The Thief of Shagrim

The dragon's proposition naturally involved helping itself, a request that Afeek was powerless to refuse. He nodded glumly as the dragon related what he wanted, thinking that things had a strange way of getting out of hand. Only a few days ago he was a happy thief, stealing what little he needed to live by, and doing a good job of it. Now he was talking to a dragon that used to be a man, in the chambers of the most powerful person in all of Shagrim.

"So there you have it," said the dragon. "You help me, and I help you; scratch each other's back so to speak."

Afeek nodded again. "So, I turn you back into a man, and you let me take the Sceptre?"

The dragon smiled, and expression that looked more like a snarl, and nodded his scaly head. "Got it in one!"

"Oh, well, do you know any magicians? Anyone will do, as long as he can turn me back of course. Wouldn't want an amateur turning me into a frog or anything."

"Well, I do know a mage. He's slightly cracked, but I have a feeling he could do the job." Afeek thought about it for a moment and finally nodded. "Yes, I'm pretty sure he could do the job, though persuading him to might take a bit of effort."

The dragon performed a quick jig and blew a thick cloud of smoke into the air. "Jolly good. Well, go on then, get the Sceptre. The Sultan won't be sleeping forever you know."

Afeek rubbed his hands together in glee and turned towards the Sultan's bed. He was snoring loudly, a noise that was somewhere between a trumpet blowing, and a mage's fireball spell backfiring, and it was loud enough to mask any sounds that the young Katrin might make. Still, Afeek decided he could take no chances, and crept slowly forward.

When he was near enough, Afeek reached out a trembling hand and touched the ornate surface of the fabulous Sceptre. Nothing spectacular happened - much to the Katrin's annoyance - and so he lifted it clear, marvelling at the weight. It was much the same size as a normal Sceptre, but it was covered in glimmering gold, and the entire length was studded with beautiful stones: diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. Afeek felt dizzy.

Afeek turned to him and nodded. He waved his prize in the air like a trophy and trotted back across the room. When he was nearly there, the dragon's face fell and he dropped back a pace. Afeek stopped and looked at him in puzzlement. "Something wrong?" he asked.

The dragon nodded, and lifted a trembling claw to point at the Sultan's bed. Afeek turned, and felt his whiskers twitch at what he saw. The Sultan was sitting up in his bed, with an expression that told anyone foolish enough to read it that they were in for a hard time. Afeek gulped.

The Sultan climbed out of his bed and stood before them, his arms folded. "That's my Sceptre I believe," he said.

Afeek looked at the object in his hands dumbly. "This? Oh no, it's an old heirloom, been in my family for generations."

The Sultan snorted. "I'll have it back if you don't mind, then you can report to the guards outside. I need some time to think up a really nasty punishment."

Afeek's tongue appeared to be stuck to the roof of his mouth, but somehow he managed to utter a garbled response. "Umm, I think I'll skip that. I have this condition you see. I'm allergic to punishments."

The Sultan seemed to grow even more enraged, if that was possible, and Afeek realised with horror that he had said the wrong thing, he backed up swiftly, collided with the dragon, and fell down heavily.

The Sultan took something from his robes. It was a small wand. He aimed it at the terror-stricken pair and muttered a few words. A beam of light shot towards them, and Afeek, fearing to be turned into some kind of slimy creature, held out the Sceptre as a shield. A spark of blue erupted and the light vanished. Afeek smiled in relief and climbed to his feet.

Unsure if he was doing the right thing, Afeek held out the Sceptre, pointing the business end at the Sultan. At once, gleaming white light shot out, aiming directly for the Sultan's chest. The man's eyes widened in alarm and he dived to the right, dropping behind a heavy chest barely in time. He peered over the top with narrowed eyes, and returned fire.

Afeek and the dragon ran for cover, taking refuge behind the dragon's pile of fake treasure. The light collided harmlessly with the wall.

"Looks like we are in a spot of bother," said the dragon. Afeek nodded, and sent a sizzling blue bolt towards the Sultan's hiding place. The man ducked, and yelled a profound curse as a muffled explosion erupted above him.

Suddenly the doors opened and the two guards rushed in, alerted by the noise. The situation seemed beyond them, and they drew to a standstill, gazing into the room in puzzlement. "Don't just stand there, gawking like a pair of landed fish!" yelled the Sultan. "Get them!"

The guards obeyed, and Afeek aimed his deadly Sceptre in their direction. Unaware of their danger, the guards made no move to avoid the light, and it struck them both dead centre. There was a puff of smoke, which cleared to reveal a pair of very sorry looking tortoises. "Good shot," observed the dragon.

The Sultan cursed again. He jumped from his hiding place and ran for them, firing off beam after beam of sizzling light. Afeek returned fire, and at last, hit his target. The resulting puff of smoke was much larger this time, and the young thief was beginning to wonder if he had gone too far, when the foggy mass cleared.

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