Jason stayed with him, holding on to his illusion, trying to find some answer, but as they went, the illusion began to falter. Jason wasn’t about to release his hold on it quite yet. He strained against it, determined to maintain that connection, but failed.
When the illusion over the invisible dragon was lost, the illusion over him and his dragon vanished as well.
Suddenly, he was visible.
The expected attack never came.
He focused on the ice dragon, thinking about how he could connect to that dragon, and he summoned power to him. “Follow him. Find out what you can,” he said.
If any of the dragons would be able to follow the invisible dragon, it would be the ice dragon. He could use the cold and his fog and something else if it came down to it. The forest dragon might be helpful, as well, but he didn’t know if she would even be willing to come out of the forest. She was reluctant to do so, and that reluctance made her less of an ally. It required that Jason do more when it came to her power.
The ice dragon rumbled and veered off, heading in the same direction as the invisible dragon, though he stayed high above, circling in the clouds.
Jason turned back, heading toward where the attack had taken place. It took a moment to find it, and he landed near one of the fallen dragons.
It was a pale yellow dragon. Its scales were the color of morning sunlight, and the fading daylight reflected off those scales. Jason hurried over to him. He wasn’t moving, and the Dragon Guard who’d ridden on his back was missing. Jason found the man about a dozen paces away, his body bent and twisted. He wasn’t moving or breathing, and Jason tried to mix ice and fire together, combining the power from the iron dragon and the ice dragon. As they washed over the man, he knew it was too late.
That didn’t mean that it was too late for the dragon. He turned his attention to the dragon, and he pulled on the senses of fire and ice, blending them, letting them wash outward. It rolled through the dragon, and Jason continued to push on power, letting it fill him.
He didn’t have enough strength to draw much more. Everything he’d used in order to hold the illusion had sapped his strength, making it difficult to even stand upright. He was wobbly and tired, drained in a way he hadn’t been since he faced Therin.
He held on to power, drawing as much as he could, letting it flow to the yellow dragon. He was determined to do everything he could in order to heal the creature, but as he pushed, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to.
The dragon took a breath.
Jason felt a moment of relief, and he thought he might succeed, but there was no additional breath.
He refused to give up. He was drawing on everything he could from the ice dragon, everything he could from the iron dragon, and he let them wash together. The joining of the two would have to be enough.
Jason had used that to heal before, and he had seen the effects of that power, and he was convinced all it would take would be to find enough strength, to continue to pull upon that power, to let it wash outward. When he did, he was sure he could save this dragon.
He tried, straining, searching for more energy within him. It had to be there.
And then it wasn’t.
Jason sagged, stumbling backward.
The iron dragon was there, pressing up against him. A hint of heat radiated off the dragon, pressing up against his back, and Jason leaned against him, welcoming the warmth.
“I can’t help them,” he whispered.
“Even dragons perish,” the iron dragon said.
“But he didn’t have to.”
“You did what you could,” the iron dragon said.
“And still it wasn’t enough.”
He hated that he hadn’t been able to help. He hated that he hadn’t been enough, and more than that, he hated that a dragon misfit was responsible for what had happened. It wasn’t because of the Dragon Souls. This was because of the invisible dragon.
The anger within the dragon was incredible. It was almost too much for Jason to withstand. If they didn’t get to the dragon, if they didn’t help him, what more might he do? How many other dragons might suffer?
He leaned back, resting on the iron dragon, his back pressing up against him. Warmth radiated out. It was pleasant, but he wasn’t sure if he should fall asleep despite his exhaustion. Not here, at least.
He needed to find the others. There were three others of the Dragon Guard, not counting the one he’d saved.
He climbed onto the iron dragon’s back. “I think we need to head back.”
“I will go where you go.”
Jason looked up at the sky, thinking about the invisible dragon, where he was heading, and wondered why he would have been moving in the same direction as the Dragon Soul dragons.
The answer was obvious. It was almost painful to recognize.
If the invisible dragon were able to attack like that, and if he were able to reach them, any attempt that Jason and Sarah might make to help them would be for nothing.
Which meant that he would have to go to Lorach. He would have to get there, either to stop the invisible dragon or else to help the other dragons in order to save them.
Jason had no idea what it was going to take, but one thing he did know was that he couldn’t do it alone. He would need help, and that kind of help would involve Sarah.
Hopefully she could get over her anger with him and agree to accompany him.
If not, then he didn’t have much choice but to go anyway.
11
By the time he reached Dragon Haven, Jason was still tired, but he felt refreshed compared to before. He clung to the iron dragon’s back and had drifted during the travel, losing track of how long they were flying. There was no sign of any of the other dragons with the Dragon Guard, though he didn’t know if the illusion he placed would stay on any of them. He had created as solid of an illusion as he could, but he wasn’t sure if it would be enough. With the invisible dragon out there, he wanted to ensure the safety of the other dragons, and until they were back safely within Dragon Haven, he wasn’t about to release that illusion. He didn’t want anything to happen to them because he was not holding on to it.
When he reached the outskirts of Dragon Haven, he could feel the presence of power within it. It was the same as he had described to Sarah, the overwhelming sense of energy that seemed to come from an extension of the forest.
Then they parted through it.
The iron dragon landed and Jason scrambled down, patting him on the side. When he started toward the town, the iron dragon slithered away, heading into the trees.
Jason let out a heavy sigh. The others needed to know what had happened, and he wanted to make sure that he was back before the others arrived, worried about what had happened to the Dragon Guard.
Perhaps the illusion on the Dragon Guard would fail, or perhaps he should release it before they returned, since it would be strange for others to see birds landing like dragons did.
He headed into the main building.
There was no one there. There was no movement, no sound, nothing but silence. Jason leaned on the wall, resting for a moment, and when he felt strong enough, he hurried onward until he was able to reach the main part of the building. Voices in the distance caught his attention.
“You were supposed to be gone,” William said.
Jason blinked and stumbled forward.
William was there, catching him and propping him upright.
“What happened?”
“An attack.”
“Dragon Souls?”
Jason nodded. “Dragon Souls, but something else.”
“What else?”
“I need to speak to Sarah.”
“Sarah isn’t here.”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know where she went. She left shortly after you did. We thought she went with you.”
She hadn’t come after them. Sarah wouldn’t have done that.
Could she have gone off on her own? Jason
wouldn’t put it past her, but it didn’t seem quite like her. He wouldn’t expect her to make a mistake that would run the risk of putting her and the dragons in danger.
He needed to rest. “Can you help me get to my room?”
“What happened?”
“I had to use more power than I have in a long time,” he said.
“Were the others with you?”
Jason nodded slowly. It seemed difficult to keep his eyes open. “We lost one.”
“You lost one of what?”
“One of the Dragon Guard. And his dragon.”
William’s breath caught and he helped Jason forward, but not toward his room.
“Where are you going?”
“If what you experienced is real, then we need to get some help.”
“It won’t matter. The others are safe.”
“How do you know that they’re safe?”
“Because I placed an illusion on them. I turned them into sparrows.”
William paused. “Sparrows?”
“It was the only thing that I could think of. I think it would be enough to hold them, and I think it should be able to keep long enough to ensure their safety, but…”
He sagged again and William was there, propping him up.
“We need to go and talk to the others.”
He didn’t argue. William guided them through the halls, and into the massive throne room. It was enormous, ornate, and Jason had been here before, but it had been a while. William set him into a chair and Jason leaned back, resting his head.
He drifted off and lost track of how long he drifted. Eventually, he was stirred awake by the sound of several different voices.
When he blinked his eyes open, he found Sarah’s parents, Cherise and Olar, watching him. Cherise frowned and Jason held her gaze, uncertain how long he could keep his eyes open. He was exhausted and everything within him ached, the soreness that came from exerting himself. Maybe it was the flight that had done it. Perhaps it was all the energy he had used in traveling from wherever they were attacked all the way back to Dragon Haven.
“William says you were attacked,” Cherise said.
“We were attacked. Dragon Souls were there, at least at first. There was an enormous invisible dragon.”
Cherise frowned. “An invisible dragon?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Jason shifted in his seat. He looked over at Cherise and then Olar, and saw that there were several others arranged behind them. All of them were dressed in dragonskin, and the others all carried swords.
Were they Dragon Guards?
He didn’t recognize any of them, but if only a few of the Dragon Guard had gone, then perhaps the others would’ve remained behind. Had they all returned to Dragon Haven?
“What happened to Sarah?”
“I was hoping you would have word of Sarah,” Cherise said. “Since she left shortly after you did, I can only imagine the two of you decided something. I know how close the two of you are.”
Jason sighed. “She didn’t come with us. She didn’t agree with my going and looking for this other dragon. She wanted to go to Lorach and see if there was anything that she might be able to find about the dragons there.”
“She wouldn’t go by herself,” Olar said.
“I don’t think she would either, but she was angry. I needed to go understand this dragon, though. The invisible dragon is like the ice dragon and the iron dragon. He’s different. The power he has is different. The Dragon Souls are aware of him,” he said, filling the men in on the way the Dragon Souls had attacked the invisible dragon, “and because of that, I think they’re after his power, but I don’t know that they would be able to do anything with him.”
“You don’t know that for certain. The Dragon Souls are far more capable with the dragons than you. You’re still learning about the nature of those connections, and you might not know everything that they do.”
“I’m certain I don’t, but I also know I should be able to detect something. When I didn’t find anything influencing that dragon, I realized it wasn’t tormented the same way the others have been.”
With that being the case, Jason couldn’t help but think there had to be some other way to help the dragon. He didn’t know what it was going to take, and he didn’t know if there was even anything that he could do, but he felt as if he had to find something.
“There’s something else,” he said.
“What is it?”
“I think the other dragon was going to Lorach.”
“I thought you said it wasn’t controlled?”
“I don’t think it was. I think it was going to attack the Dragon Souls.”
That was the sense Jason had, as strange as it was. And if that was what the dragon was doing, he had to do something to try to protect the other dragons. He had to reach the invisible dragon. Somehow.
“What’s your plan?” Cherise asked.
“I don’t have a plan yet. I was hoping Henry and the others would return.”
“Henry veered off before the attack finished.”
“I don’t know that they had much choice,” Jason said. “Henry was nearly captured.” Of course, by departing the way that he had, Henry had compromised his relationship with the Dragon Guard. Already they distrusted him, and now they would believe that he was unreliable. They might even suspect he was the one who had instigated the attack.
“He’s injured,” Cherise said. “We have healed him as much as we can, but it’s going to take time.”
“Can I see him?”
Olar shook his head. “Not yet.”
“I can help. With the ice dragon, I can—”
“Not yet,” Olar said again.
Jason knew better than to argue with him.
He didn’t want to do this on his own. He didn’t like the idea of heading into Lorach by himself, but if he did, he thought he might be able to create enough of an illusion to conceal himself in a way he wouldn’t have before. When he’d planned on going last time, he’d had no control over his illusions, and he’d struggled even to mask his eyes and hand. This time he thought he’d be able to keep an illusion up, concealing himself, hiding who he was.
If he were able to do that, he wouldn’t have to worry quite as much about the possibility of any of the Dragon Souls recognizing him. He had no idea what would be involved in that, but maybe he didn’t have to try to infiltrate the Dragon Souls, not as he’d planned before. All he needed to do now was try to reach the dragons and help as many as he could, freeing them. At the same time, he needed to find out what he could about the invisible dragon. If he did that, then he could return to Lorach. If he were able to keep himself masked, keep the illusion up, he believed no one would even know he was there.
“I need to go to Lorach,” he said.
“From what I understand, you tried that once before.” Olar didn’t hide the irritation in his voice.
Jason didn’t work through the typical protocols of Dragon Haven, and he knew it irritated Olar and Cherise. Neither did Sarah, though.
“I did, but the last time, I wasn’t prepared in the same way as I am now.”
“It wasn’t long ago,” Olar said.
“It wasn’t. And maybe it’s the wrong thing, but if anyone can get to that dragon—and to Sarah—then it would have to be me. If I don’t do this, and if something happens to her…”
He knew how he would feel. If something happened to Sarah because he’d kept her from going on the last mission, he would feel responsible. She was strong and capable and skilled, but with a dragon like the invisible dragon, there was a real danger to her and her dragon.
He got to his feet and drew in a deep breath, still unsteady. He needed more rest, but worried that they didn’t have much time. If the invisible dragon was heading to Lorach, there might not be much time remaining.
“Others will go with you,” Cherise said.
“They can put pressure to keep the Dragon Souls within—”
Cherise raised her hand, silencing him. “I didn’t say this is open for discussion. Others will go with you. If my daughter is there, and if anything happens to her, I want to ensure I’ve done everything in my power to keep her safe.”
“I know you will. I intend to help the dragons of Lorach.”
“We’ve always wanted to help those dragons,” she said.
“You’ll alert the rest of the Dragon Guard?”
Olar nodded. “Of course.”
He turned to William. “I need William to come with me. William has been working with the dragons, to understand what was required to train them. And he’s lucky.”
William smiled.
“Luck can only get you so far,” Cherise said.
“It’s possible his luck won’t be enough,” Jason admitted. “One more thing—could someone make sure my mother is cared for?”
Cherise frowned slightly before nodding. “She will need for nothing while you are gone.”
“Thank you.”
With that, he left the room with William trailing behind him.
He felt a little bit better, the brief rest enough to rejuvenate him. He didn’t know if it would be enough to maintain that energy, though. It was hard to know how much he had expended in the attack, though it felt as if it were more than what he had before.
“How long will we stay here?” William asked.
“Not long. With Sarah already heading to Lorach”—at least, that was where he thought she’d gone—“I think it’s time for us to get moving.”
He thought about the invisible dragon heading toward Lorach, and he didn’t know if waiting any longer would be safe. He didn’t want to end up with dragons injured because he’d waited too long.
“Were you serious about having me come with you?” William asked.
“I don’t know if this is something that you want to do.”
“If we’re going to Lorach, I want to go.”
“It’s going to be dangerous.”
“You don’t think I can handle danger?”
“This is going to be a different kind of danger.”
“Listen. I know you don’t believe in it, but it’s real. I do have luck, and it’s beneficial.”
Storm Dragon: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Dragon Misfits Book 4) Page 13