The Returned Dragon (Cycle of Dragons Book 6) by Dan Michaelson & D.K. Holmberg

Author:Dan Michaelson & D.K. Holmberg [Michaelson, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ASH Publishing
Published: 2022-01-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

We followed Natalie into the city. She was quiet, and though I felt the awkwardness between us, Asanley was even quieter, which left me acutely aware of how odd this had to be for her. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. I could practically feel the unease she felt. Most of that came through our connection to Affellah and how the shared power flowed between us, even if she didn’t necessarily attempt to open herself to it here, but partly that came from the tension I saw in her. I took her hand.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked Natalie.

“Things have changed, Ashan.”

“You mean other than you and the Wilds.”

“I mean that things have changed. I don’t know what you’ve been doing, but the kingdom has begun to take more definitive action. Unfortunately, that means that my people have suffered.”

That was something that I hadn’t expected.

“What did they do?”

She stopped in front of a massive tree. Up close, it did look like a tree, but not exactly. It was in the middle of a clearing and looked to have a doorway hollowed out of it. She stopped in front of it. “You came here. Remember that. And I hope you will answer for what you have done.”

I cringed. “What exactly did I do?”

Irritation flashed in her eyes, rage that barely simmered. At that moment, I wondered if perhaps she were contaminated by murtar, as her expression was similar to one who had been, but then it faded.

“You shouldn’t have come.” She glanced over to Asanley. “And you shouldn’t have brought her, either.”

“This is her journey,” I said.

Natalie glared at me. “And what about mine?”

She spun, and I turned to look at Asanley. Her dull blue eyes were hard, her jaw set, and she looked ready to fight. Maybe she was. Still, she seemed as if she had resisted the urge. There was a tension within her, though, that left me thinking that she readied to attack Natalie.

Natalie crossed in front of her. Frustration filled her face. And it pained me. This was someone who had become a friend, possibly more. This was somebody who had taught me how to reach the weave and had helped me understand the power of the dragons.

“What happened?” I asked as I approached.

“After you attacked Thomas, the king blamed us. He blamed the Djarn. And the Vard. And anyone that was not with him. My father vouched for you. The first time the Vard attacked the city, he had vouched for you.”

“The Vard didn’t attack the city,” I said.

“It doesn’t matter.” She started to turn.

“Natalie…”

“I thought you were my friend. I thought that we were…” She shook her head, turning away and heading toward the door in front of her. “It doesn’t matter.”

As she walked, I recognized something. “You have a connection. I can feel it.” It was faint, but I was aware of that power drifting off of her for some reason.

“It was forced.”

“But you are connected to it,” I said.

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