The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 141

Swish.

Azure’s claws sliced through a branch with surgical precision. She caught the severed limb mid-fall, banking sharply to carry it toward the cave entrance.

Whoosh.

She dropped the fresh timber into the smoldering maw of the tunnel.

The fire, which had been dying down, roared back to life, eagerly consuming the new fuel.

Azure hovered for a moment, the orange light reflecting in her vertical pupils. Then she drifted to the left, landing lightly on the scorched earth.

Nearby, a white dragon sat on her haunches, her posture suspiciously like a dog waiting for a treat. Her thick tail thumped rhythmically against the ground—thump, thump, thump—while her round head bobbed from side to side.

The firelight danced on her white scales, painting them a warm, deceptive orange.

Bianca wasn’t watching the blockade. She was staring intently at a lump of unrecognizable meat sizzling in the heart of the fire.

It was... very burnt. The outside was a crust of pure carbon, though grease still bubbled from fissures in the char.

Her bright eyes widened. It's been in there forever! It must be done!

Her tail stopped wagging. She lunged forward, plunging her claws into the flames to snatch her prize.

She held the steaming, blackened carcass up to her snout and opened wide.

Chomp.

Crunch.

The sound was brittle, like biting into charcoal.

Crunch. Crunch.

Bianca chewed thoughtfully.

Hmm. Crunchy. Very crunchy. Tastes like... ash. And disappointment.

Not nearly as good as when Aiden cooks.

She paused, a generous thought crossing her simple mind. Maybe I should share.

She turned her soot-stained snout toward Azure.

"Azure! Want some? It's... crispy!"

She extended her claws, offering the mangled, half-eaten lump of carbon. Her face was a mask of soot, looking like a chimney sweep who had fallen down a flue.

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Azure stared at the "food" for two long seconds. Then her gaze slid to Bianca's hopeful, idiot eyes.

That is not food. That is a crime against culinary arts.

"No," Azure said flatly. "I'm not hungry. You enjoy it."

"Okay!"

Bianca shrugged and went back to gnawing on the charcoal.

Azure turned away, rolling her eyes.

Hopeless.

Suddenly, Azure stiffened.

Mana fluctuation.

Strong.

And it was coming from inside the tunnel.

Her pupils constricted into needle-thin slits. Through the billowing smoke and roaring flames, she caught a flash of silver deep within the darkness.

Runes.

She didn't hesitate.

Azure launched herself forward, not at the enemy, but at her sister. Her claws locked around Bianca’s tail.

Whoosh!

With a powerful beat of her wings, Azure rocketed straight up into the night sky, dragging the white dragon behind her like a kite.

"Huh?!"

Bianca’s world flipped upside down. Her claws scrambled for purchase on thin air, and the precious "roast" slipped from her grasp.

Her eyes went wide with horror. She reached out, claws scrabbling, but only managed to peel off a strip of burnt skin.

She watched helplessly as her dinner plummeted back to earth.

Nooo! My crispy snack!

Boom!

The tunnel entrance erupted.

A shockwave of heat and fire blasted outward, engulfing the spot where the two wyrmlings had been standing just a second ago.

Azure banked high above the inferno, pulling them out of the blast radius.

Once clear, she released her grip. Bianca tumbled through the air, righting herself with a clumsy flap of her wings before hovering next to Azure.

Azure stared down at the crater below.

Boom!

A second explosion rocked the entrance, sending plumes of fire reaching for them, though falling short.

This isn't normal.

That firepower... it's at least Two Stars. How did goblins manufacture that?

Did the Curse lift? No, the ones in the mine were feral beasts.

That weapon resembles Gnome artillery from the ancient texts. A partial reconstruction?

The flames reflected in Azure's eyes, igniting a fierce intellectual hunger.

"Azure!" Bianca wailed. "What is happening?!"

Azure didn't look at her. "The goblins are counter-attacking."

"WHAT?!" Bianca puffed up, outrage replacing hunger. "Those low-born pests dare attack the Great Bianca?! I will kill them all!"

She folded her wings, preparing to dive-bomb the crater.

Boom!

Another explosion sent a geyser of fire shooting up, forcing her to brake mid-air.

Azure analyzed the pattern. They are using artillery to clear the blockage and widen the tunnel for a sortie. There is a mind behind this.

Goblins only follow their own kind. That means there is a smart goblin down there.

Interesting.

When this is over, I need a specimen for dissection.

"Azure! They must pay!" Bianca shrieked.

Azure glanced at her sister. "If you go down there now, you'll be blown to pieces. And then Aiden will beat you for being stupid."

Bianca froze. The threat of Aiden's discipline was far scarier than goblin cannons.

"Come," Azure commanded. "We need more wood."

"But—"

"If we don't block that hole before Aiden gets back, he will blame you."

Bianca shivered. Damn it!

"Fine!"

Azure turned and flew toward the treeline. The artillery barrage had paused—likely reloading or cooling down. This was their window.

Bianca grumbled, but she followed, her white wings beating furiously.

The two wyrmlings became a blur of activity. They tore through the forest canopy, ripping down massive branches and hauling them back to the pit.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Fresh timber rained down into the smoking crater.

The fire, which had been blasted apart by the explosions, found new fuel and roared back to life, choking the tunnel once more.

Bianca dropped a final, massive log into the center of the blaze.

She looked at Azure.

"That should hold them. Let's land."