The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 132

The white wyrmling was proving to be even dimmer than anticipated.

Thud. Scrape.

Her claws scrabbled against the stone as she hurried deeper into the cave. The darkness was absolute to natural eyes, but to a dragon, the cavern was as clear as day. She moved with a clumsy, eager energy, entirely oblivious to the tension in the air.

Click.

She stumbled, her heavy frame pitching forward as her front claw caught on a tripwire.

Clang!

Two iron chains snapped taut from the darkness, instantly locking around her rear legs. The metal groaned under the strain, anchored deep within the cavern walls.

From the stalactites above, a massive shape dropped—an Elite Goblin, standing over seven feet tall, muscles corded under green skin. He plummeted holding a heavy iron collar.

Snap!

The collar clamped shut around the wyrmling’s white-scaled neck before she could recover.

Panic flared. The dragon thrashed, her jaws snapping instinctively. She caught the Elite Goblin by the waist, her serrated teeth shearing through leather and flesh alike. With a wet tear, she bit the creature’s upper torso clean off.

"Damn it! You filthy vermin!"

Her maw fell open, and a torrent of frost erupted. The cone of freezing breath washed over the swarm of smaller goblins rushing from the shadows. In seconds, they were silenced, frozen into statues of grotesque terror.

With a desperate heave, she unfurled her wings, beating them furiously to lift her heavy body from the floor.

But the trap was not finished. High above, in carved alcoves hidden near the cavern ceiling, two heavy ballistae were already aimed.

Thwack! Thwack!

Two six-foot steel bolts screamed through the air.

Crunch!

They pierced the delicate membrane of her wings with brutal precision, the momentum slamming her back down. She was pinned to the stone floor, the bolts acting as cruel anchors.

Crackle!

Lightning arced from the metal shafts. The bolts were conductive, rigged to a hidden power source. The electricity surged through her nervous system, locking her muscles in a agonizing spasm. The pain was blinding, then numbing. Her heavy eyelids drooped as paralysis took hold.

Watching the white wyrmling twitch and finally go still, Snaggle stepped out from the shadows.

He walked up to the immobilized beast, his yellow eyes gleaming with avarice. A wide, jagged grin split his face, revealing rows of rotting, yellow teeth.

"Let her rot here for a few days," he muttered to his subordinates. "We break her spirit first. When she's near death, she'll submit. Then, she will be mine."

He ran a hand over the air where he imagined a saddle would go.

"Once I tame this beast," Snaggle whispered, his voice trembling with ambition, "I won't just be a chieftain. I will be a King. A Goblin King."

***

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Whoosh.

Aiden touched down, the impact of his crimson bulk sending a tremor through the cave floor. The silver ring adorning his right foreclaw flared with a brief crimson light.

Thump.

Four carcasses of giant wolves, their bones crushed and bodies limp, materialized and dropped onto the stone floor. His hunt had started with a herd of deer, but when he found a pack of wolves stalking his prey, he had simply decided to upgrade the menu.

He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping the lair.

Azure was there, curled up on the stone, but the white one was missing.

Aiden narrowed his eyes.

That doesn’t make sense. He had taken his time hunting, even gathering some herbs for seasoning. He had been gone for nearly two hours.

Where was the idiot? Had she run off? Unlikely. She was foolish, yes, but she knew better than to abandon the safety of the pack.

He looked at the blue dragon. Azure lay with her limbs tucked beneath her, her chin resting on her front claws. She was silent. No rhythmic breathing of sleep.

She’s faking it.

His tail twitched. A mischievous impulse struck him.

His long, serpentine tail lashed out, a red blur aiming for the side of her head.

Boom!

Gravel exploded from the floor as the tail struck empty stone.

Azure’s head was already raised. Her blue eyes, calm and rippleless as a frozen lake, stared directly at him. She hadn't flinched.

"You're awake. I was just about to wake you," Aiden said, withdrawing his tail.

She didn't respond. He didn't feel awkward; silence was her natural state.

Aiden clicked his tongue, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. Missed.

"Has Bianca returned?" he asked.

"No."

Her answer was curt, her unblinking stare still fixed on him.

Aiden’s brow furrowed. No?

The forest had been quiet while he was out. If there had been a fight, he would have heard it. If there was no noise, and she wasn't here...

Did that idiot get lured away by something shiny?

Given her intelligence—or lack thereof—it was a disturbingly high possibility.

"We need to check," Aiden said, his tone shifting from casual to commanding.

Azure stood up, her blue scales shifting like armored plates. "What is it?"

"Bianca might be lost. Or taken. We need to find her."

Azure stared at him for a long moment, searching his face. Was he actually worried about the fool?

She gave a single, sharp nod.

"Agreed. Let's go."

Aiden watched her move. Having Azure along would make this easier; she was the fastest among them.

The two dragons moved to the mouth of the lair, spread their massive wings, and launched themselves into the sky.

As they reached the river that bisected their territory, Aiden banked.

"Split up. I'll take the eastern forest. You follow the river downstream, then sweep the west."

"Understood."

With a powerful downstroke, Azure shot forward, her streamlined body leaving a blue streak in the air.

Aiden watched her go. She’s gotten faster since her last advancement, he noted.

He banked right, gliding over the canopy, his sharp eyes scanning the greenery below for any sign of white scales.

"ROAR!"

Minutes into the search, a roar echoed from the direction of the river.

It was Azure.

Damn it.

Aiden banked hard, his wings snapping as he altered course, diving toward the source of the sound.

His hearts beat a little faster. A distinct, unfamiliar anxiety clawed at his chest. He didn't want to lose Bianca. Do I actually see that noisy idiot as a sister?

The memory surfaced unbidden: Aiden! Why did you hit me again?!

He shook his head, focusing on the present.

Whoosh!

He tucked his wings, turning his glide into a full-speed dive.

Below, near a bend in the river, he saw Azure standing on the bank.

Next to her, in a small clearing, sat a large iron cauldron. Inside, a pile of gold coins glittered enticingly in the sunlight.

Aiden landed heavily, his claws digging into the soft earth.

His nostrils flared.

The scent of Bianca was here—strong and recent. But underneath it was the cloying, sweet-rot stench of goblins and something muskier. A beast tamer's lure.

He looked at the ground. There was a patch of earth that had been freshly turned and hastily packed down.

His tail whipped out, slamming into the ground next to the disturbed soil.

Boom!

The earth erupted. Soil and sand flew into the air, raining down with a metallic clatter. Buried beneath the dirt were more coins, scattered by the impact.

Smoke curled from Aiden's nostrils, two thin streams of gray signaling the furnace igniting within him.

Azure watched him, her gaze unreadable.

He is angry, she realized. Is it because of the gold? Or the sister?

"I found this when I arrived," Azure said, her voice flat. "She isn't here."

"The air reeks of filth," Aiden growled, his voice vibrating deep in his chest. "Goblins. Organized ones."

Azure nodded slowly. "You know what this means."

Aiden barred his teeth in a savage grin that held no humor.

"I know."

Red flames licked at the corners of his mouth. The air around him began to shimmer with heat distortion.

The silver ring on his right claw flashed crimson.

In an instant, the iron cauldron and the eighteen gold coins scattered on the ground vanished into his dimensional storage.

He looked at Azure. "Let's go hunting."