Dragon of Legend: A New Era (BK2) SAMPLE

chapter 18

"Stay here," Dominique told Breeze as he slipped from his back. 

"But this is a no stop area!" Breeze thought as Dominique began to walk towards the building. "I could get confined and you'll have to pay!" Breeze tried again, looking around to see if there were any Watcher's nearby. 

"If anyone comes just stand and pretend to be dumb, I'll be right out," Dominique assured him. 

"Dumb? And how am I supposed to do that?" Breeze asked. 

"Just be yourself," Dominique smirked as he reached the brown oak door. Ignoring Breeze's raging reply to his last comment he pushed the door open. No sooner had he stepped into the threshold than he was greeted with a cheerful, "Good day." 

Dominique turned his head to look at the tall, lean man that stood behind the counter. His white hair was thinning out and his nut brown eyes showed much wisdom in them. Although he was obviously older he still looked in good shape. 

"What can I do for you young man?" the man asked as Dominique approached the counter. 

"I want to speak to Izaac," Dominique said casually, giving the name Anibal had given him. 

The old man seemed to pause, his eyes narrowed somewhat as he looked Dominique over before he suddenly turned. "Izaac!" he bellowed through a door that stood behind him. 

There was a moments silence before a man ducked through the door. He had brown hair and eyes just like the old man and was almost the same height. It was easy to see by one look that they were related with each. 

"What is it?" the young man asked, looking somewhat annoyed. 

"You have a customer," the old man told him curtly before he turned and walked, disappearing through the door Izaac had just come from. 

Izaac turned his eyes onto Dominique and frowned, "Is there something that I can do for you?" he asked. 

"Why yes there is," Dominique replied leaning forward with one hand on the counter. 

Izaac looked at him expectantly. 

"I need information," Dominique told him. 

Narrowing his eyes Izaac looked Dominique up and down. "Information, huh?" he asked. 

Dominique nodded. 

"On what?" 

"The academy," Dominique replied smoothly. 

"Go to the public libraries," Izaac said waving Dominique off. He turned to leave. 

"I don't think I'll find the information I want there," Dominique's words stopped him. 

Izaac narrowed his eyes, "The academy? What makes you think I know anything about the academy, boy?" 

"Because," Dominique leaned forward, "I hear that when it comes to information about certain things, you're the man to ask." 

Izaac stared blankly at Dominique. 

"Besides," Dominique decided that it was time to use a different method and slowly reached a hand into his pocket. "I heard about the time you tried to break in...." he pulled out a silver coin and flipped it into the air, causing it to spin, before he placed it on the table with a smack, his palm covering it from view. 

Izaac's eyes were glued on where the coin was hidden underneath Dominique's palm and he licked his lips. His eyes darted up to meet Dominique's. "Those are just rumors," he said. 

Dominique leaned even further forward. "You and I both know that that's not true," he removed his hand from on top of the coin and dropped a second silver coin on the counter, cringing inwardly at the amount of money he was spending. Yet he knew that this was the only way he might get the information he needed. 

Izaac's hand twitched as his eyes went back to the silver coins. He paused for a moment before he snatched them off the counter and pocketed them. "What do you want to know?" he asked. 

Dominique smiled. Now they were getting somewhere. "The entrance, is it always guarded?" he asked. 

"Twenty four seven," Izaac nodded, "Like the rest of the academy." 

"How often do they change guards?" Dominique asked. 

Izaac studied him for a moment before he spoke, "You're wasting your time if you're trying to find a way in. Believe me, from the ground level that building is impenetrable. At night the number of guards are upped, and no one is stupid enough to try during the broad daylight." 

Dominique sighed, he had guessed as much. 

"There are guards all around. There are Watchers on hand to take action at a given notice..." Izaac shook his head. 

"How high up does that guard go?" Dominique asked. 

Izaac wrinkled his forehead. "I'm not sure," he scratched his head. 

Sighing Dominique laid another silver piece on the table and Izaac's face lit up. 

"As high as the tallest building in the city goes, maybe one or two floors higher even. They have one or two guards on the roof, but I think they've left a section from the middle till the top," Izaac spoke without hesitation as he pocketed the next silver piece. 

"And why would they do that?" Dominique murmured, wondering why if the academy was guarded so well they left out one small section. 

"I'm guessing because there's no one stupid enough to try and get into the building, especially from that high up," Izaac said. 

"No one, huh?" Dominique asked raising his eyebrows. 

Izaac narrowed his eyes before they widened. "You're not planning to....?" he trailed off into laughter, laughing as though he had just heard the funniest joke ever. "I mean come on," he choked, "What are you going to do? Fly in through a window?" he burst into fresh laughter yet Dominique stood, staring at him as an idea began to form in his head. 

Abruptly he turned and walked from the room, his footsteps hurried. 

"Hey!" Izaac called after him in protest. "Hey! Was that it?" yet Dominique did not reply as he walked out onto the streets. 

"Breeze?" he thought. 

"Yeah," was the reply. 

"We need to do another fly by the academy," Dominique told him. 

"Dominique, we already tried that, there's nothing to see." 

"No, we'll be searching much higher up. I just need a look, even from a distance. There's just something I want to check," Dominique's mind was already racing with a plan.

Dominique sat on Breeze's back, his eyes glued on the academy that rose up before them. Breeze was sitting on the top of a tall building, shifting nervously with the knowledge that sitting on top of buildings wasn't exactly legal. Yet as they could not fly too close to the academy the top of this building was the best they could do. And right now Dominique was using Breeze's enhanced eyesight to look the academy walls up and down. 

"See anything?" Breeze asked impatiently. He wanted to get out of there before any Watchers were alerted to their presence. 

A smile spread across Dominique's face as he found what he was looking for. "Perfect," he breathed.  

"What is?" Breeze thought, trying to figure out what exactly Dominique was looking at. 

Dominique didn't reply but scanned the side once more, as though to make sure that he saw correctly. Smiling in satisfaction he pulled out of Breeze's mind. "I think I just found our way in," he said with a triumphant look in his eyes. 

Breeze entered Dominique's eyes, reading what he was planning with ease. 

"Oh boy," the dragon muttered, "That is one crazy plan." 

"The good ones always are," Dominique grinned.