“There will be a place we can leave him,” Henry said, approaching from the forest inside the courtyard. “He can remain hidden.” Henry looked up at the iron dragon. “You can hide, can’t you?”
The iron dragon swung his head toward Henry, rumbling. “And you can run, can’t you?”
Henry didn’t move, but he did start laughing. “I like this one.”
The dragon rumbled again, lowering his head down to the ground.
Jason climbed onto the iron dragon’s neck, taking his seat, and when he was settled, he glanced over at the edge of the courtyard. Kayla stood watching. Every so often, her eyes would drift toward some of the other dragons, but for the most part, she kept her gaze on Jason and the iron dragon. Tears streamed down her face.
He didn’t need to ask to know that she feared she would never see him again. He was determined to return to her.
There were others in the clearing near them. Most of them were people from Dragon Haven, but he saw Sarah’s parents. They had said nothing about her choosing to do this, and Jason wondered what they thought.
Then again, knowing what he did about the people of Dragon Haven, knowing what he did about Sarah and her parents, they probably supported it. They likely wanted her to go, to do whatever she could in order to rescue the dragons.
That was Sarah’s plan. If she could rescue more of the dragons, they would strengthen Dragon Haven and weaken Lorach. All of that was their intention. And yet, Jason still didn’t know if they were going to be able to find enough dragons to do that.
All of it was predicated on the idea that they could reach Lorach, that they could reach the dragons, and if they could, then they had to find some way to overpower what the Dragon Souls had done, the training they’d inflicted over the years, and they would have to use what Jason was able to draw in order to heal them. The challenge would be not only healing the dragons, but doing so in a way that the others weren’t aware of what he was doing. It was possible the Dragon Souls would recognize his influence immediately. They would attack. They would prevent him from saving the dragons.
It was why he focused mostly on what he needed to do for the village. He couldn’t think about the dragons. They were a secondary issue, but perhaps something he could help with.
Sarah climbed onto the dragon’s back alongside him, and then Henry followed.
“Is your dragon strong enough to carry all three of us?” Henry asked.
The iron dragon lurched forward. He rumbled again.
“I don’t think he likes your commentary very much.”
“I just thought I would question,” Henry said.
“We could take your dragon,” Jason said.
The iron dragon roared. “I will carry you.”
With that, the iron dragon leapt into the air. Heat pulsed along his body.
With Jason wearing dragonskin, he was able to withstand the heat, and Sarah and Henry were dressed similarly. Henry had agreed that dragonskin would blend in the best in Lorach, though they ran the risk of someone recognizing the quality of Jason’s clothing. He had removed the pin, the marker of the Auran, and without that, he thought he might be able to blend in better.
“It’s a strange feeling, flying with this dragon,” Sarah said.
“Why?”
“The dragon flies with a different technique.”
It was true. Rather than the steady strong flapping of wings that he felt with the ice dragon, flying with the iron dragon was more about pulsing, the way his body writhed, the way heat flowed through him, propelling them forward.
It was effective, nonetheless. Jason didn’t worry about it. And he leaned forward, gripping the iron dragon tightly around the neck, holding on.
They swooped overhead, and as they did, Dragon Haven became smaller and smaller in the distance. Jason still had not explored much of Dragon Haven, had not taken the time to really understand anything about the place, and yet, he felt as if he knew as much as he needed about it.
The dragons were celebrated. They were revered. The dragons were treated with a measure of respect they didn’t get otherwise.
As they flew, there came a fluttering sense. It took a moment for Jason to realize what it was, but when he did, he knew he had to look into it. He’d felt it before.
The forest dragon.
Jason leaned forward. “We need to stop by the forest.”
The iron dragon rumbled.
“Why do you want to stop there?” Sarah asked.
“I want to see if I can detect the ice dragon.”
“The ice dragon wouldn’t be in the forest,” Henry said. “I thought you said the ice dragon struggled with the heat of the forest.”
“He did, but there’s something else I wonder that we might be able to do. I want to see if I can find the forest dragon, and if there’s anything she might be able to do to help.”
Henry only stared at him, saying nothing.
Gradually, the forest came into view. It was amazing how quickly the dragon was able to fly, and how quickly the scenery changed. They descended, and Jason tried not to think about the fight that had happened here the last time, the way the Dragon Souls had attacked and the way the dragons had battled dragons. He tried not to think of any of that, and yet, how could he not? All of that was still here. He could feel the power here. He could feel the energy they had brought to the attack. He could feel everything about this place.
And the iron dragon felt it as well.
Jason climbed off the iron dragon’s back and studied him for a moment before heading toward the trees. As he did, he could feel the power of this place. He focused, thinking that maybe he could find the forest dragon, the hatch mate of the others, and failed.
She was camouflaged.
He wandered through the trees, looking up at the upper branches, searching for those deep green eyes. All of this was delaying what he needed to do, but at the same time, he wondered if part of this was necessary. Maybe he needed to be focusing on finding the other hatch mate and not on his villagers. The dragons would certainly appreciate that. Perhaps that was where the ice dragon had gone.
The iron dragon slithered between the trees, joining him. “I don’t sense anything.”
When he had come before, he had used David and his sense of the dragon in order to guide him. Then there had been the guidance of the ice dragon, and even that of the iron dragon. They were able to lead him toward that sense of power. And he couldn’t help but wonder if he could locate her on his own. It was possible he wouldn’t be able to figure this out by himself. He might need the help of the dragons.
The iron dragon had already told him that he didn’t feel anything.
Then why did Jason?
When they’d been flying, he was certain of what he had detected, though he wasn’t certain how he had it. He could feel that energy. It was faint, but definitely there.
He looked around, closing his eyes, thinking about what he’d uncovered. If it was here, then he would need to use what he could detect, and he would need to draw upon that power and locate the forest dragon.
Jason focused. There was a distant sense of it.
He started to follow that sense, keeping his eyes closed, not trailing after anything but the sense of power. If he could use that, then perhaps he would be able to find the forest dragon.
As he was dragged through the trees, winding around, he glanced behind him. The iron dragon remained off to the side, working his way around the base of the trees. Henry and Sarah stayed with the iron dragon. Neither of them seemed to care that Jason was coming this way, wandering through the forest, heading toward something.