-First, I wanted to show you something.- He said and, dodging old boxes, moved to the other side of the room. He did not look back, hearing perfectly well that the others were also rummaging around in their places. He stopped at an empty recess in the wall. For a moment, he looked at the decoration, a relief depicting an orchard with various trees and flowers. He repeated Oscar's instructions in his mind. Four apples. Two oranges. Three lemons. One rose. He pressed the appropriate elements to hear a dull thud and the recess swung inward. With an exhalation, he pushed the entrance, which opened inward. The dark interior of the long passageway did not encourage him to venture inside. He whispered a few well-known and often-used words, and seven spheres of golden light appeared around him, with chains of dragon runes floating inside them. The luminous spheres followed the dragon as he ventured into the dark passageway. The illuminated corridor was still equally uninviting, but fortunately it was not as long as it seemed at first, and after a few steps it turned right and ended with a door. Draco confidently opened it and entered the spacious interior. The circular room was built entirely of white marble interspersed with silver veins. Crystal lamps were set at regular intervals on the smooth walls, which glowed with a strong, glaring light as soon as the dragon touched one of them. The centre of the room was lowered and covered with fine white sand. On the other side was a pedestal with a sloping desk.
-Ring?- Kei stopped almost at the entrance.
-Apparently, it comes from the previous estate.- Draco moved towards the pedestal.- At least that's what Oscar says. - He threw over his shoulder. It seemed that all four of them were scared again. - From what he told me, it's one of several parts from the ruined palace that stood here before the master's father bought it and rebuilt it to his liking.
-Why do we need a ring?- Ari bristled again and looked around suspiciously.
-There's a barrier here.- The dragon stopped at the console and looked thoughtfully at the protruding crystals and empty spaces. He moved one of the crystals and a greyish barrier surrounded the entire ring. The floor of the ring and the ceiling above it sparkled with grey symbols that changed so smoothly that it was impossible to read the spell. - I said that you can't just isolate someone in a barrier, because it results in deeper trauma later on, but on the other hand, you need some kind of protection. - He smiled apologetically at the animorph, and Kei nodded quickly in understanding. The other three clearly also came to the conclusion that it was logical, but they were not happy about it at all. Draco took out the crystal and the barrier went out. The dragon touched another crystal and focused on his energy, gently beginning to pour power into the artefact until he felt it was fully charged. The reptile took his hand away and shook his fingers, trying to get rid of the unpleasant tingling sensation. Meanwhile, the soldiers approached and looked at the console.- There's enough energy to maintain the barrier for about thirty minutes. To activate it, you have to move this crystal here.- He pointed, knowing that they were watching him closely.- This is where you transfer the energy to maintain the spell.
-Now all we need is a dragon.- Vi sighed heavily.- We'll probably have to wait a little longer.- He patted Kei on the back.- At least now we know how and where.
-Not necessarily...- Draco muttered and, dodging the console, jumped onto the sand. The entire arena was thirty paces in diameter, so it was quite large. The dragon walked to the centre of the room. -It would be best to start right away, wouldn't it?- He turned to the soldiers.
-So you do know someone besides James in the city after all. - The elf probably meant to be sarcastic, but the relief in his voice was so clear that it overshadowed everything else.
-No. Unless you count everyone I met at the banquet yesterday.- Draco smiled crookedly and nodded to Kei. The animorph instinctively jumped onto the ring, only realising what he was doing when he hit the fine sand.
-I don't know what you're trying to do, but it's not safe.- The lycanthrope realised with confusion. Shifting from foot to foot, he glanced at his friends. The other three were just as confused as Kei.
Draco shook his head and slowly moved towards the soldier. He felt that at that moment he had much less resistance to what he wanted to do now, and revealing his identity to Master Vittoro. He stood in front of Kei, looked over his shoulder, and eyed Ari, Vi, and Forth. He raised his hand to pat the animorph on the shoulder, but a heavy dragon's paw had already fallen on his shoulder, causing the boy's knees to buckle. Draco now looked down at the lycanthrope, bending his neck sharply. He saw his own golden eyes reflected in Kei's wide eyes, and the glimmers of the orbs of light still floating around. One of the spheres touched the tip of his wing, and the reptile reflexively spread it and growled. The animorph wanted to take a step back, but the powerful paw held him in place.
-This explains a lot...- Forth gasped, falling back against the wall.- And raises many questions...- He added, shifting his gaze from the huge black dragon to the golden lights still floating around him.
-W-What...- Kei stammered.
-You're lucky.- Draco bared all his teeth.- If you want, we can try it today. As I said, it won't help right away, but the sooner we start, the better. - He shifted his gaze to the others. Forth remained by the wall he had bumped into, Ari took a step back, and Vi moved aside. Of the three, the elf, under the influence of the golden eyes, looked down, confused.
-Sorry, it's my first time seeing a dragon up close. - He said, taking a step forward. - Hearing and watching from a distance is one thing, standing within arm's reach is another.
-Yhy...- Forth, sobered by his friend's voice, also stepped forward, returning to his position at the console. -Especially if you don't expect it.- He said almost in a whisper. -Does...?- He didn't finish the question, clearly having no idea how to ask it without offending anyone.
-Yes, the master knows.- Draco recalled his first, unexpected and rather violent encounter with his guardian. - Anyway, that's how he saw me the first time. He was surprised by my magic only later. - He added, stabbing one of the luminous spheres with the claw of his free hand. The spell he had cast earlier was not saturated with a large amount of mana, so it could dissipate at any moment. If he had decided to use a simpler version, which required constant fuelling by the caster, the luminous spheres would have disappeared with the transformation.- As he said, I am the exception that proves the rule.
-I'm an idiot...- Forth gasped.- I should have realised earlier.
Vi and Ari looked at him questioningly.
-What do you mean?- The dwarf relaxed his tense shoulders and approached the desk casually.
-It's obvious.- The vampire made an apologetic face.- I don't want to sound judgemental, it's just an objective observation.- Draco nodded, and Forth continued, counting on his fingers. - The physique, enormous strength and speed, endurance equal to Kei's, even though it got cold today, you only noticed that the light was dim, an aggressive fighting stance that doesn't focus on your own safety, involuntarily ducking your head when passing through tall doors, as if you were used to being taller, and a few other minor things... - He looked into the curious dragon's eyes. - However, the very fact that you wield magic made me fail to connect the dots...
-Great!- Kei almost shouted. -We can discuss these observations later.- The animorph was still slightly bent under the weight of the paw resting on his shoulder. -Will it work?- He asked, gripping the dragon's forearm tightly and looking at him almost pleadingly.
-Kei...- Draco swallowed. He wasn't used to someone relying on him, especially with such a high degree of trust. - I've used this book several times. - He began less confidently than he would have liked. - It has been helpful every time, so I have no reason to doubt it. Besides, the case descriptions and analyses were very accurate... It will work, Kei. - He assured him, feeling strange seeing the relief on the lycanthrope's face.
-Are you sure?- Ari looked worried and concerned.
-If Kei wants to try, I'll help him.- The dragon said with a certainty that surprised even him.- But the decision is his.- He patted the animorph on the shoulder again.
-I want to try.- The lycanthrope clung to his new hope.- No matter what happens, I want to try.
Ari sighed and rubbed his eyes heavily. The elf glanced at the vampire and the dwarf. Vi merely shrugged and leaned against the pedestal, while Forth calmly crossed his arms over his chest.
-If it helps, it's worth the risk.- The long-eared one said with slight distraction, glancing at the dragon and then at the barrier control panel.- I understand that we just have to make sure that the spell doesn't disappear on its own.
-If I may ask you to do that.- Draco shrugged his shoulders somewhat nervously.- Shall we begin?- He turned to the animorph, who was about to answer, but froze mid-breath.
-Just a moment...- The lycanthrope began to untie his shirt with fingers trembling with nervousness.
-Kei...?- The reptile asked slowly as the soldier's shirt flew across the room and hit the wall.
-Yes?- The animorph looked over his shoulder, stopping his attempts to unbutton his trousers. He looked at himself, then at the other soldiers. -Oh, you probably don't know...- He went back to undressing. - My transformation is different from a dragon's. I read about it. - He glanced over his shoulder again. - Not magical, but physical. - He added, throwing one of his boots to follow the shirt. - So either I undress now, or everything will be ruined, and believe me, it wouldn't be the first time. - He added sourly, and the second boot landed next to the first. - Besides, I want to have something to wear back to the barracks. - All the items of clothing landed next to each other, and Kei stretched and scratched his red hair. He was well-built, almost fat-free, like a dragon, and from that alone, it was clear that he spared no effort during his workouts.
-You could have put them away properly instead of throwing them around.- Forth muttered, clearly disgusted by his friend's carelessness.
-Really, after all these years of living together, you're still not bored of it?- Vi looked at the vampire intently.- Every day you see the mess he leaves on his bunk, and you're still surprised that he throws his clothes around in public?
-He's just hoping that by pointing it out every day, it will finally get through to Kei. - The elf shrugged, and the lycanthrope blushed.
-It's not that bad!- He began energetically. -Besides, it's comfortable!- He began to prove his point. -Why waste time cleaning up every day when in the evening...
-Kei, maybe we should get back to what we were doing?- Draco sensed that if he didn't interrupt at that moment, the friendly argument could go on for quite a while.
-Yhhh... Sorry...- Animorph scratched the back of his head again. -So... how do we do this?- He shifted from foot to foot and approached the dragon.
-I'll block your arms and head from behind,- Draco began, remembering how many times he had to free himself from Pirce's thugs.- Before the transformation,- he quickly added.- During the change, I'll hold loosely, and when it's over, I'll tighten my grip and we'll wrestle. Let's hope you don't break free on the first try and finally lose consciousness from exhaustion.
-Simple... - The redhead laughed nervously. - So... Shall we begin? - He asked, turning slightly pale. The perspective of voluntary transformation did not appeal to him very much.
-Okay.- The dragon smiled encouragingly and looked around, assessing that they were more or less in the middle.- Turn around and spread your arms out to the sides. - He instructed and stretched his arms. The animorph immediately obeyed and waited. Draco, well aware that he could easily hurt Kei at this point, very carefully leaned forward, moved his paws from behind and intertwined his hands on the boy's neck. At that moment, it seemed that the soldier would not be able to free himself from the overwhelming dragon, but that was about to change quickly.
-Now carefully.- The reptile spoke quietly, mindful that his mouth was at the height of the animorph's ear. He could sense that the boy was tense.- I know it's difficult. Take a few deep breaths, calm your breathing... Good.- He added, feeling Kei relax a little.- Barrier.- He shouted to the others, who hesitantly cast the spell. The interior of the ring was closed off, and interestingly, the surroundings were not visible. A grey mist effectively blocked the view.- Now, let's take the plunge.
Animorph just nodded and, with his face turning green, closed his eyes. For a moment, nothing happened, and Draco was about to speak, but he felt the body he was holding suddenly stiffen and then tense up completely. Kei threw his head back with a scream that turned into a howl. His tense muscles began to swell, growing at a rapid pace, his bones lengthening, deforming and changing position with an unpleasant sound. The boy wanted to bend in half, but held by the dragon, he only curled up in the air. His skin became covered with fine red hairs, which grew very quickly and became thicker. His fur darkened from brick red to warm brown to deep brown. The lycanthrope suddenly straightened up, hitting the floor with his paws. The double ankle joint gently cushioned the heavy fall. Hearing a muffled growl, the dragon quickly tightened his grip, blocking his outstretched arms and wolf's head. A quick glance was enough to assess his opponent. In this form, Kei was almost a head shorter than the dragon, but broader in the shoulders and chest. Underneath his short, thick brown fur, monstrous muscles flexed and relaxed in time with the shape-shifter's panting. The top of his head, his protruding ears, and the stripe running along his spine to the tip of his tail remained red, as did the inverted teardrop-shaped patch on his chest and the tops of his powerful paws, armed with deadly claws. The wolf's head turned slightly and emerald eyes glanced at Draco. Kei bared his fangs and howled again, tensing up. The tug was sudden and extremely strong. The dragon felt himself losing his balance, so he instinctively flapped his wings in the other direction. The reptile realised that it would be more difficult than he had thought. Although driven by instinct and unaware of his actions, Kei remained incredibly strong. Draco tensed up and strengthened his grip as much as possible, this time without having to worry about hurting the animorph. At the same time, he countered the lycanthrope's sudden bursts by flapping his wings and supporting himself with his tail. He focused only on holding him, although the increasingly frequent attempts to bite him did not inspire confidence. Kei struggled and thrashed about, trying to pull his paws free or turn his head and clamp his powerful jaws on the arm holding him. He fought for a long time. It was difficult for the dragon to tell at what point the boy he was holding began to lose strength. His struggles simply became less frequent and more desperate, until Draco found himself struggling to hold the limp wolf's body, apparently devoid of strength, yet the animorph still tried to twist his head and bite. Finally, Kei froze, but the dragon did not loosen his grip. Only after a moment did he feel the lycanthrope become lighter and begin to slip away. The return transformation was much slower and less violent. The boy seemed to be shrinking and losing his fur. Draco, making sure that he was indeed unconscious, gently laid Kei down on the sand. The animorph seemed to be in a deep sleep.