Effex. A clear voice spoke, gently rousing the ferret from his slumber. Yes? Effex replied, blinking sleep from his tiny eyes. Thank the stars we’ve found you! Ragis said, his mental voice charged with emotion. We’re bringing you home. The dragon egg beneath his tiny paws seemed to grow cold in the infinitely long split second before the transfer was complete. There was a moment of free fall when he arrived on the other end of the transfer, but then he was caught in Ragis’ arms and hugged to his chest. “We thought we’d lost you for sure, Effex.” A voice he recognized as the dean of the academy said. “When both you and Dellin unexpectedly vanished...” Effex turned his head to look at her. Dellin? His attention turned back to the man who held him. Ragis, let me go. Belatedly the happy gifted let his friend loose. Effex immediately shifted to human form. “Dellin? The new kinetic?” The Dean nodded. “The same. Ragis was tutoring him and the youngling grew frustrated and the backlash of his talent transferred you both offworld - we’ve yet to locate him.” Effex’ dark eyes betrayed nothing of the thoughts that raced through his mind. Surely if he’d landed near Vella Crean, Dellin couldn’t be that far away. “It was only within the last three hours that we could locate you.” Ragis said, not needing to hear Effex’ thoughts to know what they were. “Wherever you were before that was beyond our reach.” Three hours was about the extent of his stay at Dragonwings. Finding Dellin now could be quite a task. “Come down to my office Effex,” the Dean invited. “We’ve much to talk about.” * * * “I don’t know what intrigues me more,” the Dean said, tracing the rim of her teacup with one manicured fingertip, “that you found gifted people, albeit untrained ones, or that you found dragons.” “What interested me most was that the gifted and the dragons were drawn together and mind-linked via some sort of strong empathic bond.” Effex replied, deciding to keep his near-bonding to himself. That dragon was not meant to be his, yet the crystal egg nagged at his mind. Somewhere deep in his subconscious he knew that he should try to learn from this and take that knowledge with him into the future - but for now it was too fresh in his mind. “So all of the gifted minds come from the lands surrounding the Vella Crean?” The Dean asked, her pronunciation of the name awkward as it was new to her. “Strangely, no.” Effex said, taking his ‘debriefing’ more maturely than a tutor of his monitored experience would be expected to be. “Young men and women who are deemed suitable to bond with dragons are gathered from around their world, and from other worlds known to them. The various...” Effex searched for an all-inclusive term “... places where the dragons and their gifted bonds reside become havens for gifted minds. A vast majority of them are extremely minor gifts, but there were a handful of higher grade telepaths that hadn’t the barest bit of training. The gifted bonds of some breeds of dragons are compelled to pair off when their dragons mate.” The Dean nodded in complete understanding. “The bond between them encourages breeding of both dragons and humans - thus reinforcing the talents in future generations.” “Exactly.” Effex said, wondering behind tight shields if his dragon would have mated and brought him together with a partner. He put it quickly out of his mind again. The Glenn Dragon egg was no longer his concern. Finding Dellin was. “Dean Kykoe - if Dellin transferred himself to one of these ‘dragon worlds’ or a world that they seek out potential bonds on, it is highly likely that he has been chosen by a dragon.” She blinked. “I should have considered that immediately when you said the dragons choose gifted partners. How do you propose we find Dellin?” Effex scratched his head, noticing that his hair was getting a touch long. “Search planets with higher levels of talent than usual? If we can locate one dragon world, they may be able to help us locate him.” Kykoe nodded. “It’s a start. Effex, what is the first thing you noticed when Dellin transferred you?” Her question caught him off guard. “The yellow sun.” Effex replied, blinking in surprise. Kykoe smiled. “We’ll start searching for gifted inhabitants on worlds orbiting yellow suns - or those which would seem yellow through the atmosphere of the planet.” Effex nodded, then suppressed a yawn. “You should get some rest and check through months of messages...” Kykoe prompted. Effex nodded again. “Before I go, I want your word that I will be included in this search for Dellin and the dragons. I am the only one on our world - that we know of - who has any experience with the dragon worlds.” The Dean was quiet, and in a moment there was a soft tap on her office door. “Enter.” She said in an official manner. A tall woman wearing the collar of a gifted who could tell truth from lie and whose word was legally binding for contracts entered. “Effex, you have my word that I will do everything in my power as Dean of the Academy to include you in this search for Dellin and the Dragon Worlds.” Kykoe said solemnly. “Heard and Witnessed.” The Witness said with a bow. “Now go rest, Effex. Contact me once you’ve gotten things settled again.” * * * Effex ignored the tiny blinking light that indicated that he had messages waiting and headed straight into his bedroom. He groaned when he saw the stacks of books gathering dust on his coverlet, and began to move them immediately. Since what had become his normal routine while he tutored Gem had been disrupted by his trip to Dragonwings, and further disrupted by his return home, he was exhausted before he’d opened the door. As soon as the bed was cleared, he shook the dust off his pillows and crawled into bed. Almost immediately, he was asleep. * * * Effex shifted in his sleep, stirring up a small cloud of dust. He sneezed, and was instantly awake. It was pitch black in his room, but he knew sleep would elude him now. He slid out of bed and avoiding piles of books, walked carefully into the tiny kitchen his apartment boasted, absently reaching for the switch for the lights, which promptly turned on. The ferret-shifter blinked. A smile crossed his face as he mentally thanked the Academy for taking care of his heat and lights as part of room and board. He crossed to the cooler and tugged open the door. A few bottles of soda sat undisturbed on the shelf, but nothing else remained. “Beats finding sour milk and stuff that could walk out on it’s own...” Effex muttered optimistically, snagging a soda from the shelf and closing the door. It wasn’t the best of breakfasts, but the cabinets might yield something more palatable. Before he could search for it, a soft chime sounded through his apartment. He reached out and triggered the com line. “Yes?” “Effex... Did we wake you?” The Dean’s voice filled the room. “No, Dean Kykoe, I awoke several minutes ago. What can I do for you?” he responded, setting the soda aside. “I called on the Astro Lab after you left my office, and in the last ten hours, they have found record of six worlds which appear to have higher talent levels as well as yellow suns within their . They are currently tracking the nearest of the stars, and we expect to have pinpointed the world within the next three hours. Can you meet me in the Astro Lab in about an hour?” Effex set the soda on the table. “Certainly, Dean Kykoe.” “Good. I will see you there.” Kykoe said, and cut the connection. Effex exhaled sharply. “That was fast...” he murmured, running his hand through his hair. “and I need a shower. My messages can wait...” He took two steps towards the bathing room, then turned around and grabbed the soda. * * * Effex arrived at the Astro Lab forty-five minutes later, clean, dry, and fed. The area was buzzing quietly with activity, young men and women flitting from place to place and back again working on things Effex did not care to contemplate at that point in time. Kykoe looked up from a paper she was studying at the conference table, and blinked twice when she saw him. “You’re early, Effex. And where did you get a haircut at this hour?” Her face was alight with a pleased grin. “Courtesy of an electric clipper in the privacy of my own apartment.” Effex replied with a smirk, passing his hand over the short hair on his head - it was no more than a centimeter from his scalp now, and his dark eyes sparkled in an amused fashion. Kykoe smirked back. “Have a seat, Effex - and a sweet roll if you like - and I’ll bring you up to speed...” * * * Effex closed his eyes, and waited patiently. They’d told him everything they knew about this world - it had a yellow sun, there was a breathable atmosphere, and there was a higher-than-average percentage of gifted minds there. Not one of their strong sensing talents or machines could tell whether or not the sentient inhabitants were dragons. Effex hoped that they were - how strange it was to be in a place where they looked at him askance if he spoke of mythological creatures as actually existing. Which they did - just not here! “We’ll transfer you in a moment, Tutor Effex.” One of the gifted Lab techs purred. “Remember, try to keep a mental contact with one of us long enough to let us all know whether or not there are dragons on that world, and if we need to retrieve you immediately due to some danger.” “Will do.” Effex sighed, then thought to himself You’ve only told me eighteen times. Nineteen. Ragis laughed. Try to relax, Effex. The ferret-shifter exhaled. Easier said than done. he responded, then opened his eyes and looked at Kykoe. She simply waved, and then the tingling sensation that preceded the transfer enveloped Effex. * * * Effex staggered a bit upon arrival, but quickly gained his footing while simultaneously looking skyward. Yellow sun, bright blue sky. And? came a faint thought from Ragis. He looked around. It was pretty empty here, and something unsettled him, but he couldn’t place it. There were trees and grass and an ample amount of sunshine but nothing more that he could see. I don’t see anyone. Effex sent back to his friend, hoping the man could actually hear him over such a distance. Of course I can hear you. Ragis said with a laugh as something tugged on Effex’ consciousness. There is someone here... someone new. the voice said, and Effex tuned into them, quietly evesdropping. Yes... I sense him as well. A new Discovered? A second voice replied. Effex winced at the awkward seeming syntax, but said nothing, as it was not his place to correct these sentient beings. Perhaps. Unfamiliar though - but perhaps a hatchling will Choose him. The first voice continued conversationally. Ahha! There he is! The second voice crowed as two shapes appeared over the treeline, heading in his direction. I felt him first! The first voice cried, and as the two raced closer, Effex could see that they were dragon-like creatures. Not dragon-like, stranger. Dragons. A large blue beast said moments before he landed in the clearing Effex occupied. Here be dragons... Effex murmured mentally, and heard Ragis chuckle at the academy, which seemed so far away now. You should not be wandering alone. ‘Fury in her Mind’ has been seen in these parts, and Wylds are unkind to strangers. I am Ryshr’Noti, and Rytion is my bond. The Lycan on the green dragon’s shoulders grinned. I am Feshr’Noti and this is my rider Fenake ... would you come with us to Shivran Aerd to be presented at the hatching? the first dragon, a brilliant purple, purred to him. “I would be delighted.” Effex said aloud, beaming his excitement. “I would however like to learn about your kind.” “Not a problem.” Fenake said, his voice cheerful and delighted at having made a Discovery not far from home. * * * Light years away, Ragis looked up to meet Kykoe’s eyes. “Not only are there dragons on this world, they’ve chosen him as a potential bond for a hatchling dragon. He’ll be staying there, and I assume will have these dragons help him locate Dellin. He has also made his interest in studying their kind known already.” The Dean laughed. “That’s our Effex... scholarly, diplomatic... make sure he reports in from time to time so we don’t lose him again.” “Taken care of, Kykoe. He’ll get in touch with me in ten days to update us on the situation.” Ragis said, turning back to the monitor.

Shivran Aerd