I tamped the energy down deeper inside of me, then released some of it back into the dragons I had bonded to.
“Manuel,” I said, looking past him and toward the deeper part of the forest where the tunnel had let out. “I’m sorry. You startled me.”
He looked at my hands, the power that crackled from them, and a hint of a smile curled his lips. His face was lean, and a bit of dirt smudged under the corner of one eye. He was dressed in a brown jacket and pants that blended into the forest when he stepped near the trunk of a tree. “You’ve gained far more control than the last time I saw you.”
I looked past him, still staring into the distance. Was that somebody coming toward me? I could feel the power out there pressing upon me, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I needed to keep moving so that I didn’t have to deal with whatever Jerith might do.
Having Manuel here was a bit of a relief though. If nothing else, Manuel would offer me a level of protection. I could share with him what had been going on.
“I’ve been studying with Thomas Elaron,” I said.
Manuel’s gaze lingered on my hands, and I could feel something pushing on me. That had to be Jerith coming from behind me.
“Thomas?”
I shook my head. “Before you say anything, I know the rumors about him. I think he was on to something.”
Manuel frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He thinks the Djarn are responsible for stealing dragons.”
“And you now think the same?”
I glanced past him again. “I told you about the Djarn that surrounded me during my testing. And now I’ve found something, Manuel. There was a dragon held beneath the Academy.”
Manuel frowned again. “Why would there be a dragon there?”
“That’s just it. I don’t really know. I detected something and went after it.”
Manuel smiled slightly. “You detected it?”
“You don’t have to believe me, but I found a dragon trapped in a room beneath the Academy and I freed him.”
“You freed a dragon? You understand how that sounds, don’t you?”
I hesitated, looking over to Manuel before shaking my head. “It wasn’t quite like that. I didn’t free the dragon to release him. I freed the dragon from one of the instructors at the Academy. I think he was working on behalf of the Djarn.” I held out the vase and Manuel looked at it. “This is Djarn writing. I recognized it because I’d seen it back in Berestal. I told you about my friend’s father who traded with the Djarn. Some of their items had writing like this on it.”
Manuel held the vase for a moment before turning it, tracing his finger over the letters, then he handed it back to me. “Are you sure about this?”
“The only thing I’m sure about is what I’ve heard and found. There are other dragons throughout the city getting drained in the same way this one was.”
Manuel pressed his lips together, frowning deeply. “We need to alert the king.”
“I think that was what Thomas tried to do, but when he did, the Sharath had argued with him about it.” There was more pressure upon me, and it was getting closer. That meant whoever had captured the dragon—maybe Jerith—was getting near. “Listen, Manuel. I don’t know how much time we have left. I know there are other dragons in the city getting drained. When I overheard the conversation between who I think was Jerith—”
“Jerith? Jerith Isanth?”
“Yes. Why?”
Manuel turned, looking behind me; he whistled something softly and the mesahn went darting off into the forest. He turned back to me. “Something isn’t quite adding up,” he said to me.
“I know, but I don’t have much time. These other dragons are in danger.”
“They’re captured. That doesn’t mean they’re in danger.”
“I think it does. I felt what was happening to this dragon—the way power was pouring out of it and into the vase, as if they were trying to empty the dragon of its power. If they do that to the others, they’ll destroy them.” I looked over to Manuel, holding his gaze. “There aren’t that many dragons. They are a precious resource to the kingdom to keep us safe. If we have to deal with the Vard and now the Djarn”—and whomever Elaine had been working with—“we’re going to need as many dragons as possible to defend the kingdom.”
Manuel watched me for a long moment before shaking his head. “I think you’ve learned more than just one thing in your time within the city,” he said. “Do you think you could find these dragons?”
I hadn’t been able to before, though I’d looked.
Now . . .
I knew what that irritation felt like.
That was what I could follow.
“If they’re within the city, I should be able to uncover them.”
“Good. I’ll go to the king, then. I’ll report what you shared with me, and we can get ready for a possible attack.”
“Be careful, Manuel. The Sharath seemed as if he were really against the idea of the Djarn being involved in any way, and it makes me wonder . . .”
Manuel frowned at me slightly. “What makes you wonder?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“You really have learned a bit more in your time here.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Only that there are layers within politics. It’s not always straightforward. You would do well to keep that in mind.” He glanced behind him, muscles in his jaw clenching a moment. “Get going. If you have only limited time, find these dragons and rescue them. We need to stop whatever is taking place.”
“We need to stop the Djarn from attacking,” I corrected him.
“Perhaps,” Manuel said. With that, he spun and started off before pausing and turning back to me. “I’m going to need this.” He grabbed the vase from me. “The king is going to need to see this as proof.”
I nodded. “Take it. I
