The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 39

Azure halted.

She had no desire to engage with Aiden. Everything that had transpired was a direct result of his deliberate machinations. She lowered her head, opened her jaws, and sank her teeth into the camel's soft underbelly. With a furious twist of her neck, she tore a great chunk of crimson flesh free, channeling her simmering rage into a ravenous hunger.

Watching her feast, Aiden settled onto the ground. He had already eaten his fill during Bianca and Azure's brawl and felt no desire for more.

Splash~

A sound from the riverbank drew his attention. The white dragon's claws hooked the edge of the bank, and with a powerful heave of her hind legs, she clambered ashore. The moment her paws touched solid ground, Bianca scrambled toward them, pressing against Azure's side and sinking her own maw into the camel carcass.

Aiden watched them eat. He would let them finish. Then the digging could begin.

His mind was already at work. He decided a square trench would be best for catching the fish. Now he had two types of bait. One was already rotten. His gaze drifted to the half-eaten camel. And one was fresh. He wasn't certain if the fish below would take carrion; in his past life, not all fish were scavengers. Some were exclusively predators.

It doesn't matter, he thought, his crimson eyes fixed upon the two feeding dragons. We'll just dig two pits. There are two of them, after all. Bianca can dig one and Azure the other. That will solve it. Yes. That is how it will be done. Truth is found through experimentation.

The hatchlings ate quickly, finishing in just over ten minutes. Like Aiden, they ate until they were sated but did not gorge themselves, their bellies taut. Soon, only the camel's skeleton remained on the blood-soaked sand.

“Are you full?” Aiden asked.

Azure nodded. She knew what this meant. Aiden was about to speak his mind.

“Mmm-hmm~” Bianca nodded as well, then tilted her head. “Oh, Aiden? How did the camel get here?”

Aiden merely smiled, saying nothing.

Azure, however, let out a disdainful snort and glared at him. Bianca followed her lead, and soon both whelps were staring at Aiden—one with simmering resentment, the other with pure, innocent curiosity.

Feeling the weight of Azure's enmity, Aiden ignored it completely.

“Ah, that,” he began, his tone casual. “While you two were fighting, a camel came down to the river for a drink. So I caught it.”

As befit a magnificent evil dragon, Aiden felt not a flicker of guilt for the lie.

“Oh, is that so?” Bianca's eyes widened. “Your luck is so good!” She believed him without a shred of doubt.

Azure's gaze remained sharp with resentment, but she said nothing. What was the use? That fool Bianca would never believe her. Just you wait, she fumed, the promise a cold stone in her gut. One day, I will settle this account with you, Aiden. And with Bianca, that idiot! Azure etched another black mark against both their names in the ledger of her mind.

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“Yes, I thought so too,” Aiden said with a chuckle. “Now, let us attend to the real business.”

“Real business?” Bianca asked.

His red, slitted pupils surveyed the two dragons before him. “Indeed. When you were in the river, you must have seen them. The things that dwell in the deep.”

“You mean those delicious-looking big white fish?”

Aiden dipped his head in a slow, deliberate nod.

“Those fish are incredibly fast and agile. You intend to hunt them?” Azure's voice was laced with skepticism.

Aiden had personally experienced their speed. Agile was an understatement; the creatures practically teleported. He met her placid, unwavering blue eyes.

“I know,” he said simply. “Which is why I intend to dig a trap.”

At his words, Bianca's eyes flew wide. “How could you!” she protested, an indignant roar rumbling in her chest. “We are mighty dragons! Traps are for the weak!”

Aiden's head swiveled to pin Bianca with his gaze, his crimson pupils narrowing.

“And would you like to test the claws of a weakling?” he asked, lifting a foreleg, his obsidian talons glinting in the sun.

Seeing the threat, Bianca's white head instantly recoiled. “Hmph… Th-that's not fair,” she grumbled. Compared to her earlier roar, her voice was now a weak, breathy squeak.

“Fine,” Aiden said. “Then we shall vote. Is that fair enough?” He stared at Bianca, waiting.

“W-well… okay then,” she stammered, unable to muster any defiance under his predatory crimson gaze.

As Bianca agreed, Azure shot her a look of utter disdain. What a coward. The blue dragon shifted her gaze back to Aiden.

“The vote begins now,” Aiden announced. “All who agree to use a trap, raise a claw.”

His own red-scaled limb rose immediately.

A moment later, a blue claw rose to join his. Though she hated to agree with him, Azure knew that food was paramount. If Aiden's trap could catch the great fish, this river would become a stable source of sustenance. She had only glanced briefly while underwater, but the school was abundant.

With two votes cast, the outcome was decided.

“Excellent. The vote is complete,” Aiden declared. “Now, get to work.”

Bianca's white pupils widened as a surge of indignation welled within her. He isn't even bothering to let me vote! He's just ordering us to do the labor while he does nothing!

“But—”

In a flash, Aiden's red snout was inches from hers. They were so close their breaths mingled—one a wave of searing heat, the other an icy mist. Flames danced within Aiden's crimson eyes.

“Do you intend to break the rules again?” His voice was young, but it was a low, menacing rumble that promised violence.

Staring into those eyes, Bianca could feel the raw brutality coiled within him. I'll be beaten, her instincts screamed. Beaten badly.

Her neck shrank back, and she lowered her head in submission.

Seeing his foolish sister pacified, the flames in Aiden's eyes slowly subsided. I abide by the rules. Therefore, as the weaker ones, they must also abide by my rules. That is the bottom line.

Aiden took two steps back. “Good. Follow me.”

This time, there were no objections. One white dragon and one blue fell in line, meekly following him.

He stopped at the riverbank, his gaze sweeping across the terrain. The bank formed a gentle reverse slope, stable and not too steep. This will do. The geography is ideal.

His long, serpentine red tail swung forward and plunged into the soft earth. He began to walk, dragging the tip of his tail through the ground to carve a straight line. After twenty yards, he stopped, pulled his tail free, and walked another twenty yards parallel to the river. Again, his tail pierced the soil, and he dragged it for another twenty yards before withdrawing it. Two perfect, parallel lines, each twenty yards long and twenty yards apart, were now etched into the riverbank.

He strode back to the two whelps.

“Dig,” he commanded, gesturing with his snout. “Dig inward from these lines. Do not let the two pits connect.” His gaze fell upon them, cold and hard.

“Whoever digs through to the other side gets a beating from me.”

Hearing the threat, Bianca flinched.

Azure spared Aiden a single glance before turning away. She walked to the first line and began digging without a word.

As always, Azure is ruthlessly efficient, Aiden thought.

His gaze shifted to the other dragon, the fool who was still just standing there. Feeling his stare, Bianca met his eyes for a few seconds before looking away as if jolted. She shuffled over to the second line and began to dig.

Watching her dawdling, white-scaled back, Aiden contrasted it with Azure's immediate compliance. That fool Bianca is simply asking for a beating.

Unconsciously, his claws scraped against the sandy ground.