The Dragon — Vadim P. Chernyshev

The dragon's back was warm and dry, and the scales were — unexpectedly velvety.

Who even came up with the nonsense that the skin of these ancient reptiles is as hard as granite?

People are always inventing legends, only to then fear their own shadows.

— Aren't you being impudent? — A chesty rumble, resembling the sound of rolling boulders, vibrated right under the girl's ribs.

— My neck is already stiff. Maybe you'll allow me to roll over onto my side?

— You'll manage. We haven't finished talking yet, — the elven witch didn't even think of moving, lazily stroking a huge spike on the monster's withers.

— And don't even think about shaking me off. I'm cozy, and I feel good.

— And what about me? — In the voice of the scaled giant, there was sincere, almost childlike surprise at such blatant insolence.

— Midav, pretty please... — Ida drew out the vowels, deploying the very weapon against which any armor is powerless.

She knew: right now she was not just a witch, but a defenseless blonde beast with pointed ears. — It's just so comfortable for me!

Do you want me to conjure up a couple more lambs for you in return? The ones with the soft fleece?

And you won't even have to fly out of the lair.

The dragon exhaled noisily, releasing a stream of blue-grey smoke. — You know how to persuade, — the lizard grumbled with evident satisfaction, closing his huge eyes the color of molten amber and turquoise.

The thought of young mutton reconciled him to the role of a living featherbed.

— Just don't fall asleep, I still have questions, — the sorceress persisted.

In the distance, beyond the edge of the cave, the roar of a waterfall created a soothing background, shattering against the rocks in myriads of rainbow sprays. The day outside was dazzling.

The sun flooded the valley with liquid gold, highlighting the islands floating in the air, overgrown with emerald moss.

It was a world hidden from the eyes of mere mortals, where the laws of physics yielded to the whims of magic.

The elf, who had literally fallen onto the dragon's head, did not even suspect exactly where the portal potion would carry her.

Of course, she had heard of omniscient creatures whose power extended beyond the limits of understanding.

But to hear is one thing, and to believe is quite another.

…………………………………………………..

A day ago...

The Evening of the Moon in the fifth house of the year of the Single-Faced Suns was the perfect time to reveal True Power to the world.

The ether was dense as jelly and sparkled with tension.

The main thing in potion-making is to observe the proportions. A mistake of a grain — and the venture will turn into a disaster, and the caster into a handful of ashes.

Ida had always been famous for her pedantry. But at that moment, intuition, that treacherous friend, whispered in her ear: "To hell with the rules."

Having added an extra ounce of moonlight to the cauldron and closed the lid three heartbeats later than prescribed, the girl introduced an element of Chaos into the equation.

Let chance lead those who are capable of seeing more than the crude world offers.

When the brew shone with mother-of-pearl, all that remained was to make a wish. — I want to get answers! — the witch blurted out, draining the goblet to the bottom.

— And let these answers be a revelation, tearing apart the horizons of magic and being! Surprise me, ether!

In an instant, standing in the middle of a dragon's lair, ten meters from a maw capable of swallowing a cart along with the horse, Ida realized: the ether knows how to surprise.

The first thing the girl did was stun the ancient lizard with an ultrasonic squeal.

She screamed so self-forgetfully that the bewildered owner of the cave squinted and tried to cover his ear holes with his short front paws.

It must be said, the old dragon was taken aback himself. The last time he saw an elf was half a century ago, and even then — from above, in flight, as a potential dinner.

But like this, to materialize in his holy of holies, without invitation or knocking?

From surprise, the dragon backed away, crashing his tail into stalagmites with a roar.

— Who are you?! — they yelled simultaneously.

The witch took a breath for a new portion of screaming, but Midav, realizing that his eardrums were about to burst, barked, drowning out her voice: — Shut up!

— You speak?! — Ida choked on air, staring at the mountain of muscle and scales. — Yes, and you scream!

— the dragon parried with aplomb, lowering himself onto his belly. — If we have finished the vocal exercises, maybe you will say what you forgot in my house?

The elf sank exhaustedly onto a stone, still not believing her eyes. — You are... a dragon? — What insight. You probably guessed by the hairstyle?

— the reptile clarified sarcastically, twitching his crest.

— Will you eat me? — the sorceress's voice trembled treacherously.

— Is it necessary? — the Ancient inquired in a steely tone. — I confess, in the first seconds of your visit, this thought seemed devilishly attractive to me.

— So you won't eat me?

— I won't eat you. I do not feed on sentient beings. Although your appearance here and subsequent behavior cast doubt on your belonging to this class.

But today is a good day, the stars are favorable. And for the beautiful, I have discounts. Live. Only I beg you, do not scream anymore.

You scared away all the bats, you are destroying the ecosystem!

— But dragons don't exist... — the sharp-eared foolishness whispered. Midav released a stream of steam from his nostrils, smelling of sulfur and ozone: — Now that was offensive.

— Forgive me. I need to recover from the shock. Where am I?

— In my lair.

— I understood that. Where is the lair? Far from Neverland?

— That means about a thousand kilometers in a straight line. Transported on a whim? Are you looking for truth by the "finger in the sky" method?

— Well... — the woe-sorceress drew out, fixing her disheveled hair. — Let's say, I am a supporter of bold experiments.

— You could have landed right in my throat.

— I know. Can I come closer?

— Aren't you afraid?

— You promised not to devour me. Dragons keep their word.

— What else do you know about us, experimenter?

— You are omniscient, live forever, never lie, and pathologically love gold.

— Hmm. Scanty knowledge. Stereotypes and gossip. Alright, come closer. Only no sudden movements.

Do not throw spells, do not poke fingers in the eye.

— Am I completely brainless?

— You said "dragons don't lie", so I will refrain from answering this question.

— I'll remember that, — the witch grumbled under her breath. — Scaly smarty-pants.

— And also: we have perfect hearing, — the lizard sighed.

The elf walked around the dragon, clicking her tongue admiringly. He was magnificent. Powerful wings the color of poison ivy were folded behind his back like an emperor's cloak.

The scales shimmered with all the shades of the forest — from dark moss to young foliage.

Along the spine stretched a ridge of sharp spikes, and long flexible whiskers adorned the muzzle, quivering in the air like tentacles scanning the space.

He towered over her, proud, ancient, the perfect predator.

— And what do you eat, if not elves? — she asked more calmly, having grown bolder.

— Maybe we should introduce ourselves first? My name is Midav.

— Oh, forgive my manners. Ida. Of the Lacria line.

— Granddaughter of Lacr the Magnificent?

— How do you know?

— I am a dragon, Ida. I am supposed to know much. So what brought you to me, granddaughter of Lacr?

— Answers. I want to know more than the dusty scrolls in our libraries. I want to possess Universal Truth.

— Modest. And so unobtrusive, — Midav chuckled. — And why did you decide that I would reveal these secrets to you?

A ringing silence hung in the cave. — Why not? — the girl shrugged.

— "Why not" does not work here. Here, a categorical "NO" works.

And here is why, — the dragon became serious, and his voice filled the entire space of the cave.

— Let's start with the fact that you are not worthy of this knowledge.

Ida froze. — Excuse me? I am not worthy? I have the highest rank in the Guild, I...

— ...You are full of ambition, — the dragon interrupted her. — One cannot give an ocean to someone who came with a cup.

Your mind is clouded by passions, traditions, the rules of your little world. It is the same as trying to fit a waterfall in a bucket.

The water will spill, flood everything around, turn fertile land into a swamp. There will be no benefit to anyone. You simply decided to play goddess.

Let's leave it as a game.

— Let's assume, — Ida pursed her lips, wounded to the very heart. — And the second reason?

— Interpretation. You will not be able to accept information in its pure form.

Your brain will begin to systematize everything, to fit it into patterns of good and evil understandable to you.

You will inevitably distort the truth so that it fits into your picture of the world. Not understanding the general, you will grasp at the particular.

And this particular will become a lie.

— What else? — the witch asked doomedly.

— Absolute uselessness. With every step towards understanding the structure of the universe, you will become less happy. Happiness requires illusions, Ida.

Half-knowledge will breed an unquenchable thirst, and full knowledge will destroy the meaning of life.

You will reject the old world with its simple joys, and in the new one, there will be no place for you. Disappointment — that is the price of truth.

— So that is what "fear your dragon" means... — the girl drawled thoughtfully.

She walked up close and looked into the lizard's bottomless eyes. — But I have traveled such a path... Well, at least a little bit?

Lift the veil at least a tiny edge?

Midav looked down at her. In this small figure, there was so much stubbornness and life.

— You know, even dragons get lonely sometimes. For the sake of conversation, I am ready to make concessions.

We will talk, and then I will take you home. You do not have a return potion, of course?

The witch lowered her eyelashes guiltily: — I didn't foresee that.

— Let's call it "but I'm pretty", — the lizard grinned. — Ask. I will tell you what I consider safe for your psyche.

I propose to start with the greatest mystery of the Universe... with female logic.

— Are you joking right now? — the witch hissed through her teeth.

— See! The main problem is in disbelief. You think this is a joke, but hidden there are abysses of meaning. You wanted the truth? Accept it.

— Listen, — Ida suddenly changed tactics. Her voice became soft, enveloping.

— Can I settle on your neck? It's warmer there, and I can hear better.

— Look at that, you're starting to catch on quickly. It seems I was too hasty with conclusions about your hopelessness...

"Well, well," thought the beauty, pulling herself up on the hard scales. "A little flattery, a little affection, and you will be eating out of my hand.

Some arbiter of destinies."

— Ida, — Midav called softly, not even moving while she clambered up his paw.

— Yes? — she responded in the most innocent voice.

— I forgot to mention. We are also telepaths.

— Oh... — Ida froze. A stupid smile, intended to smooth over the embarrassment, slowly spread across her face. — That turned out awkward.

— It's nothing. Climb up already, manipulator. Where did we stop? — You promised to teach me how to be less... uh... slow.

— Yes, let's start with the basics. We won't get to the structure of the Galaxy today, but I will teach you how to handle dragons. It will come in handy in life.

— You are so cool! — the elf purred, settling comfortably between the ridges and hugging the warm neck.

— You never give up, do you?

— Never, — she whispered right into his ear. — Tell me, my know-it-all.

………………………………………………….

Chernyshev Vadim Pavlovich