Chapter 5

Chapter5

The night passed quietly, and Elgatos did not have to wake Rei. He watched the young woman, who hardly moved and slept most of the time peacefully.

Once she woke up, had a drink, and then snuggled back into bed, even without noticing Elgatos.

Before sunrise, Rei came back to the room to relieve the older dragon. He hadn't slept very well, as his back had burned like fire despite the treatment, and he hadn't found a good position to sleep in. This was also due to the complex, narrow bed, which he was not used to.

First, he let him tell him what had happened and then nodded to him. "Thanks for looking after me. Go and rest, but come back in the evening. Unless I need you before then," Rei demanded. As long as nothing happened in the cellars, he could stay here.

Elgatos nodded and made his way out of the room.

Opening and closing the door again seemed to wake Quinn up, as she slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"You can still sleep," remarked Rei, who had sat down at the table and eyed her briefly. It was still too early for her, but this was his average time to get up.

"Is it light yet?" she asked sleepily.

"Not yet," the guard replied. It would be a while before it was light. Through all the dark mountains of clouds, it usually took much longer. The storm had not let up, so he assumed it would continue for a while. It wasn't the first time a week-long storm had swept around the castle. So far, nothing had ever happened that was worth mentioning. Therefore, Rei was not worried this time either.

However, Quinn sat up anyway and took a slice of bread to nibble on. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked cautiously. "I don't feel comfortable just waiting."

"At the moment, no," the dragon replied honestly. Besides exploring the castle or going swimming, there was nothing in it right now. He was urgently waiting for the reply letter and would probably have to start very soon. Something he did not want.

However, he was satisfied when he saw that she was eating alone. It saved a lot of inconveniences. "Did you sleep well?" he wanted to know. With his blue eyes, he had fixed Quinn, fearing that she was unwell again. He wanted to do something immediately and intervene if she started convulsing again.

The injuries on his skin were about to diminish. Especially on his face, it was most apparent. If he had been partially black there, the skin was now a little lighter.

Quinn also looked at him musingly while she nibbled on her bread. "Can't I help in the kitchen, too?" she asked, needing a distraction. Waiting was enough to stoke her anxiety again.

Rei's eyebrows shot up. "You want to work?" he asked, dumbfounded. "You're not here to work," he remarked, trying not to let his astonishment show. If she wanted to, she could. He would not force her. Especially there, she would need Elgatos as a chaperone, for he knew that some would be very happy to do something to her, provided she was alone.

Quinn's smile turned wry. "I want to distract myself," the young woman confessed. "Waiting to see what's going to happen makes me nervous."

That was understandable. He, too, was nervously waiting for an answer he didn't like. Precisely because he didn't know what would happen. "Today, I will get answers. You will be the first to know how we proceed," Rei informed.

These words seemed to confuse Quinn. "In what way?" she asked, hoping for answers. Whether he would give her any, she couldn't say.

Sighing, he ran his hand over his blue hair and hesitated to answer. As much as he would like to spare her, she deserved to know the truth. "According to the stone dragon's report, he got some things wrong during the first stages. Bungled in the truest sense of the word. So I'm waiting for the Supreme's answer on how to proceed. Whether or not we have to start all over again with all the torment," Rei explained seriously.

He was aware that Quinn would probably panic. He couldn't blame her for that. He didn't wish what she had to go through on any woman. Especially when it had to be twice.

The young woman lifted the blanket and hugged it to her as if it would protect her from everything. "From the front?" she asked, squeaking and shuddering. Tears came to her eyes.

She still remembered that she had been administered some herbs that had made her docile in the first step. Then that bastard of a stone dragon had checked to see if she had been a virgin. "W-what does that mean?" she asked, pulling the blanket protectively to hide her body with it.

So far, no one had explained to her what the steps were, so she didn't know how it was supposed to go.

Her reaction said it all. And he didn't like that. Was it good to explain to her what was coming if they had to start all over again? Or would it be enough to justify the final stages?

Rei got up and joined her at the bedside. "You're sure you want to know?" he made sure.

Quinn nodded convulsively. "They said it's important that I'm still a virgin if I want to survive," she whispered, swallowing.

Frustrated, he shook his head. "That's not entirely true. It applies to the selection but not to the transformation itself. Why you can't ask me that. I didn't make the rules," Rei remarked sourly. His guess was that most were simply into having a virgin.

Quinn relaxed a tiny bit. "That's good," she whispered softly. "Or maybe not," she murmured again.

Shrugging her shoulders, Rei began to describe the phases to her. "Phase one starts with you getting the dragon's blood. Always small amounts and diluted over a few days, up to a liter. This is how the body learns to digest the blood. Side effects are cramps and chills," he began trying to explain in a controlled manner.

Quinn was overcome with nausea. "I have to drink dragon's blood?" she asked in horror, finally able to place the smell of the drink. The idea that she had already drunk blood brought tears to her eyes and made it even harder not to cry.

Rei's hand settled on her arm to somehow reassure her. He had assumed that she had known what was coming and what she was drinking. "Unfortunately, yes. Always from the one to change you," Rei said contritely.

Quinn swallowed. "Is that all?" she asked quietly, for she remembered quite a few other things that had been done to her and administered to her. Or had that always been just diluted dragon blood? She did not know.

At that, he nodded. "It should only be dragon blood, which is highly diluted. Nothing else," Rei confirmed. "Your body has to get used to it, and it has the side effects I told you about. During that time, you mustn't be alone, to help you if you feel bad."

His voice sounded clenched, knowing from the report how much had gone wrong and that it had caused Quinn more suffering.

She wrapped her arms around the blanket as if it were a pillow and held it tightly against her. "What happens then?" she continued to ask in a trembling voice, though she didn't really want to know.

At her request, he explained phase two, in which her body began to show the first changes. Also, magic broke out, and the women were able to use it. Here, highly diluted dragon blood was administered but at a higher dose. "The important thing here is that the blood is diluted. Harri, however ... gave you a much too high dose of undiluted last. That's why you feel so bad now," Rei said honestly. Still keeping his hand on her arm, he knew she was scared.

"Magic," she murmured, "Is that why I can do these ... Things?" she asked incredulously, not always knowing how to do things herself.

"I don't know what things you can do since I wasn't there for the phases. But since you escaped, you have to wear the leather cage so it won't happen again. At least for a while," Rei said seriously. She had only been able to escape with magic. Everything else was out of the question.

Quinn looked a little embarrassed. "I wasn't even really planning to escape. I was merely seizing the moment," she confessed quietly.

A white cloud of ice appeared as Rei snorted. Of course, she hadn't meant to flee. She had just wanted to check out the island. Did she really think he believed her words? It had clearly been an attempt to escape.

"What's that leather cage doing, anyway?" asked Quinn, trying to change the subject.

Surprised by the question, he tilted his head slightly and eventually let go of Quinn. If she wanted to change the subject, that was fine. "Suppress the magic so it can't be used," he replied.

Quinn tilted her head as well. "I see," she murmured, then asked that he continue telling her.

Hesitantly, the dragon continued to speak. "Phase three is the first time the blood is administered undiluted and in small amounts. Side effects include convulsions, chills, vomiting, dizziness, and aching limbs," Rei explained, then added that the skin turned to scales and eyes, as well as hair, took on the final coloring. Also, first attributes such as wings and claws were expected.