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

time in the forest,” Joran whispered. “We’ve never seen anything quite like this before.”

“We’ve never gone this deep into the forest.”

“I’ve only done it a few times,” he said carefully, looking around. “My father didn’t like going this far into the forest either. He always thought it was dangerous.”

“Would the two of you keep it down?” Elaine hissed. Her voice was little more than a whisper. A soft growl rumbled through the forest, the steady sound of the mesahn. I glanced over to Elaine and noticed concern—real concern—written in her eyes. She tried to hide it, but she was afraid of the mesahn.

Having caught a glimpse of it, I could understand why, but it hadn’t attacked. She didn’t seem to recognize that incongruity, but something was not quite right about all of this.

“There it is again,” Joran said.

“It’s still far enough away,” I said.

“ But getting closer.”

“Quiet,” she hissed again. “We aren’t far.”

“You can tell that with your magic?” Joran asked.

She held her gaze on Joran for a long moment before tearing it away and looking at me. She frowned as she stared at me. “When we get close to the wagons, we need to get off the path and into the trees. Then we can scout around and see what the Vard are doing.”

“Do you think the wagons are moving?” I asked.

“They aren’t,” Elaine said.

“Let me guess. Your magic told you that,” Joran said.

Elaine looked back at him, staring at him for a long moment. “Yes.”

Joran started to grin, looking over at me as it faded. “Whatever you say.”

We crept along the path a little further, and every so often, Elaine would pause, raising her hand and signaling for us to stop. There was an energy in the air, and my stomach started to burn, though I didn’t really understand it. My skin grew tight, when she suddenly used a flicker of flame that stretched from her fingers, swirling in a pattern before fading. As it faded, the sensation along my skin, and in my belly, disappeared as well.

I didn’t understand it, but perhaps I wasn’t supposed to.

It was her magic. Dragon magic.

I thought about all of the times when I had wanted to learn and see dragon magic, and here I was, exposed to it. I felt so out of my element that I didn’t even know what to do or say.

Elaine motioned for us to head into the trees.

I followed her, moving with Joran. Joran stayed behind me, and every so often, I glanced behind to ensure that he stayed with us. I didn’t want him to get lost. We prowled through the trees, carefully moving forward, with Elaine guiding us. The glowing brightness of her dragon magic flowed from her fingers in a circle, lighting the way as she spun the flames around, but then it faded, disappearing back into the darkness again.

It seemed almost as if the forest had lightened a little bit, at least enough for me to begin to make out details around us. Could the sun have already started to rise?

Even if it did, I had been in the forest once or twice to know that even with the daylight the canopy was so dense that it didn’t allow much light in. It would be more than the utter blackness of night, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the sounds of the forest would return with the dawn. Unless the creatures had gone silent because of us. Our presence might have muted everything else around us in the forest.

I leaned forward to Elaine. “Is everything getting a little bit brighter?” I whispered.

Elaine paused, and the magic she held seemed to pause with her. Elaine regarded me for a moment. “What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t seem as dark as it did before.” I looked around the trees. Behind me, it seemed just as dark before, but the direction that we were going, was a hint lighter. Almost as if everything had a faint glow to it. It was enough that I could make out the details of the forest. There were trees blocking our way, but not so difficult as if I couldn’t navigate around them. Small shrubs were there, as well, and I could see a squirrel weaving through the undergrowth that would otherwise have grabbed at us.

“Maybe your eyes are just adjusting,” Elaine said.

I nodded. “Maybe that’s it.”

She watched me for another moment, before she turned away. I wondered if perhaps there was another reason that she didn’t want to share with me. She continued on through the forest. With each step, it really did become easier for me to see. I knew that I wasn’t imagining that.

Elaine raised her hand, pointing.

We approached a massive pair of trees. The trunks were easily as wide as the width of my arms outstretched. We backed behind them, with Elaine poking her head around one side. I shuffled off to the other side, keeping my feet and my movements as quiet as I could. When I looked around the tree, the wagons were there.

A lantern was lit near the center wagon that let off a soft glow. Not only that, but a hint of warmth radiated from that wagon as well, flowing toward us. My skin felt tight, as if it were baking. Heat bubbled in my stomach as well.

“I don’t see anyone,” I said.

Joran leaned forward, looking out between the trees. “I don’t either.”

There was no movement around the wagons, nothing to suggest that the Vard were there. Could they have disappeared? Maybe because we’d rescued Elaine, they had decided to abandon the wagons. If they had, then we would have no way of following them. The wagons gave us something easy to track, a visible object that we could use to follow through the forest.

The mesahn growled in the distance, a steady rumbling sound. It seemed closer, but far enough away that I didn’t think we were in any danger.

I spun, looking toward the other side of the tree.

Three men came