Oh, John, do we have to? It was Neil, a boy from the south who sat behind Daisy in class. He was a loud but likable student, who was clearly unimpressed by this choice. It's completely pointless.
John gazed at him for a moment. Care to expand on that, Neil?
John couldn't intimidate anyone of the students in the class, who all still saw him as one of their peers, so he didn't even try. Neil answered without hesitation.
Yes, we can't hurt each other with fire, and our enemies are not vulnerable to our fire either. The Rhino Dragons are completely fireproof, and the Blue Dragons are hardly affected at all. It's a complete waste of time, and there's no practical use for it. Not as a weapon anyway.
There were murmurs of ascent throughout the class. John paused before replying. I see you are not alone in your opinions, Neil. Thank you for sharing. Perhaps you would be willing to back up your words and put them to the test?
Neil hesitated, not quite so confident now. What sort of test? he asked cautiously, tipping his scaly head to one side.
John turned away from the class, peering over the edge of the amphitheatre with his long neck. Just a test of whether there is any practical use for fire. You see, although I am bound by the syllabus, and have to teach you this anyway, I actually agree with the decision to include fire, so I can't agree with your view. Perhaps I can persuade you to side with me. Do you agree to participate in a little test?
Alright, Neil replied reluctantly. I'll do it.
Excellent. Now, some of what you said is true, if you limit it to our fire. Rhino Dragons are indeed completely unaffected by it, and I suspect that they may even enjoy the gentle warming. But ours is far from the hottest, and there are dragons that could incinerate a Rhino Dragon in seconds, given the opportunity.
What rubbish! Jenna was outraged, little wisps of flame streaming involuntarily from her nostrils. There's no such dragon! We'd have heard of it.
I'll thank you not to interrupt my class, Jenna, unless you wish to spend an evening in detention. There is such a dragon, although so rare, that you are not likely to ever meet it, their number thankfully being very low.
Who does he think he is? Jenna said softly to Crystal, fuming angrily at his rebuke.
Moving on to our little test, John continued. Last term Professor Stone taught you a number of basic manoeuvres, which you all managed to perform admirably by the end of term.
John took off and glided to the bottom of the amphitheatre, landing on a perch he had set up while the class had been transforming. The class advanced forwards to the edge of the grass at the top of the amphitheatre to see what he was doing. The amphitheatre had been set up for an exercise that they had mastered some weeks before the end of term; picking up one of a number of objects and then landing on a narrow perch, using just their rear legs to land while still grasping the object in their front legs.
Do you all remember this task? John asked, still seated on the perch. The class responded with a vague confirmation. Excellent, John replied, ignoring their complete lack of enthusiasm. You'll see that I have two perches set up. I'll sit on this one while you perform the task. Neil, I'd like you to glide down, pick up that metal crate, and then land on the other perch. Do you think you can manage that?
Of course, Neil replied confidently. Why are we doing this again? It's hardly difficult.
Took you long enough the first time, fat boy, Joel muttered.
Enough! John commanded. Neil, begin!
Neil stretched his wings out and took off, lazily gliding towards the collection of objects, and deftly lifted the heavy crate from the ground with his claws before turning towards the perch. Just as he began to flap his wings to slow his descent, John shot a fireball straight at his face. Neil squawked in surprise, raising his forelegs to shield his face and dropping the crate. He was too slow and the flames hit him directly in the face, enveloping his head for a second. Temporarily blinded, he didn't notice that he had descended too quickly and collided chest first into the perch. His momentum carried him forwards, and he flipped over the perch before crashing to the ground on his back, where John had thoughtfully piled a number of mattresses to cushion his landing.
What the… Neil began angrily, his long neck twisting so that he could glare at John.
Thank you, Neil, John cut in loudly. I think you can see one of the main practical uses your fire has; temporarily blinding or distracting your opponent.
Neil fumed silently, trying to ignore the strange sounds his classmates were making, which could only have been dragon laughter.
Neil hasn't been singled out, John told them. You will all have a go. John flapped his wings vigorously and took off, before flying back up to face the class. I want you all to experience what that feels like. Who wants to be next? He turned to the nearest dragon. Daniel? Can you go next, please?
Hit me with a fireball and I'll tear your head off, Daniel snarled menacingly, snapping his jaws together meaningfully.
A deadly hush fell over the group. Daniel stood facing off against John, his classmates standing behind him, shocked by his response.
Do I need to remind you that I'm a teacher? John asked, trying to remain calm. I won't tolerate that attitude in my class.
You're not a real teacher, Daniel retorted.
Leave my class, John told him. Detention. Go and see the headmaster and wait for me.
Make me, Daniel replied threateningly, clawing the ground in front of him. You have no real authority.
John flew towards a box at the edge of the amphitheatre, and pulled a transparent ball out of the box with his claws. Daniel eyed him warily, crouching, ready to spring at him. John launched himself into the air and flew above Daniel, before throwing the ball hard at his head. The ball must have been made of glass, as it shattered on impact and spilt its watery contents all over Daniel's snout.
What's this— Daniel began angrily, before making a strange strangled sound. The class all watched him anxiously as he collapsed to the floor.
What have you done, John? Amber asked in a hushed tone. Is he dying?
Daniel began to shrink, his tail and wings rapidly reducing in size, retreating into his body, and his neck shortening. It took a moment for anyone to work out what was happening, until Jenna yelled, He's transforming!
Sure enough, right in front of them, Daniel slowly transformed back to his human form, finishing lying naked in a foetal position on the floor.
What did you do to him, John? Seth asked in amazement. John merely performed a rapid transformation to land, standing in front of Daniel, fully clothed and composed.
"You seem to have forgotten your clothes, Daniel," John told him. "Now get out of my class."
Daniel looked up at him, his face burning red with humiliation and anger. "I'll get you for this!"
"Go and get your clothes and leave," John replied calmly. "Or do you need some motivation?"
He somersaulted backwards over the edge of the amphitheatre, and reappeared seconds later, flying above the class. He sent a fireball crashing into the ground just in front of Daniel, who gasped in surprise and jumped to his feet, trying to cover himself with his hands. The class burst into dragon laughter, and Daniel glared at them all, before turning and running towards the changing rooms.
Wow, John! Arthur said. How did you do that?
That was intended for a later lesson, John replied calmly as he landed again. There's a poorly known herb that when prepared properly can trigger transformation. It only works one way, turning you back into your human form. It's not that common, but it can be found in a few sites across the Kingdom.
That was great, John, Daisy enthused. He'll never forget that lesson!
Imagine if you'd done that in the air, Seth mused. That stuff is lethal! You'd just fall to your death.
Not really, John replied. At least it doesn't have to be lethal. It just triggers the transformation process, but you can stop it and remain a dragon. With practice.
How would you do that? D
aisy asked anxiously, not relishing the prospect of getting it wrong and finding herself naked in front of the whole class. Would you have to throw those things at us to teach us?
Not at all, John replied. You can practice on your own. Next time you transform back, try stopping and going back just after you start the transformation.
That's not possible, Seth argued. Transforming back is always faster and you can't stop it once you've begun.
Daniel slowed his transformation by fighting it, John replied. And with practice he could have stopped it. Watch! John turned sideways. His wings and tail began to shrink and then grew back immediately.
Cool, John! said Mia. Mia sat in front of John, and like a number of his classmates, had warmed to him now that he was with Daisy. Can you do that the other way as well, when you're transforming into a dragon?
John transformed into his human form in a flash of red scales, but didn't put his shirt and jacket back on. Crystal noticed that he still had quite a few scars from his fight with Daniel. John faced the class, and scales began to form around his eyes, quickly spreading over his face before retreating again just as quickly. He started again, letting the scales cover his whole upper body this time before reversing the process. On the third time, he transformed very quickly, and faced them again as a dragon.
Now you're just showing off, Seth joked, a response that sparked friendly laughter throughout the class.
Possibly, John admitted. But I'm also showing you what's possible, after a lot of practice. You're very unlikely to be attacked in the way I did to Daniel, but I would rather you were prepared for the improbable, rather than take the risk. Please try each time you transform. You'll find that mastering this will allow you faster transformations as well.
Who taught you all this? Mia asked. I told my parents how you transform, and they told me it's not possible to transform that quickly, and wouldn't believe me. They said even the best instructors don't transform that fast.
That's because most instructors focus solely on their flying, not their transformation. With enough practice, I suspect I could have you transforming faster than the best instructors by the end of the year, John replied. Not as fast as me perhaps, but then I had a much better instructor than you; my father. If he was teaching you… Well, who knows what you could achieve, but sadly you're stuck with me instead. Right, who's next? Fire, that is, not forced transformation and humiliation. Form a line…
Every student had a turn, and few did better than Neil. Even Daisy wasn't given an easy ride, with John firing not one but two fireballs at her as she attempted to land. The first to land successfully was Arthur, who rather than futilely trying to avoid the fast moving fireballs that John sent his way, just closed his eyes and tried to fly through it.
Well done, Arthur! John cried happily. That's more like it! You can't dodge the fire, at least not when you're slowing down to land. But as Neil rightly pointed out, we can't hurt each other, so other than having to close your eyes for a moment, you can ignore the fire.
So that's all there is to it? Jenna asked irritably. Couldn't you have just told us that? We could have been badly hurt! Jenna had crashed most spectacularly, managing to grip the perch with just one foot, which had sent her spinning sideways and landing very awkwardly, leaving her feeling a little sore, and even more embarrassed at the enthusiastic laughter her crash had been rewarded with.
You will learn it better this way, John replied dismissively. Besides, the mats prevented any real injury. Right, everyone will have another go. Neil, here's your chance to redeem yourself. Take off in your own time.
Neil executed the task expertly, despite catching a fireball directly in his face. The rest of the class, reassured by his success, proceeded to follow his example.
John, Seth began, how do you shoot fireballs? No one else does; only Blue Dragons use them.
John took his customary moment to respond. Blue Dragons use them because they have to; they can't produce a long stream of fire as we can. Their fire isn't as hot either. But their fireballs travel more quickly than a stream of flames would, and although few Red Dragons know it, we can do the same. Again, it just takes practice. John demonstrated by firing off three fireballs in quick succession at the head of the next student to try and pick up the crate.
Good work, Amber, John said encouragingly, ignoring the murderous looks she was giving him. We'll practice this again another day, but now you're ready to begin using fire on each other, now that you know how to handle being on the receiving end. We'll pick this up again next week. Class dismissed!
With that, John took off, flying straight back to the school to deal with Daniel and the headmaster.
Chapter 29: Promotion and Final Preparation
"Afternoon, Commander Perak," Colonel Kanesh said in greeting as he entered Perak's command tent. "How's life in your training camp?"
Perak jumped to his feet to salute the Colonel. He had not been expecting his visit, and didn't like surprises. Especially surprise visits from a Colonel in the army of the interior. "All is well, Colonel, thank you. To what do I owe the honour?"
"Relax, Commander," Kanesh replied, waving his hand dismissively and taking a seat. "This is just a social visit; I would have joined you for lunch, but I see you've dined already." Perak looked down at his half-finished meagre meal, unsure how to respond. Kanesh continued talking. "I like to keep myself informed about the more interesting projects that are going on. It makes my job a little easier. So, tell me, how long have you been running this training program now? It's going well, I take it?"
Perak nodded. "The program is at its end now, sir, having run for twelve weeks. We had a slow start, but after I, motivated, the troops, they've shown a real aptitude for the work."
Kanesh nodded. "Good, good. I'm very glad to hear it. Did it help, having your former comrade join you? I understand you were keen to have him back under your command."
Colonel Kanesh had been instrumental in arranging a transfer for Eric, Perak's favourite student, who he had promoted to Squadron Leader and formed part of his core training team. "Yes, Colonel. Many thanks for your assistance. He has been a great help."
Kanesh nodded. "Very glad to help, Perak. Well, I look forward to reading your report on the training program. The General will be very keen to read it as well; he's been taking a close interest in your program. Of course, nothing will be of surprise to him; he's very well informed. Good luck, Perak. I expect I'll see you back in the war room very soon."
Perak frowned as Kanesh left. The visit seemed almost pointless, and he didn't think Kanesh could have learnt anything from their conversation. He was known for being well informed, but how he managed it if he relied on conversations like this was beyond Perak.
Of course Kanesh had been a big help. Replacing the troops he had executed had been a little bit of a challenge; his programme was unpopular with the other senior officers, and there were precious few volunteers to replace men that had been executed by their commanding officer. Kanesh, however, had been unusually helpful in ensuring that it went smoothly, and Perak wasn't sure how he knew, but having Eric along was especially useful. His protégé was an excellent swordsman now, and helped drag the troops up to the minimum standard that Perak required. Perak also had Wing Commander Pan transferred, but much as Pan tried to be of help, Eric was much more use—although a little dull when it came to conversation.
"Commander, did I just see Colonel Kanesh leave here?" Pan asked, entering the tent. "Is there a problem?"
Perak frowned. He hadn't sent for Pan, and didn't really welcome uninvited visits. However, he might be useful, as he did have many contacts and Pan was often a source of useful information.
"Not that I am aware of," he replied. "Pan, you are a man with quite a broad network of former colleagues and friends, are you not?"
"Former colleagues, and people who are still friends," Pan replied. "Why? Is there something you want me to enquire about?"
Perak nodded. "Yes, there is.
Kanesh's visit had no obvious purpose other than to remind me of how he had helped me. Something is going on or else he wouldn't be here, and I don't like being in the dark. Be discrete, of course."
"As always, Commander. Kanesh won't have travelled here alone; I'll see if any of his men can help me. I know a few of them quite well. Old drinking buddies from years back. Perhaps a few glasses of our finest wine might lubricate their tongues."
Perak frowned. He wasn't much of a drinker, and disapproved of Pan's excesses, but he would have to endure them this time. "Very well, invite them for a drink. Make sure they're still airworthy afterwards, though. I don't want to be blamed for delaying a Colonel. Dismissed!"
"Oh, right, dismissed, right you are," Pan replied genially. "I'll let you know as soon as I have something." He bumbled out of the tent, a slightly vacant expression on his face. This was Pan's greatest asset, his ability to tap his web of contacts. Yet, even doing this, he failed to inspire confidence.
Later that afternoon, Pan stumbled back into the command tent, his eyes even more dreamy and vacant and his balance even more unreliable. He crashed down into a chair without so much as asking Perak's permission. This was getting beyond a joke…
"Zygar is going to visit," Pan announced. "He'll be here any minute now. That's why Kanesh invited himself over."
Perak's eyes widened as he instantly forgot his irritation. "General Zygar! What does he want? The programme is going well, but we're not due to report on progress or demonstrate their capabilities yet."
"Beats me," Pan replied wearily. "That's all my friends knew. Kanesh heard about his visit and managed to arrive ahead of him. Apparently, Kanesh came to visit you ahead of visiting Colonel Devrik, which I was surprised to hear. That suggests that things don't look good for him if Kanesh can snub him like that."
"Excuse me, sir." Eric entered the tent, demonstrating all the decorum that Pan lacked. "Permission to speak?"
"Go ahead. What news do you have?"
"The Colonel requests your presence, sir. Immediately. I'm to accompany you to his headquarters."
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