Free The Magic Wakes by Charity Bradford

me. Lead on.”
    Jaron walked into Selvan Werner’s library behind Ruin and took a quick look around. The room was another chamber of the vast cave system that made up the Signum lair, but this one exuded wealth and comfort.
    Armor made from dragon scales lined one wall, each suit sparkled green, blue, gold, or red in the circle from a spotlight. Behind the armor was a curio shelf filled with more magical wonders. Jars contained dragon eyes, heart, tongues, and even dragon lungs. There were talons and one large dragon egg in the center of the shelf.
    Jaron’s lips twitched as he looked away from the shelf and focused on Werner.
    “Ruin, you may leave us.” Selvan Werner dismissed the man with a wave and turned to Jaron.
    A cloud darkened Ruin’s face before he closed the door.
    “It is time for you to learn the details of your mission before you enroll at the university. Have a seat,” Werner said to Jaron.
    Werner sat in a large overstuffed chair with his feet propped up on an ottoman. He picked up an old parchment from the table beside him. A special airtight slipcover protected it.
    “Modern technology is useful for one very important thing—preserving the wisdom of the past. Come, sit down.” He pointed to a chair beside him while he fingered the parchment reverently.
    Jaron sat down and held out his hand. “May I see it?”
    “This is the oldest record ever written that mentions the Dragumon. It will give me the power to destroy them once they remove the Royalists from power, so you’ll understand if I keep it to myself.” Werner’s tight lips slid open to reveal a thin line of teeth. “Soon it will be my turn to rule, and your service will be a part of that.”
    “I’m proud to be a part of this new world order. What must I do?”
    Werner gently put the parchment down and detailed Jaron’s mission.
    Jaron watched him closely as he cast the mind control spell. Werner’s lips barely moved and the only sound that escaped were small puffs of air. Absorbed by the sound of his own voice, Werner gazed at his shelves of books.
    Jaron gathered the energies around him and spread the mind net. Werner’s mind bent to his will. It would only take a few moments for Werner to slip into a dream-like state allowing him to talk but not remember the conversation later.
    Jaron slowly exhaled, then spoke to Werner.
    “You have a story you want to tell me—a story about the Dragumon.”
    A smile came to Werner’s lips. “Yes, a wonderful story. Would you like to hear it?”
    “More than anything.”
    “First you have to understand that our world was different thousands upon thousands of years ago. People not only believed in mages and dragons, they depended on their magic. That’s what made it possible for a mage to create the Dragumon in the first place.”
    Werner sat limply in his chair, his eyes half closed as if trying to see something in the distance. He did not blink, confirming the spell was strong.
    “How were the Dragumon created?”
    “In those days, for help in conceiving a child, you went to the local witch or offered prayers to various gods. Many people did both. The first hatching of Dragumon came from a woman named Quilla and her husband, Danik. The villagers later said they remembered a very old man enter their small home. No one came out for two days. No one knew what was going on inside, and the sad thing is no one cared. They should have.”
    “Do you know what happened?” Jaron did not want to lose the connection with Werner’s mind, but he needed to guide him to the information he needed.
    “Oh, yes. It took a long time to figure out, but the first Signum learned what happened. The old man was a mage named Elvin Thule, and he performed an abomination that day. He carried dragon eggs and other mystical ingredients needed to perform a binding spell into the house with him.”
    “How did he carry more than one egg? Dragon eggs are huge.”
    “I don’t know. The record doesn’t say, but