The morning felt almost like torture. Draco, having listened to Dr Herpetes's comments and taken his potions, fell asleep and slept through the night without any discomfort. However, the morning proved difficult. Immediately upon waking, he was struck by a terrible headache, stiffness in practically his entire body, and waves of nausea. On top of that, he was plagued by an almost uncontrollable thirst.
As it was still dark outside, and the young dragon had no better idea, he put on his training gear and went off to do something that should give him a bit of a break. At least, that was what he was hoping for.
Although his body was clearly telling him that he had no desire for physical exertion, the dragon forced himself to go for a run. And with every step he took, he felt a little better. Before he realised it, the Heart of Atlantis had long since been bathing the island in its radiance. He trained for a long time, even longer than usual. He was relieved to find that the unpleasant morning aches and pains had faded into oblivion, replaced by a hunger that kept growing. The boy took a few more deep breaths and went to freshen up before tucking into breakfast.
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Darius went down to the dining room in a terrible state. He'd hardly slept a wink all night, and now he found it difficult to concentrate on anything. The worst part was that he kept feeling he ought to check on his pupil to make sure he was all right. Unfortunately, every time he was about to enter the dragon's room, Oscar would send him back to his own quarters. The old man steadfastly repeated that both Draco and the earl needed rest, and that if anything happened, he would notify Bleist immediately. The lack of news throughout the night should have been a good sign, but still, something continued to trouble the wizard.
He sat down at his place at the table and only then realised that someone had already come down for breakfast. Gizel was watching him with concern, even though she herself had dark circles under her eyes. Clearly, it wasn't just Darius who'd had a rough night.
'If Draco sees you like this, I guarantee you'll be the one causing him worry.' The elf's flirtatious voice snapped the earl out of some indescribable lethargy and limbo, pulling him back to reality.
'As long as he feels better, I don't have the slightest problem with that.' He sighed heavily, trying to sort out his own thoughts and feelings. 'Oscar didn't… wake me up, so everything should be fine.'
'Looking at you, I'm sure there'd be no need to wake you at all.' Gizel shook her head in resignation. 'If anything, you should have been sent back to bed, which I'm sure the old man did several times.'
'Are you surprised?' The question wasn't meant to sound blunt, but it was hard to tell if he'd actually managed to avoid that.
'No, not at all.' The elf lowered her gaze, as if she didn't want him to see the look in her eyes. She focused on the now-cold cup standing before her. 'I think I understand how you feel.' she whispered.
Darius blinked in surprise and was just about to say something when the dining room door swung wide open and Draco walked in. His springy stride, faint smile and energetic movements gave no indication whatsoever that, late into the evening, he'd been staggering about in bed. The young dragon beamed even more broadly when he saw the two of them at the table.
'Good morning, Gizel, Master.' His warm smile made Bleist's tiredness vanish into thin air. 'How are you both today?' The reptile belatedly noticed the state the elf and Bleist were currently in, and that was what concerned him.
'As soon as I saw you, I felt much better.' The mage tried to play down his tiredness a little. 'More importantly, how are you feeling?'
'Quite well, thank you.' Draco flashed a wide grin to emphasise this. 'It was a bit unpleasant this morning, but once I'd got moving, it all went away.' He set off briskly towards the table. 'I'm just absolutely ravenous.'
'You got moving?' the elf asked, surprised.
'I was all a bit stiff this morning…' The dragon slumped into his seat and immediately began piling everything within reach onto his plate. 'And as a bit of exercise has always helped me, I decided today that I should stick to that approach. I must admit, it was a bit of a struggle at first, but I soon got the hang of it.' The dragon fixed his gaze on the food and began to tuck in, once again paying little heed to social conventions.
'Shouldn't you be resting rather than wearing yourself out straight away?' Concern flitted across Gizel's face, though it was different from the concern Darius had seen before. Now it seemed deeper, more complex. The mage found it hard to put his finger on it; he didn't even know where to begin.
'Dr Herpetes said that everything should be back to normal by morning.' The dragon looked up for a moment, but seemed oblivious to the emotions both speakers were feeling. 'Of course, I haven't tried any magic or anything like that,' he hastened to add, as if fearing another reprimand.
'Do you feel up to it?' Bleist assumed that by now his pupil should have regained enough energy to cast simple spells safely.
'I think so…' Draco stopped eating, staring blankly at the table in front of him. 'There's less of the mana; it hasn't all returned yet. Apart from that, everything's fine.'
'Please cast a Firefly,' Darius instructed calmly. The simple spell could easily serve as an indicator of whether his apprentice's source was functioning properly. Ideally, of course, it would be best to examine the space of consciousness itself, but he was well aware of the state the pupil's dragon aspect must be in. It wasn't hard to imagine the boy's subconscious having been stirred by a previously unknown and extremely dangerous accident.
Draco nodded, and several small, golden spheres of energy, emanating a warm light, appeared around him. The sudden glow made the shadows in the room tremble, and Darius had to squint. The spell quickly dimmed, however, revealing the surprised dragon.
'Sorry, it sort of… reacted differently,' said the boy, staring intently at one of the spheres of light.
'Did you use more energy?' Bleist suspected what had actually happened, but he wanted his pupil to figure it out for himself.
'No… or maybe…?' Reptile tore his gaze away from the dragon runes and focused on his master. 'I'm not sure. It was just like before, and yet different.' The boy paused longer between words, clearly pondering each one. 'More. . . like mana flowed more easily?' he asked himself. 'Yes! That's it. Its movement was smoother! I hadn't noticed it before, but now I didn't have to make any effort at all to set it in motion. Until now, I'd needed my will and concentration to get it moving, but this. . .' With fascination, he tapped the glowing orb. 'The mana moved just like my thoughts… without compulsion, without any conscious intention…'
'Congratulations, Draco,' said Darius, clapping his hands lightly. 'Up until now, you've been in control of your source, but now you've managed to become one with it. You'll need practice to get a feel for how to use your energy, but knowing you, it won't take long.' The mage smiled sincerely. He was pleased that something good had come out of the danger after all. 'What's more, meditation should be easier, so I'd like to practise with you this evening.'
'Practice…' Draco's eyes widened as he remembered something. 'I've got riding class today!' he blurted out suddenly, forgetting the conversation they'd been having. 'I've got to get Fen ready. With all this going on, I've forgotten to say anything…' He was getting flustered.
'Take it easy, you'll have time for everything.' Gizel's soothing voice worked wonders, and the dragon focused his attention on her.
'Exactly, don't worry.' Bleist glanced at the clock. 'You've still got plenty of time, and afterwards I'll give you a lift back to Solvein.'
'I was thinking of riding.' The lad looked over at his master.
'I'm sorry, but you're not quite that confident in the saddle yet.' Earl shook his head. Not even the look of disappointment on the dragon's face softened Bleist's resolve. 'If only it were closer… Once you've got the hang of it, I don't see any problem with you riding Fen, but for now, outside of lessons and without the assistance of someone experienced, you shouldn't do it.' 'The second reason, one that Darius kept to himself, was a faint fear that, after yesterday's accident, something else might happen. 'After all, Bess's can be capricious, even when they have a rider. If Fenrir were to carry you off, it's hard to say what might happen.' He sighed and shook his head. 'Not physically,' he told his pupil. It was true that dragons were hard to hurt by accident, and if nothing actually attacked him, he would face nothing more than a few grazes at most. 'I'd rather be on the safe side.' He smiled as he saw the disappointment on his pupil's face give way to an unwanted realisation. 'Now go and get your mount ready, or you'll really be late.'
Draco jumped up and glanced at the clock. He thanked them for their company over the meal and disappeared through the door into the hall. Bleist breathed a sigh of relief, and the exhaustion from a sleepless night, combined with his relaxed nerves, finally allowed him to close his eyes in peace.
'You'll get a bit of a breather.' Gizel also looked more relaxed. 'At least for a moment.' She smiled slightly.
'It turns out that all the worries that have haunted me my whole life are nothing compared to my fear for Draco,' he admitted openly.
'I'm afraid that's proof your heart's in the right place.' The elf's lips curved a little wider.
'If that's the case, at least I don't have to worry about that.' He wanted to snort, but held back. He wouldn't have enjoyed spoiling the moment.
'Unfortunately, I'm afraid I'll have to bring you back down to earth a bit.' The woman pushed her plate away and glanced around the room, as if to ask whether she could carry on.
Darius concentrated as he quietly uttered a few words.
'If you must…' He wasn't particularly keen on a fresh batch of worries, but he doubted he had any choice in the matter.
'You remember our conversation with Karl, don't you?' The elf sat up straight in her seat and fixed Bleist with a serious gaze.
'If I say I'd rather forget, will you change the subject?' He knew the answer, but he couldn't help himself now.
'I've been asking around a bit about unusual finds, jade figurines and the like.' Gizel ignored the mage's remark. 'I was surprised by how much I found out.'
'Has no one heard anything?' Earl sighed heavily.
'Quite the opposite, Darius; there's too much information.' Now she had really caught the colonel's attention; she had sparked his professional curiosity. 'Grave figurines, ancient artefacts, catalysts, magical ingredients—take your pick. There's something for every occasion. And the most interesting thing is that it all comes from ruins, excavations, unearthed caches or tombs. Not from any specific place. Even my… acquaintances are looking at all these new finds with suspicion.
'That's just what we needed, for the black market to be flooded with tainted objects,' Bleist grumbled. He was slowly beginning to understand why the case in Solvein had attracted so much attention. 'Since when have there been more of these?'
'Since the start of this year.' The elf began drumming her fingers on the tabletop whilst fixing her gaze on Darius. 'A coincidence, isn't it?'
'In our line of work, there's no such thing as coincidence.'
'Exactly.' She slammed her hand down on the table. 'Digging deeper into this has certainly paid off. I've managed to track down a few… let's say, dealers who, at various stages, had old, magical trinkets made of jade and other obscure materials in their stock. Fortunately, they also had excellent memories and were only too happy to offer the distressed lady their help.'
'Oh, they certainly know how to save their own skins.' Earl smiled wryly. He knew only too well what methods the elf was capable of using to persuade others to cooperate.
'You're spoiling my act, Darius,' the Duchess chided him. 'Be glad it's only in our intimate little circle.'
'Otherwise, I wouldn't dare.' Bleist was no fool and had no intention of bidding farewell to the world so soon.
'Well, that's what I thought.' The elf settled herself more comfortably in her seat. 'Returning to those most charming merchants. They've recalled a few intriguing details. Firstly, the person from whom they first purchased the items in question was rather unremarkable and behaved with unusual calmness on every occasion, displaying only rehearsed emotions. This didn't fit with the sentimental tales of a discovered treasure and a change in one's fortunes. Secondly, almost all the artefacts they'd acquired were said to originate from somewhere in the east, beyond the reach of Atlantis, Dagos or Asati. It was also strange that the items, regardless of where they'd been found, were very similar to one another.' She waved her hand. 'Not at first glance, of course. The artefacts varied, ranging from catalysts to simple jewellery. The common thread was the symbols covering them.'
'Archaic Elvish runes?'
'Exactly, just like the one used in Solvein.'
Darius grimaced, not wanting to imagine what motive the madman behind it all might have.
'We'll have to find every single one we can track down…' He began to ponder aloud. He tried to recall who he would need to speak to in the Amethyst Guard in order to direct their efforts towards this painstaking search.
'That's what I thought too,' Gizel narrowed her eyes as if she were deeply dissatisfied with something.
'I have a feeling this is all heading in a direction I won't like.'
'Unfortunately, you're right.' The elf sighed and rested her face in her hands. 'I managed to track down a few buyers, but it was already too late.'
'Black magic leaves plenty of traces behind…'
'Provided that's what's being used,' she cut him off. 'It was different here. Curses, faulty components leading to explosions, incomplete runic circles, spells meant to strike the owner, and many others, but nothing corrupt.'
'Very unpleasant surprises.' Bleist fell into thought. Whilst just a moment ago, an explanation for the whole affair had seemed within reach, it had now slipped away.
'Downright deadly,' added Gizel. 'I don't want to be a pessimist, but…'
'It looks like experiments.' Earl sighed, not knowing what to say, especially given his own problems. 'The question is whether these are failed attempts to create something even more dangerous…'
'... or whether that was precisely the intended effect.' A look of concern crossed the aristocrat's face. 'Was the accident in Solvein the culmination of the whole process, or perhaps...'
The dining room door opened and Draco walked in. The dragon had already changed into his white academic uniform and looked at them with a smile.
'Fen wasn't too pleased, but I managed to get him ready for the journey,' he admitted with a hint of amusement. 'I hope he'll behave himself and follow the carriage without causing any trouble.' He glanced at the clock. 'I don't want to rush you, Master, but… I think time is starting to catch up with us.'