I went from one to the other, adding them to the cycle of the dragon power, linking together as many of them as possible, and using that connection to bridge them so he couldn’t reach their power. There came a surge, and suddenly the cycle that flowed through me was even more potent than it had been before.
He could no longer call on the dragons.
His jaw was locked in frustration and anger. He darted toward me, bringing his fist back in rage and slamming it into me. It was filled with power when it struck.
He was not much younger than me, and he had far more experience as a dragon mage than I did.
I staggered back, crumbling to the ground. I hurriedly began to use the connection to the other dragons, letting that power cycle through and then out in a burst of uncontrolled power, which exploded into Brandel.
He was thrown back, landing near Dominic, who helped him to his feet, along with Cara.
“You’re going to regret that.”
I shook my head. “I think I understand what’s been going on with you.”
Brandel sneered. “Do you?”
I knew Elaine had betrayed the Academy, but I still wasn’t convinced she was Vard.
And now I knew Brandel and Cara, at least, had a vessel—similar to the one that I had found beneath the Academy—that allowed them to draw upon the dragon power and store it. I was certain the writing on that vase was Djarn writing.
A surge of power came through the green dragon. The circle of power that cycled between me and the other dragons was enormous now; considerable energy connected us. It distracted me, and I turned away from Brandel and Cara, focusing on the green dragon. As I did, I noticed something else.
The reason that the green dragon had triggered me.
Not only did he want to alert me of something, but he wanted me to get moving.
At first, I wasn’t sure why there was a sudden urgency. I should deal with Brandel and Cara and whoever else might be with them, but at the same time, there was something distant, faint and faded, some hint of power that called to me, warning me.
I realized what it was.
A dragon.
Not just that, but a fading dragon. Power drained from it.
The irritation.
It was near enough that I could find it, but not if I waited much longer.
A burst of power struck me, and yet, there came a surge from the green dragon that protected me, almost as if he did so instinctively.
I looked over to Brandel, shaking my head. “I’ll deal with you later.”
“You will deal with me now,” Brandel said. “Because I’ve about—”
I turned away, ignoring him.
The faint energy coming off of the dragon persisted, but I knew it would soon disappear. I needed to find him now.
Brandel called something out to me, but I ignored him. I focused instead only on the dragon and how to quickly find him.
22
I could faintly trace the dragon near the outskirts of the city on the westerly edge. I approached slowly and carefully, and found a dilapidated building that looked as if it had once been a tavern or an enormous home, but now was in a shambles. The stones on the outside of the building had cracked and fallen inward. It looked completely abandoned . . . which was exactly the kind of place where I would expect to find a dragon.
I could feel the energy somewhere.
I didn’t know that I would be able to head beneath the ground the way I had in the Academy, not if it involved crawling underneath crumbling stone. I might be able to defend myself with a connection to the dragons, but I had to be careful.
The dragon continued to fade as I neared. I approached slowly, trying to connect to this dragon, but some aspect of it rebuffed my attempt.
I stepped over the outer wall that shifted as I did. The stone felt as if it moved with my step. Once on the other side of the broken and cracked wall, I entered what appeared to be the main hall of this abandoned building. Windows let in faint light, and much like the outside of the building, vines crept up inside.
I focused on the dragon, opening myself to it, following the steps I’d learned in my time at the Academy. As I did, I reached for power as quickly as I could until I felt it flowing.
I was not far from him.
I stepped forward. Then I slipped.
I landed on the stone, which crumbled underneath my elbow.
That was strange. Why would the stone itself crumble so much?
As I got to my feet, I breathed in, noticing the faint stench in the air. It was a smoky sort of aroma, one of char—and violence.
Dragon fire.
That was the reason for the stone degrading. The dragon—held and trapped—must have been struggling to get free the entire time. I moved through the building, slipping through a doorway, worried the wall would crash down around me, but thankful it did not.
I found the dragon on the other side. It was small, shriveled, and weak looking.
Much like the one in the basement of the Academy, this dragon was chained. He barely raised his head as I approached, and when he eventually did, I realized that it wasn’t a he but a she. There weren’t that many female dragons. Certainly not enough that we could risk losing them.
I had seen this dragon before. She had been within the dragon pen early on during my time at the Academy, but she was one of the dragons that had been absent for weeks. Possibly one of the earliest dragons to have gone missing.
A small metal vase rested near her, power flowing out from her and into it.
I crouched down next to her,
