The Caged Dragon (Cycle of Dragons Book 1) by Dan Michaelson (websites to read books for free txt) 📕

“You know what’s going on,” she said. This time, she watched Joran, her gaze lingering on him, almost as if she knew that Joran had admitted his family was sympathetic to the Vard cause. Maybe she had overheard it.

Joran settled down on a fallen log near the edge of the clearing. If it came down to us needing to get out of here without Elaine’s help, I wasn’t sure that we would be able to do it.

“We traveled out here to see if there were any people with potential as riders. Not that most of us expected there to be. To be honest, the Academy has chosen to avoid the outskirts of the kingdom for that reason. It’s unlikely that anyone with that potential will be found out here, let alone anyone able to become a mage. I was as surprised as the rest of them when we uncovered a few, though they are most likely going to be riders, or nothing at all.”

“They won’t be dragon mages?” I asked. The sudden change in conversation was enough to make me question more than I would have otherwise.

Elaine shot me a hard look. “Dragon mages take a specific talent. There is power within them, and if they were to possess such power, we would have known by now. Unfortunately, coming out here has drawn the attention of the Vard. They thought we would be an easy target.”

“Have you ever faced the Vard before?” Joran asked.

“All within the kingdom have faced them before.” She pressed her lips together, frowning deeply. “They have proven a terrible danger for those who want to keep the kingdom safe.”

I glanced from Joran to Elaine. I needed to know about Alison, not this.

“Why did you think you would find those with potential in Berestal?” I asked, looking out into the trees.

“I didn’t,” she said.

I turned to frown at her. “Somebody did. Why?”

“You’ve seen how different your lands are.”

“We’re only different because we’re isolated,” I said.

“You have the Wilds on one side, and this forest on another. I think others have decided that there has been enough mystery. Perhaps they were right. I would never have guessed that your lands would have so much potential.”

“That doesn’t sound like a compliment,” I said.

“We came. Is that not enough? Were there any belief that your people were somehow substandard, we would not have come. The king certainly wouldn’t have put his dragons at risk out here.”

“He hasn’t risked his dragons,” I said. Still, the conversation I had with my father came drifting back to me. Maybe there had been more taking place in these lands than I ever realized. “At least, not recently.”

“Not recently.”

“He’s not after the Wilds.” I looked at Elaine, but she had an unreadable expression on her face. “Is he?”

“Would you oppose the idea? You shouldn’t forget that you live in the kingdom. Were it not for your king, you might find yourself under attack from the Vard more often than you have.”

I looked to her, a question in my eyes going unasked.

Joran knew me well enough to know what I wondered, though. And he would likely answer me, but not with a dragon mage sitting across from us.

“Like the attack on the wagons,” he said. “We saw the wagons. The fire. We knew something had happened.” He looked at me with a pointed gaze.

Did he fear I didn’t trust him or his family?

Joran’s family might sympathize with the Vard, but I doubted they would do anything to harm me or my family. I’d known them too long to think that.

“What happened during the attack?” I asked. Maybe I could figure out what happened to Alison that way.

“We were ambushed. I didn’t see much. Just a flash of power.”

“A flash of power?” I asked, perking up. I didn’t think the Vard had power. “Did they have a dragon mage?”

“No dragon mage.”

“What was it, then?”

“Maybe it was that mesahn,” Joran said. “You said they’re dangerous.”

“It is dangerous,” Elaine said.

I frowned at her. “There was another attack recently. A wagon was destroyed. Do you know anything about that?”

“Are you sure a wagon was destroyed?”

I found Joran looking at me. “I’m not entirely sure. I think so. We found the remains.” It had to have been a wagon, right? It looked like it had been destroyed by a dragon. There must have been more dragon attacks than we had realized. “Have the Vard been moving?”

“More than you realize,” Elaine said softly.

“You still haven’tanswered my question,” I told her.

“To what?”

“How did they catch you?”

“I never saw. They came up behind me, incapacitated me, and threw me in that box you found me in,” Elaine said. “Almost worse than getting killed.”

Joran grunted. “What’s worse than getting killed?”

“Being captured and controlled,” Elaine said softly. Elaine watched me for a long moment, wrinkling her brow as she studied me. “One thing I know about the Vard, they want those with particular potential. If your sister was selected by the Academy, then it’s possible they thought they might be able to use her.”

I knew it was her way of trying to placate me, but it did nothing.

“What kind of potential?” Joran asked.

“Dragon magic.” She leaned forward. “They’ve wanted those who have a connection to the dragons for a long time. They don’t have that naturally.”

Joran leaned close to me. “I didn’t know the Vard would attack.”

“I know.”

He held my gaze. “I want to make sure you believe me. My mother wanted us to go into the city, but mostly she wanted Tara to go. She’s been the most sympathetic of any of us. I didn’t really have much of an interest. All I want to do is work on the farm, live that life, and nothing else. Tara… well, you know Tara.”

I understood what she was going through, and I understood what he meant. She’d made no attempt to hide how she sympathized with the Vard.

I let out a frustrated sigh.

Elaine laughed slightly. “What did