So bright and different, they stood out among other adherents!
One is blond with long hair as gorgeous as that of one of my friend’s northern dragons. The short fiery red hair of the second played with tongues of flame in the breeze. This one of them all smiled at us, as if he was unable to maintain a serious expression on his face for long.
A brown-haired man with wavy hair combed to one side looked from under his brows with squinted eyes, latently evoking a feeling of anxiety. Completely inexperienced in romantic relationships, I instantly realized that it was better to stay away from people like him.
But most of all I was impressed by the brown-haired, gloomy guy who walked with them, but seemed to be on his own. He didn’t even turn his head at us, and I experienced mixed feelings. Slight offense and interest. Offense because he didn’t consider us worthy of attention, but interest because I didn’t have time to see his face and eye color. All that remained was to admire the spread of the shoulders, covered with a uniform jacket, and the neck peeking out from the collar.
I didn't think so, did I? Does he have tattoos there similar to those of Beate H?gel? Is he also a dragon from a junior branch of the ruling family?
Stealthily looking at the broad backs and stately figures, I got distracted, and suddenly something forcefully poked me under the knees! It all happened so suddenly that I almost fell and, in order to maintain my balance, I stepped forward, finding myself out of line.
– Ashsheri Blackrock, did you want something? – Felsen Schwartz immediately drew attention to me.
– Y-yes, escher rector. I… I forgot something on the stagecoach. And now I remember. A very important thing, dear to the heart…
The rector grinned condescendingly, and my father stared at me with disapproval. “Well, since you’re so dear that you decided to interrupt me, so be it.” Go and get it. We will wait.
– Simka, why did you set me up like that? – I hissed at the simuran angrily. “Thank you!” Excuse me… – I stammered, blushing, and hastily disappeared inside the stagecoach. There, as I expected, the culprit of the incident was hiding. That's who pushed me out of line!
My friend looked at me reproachfully and, wagging his tail, placed a ball that had come from out of nowhere on the floor in front of me.
– Do you think now is the right time for games?! – I was indignant.
No! It wasn't a ball! This was something different. A ball as black as darkness itself, covered with orange dragon writing, which suddenly flashed and glowed. In surprise, I stumbled back and grabbed the wall.
Dragon Focus – that's what it was like!
Having survived the first shock, she stretched out her hand to pick it up, but at the very last moment she stopped, without touching the precious surface.
– Where did you take it? – asked Simka in a whisper.
Simuran growled, slightly spread his wings and stamped his paw.
“Are you saying it was flying through the air on its own, and you just intercepted it and brought it to me?” – As always, in some miraculous way I deciphered his explanation.
Simka snorted in agreement, confirming that this was all true.
– Mirre, why are you hiding here? Let's go outside quickly! – Alan Nett looked into the salon and, seeing the simuran, was indignant: – Well, I knew that he would cause problems! Simka, sit here and keep your head down. Soon the stagecoach will be driven to the parking lot, and you will get out there. Understood? Don't let your mistress down again!
Uncle Alan did not notice the artifact lying on the floor.
There was no point in testing the rector’s patience on the first day. Moreover, it was not worth testing my father’s patience. He will try to get me sent back to the boarding school. Even without that, I was already anticipating a severe reprimand from the Duke of Blackrock. It was worth following Uncle Alan's advice as soon as possible.
I sat down next to the artifact again. It was a little scary to touch him, but why not leave him here? If I'm not mistaken, and this is really what I think, then… This is priceless! The Focus cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.
She decisively grabbed the ball, put it in her coat pocket and froze. Moments passed, but nothing happened. No security charms worked and nothing suspicious happened. Exhaling with relief, I got out of the stagecoach and, as if nothing had happened, took my place in the ranks, ignoring Ada’s questioning glance and the curious sisters.
Chapter 5
Ethan Derberg, onyx dragon, adept of the Academy of Wind and Storms. Border of Onyx Rocks and the Steppe of the Seventeen Winds
Same morning, a little earlier…
The village at the Academy of Wind and Storms was called Dream-on-the-Veterke, but my friends and I simply called it – Village. Here you could find anything, from a sweet shop to accessories from famous fashion houses. From artifacts and tailoring and clothing repair services, to weapons counters where you could forge a unique blade to order. And there were countless different eateries with menus for every taste and budget in the Village. Every famous house that produces anything considered it good form to open a store in this village. In general, there was everything here to make adherents from all over Balaria shake their wallets.
During the first week of autumn, adherents gathered in advance to study. So my friends and I, while waiting for classes, decided to properly celebrate the beginning of the new school year. All that night we openly reveled, so we returned to the academy only in the early morning, which turned out to be surprisingly nasty to the delight of the water spirits. However, as always in these parts.
It was drizzling, the gray walls of the buildings seemed especially gray, and gusts of wind from the sea pierced through the clothes. However, nothing that cannot be corrected with the help of elemental magic. My head was noisy with songs, dances, chatter and guffaws from friends who missed me during the holidays and the whispers of local beauties promising pleasure for just a few silver lire. I dreamed of one thing – to quickly get to my bed and lie down.
– Let's wait a little, the new ones are about to arrive. I want to see if any of them have cute faces,” suggested Jed Flammer.
Despite the sleepless night, he looked very cheerful and cheerful. It’s always the same with redheads, as with fire fighters in general. Even on the gloomiest day they seem to glow.
– Shut down, Jed! Don't fuss! – I lazily growled.
– Come on, Ethan! Isn't it interesting to look at girls? – he asked peacefully.
– Flammer, haven’t you seen enough of girls yet? Your freckled nose didn’t come out of Fat Greta’s neckline all night! – Caius Delamille teased him.
– Look who's Talking! – Jed mimicked him.
“But I think girls have nothing to do here!” – Aiz, who had been gloomily silent all morning, spoke up.
“Goldilocks, are you afraid that one of them will have more beautiful hair than you?” Don't worry. You are beyond competition!
Jed pulled Aiz by a long blond lock and immediately pulled back with a laugh, dodging the blow. But Ezeroth Ramlin didn't even smile. The malachite dragon has always been overly serious. Sighing at Jade's stupidity, he explained as if for a little one:
– Flammer, that's not the point. These girls are dangerous to us.
– What is it? – Kayu grinned condescendingly.
– Don't you understand? They were sent here for a reason. Very soon they will get used to it and start hunting! – Aze explained.
– OU! Well, I don't mind being hunted by a couple of beauties! – Contrary to expectations, the restless Freckled One became inspired.
“Jed, it seems you don’t understand.” These girls are from noble families. Stay away from them if you don't want to die in your prime! – Aiz’s patience was running out, judging by the green lights lighting up in his pupils.
– Why should I die? Do you think I can’t handle two or three at a time? – Freckled arched his eyebrow dashingly.
“I think you’re thinking with the wrong head!” If you make an attempt on even one of these girls, her parents will strangle you! – Malachite flared up.
“For the causal place,” Kayu added with a laugh.
“You’ll just have to get married and that’s all,” I remarked calmly, which scared Freckled Man much more than everyone else.
– Marry?! Nope! I pass! – Jed finally realized, but then added: “But can we look at them?”
In fact, I was also interested in what kind of crazy people agreed to come here, but I didn’t show it. It would not do for the second heir to the Onyx Throne to show excessive interest in girls.
Yielding to an impulse, I put my hand into the pocket of my camisole and felt there the Focus of the Onyx Dragon, which I had stolen from my uncle’s office.
The senior adepts of the Academy of Wind and Storms preferred to use not the main gate, but the secret gate leading to the park. From there you could go straight to campus and not flit around in everyone's sight. Through the same gate, adherents left the territory or returned at odd times when the gates were closed. At times, it seemed to me that it was deliberately invented so that revelers like us would not discredit the glorious institution with their indecent appearance, wandering through the square in front of the academy.
Today, the crimson-clad kerns, euonymus and abelias in the park seemed overly elegant to me. The state of my soul was as gloomy and dark gray as the weather and the ubiquitous stone, but I wanted even more gray, and my unsightly act was to blame. This is probably why I sat alone all night drinking, not taking part in the general fun. I kept thinking about how my uncle was going crazy, how the servants and guards were knocked off their feet, turning the palace upside down, and I was very, very ashamed, but I simply could not do otherwise.
It all started with the fact that my cousin Mikael, to make him feel empty, made things worse again, and in the end we both suffered. My uncle called us for a conversation, and I had to listen to his lectures. Then endure a difficult conversation about how it’s time for the two of us to settle down and not disgrace the glorious Derberg family with our adventures. Although I still don’t understand, what does this have to do with me? And at the very end, my uncle set a condition for us that he would review the order of succession to the throne, in favor of the one of us who would be the first to find a bride. Yes, not just any, but a true couple, as befits a dragon of the ruling family.
This condition greatly complicated the task, but gave me an advantage as the second heir. But Mikael, who was already asleep and saw himself as the ruler of the Onyx Rocks, on the contrary, was seriously worried. He was no longer the first crown prince, just as I was no longer the second. From now on, we are on equal terms, which makes Mika hate me even more. But I didn't care about my cousin's feelings. I just punched him in the face and broke his nose, no matter what the guys said. Did I need at least some kind of compensation for all the shame that I experienced through his fault, listening to my uncle’s reprimands?
Ignoring Mika's threats and scolding, I left. And yet one phrase of his caught my attention and made me think. Mikael swore that he would do everything to ensure that I would never be able to find a bride in my life. Neither true nor any other.
What could this mean?
Yes, anything when it came to Mikael Derberg. To the point that this idiot will decide to deprive everyone of honor who agrees to give me their hand and heart.
The cousin was two years older. Handsome, smart. He graduated from the academy with honors and became an excellent naturalist, as befits the first heir. But much better than studying, Mika knew how to lie and pretend. And also – to humiliate people and mock the weak and those who could not fight back. This was at the top of his list of entertainments. He even indulged in gambling with less enthusiasm.
For a long time I myself did not believe the rumors that occasionally reached me, believing that someone wanted to denigrate the future ruler, until I witnessed how my cousin was having fun in person. And most importantly, he got away with everything! Well, Mika knew how to solve problems. And he chose his victims carefully, taking care of his own reputation. Those who will be easy to cajole, give money or simply intimidate. He did this excellently.
And if something got out of control, Uncle Olaf – his father and my second uncle – got involved. In dealing with the “petty pranks” of his beloved son, he spared no expense.
I have neither father nor mother left, only Uncle Eric. It was he who supported me when the misfortune happened. The misfortune affected not only northern dragons, but also onyx ones. It did not affect anyone, but the ruling family. Six years ago I was left alone, around the same time the Lord of the Onyx Rocks lost his wife and daughter. Both of them changed their hypostasis mid-flight and crashed. Both cases were strictly classified so that panic would not set in, surveillance of the sources was intensified, and my uncle began to leave the house much less often and almost never took off.
Only by supporting each other, we were able to survive.
But in the last two years a lot has changed. The dragons returned to tradition in matters of marriage, and it all started again with the northerners. They coped with the Adversity, and we also became calmer. The sources have indeed stabilized, and the risk of flights has disappeared. But the freedom of choice is gone. And the elements are with her!
– Through the main entrance! – I commanded irritably, walking past the gate.
The guys followed me silently, only Jed frowned:
– Through the main one? Are you serious, Ethan? It's a hook!
Freckled always expressed everything that was on his mind, but he preferred to walk in a roundabout way, as if compensating for his own straightforwardness
–What are you dissatisfied with, Flammer? “He himself wanted to look at the adepts,” Kaya sarcastically told him.
– Then, it's OK! – The fireman instantly became humble and inspired. He was unable to remain silent for a long time, so he pestered Ramlin: “Aiz, I still don’t understand why you were afraid?”
– What are you talking about? – Malachite responded gloomily.
– About hunting! You were so worried that girls would start hunting guys, but you, dragons, now only marry the true ones. What do you have to fear?
“Oh, believe me, this won’t stop some pretty face from dragging him into bed, and then accusing him of all his sins and forcefully marrying him,” answered Kaya instead of Eiz.
– The scheme is too complicated, don’t you think? – Freckled waved him off.
– Proven for centuries! – I smiled crookedly. “Even a dragon won’t be able to escape.” The girls are probably all from noble families, so keep your pants tied, guys.
– N-yes… I'm so glad I was born a human! There is no need to stress when choosing a life partner. Even if they marry by force, it’s not scary, like you dragons,” Jed blurted out without thinking.
– Don't tell me! A marriage with a true couple will always be successful. This is a perfect match of characters, loyalty, healthy offspring,” Eizeroth began to describe the advantages of truth. – And you, the magicians, have pure roulette. If you marry unsuccessfully, you will suffer for the rest of your life. And so that the magic does not burn out, you will have to choose your soul mate not by their figure or cute face, but by the strength of their gift. So there is a high probability of getting a scary or quarrelsome wife, and, moreover, gifted in such a way that it will not seem a little. But who won’t you marry in order to preserve the magic of the family?
– Oh, don't be dramatic! All you have to do is be patient until the children are born, and then you can get a divorce,” retorted the resilient Freckled One. – Again, walk left and right as much as you like. Not like you dragons. Got married, and no, no! I can't do that. “I don’t look at the same neckline twice,” he said with conviction. – I stand for diversity and freedom, here!
“On the contrary, I envy dragons in this regard,” he expressed an unexpected opinion to Kai, who was much more loving than Jed, he just didn’t talk about it. – This is a true couple! With her you will really be happy, and you won’t have to spend your whole life tossing and searching for a fresh neckline. I wish I could do the same… – He sighed sadly.
Aiz nodded contentedly, rejoicing at the unexpected support, and I again put my hand in my pocket and clenched the Focus in my fist, which I stole from under Mika’s nose so that he would not do the same first. I had no doubt that my cousin was going to do this. He planned to accuse me of theft. I accidentally overheard his conversation with Uncle Olaf, so I decided to take the lead. I immediately went to Uncle Eric's office and took the Focus with me. I will return it to him personally, obey him and explain everything when the right time comes. In the meantime, let it stay with me – safe and sound.
By that time, I had time to thoroughly think about what had happened and understood a lot. Uncle Eric started all this for a reason, and Mika’s adventures have nothing to do with it. He had long doubted his eldest nephew’s ability to rule the state, so he put on a whole performance to give me a chance to compete for the throne with my cousin on equal terms. Surely, my uncle will forgive me the same day I present him with the true truth. But there is very little chance of finding her in an academy where only men study. Except that…
I stared at the Travel Bureau stagecoach hovering outside the main building. The deans and teachers, led by the rector, gathered on the porch itself. Come on! I don't think I'll be so lucky.
– The girls have arrived! We’re on time,” Flammer noted. “But you can’t see them from here.”
– But what an intrigue! – He grinned at Kai, and then, turning more serious, added: – Just imagine, the dragon doesn’t even need to see them if he decides to make a choice.
What wise thought did your friend express?
“This is a true couple! With her you will really be happy.”
On impulse, I took the Focus from my pocket.
– Now we’ll check it…
– Fuck! – Freckled cursed, gawking at the artifact in my hand.
“Ethan, is this what I think it is?” – Kayu stared at the Focus, and his eyes flashed greedily.
Aiz somehow got all sorted out. His nostrils flared and his pupils turned emerald.
– How did you get it? – he asked dully.
“I stole it from my uncle,” I answered defiantly.
The friends looked at each other, but said nothing. And I stood, holding Focus at arm’s length, like in the pictures in the children’s books that my mother read to me, and felt like an idiot. What should we do with him next?
My uncle showed me the cache where the Focus was kept only once, and even admitted that he had found it with my aunt’s help. At that time it was not fashionable among young people, and he did everything in secret, without telling anyone anything. It seemed terribly unfair to me that it was Uncle Eric who was touched by the Misfortune, depriving not only his beloved wife, but also a true couple.
There were no instructions for activating the Focus in the cache, but I suspect there was some kind of ritual or spell that I didn’t bother to find out about. But it’s understandable, I didn’t intend to get married. It was a hard pull, I decided to show off! So what's now? Maybe I should ask Aiz?
Oh no! My reputation cannot withstand such a blow. We are both contenders, albeit for different thrones, and competition between authorities in this situation is inevitable, which did not interfere with our friendship. But now is a completely different moment. Moments passed, but still nothing happened. I began to regret starting all this. Maybe pretend he was joking? At least I won’t embarrass myself, otherwise Kai will giggle at my failed attempt for the rest of his days, and Aze will look on with superiority.
– Ethan, can I touch it? – Kaya suddenly asked in a trembling voice. “I’ll just touch it once and that’s it.” Maybe I can figure out how to come up with something similar for magicians?
