Dragon's Curse

Chapter 15: Engulfing Flames

As the bell was struck, the classroom shuffled out the door. Searching around, Marcus couldn’t catch a glimpse of Araya anywhere.

“If you’re looking for the red-headed woman, she left as soon as my tale had begun.”

The voice brought Marcus’s attention down towards the front to the man with white dusted hair. Age etched his face, with lines of wisdom, and an arch in his back. He was leaned over gathering up papers that rested on his desk.

“Oh, thank you sir. And... thank you for the teaching... it was.. insightful.”

“You’re very welcome. I do believe you are a new student of mine, are you not?”

“I am, sir. Today is my first day.”

“Oh, I doubt that. I was informed that you had started earlier, but have only decided to arrive today.”

“I was... working on a project.”

The man raised a brow.

“It isn’t important to talk about.”

“If you say so.”

Marcus made his way down towards the bottom. Looking on the desk Marcus saw plenty of documents and diagrams relating to dragons.

“Is all of this your research?”

“Most of it yes. Some of it I found in a buried archive with no author attached to the info. I have spent most of my life dedicated to finding out more about the mystery of the Dranaka. As I’ve gotten older I can’t find myself out there in the world finding out more. So, I hope to spark ideas within my classroom. So maybe, someone out there listening might go out and continue my work and unlock this great civilization.”

“Have many people been influenced?”

“Not that I have seen, sadly. I feel as if the whole time this school has been around I have been the only one to be influenced.”

“Oh? You attended here?”

“Aye, in my early years. There was a young woman here, a researcher. I would be lying if I didn’t say I was smitten with her. She was researching The Dranaka. Being the young lad I was, I wanted to impress her, so I ended up researching  it too. After I went out and managed to acquire some kind of information, I came back, and see was gone.”

“She couldn’t have just left, right? As a student you have to stay for a certain amount of time.”

“Thats what I thought. I later learned that she was never a student. Just a researcher that came and went as she pleased.”

“And she was allowed to?”

“The headmaster said that she was a special case, but wouldn’t tell me anymore.”

Another bell tone rang in the stone room. Marcu stole a look back towards the door, realizing the time he had spent speaking to the elder man, it was already time to go to the dining hall.  

“I should really get going, sir. Last time I was late, I got a search and receive....soldier sent after me.”

“It that right? Then please, leave. Don’t let this old man be keeping you.” He said with a smile, as he continued to shuffle through his stacks of cluttered papers.

Marcus walked back up the steps to head out the door, before taking one last look at the man. As he did he looked up.

“By the way son, be careful.”

“What do you mean?”

“The red head... be cautious around her.”

“Now why would you recommend that?” Marcus said, returning back to his journey to the doorway.