David stared into the distance. “I did not. When you healed them, what did you do?”
“I tried to free them from what had been done to them, but I don’t know that I did anything else.”
“Interesting.”
“Why?”
“We’ve always believed that once freed, the dragons would roam, and they would hunt and potentially harm others. That’s part of the reason we have felt they needed to be protected. They needed it as much as we do. But if they are free”—he studied Jason for a long moment, almost as if uncertain—“and if what you did has ensured they can’t be controlled, then there should be no reason for them to come after us.”
Jason glanced over as the two dragons took up positions on either side of them. The black dragon roared and the maroon dragon swished her tail. Somehow, Jason was aware that she was a female.
How would they have known?
“They felt me using the dragon pearl,” he said.
“Possibly,” David said.
“And if they felt it, they didn’t have to come, but they chose to.”
“I believe that is true,” David said.
Jason smiled to himself. If he could free dragons, and if he could ensure that they were safe…
No. That wasn’t his task.
He turned his attention back in front of him, and they flew, gliding toward the distant mountains.
As they went, every so often, Jason would look behind him, searching for any sign of those from Dragon Haven, but there were none.
Whatever was going to happen would have to be up to him. And perhaps it wouldn’t even matter. If it was a matter of freeing the dragons, he could do that. He could ensure they were protected. He could take away any influence these others might have on them. And if he could manage that, he wouldn’t have to worry about the dragons being used.
The only challenge would be in doing so in a way that wouldn’t cause danger to the dragons. If they crashed from a height, they would die the same as he would.
The longer they flew, the more a sense of energy began to build around him. Jason thought that might come from their proximity to the dragons, but he wasn’t sure. He started to scan the sky, looking for signs of anything, but there was nothing.
“I think we need to—”
He never got a chance to finish. A blast of fire exploded, catching the side of the dragon.
It did nothing to harm the dragon. Fire wouldn’t hurt it, but it did startle him.
And there was something more.
He looked over to see that the ice dragon struggled.
Heat was a challenge for the ice dragon.
Other blasts struck, coming close, and surprisingly, the black dragon swooped in front of the ice dragon, blocking and protecting it. The heat rolled through the black dragon and then disappeared.
David pressed his lips together in a tight frown. “I have never seen anything like that.”
“Like what?”
“They recognized his need.”
“In that he can’t tolerate the heat?”
“The ice dragon should return,” David said.
“I don’t know that he would.”
“If Lorach brought power to bear, they would be able to tear through him.”
“I thought they wanted to understand and train the dragons.”
“They do, but if it is a matter of understanding and controlling versus losing the dragon altogether, they would lose the dragon if it came down to it. Have him go.”
Jason looked over at the ice dragon. A thick layer of ice surrounded him, though it glistened. It was almost as if the heat of this place was too much, and Jason realized it seemed to be growing hotter.
He hadn’t expected that.
“You need to go,” he said to the ice dragon.
“I can be a part of this,” the dragon said.
“You can, but I don’t know if you should. Not like this. I’m going to need your help in order to save the rest of the dragons.” He needed the ice dragon, and he needed that connection between them in order to do what he thought was necessary to save the other dragons.
“What would you propose?”
“How high can you fly?”
“Why?”
“It’s colder up above. You can tolerate it. The other dragons might not.”
Jason didn’t know if it would work or not, but it seemed reasonable to at least attempt. The ice dragon rumbled, a roar splitting his mouth, and he breathed out a streamer of ice and then streaked straight up.
Movement on either side caught Jason’s attention.
“They were waiting for him,” he muttered.
He focused on the nearest of the dragons. He saw it as little more than a shadow, a smear of darkness, and he drew upon power through the ice dragon pearl, letting it flow from him, and he shot it toward that shadowy form.
It struck, and Jason felt resistance, and he pushed through it.
“You’re going to kill the dragon,” David said.
Jason held on to his connection, ignoring David.
“I thought your desire was to save them.”
“I’m not going to let them destroy that dragon.”
And there was another possibility, but it was one that he didn’t know would work. If he could free the dragon while it was high enough, he had to believe something could change and the dragon would begin to regain control. If that happened, then it seemed to him the dragon should be able to prevent himself from crashing into the ground. Jason continued to push, sending more of the ice dragon’s power through the other dragon, focusing on that energy, and when he met the resistance, he forced even more power through.
Something struck him.
It was a jolt, and Jason was thrown forward.
He almost lost the dragon pearl. He did lose his seat on top of the dragon.
He went flying forward.
Something grabbed him, and for a moment, he thought it was the iron dragon, but David held on to him. He pulled, forcing Jason back onto the dragon’s back, and released him.
“You’re not going to get out of this that easily,” David said.
Jason redoubled his effort, focusing again on the dragon. As he did, power flowed out of him, and he held on to it while the iron dragon rotated, spiraling in place, twisting through the air. It was a strange feeling, but he held on. As he did, he could feel the heat intensifying. He had no idea what the iron dragon was doing, only that he was somehow using his connection to power in a way that would draw more heat, and from there, Jason knew that the iron dragon would unleash it.
He ignored that, thinking only of what he was trying to do, the way he was holding on to the power from the ice dragon, letting it flow through him and into the shadowed form of the other dragon. Jason continued to push, sending more and more power across, and he felt the resistance begin to fade. With another surge, it disappeared altogether.
There came a shriek. A royal blue dragon dropped from the sky and plummeted. Two figures were tossed free, flailing as they plunged to the ground.
Jason focused his energy on the falling dragon, wishing there was some way he could help the dragon, and yet, he believed that with enough time, the dragon would be able to correct course and free itself.
“I don’t think it worked,” David said.
They were spinning, and Jason fought the urge to vomit. The steady rotation was intense, far more than he had ever experienced before, and the dragon was spiraling in a way he thought should toss them off, but somehow the momentum of it held him to the dragon’s neck. It practically pinned him down, allowing him no choice but to lie there.
“I thought—”
A loud roar erupted from far below.
Jason listened, worried the dragon had perished in the fall. He knew how hard it was for dragon eggs to hatch, and he hated the idea that he was responsible for a death. Maybe David was right that they had to bring the dragon closer to the ground, but if they were going to be attacked up here, he wasn’t sure they would be able to do so.