The Formula

Chapter 6

Felix flew back towards the city, staying high above the rooftops. Flight was still something he wasn't comfortable with, so he went at a leisurely pace, bobbing about in the sky like a drunken bird.

Despite his slow speed, his heart raced. This was crazy, this plan of his. But if there was a chance he could find answers, or a means to stop the soldiers from chasing him and Celia, he was going to risk a bit of danger to take it. He needed answers. He was even willing to trade his newfound ability for a chance to live in peace with Celia.

His supreme vision studied the landscape below him. When he saw a building he recognized, he swooped lower. With more grace than his previous landings, he touched down on a rooftop. He was only a few blocks away from his own house—where this had all began.

He sat where he was, studying the rooftops. His tail danced, but he saw nothing. No soldiers and no dragons.

He jumped across a few roofs, focussing on doing so as quietly as possible. If there was anything out there, he wanted to get the jump on it, instead of the other way around.

Next, he stopped atop his own building's roof. He considered dropping down onto the porch—if only to fetch another set of glasses, but decided otherwise. He didn't need them anymore.

He detected no new scents or anomalies, so he moved on, heading next to the alleys where he had been jumped by the muggers. This time, he did smell something out of the ordinary. Following the scent, he neared a ledge. The smell was from a bloodstain leading down into the alleyway.

Peering down, he noticed that it was indeed the same alley as before. There were the dumpsters he had been near, and the door which he had escaped through. The lock had been replaced and reinforced.

He recollected that evening for a moment, and realized that he was standing in the same place where he had fleetingly seen the shadowy creature. The shadows were far less imposing through his dragon eye. He could almost see where the other creature had gone, jumping perhaps over the rooftops and down to pluck a mugger from Felix's back, or snatch another as he rounded a corner.

"Hello, Felix," a voice chimed from nearby.

Felix flinched and looked up to see a dragon sitting on the roof on the other side of the alley. It was the same that had been stalking him in the forest, wearing an imposing set of armour designed specifically for its body. It cocked its masked head, wings folded tight, shifting its weight from one forepaw to the next.

"You," Felix growled. "Who are you?"

The dragon ducked its head and fiddled with something at the side of its mask. With a hiss, the helmet opened up and fell free, revealing its face.

Felix stifled his surprise. It was the very same muzzle he had seen that evening. The armoured dragon was the same which had saved him.

"Your guardian angel," the dragon replied.

Felix tensed. "You saved me from those muggers—and later at that laboratory."

The dragon smirked. Its face was a charming mixture of red and blue, and it seemed to seethe confidence. It didn't take long for Felix to recognize where he had met such a personality before.

"Y-you're Leap, aren't you?"

The dragon chuckled. "Don't you mean Mr Camp?"

Leap paced across the rooftop. Felix stood his ground, swivelling his neck to follow.

"I must know," the dragon hissed, "after running so long, why are you now the one pursuing me?"

"Want do you want with me?"