The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 40

Suppressing the urge to discipline the impertinent white whelp, Aiden lowered his massive form to the ground. His gaze remained fixed on the two figures diligently digging below.

Just digging a pit and throwing in bait isn't enough, he mused. The outflow of water is a problem. If the exit is too large, the fish will simply escape. If it's too small, they won't be able to enter in the first place. A troublesome detail.

Perhaps, he thought, he could weave a basket. A memory surfaced, an echo of a skill learned in a different life, a different world. It was a traditional method of fishing: a double-layered basket placed in a stream, its clever construction allowing fish to enter but not to leave.

The idea was sound, but the materials were lacking. This was a desert. Aiden lifted his head, surveying his surroundings. Sand, brittle rock, and the skeletal remains of long-dead shrubs. This land offered nothing pliable enough for weaving.

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the shards of brittle rock scattered across the slope. An image came to him, unbidden: a memory of small, furred creatures called beavers, building dams of wood and stone. The dams they built did not stop a river entirely, but they slowed the flow to a trickle. Perhaps he could replicate their design.

With a plan in place, all that remained was to wait for Bianca and Azure to finish their labor. Aiden lay there, a profound sense of boredom settling over him.

Wait. The skeleton hasn't been gnawed yet.

His head lifted. The picked-clean camel carcass still lay where they had left it. He pushed himself up and padded over to it, seizing the frame in his jaws. He returned to his spot and settled down once more.

He bit down.

CRACK!

A rib bone snapped cleanly under the pressure of his jaws.

Crack. Crack.

The sound was satisfyingly crunchy. The marrow within was rich and savory; the taste was superb.

Crack. Crack.

Azure, hearing the rhythmic crunch of bone, paused her digging for a fraction of a second. The next moment, her claws resumed their work, tearing at the earth. She ignored it.

Bianca, however, was not so astute. Her white head shot up, and she glared at the figure on the bank, leisurely devouring the skeleton. A powerful sense of injustice welled within her. That Aiden! It's not fair! Why does he get to rest and eat while we do all the work?

Hmm? Why has she stopped again?

Aiden tore off another piece of bone and lifted his head. Chewing thoughtfully, he met her gaze.

Their eyes locked for less than two seconds.

Bianca silently lowered her head and resumed digging.

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Hmph. I can't win now, she fumed, her claws gouging the dirt with renewed vigor. But just wait until I'm grown. I'll be stronger than him then. Just you wait, Aiden. I'll be the one pinning him to the ground. Yes! And I'll sit right on top of him!

At the thought, a spark of vicious excitement lit her white eyes, and the pace of her digging unconsciously quickened.

By the time Aiden had consumed half the skeleton, the two pits were nearly complete. Each was roughly fifteen yards deep and thirty yards long, with little difference between them.

Excellent. This will suffice. A flicker of satisfaction showed in Aiden's crimson pupils.

He pushed himself up and crawled to the edge of the pits. The two figures were still digging at the bottom.

“That is enough,” he called down. “You can come up now.”

Hearing his voice, Bianca immediately ceased her efforts. Hmph. Digging traps is beneath the dignity of a dragon. A dragon should crush those vile breeds with overwhelming power, not resort to such cunning.

She spread her white wings, and with a single, powerful beat, she lifted from the floor of the pit.

Whoosh~

With a gust of wind, Bianca landed on the bank. Another followed moments later as Azure joined her.

Aiden looked at the two dragons, both covered from snout to tail in dust and grit.

“Your work is done,” he announced. “You may return to the cave if you wish.”

He had no intention of asking them for help building the weirs. Azure might have been capable, but Bianca would only increase the difficulty of the task. He couldn't very well ask only Azure to help, so it was better to grant them both leave. They had worked hard.

At Aiden's words, Azure turned without hesitation and began crawling toward the river. Bianca glanced toward the water and, after a moment's thought, followed suit. The sand clinging to their scales was an annoyance. A wash was in order.

They are surprisingly fastidious, these two.

Aiden drew his gaze from their retreating backs and turned his attention to the two massive pits. Now, his own work began.

He extended his claws and started digging, first carving out a channel to the river. The pits were only about three yards from the bank, and he breached the distance with ease. Water immediately began to surge through the narrow channel and into the pit. He watched the flow for a moment, then continued to tear at the earth. After a few minutes, he had dug a channel five yards wide connecting the pit to the river. Water gushed in, and in moments, the pit was full.

With the waterway connected, the next problem was the weir.

He spread his red wings and flew to a large slab of brittle rock on the slope. With a single swipe of his claws, he gripped the fifty-yard-long rock. With a beat of his wings, the stone lifted from the ground, soaring into the air with surprising ease. The rock's volume was deceptive; it was porous and weighed very little.

He flew to the channel he had dug and released his grip. The brittle rock plummeted.

CRASH!

It struck the ground and immediately broke in two, saving him a step. Aiden landed, pushed one of the shattered pieces aside for the second weir, and positioned the other to block the channel. Now, he needed to break it down further. He began striking it with his claws, but the rock only fractured. The efficiency was lacking.

Aiden looked down at his own powerful, scale-sheathed hind legs. He lowered his body, bringing their immense power to bear.

STOMP!

STOMP! STOMP!

A minute later, he stopped. The brittle rock had been pulverized into a heap of gravel. Now for the assembly. He began arranging the gravel into a V-shape, the point facing away from the river, leaving a gap just wide enough for one of the great fish to pass through.

There. Complete.

The V-shaped weir held back the main force of the water but allowed a steady current to seep through the gaps. It was perfect.

He admired his masterpiece for a moment, then gave a satisfied nod. He turned his attention to the second pit and repeated the entire process. Six minutes later, that too was finished.

He looked at the two completed traps. All that was left was to add the bait. By tomorrow, he would see if any fish had taken it.

I wonder if those two have left yet.

Aiden turned his gaze from the pits toward the river. There were no dragons in the water.

He glanced at the bank.

There was one.