The Lost Dragon (Cycle of Dragons Book 3), Dan Michaelson [books to read now TXT] 📗

There are many of us who have questioned why the number of dragon mages remains relatively inconsistent. We find a few who have potential every now and again, though none with much power. Every so often we come across one who has considerable potential.” He glanced over to me, nodding. “Unfortunately, not all with potential make progress the way they should. I’m sure you can understand that.”

“When I was on the farm, we had horses that looked like they would be fast—and they were when we let them free to run, but they didn’t learn what they needed when we tried to train them.”

Walter nodded, tapping on his head. “Very good comparison. I suppose it is something similar to that. Although I don’t much care for being compared to a horse.”

“In that analogy, you would be compared to the horse trainer,” I said.

He frowned. “Perhaps that is better.”

I shook my head. “My family is in Berestal.”

“And?”

“And I heard that there has been some unrest in that part of the country,” I said.

Walter held my gaze for a long moment before shaking his head. “I doubt that Berestal would be treated the same way as the eastern cities. For one, Berestal is an ancient city, and has some longstanding connection to the Wilds.”

“Why would that matter?”

“Because the king needs to ensure trade through the Wilds. If he were to target the Wilds, then he would run the risk of losing the trade. If that were to happen, he would find access to many of the goods our people have come to take advantage of, and take for granted, would be limited.” He shook his head. “I think the king would treat the Vard in Berestal much different.”

“I hope so.”

“Besides, we haven’t heard much out of the Vard these days.”

“We haven’t?”

Had Thomas so deeply restricted access to what happened that even somebody like Walter wouldn’t have known about it? What was the point or the value in doing something like that? It seemed to make much more sense for the instructors to know what they were dealing with, and to be prepared for the possibility that they might need to fight the Vard, especially within the city. If they didn’t know, how could they be prepared for it?

Unless the king feared what would happen if word of those attacks got out. I could see the danger in that, and I recognized why the king might not want others to learn of such attacks. Unfortunately, it seemed to me to pose a different sort of obstacle. It made it difficult for those within the city to realize the threat of the Vard, and to recognize just how deeply they had infiltrated.

“The Vard wouldn’t dare continue their attacks upon the kingdom. They know they are outnumbered.”

“What if it’s not the Vard we need to worry about?” When he looked at me strangely, I added hurriedly, “I just mean there might be others intent on attacking the kingdom.”

Walter frowned for a moment, then shrugged. “Few would threaten us, as we control the dragons. I suppose if they had some way of accessing that kind of power, then it would pose more of a danger for us. Then again, the Vard have been searching for that answer for many years. The king has done well in restricting it.”

“What if he fails?”

“If he fails, then the dragon mages and the dragon riders will be enlisted to ensure the safety of the kingdom.” Walter formed another cage around himself, demonstrating the same barrier again, pushing outward; the large ball of fire crackled in the air. It illuminated the inside of the training chamber, yet the upper reaches were still darkened, barely more than shadows visible overhead. “The Vard might learn how to access some of the power, but they would still be outnumbered. There are far too many within the kingdom who have access to power, and far too many dragon mages.”

“I hope you’re right,” I said.

“You don’t have to worry about it, Ashan. We are well protected here.”

I nodded, and though I attempted to replicate the same technique Walter had shown me, it wasn’t the people within the city who I worried about. It was the people within Berestal. My home. My sister. My friends. That was who I worried about.

Somehow, I was going to have to learn what was taking place beyond the forest and out upon the plains. I would need to figure out whether this mysterious threat still posed a danger to us.

7

I stood in the center of the dragon pen, nothing but bright moonlight shining down, illuminating my slow, steady steps. My heart hammered in my chest, and I couldn’t help but feel as if I were making some sort of mistake, but it was one I thought I needed to make in order to know whether this was right.

As I neared the deep green dragon, large enough now that I thought he might be able to carry me out of the city, I heard a soft shuffling behind me.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I turned to see Thomas standing near the black dragon, his hand resting on the dragon’s side.

“Nowhere,” I said.

Thomas took a step toward me, and the dark cloak hanging around his shoulders fluttered slightly in the late breeze. Energy built from him, and though I was aware of it, I couldn’t feel how far it cycled. It was different than what I felt from the dragons connected to me. There was a certain excitement to them, an energy and vibrancy that seemed to flow through them, almost as if they were perfectly willing to continue to cycle that power to me in order to carry me out of the city.

“You are going somewhere,” Thomas said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come to the dragon pen at this time of night.”

“I just came to visit with the dragons,” I said.

Thomas chuckled, though his voice didn’t carry very far. “Visit with them?” He studied the deep green dragon, looking almost black