Night Dragon An Epic Fantasy Adventure - D.K. Holmberg Page 0,3

knew illusions, especially those illusions that shifted reality the way that he had the ability to do, could call upon power that brought more energy into existence. When it came to Jessica, he worried about giving it too much power. So far, they had defeated her, pushing her back and preventing her from probing toward Dragon Haven. For now. Eventually, he worried that would change, and when it did, he wanted to be ready to protect Dragon Haven.

“She doesn’t look too powerful,” the night dragon said, swishing his long tail toward her. Shadows streamed off the tail. They swirled around the illusion, shattering it.

It was a physical sensation when the illusion shattered. More than that, there came a surge of power that exploded, and it sent a shiver radiating up through him.

He tried to ignore it, trying to focus only on holding onto the illusion rather than trying to use it as an opportunity to combat the night dragon, but he couldn’t help feeling as if there was something that made it difficult. He struggled with it.

The more power that streamed off the dragon, the more he could feel the change, the way that energy shattered.

“Not only from her, though,” the night dragon said. It seemed to Jason that he became more confident each time they spoke.

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He noticed the energy the night dragon held onto, and as he did, he tried to hold onto something different, attempting a different approach. Rather than fighting through the burst of energy the night dragon used, Jason tried to solidify the illusion in a different way, shifting it.

He allowed the shadows to slide through the illusion, but once they were through, he added a hint more of power, connecting to the illusion again. Doing so, he felt the power that he’d been holding onto shatter, but then it reformed in a way that allowed Jason to maintain it again.

The night dragon looked over at him. “Why do you hold this image?”

“Practice,” Jason said.

“Why must you practice?”

“Because you continue to test me,” Jason said, smiling, though he didn’t feel much humor. The night dragon would be too great a prize were Jessica to claim him. Jason needed to protect him—all of the misfits—from Jessica and Lorach.

He took another step toward the dragon and reached toward him.

He hadn’t touched the dragon yet, either. As much as he wanted to feel the night dragon’s skin, to see what the scaled surface of his body might feel like, the dragon had avoided any contact.

Jason didn’t even know if the night dragon was substantial or whether it consisted of shadows swirling around. As far as he knew, it could be either.

The night dragon continued to move, writhing around, and as Jason held onto the sense of the night dragon, he felt power flowing from him. There wasn’t anything more that he could detect coming off the dragon, just a certain anger and energy that suggested his irritation with Jason.

Jason took a deep breath. “The other dragons want you to stay here,” he said.

“And you?” the night dragon asked.

“I think it’s necessary you stay here for now. Eventually…”

Even then, Jason wasn’t sure what it would take for him to feel confident with the night dragon leaving the forest. Knowing how powerful the night dragon was, knowing just what Jessica would do to get her hands on a dragon like this, he feared that she would try to capture this dragon in particular. She would use and control him the way she had with the others.

He didn’t even know if she was aware of the egg or the existence of the night dragon, though it was unlikely she knew it had hatched. Still, he wouldn’t put it past her to have learned that something had happened. The dragons under her control may have felt some influence.

Jason took a deep breath, focusing on the power within him, trying to calm himself and to focus on the other dragon energies. “Let us resolve this.”

The dragon looked over at him. “If you don’t, I’m leaving,” the dragon said. “There is much that must be done.”

“I understand.”

“You don’t understand. Not yet.” The dragon watched him. “Soon you’ll have no choice but to understand.”

Jason had a sense the dragon was done talking to him. He curled around and shadows began to bloom off him, sweeping out in a tight circle of energy.

Jason focused on the power coming off the night dragon, but there wasn’t anything he could