The Betrayed Dragon (Cycle of Dragons Book 2) Read online

  Joran claimed the Vard despised dragons. They wouldn’t want to use them.

  “That’s what Manuel and the mesahn do?”

  He watched me again. “It is interesting how much you know, along with how little you know. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me. You have a unique experience compared to most who come from the traditional kingdom.”

  “I didn’t realize anything was traditional.”

  “You’d be surprised.” He smiled tightly. “Now. I think that rather than continuing to talk about the Vard and their continued threat upon the kingdom, we should begin to focus on what you might learn from me. I don’t know how much time I might have to train you, so we should begin.”

  I regarded him for some time. I still didn’t know why he had chosen to work with me at all, only that he seemed interested in my ability to detect which dragon he had connected to. Somehow that mattered to him, though I couldn’t help but wonder why.

  “I’ve not been able to do anything other than open myself up to the connection to the dragons. I can feel the energy of them, but I haven’t been able to summon that power and use it in any way that is useful.”

  He looked over, smiling tightly. “I imagine we can change that.”

  “I don’t know. Jerith suggested I might have come to the Academy too late to gain any meaningful control.”

  Thomas’s face wrinkled slightly as I said it, and he glanced back to the Academy building in the distance. In the growing morning light, it took on a pale yellow glow, making it almost appear as if the Academy itself summoned the power of the dragons. The main building had a massive open lawn that separated it from the dragon pens, but the entrance to the Academy was visible from here.

  “Anyone with your ability to detect the power of the dragons can learn the control necessary. Do not think you don’t have the capability.”

  I shrugged. “I’ve tried. They taught me about opening myself up to that power. I tried to do so, using the techniques they taught, but it’s not always fully effective. When I attempt to do it, I can feel that power, but I can’t concentrate it within me.”

  “If you can feel it, then you can concentrate it. We will try, and I will see just what it is that you’re capable of.”

  I looked over, waiting for him to say something more, but he didn’t. I started through the progression. First breathing, then the heat, then the relaxation. When I did, my connection to the distant dragon in the dragon pen flowed to me. I could feel his power, even though there was nothing about it that I felt I could use. I breathed in that energy, trying to call it to me, but as usual, I failed.

  “I can tell you’ve opened yourself to it. Why don’t we try something else.” Thomas turned toward me, and he pressed the tips of his fingers together, his arms stretched in front of him. “Do this.”

  I held my hands out and brought my fingers together the way Thomas demonstrated.

  “As you feel that power within yourself, what you need to do is open yourself in the way you have been doing, and the way I can feel you doing effectively, and then begin to draw through your hands. Try to focus on what comes through you and move it back around to you.”

  I started to smile. It all sounded impossible, but then again, there was a time when I would’ve believed that my ability to connect to the dragons was impossible. Here I was, holding on to power I could never have imagined.

  I pressed the tips of my fingers tightly together. It went against the relaxation part of connecting to the dragon, but strangely, it let me feel as if I were tied to the dragon, in a way.

  I opened myself to the dragon. The connection was there. It was faint, at least at first. Slowly, I could feel that power building, the energy of the green dragon out there in the yard, and I reached for that heat within myself. When I did, I focused on the connection I shared between my fingers. That was the step that was different. There came a strange stirring deep within me.

  I opened my eyes and glanced over at Thomas, then started to say something when he shook his head.

  “Don’t speak,” he said. “I can see the way the power is beginning to manifest. Continue with what you are doing.”

  I struggled to concentrate again. I had disrupted whatever was happening, and by opening my mouth to speak, I’d run the risk of disrupting the connection to power.

  Now I needed to find a way to reach that again.

  I held on to the power, holding energy within me. That power flowed, coming from the dragon, surging up through me, through heat within me that seemed to reverberate. Then it stretched into my fingertips. That seemed to be the key.

  “You’re nearing it,” he said. “Find a way of pulling the power through you. It should be a simple matter. All you need to do is draw that energy between you, wrapping it around you and carrying the power as it courses throughout you.”

  Wrap it around me. That was what he wanted me to do. All I had to do was find some way of pulling that power as it coursed through me.

  I didn’t even know if it were possible, but I had to see if that energy would make a difference. It was not the same as what I’d done before. This was different enough that I had to believe it would work. I could feel that energy. I had to use it.

  I focused, closing my eyes, letting that power flow up through me.

  There was a hint of power, a surge of that magic, and it flowed between my fingers.

  It was the first time I’d ever felt that happen.

  The connection that formed, the circle from deep within me that went out through my arms and between my fingers, was different than anything I’d ever encountered before. I held on to that power, letting it cycle, feeling it as it buzzed within me. There was something almost overwhelming about it. I could feel it coursing through me, building, and could practically see it. It bubbled up, and there formed a connection to the distant dragon that rolled through me in a way that allowed me to draw on that power.

  “There. You’ve done it. What I would like you to do is try to control the bands of power. Don’t try anything too complicated. Simply hold what you have, harness it, and let that power flow out from you. What you need to do is wrap the connection to the dragon from one hand to another. Nothing more than that. You will learn to focus that power over time.”

  As the energy cycled within me, I could feel how it went from one hand to the next, almost as if it were jumping between my fingers. It was the heat and energy of the dragon, and as it flowed, I could feel how that energy built up inside me.

  “I’m having a hard time just holding this,” I said.

  “Most do, at least the first time. The longer you hold it, the more you feel it cycling through you, the easier it will be for you to recognize that power. What I’d like you to do is simply maintain that connection. Nothing more than that. You don’t need to unleash it. You just need to wrap it from one hand to the next.”

  I let the energy flow, and did nothing to try to diminish it. I wasn’t even sure if I could. All I wanted to do was hold on to that power, to feel the way that it rolled through me. As it did, I recognized the strange connection that had formed between that dragon and myself.

  “I see you have connected to the same dragon you traveled to the capital with.”

  “I did,” I said. “For whatever reason, I can feel his power more than I can the other dragons.”

  “That is not surprising. Most find that the first connection they make with a dragon is the most potent. At least until they gain control over them. Over time, you will learn to use the connection you share to the dragons to draw upon any power that you need. It won’t matter which dragon you focus upon.”

  I could feel that power flowing through me. It worked from one hand to the other, the energy drifting upward, rolling through me. As it did, I held on to that power, maintaining that connection that I shared with the dragon.

  Control involved using the power. I knew that about it. The challenge was owning that power, and concentrating it in a way that could be useful. As I t
ried to continue to hold on to it, I could feel it flowing from the dragon, through my arms and in between my fingers.

  I attempted to concentrate it. Holding on to the power was one step, but concentrating the power was the next—and possibly most important—step. Once I did that, I could use that energy in a way that allowed me to recognize the magic that flowed from the dragon, enabling me to help draw that off and connect to the dragon.

  Something started to unravel. The connection that was within me began to practically vibrate, making it so that I couldn’t hold on to it.

  I scrambled, trying to focus, squeezing my fingers together. As I did, the relaxation part of opening myself to the dragon magic started to fail. I tried to focus on the heat within myself, but even that wasn’t working.

  “You must slow yourself,” Thomas said. It seemed as if his words came from a distance, and I tried to do what he said—tried to let myself relax so that I could call upon that power in a way that would enable me to still use it, but even as I did, I couldn’t feel that relaxation working the way that it needed to.

  “I’m trying,” I said through gritted teeth. “I tried to concentrate the power, but it didn’t work.”

  “I did not tell you to concentrate it,” he said.

  I looked over. “I know you didn’t, but I know the next step in my progression with the magic within me is to be able to use it. In order to do so, I have to try to focus the way it flows through me.”

  “Do you know that now?” There was a hint of irritation in his tone. He was upset that I would dare attempt to use power without having his instruction.

  I couldn’t shake the thought that I knew what I needed to do.

  When I had heard the other instructors discussing the way that power was used, it had always been a matter of concentrating it—trying to hone that power and tightening the connection so that as it flowed through the dragon mage, it allowed them to use it.

  Only, I had not learned to use power from those instructors. Thomas had demonstrated a different technique for me to grasp at that magic, and because of that, I needed to listen to him.

  I focused on my breathing, quickly moving on to focusing on the heat within me, and then trying to relax while also pressing my fingertips together. The power shimmered, bouncing through me. Distantly, I was aware of the energy within the dragon, and that energy seemed to surge. It was as if the dragon were pushing more at me.

  That couldn’t be the case, could it? The dragon couldn’t be trying to cause more discomfort for me.

  “You need to let the power flow. Stop trying to fight it.”

  “It’s almost too much,” I said.

  Thomas stepped over to me. Energy radiated off of him, mixed with heat. “Let it flow,” he said.

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm my breathing, trying to focus on everything else within me. As I did, I felt that power as it filled me. There was a hint of energy, and then it rolled outward.

  It happened slowly.

  And I recognized I could relax—I could use that relaxation to let the power flow through me. It surged, building with more intensity than had been there before, but at least it continued to flow. It was stable in a way that it hadn’t been before.

  “Good,” Thomas said. “Now that you have taken control over it again, I want you to simply let it roll through you.”

  I struggled. I tried not to fight it, and I tried to let the power roll through me, but even as I did, I recognized there was some part of me that rebelled against it. It was as if that part of me recognized that the power that filled me exceeded my capacity to contain it.

  “Relax,” Thomas said. “It comes easier if you relax.”

  “What should I be feeling?”

  “Most who are new to their power recognize the trickle of energy that flows through them, working between their hands. Unfortunately, it can quickly destabilize if you aren’t able to relax it. And in your case, you tried to use concentration and a connection to power before you are ready for it.”

  It didn’t feel as if it were a trickle of power in any way. This felt like a torrent of power that flooded through my arms, jumping from one hand to the next, circling through me, as if it were trying to add to the energy within me.

  It continued to build.

  There was something about it that left me unsettled. I could barely hold on to it.

  I tried to keep my hands pressed together, trying to maintain the connection Thomas said I needed in order for me to hold on to that power, but even as I did, the power rolling through me was more than what I could maintain. It rumbled, and my hands exploded apart—the force of it tossing me back.

  I laid there for a moment, trying to gather myself, trying to understand just what had happened. As that power filled me, it had thrown me away from the pens. It reminded me of what had happened in the forest.

  Maybe the dragon decided I didn’t deserve to hold on to that much power.

  When I got to my feet, I found Thomas watching me.

  “You have potential, but your technique is sloppy. I suppose it’s to be expected, given how little time you have worked with it. Unfortunately, if you don’t gain control over it, you might find you lose it altogether.”

  “I’m trying,” I said.

  I started to press my fingers together when Thomas grabbed my wrist. He shook his head.

  “I think you need to take a break. Focus on recognizing the power of the dragons first, and once you do that again, then you can once more try to connect to them. Until then, I would hesitate to do anything more than what you have already done.”

  He turned, and heat built from him. I detected the connection he shared with the brown dragon. It might be my imagination, but it seemed as if he connected to more than one dragon, though the connection with the brown dragon was the most potent. It was almost as if he were touching upon the power of each dragon within the pen. Even the green dragon.

  I licked my lips. My mouth was dry and tasted of blood. I glanced behind me where I’d landed, and shook my head, trying to clear it. None of that took away the sense of victory that filled me.

  I had done it.

  The next step would be harder. I would have to learn some control over it, especially if I were to become a dragon mage the way I intended, but regardless of anything else, I had reached for the power of the dragon, connected to it, and had managed to have it fill me. I had learned that there was some aspect of it that I could use.

  “You will meet me here again in the morning. We will continue working until you have enough control that you can use it.”

  “Is there a reason you’re working with me rather than the Academy?”

  Thomas glanced behind us toward the Academy. “The Academy can do many things, but there are some who never learn what is necessary from their teachings.”

  “Like you?”

  I watched him, noticing the expression on his face as he continued looking toward the Academy. There was something about the look in his eyes that suggested he hadn’t had the best experience there.

  “I am an instructor at the Academy,” he said.

  “Were they able to teach you?”

  He grunted. “You have a connection to the dragons, Ashan. You need to keep working with it. There are some things those within the Academy can teach you, but there are some things they cannot. Use what you know about the dragons.”

  He started to move away from me, leaving me standing in front of the dragon pen. The sun had begun to climb, and a bit of warmth spread across the sky.

  I knew what he was asking. I needed to practice.

  He had things he could teach me, but only if I would be able to listen and recognize the power. That was what I needed to do.

  I gripped the bars of the dragon pen, turning my attention to it, and focused.

  It was time for me to find that power within me.

  7

  I paused in the main entrance of the Academy and looked over to see Master Onas. He had been
staring down at a book held open in his hands, reading it while walking, of all things. He practically crashed into me. Onas was a small man, with a serious face, and he had thick glasses that always seemed to slip forward on his nose. Rumor had it that he was an incredibly powerful dragon mage, though I had found that it was difficult for me to tell who was powerful and who was not.

  He looked over at me. "Ashan," he said, his voice creaking slightly until he cleared it. "I was not expecting to see you here. What are you doing?"

  "I was just outside."

  Onas looked toward the door before turning his attention back to me. "I see. I understand that. Many people spend time in the dragon pens, trying to harness a connection to the dragons. It can be difficult, and more than that, it can be frustrating that you do not have the ability to tap into that power in the way that you would like to."

  I resisted the urge to say anything. He was not wrong, which bothered me. Not that it should. I had no reason to truly get upset.

  "Why don't you come with me?" Onas asked. "I'm going to be working with a select few students this morning. I wonder if perhaps I might be able to help you find what you need."

  He nodded.

  It wasn't that I wanted to refuse him, but at the same time, I understood that it would be highly unlikely that anything would change—that working with him would make a difference to me or to my connection with the dragons. The more likely outcome was that I would find that I could do nothing. But I had a sense that Onas would not take no for an answer.

  He guided me through the halls and led me to a doorway off the main section of the Academy, into a smallish room. A massive oak table occupied most of the room and flames crackled in the back. Alcoves on either side of the hearth contained books. Two students sat at the table. My heart sank when I realized that Brandel was one of them.

  He looked over at me, smirking. "Look who’s here," he muttered to the other student sitting next to him. Dominic looked over to me, but he didn't say anything.

  "I found Ashan in the hall," Onas said. "I invited him to come along. I thought that perhaps it might be better if he has an opportunity to see someone else who has demonstrated considerable talents—and you two have shown potential.”