Pete looked into the kitten's eyes and couldn't take his eyes off. There was a little miracle sitting in the palm of his hand in front of his face. It was an amazing and magical kitten! And it wasn't because it had little black wings. The kitten quickly folded his wings and it helped him sit more comfortably in the palm of a man's hand. The kitten had big black eyes. They were completely black. The black pupil merged with the color of the iris, which did not stand out against the black sclera. These eyes stared into the young man's face with mysterious interest. The kitten's long, pointed ears stuck out to the sides. The large whiskers were tousled and gave a cute expression to his large head. The fur was smooth. The tail was long.
For a moment Pete thought this magic kitten looked more like a little monkey. He had never seen kittens like this before. The young man smiled, and the kitten's face smiled at him, too.
For the first time all day, Pete experienced a feeling of harmony, joy, and comfort.
For complete enjoyment, he lacked little. He was hungry again.
The young man cautiously got to his feet. All bad and unpleasant thoughts and impressions were gone from his mind. Everything will be all right!
In the corridor came the tapping of a cane and the voice of an old man,
"What are your impressions of our treasures? Now I'll show you my trophies."
Kitten heard the stranger's voice and turned his head toward the entrance. Then he quickly climbed into the sleeve of Pete's jacket. Pete could feel the baby's grip on his hand tight. He thought this kitten was too sensible.
"You never told me your name. Shine called you Old Man. I don't mind calling you Soldier or Guard. But don't call me Savage. My name is Pete."
"Harrison Pete Harrison. I'm old but not deaf. My friends call me Roy. You can call me Soldier. Come on and I'll show you some interesting things."
Pete didn't hide the cat up to his sleeve.
"Soldier, I can show you an interesting rarity myself. Just don't shout at me. I didn't mean any trouble."
Pete raised his hand turned his palm up. He wanted to gently unbutton the sleeve and take out his pet. But the clever and brave kitten didn't hide. He quickly popped up on the palm and meowed at the old man. The old soldier's reaction was unexpected and dramatic. He rebounded and simultaneously swung his cane away from the little animal's apparition.
The old man put his left hand forward and withdrew his right hand to strike. He whispered,
"Where did you get that thing? It's a dracat! The baby dracat! You brought a dracat to Ark and hid it from me!"
"Calm down! I found it in the museum! I brought nothing to your city. I took the stone from the shelf. That stone turned out to be a magic egg. Then I felt sick. Pain and heat in my chest. The heat penetrated my hand and warmed this egg. Out of it came this kitten. I don't know what a dracat is. A cross between a dragon and a cat? It's small and not dangerous! Calm down, soldier. It's a baby!"
Harrison spoke quickly, the words were born in his head and formed into a clear and honest story. He didn't know how he came up with the true state of affairs so quickly.
The old man shook his head. He dropped his hands but stayed where he was. The soldier's eyes watched the black creature in the young man's palm closely. He spoke, and his voice was hoarse and muffled,
"Dracat. It's not just a mixture of dragon and cat. It is a dangerous creature. He was changing shape. He could become a large, dangerous creature. And it could turn into a small, equally dangerous creature. It would grab and carry our boys into the sky. In-flight, it ripped their heads off. Blood streamed from the sky. It was horrible. Too dangerous, too clever, too cunning. We have to kill this thing before it grows. It has no place in the Ark."
The old man's story touched the young man. But a cold calm and firmness were born in his heart.
"We don't belong in the city? Fine. We'll leave. No trouble at all. Goodbye soldier."
The old man made a quick, nimble move. He moved and blocked the way. The cane in his hand became a threat again.
"You misunderstand me, boy. Dracat is a deadly threat. I don't know what hole you came out of. But one Dracat will devour your whole world. A dozen of them would be enough to destroy Ark. You're not going anywhere. You're already at the mercy of that scum. I've heard about dracat's powers. Throw the scum to the ground!"
The old man's words did not affect. Pete had no doubts. He felt right and was ready to defend their lives. He felt no fear now.
At this point, the kitten intervened in the quarrel. He jumped into the air and flapped his little wings. What was helping him? Magic? A special gift and ability? Pete didn't know and watched in amazement as the kitten quickly flew up to the ceiling and into the corner of the room. The kitten could have left the room, but he didn't leave his friend behind.
The old man reacted instantly and miraculously. He reached out his hand and tore a string with a small object from his neck. The object flew sideways. A column of light erupted where it fell and struck the ceiling.
"Captain! Danger! Help!" shouted the soldier.
A tall, thin black man jumped out of the column of light and immediately drew two swords.
Pete had no time to react to what was happening.
"Roy. Report."
The man ordered clearly and briefly. He froze in place and spread his sword arms apart.
"Dracat! The savage has revived the creature. It's over there. On the ceiling, in the corner." The old soldier made his report quick and short. His voice became steady and confident. He pointed his cane in the direction of the kitten.
Pete suddenly realized that they were about to be killed. He cast an attentive glance at the swordsman. With his appearance, the young man realized what the personification of mortal danger was. Not a pretty combination of words. Not a threatening meaning in his head. Death itself had appeared in this hall and was beside the young man. He knew simply and clearly that he was about to be killed. Killed quickly and painlessly. One swift stroke of the blade would end his life. It was a fact. As much a fact as breathing.
Pete saw with horror and delight that it was no man. It was a Drow! A true dark elf! One fleeting glimpse of the red eyes was enough to freeze the young man's blood.
There was no escape from this threat.
"Will it end so easily? Fly away quickly, little one, fly away while you can!"
The Drow's movement was sharp and graceful, full of skill and experience. He put his swords in the scabbard behind his back and turned to the old man,
"Roy. I was drinking wine with Elvira. You crossed the line. That was the last time. I warned you."
The old man hunched over and sat down. It was as if he had been put under pressure. An inaudible mumbling came from his mouth. A cane hit the floor and helped keep the old soldier from falling.
Drow walked over to the young man and looked him in the eyes,
"Name."
"Pete Harrison, sir."
Pete straightened his back and stood at attention. He reacted like a recruit.
"Where are you from Pitgarrison?"
"I'm from Ohio, sir. Planet Earth."
"Did you come to Ark today?"
"Yes, sir."
"What does 'sir' mean?"
Pete blinked and found his answer,
"Short for Senor, which means Master."
The drow nodded,
"Don't call me Sir. I do not need such a servant. Are there Summoners in your world? Are you a summoner?"
"No, si... there is no magic in my world and no summoners. I am an ordinary man. My name is Pete. Harrison is the name of my family."
"Pete. You're not an ordinary man. You had a faint drop of magic in you. You were tempted and fell into Ark. You are a mage. A weak mage. And you're a summoner. A powerful summoner. You have tamed Dracat. A weak summoner's heart will burst and his body will burn if he dares to make a strong summoning. Summon your pet."
Pete froze. He didn't know how to address the kitten. Kitty Kitty? Pussycat? Baby kitty? This is stupid and wild and wrong.
The little dracat needed no words. The little one flew smoothly onto the young man's shoulder. The drow looked at the creature and concluded,
"The mental connection is strong. You must enter the Summoner's Guild. You'll go through registration. You'll get a free elementary tutorial."
"Permission to ask a question," the young man said.
The drow's head indicated agreement.
"Dear Roy spoke of danger. Is my pet very dangerous? Is he a threat to the city?"
The captain looked into Pete's eyes and quietly replied,
"No more than you are a threat yourself. And more than you can threaten yourself. You have a relationship. Are you threatening my town?"
The Drow said the last words quietly. But the young man's legs went weak and he felt sick again.
"No. Definitely and quite honestly. I wish no harm to your city. I come in peace. I want to live in the city..."
"Enough! We're done here. Roy, you come with me. Young summoner, come with us. Outside, I will find a guide for you. They will show you the way to the Summoner's Guild."
The old man made a delighted expression on his face. It was the quintessence of a humble plea for leniency. He asked quietly,
"Captain. Perhaps you shouldn't? Excuse me. Give me a chance."
The drow laughed. It seemed to Pete that the room was spilling sugar from a leaky sack on the floor.
"You've gone completely bad. Have you forgotten what following orders mean?"
Roy straightened his back and took a step toward the commander. Now a real veteran was standing in the hall.
The kitten again surprised the young man with his behavior. He hid again. Pete unbuttoned his sleeve and bent his arm at the elbow. Now the kitten was sitting comfortably on his arm.
The column of light went out. The old man whispered sadly,
"That was my last emergency portal."
"I was drinking wine with Elvira," reminded the Drow of his loss.
"How is she?"
"You'll find out soon enough, Roy. Very soon you will find out for yourself."
The drow said this in an affectionate and caring tone. But Pete realized that the old soldier was in trouble. And that trouble was caused by one wanderer's appearance. The old man was full of wisdom and experience. He said that wanderers are nothing but trouble!
They went out into the street. The soldier was closing the door of the museum. Drow called to him with one gesture a passer-by and began to give him orders. Pete Harrison stood against the wall and looked at the sidewalk. He got a good look at everything. The road was covered with stone. And there was a carpeted walkway in the center of the road.
Pete looked around. It was a short street with ordinary houses. There was no palace or other fancy building nearby.
What was a carpet in the middle of the street doing here?