The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 117

As Garruk hacked slabs of meat from the gryphon, the voice returned.

"You'd best be quick, servant," a melodic, girlish voice urged from behind him.

"Yes, Great Mistress!"

Garruk didn't dare waste another second. He hacked off two massive, four-foot-long chunks of flesh, one in each hand, and hauled the bloody meat back toward his mistress.

Slap. Slap. The gory slabs landed on the stone floor.

The blue dragon's head descended, jaws unhinging to tear into the offering.

Seeing her eat, Garruk didn't stop. He turned and limped back to the carcass. He knew this small amount wouldn't be nearly enough.

For the next hour, they fell into a rhythm: one carving, one consuming.

Finally, Azure's jaws parted, and a long, scarlet tongue licked her muzzle clean of gore. She felt sated. That was enough.

Her gaze fell on the servant's back, who was still frantically carving.

"That will do, servant. You may stop."

The dagger paused. Garruk sheathed it, turned, and knelt.

"As you will, Great Mistress. Are there any other tasks you require of Garruk?"

Azure regarded her kneeling servant. He was adapting, it seemed. He had some sense.

"Go. Rest."

"As you will, Great Mistress."

Garruk pushed himself to his feet. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest. The day's brutal "training" had exhausted him, and he'd barely slept before being woken to carve the meal. He was utterly spent.

But as he limped away, his resolve hardened. He couldn't stop. He knew the simple truth: for a dragon's servant, weakness meant only one thing.

You became food.

Get stronger. Prove your worth. Avoid being eaten.

Azure watched him limp away.

This servant was proving acceptable. And with his Magic Eyes, his potential was... adequate.

Her head settled onto the stone floor, her gaze fixed on his ruined right leg.

Perhaps she should just sever it. Give him a new one.

It would be the perfect opportunity to practice the Somatic Grafting techniques from her ancestral memories.

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A wave of exhaustion washed over her. The hunger was gone, replaced by an overwhelming need to sleep. Her heavy eyelids drifted shut.

With a soft huff, the blue wyrmling fell into a deep sleep.

***

Heavy, red-scaled eyelids lifted.

Aiden's eyes opened.

He saw the familiar cave entrance, the sky beyond still a twilight crimson.

He felt a damp, sticky sensation on his neck and shoulder. He craned his head.

Bianca's white head was draped across him, her jaw slack, tongue lolling out, and drooling. Copiously.

He pushed himself up with his foreclaws, shaking his body.

Plop. The white wyrmling slid off him and landed on her back without waking. Her rounded belly pointed toward the ceiling, her jaw hung open, and the drool continued to puddle on the floor.

Aiden averted his gaze and looked toward the cave mouth.

Hhhrrrk... Hhhrrrk...

Near the entrance, the gnoll servant was doing pull-ups on the roasting spit, his breathing ragged.

Aiden's gaze swept to the back of the lair. Azure was asleep, her form coiled neatly.

She, at least, had some dignity in her sleep, unlike the fool on the floor.

His eyes shifted to the gryphon carcass. It had been gutted, entrails spilled across the floor.

He glanced at the straining gnoll.

Looks like Azure woke up for a midnight snack.

His head tilted, and he spotted the gryphon's magic crystal lying nearby, apparently forgotten.

He looked at Bianca, snoring on the floor. He looked at Azure, deep in sleep.

Well... if no one else wants it...

He took a step, then paused. His long, serpentine tail snaked out and deftly coiled around the basin-sized, red magic crystal.

He brought the crystal to his snout. His eyes widened.

The fire-element energy pouring off it was intense. A magic crystal like this was clearly best suited for him, anyway.

He opened his jaws.

"Aiden-rawr?"

A bright, childish voice chirped from behind him, just as he was about to bite down.

Aiden froze.

...Damn it. He snapped his jaws shut.

Bianca stared at his back, tilting her head. "Aiden-rawr? Whatcha doin', rawr?"

From her angle, she couldn't see what his tail was holding.

Aiden turned to face the idiot.

The moment she saw the object in his tail, her sleepy white eyes went wide and locked onto the red magic crystal.

She remembered! Aiden had said it was for her!

She scrambled to her feet, rushed over, and began rubbing her head against his strong foreleg.

"Aiden-rawr! Is that for me, rawr? It is, right?"

Aiden stared into those impossibly bright, hopeful eyes.

Ugh. Fine.

That look was his one weakness.His tail uncoiled, dropping the magic crystal at her feet.

Bianca's eyes lit up. She immediately lowered her head and bit down.

CRUNCH. CRUNCH.

The sound of shattering crystal filled the cave. The cool, pleasant feeling of her rubbing against his leg instantly stopped.

Aiden lowered his head, amused by her fickle nature. He raised a clawed, red hand and gave her round, white head an affectionate pat.

She was too busy eating to even notice.

"Remember to leave half for Azure," he warned. "You know what happens if you eat it all."

CRUNCH. CRACKLE.

"I know, rawr! Okay!" she mumbled, her mouth full. She was completely absorbed.

Aiden lifted his head and looked out at the red sky. He wasn't particularly hungry.

Maybe he'd go for a flight. See if he could hunt down some real food.

He reached down to pat her head again and met only air.

He glanced down.

Bianca was already flat on the floor again, legs splayed out like a sun-dried lizard. Her head was lolled to the side, tongue out, and she was fast asleep.

Huuuu... A soft snore escaped her.

Aiden looked at the magic crystal, which was less than half-eaten.

She'd hit her limit and fallen into a forced advancement sleep.

Must be nice. Unlike her, he'd eaten a five-star magic crystal and felt almost nothing.

A soft shuffling sound came from the back of the cave.

Aiden looked over.

A blue head was raised, and Azure's unnervingly calm eyes met his.

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"I'm hungry," she stated. The voice was just as melodic and girlish as before.

Aiden stared at her. She really is just like some deadpan, emotionless kid.

He sighed and padded over to the gryphon carcass.