The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 90

Aiden stood over the corpse, holding the male Ridgebolt Bird's head in his left claw. With his right, he reached inside and began to rummage around.

Wait a minute, he thought, pausing mid-rummage. Something's not right here. I was supposed to be an elegant mage. How did I end up brawling again? This isn't elegant at all.

Damn it. Next time, I'll definitely use magic…

The thought died as he considered his past battles. It seemed that every time a fight began, his first instinct was to close the distance and engage in melee. It was likely a racial trait, woven into his very being. Fine, he sighed internally. No use thinking about it.

Squelch.

He pulled his claw free from the bird's head, a football-sized, diamond-shaped purple crystal clutched in his talons. It pulsed with power, miniature arcs of violet lightning dancing within its facets. This magic crystal would be a perfect fit for Azure, he mused.

His maw opened wide, and he tossed the crystal into the air.

CHOMP!

CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

After a few satisfying chews, a ripple went down his throat as he swallowed it whole.

He lowered his head and looked at the headless body of the Ridgebolt Bird. It had never abandoned its post, not even at the very end. He grabbed the bird's neck with his right claw, and with a heave from his left, pulled the corpse away from its spot. Revealed beneath it was a clutch of eggs, each one crackling with a faint purple aura.

The eggs were large, nine feet long and three feet wide. Now that the male was gone, the purple electricity enveloping them began to fade. Aiden's red, slitted eyes regarded them with cold indifference. So, it was incubating eggs after all. How touching. His pupils dilated slightly. Let's have a look, shall we?

One, two, three… seven. Seven eggs in total.

Egg soup. Fried eggs. The possibilities are endless.

He lifted his head, his great scarlet tongue darting out to lick his maw. He glanced at the two Ridgebolt Bird carcasses. They were both large, the female nearly his own size.

Aiden walked over to the larger female bird, who was still faintly breathing. He plunged a claw into her head and began to rummage.

“Gaku…” she gargled, a final, pained cry. Aiden ignored it and continued his work.

Squelch.

He pulled his claw out, and the female went still. He popped her magic crystal into his mouth and swallowed. With that done, he began to survey the enormous nest. It was like a natural basin, a fine potential lair, except for one thing: the smell.

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A putrid odor of rot permeated the air, emanating from several large piles of skeletal remains. Some were sun-bleached bones, while others were fresh, still draped with scraps of dark red flesh, swarming with feasting flies.

He examined the remains more closely. There were bones of lizardmen, beasts, and humans. Among the grim piles, he spotted the glint of equipment: swords, staves, bows, and armor. He wondered if there were any gold coins mixed in. The thought took root and blossomed into an intense desire to search, but the stench was overpowering.

Then, an image of a white, foolish figure flashed in his mind. His pupils dilated. He had just thought of the perfect use for his little sister.

He straightened up, grabbed a bird in each claw, and with a powerful downstroke of his wide, heavy wings, took to the air. The wind rushed past him as he cleared the nest and soared above the canopy. He tested the weight in his claws; it was surprisingly light. His strength had grown considerably.

Maybe I should just be a brawler from now on? The thought had barely formed when memories of his desperate, claw-to-claw fights in the desert sub-plane surfaced. No. I will be an elegant red dragon, not some brute who only knows how to fight with brute force. Brawling hurts.

The thought of other dragons wrestling for hours on end while he wiped out half a battlefield with a single incantation was, he had to admit, extremely satisfying.

Ahead, the dark opening of his cave appeared in the cliff face. The lair is in sight. He wondered if the other two were awake yet. Hopefully not. They're in for a special two-for-one wake-up call. At the thought, his pupils dilated to their absolute limit.

He accelerated, closing the distance in moments. He landed at the entrance, dropped the two bird carcasses with a heavy thud, and began to crawl inside.

The white and blue figures were still sprawled where he had left them. But as he watched, the blue head began to lift. She was waking up.

Damn. Just like that, half the fun was gone.

Azure lifted her head. As she saw the approaching red figure, her blue pupils narrowed slightly. He… looks disappointed about something.

Aiden walked right up to the still-sleeping Bianca. His red tail whipped through the air.

CRACK!

“AOW!”

Bianca, who had been dead asleep a second before, yelped and shot to her feet.

At that moment, Azure understood perfectly what Aiden had been looking forward to. She felt a wave of profound gratitude for having woken up just in time. Otherwise, that whip surely would have landed on her own rump.

“Aiden! You hit me again!” Bianca shrieked, her white eyes filled with ferocity as she glared at the red dragon.

Aiden met her gaze. He saw a fascinating mixture in her eyes: pure fury, yet shimmering with a crystalline, tear-like quality. It was quite beautiful. Her glare, however, had no effect on him whatsoever.

“Time to eat,” he said calmly.

“Aow?”

The ferocity in her eyes vanished, replaced by confusion. Her nostrils twitched. The rich, fresh scent of meat was indeed wafting through the cave.

“Aiden, you just woke me up to eat?”

“That's right,” he lied smoothly.

“Oh! Thank you, aow!” She looked at him with eyes that held nothing but a pure, untainted sincerity. “Aow-aow, Aiden, you're so nice!”

Azure sighed. She's such a fool. He's completely duped her.

After praising Aiden, Bianca immediately scrambled toward the cave entrance, drawn by the irresistible scent of fresh meat. She pounced on a carcass and began to tear into it with gusto.

Aiden watched her for a moment, then turned his gaze to Azure. Their eyes met. He could see the undisguised disdain in her blue, slitted pupils. Her look seemed to ask, Do you really derive pleasure from fooling an imbecile all day?

He understood the question perfectly. He also didn't care.

“Let's go eat,” he said, his voice polite but his tone leaving no room for argument. “After you're finished, I have a job for you two.”