I woke up on a pile of boxes and blankets. I would’ve gotten up, stretched, curled my tail, and spread my wings, but the back of a covered wagon packed with cargo didn’t give me much room. So I huffed and let my tail slap down on a box to vent my annoyance. Still, this should be the last part of the trip, so I suppose I had that to cheer me up.

The caravan we’d ridden with arrived outside the gates, the place seeming like its own little town. It reminded me of the big university campuses back on Earth, the ones that had basically an entire chunk of the town including stores and restaurants. Made sense, if I was studying here, I wouldn’t want to have to take a three-day ride every time I wanted to eat at a restaurant. Master and I climbed down and got a chance to stretch, while the others got out of the more passenger-oriented carriages and did the same. We could complain about the accommodations, but considering they were free, we probably got the better deal. Well, free, and a bit of fighting… I was a little worried how such things were getting… easier for me… Mostly, I was still feeling a little scared at how close I came to losing Master yesterday. At least Lance seems to have taken well to learning my secret. Well, one of my secrets.

From what we gathered, the caravan was a monthly thing to deliver supplies, and twice a year included a group of prospective students eager for a chance to join the ranks of magic-users. Maybe that’s why I kept thinking of universities, because the kids reminded me so much of college freshmen. Either way, they already had a group to meet us, guiding the guests one way and the goods another. We followed, having braced ourselves for… Well, we weren’t sure what, but things were quite a lot more mundane than we expected. The place we were led had impressive gates, with Light-enchanted lanterns instead of the usual oil-and-flame ones. The prospective students were being brought inside to some kind of entrance hall, for some kind of speech given by the man who visited the tower. So thin and gaunt that I wasn’t entirely convinced he was more than a skeleton wrapped in parchment.

Another man stopped us before we could go inside with the rest. “Ah, Mage Tola, you came. You… brought your animal with you, though?”

“Princess is my partner. She goes where I go.” Master crossed his arms. This sort of exchange was far from new, unfortunately. However, intelligent, talking dragons like me were the exception, not the rule, so I couldn’t exactly blame people for not wanting to let me indoors. Doesn’t mean it didn’t chafe sometimes…

“Well, it’s not an issue, we can keep her in the pens with the other dragons we have.”

“Can’t she stay with me? What’s the issue? I don’t think I want her kept in a pen.”

“Please, we can’t have a dragon wandering around where they could cause problems.”

“Look, we’re here on invitation of the… I believe he said he was the manager, of this branch of the guild? Magister Yenturan. I’m sure he’d let me keep Princess at my side.”

“I’m afraid he’s busy with the welcoming, but we’ll be sure to ask him as soon as he’s available. Until then, I can’t let your animal inside.”

Master looked down at me. “What do you think, girl? Are you okay with being in the pens while I get this sorted out?” He said it in that sort of baby-ish tone of voice one would expect people to use towards a pet. We’d worked it out a long time ago that I could answer small “yes or no” questions without talking, though, so I knew the tone of voice was just a cover.

I flicked my tail a little from side to side, which meant yes. If I had wanted to say no, I would have brought it down to either thump against the ground or curl between my legs. I didn’t want to cause a problem when we just got here, so I was willing to tough it out for a bit, even though I really wanted to explore and see the sights.

“All right, you’re in charge. But! I want her taken good care of, I want her treated well, and I will know if she’s mistreated. Lead the way to the pens, I suppose.”

The man seemed relieved, he was probably used to getting a lot more yelling from mages who thought their skills entitled them to special treatment and being exempt from the rules. He brought us back out the gates of the main building, leading us down roads between other buildings, until we got to what looked like a large, converted barn. The flooring was stone blocks, and most of the interior seems to have been redone in brick instead of wood. I wouldn’t have had to ask even if I was willing to speak, the scents that hit my nose told me exactly why it was like this. There were dragons inside.

I hesitated. The only time I’d met another dragon, well… I didn’t particularly like remembering that time, either. I guess I couldn’t really escape thinking about it, considering the eggs he left me with were getting bigger day by day. But I’d already said I’d do this, I didn’t want to get Master in trouble. I just had to settle down. I’ll get through this. At least each of the dragons was kept in a separate pen, but it still reminded me of The Cage, where I was kept by the mad wizard Elimaio and tortured in an attempt to break me into compliance. Deep breaths, it’s just temporary, it’ll be over in no time. Deep breaths. Just breathe.

Master’s voice was in the background, and so were other voices, but I couldn’t focus on them, couldn’t pay attention. Just breathe. Have to breathe. Master’s hand petted me as I was ushered inside, with fresh meat piled into a bowl and clean water in the bowl next to it. I can do this, I can do it for Master’s sake, I’ll be good. The door closed.

I immediately pressed myself against the bars, paws resting on them, a whimper in my throat. Master knelt down in front of me, reaching through the bars to stroke my neck. “It’s okay, girl. I’ll have you out as soon as I can, all right? I promise.” I licked at his hand and nodded slightly. It was scary when his hand pulled away, but the touch had helped. Made this place feel less like The Cage. I started pacing around the area, too worked up to go after the food yet. I didn’t take my eyes off Master until he left with his guide.

I was alone. I paced a little longer, then I allowed myself to eat. My stomach was aching at having not gotten breakfast. Come to think of it, I don’t remember eating last night, after the fight… I don’t think I did, being too worked up with the close call and making sure Master recovered. Either way, I was hungry now, so I was eating. And this was pretty fresh, I was surprised at the quality I was getting. I didn’t even notice my tail wagging a little until I heard a chuckle from outside the bars. I looked up, tongue licking my lips clean.

“Such a regal color. Hey, keeper, how much is he?” The young man outside was pointing at me, but shouting to someone I couldn’t see. Only the front of the cell was made of bars, the rest were solid brick walls and stone block floor. I heard footsteps, and then saw a face lean in.

“Hm? Oh, this beastie belongs to a guest o’ the Guild, it’s not one of the ones for sale to students.”

“That can’t be right. I want to buy him. How much is he?” Boy, this kid was already on my nerves. I let out a derisive snort.

“Not ours to sell. You’ll have to ask its owner if you want to buy it, gov.”

The student waved off the animal keeper dismissively, continuing to stare at me like I was… I’m not sure what, but I really didn’t like it. “I’ll have you at my side. A strong, majestic beast like you, I deserve such a symbol of my power.”

I huffed again, turning away from him and flicking dust in his direction with my tail. There was fresh meat to be had, and that was more interesting than the ramblings of an entitled idiot.

I was pacing again. The food bowl was empty, and the water bowl was mostly empty as well. I wanted to be let out, where I could be in the open. Where I could stretch out, do my business, exercise, that kind of thing. I had no idea how long it’d been since Master left the building. I was never good about keeping track of the passage of time when I was human, and I was even worse now. I decided to try to lean against the bars and see if I could see anything, since it was better than staring at the empty pen across the hall from me.

On one side, I could see more pens, but I couldn’t see into more than about the one next to the pen across from me. I knew the entrance/exit was in that direction, but I couldn’t see the door itself. On the other, a door that led into what I guessed was a supply closet, perhaps an office of some kind, perhaps both? Next to it was a chair and small desk, where the keeper sat most of the time, keeping an eye on his charges. I could hear the sounds of other dragons moving about in their pens, and I could smell them, but I couldn’t see into any pen that had one. The three across from me were all empty.

I thought about calling out to him, just to mess with his head, but it was probably best not to. Instead, I put a paw through the bars and let out a soft whine. No response. I let out a bit of a louder one. “Hnnnh…! Aurrreh!”

This time, he got up and walked over, looking at me curiously. I stood at the door, tail wagging that he responded, looking up expectantly. But he just stood there, staring back at me. I was used to Master, who I could just talk to, so I wasn’t sure how to pantomime my point across. I tried putting a paw on one of the bars of the cage door.

“Ugh, figures ye’d be a spoiled one. Your owner’s a daft one, don’t even know what’s what when it comes to takin’ care of a dragon.” He muttered as he wandered off back to his desk, leaving me stuck in the cage.

Well, that was less productive than I’d hoped. I huffed a little, as if he had any right to say Master didn’t know how to take care of me. Maybe I should think about breaking out of here, if he’s going to be that rude… But, I really had no idea how to do that. The door was locked, and he held the key. Without that, I’d have to get destructive, and that would cause problems. Well, it wasn’t… too bad. I just had to be patient. I curled up in the center of the cell, idly drawing a claw along the stone blocks of the floor, seeing that leave behind a white line. I was starting to toy with the idea of trying to make some kind of pattern, but realized that might give me away, so I rubbed it with a paw to erase it.

“Oi! Knock it off, ya scaly git!” The words and harsh tone startled me, and I realized I didn’t know how long I’d been batting around the empty food bowl, but the keeper standing outside looked like he wanted to throw things at me. Sheepishly, I scooted it back to where it was originally and sat in the center, tail curled around my paws. After a moment, I guess he was satisfied, and he wandered off muttering again. “Hmph… Worst behaved dragon ever, gonna have to talk to that lad…”

I heard the door open again, and I pressed myself against the bars, trying to see the entrance again. But it wasn’t Master, it was that insufferable brat from earlier back again. My interest was gone, so I went back to sprawling out in the center of the cell and being bored.

“Hey, keeper. I hear you’re the person to ask…” Typical, everything outside of his current interest might as well not exist. Even the “majestic animal” that he just had to have.

“I’m the one to ask about a lot of things, gov.” Hm, that was an oddly guarded tone of voice. Didn’t expect that.

“Including… about scales?” The kid glanced back at the door.

“Depends what you want to know about them. I take care of the animals, after all.”

“About buying them. And how to treat them to get the most out of them.”

There was silence. I got up and moved closer to the bars, so I could watch. “...Don’t know what you’re talking about, boy.”

“I know you sell powdered scales. I have an exam coming up, and I won’t let those no-talent hacks surpass me.”

“I said, I don’t know what you’re talking about, boy.” Every word nearly dripped with venom. “And I suggest you don’t go asking again, or spreading any rumors.”

“I don’t mind the cost, and I know better than to cross those who assist me.” He tossed a pouch on the desk that jingled with coin.

“Keep yer coin, lad. Kid like you can’t handle what I sell, anyway. Don’t need you shoutin’ my name on a wild bender.”

“You’ll regret not being on my side! I am the star pupil of the guild, I’ll be the next Archmage! And you’ll be lucky to still be shoveling dung!”

“Some Archmage, already trying to cheat on exams. I only sell to mages that can handle what I have. Get out before you find yourself having an ‘accident’. And if I even think you’ve breathed a word of this to a single soul…”

The kid snatched his pouch before he stormed out. The plot thickens… This certainly didn’t sound like the kind of operation that was above-board, after all. The keeper was apparently in a bad mood now, pacing up and down the hall between the rows of pens. His eyes fell on me, and I didn’t like the look in them.

With the key in the lock, the door swung open, and he pushed through the entrance, letting it latch behind him. I backed into the corner, in case maybe he was going to do something with the bowls, but I think I already knew he wasn’t going to, the way his eyes never left me. He knelt down in front of me, looking me over. “Gotta admit, for being spoiled, you do certainly look healthy. And that brat kid doesn’t even know his dragons, calling a smooth-horn like you a male.” He reached out with a hand, stroking a horn, and then lightly stroking along my side.

Well, maybe he wasn’t all bad. Maybe he actually did know something about how to treat dragons. “Yeah, you’re a pretty lass, aint’cha? Oh, and look at that belly on ya, ye’ve got a belly full of eggs, eh?” I blushed a bit at how easy it was to tell, but then again, this was an expert. And his hands did feel kinda nice, even if he was pressing a little hard on my scales.

I was just starting to calm down and relax. I think that was the moment he was waiting for, as he used his fingers and thumb to gather a bit of the hide near my flank, causing the scales to separate enough for him to grip one with a pair of tongs, pulling the hardened plate with a quick motion. I let out a yelp and snarled, but he was already pulled away, clearly having done this before. I was so in shock, inspecting the spot where he’d plucked his prize, that by the time I thought to go after him, he’d already let himself out of the cage, turning the key in the lock to secure the door.

“Heh, with a clutch of eggs that far along, you’ll have a lot of essence in your scales. This is gonna be a good one.” I pressed against the bars helplessly, watching as he disappeared into the back room, coming back out in a couple minutes and sitting at his desk as if nothing happened. The only difference was the grin on his face now, and the dull sting near my hip. With nothing I could do, I turned my attention to the spot, which was tender. The overlap of scales meant the part of hide that was exposed was relatively small, but it was still annoying to have any break in my coat. I’d shed scales every so often, as new ones grew under them, and even pulled a couple when they got broken by something, but having a healthy one pulled like that stung. It felt like pulling out a hangnail, it even bled slightly like one.

The pain ebbed into a dull ache, and I sat in the corner. It wasn’t until then that it hit me just how helpless I was like this, without Master around… I could attack the keeper, but then he’d be free to retaliate, and I couldn’t exactly plead my case… I didn’t see anything I could do, if he came back for another scale. I had a mental image of myself, plucked clean, covered in raw and bleeding scale pits, shivering in the corner… And I couldn’t even cry, lest I anger the keeper.

I didn’t respond when the door opened again, even at the familiar-sounding footsteps or the scent of Master. I looked up from where I’d been sitting in the corner when he came into view, and I saw a look of concern on his face. When he stopped to kneel down, I eagerly rushed up to the bars, pressing against them so he could pet over me. “There’s my good girl. I spoke with the manager, I’ve got the permission I need to take you with me, and the papers to prove it.” I licked at his hands with a soft whimper.

I was sad when he pulled away, but I knew he had to, as he turned to the keeper and showed the papers in question. “Please release her, if you would, sir.”

“Aye, gov, hold your horses.” The keeper came over and opened the cage, and I glared at him as I slipped out to stand behind Master.

“Thank you. I trust she was well behaved?” He reached his hand down and petted me.

“Eh, she’s a spoiled one. You’d think she’d never had to sit still before. I’d look into some obedience training if I was you, gov.” The keeper glared at me and I stayed behind Master, keeping him between the two of us.

“I’ve never once had an issue with obedience. My guess is she doesn’t like you for some reason.” Master gave him an eye, looking him over, but couldn’t see anything. “Well, we must be going. I’m told some of the… professors? want to meet us for lunch. Good day, sir.”

Once we were out of the building, Master knelt down again. “Okay, something clearly happened in there. You wouldn’t be this upset unless either he did something bad, or you got some bad thought in your head and ran with it.”

I sniffled, the wall I put up was getting close to breaking. “H-he pulled a scale… He’s g-gonna sell it, grind it to powder, he said it’s f-full of magic because of my eggs…” I curled up, nosing at the spot to point it out. Normally, my wing would hide it, but it still felt like I was walking around with a giant bullseye, or like I was naked, or something. “It hurt… A-and there was this other guy, he kept talking about buying me, like I was a fancy jacket to wear and show off…”

“Shh… Shh… It’s okay, girl, I’m here now.” Master looked back at the door he just left, narrowing his eyes. “You said he’s selling powdered Dragon Scale, huh? Let him think he won, I’m going to his superiors. I don’t think they’ll take kindly to a drug dealer working for them… When I’m done, he’s going to wish I kicked in his door and hit him with ice. Hmph, maybe I will anyway, afterwards.” I flinched, I didn’t like seeing Master this upset, and I couldn’t help but feel like it was my fault. Even though I knew that was completely silly, academically.

“I-I dunno, he… made it sound like he knows people…”

“He can’t know everyone. I’m still going to bring it up at lunch. They gave their word you wouldn’t be mistreated, and he broke their word.” Master stood up and started walking, waiting for me to follow. I trotted along at his heels.

The dining hall was one of the larger buildings on “campus”, and inside the tables were arranged in three sets of rows, with the kitchen area on one end. The tables were long affairs, with a low bench on either side instead of chairs. We got some funny looks, but with some higher-ups escorting us, nobody raised a fuss about me entering. We sat down, and I climbed up on the bench to sit next to Master, my tail tucked under the bench so nobody passing behind would step on it. I didn’t want to sit under the table where I couldn’t tell who was talking, or sit behind Master where I’d block the path between tables, and I was a little tired of being seen as an afterthought by everyone but Master.

“Does your pet… always sit at tables like this?” The manager who visited the tower dryly asked. But then, he always spoke dryly. I forgot his name, but I know Master knows it. Yendor? Yensid? Yen-Something.

“Not always, but I can’t really think of a better place for her to sit that won’t be in the way, can you? Is there a problem?” Master made sure to use the tone of voice that indicated this wasn’t exactly a question.

“Erh, no, no problem. Anyway, you already know me, but here are some of the instructors we have on the premises.” He started to indicate some of the other people at the table.

First was a professional-looking enough fellow, eschewing the traditional robes for something more casual and less flowy. “This is Professor Elwarn, he is one of the first every student deals with as he handles basic rune theory.” Elwarn waved politely but didn’t say anything more.

Next was a younger woman, who seemed barely aware of Master’s presence, as she was completely focused on me and looked giddy to see me. “This is Professor Dweli, she lectures about animals with inherent magic, such as dragons, gryphons, and the like.”

After that was a stern-looking mage, who wore more traditional robes, but I could tell they had a number of pockets hidden with a variety of ingredients. “This is Artificer Botolf, he both teaches Enchanting to students who care to listen, and does most of the work keeping things running. I’m sure he’d love to examine your lantern in detail.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Last at the table was a man who barely seemed to be paying attention, a heavier-set mage. “And this is Master Korrigan. He is the Leader of Academics, with final say on student admission as well as, well, just about anything that happens here at the Guild. Any questions?”

Before Master could reply, Dweli leaned over to look even closer at me. “Is it true she’s carrying eggs? I’d love to give her an examination, make sure she and the eggs are healthy! May I, please?”

The manager cleared his throat. “I meant, does Mage Tola have any questions for us.”

“Oh, sorry Yenny, it’s just… New dragon, you know?” She meekly sat back in her seat, clearly debating whether it would be rude to try to switch seats with the Botolf person sitting next to me.

Master nodded. “Well, nothing yet, I’m still taking all this in. It’s incredibly impressive, I’ve never seen a Mages’ Guild before. The sheer… feeling of potential, it’s almost overwhelming.”

I noticed the Leader guy, Korrigan, smiling with a bit of pride at the praise to his guild. Botolf, meanwhile, took the chance to speak up. “Magister Yenturan spoke of a lantern, though?”

“Oh yes, did you want to look at it now, or should we meet after lunch?”

“Now is fine, we’ve some minutes to kill until it’s served.” The room was already filling with students and staff, milling about. I wondered if there was assigned seating, but it didn’t seem like it. Most likely, people had tables they liked out of habit and sat with friends. I almost missed what was being said at this table, but caught it at the last minute, using my long neck to reach the lantern that was hung on the side of my harness and pull it off, depositing it on the table in front of the Artificer.

Master coughed quietly. “Ah, yes, Princess is… trained quite well. She knows a number of words, and ‘lantern’ is one of them. Good girl.” He patted my head. Oops, I was so distracted that I let myself be caught off-guard, and forgot to wait to either be given a command or to let Master do that… Well, everyone seemed to buy the explanation, and it technically was true. I didn’t know it was possible for the Dweli girl’s smile to get even wider.

Botolf picked up the lantern, opening it and extracting the crystal, muttering some kind of spell to let him check the spell used. He turned it this way and that in his hands, holding it up to the light to look at it from different angles.

Wait staff came out then and started placing plates in front of each of us. I had almost expected the animal professor to protest the meat-heavy course, but she started digging in before anyone. Master made sure to thank the woman who set a plate down for him, though she stopped in surprise when she saw me.

Korrigan nodded. “Please put a plate down for the dragon. Anything she can’t eat, her owner can take off.” The woman seemed glad to have orders from someone in charge on how to handle the situation, nodding and setting a plate for me before delivering the rest of her food and going back to the kitchen.

“Thank you, sir. I know she’s unusual, but I’m so used to her that I forget she has that effect on people, sometimes.” I sniffed at the food, still steaming hot and smelling of fancy herbs. Did everyone get this, or just the people in charge?

“I figured it would hardly be fair for her to watch us all eat and be denied any herself. Tempting as it would be to see just how strong her training held in the face of something like that.” He chuckled to himself dryly.

Most of the conversation around the table stopped while people ate, though Dweli’s attention remained glued on me. I ate carefully, daintily at the plate, since I couldn’t exactly use flatware and pawing at things would likely make a mess. I swear that just made the professor even more amused, and I blushed under my scales. I don’t think I could’ve won no matter what I did with her.

With his meal finished, Artificer Botolf picked up the light crystal from the lantern. “Magister Yenturan told me you said this was your first attempt at an enchantment?”

Master cleared his throat. “Well, it’s the first enchanted object I created. It took me a few attempts, but Princess made that easier. And I mostly copied the technique from a pair of reference books at the library in Winselton. I just altered it a little to make it easier to enchant other things later, separating the light spell from the, ah, imbuing runic matrix more cleanly. That let me include a control trigger so I could turn it on and off, for convenience and so I’d have to recharge it less often.” I saw him glance nervously at the others as he spoke, and I can’t blame him. This is basically his first chance ever to talk shop.

Botolf raised an eyebrow. “A pair? Volumes one and two, of ‘A Treatise on Infusing Enchantments’, I take it?”

“Y-yes, sir. They were in the library I inherited, but they were auctioned off before I got a chance to assume ownership, but since I had the receipts, I knew where the pair had gone.”

“But not any of the volumes past that, like volume four?”

“Four? No, I, uh, wasn’t aware there were more than the two, actually.”

“Volume three repeats the process with a couple of other spells, such as imbuing a wand with force bolts, and volume four discusses separating the spell from the enchanting as you did.” Botolf calmly inserted the quartz gem back into the lantern, holding it up and commanding it to shine, then commanding it back off again, before handing it back to Master.

“Oh, that would’ve been helpful, yeah.” Master mused a little as he clipped the lantern back onto my harness where it was.

“Regardless, it’s excellent work. I’d love to see what you could craft with some more time and more instruction.” He leaned back, looking at the others, but I didn’t know what the look meant, or if it meant anything at all.

Dweli was the next to speak up, and she looked like she was nearly bursting with her question. “You said Princess made it easier? Princess is your dragon, right? How did she make enchanting easier?” There was a tone in her voice, as though she were trying to hide an accusation. Maybe I imagined it, nobody else seemed to react to it. …Did people not pay as much attention to tone of voice as I did?

“Oh, during the process, I discovered that dragons have some ability to sense the flow of magic. She would naturally gravitate to places where the flow stopped or was irregular, which clued me in to investigate that area first for mistakes.” Master chuckled softly. “I had one where I was standing in the wrong spot when I drew the rune, so I had drawn it upside-down. I probably would have spent days before I noticed it, if she hadn’t been pawing at it.”

Dweli’s eyes widened even more, the answer having been something she wasn’t expecting. “Really? I suspected, but I couldn’t confirm it! It’s so hard to get a dragon to do what you want instead of whatever they feel like!” She nudged the manager in the ribs with her elbow. “Hear that, Yenny? I told you I was onto something, maybe if you hadn’t pulled the funding for my experiments, we would’ve already known this.” This was Yenturan’s turn to blush, which was strange to see on such a naturally stern face.

I hadn’t noticed when he left the table, but one of the professors from earlier, Elwarn, came back and sat down, a piece of cake on a plate. The way he ate, it was almost like every movement was highly ritualized and regimented. Silverware had to be placed just so, and between every bite, he put his fork back in exactly the same spot. “Mage Tola, I hope I’m not being too forward, but I hear your caravan was attacked on the way in. I also hear you helped defend it, using magic. Would you be willing to show me the spell you used, after lunch? We have a training ground set up down the path from the dining hall, it would be on the way to Master Korrigan’s office. If that’s all right with you, Master?”

It was weird for me, hearing someone else say ‘Master’, especially when they weren’t talking about Master. Korrigan spoke up to answer. “I’d actually be interested in seeing it myself, if you don’t mind.”

“Ah, yeah, that should… be fine, sirs? I did my best to help, but I’m afraid I was, ah, downed pretty early in the fight.” He looked down a little. I can understand that, it was a close brush with death and it was only yesterday.

“Yes, we do tend to be targets on the field. I have been given a recounting of the battle, but my interest was in the spell. I would like to see your technique in casting.”

“Yeah, we can do that.” Master looked a little nervous in his seat. With lunch over, the others started to stand up, Yenturan and Botolf peeling off to go about their business. Elwarn gestured that he was leading the way, with Dweli and Korrigan following us.

We stood in an outdoor area, fenced off from the rest of the campus. I could tell there was some kind of magic energy running through the fences, which became more obvious once we were inside and the gate closed. There were a number of crates as well as some straw practice dummies, and Professor Elwarn set about arranging a dummy before stepping back.

“One moment, before you begin.” The professor pulled a monocle out of a vest pocket, fixing it into place. The lens seemed to be made out of something, possibly rose quartz? It had a pinkish or reddish tint to it, but I don’t think it was deep enough to be ruby. He stood still, and I wasn’t sure if he was done preparing or not, as he didn’t seem to be doing anything.

Master was about to ask if he should start, when he was interrupted.

“Now! Attack!” Professor Elwarn shouted, startling Master but apparently not the others.

Master snapped his attention back to the dummy, taking a step to the side as he held out his hand, palm facing the target. Lights gathered in an orbit around his wrist, solidifying into the Ice Lance he’d used enough to have memorized, the three lances parallel to his arm and orbiting it. The thin bolts shot forward, two thunking solidly into the dummy, the third shattering when it hit an invisible wall extending upwards from the waist-high fence. From shout to impact, the spell took only a couple seconds to cast. Master barely looked drained at all, though I could hear his heart racing from here. If I tried hard enough, I could hear the others, too, but Master’s was the fastest.

“Hm. Excellent recovery. I apologize for shouting, but I wanted to see your reaction time and see how long it took you to start from the beginning. I take it this is one you’ve used a lot?”

Master took a moment, trying to get himself calmed down again. It was a bit of an exertion, but it was also probably making him remember the fight yesterday. Last time he used the spell, he took an arrow between the ribs just after. “Ah, yes, it’s… served me fairly well so far.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand.

“I was glad to see you didn’t need your book to cast it. And glad to see something other than the fire bolt so many students start with. Easy, but quick to drain power and quick to cause problems.” Elwarn placed the monocle back into his vest pocket. “Your form is good, and your control. And you were even able to cast while moving, even if not quickly. Tell me, are you planning on a career as a combat mage?”

“Not planning, no. But I’ve found myself in combat a few times now, and I would like to be able to make it out of them alive. I wouldn’t have, last time, if not for the others.” This time, he placed a hand self-consciously over his chest, where the arrow had shot him.

“Hm, yes. The mercenary, Lance, told me you had brought healing potions, but they were all used after the fight. He said it’s possible you would have survived without one, but you would have been in no shape to be able to talk with us today. And that survival would have been unlikely, but he says you have, ‘that fighting spirit’.”

“Yeah, I’m just… lucky he knew where they were. I had them packed with my things in Princess’s bags.”

With the demonstration over, Dweli couldn’t contain herself any longer, kneeling down next to me and petting along my neck, inspecting me thoroughly, looking into my eyes. It wasn’t the same as having all my body parts tallied up by a butcher, but it was close, and it was still a little uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be rude by pulling away too much, though.

“You must be feeding her well, she’s got such a healthy sheen to her scales. Usually, captive dragons have a lot more stress, and their coat turns more dull and brittle.” I blushed a little at the assessment, I liked the idea that I looked good.

“Ah, yeah, she’s… She’s my partner more than my pet. I take care of her, but she’s saved my life several times. She’s a good girl.” I blushed more, tail flicking a little. Master was leaving out the times he saved my life, I’d have to comment about that once we were in private.

Dweli, however, had a look on her face as she stood up. “There’s one problem I have. And I’m going to need an answer to this. Why is she missing a scale? It’s been freshly pulled.”

Master’s face darkened. “That is actually something I wanted to talk about. The keeper of your pens, whom I was assured would take good care of her, stole a scale from her while I was trying to arrange permission to have her again. From what I understand, he’s selling powdered Dragon Scale in secret.”

It was Korrigan’s turn to scowl. “That’s an accusation that carries some weight to it, Mage Tola. Care to tell me why you would say such a thing, on your first day here?”

“I can tell you the following. She had a perfectly unblemished hide when I left her in his care. When I collected her, she was scared and the scale was missing. And shortly before that, I overheard a particularly boastful student demand that he sell him some of the substance, to which the keeper replied that the stuff he sold would be too potent for someone as young as him. I don’t know the student’s name, but he claimed he would be the next Archmage, if I heard his boasts correctly.”

Korrigan scowled a little deeper. He looked over at Dweli, who commented. “I’ve heard rumors about that keeper. But if it was Mage Tola taking them for his own use, there would be evidence of more scales missing. I don’t think he’s using them himself.” Korrigan nodded.

“Mage Tola, I would like to discuss matters more in my office, if you would be willing.”

“I get the feeling I’ve been judged, and you’re about to tell me the verdict.”

“Your feeling… is almost correct.” Korrigan chuckled dryly. “I haven’t reached the verdict yet, but I plan to tell you before we leave my office.”

“Very well, lead the way.” Master patted my head as I stood next to his side.

Master and I stood in Korrigan’s office, a large and fancy affair with an ornate desk. He paced slowly in front of his desk. “I’m sure you’re aware, powdered dragon scales are… not something I like knowing are being sold on my grounds. Your account also… leaves me with a question. Are you sure you want to stay with that account of events? It will be your word against my employee, after all. Unless you have another witness.”

Master cast his gaze downward, letting out a sigh. “I admit, I did not overhear the conversation myself. At the time, I was still meeting with Magister Yenturan, trying to secure permission to have Princess released and stay with me. The witness… is one I would prefer to keep secret, for fear of… retaliation. Or worse.”

“Making such an accusation, concealing a witness, asking such a favor of me… I don’t think I care for all this. I am glad you confessed the truth, because I was going to ask how you overheard this conversation when I know you have been meeting with people since your arrival.”

“I know it’s… not a great position for me. I’m willing to retract my accusation, if necessary. It still bothers me that Princess was mistreated, but I admit I lack the standing to be able to fight this battle.” Master’s eyes still looked down, where he could sneak glances at me. I was looking up at him. I wished I could tell him it was okay, that I trusted him to do what he felt was best, but I tried to get that across with just my eyes.

“Hm… Well, as I’m sure you have guessed by now, today’s chats have been mostly an attempt to take your measure. Both as a mage, and as a person. Normally, if you were applying, we’d have had you take the exam we give every prospective student. However, those are designed for newcomers with no experience with magic, so we decided on a different approach. Besides, Magister Yenturan mentioned you would likely be hesitant to leave your tower for any significant length of time, which means you would not likely accept a position as a student here on our grounds.”

Master looked up. He didn’t seem completely surprised by this, but I think it was still more consideration than he had been expecting. He took a moment, weighing how he wanted to phrase his response. “I… suspected something of the sort was going on. It’s true, I prefer to remain at my home. Hammerfell relies on my services, and I’ve started getting customers from Winselton and even a few letters from further afield. Leaving now would… make my tenuous position even more so.”

“Tenuous? You mean your debt to the Crown?” Korrigan raised an eyebrow, less surprised by the response and more watching for a reaction to his question.

“Yes. Having taken over the tower, I inherited quite the debt, and I hope my income so far will be sufficient to make payments on it. If I left, even if I could make my first payment, I would surely miss my second.”

“You didn’t find it odd that I knew of your circumstances?”

“I had assumed you had done your research before Magister Yenturan visited, yes.”

This time, Korrigan laughed. “Ah, so refreshing to talk to someone who doesn’t assume I’m a doddering fool and they’re the only ones who could possibly know anything!” Smiling, he leaned against his desk, looking Master over again. “Very well, I’ve reached my decision: I like you, Mage Tola.”

“You… do, sir?” I think he was expecting the verdict to be something more official.

“Yes. And so do the others. I’d like to extend an offer of Guild membership. You would be an official Guild Mage, instead of an Initiate. I feel we could lend you some assistance. Mostly, we’d help you round out your library, and be open to discussing issues you are having with your studies. We could even arrange for one of the professors or another Guild Mage to visit you, if you needed assistance with something. We’d also allow you to use our name and our acceptance, and verify that you are in good standing with us. This will likely help you grow your business and make sure you can make your payments.”

“That’s quite generous of you, sir. And what would you be asking for in return?”

Korrigan smirked. “I suspected you would ask. Our demands on you would be… minimal. We may have some tasks we request your assistance with, either because you’re closer than another Guild Mage, or because your lack of experience means we can spare interrupting a Mage of… higher rank. We would like you to spend about one month a year here, so we can oversee your studies and provide direction, but we won’t require it.”

“I see. And what about… Dues? Membership fees? Financing? Whatever else you’d like to call it?”

“Hm, always looking for the bottom line. Admirable, usually. However, I intend to collect no coin from you. Our funding comes mostly from the Crown and other solicitors. Also, we take our share from the payment we collect when we distribute tasks to Guild Mages. I do have one minor request on top of the others, I admit.”

“I see. Minor, is it? And what would that request be?”

“I want your help putting a stop to this Dragon Scale unpleasantness. I need to know your mystery witness. Your Membership does not hinge on this, you are free to deny this and I won’t think less of you.”

Master paused for a long moment, meeting Korrigan’s eyes, before letting out a long sigh. “I’ll need you to swear to secrecy on this. Absolutely none can know. Not just who the witness is, but that the witness even exists.”

Korrigan’s eyebrow raised higher. “Oh, now I am positively intrigued. Mage Tola, you are simply full of surprises. Very well, I vow to keep everything we discuss on this matter of the utmost secret. When can you produce this witness of yours?”

“Right now, Master Korrigan.” Master looked down at me, and gave a “go on” gesture.

I sat up, steeling myself for this. “I am the witness, Master Korrigan. I was in the pens when the conversation happened.”

Korrigan’s implacable composure was completely destroyed as I recounted the time spent in the pens. I thought his eyes would fall out of his head by the time I was done talking. “When I said ‘full of surprises’, I did not intend for that to be a challenge. Very well, Princess. I feel I must apologize for the harsh treatment you have received at the hands of my staff. Thank you for coming forward. I’m… not sure how best to proceed on this, I will need time to think.”

Master nodded politely. “That is perfectly fine, sir. I understand it’s a bit of a shock.”

“Indeed. May I ask how it is that a dragon gained the ability to speak?”

I looked away. “Mrrrh. Is that… necessary?”

“I suppose not, but I do hope you’ll indulge me. If you are willing.”

I gave a soft sigh. “I must admit I’m not… certain of the details, but… I do know I was being held and experimented upon by the wizard Elimaio, before Master rescued me. But since that happened before I met him, and before he began to study magic, neither of us know how exactly it was performed. I do know that a Crown mage, or a mage hired by the Crown, or… well, I guess I don’t know who he was exactly. But the Guard had me examined after Elimaio’s defeat, to determine whether I was ‘clear’ of magic or not. Whatever experiment made me this way, it didn’t leave anything they could detect to mark me as anything other than a regular dragon.” My words were carefully chosen, though I tried to make them sound natural.

“Fascinating. No traces left to study, then… I’ve never heard of a spell that was able to grant sapience to an animal like this.” Korrigan pondered a bit longer. “I can see why you would want to keep it a secret. If Professor Dweli got her hands on you, I wouldn’t be able to get her to teach her classes for a year!” He laughed at this for a bit.

Master nodded, though he wasn’t laughing. “Yeah, I’m always worried someone’s going to want to try to take her apart to see how it was done, and I’m not willing to risk anyone harming her. She’s the best friend and partner I could ask for.”

“Hm, I see what you mean. Well, like I said, I vow to keep it secret. If I wasn’t stuck running this place, I would be tempted to volunteer to visit your tower, just to be able to ask her so many questions. However, speaking of running this place, I have engagements I will need to get to soon. Magister Yenturan will see you set up with guest quarters for the two of you. Tomorrow, I’d like to discuss the matter of your Guild Membership more, any questions you may have, and whether you accept or not. As a personal matter, I hope you do. I look forward to seeing your progress and I hope we can help with that.”

“That is greatly appreciated, sir. We’ll leave you to your duties.” Master and I left the office, meeting with the manager and being led to our guest room.

It was a fancy place, much fancier than the students got, I suspected. Master undid my harness and set about relaxing, unpacking his things from the bags and setting them up on the table and shelves provided.

“Heck of a day, huh, Master?” I got up on the bed, waiting for him to sit next to me so I could lay across his lap.

“Yeah, you said it, Princess.” I didn’t have to wait long, Master knew what I wanted. He sat down and leaned back, patting his thigh. I laid across it on my back, wings tucked in close, forepaws in the air against my chest. His hand scritched the broad plates there, moving to stroke along my belly. He was always cautious, after that first reaction I had where we discovered I had a clutch of eggs, but we’d spent time since then getting me used to having my belly touched by him. As long as it was Master, I could Trust him, after all. He might not have sired them, but as far as I was concerned, they were more his than they were the green stud’s.

“What do you think? Gonna take them up on it? I mean, it sounds like a pretty nice deal. No more having to deal with that grumpy librarian in Winselton, no more having to deal with the Brotherhood of Shadows next time we want supplies… Probably. Hopefully.”

“I wouldn’t deal with them anyway. We stopped them once, but I don’t know if that will be enough. Or if we’ll have made an enemy of them. I don’t think they’ll ever not be a concern for us. But as for the Guild…? I think so. If only to stop people from giving me that wary, confused look when I tell them I’m not part of the Guild.” He continued to pet over my belly, and I gave a deep purr, my tail swaying back and forth across the bed.

“We’ve still got a couple days before the caravan back to Winselton leaves. Any plans in particular?” I tilted my head up as I asked.

“Oh, I think you said it best. Take the best step forward in each moment. We’ll see what tomorrow brings us, in challenges and in opportunities.” He playfully rubbed at my chest, grinning back at me. I raised my chest enough so I could give his cheek a lick, and settled back down to rest. Tomorrow would be a new day, after all.