Fiona's Dimension Gate brought the group directly back to her flat. 'Now what?' Chadwick asked, looking at Tajana after everyone had exited the Crystal Dimension.

'Why don't you use our study,' Fiona said. 'Do you have a knife?'

Tajana shook her head, and Fiona pulled out a tiny knife from her apron. Before handing it over, she waved her hand over the blade and it grew to its proper size. Chadwick's eyes went wide as he watched Tajana take the sharp weapon.

Suddenly, the lizard in his hand managed to squirm free. She dropped to the tile floor and scurried away behind the couch. 'Whoops a daisy,' Chadwick said under his breath.

He was about to move the couch when Tajana grabbed his arm. 'You could hurt her. Here, let Dušan scare her out.' She pulled her caprequos out of her largest pocket and set him on the floor. Tajana's Chimaera was part horse, part gazelle, and looked just like Unicorn, the famous caprequos made by the Giver in the second century. The tiny white Chimaera walked under the couch after the escaped lizard.

Chadwick heard the scuffling of the lizard and the clicking of the Chimaera's hooves. Finally, he spotted the lizard, but before he could scoop her up, she ran back under the couch.

'Thea?' Tajana said. 'Will you help?'

Thea nodded and pulled her own Chimaera from her trouser pocket. She had a noctos, part horse, part owl, just like Pegasus, the noctos who was so famous even Recreants knew his name. Thea was only an Initium, and technically shouldn't have her. If the wrong people knew about her, Thea could be reported for the illegal possession of a Chimaera, and who knows what they would do to her as punishment.

Fiona also pulled her Chimaera from her pocket. It was a lavem, part lizard, part owl. Chadwick recognised it as the Chimaera he had ridden on the flight home after being rescued just last night. 'Isn't that your dad's Chimaera?' Chadwick asked, turning to Thea.

'She's both of ours, actually,' Fiona explained before Thea could say anything. 'We performed the Amalgamation Conversion together.'

'I didn't know you could do that,' Tajana said.

Fiona nodded sadly. 'It's the only reason why Tawny is still alive, what with Owen trapped in that Eternity Prison. It's called a Unification Amalgamation Conversion, and it's also the only reason Owen's alive. He and I used the Unification Amalgamation with my first Chimaera, Starlight. When his Chimaera died, he almost died too, but Starlight sacrificed herself to save him.'

Thea frowned and stepped up to her mum. She gave her mum a big hug, and she smiled sadly and squeezed Thea back.

Chadwick looked at Tajana and tried not to show how awkward he felt. Tajana didn't notice him; her eyes were on Fiona.

'Come, come, let's get on with it.' Fiona motioned for them to follow her down the hallway. Tawny had located the sungazer. The little lizard was mesmerised by the feathery lizard Chimaera. She followed Tawny right down the hallway. Chadwick smiled in wonder.

Tajana and Chadwick went down the hallway to a small study. Fiona stood at the door and motioned for them to enter, and Chadwick went in.

'I'll be right there, Chadwick,' Tajana said, and she turned to Fiona. 'Can I talk to you, please?' she asked, hugging herself.

'Quickly.' Fiona nodded and took her further down the hallway and into another room.

Chadwick furrowed his brow and sat in a chair at the desk in the office. He craned his head to look at the tiny yellow moth on his wrist. The minuscule insect didn't seem to want to move. Chadwick knew he would have to enlarge the moth so that the wings would be large enough for the Chimaera. He found a chest under the desk and opened it to find a treasure trove of Components. He located a seed and a rock and took them out.

He found a bit of parchment and drew an Augmentation Insignia. Then he closed his eyes and imagined what his Chimaera would look like to get the size of the wings just right. 'Augendi.,' Chadwick said with the Insignia held over the moth, and the seed in the palm of his hand.

His Kundalini swirled up his spine and funnelled out of his Crown Chakra with a rush of bliss. He focused on the Insignia he had drawn, and his spirit swirled into the Circle with a rush of shimmery orange light.

When the Conversion finished, the moth was the size of an eagle. The wings were each as long as an arm span, and the antennae were as long and wide as his finger. In this larger form, he could easily see that the moth's body was covered in fluffy yellow hair.

The lavem came into the room, followed by the sungazer. Chadwick knelt on the floor and held the enlarged moth over the lizard. The moth's wings were way too big for the small lizard.

He knew thanks to a lot of informal and formal lessons, that when the animals combined, the one in its natural size would be the dominant animal. Making the lizard small enough for the size of the moth's wings seemed silly, so the only option was to make the moth's wings match the regular size of the lizard. This would be the natural size of the Chimaera, when she wasn't under the effects of an Augmentation or Reduction Conversion. It would also be the size the Chimaera would wake up to be after sleeping. And the size the Chimaera could return to on her own if she were smaller or larger and wanted to return to normal.

He turned the parchment over and drew a Reduction Conversion Circle. He set the Circle on the floor and put the moth on it. He closed his eyes again, imagining Charlie's Chimaera to get the size of the wings just right. Then he used the stone to perform the Conversion on the moth, shrinking her so she was a comparable size to the lizard. With a rush of bliss, he shrank the moth down with a flash of orange light.

Then he set the moth on the lizard's back and studied them carefully. The lizard was a bit more than a hand span long, including her tail, and the wingspan was twice that size. The wings surely were the right size now.

Chadwick sat back and watched the moth lazily open and close her wings, all the while running his hands along the soft underbelly of the sungazer. Even though this Chimaera wouldn't be quite what he'd had in mind, he knew he wouldn't be disappointed. He was positively giddy with anticipation.

Finally, Tajana came into the room and closed the door. She made a face like she was bracing herself for an argument, then she came over and sat on the floor. 'Chadwick, I have a request for you.'

Chadwick stared at Tajana. 'You wanna use the Unification Amalgamation to make a Chimaera that's bound to both of us, don't you?'

Tajana bit her lip and nodded slowly. She opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped.

Chadwick was intrigued by the idea. 'What'll it be like?'

'It's nearly the same procedure,' Tajana said, in a very matter of fact tone of voice. 'The perks are amazing. The extra protection can save a life that would otherwise be lost. Plus, the added connection will link the two of us together as well, making us a better team. The Chimaera may be bound to both of us, but she'll belong to you. You can name her and train her and keep her with you, okay?'

Chadwick felt his cheeks flush with heat. Somehow, the idea of creating a Chimaera with Tajana made him feel strangely good. He nodded, almost without a thought.

'Are you sure, Chadwick? I mean, it's your Chimaera, so it should be your choice.'

If Chadwick and Tajana were both connected to the same Chimaera, he knew that meant they would essentially be able to communicate with each other without words. He knew that also meant he couldn't hide his feelings for her any longer, but it also meant he'd be connected to her in ways he could only imagine. He swallowed. 'I think it's a good idea. It could come in handy.'

Tajana nodded. 'Okay then, let's get started.' And she held her hand up. 'Give me your hand.'

He reached up and put his hand in hers. She brought the knife up to his hand and said, 'The Conversion uses your blood. Are you ready?'

Chadwick braced himself and nodded.

Tajana neatly cut a single slash across Chadwick's palm. The blade felt like ice and fire, and then the pulse of blood came and pain washed over his entire hand. He clenched his jaw.

Tajana set the knife aside and dipped her finger in his blood. She drew an Insignia on the floor. As she worked, he realised that he'd seen the Sigil before. It was the same Conversion Circle Thea had used to make Chadwick swear to keep Tajana's hidden passageway a secret.

Tajana was going to make Chadwick swear an Oath.

Thanks for reading everyone! Please vote and comment if you are enjoying my book. We shall see you soon for the next chapter.

~A.C.