“I wonder, Varan, if you have any real imagination. Can you imagine a dragon, for example?” “A dragon – really, my lord? – Dragons are not real – they have never existed.” “Perhaps in some other reality?” “There is only one reality and that is the one in which we live.” Kagran smiled, and chuckled to himself, then sat upright, raised his right hand and a blue creature flew to his forearm and hissed at Varan. Kagran looked at Guardian Varan and asked: “Well, then. Tell me if this small creature – the one sitting on my arm – is a real creature or not? What do you think it is, then? Varan looked at the strange creature sitting on Kagran’s arm, then at Kagran. This had to be an illusion – it could not be real – maybe Kagran was putting ideas into his mind? Yet this was the world he knew – into which he had been born – and it had never contained dragons or any other imaginary monsters. If these were real, then … where is the world I believed in, then? This creature seemed real enough, the whiffs of smoke had a srange aroma, and the occasional burst of flame from its mouth seemed all too awfully real. “You realise now,’ mused Kagran, “the world you live in is more complex than you have ever thought possible. Your uniform proclaims you to be a Guardian of the Environment and as such you should know everythingl about all the creatures who share our world.” Varan examined the small dragon again. He imagined it actually smiled at him; and the realised that he was was really nothing to such an ancient creature – ancient? Capable of concealing itself from people. And possibly highly dangerous. Was it a creature that obeyed Kagran? “And this creature” he ventured “ is one you can command?” “No.” retorted Kagran. “From time to time dragons visit me; they sometimes allow me to ride on their backs because they accept me as a friend and know that I enjoy such flights and the company of dragons, who are so much more intelligent than Men.” More intelligent?” “Older and far, far wiser. So you see, my lad, any dragon may visit me and have conversations with me and sometimes play chess, but it has no master.” So your own powers – if you actually have any – are rather limited.” “Not at all. I do not need to be one who can control dragons; my power is sufficient to change anything and everything in this world, so much that you should fear me. But I prefer to create rather than to destroy.” “The locals say you are a wizard.” “Wizard? In fact I am more than a wizard. My rank is Sorcerer.”