Contents
Chapter Three. Old Faithful
Overview
Walden and Kenning battle a higher demon forcing the students’ pentagram, but it only breaks free when Nikki cleverly deploys a quick banishment from the class risk form. After banishment, Walden debriefs the class and reprimands Will. Walden explains Old Faithful’s centuries-long presence, agrees to brief Kenning from the archives, and recalls the 2003 student death.
Summary
The summoned entity presses against the students’ fourth-order pentagram, revealing itself as a vast, intelligent higher demon. Walden reinforces the array with a force-drawn pentagram while Laura Kenning is trapped beneath a tangle of demonic bindings. Together they mount synchronized banishments, resisting the demon’s psychic manipulations.
The demon fixates on Chetwood’s rich magic and vulnerable students, threatening a catastrophic incursion. Despite Walden and Kenning’s combined assault, its grip holds—until an external nudge dislodges it. Nikki Conway, terrified but clear-headed, casts the quick banishment printed on the class risk form, prying the demon’s hold loose so Walden and Kenning can fling it back.
With the lab stabilizing, Walden shifts to debrief and learning. The class discusses errors and safety; Mathias admits freezing. Walden privately confronts Will for speaking during the invocation, which distracted Mathias. Prompted by Kenning’s blunt warning about the near-disaster, Will accepts responsibility and is told to apologize and document the failure.
Afterward, Kenning demands to know why such a powerful presence was on campus. Walden identifies it as Old Faithful, a tenth- or eleventh-order entity that has stalked Chetwood for centuries, resistant to extermination and periodically testing defenses. They review past attempts, the failed relocation, and the last serious incident in 2003 when a student died. Walden offers an archival briefing, which Kenning urgently accepts.
Who Appears
- Dr. Saffron WaldenArcane teacher who stabilizes the array, coordinates banishment with Kenning, debriefs class, and disciplines Will.
- Marshal Laura KenningCombats the higher demon with sword and spells, demands accountability, and seeks full history on Old Faithful.
- Nikki ConwayQuick-thinking student who uses the risk-form banishment to loosen the demon’s grip and save the class.
- WillOverconfident student whose ill-timed comment distracts Mathias; chastened and told to apologize and analyze mistakes.
- MathiasStudent who froze after overloading the summoning; later acknowledges error during debrief.
- AneetaStudent who resists resummoning, admits hearing the demon, and participates in safety-focused debrief.
- Old FaithfulCenturies-old higher demon targeting Chetwood; nearly forces an incursion before being banished again.