Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblances to real life individuals, places or situations are purely coincidental. All images used to create the cover were taken from the public domain under the creative commons license.
Acknowledgements: Special thanks to my fans, Betas, Proofreaders and everyone who made my dragel story into the success that it is. You made a writer’s dream come true and this is my thanks to you. Enjoy the read!
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Work was terrible, but he survived until the unbearable harness could be peeled from his sweaty shoulders. Strangely enough, it had helped to be higher up than walking around on the ground, but Neil didn’t like thinking about details like that. It reminded him that his current, inhuman state was likely there for keeps.
Jamal waved to him as he signed out for the day and swiped his ID card to collect the earned currency. It was enough to cover some basic meal tickets and the new textbook for Magical Arts Theory. He sniffled and coughed his way to the dorms, grumbling to himself over the lack of magic. Jamal’s spell had helped, but his magic was different and it left Neil feeling itchy and annoyed. By the time his shift was over, all he wanted was to be back at his dorm.
The delivery from MedBay awaited him when Neil finally returned to his dorm.
Packaged in the traditional confidential envelope with security seals plastered all around it, he could tell that it had arrived exactly as it was supposed to. Few people cared to mess with official missives and Healers’ prescriptions. Neil scooped it out of the drop box and fumbled with the packaging as he locked the door behind him. He made sure to engage the usual ‘do not disturb’ function that would grant him a little bit of extra privacy. It was a small, glass phial, with a dark purple liquid shimmering inside, occasional flecks of gold visible to the naked eye.
He shook the phial a few times and held it up to the dim light of his dorm room. It didn’t change at all.
Tossing it on the bed, he began to shuck off his clothes, heading for the refresher. His back, shoulders and neck ached something fierce. He’d worked an extra hour to make up for his absence the previous day and in hopes that it would help his paycheck to at least be decent after taxes and whatnot came out of it.
It took a handful of minutes before he stood underneath a steady shower of warm water, head braced against the damp tiles, willing his aches and pains to wash away.
That turned out to be the wrong trigger, because the hot water only served to make him relax a bit too much.
With a tightening, pulling sensation, his shoulders burned with the familiar twinge as his wings made an appearance. Neil barely had a moment to register the shift, turning too late to keep his wings from exploding out in the cramped confines of the shower. He bit back a whimper when they slammed into the wall and immediately shut the water off.
Taking his time and every ounce of energy and patience that he could spare, Neil managed to extract himself without too much fuss. He stood miserably in front of the sink, brushing his teeth and staring at his peach-colored wings with silver spines. The longer he stared at his reflection, the more his dragel attributes came out for display.
Claws that made holding a toothbrush incredibly difficult, slender, pointed ears and steady smattering of scales all along his neck, shoulders and torso. Neil leaned over the sink and rinsed out his mouth, stifling a shudder at the feel of his fangs. He didn’t want to consider how or why they could retract. He was just glad that no one seemed to have noticed them as yet.
He caught sight of the moving tattoos from the first day, when he grabbed a towel to swab his face. Like scrolling vines, they went all the way around his arms and upper body, tapering off at his collarbone and stopping at his wrists. He couldn’t turn to see his back, so had no idea how far down it went, but the more he focused on them, he could swear that they were not black, but rather a very deep shade of purple. There were a few loops and swirls that were definitely black provided enough contrast to tell the difference.
Finished with his nightly routine, Neil carefully twisted himself through the doorway and out into the larger freedom of his dorm room. His wings stretched happily once he was free of the refresher’s confines. They felt lighter today. When he consciously tried to move them, they worked as expected, curving towards him on cue and then away.
Resigning himself to another night of sleeping with his face in a pillow, Neil shuffled to the bed. He caught sight of the purple phial and picked it up, twisting the cap to break the seal. There was the quiet puff of air, proof of the pressurized contents being tamperproof and he put it to his lips, stopping short of drinking it.
Making his way back to the refresher, he leaned through the door and filled a glass with water. Now prepared, he downed the magical stimulant and gulped down half a glass of water behind it. The instructions he’d read hadn’t said anything about the slimy feeling as the potion crept down his throat, feeling more as if he’d swallowed a worm instead of a liquid.
Stifling a shudder, Neil backtracked to the bed where he drank the rest of the water and turned out the light. Easing back onto the bed, he shifted around to find a comfortable position and silently sent up a prayer for a better day.