The Summoning

Lucius crouched on the cold stone floor of his cellar, carefully sketching a crooked circle with chalk.

Over and over, he paused to double-check that the lines and symbols matched the diagrams in his book, which he had found buried deep within this very house.

It’s not really going to work, right?

Most of the formulas he had found while curiously leafing through the book involved the craziest preparations and ingredients, some of which he had never even heard of before.

But one page caught his eye.

At the very back, yellowed and barely legible, was a summoning spell that filled only a single page:

Simple Servant. Does everything. Never talks back. Usable for beginners.

“Hm... I could use a servant around here,” Lucius had said to himself back then.

After that, he had spent most of his free time gathering the ingredients, now reciting them under his breath.

“Three belladonna berries, six fly agaric mushrooms… half a liter of snail slime… a crow’s feather… and…” He uncorked a bottle of red wine and poured it over the chalk lines. “…one bottle of red wine.”

After pouring the wine over the circle, he clapped his hands, smiling in satisfaction.

“Alright. I guess that’s it.”

He lit the surrounding candles in a particular sequence, then raised his voice.

“EPIKALOUMAI SE THERAPONTA OLYMPOU ELTHE KATHAPER TO SO THEO HYPERETESAS!”

But nothing happened.

Frowning, he skimmed the text again.

“…Candles from west to east… Ah! …and bind the servant with a drop of one’s own blood.” Lucius grabbed the corkscrew and jabbed it into his thumb. “Ouch!”

A few beads of blood fell onto the circle, and suddenly the chalk lines blazed with light.

White mist rose from the circle, and with a gleaming shockwave, Lucius was thrown to the ground.

When the mist faded, something was curled up in the center.

Furry legs. A pair of hooves. Curling horns and a long tail.

Its upper body was wrapped in a bandage-style top, while a matching cloth draped around its hips like a short skirt.

It stirred, yawned, and opened large, amber eyes. “Hmm? Who wakes me from my slumber?” The creature blinked around the room, its tail flicking. “A mortal? And a magic circle… Oh dear.” Giggling, it pressed a hand to its forehead. “You summoned me, little wizard? Dionysus is going to die laughing!”

The creature straightened and flashed a grin, mischief in its eyes. “Well, mortal… what exactly do you expect from this summoning? Are you sure you know what you’re getting into?”

Its hooves clicked on the stone as it circled Lucius.

Am I dreaming? Did it… did it really work?

“I-I found this book down here…” he finally stammered. “It had a spell for a servant. Since I live alone, I thought some help wouldn’t hurt. I didn’t expect… someone like you. Are you a goat…” He glanced at her cleavage, then looked away, scratching his neck. “…girl?”

She snorted and tossed her chestnut hair back, her horns shimmering in the candlelight.

“Goat girl? Please. I’m a satyr! A satyr maenad, to be precise. Daughter of berries, of wine, of savage nights, and certainly no servant. Let me tell you right away: if you want me to scrub floors, you’re in for disappointment.”

As she leaned forward, hands on her hips, a teasing glint in her eyes, Lucius caught another glimpse of her revealing cleavage.

“I–I'm Lucius, by the way. What’s your name?” he blurted, blushing.

She laughed, then tilted her head. “Oh, how cute! The little wizard’s all flustered. You can call me Melissa. Named after the honeybees buzzing around my Master’s wine cups.”

Melissa nudged him with her horns, her voice dropping to a purr. “And don’t worry…” Her hand swept tantalizingly over her bosom. “We servants of Dionysus aren’t big on modesty. We care more about wine, dancing, and adventure. So what’s it going to be? Are you giving me orders, or shall we negotiate? Then I might consider leaving this place without causing too much damage…”

Her tail lashed behind her, eager as a cat about to pounce, as if she were ready to rampage through the whole place, depending on his answer.

“Wait!” Lucius stammered, waving his hands in a desperate attempt to appease her. He cleared his throat, looking anxiously around the cellar. “How, uhm… how about this? I’ve got plenty of wine down here. You can have some, if you want!”

Melissa raised a brow as he presented her with a bottle but remained silent.

Lucius tried to think of what else he could offer, searching his memory for anything he knew about satyrs.

“Uhm… Ah! There’s a lake nearby. Maybe you want to… hang out there? Relax? Isn’t that what satyrs like to do?”

For a moment, Melissa watched him silently. Then her eyes lit up.

“Now you’re talking like a true follower of Dionysus!” She gave a little leap that sent the candles trembling. “Dancing by the lake? Bathing in the moonlight?! Oh, you’re much more fun than I expected!”

Lucius waved his hands frantically. “W–wait a minute, I didn’t say anything about dancing or bathing!”

Melissa just waved him off. “Don’t worry. With enough wine, that all happens naturally.” Then she trailed a finger down his chest, leaning close. “So what does the little wizard want in return? Maybe… a little something?”

Lucius gulped, not knowing what to say.

“A little… something?”

What does she mean by that? Surely not what I’m thinking… right?! On the other hand… she did say that satyrs don’t care about modesty, didn’t she?

His gaze searched for her expectant eyes, only to immediately shy away again. Then his eyes fell upon the spellbook that still lay open on the floor.

So she really is a servant of Dionysus… the god?

“Well, little wizard, what is it that you want?” Melissa pressed. “If there’s nothing else, I suppose I’ll just…”

“I–I want to know more about you! About your god. And I want… I want you to take me to your world!” Lucius suddenly burst out, interrupting her.

Melissa froze and stared at him for a moment, stunned.

Then she let out a delighted laugh. “You’re such a peculiar little wizard. Fine! I accept, if you promise to revel with me until sunrise.”

She gave him a mischievous grin as she held out her hand.

Lucius swallowed hard.

Should I really do this?

Slowly, he extended his arm toward her, but before he could reach her, she had already seized his hand and shaken it firmly.

“So it’s a deal! Come on then, I want to see if your cellar’s worth anything.”

Without hesitation, she snatched several wine bottles and bounded up the stairs, the glass clinking loudly in her arms.

Lucius stood frozen, staring at her tail wagging excitedly until it vanished behind the cellar door. 

He sighed and looked around in disbelief, scratching his head.

Only when he heard rattling noises from the kitchen did he rush after her.

“H–hey, wait a minute!”

But the only answer was the crash of shattering glass, followed by a not-so-guilty “Oops” from upstairs.