Chapter 13 (1/3)

He was waiting to see what would happen now. He himself wasn't sure why he did it, but still, it happened, he said. Darius left it up to him to decide, surely knowing how it would end.

The blacksmith was the first to react. The big man stared at him with shock and disbelief written all over his face, and after a moment he burst out laughing at what could be compared to an infantry company volley. His laughter reverberated throughout the workshop making the air tremble.

-Great joke!- Matheo finally mouthed as he tried to wipe away the tears dripping from his eyes.-Really.- He turned towards his wife with a broad smile.-The boy has a good sense of humour. I've yet to see someone wield magic like that, and...- He turned around and froze in mid-sentence when his eyes met the golden dragon lights. His wife looked similarly, and James nearly fell over when the dragon unfurled his wings to their full span and then slowly folded them behind his back. Only the brothers didn't look so shocked, as if it had come to them quicker and they could swallow something so amazing more easily.

-We can get to work even now.- The dragon crossed his paws over his chest while tilting his head.- Unless Master Vittoro needs a break.- He smiled revealing a suit of white, razor-sharp teeth.

The blacksmith slowly took a few steps back and sat heavily on the large anvil all the while not taking his eyes off the dragon. James did not flinch as he looked at him with a mixture of fascination and disbelief.

-The break will be rather more than necessary,- stated Bleist walking up to his friend and pinching his cheek to which the latter did not react.-You are exaggerating,- he muttered shaking his head.

-It's hardly surprising.- Stammered Angus, who was the fastest to recover from the shock he had experienced.-A dragon wielding magic.- He said quietly, as if he didn't quite believe it yet.-Something like that should be impossible, it goes against the basic principles of magic.

-The exception that proves the rule.- Bleist smiled at the twins.-Come on, get a grip.-He poked his friend hard enough to make him wobble on his anvil.-You don't give a very good impression to your collaborator.-He added when Matheo moved.

-I... This, that...-The blacksmith stammered slightly.-I'm sorry.-He said shaking himself off and rising from his seat.-You just surprised me.-He smiled looking at the dragon.-You really have found yourself an unusual apprentice.-He added looking at Darius.

James snapped out of his stupor at the sound of his mentor's voice and muttered an apology for his inappropriate behaviour.

Draco only smiled slightly. He knew they would be shocked, but he was actually afraid of their reaction to such revelations. However, it seemed that, apart from the general surprise and shock, there was mostly curiosity emanating from everyone, rather than the open hostility he had somewhere subconsciously expected. He did not even dare to think what might have happened, but he trusted his master's judgement and showed them his dragon form without hesitation.

-I guess unfortunately you won't be able to start right away.- Bleist muttered after a while looking at his pocket watch.-It's already late and I think Oscar will be unhappy that I'm behind schedule again anyway.- He added with an apologetic smile.- It was really a pleasure to be able to meet you today, despite the unpleasant events of course.- He gave a farewell nod to Fiora and nodded to the brothers and James before shaking Matheo's hand.- Come to dinner, we'll talk and you'll make an appointment with Draco for some kind of specific date as far as working on the armour is concerned.

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For a long moment James could not believe what he was seeing. Only a second ago he was looking at the young mage in the blue cloak looking at them with mild amusement, and after only a short while he was staring at the overwhelming figure of a dragon with a powerful physique, exuding strength. He now knew by what miracle Draco had been able to react so quickly and with such strength before. However, he couldn't believe that the boy was that amazing. It was the first time he had heard of something as unusual as a dragon wielding magic, and quite a powerful wizard at that, he thought after the earlier display of power.

He only shook himself off when he heard Matheo speak and then realised he was staring at the dragon with his mouth open. He quickly picked himself up and apologised in a low voice. He noticed that for a brief moment Draco was watching him with golden eyes as if to gauge his reaction and attitude. He looked tense and only began to relax after a moment.

Bleist started to say goodbye to them with a sour face while looking at his watch. As he shook Matheo's hand Draco walked over to the brothers and held out his hand with a smile on his human face. They quickly exchanged a few sentences and then the dragon approached James. The elf did not expect this.

-I hope to see you again soon.- The dragon spoke sincerely which really surprised James.-I have no friends in the city, so you can expect to see me here quite often.- He added loud enough that only the elf heard him.

-I think no one will mind.- replied James with a slight smile.-And Master Matheo will even be delighted.

As soon as Bleist broke free from the blacksmith's powerful grasp Draco was beside him momentarily. They said their goodbyes once more and left through the dilapidated part of the shop.

-I didn't expect that.- Matheo said, combing his beard in contemplation.-The boy is really interesting.- He mused, staring at the spot where only a moment ago two figures in blue cloaks could be seen. He only came back to reality when his wife called him by name and nodded significantly towards the demolished shop.-Yes, of course.-He muttered moving reluctantly from his seat.-We need to clean up a bit here and secure everything somehow.-He pointed to the mess at the entrance.-Then you will help me prepare the armour.-He added with a glint in his eyes.

-You haven't planned anything yet darling.- Said Fiora grabbing her husband's hand.

-Hmmm... Darius has invited us to dinner, and I'm not about to turn down his offer, so...-He shrugged his powerful shoulders and set off to get to work.

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Darius did not feel like listening to Oscar's long lecture, so he did not hurry back, but rather delayed it, although he was well aware that he was only adding to the fire that was undoubtedly already burning in the sight of the old majordomo.

He chose the longer way back wanting also to show his pupil a bit of the city. He took him to the central square and showed him the great library and the administration buildings, before taking a circuitous route through the commercial district of Dorvus. Using the carriage, they did not talk on the way about what had happened at Matheo's house, although the mage felt that the dragon wanted to speak to him, while realising that it was not the best time. Draco only asked questions about the organisation of the city and some general matters, he did not inquire about what he was most curious about. Darius was pleased that the dragon was showing patience and not being restless.

It was only as they approached Bleist's estate that his apprentice began to look around nervously. They were in Rithien - a villa district and one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the city. The entire Atlantean aristocracy, wealthy merchants and the kingdom's senior military and scientific staff lived here. He was sincerely not surprised by the confusion of his protégé, who was unlikely to fully realise that Darius was not only a high-ranking officer, but also one of the richest people in the city. He had inherited the family fortune as the sole heir of his father, who had built it from scratch by discarding the good name of his aristocratic family in favour of a military career. He reached the rank of general in the infantry and won many medals for valour in battle and for the victories he achieved. According to many, he was the best commander the army had had for at least four hundred years, yet despite this, Darius' grandfather never accepted his son's decision and on his deathbed decided to disinherit him.

After his father's death, Darius did not keep in touch with the rest of his family - flesh and blood aristocrats. They, too, wanted nothing to do with him, leading an idyllic life for the fortune that fell to them. This was at least until Darius was promoted to colonel of the Azure Guard and offered the position of military advisor to the Grand Master. Then the whole family suddenly remembered his existence. His cousins unexpectedly needed his advice, invitations to family celebrations began to appear, his aunts wanted to matchmake him and his uncles asked if he would take one of his young cousins, who were just entering the world of magic and beginning to learn, under his wing.

They were surprised when Darius refused invitations and all requests, had no time for meetings and had no interest in the proposals put forward. Despite the lack of any interest, they did not stop bothering him until the day he personally presented his position to them. He said briefly and succinctly that they themselves had thrown his father out of the family and he intended to have nothing to do with them. Since then, he had had no contact with them, instead maintaining a close relationship with his mother's family-one of the larger merchant families with whom he shared the ability to aptly invest his money and increase his wealth.

He wondered how Draco would react to seeing the estate he was to live in. The estate included a palace, a garrison of Bleists' private troops and training fields. He had never wondered why his father had remodelled the whole complex in such a way and always set his sights on employing private units, but after his death Darius decided to run everything the same way. The thought that there was someone nearby who could always help him was heartening and he wondered if his father just missed the army.

Once they were on the final straight and the soldiers in blue cloaks could be seen in front of the main gate, the mage looked at his apprentice. Draco clenched his jaw tightly and his pupils were dilated. Darius smiled under his breath as he observed his protégé's surprise.

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Draco had not previously considered what position his master held in the mage community, but it was only now that he began to realise that Darius was not only highly placed in the army, but was also one of the very wealthy. Just the way the area they were in looked, the large mansions surrounded by high walls, guards standing at the gates, little traffic and regular patrols of the Watch showed the prestige of this district. He wondered how he should behave and it was then that he spotted another gate and the soldiers who stood guard in front of it dressed in cloaks identical in colour to the one Darius wore.

He noticed the master glance at him and swallowed his saliva. They headed towards the passage. The dragon watched the guards with curiosity and some uncertainty. The carriage stopped in front of the gate. When the sentries spotted Darius they immediately stood at attention stamping the heels of their heavy boots. The soldiers seemed not to move and yet Draco could swear they were watching him. Bleist merely nodded to them and led his apprentice inside.

The gate itself was large and reminiscent of medieval fortress fortifications, and so had a long entrance corridor with holes in the ceiling from which attackers of the place could be harassed. Draco remembered studying the sketches of the defensive ramparts and the ways in which they had been forcibly breached a year earlier. He also turned his attention to the gate itself, or rather gates. Two pairs of metre-thick gates, and between them a descending grille covered with some kind of runes.

-My father designed all the buildings and the layout of the complex.- Darius said, breaking the silence. -He was always proud of this design.- He smiled, glancing at his apprentice.

On the other side, the view was also startling. There were towers on either side of the gate, and a parapet ran along the entire wall, the existence of which could not be suspected just by observing everything from the road, as well as the guards positioned on it. Draco realised that he found himself not in the typical mansion of a wealthy mage but in a fortress manned by a private army. He was surprised by this fact.

Beyond the gate was a strip of empty space several metres long, and beyond that began a well-maintained park, which was probably an indispensable part of an estate of this type, though it was surprising to some that Atlantean citizens living deep underwater loved gardens and parks. Draco looked at everything in silence and surveyed every bit of the grounds trying to remember as much as possible. They walked in silence and Darius did not disturb his pupil from admiring his new home.

As soon as they emerged from the small park surrounding the estate they found themselves in front of the palace-the heart of the property. The building resembled many others of its kind, but one could see that it had been designed to evoke the same appearances as the wall. Looking like a typical baroque palace with stone balustrades stretching around the roof, towers and ubiquitous decorations hid its true nature. Any balustrades and columns were ideal places for gunmen to remain out of reach of anyone below. Additionally, the roof appeared to be reinforced which created the possibility of placing cannons or mortars on it, and the same was true of the towers. Draco didn't know why Darius' father had designed a fortress that was ideal for defence, but he was surprised that he liked it himself.

-Welcome to your new home.- Said a smiling Darius looking into the dragon's eyes.

-Thank you, master.- He replied weakly. He didn't know what he should be feeling, but he was sure that what he was able to name in a mixture of feelings at the moment was joy, gratitude, some kind of pride and a desire to fulfil his master's hopes.

-There's nothing to worry about.-Threw Darius looking over his shoulder.-Now hurry up. They're probably already waiting for us.

Draco quickened his stride and caught up with the mage. He felt a little uncertain and was tormented by how he would be received by the other inhabitants of the mansion - Darius's colleagues and subordinates. Before, he hadn't given much thought to how others would receive him, but now he was slowly beginning to think about such things. He could expect everything-from an enthusiastic reaction similar to the one he received from Matheo, through cool acceptance, to hostility based on self-interest. He was aware that there would be many who would not like the fact that Darius had chosen him as his apprentice - someone from nowhere, without any connections or any influence when Bleist had been rejecting offers to accept someone for years. There's nothing to worry about. He thought, taking a deep breath. They were already at the end of the driveway and had climbed the stairs leading up to the mansion- the new home for the dragon.