The Lost Dragon (Cycle of Dragons Book 3) by Dan Michaelson (good summer reads .txt) 📗

cycle, all of them adding to what we were doing, all of them augmenting the connection. It was that augmentation, that connection, that told me we were doing what was necessary.

I continued to send power through me, letting the cycle flow, filling not only myself, but the other dragons.

The dragon took to the air, circling higher and higher, and as he did, I could feel some energy coming off of him.

“I think it’s time we turn from here,” I said.

The dragon roared again, and we veered off. The two of us started north. We had no choice but to do so. It felt as if we had to keep moving, heading away from here, and if we did not, we might be caught by the Vard. If that were to happen . . .

I didn’t want to think about it—what the Vard might do to us, the way they might suck the power off the dragon.

Not just off this one dragon, but the others. Possibly many others. The Vard were powerful, and if they did truly worship fire in some way, if they did try to siphon that energy, we would be in greater danger. I might lose the dragon.

I let out a deep sigh, focusing instead on helping to add power to the dragon, using that so we could streak as quickly as possible across the land toward the distant dragons.

We stayed high in the air, and as I looked down, I could make out the brightness of the cities below us in the distance; I could also see Affellah, though not nearly as well as I had been able to before. The altitude made it more difficult to see, but so did our speed and the smoke drifting up from the ground, obscuring everything.

There was a pulling upon me, as if it were trying to latch on to the cycle that connected me to the other dragons. I could feel the way that energy began to drift out and away—just enough for me to recognize it.

And I recognized how dangerous it was.

The power was becoming too much for me.

I focused, sending more energy through me, more power through the cycle.

Gradually, the dragons help me assert control.

That draw on me had to have been Affellah.

The pulling upon me lessened, the heat no longer drawing off of me the way it had when we first started. I could only hope we’d gotten far enough and were fast enough so I didn’t have to worry about the Vard chasing us, but I still feared what might happen.

When we crossed over the Southern Reach, I knew I was finally getting closer to safety. The strange pulling continued to lessen, but it was still there. I looked down and saw that we had finally crossed over into the forest, a place we would be safe.

Surprisingly, there came another blast of power, a surge of energy that tried to pull upon me. As I fought it, I looked to see where it came from, but didn’t find anything.

Then it faded.

The dragon and I circled a little longer until I grew confident that the feeling wouldn’t return. We flew toward the capital, over the edge of the forest, the Southern Reach just in view.

I waited.

Thomas would have to follow.

So far, he had not.

We continued to circle, to wait.

The dragon remained above the Southern Reach.

As we flew, a troubled thought began to come to me, one I had no answer for. Had something happened to Thomas?

If so, who would go after him?

9

The journey took me up and over the forest, and from there, we circled for another moment. I lingered, looking down at the ground below me, trying to see if there were anything that would give me any additional information. I wanted to wait long enough for Thomas to catch back up to me, but I didn’t know how long that was going to take. I didn’t think he would remain behind too long, figuring he would come after me as soon as possible, leaving the Servant of Affellah behind.

But there was no sign of him.

The green dragon and I continued to circle, staying along the border just north of the Southern Reach. We flew slowly and steadily, and gradually the darkness began to fade, a faint streamer of light coming over the horizon.

It was late or really early, and I figured I needed to return, but I didn’t want to do so without Thomas. I didn’t want to return until I knew what else he might tell me.

I continued guiding the dragon, and held on to the cycle of power, every so often pulsing energy through it so that I could feel the dragon’s energy. The dragon seemed to recognize my irritation and agitation, and we didn’t shift our course at all.

As daylight began to break, I realized I wouldn’t be able to stay out here any longer than I already had. It would pose a danger to me, as well as the dragon. Besides, as a student at the Academy, I didn’t think I should be wandering the kingdom until I had a greater understanding of what was expected of me.

As we turned, I caught sight of something down below.

It was just at the edge of the forest, on the border of the Southern Reach. I frowned, and the dragon seemed to notice; he descended with me, gliding toward the ground. I looked all around us, checking to make sure there was no one else around, and when I was certain we were alone, we reached the ground. From there, I paused before climbing off the dragon.

There was a strange crater in the ground.

I hadn’t seen anything quite like it before. It looked like a cave, but it looked to be burrowed into the ground, as if some enormous worm had dug their way free.

I stared down into it as I approached, realizing that it descended into darkness. Stretching my hands apart, I let a band of power flow from one to