Chapter Twenty-one
'So you are part of The Order.' Neal accused Adria even though she couldn't hear him.
"The Order?" Peter repeated confused.
'Wesley told me about them, a group that decided magic was a problem and took it upon themselves to control it and hunt dragons to extinction. Eventually magic faded and they lost their purpose but apparently they can hide in this little pockets of reality. Peter, I don't think we can trust her.'
"Maybe they had the right idea. I don't want dragons in New York, Neal. Besides you seem keen on hunting them yourself."
'I think she did that to me.' Neal growled still in full wolf form. 'I see or smell a dragon and I lose control.'
"Please let me explain." Adria said softly as she raised her hands in a sign of peace. "Dragons are not what you think. They are not living creatures in the same way you and I are. Dragons are a physical manifestation of pure magic that occur when cracks appear in our dimension. They are leaks in reality that poison worlds."
"Is that why the dragon's body disappeared when Neal killed it?"
"Exactly. When you defeat a dragon the crack in the dimension that created it seals and what at one point had felt like flesh and bone vaporizes. Every time a dragon 'dies' it heals reality and normalizes the world." Adria explained. "Magic didn't just fade from the world. The Order drove it out by destroying the dragons."
'None of that explains why I feel compelled to attack them or why I can't turn human or why you felt the need to test us!' Neal barked angrily as his fur grew wilder and his eyes started glowing blue. 'I don't care what she says about the necklace, she's lying, she did this to me and I want it undone!'
"Easy, Neal, calm do…"
'No! Peter, I could have killed you because of her!' Neal pinned his ears back and barred his teeth at Adria. 'They had *no* right to tether our souls and then play games with us! I want this necklace off right now!'
"Adria, Neal makes a good point. We pasted your tests, take the necklace off."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that."
Peter could feel Neal's mounting rage as his wolf form grew even larger. With Neal's chest now at his shoulder Peter had no chance of stopping him if he lunged for Adria. Trying to deescalate the situation Peter carded his hands into the fur on Neal's chest. Calming somewhat Neal reduced in size slightly but he kept his inky fur. Seeing the bright sapphire stone set in the silver chain flashing out from under Neal's fur Peter had a realization.
"Neal, I can take it off."
'Of course! Usually I turn back into a dog when you touch me.' Neal lowered his head for Peter. 'Get this thing off of me!'
"Agent Burke," Adria said solemnly "if you take that necklace off you won't take the wolf out of him, but you will lose your connection with him completely. You won't be able to hear each other, you won't be able to shield him from human eyes, you won't be able to heal him, and most importantly you won't be able to help keep him grounded in his humanity."
With his hands on the silver chair Peter hesitated.
'She's bluffing.' Neal said sounding uncertain.
"Are you sure?" Peter asked.
'…no.' Neal admitted.
"Neal…" Peter left the rest unsaid leaving it for Neal to decide.
Neal tucked his tail in misery. He wanted the necklace off but at the same time Peter had already pulled him back from losing himself to instinct on several occasions. It had been terrifying to be running through the city without him being chased and shot at. At the same time he didn't want to be suck to Peter's side for the rest of his life. Not willing to lose his connection with Peter just yet Neal took some comfort in the idea that Peter could take the necklace off now if they chose too. Feeling like some of his earlier outbursts were being caused by the wolf he shrank back down into the German Shepherd to try and keep his temper. Looking down sympathetically at Neal for a moment Peter turned his attention back to Adria.
"Adria, I know you keep saying the wolf is part of him but he's also a man, a good one. Please, can you help him be human again and maybe get me back to my real age?"
"Yes." Adria assured. "The cure for both is to return balance to the world."
"How are we supposed to do something like that?"
"You must find the Source Dragon. Right now a Source Dragon is the only thing powerful enough to be bringing forth your powers and causing lesser dimensional cracks like the one you faced in Central Park. However without the Source Dragon magic will fade again and everything will go back to normal. But we are running out of time. More Source Dragons are going to sense the dimensional weakness and they will cause a catastrophic amount of magic to pour into the world if they break in as well. Find the Source Dragon and destroy it and everything will go back to normal."
'Great, where is it?' Neal asked wagging in excitement.
"Hang on," Peter said distrustfully "you told me that the necklace wasn't what was keeping Neal from being human so how can getting rid of magic turn him back? What is keeping him from full human form?"
"Technically I just said the necklace wasn't what gave him the power to change into the wolf and that taking it off wouldn't change that."
"But the other animals and his inability to turn human…that it is the necklace." Peter said rather than asked. "Is doesn't just bind us, it keeps him from being human."
"…yes." Adria admitted quietly.
'So if you take it off I'll be human again? Doesn't that solve all of our problems with us talking and me keeping my humanity? I've already shown I can control the wolf when I didn't kill her.'
"Why don't you want Neal to be human?"
"Taking his human form from him was the only way, and we can't give it back if he doesn't kill the Source Dragon."
'What?! Can't or won't?!' Neal exclaimed. 'Peter, avert your eyes.'
"Neal, no, don't hurt her, we still need answ…"
Peter was cut off as he realized that Neal wasn't warning him about sudden violence, he was warning him about using his centaur form. Making an uneasy noise Peter quickly looked away as Neal changed, but he resisted the temptation to step away from the mythical abomination. Automatically glancing at Neal even though he knew he shouldn't Peter jolted at the addition of a large pair of white feathered wings between the horse half's shoulder blades. Opening and closing the wings took Neal by surprise as well as he reared up startled before he looked back. Adria took a nervous step away from the winged centaur with a shocked expression.
"Oh for crying out loud." Neal huffed as he ruffled his feathers in frustration.
"You…you shouldn't be able to do that." Adria stuttered.
"Well I can." Neal growled aggressively. "Why did you do this to me? You stole my body and I want it back! You can't just hold me hostage like this!"
"I'm sorry, we…we couldn't let you have that much power."
"What are you talking about?!" Neal struck his fore hoof against the stone floor causing a bright spark.
"The ability to control magic isn't found in every human, but it's never found in true animals. Among the humans that can control magic there are different strengths. Peter is very strong, but he also has a great deal of self restraint. You on the other hand being of Fenrir blood you would have nearly limitless power in human form and The Order..."
"Doesn't trust me?" Neal guessed. "They shackled me with the power to kill a dragon, how much more powerful do they think I can get?"
"You would become a god."
"I don't want to be a god, I want to be human!"
"You say that, but complete control of magic corrupts every soul unlucky enough to be tainted by it, you'd have no choice. Even without a Source Dragon you've lead a life of lies, cons and tricks that by all rights people shouldn't fall for, but they do. They do because even without cracks in the world you still manage to draw some power through." Adria said anxiously. "If you were bathed in full magic even those with moderately strong magic resistance would do what you asked, but the weak, the ones helpless in the face of magic, they would be the true danger. They would act upon your very thoughts and subconscious desires with no regard to anyone's life other than yours. Anything you wanted, anything you've ever wanted would instantly be yours, likely covered in the blood of anyone foolish enough to try and protect it. The only ones who could come close to stopping you would be the few afflicted with the same power."
Folding his wings tight against his body Neal looked to Peter. Peter looked up at Neal with a mixture of concern and horror. Adria brought her hands up and with her powers of illusion she created a misty red glowing fog on the floor that radiated out from under Neal's hooves and raced across the expansive floor as it writhed like a living thing fighting itself.
"Wars would start at your feet, Neal, and with the technology now available they would spread across the globe and back again until the oceans ran red with blood."