-I think something's happened,- Sofia said at one point. Everyone turned around and saw movement on the other side through the crystal walls. The guests, trying to pretend they weren't doing so, crowded closer and closer, craning their necks to see something. In addition, in the silence that followed, it seemed as if someone was screaming.
Draco knew all too well what might be happening. He gently pulled James aside. His friend seemed to suspect the same thing, so he didn't resist.
-I'm not fond of crowds,- whispered the dragon. -Especially crowds that include the master's enemies and just some loudmouths.- The elf simply nodded. -I'll go out to the garden to look at the flowers. If anyone looking for me asks, you don't know where I went.- The crooked smile said more than any confirmation, so Draco just turned gently and was outside in the next moment. The fresh air was invigorating, and being alone allowed him to relax even more.
-You slipped away so smoothly that even we almost lost you,- Ari said reproachfully.
-Indeed, you could have given us some kind of signal. If James hadn't told us, we would still be standing with the rest of the escorts.- Forth also seemed to feel better away from the crowd.
- I preferred that no one pay attention to me. It seems that Gizel has begun to carry out her plan. - The dragon rolled his eyes. -Knowing life, someone will soon want to ask about what's going on, and since it's easier to find me than my master or the duchess... Anyway, it seems that they both exhibit quite a specific impression, and I'll be an easier target for extracting interesting details.
-Yeah, I can see that.- Ari pretended to look around and spoke into the void.
- That's nice of you.- Draco tried to remain serious.
- I would expect that a botherer trying to get something out of you would have to get quite close to Gler'thys.- Forth shrugged, and the dragon wondered if it made sense to get into any kind of argument with these two.
-All right, let's leave it at that.- Draco slowed down a little so that the soldiers could get as close as possible.- Can you tell me anything about James's friends?
-Not much about them themselves.- Ari discreetly looked around.- A little more about their families.- He continued.- The MacKreed family are wealthy bankers who bought their way into the aristocracy almost a century ago and have been slowly climbing the social ladder ever since. Currently, the head of the family holds the title of viscount. Thanks to the military merits of young Robin's great-great-grandfather, three swords were added to the family coat of arms.- The elf paused to think.- There is not much more to say about them, except that they do business with the earl. Next is the family of Baron Retfield. Young Master Scion is the eldest son of the head of the family. It is worth mentioning that he has seven siblings. The family belongs to the impoverished nobility. Although most of the family members serve in the military, their heyday is long gone. The military holds them in high regard, but the magnates and the wealthiest merchants consider themselves superior and try to show it at every turn. Next is the Verth'vit family.- Draco looked at Ari with a little more interest.- They are merchants from Rekserberg. They moved to Atlantis during the last war, fleeing the tsar's repression. It turned out that their metal trading business was doing much better here, and after the peace treaty was signed, they did not return to the vampire capital. The Vet Freuders are the providers of magic. They control most of the grain trade in the magical kingdoms. Due to their enormous fortune and extensive contacts, they are respected. However, even in their case, the high aristocracy treats them with distaste.
-They all have connections to the military or wealthy merchants. Because of this, they often come into contact with Master Vittoro and the Earl, which has led to a strengthening of their relationship.- Forth shrugged slightly.- For this reason, they also got to know Master Matheo's sons.
-So it's a simple story.- The dragon nodded.
-What are you going to do now?- Ari looked behind him, where the commotion was only growing. Draco glanced around. It seemed that he was the only one who had left the crystal palace and decided to take a walk in the gardens. On the other hand, dusk was already falling and the panorama of the city was becoming more and more breathtaking.
-I'll look at the flowers,- the dragon shrugged.- What else am I supposed to do alone in the gardens?
-Knowing you, practise,- Forth stared ahead.
-I'll surprise you once.- Draco shook his head and headed towards the edge of the terrace. The low wall was planted with small rose bushes. As much as the boy could tell, each plant was of a different species. Together, they gave off a pleasant, slightly sweet scent. He moved closer and looked out over the city. The view was breathtaking. In the gathering darkness, the districts below were lit up by countless lights. In addition, in the harbour, which he could now see clearly, illuminated ships bobbed gently on the sea.
-A truly beautiful view.- The dragon jumped a little and looked around. A few steps away from him stood an elderly man in a white and lilac robe. However, even the magician's ample robe could not hide his emaciated, dried-up figure. His sinewy hands slowly stroked his long snow-white beard, braided into three braids. His bright blue eyes stared into the distance, perhaps at the harbour, or maybe somewhere even further away.- Looking at this panorama in the evenings, I feel calm. There is something soothing and beautiful about it. These lights show me that there is peace and prosperity.- The man sighed heavily.- And what do you see in it, boy?- Draco looked at the old man for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the city. To him, it did not exude peace, but was teeming with life.
-The illuminated streets are like veins, and the pulsating lights of the houses are like working organs,- said the boy, reaching out towards the view.- Everything is teeming with life.
-Ah, the youthful gaze,- said the man, freezing with one of his braids in his hand. - When a person grows old, they stop seeing the world in a simple way. They begin to filter everything through their experiences and see what they want to see.- A long sigh resembled the whistling of the wind on a mountain ridge.- That's why we need to talk to you young people. You see the world as it is.- The old man turned to the dragon, and only now did Draco notice the coat of arms on his left shoulder. Unlike the other family crests the boy knew, this one was not in the form of a shield, but an elongated triangle, above which was a silver crown and a purple ribbon with the maxim Sienta et imerius - Knowledge is power. The coat of arms featured a book and alchemical apparatus.- Ah, I wish I could see the world like that again.
-I don't think your view is wrong at all, sir,- Draco said after a moment.- It seems to me that... there is no one correct way of looking at the world. Everyone... well, everyone perceives it differently. And all of them are equally true, none is more important than the others.- The dragon stretched out his hands and slowly folded them.- Only by combining many images into one can we see the whole reality.- He became pensive as he looked at his hands.
-Interesting, very interesting.- The old man gazed thoughtfully at the cityscape.
For a moment, they contemplated the view below in silence. Draco simply reveled in the impression of seeing the cityscape from above.
-You are truly interesting, young man.- The elderly aristocrat began stroking his beard again.- You have a very mature and open view of the world. I must admit that this is rare at your age.- He chuckled under his breath.- And many adults lack this as well.
-Thank you for the compliment.- Draco bowed, hoping he had read the mage's intentions correctly.
-The truth is not a compliment.- A faint but sincere smile appeared on the man's face.- I must add one thing to your thought, young man. It is not only the perception of the world that is as complex as you said. Almost everything, from this magnificent view to the sources of magic or the origins of the world, consists of many equally true and valid fragments. This also applies to us.- He pointed to himself and the dragon.- How we present ourselves to others is one thing.- He casually made a circle with his hand as if to point to the ball behind them.- Here, everyone pretends to be serious and respectable, at home they show who they really are, to their friends they present yet another face, and all of these make up one person.- The older man sighed.- Magic is like that too. Many aspects that seem to be mutually exclusive cannot exist without each other. Contradictory laws and exceptions. Aspects that are incompatible with each other, yet mutually supportive. And yet it all boils down to one unchanging essence of magic. You too...- He pointed at Draco.- ...you combine many contradictions. Fortunately, it only takes a little effort to find them all and put them together into one coherent whole, which is who you are, boy.
-Thank you for your wise words.- Draco thought about who he was and how, in Dagos, he had realised that his contradictory natures actually complemented each other and together made him who he was.- These force you to think about yourself.
-Ho ho ho...- The man turned his back to the panorama.- Thank you for the interesting conversation, young man, but I think I should return to the party. Someone will be looking for me in a moment.- He headed towards the entrance to the crystal palace.- For contemplation, I recommend the lower terrace with dragon bushes. It is always warm there and nothing obstructs the view.- He pointed to the descent to the lower level, about a third of the way along the terrace where they were standing.
-Thank you.- Draco bowed and watched the aristocrat leave. Only after a long moment did he look around for his companions. Ari and Forth stood at attention a few metres away. The dragon calmly approached them and only then noticed that they were sickly pale.- What happened to you?- he asked, less confidently than he would have liked.
Ari looked around furtively at first, and then both soldiers scanned the area. It was hard to say what they were looking for, but they didn't seem to find it, because without a word they stood on either side of the dragon and looked around nervously.
-What happened?- Draco repeated.
-Maybe... Maybe we should go somewhere where we won't be so exposed?- Ari didn't even try to appear calm.
The dragon watched the soldiers for a moment, then wordlessly headed for the terrace he had indicated earlier. He didn't like his companions' behaviour at all and hoped it would be cleared up quickly. The descent to the lower level was not great, just a gate wide enough for one person and narrow steps along the wall. The terrace itself was not large either. It was lower than all the surrounding structures, so it was naturally open on only one side to the city panorama, mainly to the distant harbour. Seven spreading dragon bushes, each of a different colour, grew in the small area. A path wound between the plants, with three obelisks placed along it. The path wound its way from the entrance to a small oak gazebo halfway suspended over the precipice.
Draco slowly made his way along the path, carefully observing the interesting place. The first obelisk he approached was made of a single piece of obsidian, just over two metres high and slightly more than half a metre wide. On its surface was only a bas-relief of a dragon with outstretched wings and an eight-pointed star burning behind its head. The second obelisk was made of brown coral, and on its smoothly hewn surface was carved a bear standing on its hind legs, with the star motif repeated on its chest. The last obelisk, made of blood-red stone resembling obsidian, which the dragon did not recognise, again had a repeating star symbol on its surface, this time placed among raging flames.
The mage entered the gazebo and immediately approached the railing above the precipice. One glance down was enough to see that the builders of the palace gardens had deemed the slope too steep and abandoned their attempt to build lower levels of terraces, carving only a place for the foundations into the rock. Draco tore his gaze away from the almost vertical wall and briefly scanned the panorama of the city. He turned and looked at Ari and Forth.
-So maybe now you can tell me what's going on?- he asked, folding his arms across his chest and leaning his hips against the railing.
The elf and the vampire first looked around the garden, then looked at each other.
-You really don't know?- Ari swallowed loudly.
-No, I don't,- the dragon gasped irritably.- Can you get to the point?
-Ari, he really has no idea,- Forth put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
-But...- The elf was about to say something, but only breathed loudly.- Draco, you just spoke with Grand Master Inventius Tilion. Many would kill for even a few courteous words with him, let alone a private conversation,- he blurted out in one breath.- Let's hope there was enough commotion in the main hall that no one noticed.- He nervously ran his hand through his hair.
-It shouldn't be that bad.- Forth seemed to return to his usual composure.- If I remember correctly, he wasn't on the guest list we received. Plus, he must have somehow bypassed the presentation at the entrance, because everyone would have rushed to him. If no one knew he was here, then no one was watching him. So... relax.
-Um, excuse me for asking...- Draco wasn't quite sure where the problem lay.- I understand that the Grand Master is one of the two rulers of Atlantis, but aren't you guys exaggerating a little with all this talk?
-Are we overdoing it?- Ari's eyes widened.- Grand Master Tilion is one of the most powerful magicians, a brilliant healer and scientist, and probably the best Grand Master since the dawn of time. Besides, what ruler would show up in public and engage in conversation with random people?- The elf might as well have turned into a big question mark.
-The Chairman of the Dragon Council... and basically all of its members,- Draco began to list, answering the rhetorical question.- Basically all the dragon aristocrats... Officials in Dagos...- He bent his fingers one by one.- Come to think of it, everyone who matters even a little bit.- He tilted his head.- And I heard from Gizel that once a year, the palace in Asati is opened and you can go to the king. Few succeed, but you can always try.- He shrugged.
-I didn't expect that,- Forth muttered.
-That's... That's not the same thing!- Ari insisted.- It's...
-Maybe we can talk about it in Ed'heer?- The vampire leaned out of the gazebo and tried to peer through the dense canopy of dragon bushes.
-I think that would be better.- The dragon looked over his shoulder.- I have to admit one thing. The view is truly magnificent.- The elf responded with only a muffled sigh.