Authors: Andy Holland
"I know, Mother. You told me that. But how do I
begin
?"
"Let me see, dear. How can I explain? First of all, you have to focus hard on your eyes. Picture them turning bright red. At the same time, concentrate on them becoming dragon's eyes. One thing that can help is trying to bring a distant object into focus at the same time as making your eyes as wide as possible. Your eyesight is better as a dragon, so doing this helps start the transformation."
Crystal closed her eyes for a second, concentrating hard. She opened her eyes, and began to focus on her eyes.
Dragon's eyes, dragon's eyes,
she said to herself. She looked at a distant statue, one of two little Worm Dragons, and tried to widen her eyes and focus on that. Suddenly, she stopped and spun around to face her mother. She could feel someone watching her.
"Do you feel that?" she asked. "Who's there?" she called.
"That's funny, I felt as if there was someone watching as well," her mother observed. "But I can't see anyone, dear. We must have imagined it."
Crystal turned back to her mother. "Did my eyes do anything?"
"Well, it's funny actually. They did look like they were changing colour, but they looked more brown than red, and I couldn't work out exactly what was happening. Try it again, dear."
Crystal took a deep breath and tried again. She found the statue of the Red Dragon in the distance and tried to focus on it instead.
Dragon's eyes, dragon's eyes,
she thought to herself again. She could definitely feel something happening, but it didn't feel quite right.
Red Dragon's eyes
, she said to herself suddenly, wondering if that would help. She couldn't see her own eyes of course, but it just felt like something was happening. She could feel her skin tighten and become a little numb, and when she looked at the statue of the Red Dragon, she realised that she could see far more detail than she could just a moment ago. She stared at the statue for a while, marvelling at her enhanced senses, before looking down at her hands, and found that her fingers were now covered in bright red scales, and were already beginning to change shape. She stretched out and then curled her talons, admiring how sharp and strong they looked. She glanced at her arms, and saw that they were scaly, just like her claws, but were still just arms. Then they straightened suddenly, without her being able to control them, before beginning to elongate. She struggled to move them for a moment before finding that she could bend them the other way. For a second it felt strange, but then it felt as if bending it the other way would be just as unnatural. She looked at her left leg. It was still hidden under her clothing, but just as she looked at it, it began to straighten and lengthen. The other leg was still short, not having begun to transform, and she toppled over to one side. She looked up at her mother in alarm, who had stood back a bit and was laughing at her. She glared at her indignantly as her other leg began to follow suit. Her new clothes fell off, as they were designed to do, allowing her to admire the beautiful red scales that covered her whole body, and gave no hint of her sex. She could feel her wings beginning to emerge behind her, and finally took her mother's advice and relaxed, letting the transformation take its own course. Her neck and head slowly changed shape, and the transformation was finally complete. She looked up at her mother, and found that she had transformed as well, and scrambled to her feet to face her.
Well done, dear
, her mother told her. Her voice sounded in her head, although she hadn't moved her lips.
You're inside my head!
Crystal thought in alarm.
Don't shout, dear,
her mother told her gently.
It'll take you a while to get used to communicating this way, but until you do, try and think quiet thoughts. Otherwise I'll have a headache!
Wow, this is so cool! Look at my legs. Look at my wings! I wonder if I can fly. What happens when I flap them?
Stop, dear, stop! You're projecting all of your thoughts! Concentrate on thinking to yourself.
How do I do that, mum? This isn't easy for me. I haven't done this before. You're being so unfair. Wait; I didn't want to say that, it just popped in my head. Mum, what do I need to do? I can't control this. Wow, look how far I can see. I can see the birds high over that forest. Hmm, is that a falcon…
Stop, dear. Concentrate! Look, let's try it a different way. Try and concentrate on talking to me. Think of a question, and think about asking me the question
.
What question shall I ask? Does it matter? What can I think of? Oh, are you hearing all of this?
Of course, dear, but that's normal. As long as you have it under control before you think about any boys and we'll be fine. There are some things a mother doesn't want to have shouted at her.
I thought you said I couldn't think about boys when I was a dragon? You're confusing me now.
Her mother shook her scaly head in despair.
Oh, Crystal, I can't believe you are going to make me spell it out. You can't have the same sexual urges, because you don't really have a sex as a dragon, thank goodness. You can't eat, mate, sleep or do plenty of other things that they should have taught you about at that school.
You can't sleep? Not at all?
No. If you tried it, you'd just transform back, although I think you can be knocked unconscious, so don't ask me to explain that one as it makes no sense to me.
Her mother stayed perfectly still as she spoke, reminding Crystal of the statues surrounding them.
Some people seem to be able to rest as a dragon, staying half awake, but I wouldn't advise doing so. You wouldn't want to accidently transform and wake up with no clothes on! Now before your mind wanders again, try and ask me whether I can hear you.
Whether you can hear me, whether you can hear me. That's a good idea. Alright. Mother, can you hear me?
she thought slowly and loudly.
Yes, Crystal, I can hear you,
her mother replied, aping her style of speaking.
But it doesn't have to be so slow, or loud.
Alright, I understand,
Crystal replied. She coughed, and accidently blew flames straight at her mother.
Sorry! I didn't mean to! Are you hurt? I'm so sorry!
Calm down!
her mother replied, sounding a little amused.
You didn't hurt me at all. We're not completely fireproof, but our fire doesn't hurt each other. You'll need to learn how to control that though. You can't hurt me like this, but if I was human it would be a different matter.
Oh, yes, of course. They did teach us that at school. I hope I don't get this wrong at school. Imagine if I burnt another student! You will teach me mother, won't you? I'll try to get it right.
Very good, dear. But before I teach you that, let's try transforming back first. That's important too.
Of course, transforming back, transforming back.
Crystal paced back and forth anxiously, her claws ruining the well-maintained lawn.
Oh dear, I didn't think of that. What happens if I can't do it? Is it hard? What happens if I'm stuck as a dragon till night fall? Will I die? That's what happens if you're still a dragon at night isn't it? Oh dear, please tell me what to do? How do I change back?
S
top!
her mother commanded her, her authoritative voice cutting her off mid-flow.
Changing back is quite easy
—
probably easier than transforming in the first place
—
and it's generally much quicker. Again, it starts with your eyes. I always concentrate on something nearby, and on making them small and human. Other people have different approaches, but that works for me. You change first, dear. I'll watch.
Her mother sat down and watched her patiently and silently.
Small and human. Small and human, oh and something nearby. Perhaps my hands. I'll look at my hands. They're nearby. Small and human, small and human. Oh, something's happening. I'm changing! What's happening, this feels so strange!
Her mother was spared any further mental diarrhoea, her ability to project her thoughts ending abruptly as soon as her head began to change shape. Her wings disappeared at first, and then her head and neck shrunk, followed by her legs, arms, hands and feet. She didn't really notice her body shrinking. Then the scales began to vanish, and she found herself lying naked on the floor, as a human, with her clothes scattered around her. She quickly gathered them up and tried to work out how to put them on. Her mother passed Crystal her underwear, having changed back herself.
"Well done, Crystal," her mother congratulated her. "That was excellent work, both turning into a dragon and back again. You managed to get it very quickly. You'll have to work on your speed of course, and your control, as you let your body dictate which bit changes first. It was very funny when one of your legs changed before the other, but you should try to avoid that."
"I'm glad you found it amusing; I fell over!" Crystal wasn't cross at all, still elated by the experience.
"You'll have to work on your telepathy as well," her mother told her. "My mind is still ringing from having you shouting in it."
"Sorry, mother, it is difficult," Crystal said in apology.
"That's alright, dear; we'll work it out together. It takes a bit of getting used to."
"It was strange; I thought we would sound different, as dragons. You sounded exactly the same as you do now."
"Did you, dear? But we're not really talking, are we? Not with our mouths anyway. Shall we try again?"
Crystal nodded, and focussed on the distant statues again.
That's funny
, she thought to herself.
I could have sworn there were two of those little Worm Dragons when I looked last time. I must have imagined it.
Crystal's mother insisted that she walk with her to school, something she hadn't done for many years. She had begged her mother not to in order to try and avoid any embarrassment on her first day, but her mother just laughed at her objections and paid no attention. Their home was very near to the southern part of the inner city wall, just a short distance from the school, so it was quite a short walk. It was late summer, and although Furnace was further north than their home in Black Rock, the city itself was always warm, surrounded by the five dormant volcanoes that gave the city its name, so it was a pleasant temperature for a walk.
"So, has your father told you much about the school?" Crystal's mother asked as they left the grounds of their house, shaking her head as their guard, Edward asked if he should accompany them.
"A bit; he told me that there are two years, and five classes for each year, all about the same size as each other. My class has twenty four students and
—
"
"And you're in Oak class?" her mother asked, interrupting her.
"That's right," Crystal replied.
"Oh, good. That's nice; that's where I was as well. And your father, which is where we met of course, but they don't take that into account when they pick the classes."
"How do they pick the classes?" Crystal asked.
"Well, they try and get an even mix from each of the principalities and the capital, to make sure everyone gets to know people from all across the Kingdom."
Crystal nodded. The Kingdom was divided into five regions - four semi-autonomous Principalities and the Centre, which was dominated by the capital city, Furnace, her new home. The Principalities used to be of little significance, and had been ruled by the sons of whoever was king at the time, or his brothers if he didn't have four sons, but that changed a few generations ago. The sons of King Henry II (the great grandfather of the current King, King Henry III), never relinquished their power to their nephews, the sons of King Micah the weak, but passed power down to their own children, and King Micah agreed to allow them considerable control over their own lands. The centre was now the only region where the King had absolute power. Although he nominally had overall control of the army and some other limited national powers, he was barely more powerful than any of the four princes. The Western prince, Prince Carl, was believed to be considerably richer than the King. Crystal's family could be considered part of the royal family, as her father was nephew to Prince Edward, ruler of the Southern Principality, but that was not how her parents viewed their position in society, so Crystal would never considered herself a princess.
As daughter to someone in the military council, Crystal already knew a few people from each of the five regions of the Kingdom, but she was probably alone amongst her peers. Other than those in the military council, only the richest of the lords and the princes visited the other principalities that often, with most preferring to stay within their own regions. This was not always the case, but animosities between the regions had started developing long before they became formal Principalities. Other than trading purposes, the Principalities had little to do with each other. Most of the children of the nobility would never have even left their home towns. This was to be their opportunity to mingle with the offspring of the ruling classes from the rest of the Kingdom, and was indeed the reason for the foundation of their school, set up to try and improve the relations between the different regions.
Her mother continued with her commentary. "They don't usually allow relatives in the same class, but teachers can be persuaded to bend rules if you have enough influence."
"Mother, you didn't!" Crystal was shocked.
"Of course not. Not me. But your cousin wanted to be in the same class as you, and, well you know how she usually gets her way."
Crystal smiled to herself, pleased that her cousin went to such trouble, and amused at the thought of her badgering her parents till they gave in. "What about the twins? Would their parents have done the same?"
"Possibly, although I understand that they're staying with their older brother. To be honest, he could have done so himself, dear, as he is heir to the West. His family have contributed a lot to your school. I don't know them at all well, of course; the party was the first time I met them. Your father was the one who invited them. He thought you'd like to meet your new classmates."
Crystal smiled, pleased that her father still fussed over her, but then her smile turned to a frown as she remembered the strange blond boy he had brought to her party.
"What is it, dear?" her mother asked, noticing her dark look.
"Just thinking about that boy at my party, the strange one. He'll be in my class, won't he?"
"Yes, I suppose he will, or your father wouldn't have invited him. I wouldn't worry about it, dear; there will be plenty of other students in the class. Look, here we are, this is the school."
They had reached King Cornelius School, a castle-like building with high imposing walls, and even higher towers on each corner. They stopped outside the school and Crystal gazed up at the tower over the entrance.
"How many students are there here?" she asked in amazement.
"Well, dear, you can do the maths just as well as me; there are five classes per year, and only two years, so there must be about two-hundred-and-fifty students."
"But it's huge! Why is it so large for just a few hundred students? Were there more when you were here?"
"No, dear; it was the same. Some of it isn't used, and the teachers all live in there. Some students board as well. At least they used to." Most, like Crystal, did not. Their parents considered such accommodation to be beneath their highborn children and had rented the grandest and most expensive places they could find. "There are also the school guards; they live here all year around, and there are quite a few
—
maybe thirty or forty. You won't see them most of the time, other than those at the school entrance, but they'll be watching from the towers."
"Why are they so many guards?" Crystal asked. "I thought Furnace was very safe. Should we have brought Edward with us?"
"Of course it is safe, dear, especially inside the inner city wall. But all of the richest and most powerful people in the Kingdom send their children here. They expect to have a high standard of security. Especially those from the North and the East. They are so paranoid about Blue Dragon attacks that they worry they could happen here as well."
"Could they happen here?" Crystal asked.
"No, of course not," her mother replied with a laugh. "We're far too far from the border. But they still insist on having lots of guards here anyway. Partly for show I expect, to let everyone know how many guards they can afford. Of course, many will bring their own guards to accompany their children to school…"
"But that's only thirty or forty more people. That still doesn't explain it," Crystal objected.
"Doesn't explain what?" It was Jenna, who had sauntered over to stand next to Crystal. Jenna had clearly gone to a lot of effort with her appearance, and was dressed very elegantly. Crystal felt a little underdressed.
"Hi, Jenna, how are you?" Crystal's mother asked warmly.
"Very well, Auntie, thank you for asking. What's up, Crystal?"
"I can't understand why they need such a big building for a school with so few students," Crystal replied.
"Oh, whatever; shouldn't we be going in?" Jenna never bothered hiding when she wasn't interested in what Crystal was saying.
"Jenna! Don't you think it's strange?"
"Yes, very strange. In that building are all the eligible highborn young men in the Kingdom, which I know includes at least one real prince, and you're gawping at the brickwork."
"Jenna! We're here to finish our education, not just to meet future husbands!"
Jenna shook her head in mock despair and took Crystal's arm and led her towards the entrance.
"Don't worry, Auntie; I'll explain it to her."
"Bye, girls. Enjoy your first day," Crystal's mother called, frowning a little at Jenna.
"Don't worry, Auntie. I mean to," Jenna replied with a mischievous grin. Crystal waved goodbye to her mother before Jenna dragged her into the entrance hall. The hall was covered with dark wood panels, and was a little unwelcoming. Jenna seemed completely oblivious to it.
"Look, Crystal, there is only one reason we come here instead of staying in our dreary little regional schools, and that's so we can meet our future husbands. Both of our mothers met their husbands here, and it's the reason they were sent here. This is true for the vast majority of the royal family and all the lords, princes and anyone else who matters."
"We're only sixteen, Jenna; can't we just enjoy school first?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure how you figure that this won't be fun. Come on, Crystal. Do you know how many Kings have met their Queens here? That could be
—
"
"The last ten have," a voice from behind them declared. They spun around to see the unwelcome face of John, standing immobile behind them. Unlike Jenna, he clearly hadn't gone to a lot of effort with his appearance, and was wearing a scruffy old jacket and a faded pair of trousers.
"How would you know that?" Jenna asked coldly.
"The last library scholarship student had to write a report on the school history. I read all of his reports of course."
"Fascinating, I'm sure," Crystal commented drily.
Jenna paused. "What about this year? Any heirs among the intake?"
John shook his head. "Not heirs to any of the Principalities or the throne. Some of their siblings are here though."
Crystal groaned. "Why are you asking him that? Even I could have answered that one. There are only the four principalities and the capital. Everyone knows who the heirs are. My cousin is one of them." Of course, Crystal hardly knew her cousin
—
or second cousin, to be precise. She was quite a bit younger than him, and as his great grandfather had married three times and produced many children, she was just one of many second cousins.
"I know!" Jenna snapped irritably. "I thought he might have some more insight."
"Come on," Crystal replied impatiently, taking her hand and dragging her away from John. "Let's meet our classmates. The ones that have more to do with their time than read dull reports."
Crystal and Jenna hurried away from John, going through the wide door at the end of the entrance into the main hall, where all of the new students were gathered. All of last year's students were not due to start term until tomorrow. Even so, the room was filled with unfamiliar faces, and it felt as if all one hundred and twenty four sets of eyes were trained on her, her golden hair standing out like a sore thumb in the sea of red. It was an uncomfortable feeling that she had never become accustomed to. She was relieved when the Headmaster began to speak.
"Welcome, students. Welcome to your final years of school. I look at your faces and I see the future of our great Kingdom. I see heirs to many noble houses, including several of the great noble houses and have noticed that we even have princes and princesses amongst us. Our military commanders, the elite of the merchant class and indeed everyone who has excelled within our Kingdom has sent their children to me, to learn together, so that one day you may take their places and lead our nation, the greatest nation there has ever been."
He paused briefly, to allow the students to clap politely. Crystal hadn't met the Headmaster before, but knew that he had been there when her parents had attended this school, who had both spoken highly of him. His hair had faded to white, and unlike most people, he hadn't bothered to dye it red, which made him look a little odd with his long, red beard.
"For sixteen years, you've walked on two legs. You've always been Red Dragons, but that probably hasn't meant much to you. Only over the last year has that started to change. Your parents will have taught you how to transform. Some of them may have even taught you a little bit about how to fly. But it is up to us, myself and the rest of the teaching staff, to teach you what it really means to be a Red Dragon…."
Crystal found that she didn't pay a lot of attention to the speech, turning her attention to the other students instead. Row after row of red-haired young people were all watching the headmaster. She had never seen so many people of her own age together, having attended a small exclusive school back in Black Rock. She quickly picked out John from the crowd, his blonde hair standing out like a sore thumb. Just like hers would, she told herself, suddenly hating him again for reminding her how different she was from the rest of the school.
The headmaster waffled on for a while, and then after him a few other teachers spoke, each of them as dull and forgettable as the Headmaster. The speeches seemed to drag on for ages, and Crystal was very relieved when they were finally told to find their form teachers and follow them to their classrooms. Her form teacher was a grumpy-looking individual called Professor Silver, who glared at them unpleasantly as they all lined up to follow him to their classroom. He led them to the southern tower, where their form room was situated, adjacent to the common room for their house, which was shared with the students in their second and final year. Despite the school being the most prestigious and well-funded in the Kingdom, the classroom resembled every other classroom that she had seen in her life, with the wooden desks just as worn and tired-looking as every other she had sat at.