Summoner: The Outcast (EXTRACT OF PUBLISHED BOOK)

Chapter 21

PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS A SAMPLE/EXTRACT OF THE PUBLISHED BOOK, TAKEN FROM AROUND HALFWAY THROUGH THE NOVEL. THE FULL NOVEL CAN BE FOUND ON AMAZON, iBOOKS, GOOGLE PLAY, KOBO AND IN ALL GOOD BOOKSTORES.

Arcturus crouched low in the long grass, sweat dotting his brow as he sighted down his crossbow at the grazing beast ahead of him.

"Don't hold your breath," Edmund whispered beside him. "Pull the trigger as you breathe out. Easy does it."

The tip of the quarrel swam in and out of focus, the black-and-white stripes of Arcturus's quarry blurring in the background. Perspiration trickled down his spine, pooling in the hollow of his back.

Arcturus closed his eyes and fired, and the crossbow leaped in his hands, thudding into his shoulder as it spat the bolt with a dull twang. It whistled harmlessly over the zebra's head, disappearing into the long grass beyond.

The creature froze for a moment, blinking its long eyelashes as it looked in their direction, then went back to cropping the grass with its buck-yellow teeth.

Edmund squeezed his shoulder, even as Arcturus was flooded with relief. He hadn't wanted to kill it. It reminded him too much of the horses he had cared for in the past. They were probably the closest things he had ever had to friends.

"It's all right, old chum," Edmund whispered. "There'll be another chance tomorrow."

There was a rustle as the young lord raised his own weapon.

Arcturus tried not to breathe, watching as Edmund's crossbow eased upward, then hung perfectly still in the air. The boy had barely broken a sweat, squinting down the quarrel with a practiced eye.

The zebra bolted, galloping toward its nearby herd. Then, in a shift- ing mirage of black-and-white stripes, the herd itself moved on in a tumult of thundering hooves.

Edmund cursed, but Arcturus was already up, his head cocked to hear the noise that had startled the zebra. There it was again. A scream in the distance, somewhere to the east.

He turned and saw Elaine running toward him, her black hair streaming as she twisted her head to look behind her. It was then that he noticed the demon.

It was green-brown in color and as large as a stallion, with hooked claws and snakelike fangs. It chased Elaine, lumbering across the plains like an iguana, its three heads swaying on their sinuous necks with every step. Arcturus recognized it immediately as the demon he had seen but an hour before on the stock of Zacharias's gun. Arcturus could now see the boy beyond, doubled over in laughter as Elaine's shrill screams rang out. Zacharias was tormenting her.

Without thinking, Arcturus tugged free his summoning leather and unleashed Sacharissa. Then the two were running, and Arcturus was cranking back his crossbow with strength born of fury.

He waited for Elaine to rush past him before kneeling and loading the crossbow. His eyes focused along its length, narrowed against the setting sun on the horizon. Sacharissa crouched beside him, and he laid the stock against her back, steadying his aim as the demon trampled closer and closer.

It was only now that Zacharias seemed to notice, and the demon faltered as its master ordered it to turn back. But it was too late. Arcturus took a deep breath . . . and fired.

The bolt whipped into the air, striking the beast square in its chest. Its front legs collapsed on impact, and the demon twisted and fell, throwing up the dry savannah dust as its trio of squeals echoed across the plains.