The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 74

They watched the figure digging rapidly into the darkness of the cave. The white and blue dragon heads turned and looked at each other. The next second, by some unspoken, mutual agreement, their fight was over. The blue dragon gracefully dismounted the white one and padded toward the magic crystal pieces on the ground.

Bianca pushed herself up, her claws finding their footing. Her white eyes were locked on the other half of the magic crystal as she, too, walked toward it.

CHOMP!

The two wyrmlings opened their maws and, at almost the exact same time, each took a piece. They didn't fight over them. Aiden had decreed one piece each, and that was that.

The blue dragon turned her head to look at the white one beside her. She had to remind this fool of something. If Bianca swallowed her crystal now and immediately went into slumber, who would be left to do all the cleanup work? Just her? Not a chance.

“Bianca.”

“What?” Bianca snapped back, her tone feisty. She could lose the fight, but not the attitude.

“Don't you swallow that magic crystal yet,” Azure warned. “Finish your work first.”

A spark of rebellion lit up the crystalline white eyes. She tells me not to swallow? I'll swallow it right now. Her white neck immediately began to work, forcing it down.

Azure watched the convulsing throat, her own blue pupils remaining perfectly calm. “If you do, then when we wake up, I'll tell Aiden you didn't do any work and just went to sleep. You know how much he hates dragons who don't follow the rules.”

Bianca's eyes widened. Her throat, which had been forcing the crystal down, now began to strain to bring it back up. With a great heave, she opened her mouth and spat out a chunk of crystal.

Clink.

The half-crystal landed on the ground, now coated in a thick layer of transparent liquid.

A slight smirk cracked Azure's blue maw. Such a fool.

Seeing Azure's smile, Bianca huffed, opened her mouth again, and took the crystal back in, this time just holding it there. She turned and padded into the tunnel Aiden had dug. It was twenty yards high and about fifteen yards wide. Azure followed close behind. The tunnel was too narrow for them to walk side-by-side without it being a squeeze.

The passage had been carved out, but it was completely filled with loose rubble. After only a few steps, their way was blocked. Bianca lifted her head and looked back. Their eyes met.

Time to trick the fool again, Azure thought.

“You go first. I'll take the second half.”

“Why don't you go first?” Bianca asked, a new hint of suspicion in her eyes.

This fool has gotten a little smarter, Azure thought, blinking her heavy eyelids slowly.

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“Think about it,” Azure said smoothly. “If you dig out the first half, you can start resting earlier, can't you?”

Bianca thought about it seriously. It seemed to make a lot of sense. I can rest before Azure does! I'll be one step ahead! Her competitive spirit ignited, and her white tail began to wag rapidly.

“Alright then, aow!” Bianca turned back to the wall of rubble. Her white claws began to dig at a furious pace, sending stones flying back in two neat parabolic arcs. The rock was already shattered, so the digging was easy, and she didn't stop for a moment.

Azure watched the wagging white tail. Bianca has gotten a little smarter, but not by much. A grin split her maw. As the rubble piled up, Azure simply swept her long, blue tail, easily pushing the debris further back toward the main cave. Compared to digging at the front, her job was far more relaxed.

And so they worked, one digging at the front, one pushing with her tail at the back. After they had advanced about fifteen yards, Azure looked at the rock wall beside her. Time to make a tool.

She dragged her left claw along the wall, scoring a twelve-yard-long rectangle, then began to dig it out. In less than two minutes, she had pried a large, flat slab from the wall. She placed it on the ground and stared at its shape for a few seconds. She looked up at the digging figure ahead. I probably don't even need to dig myself. No… better to let the fool keep at it.

A grin split her maw. Her long blue tail extended and poked the stone slab, the sharp tip easily piercing a hole through it. She threaded her tail through the hole, wrapped it around the slab, and pushed it forward. The two parabolic arcs of debris were now caught by the makeshift stone shovel. When it was nearly full, Azure turned and walked toward the cave entrance, her tail held straight, dragging the heavy slab behind her.

The work continued in this repetitive fashion. Suddenly, the digging figure stopped and looked back. Their eyes met.

“Azure, isn't it your turn yet?”

Azure's heavy, scaled eyelids drooped slightly. “See for yourself how far we've dug.”

Bianca lifted her head high. The cave entrance was visible, but it had shrunk considerably. “It seems pretty far?”

Azure's pink nictitating membranes blinked. “Not at all! As long as you can still see the exit, it's not far. You said you can see the exit, didn't you?”

“I can see it, but I feel like…”

Azure cut her off. “Then there's no problem. Only when we've dug so far that you can't see the exit at all will it be my turn. That's what's fair!”

Hearing the word ‘fair,' Bianca's head shrunk back. That was a word Aiden liked to use. “Oh. Okay then.” She lowered her head and resumed digging. The two parabolic arcs began to form again. Azure pushed her stone slab forward with her tail and continued loading it.

Once it was full, she would drag it outside. A round trip took less than thirty seconds. By the time she got back, not much rubble had accumulated. She'd push the slab forward, scoop up the small pile, and repeat.

They continued like this until they had advanced another thirty yards.

CRASH!

With a final fall of rubble, the tunnel broke through. They were in a vast internal cavern, thirty yards long and thirty yards wide, with a ceiling so high they couldn't see it. It was like the inside of a volcano, with waves of heat rolling off the walls, which still bore the scorched, melted marks of Aiden's power.

Staring into the cavern, the light in Bianca's eyes died. She stood frozen for a full twenty seconds. Then, her eyes began to focus. They widened. She had finally realized. Azure has tricked me again!

She spun around.

The blue wyrmling was standing there silently, rubbing her claws together. Her calm blue eyes met Bianca's, which were now filled with pure fury. The blue pupils began to narrow as well.

“You'd better think this through.”

The memory of being pinned and beaten by Azure flashed through Bianca's mind. Her rage cooled instantly. She couldn't win. Her body was still weak.

“Hmph!” With a soft snort, she averted her gaze, refusing to look at the detestable creature. I'll remember this.

Bianca's head turned toward the interior of the cave, and her eyes fell upon the black-and-red form lying on the ground. Aiden's asleep, right? She tilted her head to the right, and a grin split her maw. Her white eyes widened rapidly. A mischievous gleam began to shine within them.