Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
“Ravi, actually.” Sora struggled to read the strange expression on Dieter’s face. The king’s advisor didn’t exactly look censorious, but Sora didn’t want to get on the king’s bad side, and a word from Dieter could so easily put him there.
At the same time, he was hyperaware that seconds were steadily ticking by and the others had no idea Gunter was coming for them. He needed to warn them before it was too late.
With a smirk, Dieter motioned for Sora to follow him. “Come along.”
“It was just a little practical joke,” Sora hedged as he followed Dieter, feeling too much like a student caught by his teacher as he placed a tack on her chair.
“It certainly looked less damaging than some of Ravi’s other jokes. I thought I saw Cassie carrying bubble wrap and Cameron trying to pop it as they walked along.”
Sora huffed a laugh at the mental image. “Ravi is shrink-wrapping the shelves, and Cameron and Cassie are bubble wrapping the chairs.”
“Ah. Much less damaging than some of their other antics.”
As they turned down the hall, Dieter handed Sora’s phone back.
Sora looked at the screen to find that Dieter had sent the warning he’d typed out, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Part of the fun is Ravi getting caught by Gunter,” Dieter said with a smile.
He led Sora over to a pair of double doors and opened them. They stepped out onto a small balcony. In the distance, they could hear some muffled shouts followed by the pounding of feet. Sora looked around, trying to gauge where they were coming from.
Behind them! He twisted around in time to see Cameron and Cassie run through the door, out of breath and laughing. They took one look at Dieter and shouted.
“You gave us away!” Cameron accused, poking the older dragon in the shoulder.
“You told on us!” Cassie said, though she was still laughing.
“I did,” Dieter admitted with a shrug. “It’s part of the fun.”
Before Sora could ask if this was a habit among them, Ravi’s laugh echoed through the air. Sora whipped back around to see the smaller man jump off a lower balcony and instantly change into a slate blue dragon. His outstretched wings caught the wind and lifted his lithe body higher into the air. A few seconds later, they all watched Gunter jump off the same balcony and shift into a dark red dragon. The massive beast sent a flare of fire after the wind dragon, but he deftly dodged it, still laughing.
The two continued to chase after each other, cutting through the air and weaving around castle towers with practiced ease. The two dragons seemed as different as night and day. Ravi’s blue body was long and lean, all speed and grace, where Gunter’s red form was pure power, more of a flying T-Rex than Ravi’s swan. Together they were a breathtaking sight.
“I will never get tired of watching that,” Cameron murmured.
Sora looked up to find Cassie leaning against her brother. Cameron had an arm wrapped around her slender shoulders.
“I will never get tired of seeing Gunter’s expression when he discovers Ravi has touched his books,” Cassie added. “If you exclude all the Sasha parts of my week, this is the thing I look forward to the most.”
She suddenly straightened and stepped away from her brother.
“I gotta go tell her about this one. She’s gonna die.”
The female mage darted away, her laughter echoing down the hall. Cameron shook his head and started after her, muttering something about finding more of that bubble wrap to pop.
Sora looked back to the sky to see Ravi carving circles and figure eights in the sky. Gunter was now hovering next to a balcony higher up on the castle, his massive wings flapping great gusts of wind to hold him in place. Opposite him stood King Alric. He could hear the king speaking but couldn’t make out his words. The dragon snarled and sent a blast of fire in King Alric’s direction, but the king didn’t move or flinch. The fire dragon flew off, heading higher into the mountains while the wind dragon made a pass by their balcony, waving one hand at them.
“What was King Alric saying to Gunter?”
Dieter chuckled.
“That it was for his own good.” Dieter shrugged again. “They go through this little song and dance all the time. Gunter gets lost in his work, ignoring his dragon’s need to fly. Ignoring his own human needs for sunlight and fresh air. Alric prods Ravi into stirring up trouble. Ravi irritates Gunter, and Gunter chases Ravi into the air. Gunter complains, but mark my words, when you see Gunter tomorrow, he’ll be a new dragon. Happy and spry.”
“He seemed pretty spry when he ran out of the hall,” Sora said with a shake of his head.
“Gunter trained for battle the same as Alric, Baldewin, and Ravi. He fought in the Dragon War beside Alric and Baldewin. He’s as much a brother to Alric as Baldewin, and he has always been at the king’s side.” Dieter paused and stared at the last place they’d seen the fire dragon in the sky. “Gunter can be as dangerous as any dragon. He just prefers the order and silence of his books. And he needs reminding, every once in a while, that he can have his order but he can’t ignore his dragon.”