Heart of Flame (The Dragon's Call Book 2) by Jasper Alden & D.K. Holmberg

Author:Jasper Alden & D.K. Holmberg [Alden, Jasper & Holmberg, D.K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ASH Publishing
Published: 2025-06-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Fifteen

The roar from beyond the horizon faded, but the dragon’s awakening left Jareth reeling. The presence within him, dormant for so long, now thrashed with an intensity that threatened to overwhelm him. The dragon’s panic at the sight of the black sculpture—the Syrnx, as Arin had called it—continued to reverberate through Jareth’s mind with searing intensity.

He clutched his head and sank to his knees as Corvus and Arin helped him away from the inner courtyard. The dragon’s shrieking persisted in his mind, a sound unlike anything he’d experienced since their initial bonding. Everything around him began to gray at the edges, his vision tunneling as he fought to remain conscious through the overwhelming pain of the dragon’s distress.

“Help me understand what this is,” Jareth gasped, desperately trying to communicate with the dragon. No coherent response came, only that same terrified shrieking that threatened to shatter his mind. Whatever had frightened the dragon so profoundly had reduced it to a state of primal terror.

Jareth tried to breathe through the pain, to find some center within the maelstrom of the dragon’s emotions. The sensation reminded him painfully of the early days after their bonding, when the dragon’s voice had been little more than distant murmurs that gradually built to an inescapable crescendo. But this was worse—raw, visceral fear that seemed to be tearing at the very fabric of their connection.

“You need to calm down,” Jareth pleaded silently. “I can’t help if you won’t tell me what’s happening.”

He knew the dragon could communicate clearly when it chose to. It had guided him during their confrontation with the Archmage, had even commanded the horde. But now, faced with whatever ancient threat the Syrnx represented, it seemed incapable of rational thought.

“Tell me what the issue is,” Jareth tried again. “Is it this place? If it’s here, help me understand.”

Without warning, the shrieking began to subside. Jareth couldn’t tell if his words had reached the dragon or if the creature had simply exhausted itself. As the noise in his mind quieted, he became aware of his surroundings again. Reva knelt beside him, her face tight with concern. Beyond her, Corvus and Arin stood in tense conversation, occasionally glancing in his direction.

“Can you stand?” Reva asked, offering her hand.

Jareth nodded weakly and allowed her to help him to his feet. His legs felt unsteady, but the worst of the episode seemed to have passed. The dragon’s presence remained agitated but no longer overwhelmingly so.

And the silence…

The dragon’s silence felt different here—not withdrawal but interference, as if something in this place muffled their connection. Jareth recalled Corvus’s explanation about boundaries affecting dragon magic and wondered if they’d crossed into a region designed to suppress such communication.

“We need to leave these ruins,” Arin stated firmly. “Now that the Syrnx has been discovered, it will continue to affect the dragon seed.”

“What exactly is this Syrnx?” Jareth asked, his voice hoarse.

Arin’s expression darkened. “The Syrnx were created during the ancient wars, when my people still had knowledge of such matters.”

“Wars between whom?” Reva pressed.

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