Tate found himself sitting across from Elder Nerkoo on a sunny afternoon. a few days later. he'd had a grueling morning of training and once he'd returned to his room he'd been immediately summoned.
Just like the last time they'd met, he was in the same putter sitting room of the Elders apartments and food had been provided. He couldn't resist eating. he'd worked up an appetite from running so much. She watched him with an amused expression, chin on her hands, as he downed five sandwiches in a row. She'd also provided the healing tea which he was already on his second cup of.
"How has your training with the Royal Guard been going?" She finally asked.
He nodded through a mouthful of sandwiches. He swallowed and said. "It's been going well thank you."
"I heard you visited the library."
"Ah, yes, it's a very impressive collection."
"I'm flattered you think so. It's nothing compared to the Library at Stoll, but that is run by the Mage's so it can hardly be matched."
He nodded, her words making him want to find out more. "Where is the Library at Stoll?"
"The fifth floor of the Libabry has an Atlas. it would be more accurate for you to take a look yourself next time you're there than for me to try to explain it with no visual reference on hand."
He nodded.
"So tell me, what are the other Trials, have you found that information at least?"
He nodded again and listed them off. "The Quillintine, The Test, The Ascent, and the Labyrinth."
She smiled at him. "Very good, it seems you were able to find a few books with the relevant information."
She eyed him and sat back. "You are probably wondering once again, why I've called you."
"Yes."
"Well, my purpose today is twofold."
He wiped at his mouth with a napkin then put it down and made sure to give the Elder his full attention. "I'm listening."
"The first thing I would like to ask you is if you would like to go out into the greater Nest, our city if you will."
He sat up straighter. "Yes, yes I would. When can I go?"
"After the Quillintine I think."
"Why after?" He said he tried not to sound impolite.
"Humm, well I guess the more accurate thing would be to say after the Quillintine and one other thing."
"What would that be?"
She sighed and pointed to his face. "We need to get that removed before you go out into our society."
His hands, as they often did when he thought of them, raised to almost touch his marks. His hand trembled slightly. "Can't you tell me now, why? What does everyone mean when they look at my mark and say, cultists? Why do dragons here look at me like these marks are disgusting?"
"Tate-" She started with his name but he could already tell she was going to brush him off.
He interrupted. "Don't you think I deserve to know? You won't tell me much of anything else but can't you at least tell me this?"
She sighed and seemed to think about it for a while. "I suppose. I'm not going to tell you everything. I know you can't understand why I'm holding back so much information from you. I can see that from your perspective it must seem like I'm holding back information that would be helpful to you, or even vital to understanding your current situation."
She looked at the two female servants who were still in the room. with them and with a simple tilt of her chin they both bowed and exited silently, leaving Tate and the Elder alone.
"The reason you've seen such a strong reaction to your marks is because here the only people who would have such a mark are those who dabble in black magic, blood magic to be specific. It's not unheard of in our history for a fellow dragon to have similar markings to yours and the other young humans. However, those with these markings have always been involved in dark and evil deeds. You can see how that would be surprising to us, to see them on a human. We are well aware that you cannot do that to yourself and that a human cannot be involved by choice in such magic since you have no magic of your own. Instead the first thought someone here would have is that you have made a contract with someone of evil intentions. This will immediately call into question who you are to allow such a thing."
She took a sip of her own tea and continued. "This is probably why the young male Wyen almost killed you on sight. Thankfully, Wyla was able to talk him down. She's a smart female who was able to understand that there was probably more to it than you just being the willing plaything of someone dabbling in forbidden practices."
She looked him in the eye seriously. "I'm going to be brutally honest with you. The markings you have are both what has saved you and condemned you."
He blinked at her confused.
"Wyla knew from talking to you very briefly that you had no idea what these markings truly are. It begs the question, why is such magic in use by the dragons on your side of the barrier? Why is it seen as a positive by you? The answer I came to is that no one in your realm, not even the dragons involved knew what the true nature of, that.." She gestured to the marks, face twisting, "truly is. It is for that reason, that ignorance that you are still alive."
He was stunned at the thought of his marks being dark magic. What could be dark about one's bond with their dragon? He opened his mouth to ask for clarification but she held up a hand.
"Don't ask. I know what you're thinking. I know that you're dying to ask what is bad about your marks, and what makes them evil in our eyes. All I can say now is that under the right circumstances, you may come to find the answer to this yourself. For now, though, my main priority is to remove the marks that are on you now. The infection is spreading. Maybe it is because the dragon who put them on you is dead, but if they are not removed, eventually you will die, painfully. They are only eating away at your skin now, but once the entire mark is black it will begin to eat inward."
He looked at his hands, which were fidgeting with nerves at the suggestion. "How, do I know this is true? What if I say that I won't do it, that I want to keep them."
A wicked talon was at his throat in an instant. He looked up and gulped. She'd moved in a blink, her eyes shone brightly and the rest of her looked relaxed, her posture just having shifted until she was leaning towards him across the small table between them. Her left hand was transformed into a large claw, it made a mind-bending picture to see such a small delicate girl with such a huge and deadly-looking appendage suddenly tacked onto the end of her very delicate arm.
"If you choose to be stubborn about this there is only one thing for me to do. I will protect my Nest and bestow mercy on you by granting you a quick death."
He took in a shuddering breath, the point scratching him as he did so. "I'll do it." He replied shakily.
She sat back, and by the time she'd returned to her previous position a pretty human hand was back in place.
He let out a deep breath and tried to stop his shaking. That pressure, he'd felt it before in her presence but he'd almost forgotten.
"I think it's time I answered one of the other questions I know you have."
He just looked at her, not trusting himself to speak at the moment.
"I'm sure you've wondered why I'm making you go through our Trials, our tradition, before letting you meet the mage."
"Ye-yes I have wondered that." He said finally getting ahold of himself after his shock.
"That first day you arrived here when Wyla brought you in. You already know it, I saw glimpses of your past. I saw your ability to dominate. I suppose I want you to go through our trials because I want to know if you even can. You have an ability that humans are not supposed to possess. it is not quite magic but it's also not not magic." She grinned a little at the double negative. "The great mage I speak of has been lying dormant for many many years. Right now, he is in an unreachable place, however, I have the feeling that if you can do this. If you can pass our Trials, then I think you may be able to wake him up. I want to see what your potential is." She finished making it sound like it was something simple.
It didn't feel simple. "Do you know why I have this power?" He almost slipped and said "these" but he caught himself in time.
She shook her head. "I have my suspicions, but nothing can be known until we go further. Tate," Her tone caused him to pay particular attention, "I need you to try your best in the Trials, okay? Some very important things will depend on your results."
"What kind of things?" He asked with a little alarm.
She sighed obviously wishing she hadn't tacked that on.