On the way to Solvein, they didn’t talk about anything in particular. On the one hand, Draco was pleased because he could spend some quiet time with his master; on the other, however, he had been hoping for a conversation about magic and the consequences of the source running dry. Fortunately, Gizel, who had unexpectedly announced that she would be travelling with them to escort the dragon to the Academy, livened up their journey with stories straight out of elven mythology.
It was only when the carriage came to a halt that Draco realised they were not standing in front of the main gate of the complex. This gate was narrower, and the road winding between the trees was of standard width. Only the traffic was similar to that at the main entrance.
‘You’re on a mount today, so you’ll need to leave Fen in the stables first.’ Darius seemed to be reading his pupil’s mind. ‘First right after the gate, then straight on. You’ll find it for sure.’ The wizard smiled with a hint of nostalgia. ‘Just don’t miss the turn-off, or you’ll end up amongst the halls of residence, and it’ll be tricky to get out of there.’
‘I’ll bear that in mind.’ The dragon nodded vigorously and leapt out of the carriage. He couldn’t wait for even a short ride on bess.
‘Have a lovely day, my dear,’ Gizel called after him.
‘Will we see each other this afternoon?’ The boy hesitated, unsure whether he should ask.
‘Certainly.’ The elf smiled more broadly. ‘Now off you go, so you don’t run late.’
‘See you later.’ Draco waved to them both and hurried over to his mount, which had already been untied by the coachman and was standing there restlessly, growling softly at the soldier time and again. ‘Thank you.’ The boy took the reins of the pitch-black creature, which the bess accepted with obvious satisfaction. It immediately began nudging its rider with its muzzle, as if wanting to hurry him along or to snuggle up to him. ‘All right, all right. We’ll go for a little ride,
