Chapter 8 (2/3)

Bleist once again started pacing around the office looking towards the door every now and then. Everyone knew he was terribly nervous, for neither Othis nor Gizel were sure whether all their efforts would bear the fruit they hoped for, or whether everything would backfire and it would turn out that the Council had changed its decision at the last minute and would be unwilling to agree to declare Draco no longer subject to their authority and legally an Atlantean. All it would take would be some fierce objection from someone significant, or someone who thought of any benefit to keeping the boy in Dagos. Anything could have happened, and they were no longer in control of anything. Of course, each of them was quietly putting together a plan on how to possibly proceed if something went wrong as they wished, but no one wanted to say it out loud. One solution came to everyone's mind - bring in a regiment of the Royal Guard and once again make a proposal to the Dragon Council.

-Stop walking around like that, you're making me nervous.- Said Gizel calmly.- You know them, it will be quite a long time before they decide and settle anything.

-What do we do if they don't agree?- Bleist combed his hair with his hand and plopped down in the chair between the elven lady and his friend. There were still a few insiders in the study, listening to their discussion.-Or if he doesn't want anything to do with us, if he decides he wants to graduate from the local Academy and then join their army, for example?

-Don't worry about the future,- muttered a somewhat gloomy Othis.-You can't predict the future so be patient.

-Easy for you to say.- Darius shook his head and poked his gaze into the front door.-You're not the one who got the instructions with the note I believe you will do whatever is necessary...-He sighed heavily and rubbed his temples.-I don't want everything to go downhill now.

-Really stop winding yourself up.- Gizel put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed tightly.-Breathe deeply and calm down. You will see that it will help.

He did as she advised and stopped agonising over the various possibilities looming in his mind. He came to terms with his current situation and, poised, looked around the room. Essentially nothing had changed except that for the first time he saw someone more than Othis here. On the other side of the room, the infantry colonel in charge of the diplomatic outpost was standing and talking to the Deputy Ambassador and the Chief Secretary. By the fireplace, some senior officials connected in some way to the Atlantean authorities were quietly engaged in discussion. Most of them Darius did not even know by sight, let alone personally. He didn't see them in the corridors of the Embassy because most of them worked outside its walls, so they didn't get a chance to meet.

Someone knocked and a sergeant slipped inside cautiously and approached his superior quickly. They exchanged a few hasty remarks and the non-commissioned officer left. Colonel Galvar approached them.

-A boy and some official from the Council have arrived.- He nodded slightly and walked away to his companions.

-You see? There was no need to get upset.-Gizel smiled softly.-You always create most of the problems yourself.-She added in a slightly playful whisper.

-Come on.- Darius was getting annoyed.- Nothing is sealed yet. We all know it well.- Not knowing what to think anymore he just absentmindedly combed his hair. Now is the worst moment. He thought intensely. The Council has recognised that the boy is officially out of their jurisdiction and has acknowledged his citizenship, but the problem remains what the boy himself will say. He stood up again and began circling, flipping gloomy thoughts from one corner of his mind to another.

Othis grabbed his friend and forcibly stopped him in his tracks. He could see that Bleist was nervous and still expecting the worst case scenario. He gently let him go when he thought he had calmed down enough not to tread a path in the floor.

-I think it's best if I'm the one to talk to him.- Said Othis calmly looking Darius in the eye.-You're not up to it at the moment.- He murmured quietly.-Gizel, could I ask you to keep an eye on him?- He indicated his friend with a movement of his head.- Otherwise he'll start trampling his path again.

-But of course.- The elven lady smiled playfully and put her hand on the shoulder of a slightly confused Darius.- I won't let him move even an inch. You can rest assured.- She winked at him and gently nodded towards the door.- Can we hurry up a bit?

-Oh, yes of course.- Othis turned towards the entrance still noticing out of the corner of his eye how the elven woman wordlessly stifled some words of objection that did not manage to come out of Darius' mouth.-Please invite them in.- He said raising his voice slightly so that the sergeant on the other side of the door could hear him.

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Draco was uneasy, though perhaps it would be better to say that he didn't know what to call what he was feeling himself. Shock, astonishment, disbelief, fear, some kind of unhinged apprehension at something unknown. He found it difficult to concentrate on even a single thought let alone try to solve such a serious problem. Me, a mage? And yet an Atlantean! After all, dragons can't wield magic in the first place, it's one of the basic rules they instil in the first year at the Dagos Academy. What's this all about? He asked himself these and many other questions all the way from the Royal Castle to the Embassy gate. There, at least, he confirmed that this was not some kind of one big joke, as the sentries in long grey coats only nodded their heads when he passed them along with the official.

Then he saw a long driveway strewn with some small stones leading up to the very doors of the large mansion that served as the Atlantean Embassy. Around the palace, he noticed two soldiers in infantry uniforms patrolling the grounds of the diplomatic post.

Between the columns in front of the entrance stood more soldiers, this time accompanied by a non-commissioned officer. A sergeant if memory serves me correctly. Draco thought. The man must have been warned in some way beforehand, because he did not show even the slightest surprise when they appeared in front of him.

-Follow me.- He said bowing his head slightly. He then turned on his heel and marched through the main entrance without looking back. Draco glanced uncertainly at the silent clerk, but the official merely shrugged his shoulders and moved to follow the soldier. The young dragon had no choice but to join him.

The interior of the main hall was not what he had expected. He had thought it would be a place designed to instil awe or fear of the Ambassador's power in those arriving to meet him, but it rather brought to mind a hallway prepared for the arrival of guests and furnished by some skilled hand. It resembled the ordinary residence of some wealthy merchant or nobleman, nothing out of the ordinary for the area, and if it weren't for the soldiers in grey cloaks one might forget that someone as important as the Ambassador of Atlantis lived here and officiated.

The non-commissioned officer walked with a steady step leading them deeper and deeper into the mansion, after a while they stood in front of the double doors and the sergeant put his hand on the handle.

-Please wait a moment.- He said in a polite tone and slipped inside.

The clerk did not even flinch as he looked at the two guards standing at the entrance. They had calm faces, exuding some sort of strange confidence. Draco didn't quite know what to make of them. Nor did he know what would happen now. He had supposedly heard enough from the Council President, but it hadn't quite occurred to him what the change of citizenship actually meant. He had no head for worrying about such details. What interested him now was why he suddenly landed in front of the door of the Atlantean Ambassador's office in Dagos, as if it was nothing whatsoever.

The door opened and a sergeant stepped out. He smiled slightly upon meeting Draco's gaze, but when he glanced fleetingly at the official the young dragon could have sworn he furrowed his brow with disapproval. He didn't know what he could have been concerned about, but he sensed something like that in the soldier's gaze.

The sergeant stood for a moment listening for something from the room. Finally, he smiled wider and opened the door with a smooth gesture.

-The Ambassador invites you in.- He said quietly and stepped back from the passage.

Draco swallowed his saliva and moved ahead, knowing there was no other option. He was only now beginning to regain his sober mind, which had been lost somewhere when he was called out of Professor Bescet's lecture. There were only a few people in the large room. Six men stood on the left by the fireplace, one of them an infantry officer. Probably a colonel. The other three were wearing the navy blue robes of mages. Some senior officials. It flashed through his mind.

On the other side of the room stood another group. Three people. The closest stood a tall man of about forty in a white robe with gold accessories. The Ambassador. It came from somewhere in the depths of the dragon's mind. The other two did not seem to be permanent residents or employees of the Embassy. The man wore a pale blue robe with the distinctions of a colonel, and immediately behind him stood a beautiful woman in a black dress. An officer of the Royal Guard of Atlantis and an elven woman. Summarised the dragon briefly. She was smiling warmly, and one could see curiosity in her eyes. The Guardsman, on the other hand, looked tense, as if he didn't know where he stood and was considering something very quickly while trying to solve some big problem.

Draco stood in front of the Ambassador and bowed as his aunt had taught him. He did it reflexively, but immediately knew it was the right response.