the power that flowed within him. They were bound together, wrapped up in the connection that was a stirring deep within him. It was that connection which allowed Jason to understand that power, to know it.
It bonded to him, connecting with him, the energy of the dragon that shifted, flowing through him. And gradually, Jason began to understand there was something more to it that he might be able to understand.
He was connected to those dragons, but he had something more as well.
It started with what he was able to detect from the ice dragon. By holding onto that power, Jason recognized that he was bound to energy high above him. Ever since he had started working with the night dragon, some aspect of his understanding of the dragons—and in particular, the ice dragon—had begun to shift.
In this case, and in the case of the other dragons, Jason could feel that power, and he recognized the way it was flowing and just how powerful it was. He recognized that he was truly connected to the energy of the north.
Could he feel something similar with the iron dragon?
He knew the dragon, and he knew where the dragon’s power came from. This time, it wasn’t even borrowing. It was drawing from the same source. By calling on that power and energy, Jason could use the same energy as the dragon. He called from the anger that stirred within him. It was in a deep place.
It was connected to the anger from everything he had experienced his entire life, the time spent on the mountaintop, time spent isolated, hunting, searching, struggling to live. Now that he was able to connect that power, he could feel the way that the dragon connected to his power, and he could draw upon it as well.
What about the forest dragon? Hers was different. Jason remembered the first time he had connected to the power of the forest dragon, the way that he had felt the wind rustling below, the energy of the wind as it guided him.
Jason could feel that now and he breathed it in, letting the energy fill him. There was a vibrant sense of it flowing within him. He recognized the way she was connected to the forest, the wind, to other aspects of life. He might be able to do the same thing.
He attempted to call upon that power. When he did, he felt something stirring within him. Slowly, he again connected directly to that power.
Finally, he opened his eyes and looked over.
Janeya watched him, and he tried to figure out how much time had passed, but realized all of that had happened in no more than a blink of an eye. A few heartbeats at most.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Connecting to the power of the dragons.”
She watched him for a moment but said nothing more.
Jason wasn’t necessarily drawing from the dragons, either. All he was doing was calling on their power, but he was connecting to it the same way they did. They were misfits. He was a misfit. Together, they had a different connection, and they were able to use more power, more than he had ever had before, and he was able to finally begin to understand the nature of what a misfit meant.
The dragon banked off to the side.
He noticed something.
He stared in the distance, borrowing from all the connections to do so, but he didn’t see anything. This time, he felt it.
That was what he had to continue to focus on.
Power stirred someplace deep within him. Jason let it out.
It washed away from him, sweeping across the landscape.
He felt life, movement, energy. Jason was aware of all of those things. It was different than it had been before.
There.
He pushed that connection through to the ice dragon, guiding the dragon toward what he detected. The dragon gave him a stirring within their bond, and he surged into the distance.
The dragon flew quickly toward what Jason detected.
“I can feel something out there. I’ve been feeling something out there. I just…” He wanted to know what it was, but he couldn’t tell. Power, perhaps, but from where?
And what did it have to do with what had happened to the people—and the dragons—of Dragon Haven?
“What is it?” She studied him, a curious tilt to her jaw.
By focusing on the power within him, focusing on what he could detect of the earth dragon, he sent his connection over to her.
She gasped. “How was it that you were able to detect that?”
“I don’t