Josh dreams of dragons.
He thinks it's just a welcome escape from everyday life. Until one morning, he wakes up with scales, wings, and a tail.
Josh faces a harsh new reality: he has become something that shouldn't exist outside the pages of his fan...
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The next morning, I woke at first light to an impatient-looking Ares nudging me with a forepaw. "Get up," he whispered. "It's time for your first lesson."
"Why so early?" I mumbled before my muzzle split in a wide yawn.
His bladed tail rasped eerily on the stone as he shook his head. "Remember the rules? You will follow my orders without question. Also, when you train with me, I am your master, and you will refer to me as such. Now, let's go." He turned away.
"Yes, master." I got up and trotted after him—hardly anyone else in the cave was stirring. The leader walked ahead of me with purposeful steps. As we left the cave, Ares picked up a sack made of animal hide and slung it around his neck.
"What's in there?"
His stern look almost made me think he wouldn't say. "Symbol stones," he replied brusquely. But then he softened slightly and continued, "We have the most success with the symbols that are marked on our bodies, but any physical contact with them will work. That's why we have these." He motioned with his snout to the bag. "You'll see when we get them out."
We flew back to the flat, empty expanse of rock where Ares had performed the first demonstration. The circular cracks remained and looked distinctly out of place—a jarring bit of geometric order among the surrounding randomness.
My teacher landed gracefully and folded his gold-streaked wings, casually taking off the bag of stones. I landed a few yards away and watched him intently as he hefted the bag. The black dragon said nothing.
With a flick of his ebony claws, he opened the flap and inspected the inside. The dragon snorted impatiently and upended the bag on the ground. Smooth, flat stones the size of small books poured out, clacking as they tumbled over each other. Dark, runic engravings scarred the flat faces of the stones.
Ares rummaged through the pile, pulling out a single tile and holding it out to me. "Take it."
I took a step closer and accepted the object. The stone displayed a symbol made up of overlapping triangles.
"We'll begin with breath magic since it's usually the easiest," he continued as he scooped the rest of the stones back into the sack. "But not fire." He gave a single, gruff laugh. "That could be a little dangerous with your lack of experience. No, I'm starting you with ice." He tapped the stone I held with a talon.
"I've never used ice breath magic before," I admitted.
Ares shook his head, indifferent to this information. "It doesn't matter. Study it briefly and then set it down in front of you," he instructed. "I'll explain how it actually works. It's almost the same as all the magic you've done before, but this time you will be focusing on the symbol along with the intended magic."
I looked again at the tile for a few seconds before placing it on the ground. My teacher pointed with a foreleg to the farthest part of the plateau. "First, I want you to look out there and just picture the rune. Do not focus on any magic. Simply place one paw on the stone and imagine the inscription. Try it now."
