Page 147 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume Two

“Of course. Mages innovate new magic all the time.” Lisette looked relieved to have a normal question.

Only it hadn’t been. Psych! “Great, because I think I came up with one. If I say ‘I don’t feel queer enough,’ I feel like I gain 120 qxp—that’s queer experience points—and maybe by level three I can get something awesome, like maybe cast magic missiles. We have magic missiles, right?”

Lisette rolled her eyes in a clear bid for patience. Or maybe she was praying for Nikki to be struck dumb. “You know very well we don’t. Nikki, do you have a serious question for me or are we done for the day?”

She was still so patient. Nikki would have smacked them at this point. Having a little pity on her, they went with a question that had been rattling in their brain for a while. “Are all dragon scales impervious to fire or is it just the fire dragons?”

Lisette blinked. “No, dragon scales protect all dragons from fire. However, it’s my understanding fire dragons have an added protection against fire simply because it’s their element.”

“But that protection doesn’t extend to their human form, right? It’s all in the scales.”

“To a large extent. They retain their accelerated healing even in human form, but they are also more vulnerable to attacks and injury. Why⁠—”

They pressed on, refusing to be distracted. “So, why can’t they shed their scales in dragon form and make a suit of armor to wear while they’re in their human form? That way they’re always protected.”

Again, Lisette just sort of blinked before new lines started forming around her mouth and across her brow. Nikki knew that look. It was worry. They’d seen it a few times on Gunter’s face and generally every mage they’d encountered in this castle. Nikki wanted to sigh again. Why were they all so worried? This was a perfectly logical concern.

Lisette cleared her throat. “Generally, dragons can’t shed their scales. At least, not at will. Scales will sometimes become detached in a fight when the dragon is injured. But that’s something Gunter would be able to speak to better than I can.” She put emphasis on his name like she was verbally nudging him to join in their conversation.

Nikki’s gaze darted to their left, where Gunter had fallen back into deep research mode. He was wearing worn-out jeans and a faded hoodie that had seen better days, looking both comfortable and perfectly at home in his chair. He was reading the tiny, old print of a manuscript so closely the tip of his nose nearly touched the page, and his blond hair had fallen in front of his glasses. Nikki longed to reach over and brush his hair back, but they didn’t want to disturb the dragon. He was so adorable when he was working, lost to all the world he was undoubtedly trying to save.

Before Lisette could make another attempt to get Gunter’s attention, the steady clack of hard-soled shoes echoed down the hall, growing louder as the person drew closer to the library.

“Gunter, I—” Lisette started in a more persistent voice, but her words were stopped when one of the doors to the library swung open and King Alric appeared.

This was unexpected. Alric had never come down here that Nikki had seen. Everyone in the clan seemed to jokingly refer to the library as a dungeon and avoided it, unless they needed Gunter. Nikki couldn’t comprehend why. Sure, there weren’t any windows to the outside world, and it was a bit dark and shadowy most of the time, but there were some very old manuscripts in here. The sunlight would only damage their fragile pages.

And it wasn’t like anyone was ever locked in here. There were no shackles on the walls, prison cells with iron bars, or torture instruments strewn about the room. The library was cozy and quiet. It smelled of books, old candle wax, and hints of Gunter’s spicy aftershave.

After having explored every nook and cranny of Burkhard Castle, Nikki had decided they liked being down here with Gunter the best. Gunter was good company, and people didn’t come down here all that often, so it was relaxing for Nikki. Staying in the library meant they could spend the entire day doing two things they absolutely loved: reading and watching over Gunter.

The dragon spent most of his time seated behind a very large desk heavily laden with books, scrolls, other odd papers, dirty coffee mugs, and a desktop computer they’d not seen Gunter use too much. Their dragon preferred working on paper with a vast collection of pens. Although he did use a laptop and tablet a lot, too. Maybe he was one of those who hadn’t fully transitioned into technology yet?

Early on, it had felt natural for Nikki to claim the small table to the right of Gunter’s desk. They’d then grabbed another more comfortable chair in which they could curl up while reading, and moved the old, hard chair to another part of the library. They’d also snagged a sweater off the back of Gunter’s chair and were using it as a cozy shawl or blanket when the library felt nippy in the mornings. It was a cheerful and cozy little nook.

Alric only lifted a questioning eyebrow at seeing Nikki ensconced there, but he didn’t say anything either. He looked rather preoccupied.

“Gunter, I—Oh! Lisette, I wasn’t expecting to find you in here.” Alric started as he came around the desk and spotted the head mage.

She rose to her feet smoothly, a pleasant smile lifting her lips. “Nikki and I were having a bit of a lesson today.”

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to disturb your lesson. I can take Gunter to my office and leave you to the lessons,” Alric suggested.

Nikki really disliked the idea of being alone with Lisette down here. On a list of to-dos, that one was on the Not-Happening. Nikki would prefer tossing a plasma grenade into a fuel storage facility before being one-on-one with any mage.

Lisette’s too-sharp eyes watched them, her expression softening into something he couldn’t quite name. She shook her head and said, “That’s not necessary, Hoheit. I think Nikki is more concerned with other matters today. We can do our lesson another time.”

She turned her attention to Nikki, her gentle smile remaining. “Why don’t you read the first couple of lessons? If you have any questions, we can try discussing them tomorrow.”

Nikki nodded, feeling as if they could suddenly breathe again. They held up the beginner’s spell book with one hand and smiled. “I’ll read the first three. I promise.”

Okay, she wasn’t that bad. They could at least try to make an effort if she was smart enough to see they didn’t want to be alone with her.

The mage’s smile warmed further, and she wished them a good day before breezing out of the library in a swirl of long, colorful skirts. She was off to do whatever the mages did in this giant castle. Something about making holistic beauty and health products. Which sounded mildly interesting, but not enough to draw them out of the library. Frankly, the idea of working magic with a room full of mages made Nikki’s skin break out in hives. They were perfectly content to stay right here reading their book.

“How can I help you, Hoheit?” Gunter asked. He pushed the book he’d been reading aside after slipping a bookmark between its worn pages. With his index fingers, he pushed his glasses farther up his nose. Nikki positively itched to snatch them away so they could clean the lenses. Even from a distance, Nikki could tell they’d gotten smudged again.

“I didn’t mean to disturb your research. I just wanted you to know that after some discussion with Rodrigo and the other kings, we’ve come up with another solution for potentially tracking the Jaeggi.”