The wind whistled around them, the air cold and biting. The heat radiating off the iron dragon made it tolerable, and Jason’s dragonskin clothing was able to withstand it far better than he would have been when he was dressed in his furs.
There was a part of him that missed the bearskin. Not because it was any warmer, but because it reminded him of his father. He didn’t have anything like that left. Now that the village had been destroyed, there was even less of him remaining.
For so long, everything Jason had done had been to try to honor his father’s memory. Hunting on behalf of his family, trying to keep his sister and mother alive, had been because he knew that was what his father would’ve wanted him to do. Jason had done as well as he could, aware that his father would’ve been able to do more than him, though he hadn’t cared. He had done his best.
When he had met the dragon, he had been uncertain. At the time, Jason believed that he knew how his father would’ve responded when it came to a dragon, but the more he learned about the dragons, the more he began to question just what his father might have done. He had no idea any longer whether or not his father would truly have dealt with the dragons in the way he once believed that he would have. For all Jason knew, his father would have accepted them, perhaps even welcoming them.
No. He knew that his father would not have welcomed the dragons. The dragons meant a different kind of life. The dragons meant a different kind of power.
They meant warmth.
Given the way that his family had suffered in the time since his father’s death, having warmth of any kind, whether or not that warmth came from the dragons themselves, was something to be cherished.
It was certainly better than burning dung. They didn’t have the money for tellum, and now that the village was gone, he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to the mine. Perhaps it would fade away into nothingness. Perhaps he should have ventured down to investigate, to see whether he might be able to find anything of value within that mine, but it was something else he simply didn’t have time for.
It was more than just not having time. It was a lack of desire on his part as well.
They headed past the snowcapped peaks, and from there, he recognized a residual surge of energy. Each time he came near the village, Jason was aware of that residual energy.
Whatever Therin had done had been powerful. He had damaged the village in such a way that Jason could feel it from a distance, from atop the dragon.
The air swirled around him, making it difficult to see clearly. Snow streamed from the sky, the coming storm promising violence. From where they were, he was somewhat protected, but he knew all they had to do was ascend, and the iron dragon would be able to rise above the nature of the storm.
They headed toward Dragon Haven.
It didn’t take long before it came into view. As it did, Jason leaned back, staring at the city. There were dragons there, and several came out to greet them for a moment before realizing that it was him and turning back. Rather than trying to come at him aggressively, they recognized him.
He was welcome.
It was a far cry from his first experience when he had come to Dragon Haven. It was a far cry from even his most recent experience.
He leaned toward the iron dragon. “I guess you’re recognized,” he said.
When they came to land, Jason hopped off, tapping on the iron dragon.
He looked over at Jason, his eyes blazing with heat and power, before he slithered off into the trees, disappearing among the forest.
Jason stood there for a long moment. He held out his hand, practicing his illusion a few times before heading back toward the main part of the city. He needed to meet with Sarah and Henry, but more than anything, he needed to meet with Kayla to explain where he was going and what he was doing.
Having seen his village again—and again—he felt as if he truly knew what needed to be done. Jason felt as if he were ready to take the next step. Even if it meant he was going to risk himself—and there was little doubt that he was going to be risking himself—he needed to do this.
He found Kayla talking with William outside one of the dragon sculptures. He stood watching them for a moment. There was a carefree nature to his sister that hadn’t been there before. Even within William, there was something loose and relaxed about him. Jason thought about when he had first met the man, the uncertainty within him, the way he had jumped from tavern to tavern, looking for someone to scam.
Now that he was in Dragon Haven, he wondered whether or not William needed to do any of that anymore.
He had a purpose. He might not be able to connect to the dragons in the same way that Jason could, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t connecting to them at all. He had seen the way that William had been able to work with the dragons, and he recognized that the other man was developing a bond with them.
This was the reason he needed to bring the villagers back. He didn’t know what he was going to do once he did rescue them. He didn’t know whether they could be brought back to the mountaintop, or whether they needed to settle somewhere else.
What he did know was that they deserved an opportunity to be at ease the way that he currently saw his sister. The way he saw William.
It wasn’t only the villagers who deserved such a fate.
He thought about what Sarah wanted.
He was going to have to find a way to get to the dragons. Either now or eventually.
It wasn’t only the villagers who deserved freedom. The dragons deserved it as well.
Taking a deep breath, his mind made up, he knew that he was ready for what would come next.
9
He stood next to the iron dragon, his hand resting on the warm body. The iron dragon glowed with a soft orange heat, and it radiated away from him. Jason enjoyed the warmth, the sense of the dragon, and he enjoyed the way the connection between the two of them had formed. He let the sense of that fill him.
“I’m going to need to be able to hold on to your power for a while,” he said.
“You may have it,” the dragon said.
“Does it harm you?”
“No.”
“I worry about how long I can hold it.”
“You need not.”
“I don’t have your same power.”
The iron dragon turned his head toward him, and his eyes glowed with a soft light. “You do have the same power.”
Jason flexed his hand. As he did, he stared at it, trying to think of what it would look like if it were to change, to hold the illusion, and it flashed for a moment before the illusion appeared.
“I have it, but I don’t. Not the same.”
“The connection between us allows for you to have everything I have.”
“I don’t want to take power from you in a way that harms you,” he said.
“And I have told you it does not.”
Jason sighed. It was time for them to go. They had been here long enough, working together, and now it was time to head to Lorach, to begin this process, to be ready for what must come. Now that the time was near, he wasn’t sure he could do it. He didn’t know if he wanted to.
Sarah approached, joining them.
“What will you do while we do this?” he asked the dragon.
“I will remain near.”
“You can’t remain too near. I don’t want them to find you.”
It was more than just not wanting them to find him. He didn’t want them to harm the iron dragon. He had little doubt that if Therin were to get a hold of the iron dragon, he would do something to him. And if that were the case, then Jason wasn’t sure he would be able to free him. In a place surrounded by Dragon Souls, he might not have enough strength and power in order to rescue the iron dragon.