Water rumbled around me on all sides. We were somewhere deep within the earth. Visk had hung in my claws as we escaped through the undercity for as long as they could stand. When they couldn’t take any more, they weakly started tugging at my claws with their good hand.

  The location we took refuge in was a towering cylinder, deep beneath the city. I didn’t know exactly how far down we had gone. Water poured from multiple openings in the sides of the space. It was obvious that this place was constructed by people rather than naturally formed. Even so, the manner in which it was made was strange.

  Smooth, almost seamless stone made up the majority of the structure. When we had passed beneath an undetermined depth, places like this had started to appear between the ancient stone bricks of Osteriath. While stacking bricks on top of each other was an easy to understand concept, I didn’t know of anything natural that could produce this type of material. The closest thing I could compare it to was when I’d forced the tunnel walls beyond my Den to shut with magic.

  There was a distinct lack of magic in this place. The Vitae currents which flowed through everything in the world were thin and almost silent here.

  Visk sat with their back pressed into my flank. We were resting on a wide semi-circular platform located halfway down the cylinder’s wall. They clumsily managed to dig out the potion case that the Alchemist had given to us. It was a difficult task, with one hand. When they finally managed to open the case, they gave a sigh of relief upon seeing that its contents were intact.

  “Do you think I can risk drinking one, Boss?” Visk asked miserably. The injury to their head had matted down their white hair on one side with blood. “I saw the side effects on the rats… but Mortimer swore these ones were perfectly safe, right?”

  The worry in their voice tugged at my instincts. My head slowly curled around and nuzzled into the side of Visk’s head. Their purple-hued blood smelled unfamiliar to me. It had Vitae in it, but it seemed to be different to the natural energy of my world. There was faint dissonance in it which marked Visk as undeniably foreign.

  “If you permit, I will manage the magic if it goes out of control,” I promised Visk. “I have done so three times, with Edith, Magnus, and Cassia.”

  “That’s when you left that big scar on Edith’s shoulder, right?” Visk asked me with a slight wariness in their tone. “I saw it once when she was washing her clothes and asked. She said it was a reminder of her making a mistake, but…” The elf delicately moved back some of their white hair behind their ear, which twitched softly. “D-do you need to… to bite me, to do it?”

  “... No Visk, I don’t need to bite you,” I responded with a sigh. A strange undercurrent of disappointment crept into Visk’s scent. I truly didn’t understand what this elf wanted. “My mouth still has that old bastard’s blood in it anyways. It tastes absolutely vile.”

  Suddenly Visk didn’t smell disappointed anymore. Their ears stuck out sideways to indicate their disgust.

  “Yeugh, don’t remind me Boss. Good job on giving him something to remember you by, but wash your mouth out before you nudge me with your snout again.” The elf stared at the small glowing ruby potion that they had pulled out of the case.

  “Well… if I explode like a rat, just promise me you’ll bury what’s left somewhere sunny.”

  I wanted to snort at the joke, but Visk’s scent indicated that they were at least somewhat serious. Without further discussion, they opened the vial with their teeth. Visk spat the wax coated rope fibers onto the ground and tipped the ruby liquid into their mouth.

  Nothing in particular seemed to happen for a moment. Visk smacked their lips and looked down at the vial. “... Huh, it tastes like Summer.”

  I didn’t get to ask what they meant by that. The elf’s body suddenly convulsed. Their back arched in a surprisingly deep curve. This reaction resembled Edith’s, when she consumed the potion with too much life force in her body.

  Rather than bite Visk to restrain them, I laid my tail across their body and tucked them against my side. It took some work to get their arms restrained, as they started jerking wildly back and forth. There wasn’t much I could do to keep the elf’s legs from kicking at the smooth stone floor.

  I took control of the runaway magic much more quickly than I had with Edith. While I still had not received any ‘proper’ training in the time since we had last needed to use this; I had spent a great deal of my waking hours concentrating on controlling my magic. Intent mattered greatly. Having a clear mental picture of what I wanted to do was the difference between chaos and order.

  Speaking a word out loud could help, but only if I understood the word completely. It was a tool to use, a guideline rather than a complete spell. If I was unfamiliar with a word’s full meaning, the magic would slip out of my grasp. To date, I’d only successfully used a spell alongside the words ‘Fall’ and ‘Stop’ on other people. Both were concepts that I could fully grasp.

  Using the word ‘Heal’ on Visk would be relatively useless. The concept of ‘healing’ could encapsulate a wide variety of effects, not all of which would be helpful right now. A bone that ‘healed’ when it was out of alignment could cripple someone. I intended to ask for Edith’s help to learn as much as possible about healing when an opportunity presented itself.

  What I envisioned for Visk, was their arm unbroken and back in proper alignment. As well, the wound on their head should close with no scar, and allow their hair to grow normally. My Vitae sight allowed me to watch the ruby hues of my magic flowing through their body. Envisioning what I desired provided pathways for the current to follow.

  I did notice that Visk’s body was covered in pre-determined magical pathways. While I had made no great study of it, I had noticed that humans had similar but less refined routes. Most living creatures had at least some way for Vitae to naturally flow through them. Those who possessed natural magic ‘Talent’ had both more and sturdier pathways than those who were ‘normal’.

  The paths that covered Visk’s body were not natural. While some natural paths existed, they were covered and over-ridden by a network of swirling patterns that sat just beneath their skin. I had glimpsed Visk’s tattoos briefly on a couple of occasions. They exactly matched the routes Vitae now took to flow through their body.

  This was a problem. Most of the Vitae was flowing into the tattoos, rather than Visk’s flesh. Their body was not being healed as I desired. Instead, the potion was empowering whatever function the tattoos served.

  A deep ‘pool’ formed a central spot that all the tattoos flowed out from, centered on Visk’s back. With some difficulty, I managed to turn them over. Their body was still spasming against me. While Visk wasn’t strong enough to hurt me, they could injure themself further if I wasn’t careful.

  My snout pushed under the cloak the Alchemist had lent Visk and their shirt. I’d told them I wouldn’t bite, but the magic absorbed into their tattoos was starting to disobey my commands. It did not chaotically lash out, but it refused to respond. I needed direct contact to try and understand what was wrong.

  Ruby scales pressed against slate grey skin. I closed my eyes and focused.

  When I honed my focus on the ‘pool’ on Visk’s back, I could feel that it was actually a spiral. The swirling tattoos across Visk’s body resembled roots, which were collected here at the ‘truck’ of a tree. Magic ascended through the roots and into the spiral, which led out of Visk’s body. At the end of the spiral was a distinct point of severance. It had once connected to something beyond the elf’s body, but that connection was cut.

  I could feel that point of connection reaching out for me when I approached it. It grasped at my presence, attempting to latch on. That was very much like Visk. Their magic sought something else to hold on to when it was lost and alone.

  ‘This must be where they severed their connection to the Dareen’, I thought to myself. ‘I could replace them.’ The notion was immediately rejected by something deep within me. Doing that would be a complete violation of Visk’s trust.

  ‘No, they need to be free.’ My focus turned to Visk’s body and their muted natural pathways. ‘They deserve to choose for themselves how their magic is used.’

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  I reached out with my presence and caught the severed connection’s attention. Once again, it reached out to grasp onto me. Instead of permitting it to attach, I kept just close enough that I could lead it in another direction. My presence descended down the spiral with the connection point following behind.

  Deep within Visk’s flesh, I could hear a familiar tune. Visk had called it their dila gaena, a song from their heart. That was the place I led the connection to.

  At the terminus of Visk’s natural pathways, the somber song swirled around something resembling a seed. It did not match the seed of any tree I was familiar with, but something in my gut told me that was the kind of seed it was. I circled around the seed for a moment to draw the connection in. It seemed reluctant to approach.

  With great care, I matched the melody that came from the seed. I felt myself slowly become immersed in their tael. As I did, the connection crept closer. A quiet certainty rose in my mind that what I wanted was possible, but that Visk would need some assistance. Subconscious feelings of inadequacy and fear radiated from the severed connection.

  I could help them, but only if they allowed me to.

  A tendril of my presence reached out, just enough for the connection to grab onto. It did so hesitantly. I could feel just how close I was to assuming direct control over Visk. If I only held on a little more firmly, they would be Mine irreversibly. Instead, I pulled on the connection and guided it downwards.

  The spiral inside of Visk inverted, wrapping around the seed that lay dormant inside of them. Vitae began to flow through the connection. It was a small trickle from the tenuous nature of the arrangement. As I held it in place, the trickle began to widen.

  Detaching myself from the seed proved difficult. The connection point had attached to the seed, but it refused to let go of me. Perhaps I could have accepted it and let the connection remain, but that did not match my intent. I would not cheat Visk out of being able to control their life on a technicality.

  A mental image appeared in my thread, of Cassia stitching together her cloak when I’d accidentally ripped a hole in it with my claws. That would suffice. I sharpened my focus until it was thinner than a needle and pushed it through the connection. It was a painfully slow process, but I wound the needle and thread of my own life force through Visk’s to firmly secure the spiral to the seed.

  When no more could be done, I bit through the thin strand of myself that connected me to Visk. The connection broke between me and them, but the portion where they were bonded to their own magic remained firm. Vitae from the potion at last flowed into their flesh as intended. Enough of the energy had dispersed into their tattoos that I didn’t need to worry about an ‘explosion’.

  When I opened my eyes, Visk was clinging to my flank. Deep panting breaths pushed in and out from between their lips. I noticed several differences in their body from how they’d looked before.

  Most notably, the dark tattoos etched into their already slate grey skin shined with a gentle radiance. Moonlight flowed beneath their skin in gently twisting patterns that shined dully even through their clothes. Next, their ears had elongated to slender stilettos on the side of their head. They were twitching wildly at the slightest provocation. Last but not least, Visk’s white hair had gained a distinct silver undertone that gave off a dull glow similar to their tattoos and eyes.

  The elf collapsed against me when I pulled my head back. Their arm had healed it seemed, because they immediately used it to yank down the back of their shirt and wrap themselves in their cloak. Visk cursed at me softly, their tone much more melodic than it had been previously.

  “Stupid dragon, what did you do?” they gasped softly. “I feel… amazing?” Visk sounded shocked. “I felt you reach out to take control and I… You didn’t?” Their face turned towards me, eyes searching mine for answers. “Or you did, just a tiny bit, but because I let you. Then you… you gave it back? More than gave it back. I’ve never felt so… so strong!”

  Visk disappeared right in front of me. Their presence vanished from all five senses. Even when I looked with Vitae sight, they were nowhere to be seen. I had just started to think they had been pulled away by magic, when they popped back into view and lightly bapped me on the snout.

  “I just turned invisible!” Visk gasped, raising both hands to their mouth. “Did you see that Boss? Well- I mean- you didn’t, but that’s the point! There’s so many things I can use this for-” As they spoke, the glow in their tattoos started to fade, along with the silvery quality to their hair. After a few moments, they faded entirely.

  Visk’s ears remained longer and more reactive than before and the tattoos on their skin retained a silver color even when they stopped glowing.

  “Aww, godsdamnit!” Visk cursed. Their voice had resumed its normal tone. They tried to turn invisible again. I could detect their normal ‘hiding’ technique, the Chon-hota, but nothing else. “Just that little bit took almost all the spare magic I had.” The elf’s ears wilted to their shoulder blades and they put a pout on their face for my benefit.

  “It is still a useful skill to have in emergencies,” I commented dryly. “I did not know that would be the outcome, but I am glad that you have something that is distinctly your own, Visk. It is a powerful magic that can evade even my senses.”

  The elf paused, words frozen on their lips as they pondered what I’d said. I knew that Visk had been shocked by my ability to hunt them down in spite of their skill at stealth. Having an ability which could hide them from me completely didn’t completely level the playing field between us, but it was a step in the right direction.

  “I… I don’t know how to thank you, Boss,” Visk said quietly after some thought. “I… when you were moving the magic around I… I was hoping that you’d changed your mind about… taking control.” They looked down at their recently healed arm and flexed their slender fingers. “I still feel that way, kind of, but it’s… it’s a bit quieter now.”

  The elf let me smell the mixed embarrassment and gratitude they were experiencing. Rather than comment, I rubbed the side of my head against their healed arm. They reached out and gently embraced my head, pressing against it.

  “It would’ve been nice if you bit me though,” Visk whispered.

  “Huh?” I blinked, not sure if I heard that right.

  “Hmm?” Visk said back. “I said it would have been nice if you’d let me know, like ahead of time, what you were going to do with the magic stuff.”

  I narrowed my eyes. That definitely wasn’t what Visk had said, but it was mentally placed into the small pile of memories roughly labeled ‘Things I Don’t Need to Think About Right Now’.

  “So, not to be a ‘downer’ Boss, but do you have any idea where we’re at?” Visk said as they looked around. The pouch of ‘Great Work’ potions was stowed away carefully in their satchel. “Because I’m going to be honest, I have no clue.”

  “I… was a little distracted, trying to run away while carrying you,” I admitted. “I simply headed as far down as I could reach.” When I focused on my connection with Cassia, I could feel that it was near directly overhead, just a long way up. “But I do not think we are near the Wizard Towers any more.”

  “That was my next question…” Visk strolled over and hopped up onto their new favored position, sitting right behind my horns where my head met my long neck. I don’t think they realized how far up they’d jumped until they landed. It was around three meters from the ground to the back of my head.

  Their scent became momentarily confused before they kept speaking. “I know you’re not going to like this boss, but I think we need to reconsider rescuing Magnus. I might’ve been pretty disoriented from the, ahem, ‘clown carnival’ we just went through, but the kid smacked the shite out of us at the end. Right?”

  “You saw the same thing I did, Visk,” I rumbled unhappily. My claws tried to knead the ground, but to my surprise the razor sharp tips only left light scratches. This disoriented me for a moment before I recovered. “For reasons we don’t understand, Magnus sided with the Wizard and attacked us when we were on the cusp of rescuing him. It may have been a confusing experience for all of us but…”

  “I don’t think him being buddy-buddy with the Wizard is an accident, Boss,” Visk said from behind my head. They slouched against my horns and idly rubbed their fingers into the scales along my brow crest. “I’m not saying we should stop trying to rescue him, but the whole damn city is going to be on alert. A lot of people saw a dragon in the flesh dodging spells left and right. They may well think you were attacking the city and the Wizards drove you off.”

  A deep growl rolled up my throat. Deep seated frustration boiled inside of me. Why did everything have to be so complicated? My promise to Edith had not been an idle one. I had sworn on my very being to rescue Magnus, but we were foiled at every turn.

  “When things went ‘tits up’ with a plan, back when I was with… Avery,” Visk continued. They tried to lighten my mood by reaching down to scratch the soft scales under my jaw. It worked, but only a little. “He’d just say ‘Fight to Live Another Day’ and we’d run for the hills. I think the actual saying is ‘Live to Fight Another Day’, but still.”

  The elf sighed deeply. “I think we need to go collect our missing knight and damsel, then make a new plan. Gather information.”

  “We can’t leave the city until we have Magnus,” I told Visk quietly. “Part of my deal with my sister was that once I left, I’d not return until… a certain point in the future.”

  “I guess we can hide down in a hole somewhere with Cassia and Kenneth,” Visk said with a shrug. “There’s got to be a secure place down here somewhere. Who knows how deep the ruins actually go?” They paused. “Speaking of your sibling, the whole city is going to be out dragon hunting by now. Do you think that’s going to be a problem for her?”

  “I… huh.” I hadn’t thought about that. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s just as good at hiding as you are.”