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

then it shimmered before finally crackling and opening.

She smiled, nodding as she did. “So you see. This is not nearly as stout a defense as others. It created a barrier, but that barrier isn’t nearly as effective as others could be. What I’d like for you to try is a different technique.”

“The spiral,” I said.

“Perhaps that is one thing to call it, but I have my own phrase for it.”

“What do you call it?”

“Why, the Eleanor.” She created a band of power and began to loop it. The spiral continued working its way outward, and when it had fully formed, she shoved it forward. It solidified over the opening. “Try again.”

“Try what?”

“Try whatever technique you think might be effective. If you would like to try to remove it, so be it. But unless the dragon you connected to in order to form the pattern is present, you will not be able to draw the pattern back. Perhaps Thomas hasn’t informed you of that.”

“I’m not so sure it’s been necessary yet,” I said. “Most of the things I do have been different.”

“I suppose,” she said. “Most of the things you have done have been a bit more destructive than what I prefer. In this case, I’d like you to see that destructive spells aren’t necessary. But if you’re to have a permanent outcome, you must make sure that the dragon you placed the pattern with is the same dragon you use to remove it.”

“What happens if they’re not with me?”

“Then you will find you’re unable to do so.”

“I see.”

I headed toward the pattern, and given that I had failed to withdraw the other one, I had no doubt that I’d fail at withdrawing this one. I attempted to add the heat back into the cycle, but that, too, failed.

I didn’t think anything else would even work, though I had Eleanor watching me, and I had a feeling that she wanted—maybe even needed—for me to try to break through what she had placed. I didn’t have high hopes, but I was willing to try it.

I took a step back and attempted to form a band of power between my hands, whipping it at the opening. The spiraling pattern held.

I tried something different. I created two bands, weaving them together in a twist, knowing that power was strong enough to cause significant damage. I whipped it, then tensed, afraid I might cause some destruction of the stone.

The spiral pattern—the Eleanor—remained in place.

I tried again, this time twisting five bands together, braiding them in a way that created an incredible power. I was curious as to how strong her spiral pattern would be. As I whipped the twisted bands, the air sizzled, and the bands crackled when they struck, but the pattern still held.

I glanced over to her and saw her watching me with a satisfied look on her face.

“So you see,” she told me. “This one is far more effective. The key is the spiral. You need it to be an outward facing spiral.”

“Outward facing?”

“Exactly,” she said.

“I’m afraid I don’t really know what that means.”

“An outward facing spiral would be one that you loop away from you. It is much different from an inward facing spiral.”

“What does an inward facing spiral do?”

“An inward facing spiral is a bit more your speed. I didn’t show it to you because I figured you would learn it on your own, but perhaps it is something you should practice regardless.”

“What do you mean it’s more my speed?”

“I mean it is potentially dangerous. As you have seen, the spiral itself is incredibly powerful. As you will learn, the way you hold the spiral, and the power you put into it, creates something more than it would have been otherwise. You will find that the spiral seals things more powerfully.”

“Seals?”

“Indeed,” she said.

“What would happen if I used a spiraling pattern with something like what Walter showed me?”

“It would potentially work,” she said, shaking her head to tell me she wasn’t convinced, “but it wouldn’t be quite the same. Part of what Walter has succeeded in demonstrating is something a bit more personal. It is tied to the power that pours out of you, using the division your body naturally creates. You wouldn’t be able to do that . . . Well, perhaps you would be able to do that. I suppose I should say I wouldn’t be able to do that. Most dragon mages aren’t capable of splitting the strands out of their hands quite as elegantly as you have demonstrated.”

“Thomas has,” I said.

“Thomas wants us to think he has,” she said.

She didn’t elaborate on what that meant, and I didn’t push.

Instead, I focused on the opening. I created a spiraling outward pattern, creating a band from one hand to the next, and tried to push it off.

It didn’t quite work that well.

When I pushed it off, it struck her pattern then dissipated.

“The control is the key,” she said.

“I’m trying,” I said.

“I can see you are. It is more a matter of holding on to the spiral as tightly as you can when you release it. Once you do, then you find that you can maintain that control.”

I wasn’t sure I had the necessary control, but I saw the value in what she showed me. She stepped forward and removed the spiral over the opening.

“Keep attempting to master this, Ashan. The more you practice, the more it is likely to be effective for you. This is not something that takes speed, not at all like what Walter demonstrated. That is something you may need speed for if you were to be attacked. This is something you can use to protect various items, should you need to do so. That is its benefit.” She nodded to me. “I will leave you to your practice. There’s no need for you to venture beyond here while you’re mastering this pattern. I will check in with you later today.”

“Thank you,” I said.

She nodded, as if that were the only thing I should say