“Yes I know, but can you double layer them?”
Ashley hesitates, “I… yes, but what’s happening?”
“Vernon’s friend got attacked by unicorns, and he’s dying. We need to seal the magic poison right now, but not just any seal will do. You have to double layer them, or it will spread quicker than you can heal it.”
“Unicorns aren’t real.”
Duke looks back to her, with a very serious and stern face. “Yes they are, as real as this dragon is. Now are you going to help me or not.”
An hour passes as Vernon watches Duke and Ashley weave spells together. Dray-Gon moans at each wave of spells, pain evidently flooding his body. Vernon follows Duke’s and Ashley’s instructions. Cool wet cloth, fresh cups of water, a large bag to put the poison into. As the poison leaves Gon’s body, the dull rainbow colored liquid fills the bag, filling the apartment with a foul odor. Ashley and Vernon are both amazed at look and smell of the poison. Duke holds each removed in a cylinder of magic, holding it over the bag as he breaks the hold. With Duke and Ashley finished, Dray-Gon breath returns to normal.
Duke says, “Hey Ash, can you give him some restful healing. That poison is really bad stuff.”
Ashley smiles, “Sure.”
Her hands green light flows from her chest down her right arm, placing her hand on Gon. The light flows over him, and a faint warmth fills the room.
Duke turns to Vernon, “How did your friend get mixed up with unicorns, as in more than one?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that he was in some tunnels that I found in the warehouse district. I’m trying to find this guy called Hood. His goons kicked down my door here, went after Marie, and they burned down my parent’s house.”
“Wow, that is not what I was expecting to hear. Are your parents ok?”
“Don’t know, they are off the grid. I can’t find or call them.”
“Yikes. Well if your mom is there, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“I know, but I’m still worried.”
Duke nods, and says, “So, unicorns. Stay away from them. Like as far away as humanly possible. One can kill dome worth of people without trying.”
“I thought they were mythical beasts, like not real, and aren’t they supposed to be good?”
“They look majestic, sure, but they are evil. Their horn is filled with that poison I just spent the last hour taking out of your dragon friend. They attack you though your mind, and you won’t even know you’ve been pierced.”
“You’ve seen them before?”
“I have, killed a lot of other sage kids. I don’t know how, but Master Mativ killed it. I’m lucky to be alive. It was before I met you, another reason I was so stand offish.”
Dray-Gon roars, echoing throughout the room. He jumps off the couch, morphing his body, elongating his neck. His body triples in size, wings unfolding off his back, and his bipedal shape changing back to his quadruped one. Mahogany eyes shift back and forth across the room. Gon snaps at Ashley, as she backs up into Vernon.
Vernon raises his hands in the air, “Whoa there Gon, it’s me Vernon.”
Gon’s eyes focus on him. “Vernon?” His voice booms.
“It’s me, you were attacked by,” Vernon looks at Duke. “Unicorns. I brought you back to my apartment.”
Dray-Gon collapses to the floor, shifting back into human form. “I do not know how you have come to my aid, but I am in your debt.”
Vernon shakes his head, “You did the same for me yesterday, call us even.”
He looks around the room, eyeing both Duke and Ashley. “Where are the whelps?”
“They are with my wife Marie. There has been some attacks against me, and they protected her. I sent them with her while I search for the guy. His name is Hood.”
Gon growls, “Hood. He’s using my brood’s eggs for something he’s creating. He also had my son captured, but I do not know where.”
Vernon asks, “Does your son have your eyes?”
Gon blinks, “Yes, they are a family trait.”
“Then I think I know where he is. The Paladins have him in a shifted area I was in a few weeks ago. I don’t know if he’s still there, but I can go ask my old mentor.”
“You have to take me with you, Dray-Gos is not easily talked to when he’s hungry.”
“Duke, Ashley can you stay here and watch over Gon while I go and get Marie and our two dragons?”
Duke laughs, “You think it’s weird for me to tell you that unicorns are real, and here you have a talking shapeshifting dragon in your apartment, and tell me you have dragons. This is going to be one of those days isn’t it?”
“I hope not, but tomorrow might be.”
“Alright, go, and we will stand guard here.”
“Thanks Duke.”
Ashley lets out huff, but doesn’t say anything as Vernon leaves. He felt bad for a second, knowing that Ashley was about to give Duke a firm talking to, but he had other things to worry about. He leaves the apartment complex and heads for the car. It was blue and made to look like a muscle car from Earth. Aside from having to turn the car on manually, it had all the other modern features. The automatic drive was turned on, but the steering wheel stayed out. Vernon’s overlay would display on the windshield, and the HVN was connecting to the car.
He sent a message over to Marie as he starts up the car, telling her that he will be there shortly. Everything that has happened since his final trial at the academy seems to be spiraling out of control. It has been a crazy last couple of days for him, and now he’s going to be headed back to the Academy.
He pulls up outside of the Mech Division building, and parks in the lot near the building. Vernon was playing around with the settings in the car as it drove him over. He was looking for anything that would allow him to track the car, and there wasn’t anything in the settings. It didn’t mean they couldn’t, but he figured he didn’t care anymore. If they wanted to come after him, then let them. Marie was waiting in the lobby, with Blu and Ignis, all are happy to see Vernon as he walks in.
“Hey you three,” Vernon says, “How are you all doing?”
Marie smiles, “We are doing great, and they have been really good.”
Blu and Ignis have big grins on their faces.
Vernon says, “That’s good, but I need to take you home. Duke and Ashley are there with Gon right now.”
“Gon?”
“You know, we met him on our honeymoon, in the forest.”
Marie’s mouth droops open, “Him!? He’s here at our place? Right now?”
“Yes, now come on.”
Everyone loads up in the car. The ride is silent, except for the breathing of Ignis and Blu in the backseat.
Marie breaks the silence asking, “So what are we going to do?”
“I’m going to have to go with Duke and Ashley to their place. I am going to take Dray-Gon to his son, which I am pretty sure he is at the Academy somewhere. Remember my trial right there at the end when I can out of the shifted area?”
“Yes.”
“Well I’m not sure if I told you this or not, but there was a dragon there with the same eyes as his. I just asked if his son had the same eyes, and he told me it was a family trait, so yea, I’m pretty sure it was him.”
“Ok, so why do you want me to go with Duke and Ashley?”
“Because Hood doesn’t know them, he knew who I was, and I don’t know how. He shouldn’t know them, and the more people to protect you the better.”
“Fine, but I don’t like this whole protecting me thing. I can do just fine on my own, thank you.”
“I know, but I don’t like this as much as you don’t ok. Let me find this guy, who I’m scared of, and then we can deal with the rest later.”
Marie glares at him, “You’re going to make this up to me somehow.”
“Yes I am.” Vernon smiles.
Marie lightly punches him in the arm. “Oh, I got something in that data you wanted me to analyze. It was a ma
p labeled New Atlantis, but it doesn’t line up at all to anything in the dome.”
“Weird. Just send me a copy, and I will look at it after I get done with the whole Dray-Gon thing. I just hope it leads to where Hood is.”
Vernon slows the car as they come up to the apartment complex. Smoke and fire are billowing out of their windows.
18
Duke, Ashley and Gon are waiting outside on the sidewalk as Vernon and the others pull up in the car. Sirens can be heard in the distance getting closer. Vernon tells Marie to stay in the car, and to take it if anything looks like it is about to happen. He gets out, and walks over to Duke.
“What happened?” he asks.
Duke shakes his head. “Not really sure to be honest. We were just talking to Dray-Gon, then he turned to the window broke the wall down and dragged us out. His wings spread out, shielding us from an explosion.”
“I am going to take this guy down, somehow, someway.” Vernon snarls out.
Dray-Gon looks over to Vernon, and then to the car where Blu and Ignis are bouncing around. He walks over to Vernon. “I see the whelps are doing good.”
“Yea, they are.” Vernon replies. “Thanks for saving my friends.”
Gon smiles, “Something I am sure you would have done. There are more pressing matters. The authorities will be here soon, and we should not be.”
“Right. Duke, I need another favor.”
Duke laughs, “Of course you do. I’ll take everyone to my place, and I’m guessing you’re taking Dray-Gon to get his son?”
“I am, if Hood really is using dragon eggs as an ingredient, then we need to know where they are.”
“I’ll take care of everyone. With Ashley and Marie with me there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“Gon, you ready?”
He smiles as he says, “I am, let us go rescue my son.”
Duke and Ashley get into the car Vernon was driving, and take it. Dray-Gon and Vernon walk away from the building a little distance to avoid the Knights showing up and asking them questions. Vernon didn’t want to be at the scene of two fires in one day, and didn’t want to have to think about losing his home just yet. He just got that bed too.
They reach the end of the block, and the car that Vernon had called is waiting for them. The drive doesn’t take too long before they pull up to the edge of the dome, and Vernon looks out past the glass, to the open lake surrounding it.
“You ever been to the Paladin Academy before?” Vernon asks.
Gon shakes his head. “No I have not.”
“Be prepared to be amazed.”
The academy was located in New Atlantis, but it was secluded from the rest of the dome. Memories begin to fill his mind of the place, still fresh. He had only left it a few weeks ago. The entrance really wasn’t to a building. There was an entrance which looked like a roman doorway from Earth, which immediately went to a staircase down into ground below. Stairs upon stairs, lead the way down into the earth of Eden. As the stairway breaks open, it leads into a grand entrance. A large cavern had been hollowed out, and plastered over. Light emanates from the walls, as if the ceiling is the open sky above. The stairway is connected to a bridge over a great waterway below the ground, and the academy stands in the center of this enormous cavern as if it were the pillar of the world.
This was where Vernon spent the last four years of his life, and it felt like he was coming home. He didn’t think he would miss the view of the fake sky overhead, or the moat of water below. As they walk toward a bridge closer to the spire, he spots where Rajini would take him to train on weekends. All of the other recruits would have off for the weekend, but Vernon was right there training away his free time. He had always been a special case, and needed the extra attention to make sure his powers would hurt him or anyone else. It was there where he could let it out, and push his limits without fear of what might happen.
Two Paladin guards are waiting in their post next to the entrance of the spire. They both instantly recognize Vernon, and waive to him.
“Hey Vernon, what are you doing here I thought you already graduated?”
“Hey David, you know what Master Rajini says, you never stop learning.”
“Ha ha, yea that old codger does say that a lot. He’s in his office right now. Were you the one he had an appointment with?”
Vernon shakes his head, “No I’m not. I wanted to bring a good friend of mine here to talk to him about possibly joining up.” He points toward Dray-Gon. “He’s a lot like me when I first got here, so I figured he might have a sympathetic ear.”
“Don’t get your hopes up on that one.”
“True. That alright if we go through?”
“Yea, go ahead.” David waves them through.
Dray-Gon bows his head to the two guards, and walks past alongside Vernon. Once they get onto the grounds Gon turns to Vernon.
“Is it supposed to be this easy to enter this facility?”
“It is just a school after all. They have military functions and training, but there is a whole side that is just a college. They are there to make people sign in mostly, but since I went here, and graduate, looks like I can just enter. They did cut you some slack for being with me though.”
Gon nods. “I see, where is this Master of yours we need to make haste.”
“I know, he’s on the main level here. Just at the end of the hallway after we enter the spire.”
Walking into the entrance, is a hallway filled with doors. The ceiling above depicts moving clouds, with the sun high up in the sky.
“They have expended a lot of energy to make this area appear to be on the outside.” Gon says.
“It helps keeping you from going stir crazy. If you were locked in a cave for years at a time...” Vernon glances at Gon, who has a raised eyebrow. “Well for humans anyway. I’m not sure about dragons.”
The headmasters office was near the back of spire. Vernon pauses in front of the door, staring at the virtual label marking it Rajini Umber; Headmaster of the Paladin Academy. He needed to come up with something to tell his old master that would be able to let him back into that shifted area. Without asking too many questions. Vernon places his forehead into his palm and shakes his head. What was he thinking not calling, messaging, or giving him a heads up first. Let alone not coming up with a cover story before he got here. Everything has been on impulse since the fire at his parent’s house.
“Vernon my boy, what are you doing here?”
Vernon turns to look at a dark skinned man a foot shorter than he was, his sculpted hair a mixture of white and black, a perfectly manicured beard of the same salt and pepper look, and a set of icy blue eyes. Rajini Umber wore a white shirt hugging his finely toned muscles with a pair of black pants, and black shoes. His eyes meet Vernon’s, with a measured glare toward Dray-Gon.
“I uhh…” Vernon mumbles.
“Spit it out boy, I have an appointment with some government officials here in a few minutes. I would have gladly spoken to you longer, had you given me warning.”
Vernon shrinks a little at the comment. “I’m sorry sir, I need to talk to you about the shifted area I was in on my trial.”
Rajini flicks his head toward Gon, focusing on his eyes, and something close to recognition comes across his. He pushes past Vernon and opens his door. “Hurry and come in.”
Vernon and Dray-Gon walk into the office. The room was filled with bookcases, and paper books. The paper industry wasn’t rebuilt when humanity moved to Eden. Digital transmissions became the standard in which everyone communicated, making paper a rare commodity. Vernon had been in this room hundreds of times, and every time he would swear that he finds something new up on the shelves.
“Now that we are in my office, why is it that you’ve come here?”
“Like I said I need to talk to you about the shifted area I was in during my trial.”
“I know that’s what you said, but why bring him with you, what aren’t you telling me?”
Vernon looks to Dray-Gon, who nods at him. “I know this might sound crazy, but he’s a dragon.”
“Yes I know who he is, he’s Dray-Gon, what does that have to do with you my recently graduated student? What have you got yourself mixed into?”
Vernon stands there perplex for a moment before answering, “You know?”
“I’m not the Headmaster of this school for nothing. Was this Tyler’s doing? I knew he was going to get you mixed up in all of this. I told him to leave you out of it.”
“It wasn’t Tyler.”
“Then who was it?”
“It was a man named Hood.”
“What!? How did you get in his sights?”
Vernon quickly tells him about the last couples of days.
“Vernon, you know that I can’t let you into the shifted area. It is for official use only. Even if it was for official business, as you know, it is holding a dangerous dragon captive.”
“But Master…”
“No buts. The glass orb I have on the desk here is the only tool that will open the magical gateway to that place. The others were recently ordered away. I can’t let you place this on that receptacle by the mirror to open the portal. Like I told you when you got here, I have a meeting soon.”
A knock lightly raps at the office door. Two women in black suits and powder blue skinny ties stand in the doorway. Each woman has a cybernetic implant in the back of their right hand. Rajini stares at Vernon, giving him the don’t speak look, something he had seen more than he wanted to count.
The woman with green eyes speaks with a chill in her voice, “Headmaster Umber, it is good to see you, and please pardon our tardiness.”
“Ah, no need, I was only talking to a former student of mine here. He recently graduated, and wanted to tell me how things were going.”
The green eyed woman turns his gaze toward Vernon, and he meets her gaze. That was a mistake. There was a deadness behind them, like he was being pulled into a blackhole, and the short stare made Vernon feel uncomfortable. It was as if he had just bared his soul to the woman without speaking a word. Vernon looks away and the woman smiles.
Cypher Theorem Series Box Set: Books 1-3, The Zero Class, Shadow Moon, Dragon Fire: A Science Fiction Fantasy Page 53