Night Dragon An Epic Fantasy Adventure - D.K. Holmberg Page 0,47
the mountains. Each one contained large collections of dragon bones, all of them corrupted. After a while, Jason knew that he could no longer keep looking at them. The different locations didn’t help him know anything about how Lorren made smoke or earth or mist dragons. They hadn’t seen anything that would explain those to him.
He had been gone for several days and began to wonder what was going on in Dragon Haven in his absence. Hopefully, Lorach hadn’t attacked, but they had been up to something before his departure. All of this felt important to Jason, but at the same time, he couldn’t shake the feeling that by coming here, by leaving the people and places he had known, he was somehow putting those he cared about in danger.
He pushed those thoughts out of mind, having no choice but to do so.
I need to be here.
But what was going on with Kayla? His mother?
Sarah.
His thoughts went back to her, knowing that she was the one he had promised to help, and yet he had abandoned his search for her parents. Regardless of whether he believed anything could be done for them, he had still abandoned her search.
And then there was the night dragon.
Jason could feel nothing from that distant dragon, but he hoped he remained hidden within the forest. Even hidden, the night dragon would continue to grow, his power progressing.
What would happen the next time Jason encountered him?
He might be even more powerful. Maybe too powerful.
He had been gone too long.
“Enough,” he said.
The earth dragon rumbled.
It was time for them to get back.
He had been traveling for the better part of several days now, traveling with the dragons and the dragon queen, and getting to know her a little bit better.
She still had not told him her name.
He’d asked, but she had avoided answering, telling him only that Lorren had told her that names mattered and she should not share.
The cold air swirled around him. He rode atop the ice dragon, the dragon queen sitting in front of him. She had to have another name, but for some reason, he almost enjoyed referring to her as the dragon queen. She gripped the dragon carefully, gloves on her hands protecting her from the cold, something Jason did not need.
“How can this dragon withstand this?” she asked above the wind.
“He is a creature of the snow and the north,” Jason said.
Winds screamed around them, snow sending flurries up all around him as well. The cold whipped at him, pulling at his dragonskin, pulling at his hair, and threatening to toss him free of the dragon.
Even if it were to happen, Jason thought he would be safe. He had enough of a connection to the dragon that he thought the ice dragon would come diving for him, seeking to rescue him.
In the distance, Jason noticed the changing landscape. Mountains rose in undulating peaks, some of them taller than others, with one particular mountain rising higher than the rest. Snow swirled around, the nature of it slamming into him, making it difficult for him to make much else out.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I’m taking you to see Lorach, then I’m taking you to see the other dragons.”
“Not to Dragon Haven?”
“Not yet,” he said.
Eventually, he would need to take her to Dragon Haven, if only so she could understand what he needed to do, the way he rescued the dragons, protecting them, but he wanted to ensure that when he did, he provided the necessary protection to the dragons so that they were alert enough to ensure they weren’t influenced by anything that she might be able to do. He didn’t know if she would be able to do anything to harm them, though he doubted she could.
“How many dragons remain in Lorach?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been able to get close enough.”
“But you tried?”
“I intend to free all of them. Lorach needs to be defeated. At least, the Dragon Souls of Lorach need to be defeated. We need to ensure the dragons are allowed to fly freely, no longer controlled by the Dragon Souls.”
“Why do you care?” She turned, unmindful of the wind, somehow gripping the dragon with her legs in a way that squeezed him.
It surprised Jason, but even more surprising was how comfortable she seemed atop the ice dragon. He sensed an amusement coming from the ice dragon, almost as if he were pleased by this turn of events.
“I didn’t always. When I was younger, I hated dragons. I was