“Yeah. They could all just turn into birds or dragons andflyaway.”
“Well, as far as I know, the only dragons are here in Cinderhollow,” I said, “but birds would definitely work, too. Hell,bats,too.”
He cracked a small smile at my joke, but didn’t laugh. I didn’t want Gabriel to be upset over what he left behind. I pulled him closer and kissed the top ofhishead.
“Come on. I have someone to introduce you to,”Isaid.
“Youdo?”
“Of course. Haven’t you wondered where I’ve beentakingyou?”
Gabriel looked curious now. “Where?”
“We’re already here,” I said, stopping in front of a store with a - tacky but admittedly charming - blue-greenneonsign.
Gabriel read the sign. “Ryu’s MagicSchool?”
“Yep. Get ready for a load of this guy,” I muttered as I pushed in the door. As soon as the greeting bell went off, a teal dragon’s head appeared behind the front desk. Long cream whiskers flowed from his snout and a pair of long white horns jutted out from his head. As soon as he saw me, he leapt onto the counter, his three-clawed hands gripping the granite and flashed me atoothygrin.
“Dante? Isthatyou?”
I opened my arms. “Get over here, you bigsnakelug.”
Instantly Ryu darted towards me, his long serpentine body uncoiling and lunging at me like a spring. Gabriel yelped in surprise as he watched the eastern dragon barrel into me. Just before his body collided with mine, he transformed. Where the snake-like dragon was a moment earlier, a man stood. His smooth black hair and kind dark eyes hadn’t changed a bit since the last time Isawhim.
Ryu slapped me on the back as we pulled away fromourhug.
“I haven’t seen you in ages and you just decide to show up one day when you need my help, huh? Typical Dante.” Then he turned to Gabriel and bowed to him respectfully. “But first, I should say hello to you. Gabriel Brooks of Drakinus, I thinkitis?”
Gabe sputtered, his jaw dropping. “H-how did you knowmyname?”
Ryu and I bothlaughed.
“Gabe, this is my friend Ryu,” I said. “He’s my buddy from magiccollege.”
My mate looked back and forth between us, then cried, “There’s a magiccollege!?”
“I think we should explain everything to this poor wolf over tea,” Ryusuggested.
He ushered us to the back room where we sat on the ground around a low table. Ryu joined us, and produced a ceramic teapot from around the corner. I watched the teapot slowly come out of the kitchen. Gabe’s eyes practically popped out ofhishead.
“How did you do that?” Gabeasked.
Ryu grinned. “Did you miss the sign outside? It’s magic. Levitation, to be precise.” He held out the pot out to me. “If you would besokind.”
I exhaled a breath of flame and doused the pot in it. When it was heated, Ryu placed it on a metal grate on thetable.
“The fire, I understand,” Gabe said, squinting in confusion. He asked Ryu, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why couldn't you do ityourself?”
“I’m a different kind of dragon,” Ryu explained. “My affinity is water, not fire.” He grinned. “Besides, I like to watch Dante spew fire like a circusclown.”
“Hey!”
“Kidding.Sortof.”
“So, the magic thing,” Gabe said. “Levitating teapots and reading my mind… Anyone gonnaexplainthat?”
“My apologies. I know the mind reading can take people by surprise and can even be invasive. I was just so excited to see both of you that I forgot to reign it in,” Ryuexplained.
