Free Insidious Winds by Rain Oxford

excited to get
their familiars. Becky was also in this class with me and she was the only one
besides myself who wasn’t thrilled. Although she wasn’t the most powerful
student in class, she also wasn’t the weakest. The more I got to know her, the
more I felt like her personality made up for any flaws in strength.
    First, we had to learn how to call our familiar,
which required opening ourselves up to nature. I admit I slacked off while the
other students were meditating. I refused to let my familiar suffer from my
condition. When everyone else left, I held back to speak to Professor Houx. He
sat at his desk and smiled politely for me to ask my question.
    “If someone doesn’t call his familiar, will the
familiar be okay?”
    “The familiar will probably never know what his
purpose was in life, but most never even know the difference. When you call
your familiar correctly, he must either answer your call or suffer the loss of
his powers.”
    “What if I didn’t call my familiar and then I died?”
    “The creature was meant to be your familiar from the
moment you were both born. Every wizard has one. However, the bond isn’t fully
formed until he accepts your call. If you die before then, he will feel it, but
not suffer the same fate.”
    “Thanks. That’s what I needed to know.”
    “Unless he calls you,” the professor said as I
started to leave.
    I stopped and turned back. “What?”
    “When you bond with your familiar, you strengthen
each other. You make up for each other’s weaknesses. If your familiar is
powerful enough, he can find you himself. He may even figure out what it means,
especially if he needs you. You help your familiar as much as he helps you. If
he’s desperate and powerful enough, he can begin the process himself. If you
don’t answer, he will lose his power.”
    “Where is your familiar?”
    “She stays in a safe place.”
     
    *          *          *
     
    The rest of the week went by in a rush. My classes
were pretty interesting. I made a dream catcher and then put it away in a box
under my desk so that I didn’t have to worry about it working. I helped Darwin
pay attention in the shifter psychology class. Unfortunately, it was immensely
below him. It was difficult to slack off in Professor Houx’s class. Vincent’s
class was similar to our normal lessons, just less individual.
    On Wednesday morning of my second week, I was woken
by the harsh kneading on my neck of the twenty pound cat sitting on my chest. I
pushed Ghost away, but he just dug his claws in. I smacked him and he bit my
hand. “I’m awake, you old bastard.”
    The cat vanished.
    I got up, showered, dressed, and grabbed two cups of
coffee without getting any food. I drank one cup down as I headed to the
library. When I entered, Vincent was already waiting for me. “We will do the
same exercise as last time. Clear your mind and defend yourself without
thinking.”
    I did, trying desperately not to fall back to sleep
while standing there. After a while, I felt a sting in my arm and looked down
to see a deep scratch.
    “No instincts today?” Vincent asked.
    I shrugged. “It wasn’t a kill shot.”
    “Your heart is not in this.”
    “It is. I will do what I have to in order to save
Astrid.”
    “You are not ready. Start coming here on Friday
mornings to train with Logan in addition to meeting me on Wednesdays. Are you
having trouble sleeping?”
    “No, my sleep has been great. I’m not having dark
visions and visits from dead girls all night like I was before.” I was just
worried. I had been having dreams with Astrid before and they suddenly stopped
when she was lost in Dothra. Does it mean she’s dead? Or is she just too far
away to dream with ?
    I practiced for a couple of hours with Vincent. I
would clear my mind and he would attack. Although I was able to avoid being
injured again, my focus was broken each time. Finally, Vincent called it a day
and I went to class. Wednesday and