Chapter 25 – Ombra

"Why do you side with him?" The intruder asked, pointing with his taloned hand at Dragon. "You should not trust these... mortals."

Dorin stared at the man. "Who are you?" he asked, a little too late.

"Silence, maggot!" the man growled. He looked back at the dragon child. "Come with me, young one, we will go where we belong."

"Dragon belongs right here!" Johan answered back. "Isn't that right, Dragon?" he asked the child on his shoulder. Dragon nodded vigorously.

"You are young and foolish," the man said again. "You don't know what these creatures are capable of."

"And you have no right to take a fledgling from its father."

A familiar voice came from above them.

The four of them looked up at the broken window. At the opening, riding an enormous white creature, was Damien Wolfsbane.

"Damien!" Dorin called.

Damien stepped off the creature, slipped through the broken window and landed gently between the intruder and the 2 young mages.

"Settle down," he told Johan and the dragon child before facing the intruder. "Stand down, Ombra," he said, "I told you to wait for us."

"I wait for no one," the one called Ombra rumbled, but he stood at ease and stared annoyingly at the groundskeeper.

"I told you to settle down," Damien said once again as Johan and Dragon kept their stance, the blue flames still burning.

"It's okay, Johan," Dorin reassured his roommate, "This is Damien Wolfsbane, he's the University's Groundskeeper," he explained, "He's a friend of Sebastian's and mine..."

Speaking of Sebastian, Dorin looked at the doorway and saw his sworn brother watching them with Azra by his side.

Johan finally calmed down and eased the blue flame away. Dorin stared at the molten rock that used to be part of his bedroom wall and floor.

"I apologize for this." Damien Wolfsbane bowed his head. "This is uncalled for, and unlikely behavior from someone such as yourself, Ombra."

Just then, another person dropped from the window, this time, a very beautiful lady in flowing white robes. Her long silky white hair had a bluish tint to it and partly hid four pinkish, velvety horns that slightly branched out into forks.

"Let me introduce you all," said Damien, "This is Lord Ombra of the Shadow Dragons and Lady Lucille of the Dragons of Light." The lady made a slight curtsy at the mention of her name.

"Ombra, Lucille" continued Damien, "This is Dorin Silvius a wind mage, that there is Sebastian Revious an enchanter, and this fire mage must be..."

"Johan," Johan answered. "I'm Johan Ignacius."

"The Dragon blood..." Lucille's voice was warm and flowed like honey.

"Again with that 'Dragon Blood'... What does that mean anyway?" Johan asked with irritation.

"The idiot does not even know..." Ombra snorted.

"Only a Dragon Blood can give life to an orphaned dragon egg," came Lucille's response. "It means, that somewhere along the line, one of your ancestors was sired by a dragon."

"You are his guardian now," Damien said with an amused smile. "That is, if you accept to be one."

Johan, by then, was holding Dragon in front of him, trying to cover his nakedness from the lady who stared at him, smiling.

"He can stay with me, then?" He looked at Damien, then Lucille, and finally scowled at Ombra who scowled back. "I have always thought of Dragon as my own kid," he told them, "Ever since I found him in the mines years ago as an egg, I have always known that he would hatch someday..."

"And you, child?" Lucille asked Dragon.

Dragon looked up at the white lady, blinked, and turned around to put his arms around Johan's naked waist.

"Daa," he said in a small, high-pitched voice.

"This is absurd!" Ombra protested. "All dragons have agreed to leave this world, this child should not be an exception!"

"Correction, my dear," Lady Lucille smiled at Lord Ombra, "Most dragons 'decided' to leave this world," she said. "The other dragons are not yours to command." She stepped near Johan and Dragon, touching the young one's reddish gold mane. Johan's face turned red as she did. "We dragons, have always been free, after all." Lucille continued, ignoring the naked boy blushing in front of her.

"Still, I refuse!" Ombra continued. "That boy may have a drop of our royal blood in his veins, but he is still a mere mortal," he protested. "The young hatchling would only be tainted in this world without the proper guidance from his fellow dragons..."

"Then why don't you stay here with him?" Lucille suggested.

"What insolence!" Ombra faced Lucille furiously, his black cloak rising. It was actually his wings that covered his body. He wore dark scaly clothes underneath with a thick cord around his waist which turned out to be his forked tail.

"And while we're at it, why don't you give young Johan something to wear, you did cause his clothes to burn," said Lady Lucille.

"Do it yourself!" Ombra spat out.

"I'd love to, but your scales are more resilient." Saying this, Lady Lucille went to Ombra and reached up to pull at a horn hidden underneath waves of black hair.

"Hey!" Ombra turned red, "Quit that!"

Lady Lucille faced the students and smiled apologetically. "Please excuse my husband," she said, to the surprise of the 3 mages. "He can be quite stubborn at times." Then facing her spouse, "Come now, make some clothes for the boy, can't you see he's getting cold?"

As if by cue, Johan gave a sneeze. Dorin muffled his laugh. Damien went to Johan and placed the cloak he was wearing on the fire mage.

"May I have a look at him?" he extended his hand towards Dragon. Johan let the dragon child climb into the groundskeeper's arms.

"Oh, look at him," Lucille cooed, "He's already got the tip of one horn coming out!"

"Where?" Obra came closer to look.

"There, see?" Lucille pointed at a point on top of Dragon's forehead.

"Hoh, that's right! Just like our Sirius..."

The two dragons kept fussing over the newly hatched Dragon. Sebastian and Azra have entered the room by then and was checking on Dorin and Johan.

"Are you okay?" Dorin asked, Sebastian nodded in reply. "What about Azra?"

"We're both fine," Sebastian whispered back.

A deep growl suddenly filled the room.

"Is that boy what I think he is?" Ombra asked Damien. Sebastian and the rest stepped back.

"Harmless." Damien replied.

"And that other one?" he gestured at Dorin who held Azra in his arms.

"The same," Damien answered. "Leave them alone."

Obra was about to say something more, hesitated, and looked away. He seemed to pluck something from his back, then stretched out his hand to Johan. He held some clothes, a black tunic, and a pair of short black leggings.

"There," he said with a scowl. Johan took it gingerly.

"T-thank you..." he mumbled.

There came a rumbling sound from the distance. Dorin turned pale and looked up at the broken window.

"Oh, the rest are here..." Lady Lucille simply said.

Damien handed the dragon back to Johan and went between Dorin and Sebastian, holding on to their shoulders.

"Sebastian," he said in his calm voice. "Can you ask the roof to open up for us?"

Sebastian looked at the groundskeeper, wide-eyed. "What do you mean?" he asked in a whisper.

"Use your imagination," Damien replied. "We need to present the new dragon to his peers.