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After binding the deer, letting them bleed out, the blood dripping into the stream, Jason dragged them off to the side of the cave. It was a precious gift, and it was one that would allow his family to survive. Though they might not thrive, at least it was something more than he currently had. Knowing there was someone who had stolen from them, he would have to find some way of keeping these deer safe.
He turned toward the dragon. He’d been willing to help Jason. It was his turn to do the same.
“You said you could feel the others,” he said.
The dragon rumbled softly, moving back toward the water and almost lowering himself before changing his mind. “I can feel the other hatch mates.”
“Do you know where they are?”
“It’s difficult for me to determine. There is an awareness of them, but anything more than that is difficult.” The dragon curled up along the side of the cave, resting his enormous head on the ground. When he did, he was able to look into Jason’s eyes more easily, the icy blue meeting his own, and a surge of energy came off the dragon again, radiating from him like it had done before.
“What happens if they’re alone?”
“Dragons can hunt alone,” the dragon said.
“I understand the dragons can hunt alone, but will something happen to them?”
He thought about his sister and his mother and the way they were helpless without him searching for food on their behalf. Would they become hopeless as well?
Even if they didn’t, he thought there was something he would need to do. This was something he could do. The dragon needed him, and more than that, he needed the dragon. If it took little more than a few moments for the dragon to bring down the deer, he wouldn’t have to worry. He wouldn’t have to scramble for food, and he wouldn’t have to worry about where their next meal would come from. He could bring his sister hope.
More than that, he could ensure his family thrived. Maybe his mother would return, her mind reawakening. In time, she could become the same woman she had been before, and perhaps she could resume working in her hut, healing others and not needing him to hunt quite as much.
All of that depended upon his ability to provide what she needed while she was recovering. And all of that required that he find some way of helping his sister. She needed hope almost more than his mother did.
“I can’t tell,” the dragon said.
Jason got to his feet and faced the dragon. “The Dragon Souls will search for them. If they find them, they will try to use them.”
“You have seen this?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know enough about the Dragon Souls to be confident of how they will use the dragons. I have very little experience with them. The only thing I know is that I’ve faced a man who has incredible power, and he would use it to try to control the dragons.”
“Dragons are meant to be free.”
Jason inhaled deeply. As he looked at the dragon, he couldn’t help but feel the same way. It was a strange sensation, especially after having lived for the last year fearing the dragons, thinking he hated them, that he wanted nothing more than to destroy anything that might be tied to the dragons; and yet here he was, wanting to offer his assistance to this dragon, to do whatever he could to help the creature.
And how could he not?
Looking at the dragon, speaking to the dragon, he understood more than he ever had before.
“How are you connected to the hatch mates?”
“They are dragons.”
“I understand, but are they family?”
“Family?”
Jason took a seat in front of the dragon, meeting his eyes. “Family. I have a mother and had a father. They had me. My sister. Eventually I will find a wife and we will have children.” Tessa would once have been an option for him, though he wondered if she could be now.
Family, then village. Care for family first, but don’t neglect your duty to your people.
“I don’t know who bore my egg. I don’t know anything other than the fact that there are dragons I share a connection with. Hatch mates.”
Maybe they were the same as siblings. And if they were, shouldn’t the dragon want to help them the same way that Jason would want to help his sister?
Family, then village.
Would the dragon be part of his village?
“I can help you look for them.”
“Why would you do this thing?”
“Because you need my help. I understand these lands, and more than that, if the hatch mates have ended up somewhere only a human could reach, you will need me.”
The dragon let out a low rumble, and Jason wasn’t sure if he’d angered the creature or not, but then the dragon sat up and started toward the entrance to the cave. “We will go.”
Jason shook his head. “I can’t go just yet.”
“I thought you said you would do this.”
“I will, but first I need to bring some food to my family.”
The dragon crawled toward the stream, dropping into it, saying nothing else.
Jason had a sense that the creature was annoyed, perhaps disappointed. Why would that be? He had offered to help, so there should be no reason for the dragon to be upset with him.
But then, he was leaving.
He looked at the deer, studying it for a moment. If he brought an entire deer back home, there was a danger that someone would steal from them again.
If he was going to go away for a little while, he didn’t want to risk that.
Which meant he couldn’t bring the deer.
After cutting off a large section of meat, he wrapped it in its hide, deciding to leave the rest here.
Jason glanced down at his frozen bow, hefting it and discovering that it was restored. He wiped the surface and restrung it, finding that it flexed just as it had before. It was strange that the ice would hold, that it wouldn’t break as the bow was drawn, and yet it seemed to still function.
At least he wouldn’t be unarmed.
He made his way out of the cave.
The day had grown long, the wind and snow had begun, and it would be a long walk back to the village. He glanced back toward the cave mouth, wishing the dragon could bring him back home, but if he did, he would draw attention, and the people in the village might think to attack. It would be better if Jason went alone, even though he would rather have the dragon with him.
He trudged up the slope, and in doing so, he focused on the dragon pearl, the power within it, wishing he had some way to move more quickly. After a while, he found he was gliding along the surface of the snow faster than he had before, and by the time he neared the village, he was barely making any footprints.
It was similar to how Therin and Henry had walked, and yet they had far more control over their connection to the dragon pearls than Jason did. In time, and if he had an opportunity to continue to work with the dragon pearl, he hoped he would understand the nature of the power he could draw through it, but for now, all he had was the ability to generate some magic.
He reached the outskirts of the village. In the distance, he thought he caught sight of Reltash and the others, but he ignored them, turning toward his home.
Once inside, he closed the door tightly and glanced toward the hearth glowing with heat.
“Kayla? Mother?”
Kayla appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were drawn and the shadows seemed to cling to her, darkening everything around her. “I heard what happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“I stepped out. I heard you fought with Reltash. Your bow broke.”
Jason clenched his jaw. Were they starting rumors about him already?
He pulled the bow off his shoulder, holding it up. “You mean this bow?”
Kayla’s eyes darted to the bow and she fixed it with a long stare. “It didn’t break?”
Jason debated what to say. If he told her that it had and that the dragon had restored it, then it was possible she wouldn’t eve
n believe him, and yet, he could see the hope fading from her with each passing moment.
“It didn’t break. And I found something.”
“Rabbit?”
He shook his head.
She lowered hers.
“A deer.”
Kayla jerked up, looking at him. “You found another?”
“I did.”
“But you know what’s happened—”
Jason shook his head. “I didn’t bring the whole thing back. I don’t want to risk anyone stealing from us again.” He pulled the wrapped steak from his pocket and handed it over. It was large enough for several days’ worth of food, and she eyed it hungrily. “I made sure you had enough for a few days.”
“Just me?”
“You and Mother.”
“What about you?”
“I need to keep hunting,” he said. He motioned for her to join him at the table, pulling the chair out and taking a seat. He still hadn’t taken his coat off, and he found that he was holding on to his bow, gripping it tightly. The irritation that had bubbled up within him at learning how the others had shared the story of his bow remained. It was bad enough that Kayla had to deal with everything she did, but to worry about him, to worry that he might have lost his bow, and to worry that he might not have any way to hunt for their family, wasn’t fair to her. “I found a herd. I can gather more. It’s not far from here, but it will require that I’m gone for a few days.”
“A few days?” Kayla lifted her gaze from the steak to meet his eyes. “You can’t survive that long away from the village.”
“I’ve done it before.”
“But you got lucky. What happens if one of the storms moves in, enough snowfall strikes, and you get buried by it?”
“I won’t get buried by it,” he said.
“What happens if there’s an avalanche, and it carries you down the mountain?”
He hadn’t told her that he’d already survived one avalanche. She wouldn’t understand, and she wouldn’t even believe that he had managed to return. No one had gone all the way to the base of the mountain and come back. The distance was too far, the climb too treacherous, and had he not had Henry with the dragon, he would likely have had to try to wind around to the back face of the mountain to return, a journey that would’ve taken weeks, possibly longer—if he managed to survive it.
“I’ll be careful.”
“If you don’t return, how will we eat?”
That was perhaps the most important question she asked, and Jason sighed. “If for some reason I don’t come back, you need to find the cave near the stream. Make your way inside. Move carefully, stay close to the wall, and once inside, you will find the rest of the deer.”
“You left it there?”
“It’s safest. No one’s going to go in there.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know it’s difficult to get in there. You have to press yourself against the wall of the cave, and if you don’t, you run the real risk of falling into the stream. I’ve seen it happen.”
She looked up at him. “I thought you found Angus downstream.”
“What?”
“I heard what happened. The stories are that you found him downstream.”
“I was in the cave when it happened,” Jason admitted.
“Why were you there? I thought you were out hunting?”
“I was. Sometimes there are creatures in the cave.”
“If there are animals there, then the deer isn’t safe.”
“It will be safe,” he said.
She opened her mouth to object, and he wasn’t even sure how he could convince her otherwise. It would be safe, and yet, it involved the dragon, something he couldn’t reveal to her. Not yet. There would come a time for that; he was certain his sister was going to need to know about it. If she didn’t, then she might not believe he could offer the help that he intended.
“Just trust me that it’s going to be safe. There’s more than enough for you and Mother to eat.” If it came down to it, she would find the other deer, and she would realize they had plenty of meat for a long time. It was more than he’d left them even the last time.
“You don’t have to do this,” Kayla said.
Jason took her hands. “I do. I want to make sure that you and Mother are provided for.”
She took a deep breath. In that moment, some spark returned to her eyes. Maybe it was hope, though it seemed fleeting. He hoped he could keep it there for longer than just that moment, and he wished there was some way for her to maintain that sense of hope, and yet, he understood why it would be difficult. It was the same reason it was so difficult for him—or had been.
“I’m going to check on Mother,” Jason said.
She got to her feet, taking the wrapped meat to the stove. “I will prepare this for us.”
“Not all of it,” he said, offering a smile.
She shook her head. “Of course not.”
When he headed to the back room, he found his mother lying on the bed, staring straight ahead. Her eyes were open and she breathed steadily.
“Mother?”
She didn’t respond to him. Any hope she might have returned to the woman who had been up and active the day before was gone. Whatever had happened, it seemed to have been more than she could withstand.
Jason pulled the chair over, sitting next to her. He took her hands and squeezed. There was no strength in her hands as there had been before, and he found them frail, bony, the same way he found his mother.
“I’m going to have to leave for a little while,” he said.
It might have been his imagination, but it seemed as if her breathing quickened.
“I found enough food for you and Kayla to have while I’m gone. She’s preparing some venison now.”
His mother blinked.
“When I return, I hope there will be enough of a supply for us to not have to worry about food again.”
If he did this, if he found a way of deepening the connection between himself and the dragon, then hopefully the dragon would be willing to hunt with him more often. Thinking about how effortlessly the dragon had captured those two deer, Jason could imagine just how easy it would be for them to continue the hunt, to not have to worry about finding enough food. He might be able to capture enough that he could trade. Maybe he could even acquire a dragonskin coat. Not for him, but for his sister at least. Jason no longer needed the warmth a dragonskin coat would offer. He wasn’t even sure what would happen if he attempted to wear one. It might be too much for him, far warmer than anything he could tolerate.
“Kayla knows that I’m going. And she will make sure you’re safe.”
As he started to stand, his mother squeezed his hands.
It was the most emotion he’d seen from her.
Jason sat back down, remaining alongside her. She held on to his hands. Occasionally there would be another squeeze, but even that faded over time. She closed her eyes, breathing steadily.
When she did, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was making a mistake. Could he have been wrong about going on this journey? It meant leaving his family. His sister already struggled, and with his mother in this shape, Jason didn’t know if leaving was even something he should be doing. Yet, for them to have a future, he thought he needed to. It seemed the right thing to do, and it seemed as if it would provide a way for them to not have to worry the way they had every day for the last year.
It was more than that. The dragon needed his help.
For some reason, he could feel that. He might not be able to sense the hatch mates the same way that the dragon could, but Jason could detect that urgency and desire from the dragon.
If he didn’t do this, he understood what would happen if the Dragon Souls managed to reach the hatch mates before he did. They would gain control over a creature that could tolerate the ice and snow. How long would it be before they were able to completely subjugate these lands? To bring them into the rule of Lorach?
/> Jason doubted it would be all that long. Saving those dragons was another way of helping his family. It was the same reason he’d gone after the dragon before, working with Henry, and now he felt as if he needed to do it because he wanted to ensure there was safety for them.
He took another deep breath, sitting next to his mother, his mind made up. After a while, his sister called to him, letting him know the food was ready, and Jason tore himself free from his mother. Despite her frailty, she had a strong grip, and he had to pry his hands free.
Hopefully Kayla could get his mother to eat. Hopefully the two of them would be able to survive while he was gone. And hopefully he wouldn’t be gone all that long.
Despite that, he couldn’t help but worry that something would happen to them.
The people in the village had turned a blind eye to their needs ever since his father had died. They might recognize how they suffered, but they hadn’t done anything to help, not as they had for others.
With his mother’s sickness, it had made people even less inclined to help. Her helplessness was part of the problem.
Before heading to the kitchen, Jason pulled the dragon pearl from his pocket, pressing it on his mother’s chest, and focused on the heat within him. He shifted that, instead feeling for the cold all around him. That had been a source of even greater power. He drew upon that, letting it flow through him and into his mother. There came a surge, and it washed over her, sweeping through her.
As before, there seemed to be some sort of resistance, but with the ongoing pressure of the cold, he managed to override that resistance, and he felt something change within her.
Maybe it was that her breathing eased, or maybe it was something else, but either way, he recognized that something had just shifted.
Pocketing the dragon pearl, he straightened, looking around, and headed out to eat.
“How is she?”
“Resting,” Jason said.
“What were you doing in there?”
“Just sitting with her, why?”
“I don’t know. It’s just that I thought I felt…” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Why don’t we eat, and you can get some rest before you do whatever it is you plan for tomorrow.”
Iron Dragon: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Dragon Misfits Book 2) Page 6