class. How did you not notice?"

  "I, ah," Seth glanced across the room at Arnold. Arnold pretended he wasn't watching Seth and the Professor, but he kept shooting glances over.

  Seth wasn't sure what the best thing to do was. On one hand, he could be a snitch. He could tell the Professor that Arnold had been killing his seeds every time he added a decoy. The main problem there was that he had no proof it was Arnold. The Professor was unlikely to do anything based on his word alone, especially when she worked with Arnold and was likely friendly with him. She might even decide Seth was intentionally causing trouble.

  Then there was the question of whether Professor Cicily was involved in the sabotage of the talent theft investigation. Seth had no evidence either way.

  On the other hand, he could tell her about the real seed. He thought it unlikely, but there was a chance he would get in trouble for taking the pearly seed. It was on the seed table, and although it was in a box, it wasn't locked. And if he managed to grow such a remarkable seed, he figured it would work out.

  But if he told the Professor, Arnold would kill the seed for sure. Seth really wanted to know what would grow from it. It was the only thing he'd cast Detect Life on that had the same type of vibrancy that Mau did.

  Before he could decide, the Professor continued.

  "It doesn't matter. You'll work with Miranda on your detection skills during practice today. For now, there are some extra plants on the shelf over there. Go take one and throw this one away."

  "Is it fine if I keep this one?" Seth asked. "I think I can get it to grow."

  Professor Cicily's brow wrinkled. "The plant is dead. Nothing is going to grow. Throw it away."

  "Can I keep the pot then?"

  The professor rolled her eyes. "Fine. We will not be wasting any resources on your efforts to revive a deceased plant. Take it with you if you like. You'll be getting a failing mark for this section of the project regardless."

  That totally wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault at all that Arnold was making it hard to grow the plant. But since he wasn't going to snitch, and he hadn't gotten the thing to grow, yes, he'd failed this section of the project.

  Seth moved his barren pot to floor by his feet and went to choose a new plant. He glanced again at Arnold, who was smirking at him. Seth was joined at the plant table by another boy. It was the owner of the pot that Seth had been hiding his behind whenever he could.

  "I think my pot was cursed," the boy muttered.

  A curse named Arnold. He'd killed every plant that boy had tried to grow, too, thinking they were Seth's. "Definitely. Mine too," Seth agreed.

  After class, Seth hustled back to his dorm room. He wanted to get his plant stashed somewhere in the tiny room where his roommate wouldn't mess with it.

  He could put it in his trunk. He didn't have a lot in there, so there was room for it. But Seth didn't think that would be good for the seed. Plants needed sun and sky, earth and water. His trunk wouldn't be providing that.

  Under his bed had the same problem. Also, Isaac was more likely to see it, and could easily mess with it.

  Seth looked up at the window. From the door, he couldn't see the bottom of the window and the window well was deep. The only way for either of them to reach it would be to climb up on the desk.

  Isaac wouldn't do that. And chances were he'd never notice the pot up there.

  With the pot here in his room, Seth could experiment with some of the other formations and ideas that he and Selendrith had for helping it grow.

  He would figure out how to get it to grow. And then he'd show Professor Cicily.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  I was nearly skipping as we headed to the tower courtyard. We were going to the buffet! Yay! I was so excited to see that smorgasbord again.

  Specifically, we were heading to the punishment wagon to go to the Menagerie. I've been excited about going back there for some time.

  I hopped up on Seth's shoulder to share my excitement.

  "No, Mau. You're getting too big. You can walk like a big kitty." He dumped me to the ground.

  Ugh. Blasphemy. I jumped back up on Seth's shoulder again. And promptly fell off again. Bastard kept tipping his shoulder down. And I was a good natured and polite kitty, so I didn't use my claws to hold on like some deranged velcro squirrel.

  "Mau, the carriage is right there. Stop it."

  Fine, fine. I was in such a good mood, I was even willing to put up with Greenie, Arnold's snake that I renamed to something easier to remember.

  The washing machine dude with the water creature wasn't coming today. Neither was Owen or Duvessa. Just three of us today. Well, six if you include the familiars. Arnold with the green snake, Seth and myself, and last was, I think his name was Michael? with the tiny deer. I think it was a dik dik. Or something like that. I don't really remember.

  The deer was squealing and struggling, but Michael held it firm.

  "I neeed to peee!" the deer was wailing. "Let me down!"

  "Stop it!" Michael growled at the deer and gave it a little shake. "Calm down."

  "L-let me peee!'

  Dude, that thing is going to piss on you. I glanced over at Seth. He was frowning at the other kid, but wasn't intervening. Reasonable. It wasn't really our business.

  When we boarded the wagon, I nudged Seth to sit away from the pissy deer. No need to share a bench seat with it. Arnold can catch the overflow instead.

  We got underway and the deer was still squealing. Arnold rolled his eyes and stared out the window. His snake was nowhere in sight.

  "Hey," I said to the deer. "Why don't you point to the ground or something, and let your guy know you need to get down?"

  "I-I'm saying it! I need to pee!"

  "Yeah, I know you're saying it. But humans don't understand animal speech. They can figure out what signals mean though. Point at the ground. He might put you there."

  "B-but I'm saying it! I need to pee! P-put me down!"

  "No, like this," I pointed to the floor with one paw. "Do that and he'll put you down. Maybe."

  "Pee!"

  I tried a couple more times. It became clear to me that although the deer could talk, it had a very small mind. It couldn't have more than one thought at a time, apparently.

  "Will you get your cat to stop riling up my deer?" Michael complained.

  "Your deer was riled before we even left," Seth answered. "It's not Mau's fault."

  "Stupid thing," Michael said and slapped the deer. "Shut up already." When the deer cried more, he slapped it again.

  I was in shock. Yeah, the deer was being annoying. But it was a familiar, not just a pet.

  "I hate him. I hate him," the deer whimpered quietly.

  "If you hate him, why are you still his familiar?"

  "Because I haven't evolved into a demon lord yet."

  That was right. This nutcase called itself Ba'al and claimed to be a demon lord. I was going to ask about that when Arnold started talking.

  "If you don't like your familiar, why do you have it? Find a different one, don't abuse that one."

  "It's none of your business," Michael retorted.

  Nothing Michael had to say was worth listening to, so I ignored him. "Hey, tell me about this evolving into a demon lord stuff," I told the deer.

  The deer calmed right down, but was still trembly. It was trembly last time too. Michael was a bigger sack of shit than I though. "I-I was told right after the familiar magic thing that I could evolve into one of the most powerful creatures in the world. T-the most powerful creatures are demon lords! So I am going to be a demon lord. That's why I'm a familiar. T-to get mana and power and evolve into a big deer! A big demon deer! I'll be lord and I'll be away from him and I'll be strong and brave and have lots of magic and I'll be smart and…" The deer kept on going with all the amazing things it could do when it evolved. Its dreams were bigger than its brain. As it daydreamed, its stutter disappeared.

  So maybe that was another reason for the familiar bond? And why familiars like it? They get mana and power out of it?

  I remembered one of the kids saying that wyverns came to Rosia to hang out at the Mana Wells. They would do that to get enough mana to evolve into dragons. The city eliminated them before they could get that powerful.

  But powerful critters didn't generally stay as familiars. That manticore, Scorpius, was only a familiar while it was a baby. Once it was big enough it broke its bond.

  Maybe once they have enough power, the bond doesn't provide enough anymore? Or maybe it works like water levels. When the familiar is weak, mana flows to the familiar. When the wizard is weak, the mana flows to the wizard.

  I felt for the link between me and Seth. Yeah, mana could move between us. Maybe Seth was taking more? Eh, it felt pretty even to me.

  The deer relaxed as it talked. Enough to piss on Michael's leg.

  With a bellow of outrage, Michael flung the deer to floor and kicked at it but missed.

  "No! Stop!" Seth was on his feet and between Michael and the deer.

  "The piece of shit pissed on me!" Michael shouted. "Get out of my way! That thing is going to get it!"

  "It's an animal!" Seth said. "It doesn't know better. It was probably crying because it needed to go and you were ignoring it. You're the owner. You're the one supposed to be taking care of it. This is your fault."

  "Stay the fuck out of this. That's my familiar. Now get out of my way."

  Arnold picked up the deer. "Knock it off. You could kill it by kicking it like that." Arnold cast a spell over the deer.

  Healing magic. That asshole Michael did injure the little nutjob.

  The next few seconds were pretty tense. Mostly, Seth and Michael glared at each other while Arnold healed the dik dik. Finally, Michael sat down, and then Seth did too.

  "If you're just going to abuse the thing, you should unbind it," Arnold said when he finished. The healing was pretty quick, so the deer wasn't that injured.

  "It's my familiar. Give it back," Michael said.

  Arnold glanced at Seth and then stared coldly at Michael. "No. I'm going to let the familiar decide. If it goes to you, you can have it back. Otherwise, I'll hold onto it until we get there."

  "Come, Mouse," Michael said.

  "Don't go," I said to the deer. "He's an asshole and you already don't like him. Break your bond and leave."

  The little deer was trembling as it looked between me and Michael.

  Michael huffed and pulled a handful of corn out of his pocket.

  The stupid deer was back in his lap in an instant.

  "What are you doing that for?" I asked. "He tried to kick you and threw you hard enough that you needed a healer."

  "I love corn." The little deer wagged its tiny tail excitedly. "Corn is yummy. I love corn."

  "You really don't care how he treats you as long as you get corn?" I asked. I wondered how often this type of shit happened that the deer blew it off so quickly. Like the mistreatment was normal and expected.

  "I love corn. He gives me corn."

  Well then. Bribery works.

  Maybe I could have the deer 'accidentally' lost or left behind at the Menagerie.