I leaned forward.
It wasn’t much, just enough that I lost my balance.
Then I tumbled, crashing down the hillside.
I slammed into her. I heard something crack, and pain shot up my leg. I ignored it. The magic she’d been using on me suddenly eased. The tension within began to build even more. I needed to release it. I pushed off Elaine, trying to get up, and when I did, something exploded through me.
It slammed into Elaine.
She tumbled away from me.
I tried to sit up, but the pain in my leg made it difficult.
A shape slithered toward me. I could feel the ground shaking, and some distant part of my mind cried out that it came from the mesahn, though I didn’t know if that was true or not. I looked over to see the dragon darting forward, and when it reached Elaine, it swung its tail, striking her in the chest.
Long spikes on the end of the dragon’s tail suddenly flared with light and heat. Elaine’s eyes widened as the tail came toward her, she tried to bring her hands up but she wasn’t fast enough.
The dragon’s tail slammed into her chest, and she fell back, unmoving.
The dragon turned toward me. It took a step closer to me. I tried to crawl away, but I could barely move. The pain in my leg was too much.
Then the dragon was there, shoving his head up against my injured leg. Pain flared hot through my leg and I cried out. That tension that had built briefly before disappearing. The pain eased, and then it, too, disappeared.
I sucked in a breath, blinking back the tears.
The dragon stayed close to me, resting his head on my leg, and I realized it no longer hurt the way it had.
I sat there for a long moment, barely able to comprehend what had just happened, when a rumbling sound came again.
22
I started to get my feet, and saw Joran and Alison looking down at me. I didn’t know what to say.
“We need to get moving.” I couldn’t believe I was thinking about walking, let alone running, after the injury I’d sustained, but somehow the dragon had healed me. “The mesahn is coming. I’m not sure we want to be here—"
I didn’t get to finish.
The mesahn pounded into the ravine. It was an enormous creature, looking like some massive wolf. It prowled toward us, sniffing at us, twisting his head from side to side as it seemed to test the air.
Alison cried out. I looked up at her, and her eyes were wide as she stared at the mesahn.
“You did well,” a voice said out of the darkness.
I jerked my head around, and saw a lean figure striding toward us. He was dressed in dark leathers, and had a sword sheathed at his side, his shaggy hair hung to his shoulders.
I had seen him before.
The pawprint I’d followed made sense now.
“You,” I said.
The man cocked his head to the side. “What about me?”
“You came to our farm.”
He looked a bit more haggard than he had at that time, and thinner, but he had the same bright intensity that I remembered when he had been wandering along the road. He hadn’t really been looking for anyone. He had been with the mesahn.
“The wagons,” I whispered. “You were there because of whatever happened to the wagons. ” I looked over to Joran. “Remember when we found the burned remains?”
“That was a dragon. That dragon,” he said, nodding to the small dragon. “I had brought it out of the Wilds, but we were attacked. I was pursuing them when you first saw me.”
We had been caught up in it from the very beginning. We had seen the attack, and the remains, and then the caravan that had come through.
“What about the Djarn?” I asked.
He shrugged. “The Djarn have their own agenda when it comes to the dragons. They prefer not to see them in the hands of the Vard, though.”
The timing was all too suspect. “I don’t know if this was the Vard,” I said.
He frowned at me. “Not the Vard?”
I shook my head. Exhaustion worked through me. “I don’t know. We thought they were.” I looked over to Joran and found him staring. “But the Vard don’t care for the dragons. They wouldn’t want to capture them.”
The man started to smile. “Now we have a farmer from Berestal who’s an expert on the Vard?”
“Not an expert—”
“You might be right,” the man said. “I’ll have to discuss it with the king.”
“You serve the king?”
The man grunted. He patted the mesahn. It circled around us, and each time that it jumped, it seemed as if the ground shook a little bit. The man approached. “My name is Manuel. I’m one of the king’s hunters.”
“What about the others who were out here? They were chasing us.” Though I didn’t know if the Djarn had chased them away. I hoped they had. Either that, or the mesahn had.
Manuel grunted. “You don’t have to worry about them any longer.”
“What did you do to them?” Joran asked, stepping down the hillside and joining us. Alison was there. She turned to me, grabbing my arm and squeezing it.
“I removed them as a threat,” Manuel said. He shrugged. “You should be thankful for that.”
Was it only because of the dragon that he and the Djarn had helped, or was there another reason?
“How do we know you’re with the king?” Joran asked.
I nodded as I looked to Manuel. “Considering what we’ve faced, he has a right to ask. Especially since we had a dragon mage who made the same claim.”
Manuel chuckled. He reached toward his side. Toward his sword.
Everything within me went cold. Was he going to attack us?
But he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small coin and holding it outward. A face glittered on the coin.
“I bear his marker.”
Joran and I shared a glance before I looked over to the mesahn still prowling around us. It had stopped near Elaine, leaning down and sniffing. “We didn’t do that to her,” I said.
Manuel chuckled again. “Even if you had, it would have been warranted.” He grunted. “Vard or not, we’ve known there are those within the capital who serve a different agenda, though they can be insidious and difficult for us to find. I don’t know that even the king would have expected that such a high-level Academy member was serving them.”
“And if they’re not Vard, what are they?”
Manuel frowned. “Something else I need to uncover,” he said softly.
“She said they were after dragons,” I said.
“Dragons. This one, to start with. I doubt they would’ve attacked had they known I was here. It would’ve been too risky for them, especially since it would reveal who she really was,” Manuel said. “Had I not been here, or had you not been here…” he said, looking up at me. “Perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered. I doubt that she would have been able to find her way through the Djarn lands easily, though it is possible that she had help. She was well connected to the dragons, and because of that…” He shook his head. “Still, should not have mattered.” There was something troubling in his eyes, but he turned away, looking into the trees again.
“We were just trying to stay alive.”
Manuel regarded me for a moment, a hint of amusement on his face. “Why did you chase the caravan?” He glanced from me to Joran. “I found your horses back near the entrance to the forest. I assume those were yours. They’re still well, for what it’s worth.”
“My sister,” I said.
“Is that right?” Manuel looked to Alison. I could feel something building, some sort of pressure and tension, before it faded. “I see. She must have been with the Academy selection.”
I nodded. “She passed the test in Berestal. There were others.”
“Most of the others are safe. At least for now.”
“Safe?” I asked. Here I thought they’d died. Alison had seen others die.
“I was there,” Manuel said. “When the caravan was atta
cked, I defended it, at least as well as I could. We lost a few from the Academy, but those who were selected were saved. I would have been faster had it not been for my need to return them to the city.”
I looked over to Alison. “What happens now?”
“Now we get you out of the forest. And I return to the capital. I need to report what took place.”
“What about the dragon?” I asked.
Manuel frowned. “What about it?”
“They were trying to take the dragon.”
“They were,” he said. “They thought they would be able to navigate through the forest.” He chuckled. “It goes to show just how little they understand this forest.”
“You haven’t said what will happen with the dragon.”
Manuel walked over to the dragon. He then pulled something out of his pocket and latched it around the dragon’s neck. “Now the dragon comes with us,” he said.
He held one end of what appeared to be a leash. The dragon didn’t fight it, and there was a sense of energy coming off the dragon that suggested it wasn’t completely suppressed.
“Does it hurt the dragon?” Alison asked.
Manuel sniffed. “I would not hurt the dragon,” he said. “The king would flay me if I were I to do that.”
“He would?” Joran asked.
Manuel glanced over to him, chuckling. “I was being a bit facetious. No. The king would not flay me if I did anything. Well, I suppose if I decided to start serving the Vard, he might.” He nodded. “Come along. I can show you how to find your way out of the forest.”
The mesahn bounded off, as we followed Manuel, who guided the dragon. Every so often the dragon would look back at me, and I could feel that tension building between the two of us. Now I understood that it came from the dragon. When it dissipated, it did so slowly, as if drifting out into the forest away from us. We followed a stream, though a different one than the one we had taken before. After a while, we veered away from it. Finally, we came across one of the Djarn paths.
We stopped at the path, and Manuel motioned. “You can take this straight. Do not veer off it. Once you reach the third trailhead, you go left. You’ll find your horses not far from there.”
“How do you know these paths so well?” Joran asked. “Are you working with the Djarn?”
Manuel smiled slightly. “Not with the Djarn, though we follow the same trails. I’m the hunter. It’s my job to know.”
I started forward, guiding Joran and Alison, when the pressure began to build again. It was an enormous sense of tension that rose within me, making it difficult for me to do anything other than pay attention to it. I turned, looking back, and realized that the dragon was watching, as if it were intentionally causing that pressure to rise within me.
It started to glow as well.
Manuel watched me. “You have a connection to the dragon, don’t you?” Manuel took a step forward. The mesahn was there, just at the edge of the forest, prowling nearby. The dragon reached toward me. “I should’ve seen it before, but I was too caught up in the attack.” He glanced past me to Alison, then to Joran. “You weren’t selected within the city, though.”
I shook my head. “I was not.”
Manuel chuckled. “Something must have happened for you to have formed a connection to the dragon.”
“I freed it from the wagon,” I said.
Manuel sighed heavily. “Perhaps that’s it. It’s rare, though I suppose you know that.” He watched me for a moment, shaking his head. “Or maybe you don’t. Out here in Berestal, it’s possible you don’t know anything about dragons.”
“I don’t really know that much,” I said.
“There are different types of connections that the Academy searches for. There are those who have the ability to touch dragon power, draw upon it, and connect to the dragons themselves. They can become the riders. They are useful to the king, mostly in defending the kingdom and protecting us from outside invaders. The Vard, and others who might do us harm. Perhaps those who attacked your sister. Then there are those who have a different connection. Those who can channel that power.” He looked over to me. “If you are connected to the dragon, it suggests that you could be a rider. Maybe more.”
More?
What did that mean? That I could be a dragon mage?
Manuel chuckled. “It seems to me that you have a choice to make.”
“What choice is that?”
“You can return home. Return to your life. I doubt the others will return anytime soon, though if they are with the Vard, they will eventually. You can forget about the connection that you formed with the dragon. And the power you feel.” He watched me. “I can see it in your eyes. I can see how you recognize that energy. I can see how that power builds within you. It’s there, is it not?”
I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. “There’s something,” I said.
He grunted, chuckling again. “Of course there is. The dragon has connected to you. Perhaps it won’t stay connected to you, but the fact that you can connect at all tells me you have potential. I think the king has neglected Berestal long enough.”
“What’s he saying?” Alison asked, grabbing my arm.
“He’s saying I could go with him and learn what it means to have connected to the dragon.” I looked over to Alison, shaking my head. “I can’t do that. You need me. The family needs me.”
With our father dead, I had to be there for them.
For Alison. Thenis. My mother.
They needed me.
Alison watched me. “You’d abandon everything for the family?”
“I wouldn’t be abandoning anything,” I said. “I’d be taking care of my family.”
She looked at the dragon, and there was something in her eyes that seemed to shift. Softening. “You don’t need to do that.”
“I do.”
She took my hands, squeezing them, as she looked up to meet my eyes. “You’ve been trapped long enough,” she said softly. “You’ve done everything to help the family. It’s time for you to do what you need to do.”
I looked from her to Joran. “With Dad gone—”
“With him gone, it will be easier,” Alison said. “Not easy. And I’ll miss him, but we can get Thenis to a healer, and from there…”
“I can’t leave you,” I said.
“You have a chance to learn about the dragons. That’s something that you’ve always wanted.”
“What I’ve always wanted is to take care of my family,” I said.
Alison smiled at me. “Of course you have, but this is a chance to do something else.”
I shook my head. “I can’t leave you.”
Joran strode forward, and he looked at me. “You should do this, Ashan. I’ll help take care of your family. My family will, too.”
I looked at him, watching him for a long moment. “You will?”
“Think about it. This is something that you’ve wanted your whole life. You wanted to get away, to see whether there would be any way for you to learn about the dragons. Gods, I remember when we were younger and you wanted to ride a dragon. You were the only one who felt that way about them.”
I shook my head. “I’m not the only one. You did too.”
“I might’ve thought that I did, but I knew I never would. Up until your family was injured, I thought you would. You need to do this, if only so that you can see whether or not you can.”
I looked at the two of them, shaking my head. Could I really do it?
For so long, all I had thought about was taking care of my family. That’s all I wanted to do, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny that I wanted to understand if there was something more that I was capable of.
Joran leaned close to me. “Think of it this way. If you can use the dragon power, you can help more than just your family. You can protect all of the plains. You can protect all of Berestal.”
I took a deep breath, nodding slowly. He wasn’t wrong.
I might even be able to le
arn if my father had been delusional when he was talking about the dragons. If he knew about dragons, then maybe there would be others in the Academy who knew him.
I turned to Manuel. “What happens if I go?”
“That will be up to you.” He looked down to the dragon. “And to the dragon. Given the strange connection that has formed, I suspect the dragon will make a choice, though knowing the king as I do, you may not have much of one.”
I turned back to Alison.
She smiled at me. “I thought I wanted to go, but if this has shown me anything, it’s that I don’t want this. I just want to return to some normalcy.” She smiled at me. “Well, maybe a little bit less normal. I can go to the city. Become a weaver. You need to do this.”
I took a deep breath, and yet, even as I did, the strange tension within me continued to build, drawing my gaze toward the dragon. I looked at it. The dragon watched me, an intelligent expression burning in its eyes. It was almost as if it were trying to tell me I needed to come with it.
I could return to the farm. I could return to my home. I could return to the life that I had known for as long as I had lived , and nothing would change for me. There was no harm in that. I was a farmer, and that was my life. I was comfortable.
But I would never know if I could have been something more.
I would never know whether my father had been something more.
His strange babblings took on a new meaning.
Mom wouldn’t know. If she did, I doubt she’d share.
And Alison…
If I returned home to the farm it meant she would also have to go back. If I left, it would be far easier on her. She could sell the farm, move to the city, take up an apprenticeship, and become the person that she was meant to be.
Much like I had the opportunity to become the person I was meant to be.
Strangely, as I came to that realization, it felt as if some cage had been lifted away from me, and I was suddenly freed. I smiled.
“I will go.”
Get the next book in the Cycle of Dragons series: The Betrayed Dragon.
A chance encounter leads Ashan deeper into the mysteries of the dragons.
The Caged Dragon (Cycle of Dragons Book 1) Page 23