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Ben stood and stepped back away from the table. He opened his arms and his clothes shifted like they were fluid. His neat attire transformed into the familiar vest and suit pants attire I had come to recognize as the Dragon Thief’s signature look. A simple shake of his head and his hair grew out long and dark down his back. The brilliant blue of his eyes changed to red, and his collar rose up to hide his face, though not before I watched scales sprout over his cheeks and up across his forehead.
The transformation took only a second, but what a dazzling second it was.
Ben dropped his arms to his side and there was a touch of shame in those glowing red eyes as they stared into mine. Sofia, too, had a pained look on her face, and a soft sigh escaped her.
After a moment he turned his face away from me and stretched out one gloved hand toward the corner indicated by his mother. His own shadow twisted underfoot before it lengthened and transformed. My jaw dropped open as I recognized the shape as being that of a dragon, complete with matching red eyes. His creation slithered across the floor and into the corner before it reappeared on the wall over one of the narrow windows. It dropped down like a curtain, casting the room in semi-darkness, before Ben clenched his hand. The shadow shuddered and drew it back into him.
Sofia clapped her hand and smiled at him as he turned to face us again. “Brilliant! You have been practicing, haven’t you?”
“On occasion,” he admitted as he rejoined us at the table. As he did, his thief disguise melted away to reveal his more handsome version. I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the disappearance of the scales on his face. “My occasional jaunts through the dark streets tempt me to train my shadow, though my dagger throwing receives the most practice.”
I snorted. “Nowthatdefinitely doesn’t need any work.”
Sofia turned her smile on me. “I am very glad his. . .unusual appearance doesn’t frighten you.”
I settled my arms on the table and looked between the two. “I know I’m new to this world, but I’m guessing his change is something not a lot of people can do.”
She shook her head. “Not at all. Indeed, it was a side effect of controlling his errant ability that brought forth this strange change.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “He couldn’t control it?”
“There was too much to control,” Ben joined in as he leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other. “I had inherited a great deal through my mother’s bloodline, and a latent power through that of my father. Together they granted me magic beyond what my body could handle.”
Sofia’s gaze dropped to his chest and she pursed her lips. “We tried every incantation and binding spell to control his magic, and his body shows the proof of those efforts.”
Ben offered her a consolatory smile. “There’s no need to regret it still, Mother. Without your efforts I would have been destroyed, and I must admit flying without the need of a broomstick is quite enjoyable.”
“So those marks bind your magic, and keep you from being able to use any other magic?” I guessed.
Ben nodded. “Exactly right.” He drew down his high collar and revealed the black lines that crisscrossed his neck. “They’re a rather recognizable marker, as well, hence the outfit I wear in both my forms.”
“So how does a dragon fit into all of these shadows and binding paint?” I asked the pair.
Sofia sighed and stood. “I. . .I grew desperate. His condition worsened when he reached puberty.” She moved over to the small table with the pan and tapped the underside with one finger. The front of a hidden drawer popped out, and she reached in and removed a small tome. Its weathered yellow pages bespoke its age as she returned to the table and set the book down between Ben and me. She flipped to the back of the book where I beheld a rough sketch of a large dragon stretched across both pages. Runes covered the margins around the formidable creature. She set a hand over the picture and bowed her head. “In my desperation I used a forbidden spell. The Dragon Hex.”
Ben dropped his leg and leaned across the table where he set his hand over hers. “You have no need to feel ashamed, Mother. You only desired to save me.”
A bittersweet smile slipped onto her lips as she nodded. “Yes. In saving you I cursed you with that dark magic.”
He removed his hand and chuckled. “There’s no need to be so gloomy about the gift. I have it under control.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “You know as well as I that there is a price to pay.” She raised her hand up that covered the picture, and the dragon was drawn from the page. The creature took on a physical shape as it lifted its head and let loose a silent roar. “The dragon will never be satisfied until it consumes all of you.”
I winced as I looked between them. “Did. . .did I ask about something really bad?”
Ben shook his head. “Nothing that a little concentration doesn’t fix. The Dragon Hex was created with dragon blood, and ingesting such a powerful magic imbues the drinker with more than strength. Part of the creature is also taken into the body, and in some cases the person’s form is forever changed.”
My face drooped and I pointed a shaking finger at him. “Then you. . .those wings. . .”
“Are a manifestation of the hex, and the blood of the dragon,” he confirmed as he smiled up at his mother. “And there’s nothing to fear. The markings have never failed.” He paused and looked down at himself. “Truth be told there are too many layers for anything to be freed except for my shadow magic. And you forget one very important thing, Mother.”
Sofia lifted an elegant eyebrow. “What is that?”
Ben grinned at her. “I am the son of Lady Sofia Rookwood and Count Simon Castle. I cannot think of a more stubborn union that would ensure I won’t allow magic to overcome me. Even my own.”
A small smile appeared on Sofia’s lips before she lay the dragon back down into its page and closed the book. “You are nothing if not your father’s son.” A soft rap on the door caught our attention, and Sofia turned around and her gaze fell on the portal. “Come in.”
The door creaked open and one of the women peeked her head inside. “Mother Castle, the monthly books are ready for your eyes.”
