a dozen hours. The collapse is sudden and severe,’ Darius said with concern. ‘Imagine a mana hangover two or three times worse, accompanied by disorientation, convulsions and tremors. Fortunately, there are medicines that help with this. Dr Herpetes will certainly know what to do.’
To the earl’s surprise, the dragon seemed only slightly concerned. The information he had just presented would be terrifying to most mages. One step at a time, he thought, trying to calm himself down.
‘That doesn’t sound too good…’ Draco finally said.
‘No, but don’t worry. We’ll sort this out.’ Bleist tried to put on a reassuring expression. He knew he should have reprimanded the dragon for his irresponsibility, but not right now. There would be time for a serious talk later. ‘Mana regeneration is most effective whilst you’re asleep, so you should lie down now. Despite appearances, you’ll fall asleep as soon as you try, and with a bit of luck, you’ll sleep through the worst of it.’ He squeezed the student’s shoulder a little tighter. ‘Come on, I’ll take you back to your room.’
Draco didn’t protest; he simply nodded.
Darius slumped onto the sofa. He was tired, though mentally drained above all. The situation with his pupil had been terrifying for him. He hadn’t realised he was capable of feeling such intense fear for another person. From the moment Draco had fallen asleep until Dr Herpetes’s arrival, Bleist had spent the time pacing nervously around the reptile’s living room. He tormented himself over not having warned the pupil about the potential danger posed by exhaustion. He’d previously thought that systematic study and practice under his supervision would prevent such an incident, and yet it had happened.
Fortunately, the healer arrived fairly quickly and attended to the dragon. Upon waking, the reptile complained of dizziness and nausea, but had not yet experienced any other symptoms. During the examination, the boy was forced to listen to a telling-off from the doctor and a lecture on the risks of reckless behaviour. Darius, who was listening in from the sidelines, also got an earful. After the whole
