The Enchanted Dragon

ter

e Forbidd

ntinued to echo long after the

yond the trees. Somewhere in the distance, beyond the Whispering Forest, Vaelthor was calling

ient book she had brought from the academy. Corvin wat

hat roar me

his shoulder. "It means Vaelthor knows th

should go

the mountains with no plan, no understanding of

ched m

nd now people are hunting me. Every person who knows something

ent, nobo

than fear. I could face an enemy whose face I could see. What terrified me was the possibi

losed t

said. "We cannot keep running without f

And you believe the acade

"I believe the acad

and opened it to a page marked wi

like the grand stone building I had visited for my entrance examination. In the drawing, the aca

e were several lin

ted to the

to teach magic. It was established to pro

ned c

he academy was founded by the

e history w

ed anoth

ary. It was called the Chamber of Witnesses. The guardians kept their most important doc

ed at

on an ancient guardian sanctua

ng for several secon

t I have never entered it. The entrance was

open it?

on what was us

moved to my

n mark may b

it had become more visible since my encounter with Vaelthor. A circ

ut my parents, the mar

ower a symbol coul

ing to the aca

d between me

kened, he will expect you to seek answers there. The

to reach it before th

s has already informed

hesi

ince she had arrived th

ress ordered the remaining records to be sea

ing my investigation, I found a document bearing her signature. It autho

ld she d

t I intend t

me. He seemed to be fighti

moved away f

ena, you know the building better than either of us. You will lead the

ou?" I

where Malric's hunters are gathering. If they disco

ll iron ring attached to a narrow chain. The

d it in

is t

ken. It belonged

tightened

well enough to kee

to understand that he would neve

ck me harder t

re gone. Aldric had raised me without telling me much about them

of information seemed

own the truth. The academy might have erased their names. And a dragon imprisoned

he ring int

my parents," I told Corvin, "any

ession s

you my

to beli

, however, that a promise was

chtower shortly

light of day rested upon the treetops. Elena carried the ancient book b

e ruined watchtower and descended towards the main

through them until the evening bell, and the guards record everyone who ent

e get ins

old botanic

nced

anical g

. Most of the outer wall collapsed years ago, and the acade

unds rea

me a br

I didn't promise you

ything, I al

s feel less overwhelming. She did not pretend that everything would

er I could learn

lly gave way to open fields. Beyond them stood

surrounding landscape, their narrow windows glowing with enchanted light. Silver banne

ooked like the safest

bette

as a headmistress who might know why my parents had disappeared. And beneath the eastern

e wishing I could perform

ide me, I was beginning to wish

grounds just as the fin

old stone wall, then crouched be

e," she w

carved into a stone pillar. The symbol glimmered,

e protective barri

red a

isable aca

ards are connected to the headm

k how you le

ight even tel

d through

her into

thorny vines to climb over the stone paths. Broken statues stood among the we

ountain, I noticed somet

ines surrounde

top

le

urned

d at the

ion changed

he guardia

vering the lower half of the inscription. Beneath the sy

L REMEMBER WHAT

he sente

oes tha

ot answer i

ook from beneath her cloak and op

ntence appe

was a sec

ORGETS, THE WIT

ed up

wit

swal

that refe

hy

two people. The heir carries the mark of the forgotten blo

d down at

egend. I never imagined it

her d

velled through the gr

and away from

my palm had

ook a s

what are

thi

brief moment, the three curved lines appeared to m

hispered throu

r has r

t it everywhere-in the fountain,

rabbed

d to mo

en light

owly, my h

was

the old wards have recognised you, some

words, a bell rang f

n

ic

e ti

went

t the even

t is

owards the m

cted an unauthorised

ed at

g, but I could sti

magic was truly mine-or whether something

ary through a narrow passag

ed me past a locked maintenance door, down a staircase concealed behind

d a pair of dar

ls covered t

inst the left door, whisp

ng ha

ried

ols rema

wrong?"

access ward has

ou ope

he spell I

d the symbo

ened the protection s

ed besi

e door, the golden mark beneath

ight appeared bet

rned tow

the symbol i

sita

mother's letter retu

en an ancient dragon

hey were designed to protect, or whether opening

me too far to

ed palm against t

ors tr

across the wood like stars appearing in a night sk

e doors

old air swe

ow balconies. Thousands of books rested in rows beneath a ceiling painted with constellat

om was

it appea

d the doors

hispered. "The restricted ar

t the far end of the library. The deeper

a narrow corridor endi

ad been fixed to

ACCESS BY ORDER OF

amined t

new," she

do you

nding spell. This lock is designed to

ou bre

ook he

t triggerin

ied th

the lock. Unlike the symbol on the botanical fountain,

amiliar warm

nk it wants m

wrist before

n't know wha

kno

not the same as k

around my wrist, then

was

did not imme

e carefully. Three of them resembled the curved li

e of the lock, I placed my fi

in my pal

ck came fro

ock o

stared

d you d

n't k

ing to frighten me mor

d through

books inside appeared far older. Some were bound in dark leather,

f the room stood

had been carv

roached i

riginal Book of the

around

was here, whe

a set of shelves aga

academy officially recognises. The docu

ves and began searchi

ed the p

ase, but the writing was so old that

brushed away

d the inscription, a strange

m disap

was no longer stand

in a circle around a blazing column of light. They wore long

stood a woman

mot

n in my few childhood memories,

my father, holdin

hem, its wings folded and its

lth

turned t

ards th

ard

could see me

n," sh

ped br

the

ression

ossed h

e, then the seal h

en fire

r steppe

we hav

He must know that the Fir

on began

reached

memory, do not trust the first

age sh

ds, striking the e

shed to

What ha

d to catch

aw t

ho

pare

ce wen

did yo

her. They were here. In

ced at the

t a me

hink

eating my mother's warning as a

ed, Elena loo

trust the first person

kno

tion about your parents alm

red a

ying Corvin

to be careful. We should not assu

vin's promise in

you m

promise felt less comfor

er, Elena called me

ehind a row of books. Inside it lay a bundl

lly lifted

t bore the seal

m seventeen years earlier-the

folded t

d rapidly acr

she s

s it?"

d not

le

me, her face dr

er signed by He

does i

swal

ale family from the official records. It also orders th

ach tig

hy

the page

rder was a ha

but the final sente

URNS, DO NOT ALLOW HIM

ed at

eemed to g

te that?

ined the h

isn't the headmist

whose

d the doc

had been draw

irc

curved

at the

bol that mar

fore my fingers could touch it, ev

slammed somew

he sound of

l

sur

the restri

ly gathered t

knows we'

en mark awaken

beyond the gate, a

ian

fr

was something terrible about the c

n very diffic

seized

light appeared bene

ice co

eadmistress would lik

ed at

her head

t spread acr

outside lau

uld always ask the Shadow King

d turne

had f

utside that door kn

ned m

around my fingers, fai

en documents tightl

r of u

neath the academy, a second

ci

erf

ili

MUST NOT

re archi

light

tsteps outs