I shook my head. “I’m not the only one. You did too.”
“I might’ve thought that I did, but I knew I never would. Up until your family was injured, I thought you would. You need to do this, if only so that you can see whether or not you can.”
I looked at the two of them, shaking my head. Could I really do it?
For so long, all I had thought about was taking care of my family. That’s all I wanted to do, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny that I wanted to understand if there was something more that I was capable of.
Joran leaned close to me. “Think of it this way. If you can use the dragon power, you can help more than just your family. You can protect all of the plains. You can protect all of Berestal.”
I took a deep breath, nodding slowly. He wasn’t wrong.
I might even be able to learn if my father had been delusional when he was talking about the dragons. If he knew about dragons, then maybe there would be others in the Academy who knew him.
I turned to Manuel. “What happens if I go?”
“That will be up to you.” He looked down to the dragon. “And to the dragon. Given the strange connection that has formed, I suspect the dragon will make a choice, though knowing the king as I do, you may not have much of one.”
I turned back to Alison.
She smiled at me. “I thought I wanted to go, but if this has shown me anything, it’s that I don’t want this. I just want to return to some normalcy.” She smiled at me. “Well, maybe a little bit less normal. I can go to the city. Become a weaver. You need to do this.”
I took a deep breath, and yet, even as I did, the strange tension within me continued to build, drawing my gaze toward the dragon. I looked at it. The dragon watched me, an intelligent expression burning in its eyes. It was almost as if it were trying to tell me I needed to come with it.
I could return to the farm. I could return to my home. I could return to the life that I had known for as long as I had lived , and nothing would change for me. There was no harm in that. I was a farmer, and that was my life. I was comfortable.
But I would never know if I could have been something more.
I would never know whether my father had been something more.
His strange babblings took on a new meaning.
Mom wouldn’t know. If she did, I doubt she’d share.
And Alison…
If I returned home to the farm it meant she would also have to go back. If I left, it would be far easier on her. She could sell the farm, move to the city, take up an apprenticeship, and become the person that she was meant to be.
Much like I had the opportunity to become the person I was meant to be.
Strangely, as I came to that realization, it felt as if some cage had been lifted away from me, and I was suddenly freed. I smiled.
“I will go.”
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A chance encounter leads Ashan deeper into the mysteries of the dragons.
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Author’s Note
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Thank you so much for reading The Caged Dragon. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would be so kind as to take a moment to leave a review on Amazon or elsewhere, I would be very grateful. Review link HERE.
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D.K. Holmberg
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Series by Dan Michaelson
Cycle of Dragons
Similar Series by D.K. Holmberg
The Dragonwalkers Series
The Dragonwalker
The Dragon Misfits
The Dragon Thief
Cycle of Dragons
Copyright © 2021 by ASH Publishing
Cover art by Damonza
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