had a tough nut to crack. On the one hand, they had to reinforce their already severely depleted contingent in Amazonia, and on the other, they had to move troops to the eastern border, to Central Europe, in preparation for the impending conflict. They lacked both soldiers and equipment.
Bleist had not yet heard anything about the results of the deliberations or the decisions made, but he could predict a few things. First, the elves would probably try to hire a large force of dragon mercenaries and send them to both fronts. Secondly, they would have to come to terms with the prospect of a large-scale recruitment drive, and training and equipping such a large number of soldiers would not be cheap. The next step would be to restore the forts and other fortifications on the border with the vampires and build new ones. However, this all boiled down to one thing: they would need a great deal of gold. The last thing that quickly came to Bleist's mind was to ask their allies for support, but it was difficult to say who, given the current political situation, would decide to send their own troops to the threatened area.
‘What about your exams?’
Darius realised that he had become completely lost in his thoughts and had tuned out of the conversation.
‘The written and shooting tests were fine.’ The dragon seemed reluctant to boast about his results, especially the latter test. ‘Yesterday... There was an accident, and the practical magic exam and the second combat exam have been postponed until tomorrow.’
‘You already mentioned that something happened, but I can't imagine what could cause such a delay in Solvein.’ Gizel glanced at Bleist.
‘It's hard to say.’ Draco just shrugged. 'There was a fog inside the barrier, some kind of electrical discharge.’ He shook his head. ‘Then something howled, and after the third time, I lost consciousness. When I came to, the priestess said that whatever happened caused a powerful magical shock to everyone nearby. That's why the rest of the exams were postponed.’
‘Are you all right?’ The concern
