Draco jumped as the carriage turned off the main road and passed through the gates of Solvein. The sound of crunching white gravel sent shivers down his spine, and the shadows cast by the towering trees they passed brought back memories of hiding in Dagos. The dragon had no idea why he was so nervous. Travelling here for his exams had seemed simpler and far less stressful, yet on the first day of term he was acting as if he were sitting on pins and needles. It had been like that since the morning. It didn't help at all that everyone, one after the other, was trying to reassure him that everything would be all right.
He also had no idea when he'd put on his school uniform instead of his own outfit, which had recently become his everyday attire. The fact that, apart from the colour, the cut was very similar might have had something to do with it. A white military coat with blue lapels and a coat of arms on the shoulder had suddenly appeared in his wardrobe, without any warning. Just like most of the other things there, for that matter. Oscar did, in fact, approach all his duties with great meticulousness.
His nervousness might also have stemmed from an unwanted comparison between the Dragon Academy and Solvein. Although Draco was perfectly aware that these two schools were entirely separate matters, his subconscious paid little heed to this. Suffice it to say that last night he'd been kept awake by a nightmare in which he had to flee from Pirce through the winding and treacherous corridors of the Academy of Magic. He'd woken up drenched in cold sweat and couldn't get back to sleep.
Not even the reassuring presence of his master brought him any relief. Darius had offered to drive his pupil on this first day. It seemed the wizard was more concerned about the boy's state of mind than the boy himself.
The carriage came to a halt, and one of the soldiers jumped down from the box to open the door.
'Good luck, Draco,' Bleist smiled broadly. 'You'll manage just fine. Especially with your new class.' The optimism and conviction radiating from him made the dragon inclined to believe it.
'I'll try.' That was all he managed to say before stepping out onto the driveway.
'See you this afternoon.' Darius waved at him one last time, and the carriage doors closed.
Draco stood there for a moment, watching the carriage from Ed'heer drive away. He caught himself unable to look away and, feeling slightly embarrassed, glanced around. To his surprise, he realised there was no one else around. Solvein was completely deserted.
'It starts in over an hour,' he reminded himself, letting out a heavy sigh.
The dragon turned towards the entrance to the Academy and plucked up the courage to face his past traumas. He walked inside with his head held high and immediately turned left, towards the corridor leading to the Tower of Fire. As he was due to report to Instructor Hartmann, he knew he would find him on the sixth floor of the Tower of War. Unlike the first time he'd been here, all the corridors were open and nothing hindered his progress. However, the echo of his footsteps carried through the deserted passageways seemed strangely unnatural, alien. Draco felt uneasy, as if someone were walking half a step behind him, just waiting for him to turn round.
He quickened his pace slightly, telling himself he simply didn't want to be late. He had plenty of time to spare, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He didn't stop until he reached Hartmann's door. The dragon took a deep breath and knocked.
'Come in!' a strong voice called from inside.
Only now did Draco realise he was early, but it was too late to change his behaviour. Cursing his own stupidity and ill-advised haste, he opened the door and stepped inside. The room wasn't particularly large, and the clutter piled up inside made it seem even smaller. Rolled-up maps were scattered haphazardly along the walls, and here and there amongst them lay old military regalia: an infantry uniform, an ornate sword, medals and neatly arranged letters. Opposite the entrance stood a tidy desk on delicate legs and two hard chairs. Further back in the room stood racks displaying various types of weapons. Judging by their condition, they had all been regularly maintained, and some were used quite frequently.
The instructor sat upright behind the desk. His face was expressionless, a frozen, stony mask devoid of emotion. He glanced briefly at the dragon and cast a quick look at the sheet of paper lying on the desk.
'Mr Ignis, I presume,' said Hartmann in a more subdued tone. 'You're a bit early, but we can start sooner.' He got up from his seat and reached under something placed on a small side table that Draco hadn't noticed before. The instructor picked up a few sheets of paper and quickly flicked through them. He took four from the whole stack and left the rest. 'First of all, I must congratulate you,' the man said, returning to his seat. 'Exams are never a simple matter, especially if you've never dealt with them before. You're now beginning your studies at Solvein, and so I must mention a few important things.' The instructor sat upright the whole time, looking directly at the dragon standing in the centre of the room. 'You will no doubt familiarise yourself with all the rules in due time, but I must mention the three most important ones. First and foremost, fighting between cadets is not permitted outside of the relevant classes. The use of magic is subject to the same rule, regardless of the spell. Please bear this in mind.' Hartmann glanced at the sheet of paper lying on the table. 'Your application indicates that the sword you are carrying is a term's symbol, so you may keep it with you and use it during exercises; however, bringing any other weapons with you is strictly forbidden.' He kept his eyes fixed on the dragon, as it were, further emphasising the seriousness of the rules. 'This is a formality, but I'm officially informing you that your application for permission to use your own mount has been approved. In accordance with the current rules, the costs of maintaining the beast are totalled at the end of each month. Understood?'
'Yes, sir!' The boy blurted out before he'd had time to think.
'Excellent,' the officer seemed satisfied.
'Here is your timetable. As Group Two in your year had the fewest cadets, that is where you will be joining.' Hartmann held out the sheets of paper he had picked up earlier. 'There is also a list of books you'll need to get hold of. You can do that at the Solvein or Gelenweith library. It's very likely that your master has at least a few of these titles.' Draco stepped forward and took the stack of papers. 'That's all from me. You can wait for your group supervisor in the corridor. See you in class, Mr Ignis.'
'Goodbye, Instructor.' The dragon bowed and hurried out, still under the instructor's piercing gaze.
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Draco studied his new timetable carefully and had to admit that it didn't look too bad at all. Generally speaking, the days were very similar to one another and consisted of two blocks of lessons. All the lectures and theory classes were scheduled for the morning, whilst the afternoons were devoted to practical work. He was particularly interested in the riding lessons, which, according to the timetable, were due to take place the following day. He had to admit that he felt surprisingly relieved. It was enough for him that, that very morning, Fenrir must have somehow sensed that the dragon was off somewhere, and bess tried to do everything in his power, and he certainly had plenty of it, to stop the lad. The reptile had no idea how he'd managed to calm Fen down, but he had absolutely no desire for a repeat of that morning's commotion.
'Draco Ignis?' The dragon jumped and turned round. He hadn't noticed when someone had approached him.
'Yes, sir,' the dragon blurted out before he'd had a chance to take in anything beyond the white uniform.
The man standing before him was slender and quite tall. His sun-weathered face was covered in wrinkles, and the hair on his head was quite faded. It was clear that he must have spent a great deal of his life outdoors, and this hadn't done him any favours, as his posture and other features clearly indicated that he was thirty at most. In addition, on the right-hand side of his face, he had an interesting tattoo done in navy blue ink. Just below his eye ran a pattern resembling waves, and beneath that, two intersecting straight lines. Slightly lower down, closer to his cheek, he had some sort of constellation tattooed, but Draco didn't recognise it.
'I see you've already had a chance to meet Instructor Hartmann. Perhaps that's for the best,' the man remarked, though it was hard to tell exactly what he meant. 'My name is Luke Carter and I'm the supervisor of the second group, as well as a combat magic instructor. We'll be stuck with each other for the next few years,' he concluded with a fleeting smile.
'I'm glad to meet you, Instructor.' The boy had nothing else to say. He'd learnt long ago that you don't argue with teachers. And it wasn't just about the attitude of those working at Dagos.
'I think you know everything you need to, and you'll find out the rest from your new classmates anyway.' The instructor looked out of the window behind the dragon. 'There's still a bit of time before the official start, but I think everyone else will already be in the classroom. So there's no point in delaying.' The instructor nodded to the dragon and, without a word, headed towards the stairs.
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Walking through the corridors of the Tower of Fire felt different this time. There was a fair amount of traffic everywhere, not to say a crowd. It seemed that hardly anyone had left it to the last minute to find their classroom, and everyone wanted to be on time on the first day of the term. It was understandable.
Instructor Carter led the dragon to the last classroom on the fourth floor of the connecting building, or the first if counting from the Tower of Light. It was one of the places where it was a bit less crowded. The start of lessons was approaching, so the corridor was slowly beginning to clear out as well.
'Wait here a moment,' said the teacher. 'I'll start the lesson and then introduce you.'
The dragon merely nodded, for suddenly his throat tightened. Fear, or perhaps something else, had struck him once more. Dagos and that school there flashed before his eyes again. Once more, he had the feeling that something was returning from there, or perhaps it was still lurking nearby.
Draco clenched his fists, trying to focus on something other than those damned memories. He would have given anything to forget, but he knew it wasn't possible. It was all too much a part of him for simple amnesia to suffice. He had to live with it, day by day, proving to himself with every step that this terrible past did not define him. Not anymore.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He turned his thoughts to the events of the last few months. Everything he'd been through, in such a short period of time, would once have seemed like a fairy tale to him, but now it was his reality. Day by day, life showed him that everything had changed. Thanks to everyone around him, he could say that he, too, was beginning to change. Not just on the outside, but above all on the inside. A few months earlier, he wouldn't have even allowed himself to consider trusting anyone, and now he had his master, James, Kei, Ari, Vi, Forth and others. One change was enough. All it took was to get started.
'Draco.' The classroom door swung open and the instructor appeared in the doorway. He beckoned the boy over with a wave of his hand. 'As I said, we have a new student from today.' He began, turning to face the class. 'I hope you'll give him a warm welcome.'
The dragon stepped inside. The classroom was nothing out of the ordinary. He'd seen many like it. Bookshelves laden with books showing far too many signs of wear, yellowed maps adorning the walls, old engravings and a scratched blackboard. The cadets' seats were divided into individual desks, designed to make writing easier. Everything was organised in a rather thoughtful manner.
However, what intrigued and frightened the dragon most were the other pupils. He could feel their eyes on him, and when he stood in the middle and looked at them, he had no idea what to do next. He found it hard to tell whether he could make out anything from the faces turned towards him. The only thing that caught his eye, or perhaps stuck in his memory, were a few distinctive faces.
The first person to catch the reptile's attention was a very tall troll sitting at the very back of the hall. The lad had a pale-purple complexion, orange, slightly hazy pupils and greenish hair. An expression of boredom was etched on his elongated, triangular face, although his gaze remained fixed on the dragon. He was clearly too tall for the bench he was sitting on, which meant he was slouching slightly. His white uniform with grey lapels was unable to conceal his long, sinewy limbs and slender torso. If anything, it only emphasised this impression.
The second was a parthir sitting by the window, with shining, piercing, bright green eyes. The bony protrusions covering his head reminded Draco of large dragon scales. He seemed to be assessing the reptile's every gesture, yet at the same time he kept glancing longingly out of the window. He was one of three people wearing colours on his uniform; his epaulettes were light brown. Although suspicion lurked in his gaze, he did not generally come across as unpleasant to be around, but rather as someone one could easily take a liking to.
Seated right behind him was a nervous goblin who was constantly jotting something down in a thick notebook. His rust-coloured eyes scarcely ever stayed still, which, in a strange way, reminded the dragon of Leopold vet Freuder. However, this was not his only tic; every so often he would scratch at a small tuft of ash-coloured hair.
The last, very distinctive figure was an elf squeezed into the farthest corner of the room. It seemed as though so much metal was hanging from his pointed ears that it was a miracle they were still in the right place. In addition, he wore a thick chain around his neck, from which hung a small envelope that he was fiddling with. He seemed to be the only one who was genuinely uninterested in what was going on. His world-weary expression did little to encourage interaction; rather, it gave the impression that, no matter what one asked him, the lad would simply roll his eyes at the questioner's stupidity.
Of the rest, only two in their own colours really caught the eye. One of them was a dirty yellow, and the other a light blue. Interestingly, the reptile could have bet his head that he'd seen the latter somewhere before.
'Before we begin our lesson, please introduce yourself,' the instructor encouraged the dragon to take the initiative.
'My name is Draco Ignis, I'm from Dagos,' the dragon began, though he said it with considerably more confidence. 'I hope we'll get on well,' he added with what he thought was a sincere smile. This looks set to be interesting.