Origin (Scales 'n' Spells 1)

Cameron eyed the book with wide eyes. “You’re telling me that even with a list like that, we still have missing magical knowledge?”

“A great deal of it. Think of it this way. If you were to list every single invention from the beginning of time until now, how long do you think that list would be?”

Oh. Well, put into that kind of context… “And is that just a list?”

“No, it also tells how the spells and potions are made. Ingredients, power levels, variations, sometimes a brief history too. Hence the thickness.” Gunter set it on the table with a grunt. “I think it’s possible to choose something that will allow you to quickly mix up a spell or potion, break free of whatever spell is holding you. Or possibly undo the damage of an attack before it can make things any worse.”

“Is this something that can be simple enough that I can carry the elements around? Like, something that will fit in a messenger bag so I can easily have it on hand at all times?”

“That’s the goal.”

That sounded promising. Cameron would rather not be just a sitting duck if something happened. But his mind was still thinking in gamer’s logic. “Can I work up something that’s kind of like an AOE effect?”

Gunter was back to staring at him blankly.

Yeah, okay, that hadn’t been clear. “I mean, instead of cancelling one spell, can I create an area around me that cancels everything? Like an AOE circle in a game, where the effect is within a certain radius of the caster.”

“Ahhh. Now I understand you. Ja, ja, this sounds possible. In fact, even better. I’m not sure if we can make it portable enough to carry, but I’m up for the challenge.” Gunter looked it too. In fact, he looked almost giddy with the idea of cooking up new magic.

It was part of the reason why he and Cameron got along so well. Any lab experiment was always more fun with a buddy. Cameron might be a little giddy himself.

“We’ll need to factor in Alric’s power when we figure up the power levels,” Gunter muttered to himself as he started flipping through pages.

“Sorry?” Cameron tensed a little, surprised to hear that. Surely the story hadn’t gotten around the castle already about how he and Alric were connected.

“When you bond properly, you’ll be drawing on his power more heavily then you are now,” Gunter explained, still flipping through pages with intense concentration, as if he knew what he was looking for and it had to be in here somewhere. “So we need to keep it in mind while experimenting.”

Oh. Um. It was a foregone conclusion that he and Alric would bond and become mates? Uh….Cameron wasn’t so sure of that.

And he had no ready response to Gunter’s assumption. None at all.

Alric tried not to glance at the clock for the hundredth time, but failed miserably. Just like all the other times he’d fought it.

17:36.

Less than a half an hour.

He’d gotten a text from Cameron after he left Gunter’s dungeon that he was planning to grab dinner at 18:00 sharp and he would very much like it if a certain king could happen through the dining hall at the same time so they could enjoy dinner together.

And then a leisurely dessert in Alric’s chambers.

It was the perfect end to a somewhat long day. The only things keeping him in his office were some reports that he needed to look over and a possible email from Rodrigo. It was just now lunchtime in Rio and the king of the Ice Dragons would have completed his morning meetings with his advisors at this point. Alric wanted to be sure Rodrigo didn’t have any further questions for him before he shut down the ruler side of his brain for the evening. He wanted to be able to give Cameron his full attention.

A knock on his door had Alric swallowing back an irritated sigh. Dieter had already escaped for the evening. He had a standing dinner date with his lovely mate at 17:00, which meant the old dragon snuck away from his office at 16:30 everyday so that he could freshen up for his sweet Lisette.

Maybe he should have dipped off to his own chambers already to do the same for Cameron.

But now it was too late.

“Enter,” Alric called out, forcing away any sounds of irritation.

Baldewin’s smirking face appeared in the doorway and Alric nearly rolled his eyes. “Long day, Hoheit?”

“There have been longer, but I will admit that I am eager for this one to be over,” Alric replied. He sunk a little lower into his chair, relaxing as Baldewin shut the door behind him. When it was just him and Baldewin in the room, it was a little easier to shed his royal mantle and just be himself. They’d grown up as close friends, gotten into endless amounts of trouble together. While Dieter was good about reminding him of his place and responsibilities, Baldewin was a constant reminder that he was more than the crown he wore.