“If I’m not mistaken, we are going to try our hand at summoning someone you actually know,” Asterios said thoughtfully. “I got the idea that we should be aiming for either a person in contact with one of the Nest’s overseers, or them directly. Am I right?”

Althea hummed softly to herself. “Your ability to deduct things from the little hints I’ve given you over the last weeks is something rather inspiring. But, you aren’t completely correct with everything. What you suggested sounds like a good idea, but if we are going to have Tina form a contract with whoever we summon, we should make sure their compatibility is high. It would do her no good to take on a companion who didn’t work well with her just for the sake of serving as our connection with my kin.”

“You are right, of course.” He nodded. “So, what was your plan?”

“I thought about this for a little while and came to a conclusion that she would match decently well with a young Lesser Dragon, perhaps around the time of them seeking a mentor. They could grow well together, help our situation, and also both learn many valuable things from their cooperation. In the end, if we can give one of the younglings a chance to safely experience the world, why shouldn’t we?” She glanced at him after finishing.

“Hmmm…” Asterios pondered her words silently, staring off into the quite short distance with his draconic eyes partially absent.

“As long as that doesn’t bother you,” Althea added after seeing his expression, definitely more proficient in reading a Dragon’s face than him. “I do not mean to take advantage of you two to secure some benefits for one of my kin.”

Shaking his head, he met her emerald gaze. “No, that’s not it, Althea. It’s a great idea, and even connected to what I was thinking about. That’s why, I’m now considering a new extension of it. Before I explain it fully, let me ask you about a few things.”

“Very well. My knowledge is at your disposal, my dear disciple.” A somewhat relieved smile curled up her long lips.

“Is there some kind of a respected tradition about mentors taking only one person at once under their care?” he queried. “From your stories, I mostly heard about pairing up for such a relationship.”

“There is no rule about it that I know of,” his teacher responded. “I think it simply became a standard after everyone kept working in pairs. I have to agree that it provides an opportunity for the mentor to fully focus on the experience of their disciple and for the disciple a chance to fully absorb their teachings without worrying about anyone else, just being themselves, being comfortable. Why?”

“Because why not make the offer of a mentorship to more than one person?” Asterios turned to face her directly. “Tina will form a contract with one of the Lesser Dragons, yes, but ultimately, her squad is going to do the same with those who will agree to come here and kindly serve as their steeds when in need. Since they are all Summoners to some extent, they can each take care of one Dragon. And with that, if you aren’t opposed to it, you could mentor them while they are here. You could take them under your wing and teach them what you need as they go through their journey in my realm.”

Althea stared back at him and blinked a few times. “That… would be extremely kind of you for my people… I have to admit, I didn’t think of that… Your realm is indeed relatively safe for us after the great migration…”

“And with me being able to slice through worlds sometime soon, we would have even more options in our hands than just Summoning Magic,” he added with a grin. “Though, if I were to be honest with you, I would rather not let any mentor-disciple pairs into Kraedorion that I don’t know much about. Just to be safe. You guys might not be as aggressive as True Dragons, but your kind would undoubtedly fit in at the top of the food chain. No offense.”

“None taken.” She chuckled quietly. “I agree with you. Our people might be calmer, but we still count in the same category as other predators. It’s not like there aren’t selfish, rude, or even evil Lesser Dragons around. Nevertheless, your initial suggestion is intriguing. It’s not something that has been done before, but I don’t see any reason to dismiss it. As long as the candidates come with us willingly. Not many might see it as the same opportunity as journeying alone with their mentor.”

“Naturally. It would also serve as a good way to spot good candidates,” Asterios replied.

A brief silence fell upon them as Althea seemed to mull over what they had discussed. Asterios gave her all the time she needed to come to a proper conclusion. It was their people they were talking about and she knew them best. While he had learned a lot from her throughout their short friendship, it was still like a drop in the ocean.

“We might consider this,” Althea finally said after a moment. “The young ones would be given an unheard-of chance for their maturing journey. And I think I would be able to figure out their mentoring. It’s not like I have to watch over them constantly, especially when they will have their own duties in your Dragon Guard. It would be a new, untested system, but our mentorship program isn’t infallible either.”

“Great. I’m glad you like my idea.” He brushed against her muzzle. “That brings up another question. You spoke about young ones, and I know some bits from your story about your mentorship, but how old is a Lesser Dragon considered a youngling?”

“That’s a valid question, my astute student.” She nuzzled back into him. “We generally fully mature physically between about twenty-five and thirty human years. That’s when a Lesser Dragon is no longer considered a hatchling or a child and enters their youth. As for how old those waiting to be picked up might be, it varies greatly, but the number of children is much lower than the number of young adults. People rarely want to take in an unruly brat under their wings so they settle for more mature individuals.”

“And what’s your preference?” Asterios asked.

“Definitely mature.” Althea nodded to herself. “I don’t intend to bring trouble to your doorstep. And I’m proud to be your mentor, even if you aren’t exactly my kin in a direct line. If we hadn’t met, I would be wishing for someone like you to end up under my care.”

“That’s high praise.” He chuckled amusedly. “So, this is what I had in mind, more or less. Is there anything you can share with me about your side of things? Anything changed from our brief chat?”

“For the initial summoning, not much.” She shook her head. “Though, now that we are considering contracting younglings for Tina’s team with the goal of mentoring them, I think I would like to try and target one of the ladies I knew from my nest, with whom I shared my childhood under the guidance of the caregivers. As long as they seem compatible. With that, our chances of talking things through would rise exponentially. We do have to convince them of our cause, in the end. With you present, it might be challenging.”

“Right. True Dragon.” Asterios snorted. “This is going to be annoying. Not that I would blame any of your people for reacting the same way you did when we first met or worse. I just really wish the others didn’t immediately judge me as bad news the moment they lay their eyes on me.”

“And I wish I was able to change everyone’s opinion of you, but we can’t simply erase decades if not centuries of prejudice and terror.” Althea sighed dejectedly, then snuck her head under his chin and pushed up to snuggle to it with an almost perfect fit, wearing him like a big hat. “You are a kind and amazing True Dragon, Asterios, and I’m sure whoever we will meet will realize that very quickly.”

He recognized that action as another gesture with particular meaning. In Dragon culture, nuzzling the roof of your head into someone’s chin and throat symbolized trust, pride, and to some level also deference. A more accurate word could be submission, but it didn’t fit that well in Ast’s personal opinion. He did understand the gesture’s core meaning and appreciated it, of course.

“Let’s not worry about things we can’t change and focus on what we can do.” He stayed relatively still, enjoying the affectionate caresses. “Anything I should prepare for the ritual? Read up on? Learn?”

“No. I believe you are already a Master Summoner at this point.” She purred with a low, rumbling growl from deep in her throat. “I will assist you during the process and explain some parts of it tomorrow. I don’t want to poison your mind with my preconceptions so I’ll only share the knowledge about the necessary parts to aim for my colleagues. The rest will be up to you. Just have a nice, relaxing night so we can start the ritual with calm, open minds.”

“I will. As long as you are there, in my arms.” Asterios wiggled himself against her a bit.

Althea chuckled warmly. “I would not choose to be anywhere else, my strong and handsome mate.”

They basked in the sunlight transferred through the gem for a little longer, simply enjoying their time together in draconic bodies. When it was time to slowly get up and return, they shifted back to their humanoid appearances, shared a tender kiss, and headed back to the castle. The girls were already waiting for them and they all jumped into a bath, joyfully washing each other while sharing the stories of their day. Soon, they all piled up on their big bed.

It took a moment before they fell asleep, though, and it wasn’t that surprising. Everyone wanted to snuggle with Asterios and he wanted to shower his mates with the affection they deserved too. Considering that Althea was still a recent addition to their family, Grea continued to gush over the Dragon lady’s fierce beauty. Now, the lustful demon had another draconic tail to rub herself into and embrace dearly for the night. She often sent Asterios cheeky grins in an attempt to make him jealous.

But, in the end, everyone knew it was all fun and games. Asterios had to admit that he was too still coming around the idea of having a Lesser Dragon as a mate. He continued to catch himself admiring her draconic features, subconsciously drawn to them from time to time. The girls were the same, which often made him snicker. He couldn’t imagine how things would look and feel if he ever managed to form a romantic bond with a True Dragon.

Surely, amongst all those colors and clans, there had to be someone not as prideful, egoistic, and hostile as the majority of his kin, right?

However, as interesting as the concept was, he wasn’t exactly planning on finding a True Dragon mate just to satisfy that curiosity. He would be fine without one. The lovely ladies who had given him a piece of their hearts were more than enough. Who would risk such a life in pursuit of something that dangerous?

In the morning, they shared breakfast under the watchful eyes of Yumi and Camille, who had been informed about their plans for the day. The two personal maids made sure that the cooks prepared filling meals that would make them brim with energy for the challenge ahead. And since Ast’s mom had paid them a visit, she enjoyed the lavish feast too, excited for them and the upcoming event.

Picking up on that, Miria turned to her while chewing on a juicy steak. “Why don’t you come with us to watch, Miss Kindra? It’s such a wonderful spectacle each time Master uses Summoning Magic. You haven’t seen him directly do it yet, no?”

“No, I haven’t.” Kindra shook her head. “But is it fine for me to be there?”

“Of course it is!” The panthergirl slammed her fists holding the cutlery into the table enthusiastically. “We would love to have you with us, Mom! Right, Master?”

Asterio took a handkerchief and wiped a stray dribble of sauce off the corner of her mouth with a gentle smile. “I’m alright with it. We aren’t doing anything too dangerous this time. I’m sure you are curious and I would be honored to make a show for you. Just be aware that things might get a little hectic after the initial phase.”

“Because of what you are.” His mother grinned impishly. “I’ll take you up on that offer, then. Maybe I will be able to help you with it in the future after observing the process personally.”

And so, they all agreed to invite her to the summoning. Finished with their meals, they brainstormed the location of the ritual. After about half an hour of going back and forth, they settled on Althea’s lair. While located underneath the city, it was deep enough for that to not be a problem. The protections woven into the dome-like structure and the single, trapped tunnel as the only exit proved to be decent safety measures too. If things spiraled out of control, the collateral damage would be minuscule, even if Asterios felt bad about ruining Althea’s home once again.

They jumped down into the underground chamber and gathered away from the cottage and the bower, finding a spacious grassy spot for the magical circle. Asterios brought out one of his sketchbooks and opened it up to show everyone, especially to his mentor.

“This is what I came up with since our last conversation,” he said to the Dragon lady. “This formation uses some draconic runes as its base so it reaches the highest compatibility with me that we can achieve. Anything to add?”

“Yes. May I receive something to draw with?” Althea smiled kindly.

Kindra was the first one to fish a sketching pencil out of her dress and simply shrugged when the others glanced at her, finding four more of them between her fingers, saying that a merchant couldn’t ever be overprepared.

Then, they all watched as their draconic friend drew a few standalone sections on the side of Ast’s sketches while explaining to him how they related to Lesser Dragons and the things they would be looking for. Tina joined in, and together with Asterios, the duo of Summoners implemented the Dragon lady’s suggestions into his initial design, repurposing it in a matter of minutes. Kindra was amazed to watch them act like one mind, receiving knowing grins from the other girls.

“Alright. The design looks good. What about the ingredients?” Asterios asked after they were finished.

“For the spiritual lines, I suggest you burn this down into charcoal and use the black dust to fill the paths,” Althea took out a few blocks of wood from her spatial storage.

“What is it?” Bryn grazed a finger over the relatively simple-looking material, though everyone felt it radiate thick energy.

~Part of my Tree,~ Tia answered her in their minds. ~What we managed to save before it completely ceased to exist. I agree with Althea’s judgment. It should do well to symbolize your wish for a peaceful and fruitful meeting. You won’t have any problems with its spiritual conductivity either.~

“It does feel kind of wrong burning your flesh for something like this, but if you are saying that it’s fine.” Asterios scratched his head, receiving an encouraging giggle in response. “Okay. What about the catalyst?”

“Are we going to use Master’s blood or mana so it matches his draconic origins this time too?” Selene pondered out loud.

Althea waved a finger at her. “No, that would be counterproductive. He will need to conceal himself as much as possible for this to work. We are hoping that my friend won’t notice his true nature amongst the overwhelming presence of my existence. That’s why, we are going to use something deeply personal of mine. Something that only I can possess, or the person I would entrust my life to.”

As she turned her enchanting eyes to him, Asterios realized what she meant. “The scale.”

The Dragon lady nodded, and he brought it out for everyone to see. The sizable dark green plate looked as magical and mysterious as it had when she had gifted it to him. He temporarily returned it to the proper owner with visible care and respect. While receiving it, Althea brought their hands up and placed a delicate peck on the back of his palm, which made Kindra coo adorably. Asterios had a feeling that it was another of draconic customs, reserved for a moment like this one, where he had to give the scale back without offending his companion with the gesture.

“Won’t it disappear in the process?” Silvia asked.

“While that’s what usually happens, we are able to prevent the catalyst from being consumed if the ritual is properly conducted,” Tina responded. “It’s a frowned-upon practice, though, because it can be viewed as dishonest and the familiars might perceive it as such too. You are practically dangling a piece of valuable offering in front of their faces like delicious fish bait and take it away the moment they bite. But, since we are focusing only on capturing the attention of one person or a group of people instead, it should be alright.”

“So, the wood and the scale. I keep my energies in check. The patterns are ready too. Anything else?” Asterios smiled at her appreciatively and recounted everything.

“After we succeed in summoning a Lesser Dragon, be ready to express your might. Even with all the preparation, I can’t guarantee that our quarry won’t immediately notice something right after answering our call and make a run for it. We can’t let that happen as news will spread like wildfire and the whole nest will become guarded. Stop them with your will and authority if you must.” Althea firmly met his gaze.

Asterios winced to the side. “I really hate doing that. It’s the worst way you can start a relationship, scaring your negotiation partner into submission.”

“It’s the only solution. They will understand after we explain,” she insisted. “Besides, it might not even come to that. I just want us to be careful.”

They looked at each other intently for a few long seconds before he relented. “I’ll do it if it starts escalating badly. Let’s get to work.”

Without any disagreement, they went to take care of their respective tasks. Althea used Tia’s energy to precisely create shallow paths in the ground for the base of the formation. Asterios and Silvia turned the Dryad’s wooden core into charcoal with their intense flames, taking much less time than it would usually take the natural way. Then, Miria and Bryn ground the black pieces to dust and handed them to Selene and Grea, who filled the tiny trenches. In half an hour, their ritual site was ready and Asterios handed Tina the important scale.

They stood shoulder to shoulder and admired their work. Kindra clapped happily to applaud their efforts. From the technical standpoint, things were right on track.

“Are you ready, Tina?” Asterios stepped closer to his blue-haired lover, brushing a lock of hair behind her cute ear.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “I can do it. With your help, I can do anything. I’ll succeed on the first try for you.”

He smirked proudly and raised her chin for a loving kiss. Tina embraced it fully, wrapping her arms around his neck. Their energies mixed as much as they could without influencing her too much with his draconic elements. Thankfully, Tia’s mighty mana was at their full disposition. The talented Summoner girl would not lack any power for her difficult summoning.

“I still think you should have fucked on top of it instead,” Grea commented, making her former female pupil scoff with a hint of a smile while Ast’s mother giggled.

“I’ll save those for you, Professor.” Tina showed the demon lady her tongue. “Now, excuse us, but we have a very respectful and important ritual to carry out.”

The girls chuckled as she hooked her elbow with Ast’s and the duo walked to the circle’s edge. She snuck one last peck onto his cheek and knelt in front of the formation. He hovered over her while Althea took his side. When they were all ready, Tina threw the scale forward and the trio dove into their connected minds, gathering in the starry space so familiar for the two Summoners.

Step by step, they went through the entire process of starting the summoning, soon beginning to send out Tina’s Echoes of Consciousness into the realms. Since Althea wasn’t sure which of the few people she could have considered friends were still alive, she didn’t know who they would end up with, unable to target their request more accurately. Hopefully, someone would answer, noticing their offering and other details connected to their Lesser Dragon comrade.

Surprisingly, they scored a hit rather early. Something tickled one of the Echoes warily, then lunged at it with intense ferocity, most likely realizing that it wasn’t fake and truly carried a trace of Althea. Asterios had never experienced any beast or other entity rush through the tunnel between dimensions so fast, pushing the magic to its limits. They all felt a gate ripple open in what felt like seconds.

He opened his eyes to be the one to first greet the visitor, ready to act in case he really had to.

A tall woman stumbled out of the azure gate as if she’d been sprinting. Her evening one-piece dress rippled around her exposed thighs as a mesh of bright yellows, blues, and white. She had a youthful appearance and lithe frame, round and perky in all the right places. Her silvery hair was cut short, hanging a bit above her shoulders with a trace of yellow-blue at the endings. As for her eyes, they matched her hair and were grayish too, including even specks of gold-azure behind her vertical pupils. Of course, sporadic scales of similar sheen decorated parts of her figure, and a matching tail hung behind her back.

She first took note of her Summoner, regarding Tina with a faint frown, more of a concern than displeasure, just as Ast’s short girlfriend was standing up. Then, her gaze jumped to Althea and her expression instantly brightened, a grand smile curling her lips. But, it didn’t last long as she turned to Asterios next and a look of horror replaced it, her already somewhat pale complexion turning even whiter. He saw her muscles tense as she was about to bolt back into the misty portal.

“Stop her!” Althea shouted.

Asterios flared his presence and smashed it right into the woman, staggering her briefly.

“Don’t move,” he commanded with authority, trying his best not to sound too overbearing.

She froze in place, only her eyes able to make any movements.

A deep scowl managed to force itself onto the newcomer’s lips as her irises crackled with power, directing all that intensity at the other Lesser Dragon. “Really? You out of all the people? I thought you had a spine but it looks like I was fucking blind.”

The woman tried to spit at her friend but missed the angle completely due to her current position.

“Just fucking great. I can’t believe you’ve let yourself become the bitch of this vicious arsehole. Ozeere would cackle at me if I tried telling her about this. The prideful Althea who rejected even one of the most desirable mentors submitting to some reptile cocksucker with wings. Pure comedy. And he is red, for fucks sake. I bet he is the most savage of his savage kind and beats you into a bloody pulp whenever he uses you for—”

A solid smack echoed through the air as Althea had crossed the short distance separating the two during her friend’s rant and slapped her friend right on the cheek, effectively shutting the woman up, glaring at her intently for a good ten seconds.

“Have you finally calmed yourself, Phatru?” she asked firmly, receiving only a few blinks in response, then smiled widely. “Great. Now, let me properly introduce you to my mate.”