The Caged Dragon (Cycle of Dragons Book 1)

by Dan Michaelson

  So far, it had not chosen to do so.

  I didn’t know how much longer that would be the case.

  The mesahn took a step forward.

  I caught a glimpse of dappled fur, streaks of brown and gray, and an enormity to the creature that I could scarcely fathom. It was nearly as large as a horse, but more catlike, and imposing in a way that no other animal that I had been around had been.

  The fear that Elaine had for the mesahn made sense.

  Not only Elaine , but the fear the Vard had of the mesahn, as well.

  This was a creature to be afraid of.

  “Ashan?”

  I couldn’t move, but I wanted to call out to Joran, though I knew better than to do so. The mesahn watched me, and heat flared in the creature’s eyes.

  My skin grew tight. There was an energy there, a power, and something that suggested to me that there was something more taking place.

  Maybe Elaine was preparing to attack.

  Suddenly, the mesahn bellowed, its voice loud and shrieking against the darkness of the forest, and then it bounded off, disappearing.

  I stood, trembling for a long moment, barely able to move.

  Finally, I shook myself, and headed over to where Joran stood near the stack of stones.

  “That sounded close,” he muttered.

  “I saw it,” I whispered. “The mesahn. I saw it.”

  “It was here?”

  I looked back toward the forest, trying to make sense of what I had seen. A creature like that could hide in the forest.

  “I think it wanted me to know that it was there,” I said.

  “But it didn’t attack you.”

  I shook my head.

  “Why?”

  I looked over to the center of the Djarn city. Elaine was still there, flames crackling around where she searched. I could feel the energy that she radiated, a heat that filled the air, making the already humid forest even worse. “I wonder if it’s afraid of her,” I said.

  “If so, then we need to stay with her.”

  I nodded. “And we need to make sure that she gets my sister free. If she doesn’t, and if that creature comes after us…”

  “Then what?”

  “I don’t know. We need to tell her about it when she’s done with… whatever she’s doing.”

  We stood at the edge of the Djarn city, neither of us talking for a while. Elaine was right. This was abandoned, and from the look of it, the city had been abandoned a long time ago. There were no Djarn here. Elaine continued to circle around the city, using the bands of flame that stretched away from her. Every so often she would twist them, whipping them further along the ground, and leaving trails of fire that somehow didn’t burn anything, before releasing that power and heading further along the forest. She made a circuit all the way around the entirety of the Djarn city, and when she was finally done, she stopped in the center once again. She held her hands over her head, as flames began to circle her wrists, stretching down to her elbows, and then she sent them sweeping out. As one band of flame neared us, both Joran and I jumped, avoiding the crackling flame as it sizzled across the ground. It didn’t burn where it touched, though.

  She was powerful. And she wasn’t even the Chief Dragon Mage.

  I had no idea how they had captured her, but if the Vard were able to capture a dragon mage as powerful as Elaine obviously was, I didn’t want to think about what they might do to Alison.

  After a few more moments, she finally released her power, heading over to us. She glanced from Joran, to me, and shook her head. “Come. We will return to the caravan and see if we can find your sister.”

  15

  We crept along the Djarn path. It was late, and the entire forest was dark. Moonlight drifted through the canopy, making the forest floor practically seem to glow with that light. I glanced over to Joran, who walked behind me, his breathing and footsteps soft, and shook my head before turning away.

  We were trying to be as quiet as we could, as we headed back toward the wagon caravan, though I didn’t know how far we had to go. We had gotten quite a ways away by the time we had found Elaine, so it was possible that we had a long walk before we came across it again. That was assuming that it hadn’t moved on. If it had, then we had to chase it.

  Considering that I had rescued Elaine and freed that other person, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Vard had decided to take off and head onward.

  We had no idea what was going to happen, but after finding the remains of a Djarn city, I no longer had any idea what we were doing. Elaine seemed to, though. When we came across that Djarn city we should have been excited, if anything. There was no sign of the girl that I had freed from the wagons. Elaine didn’t say it, but she was disappointed, though I didn’t know why. “We’ve spent some time in the forest,” Joran whispered. “We’ve never seen anything quite like this before.”

  “We’ve never gone this deep into the forest.”

  “I’ve only done it a few times,” he said carefully, looking around. “My father didn’t like going this far into the forest either. He always thought it was dangerous.”

  “Would the two of you keep it down?” Elaine hissed. Her voice was little more than a whisper. A soft growl rumbled through the forest, the steady sound of the mesahn. I glanced over to Elaine and noticed concern—real concern—written in her eyes. She tried to hide it, but she was afraid of the mesahn.

  Having caught a glimpse of it, I could understand why, but it hadn’t attacked. She didn’t seem to recognize that incongruity, but something was not quite right about all of this.

  “There it is again,” Joran said.

  “It’s still far enough away,” I said.

  “ But getting closer.”

  “Quiet,” she hissed again. “We aren’t far.”

  “You can tell that with your magic?” Joran asked.

  She held her gaze on Joran for a long moment before tearing it away and looking at me. She frowned as she stared at me. “When we get close to the wagons, we need to get off the path and into the trees. Then we can scout around and see what the Vard are doing.”

  “Do you think the wagons are moving?” I asked.

  “They aren’t,” Elaine said.

  “Let me guess. Your magic told you that,” Joran said.

  Elaine looked back at him, staring at him for a long moment. “Yes.”

  Joran started to grin, looking over at me as it faded. “Whatever you say.”

  We crept along the path a little further, and every so often, Elaine would pause, raising her hand and signaling for us to stop. There was an energy in the air, and my stomach started to burn, though I didn’t really understand it. My skin grew tight, when she suddenly used a flicker of flame that stretched from her fingers, swirling in a pattern before fading. As it faded, the sensation along my skin, and in my belly, disappeared as well.

  I didn’t understand it, but perhaps I wasn’t supposed to.

  It was her magic. Dragon magic.

  I thought about all of the times when I had wanted to learn and see dragon magic, and here I was, exposed to it. I felt so out of my element that I didn’t even know what to do or say.

  Elaine motioned for us to head into the trees.

  I followed her, moving with Joran. Joran stayed behind me, and every so often, I glanced behind to ensure that he stayed with us. I didn’t want him to get lost. We prowled through the trees, carefully moving forward, with Elaine guiding us. The glowing brightness of her dragon magic flowed from her fingers in a circle, lighting the way as she spun the flames around, but then it faded, disappearing back into the darkness again.

  It seemed almost as if the forest had lightened a little bit, at least enough for me to begin to make out details around us. Could the sun have already started to rise?

  Even if it did, I had been in the forest once or twice to know that even with the daylight the canopy was so dense that it didn’t allow much light in. It would be more than the utter blackness of night
, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the sounds of the forest would return with the dawn. Unless the creatures had gone silent because of us. Our presence might have muted everything else around us in the forest.

  I leaned forward to Elaine. “Is everything getting a little bit brighter?” I whispered.

  Elaine paused, and the magic she held seemed to pause with her. Elaine regarded me for a moment. “What do you mean?”

  “It doesn’t seem as dark as it did before.” I looked around the trees. Behind me, it seemed just as dark before, but the direction that we were going, was a hint lighter. Almost as if everything had a faint glow to it. It was enough that I could make out the details of the forest. There were trees blocking our way, but not so difficult as if I couldn’t navigate around them. Small shrubs were there, as well, and I could see a squirrel weaving through the undergrowth that would otherwise have grabbed at us.

  “Maybe your eyes are just adjusting,” Elaine said.

  I nodded. “Maybe that’s it.”

  She watched me for another moment, before she turned away. I wondered if perhaps there was another reason that she didn’t want to share with me. She continued on through the forest. With each step, it really did become easier for me to see. I knew that I wasn’t imagining that.

  Elaine raised her hand, pointing.

  We approached a massive pair of trees. The trunks were easily as wide as the width of my arms outstretched. We backed behind them, with Elaine poking her head around one side. I shuffled off to the other side, keeping my feet and my movements as quiet as I could. When I looked around the tree, the wagons were there.

  A lantern was lit near the center wagon that let off a soft glow. Not only that, but a hint of warmth radiated from that wagon as well, flowing toward us. My skin felt tight, as if it were baking. Heat bubbled in my stomach as well.

  “I don’t see anyone,” I said.

  Joran leaned forward, looking out between the trees. “I don’t either.”

  There was no movement around the wagons, nothing to suggest that the Vard were there. Could they have disappeared? Maybe because we’d rescued Elaine, they had decided to abandon the wagons. If they had, then we would have no way of following them. The wagons gave us something easy to track, a visible object that we could use to follow through the forest.

  The mesahn growled in the distance, a steady rumbling sound. It seemed closer, but far enough away that I didn’t think we were in any danger.

  I spun, looking toward the other side of the tree.

  Three men came toward Elaine. All three of them had strange circular metallic objects in hand, and they raised them. The firelight coming from Elaine’s fingers flickered, radiating off those circular weapons that she sent shooting toward them, but the blades carved through the fingers of flame. They were like swords that wrapped in a circle, and when she flicked a stream of fire at them, one of the men whipped his weapon toward her, carving through the dragon magic.

  “That’s not the Vard,” Joran said.

  I glanced over to Joran. “It doesn’t matter. This is our chance to get in there and see if I can find my sister.”

  I darted past him, ignoring his hushed protests. I slipped through the trees, heading toward the nearest wagon. It was the center wagon, glowing softly, as if there was a lantern within it that illuminated the night. Maybe there was. Maybe it was a trap the Vard had used to try to draw us in and capture us.

  Distantly, I was aware of the mesahn growling, its voice growing fainter as he retreated into the trees. I scrambled for the first wagon I could reach, jumping up onto the top of it. I reached for my belt knife and pried it into the hatch as quickly as I could. As soon as I got the hatch pulled open, I poked my head inside and frowned.

  I realized I should’ve gone for the third wagon. At least with that one, there was some light inside, illuminating everything. There was nothing inside this one.

  I left the hatch open and jumped toward the next wagon, shoving my knife hurriedly into the hatch, prying it open as quickly as I could, wiggling my knife back and forth as I worked to try to pop the hatch open. When I did, I looked down inside.

  Much like the last one, I couldn’t see anything.

  “If you’re in there, come on out, Alison.”

  I kept my voice soft, hushed, and had no idea whether or not she was even there, or if she was, if she was well enough to be able to respond. I jumped down, heading over to the middle wagon. It was the one that glowed.

  There was noise near me, a certain chaos around us, and I could hear someone calling out. It wasn’t my name, at least not that I could tell. All I needed was to reach this next wagon, pop open the hatch, and see who was in the others.

  This hatch was more difficult to work free. There was a lock on it. I slammed my knife onto it. Distantly, I heard the mesahn growling, and I felt a heavy rumble. Heat built inside of me, working through my stomach. Everything around me began to get tight. It must be from the coming daylight. The forest could be hot at times. I’d felt that myself over the years, and knew that it could be unpleasant. Not just humid, but hot, as if the canopy of trees would block any wind and keep the heat trapped within it. I slammed the hilt of the knife onto the lock again, then again.

  It snapped.

  I jammed the knife into the hatch, working at it, trying to pry it free. I could feel movement behind me. I didn’t have much time. Once I got the hatch open, I had to hope my sister would be inside. If she was, we could run.

  I pulled the hatch open.

  Light flowed out.

  It was a strange and burning light. It made my skin even tighter than it had been before. I instinctively jerked back. But, not before I saw something inside.

  There wasn’t a lantern inside of the wagon. That wasn’t the glowing light I’d seen at all. Instead, a small creature was curled inside.

  Curiosity forced me to look again.

  I didn’t have much time. I had no idea whether the Vard had returned, but I wanted to take another look. It was almost as if I was compelled to as if something demanded I look inside.

  When I did, I saw what was there. The creature looked up at me. It had a long, angular face, ears that pointed back, a long and slender neck that met a wider body, and then two leathery wings that wrapped outward, filling the inside.

  I knew exactly what it was I was looking at. I had no idea why the Vard would have one of these creatures , but there was no doubt in my mind what it was, and now I understood why I felt the heat that I did, the burning on my skin, and the strange sensation in my stomach.

  Squeezed inside of the wagon, was a small dragon.

  The Vard had captured a dragon.

  16

  My first thought was that Elaine had been willing to abandon the wagons with a dragon in them, but that wasn’t true. She’d been concerned about the Djarn, wanting to find the girl from the Wilds. She had been more concerned about protecting her than the dragon.

  As it turned in place, I stared , unable to take my gaze off the creature that rested below. The heat radiating off the dragon practically demanded my attention. I had no choice but to stare at it. I could feel that energy, but there was something more than just the heat I detected. It was some aspect of the dragon itself that called to me.

  A memory of something my father had said came to me, of the way that he had described the energy of the dragon burning within him. He had claimed that when he was around the dragon, he felt as if he had swallowed smoldering coals. That burning worked through my stomach as well.

  A shout rang out, this time close.

  I spun and saw three men at the front of the wagon caravan. They were approaching quickly. I had to get down. I had to get back to Elaine, to her magic, if only so I could be protected from these Vard.

  Somebody reached over the side of the wagon, and I kicked.

  I didn’t see who , only that they were grabbing for me.

  I ignored it, trying to get away.

  Another shout.


  I kicked again, moving as quickly as I could.

  Already I knew I wasn’t going to be fast enough.

  The Vard were closing in on me.

  After all of this, I wasn’t even able to rescue my sister. I turned, whipping my knife out . I could dive into the darkness of the forest, but I didn’t know if I had time.

  Two of the Vard came close. They were dressed in the dark jacket and pants of the Vard, a strange emblem embroidered on the left chest. It looked like two spears crossed over each other, flames burning around it.

  I’d seen that symbol before.

  Tara had been writing in a journal with that marking.

  Not only had I seen that symbol, but I’d seen that man. One of the men was dangerous looking with dark hair, and something about him shimmered with intensity and danger. He’d been in the city during the testing.

  Of course, he would have been. All of the Vard would’ve been in the city during the testing, knowing that the Academy was there, and they would have been looking for an opportunity to attack the Academy caravan.

  I hadn’t seen any sign of this dragon during the testing, though. Where had that come from?

  At the time, I hadn’t realized it was Vard. They were much more than just Vard sympathizers.

  If I managed to escape this, I would have to have words with Joran. I didn’t know if he was going to share the truth with me, but he needed to be honest, especially if his family was as deeply involved with the Vard as it seemed they were.

  I backed away, holding on to the knife.

  “Where is he?” the man asked. He had dark hair that was shorn close. Deep-set eyes glared at me, reflecting the strange glowing light from the dragon. He was solidly built, and looked as if he might have grown up on a farm, much like myself.

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

  The man growled. He gripped his sword, and I could practically feel the tension coming off of him as he stalked toward me again. I was ready for him to swing and strike me, I had to prepare for whatever I might be able to do to block him.