look towards their opponents, lunged forward. He didn’t turn round, but he felt something whizz past the nape of his neck. Leaping forward, he found himself behind cover. Parthir did exactly the same and landed next to the dragon. The boy smiled slightly.
From somewhere not too far away, they heard someone’s shout. Amidst the commotion, it was hard to make out the words. Draco gripped his sword more tightly and was about to stand up, but Noah suddenly grabbed him by his surcoat and pulled him down. He did it at the very last moment. The tree beneath which they were lying shattered into tiny splinters. Another spell flashed past them before the entire branch had time to fall.
‘That was a close call.’ A look of relief spread across the parthir’s face.
The reptile was about to reply when something fell on his head. The object bounced off him and landed on the ground right next to them. It was small, oval-shaped and covered in tiny markings that glowed ever more brightly in the twilight of the forest.
‘Bloody hell…’ the dragon blurted out.
The explosion was blinding, and its force hurled the reptile backwards. He felt neither pain nor the impact, however. It seemed to him that he was enveloped by something delicate and soft. The shock was strong enough, though, to make the dragon’s head spin. He blinked a few more times and lost consciousness.
Draco woke up with a headache and pain in his left hand. Before he opened his eyes, it took him a moment to realise what had happened. The grenade he’d spotted at the last moment had been an extremely unpleasant surprise. Thanks to the barrier surrounding him, he hadn’t sustained any serious injuries.
The dragon stirred, and the bed on which he lay creaked. He opened his eyes. He was lying on his back. The room he was in was very large and semi-circular. The walls were covered in cream-coloured tiles, with other colours creeping in above halfway up. The dragon moved his head and tried to sit up.
